dwelt among men, he hid the refulgent rays of his glo ry and majesty, by veiling himself in our nature; and this was so effectually done, according to the purposes of Divine wisdom, that though he was in the world, and the world was made by him, yet the world knew him not. The thoughts and ways of men differ widely from those of God. The carnal mind acts from carnal principles, is pleased with carnal scenes, is confined to carnal wishes, seeks after carnal delights and greatness, and stands opposed to real worth→→→ to wisdom's ways, and spiritual enjoyments. They looked for some mighty potentate, who would lead them to victory, and load them with temporal honours and benefits. But as the appearance of Christ was the reverse of these expecta tions, "he had no form nor comeliness-nor beauty, that they should desire him;" the purity of his doctrine, the greatness of his works, and the excellencies of his mind, were underrated, despised, or vilified, as the effects of diabolical agency. He was despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not." The things so highly esteemed among men passed with him for nothing. He poured contempt upon all worldly vanities. He was born of a poor virgin, a manger was his cradle, his reputed father was a carpenter, and it appears that he followed the same employment. When he entered on his ministry, he chose not his disciples from among the great and learned, but the plain and illiterate. He was supported by the contributions of others, suffered himself to be mocked, set at nought, and despitefully treated. He was led, loaded with reproaches, to suffer an ignominious death; and gave up the ghost, as one apparently forsaken of God and man. But when he comes as Judge of quick and dead, he will appear in his glorified humanity almost too bright to be looked upon by the saints themselves, and possessed of uncontroulable power. He will now display his undisputed divinity, by coming " in the glory of his Father," and bringing "all the holy angels with him." All the glory of Solomon, or all the monarchs that ever reigned put together, dwindle to an insignificant spark in his presence; yea, the sun itself, that most glorious of his visible works, will become dark at his appearing, and cease to shine. "He will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; by his almighty and creative word the saints will be raised from their slumbers, and the living changed; and, at the invitations of their adorable Lord and Redeemer, quitting this earth, how doomed to be destroyed by fire, they will be "caught up to the clouds, to meet him in the air," never to be parted from him any more. Then the rest of the dead shall come forth at his summons, those who died in their sins, with those who shall be found by him living in their sins at the last day. What an amazing change will take place when this day arrives, in the bodies of the saints particularly; for the apostle, speaking on this subject, observes concerning the body, "It is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption : it is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power: it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body." And when he uses general terms, he says, "This corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality;" that is, all without exception, good and bad, will be placed in such circumstances of being, as will change no more for ever. Now the dissolution of nature commences.-"The heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat; the earth also, and the works that are therein, shall be burned up." The works of nature and of art are destroyed together. "Heaven and earth flee from the Judge's face, and no place is found for them." The appearance, order, beauty, connexions, and stability of things, will be dissolved; and if all be not annihilated, they will be entirely changed, wear other appearances, be formed on new principles, and change no more. Had the scripture been wholly silent respecting this "day of the Lord," it might have reasonably been expected from the apparently unequal distributions of providence, from this being a state of trial, and from the views we have of the righteous government of God: it is, however, very clearly revealed, that "God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." The precise time, indeed, when this will take place, is hid from all human beings, and perhaps from angels themselves. This is wisely ordered, that we may not be diverted from accomplishing the designs of providence during this probationary state, and to shew us the necessity of being always ready against his coming; but it is as certain as though the very hour had been named: and while we may be disposed to regard it as thousands of years hence, it may overtake us in as many moments. And should not all who are unprepared be alarmed at these considerations? And does not the absolute necessity of conversion appear from this coming of Christ to judgment? Whenever it may arrive, the unconverted will be indeed most awfully circumstanced. It will be sudden and unexpected.-The apostles and first teachers of the church appear to have made this a common topic in their general discourses; for St. Paul says to the Thessalonians, "Yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they (the slumbering and careless world) shall say, peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape." Nor is there any thing unjust in this, since numerous warnings of its approach have been given to the world for thousands of years. They, therefore, who are not prepared will be inexcusable, and punished for their criminal neglect. The sudden appearance of the Lord Jesus will fill the world with consternation and alarm. "Behold he cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see him; and they also which pierced him; and all kindreds of the earth shall wail be cause of him." All (to use the prophet's words) that are turned back from the Lord; and those that have not sought the Lord, nor inquired for him," will grievously mourn and lament when they see in the person of their Judge, him they refused to acknowledge as their King, as the poet speaks: "Is this the man of woe, whom glorious now we see ; The man who suffer'd want below, and shame and agony ; Who here insulted was, and scourg'd and crucified, Hung pierc'd and naked on the cross, and bled and groan'd and died? Now a final stop will be put to the regular motions of the heavenly bodies, to the seasons and the changes, to the va riable winds and tides: and at the same instant will cease the schemes, pursuits, and labours of mankind, to be resumed no more. Then it may be said of this vain-glorious and impious world in general, what was spoken of spiritual Babylon in particular, "The fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all-for in one hour so great riches are come to nought-in one hour it is made desolate. The voice of musicians shall be heard no more at all in thee; no crafts. man, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a mill-stone shall be heard no more in thee; the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and the bride shall be heard no more in thee." The words of the prophet will meet with their full accomplishment. "The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly." Who now shall face the Judge? for the great day of his wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand? Who shall stand before him with confidence? Unconverted soul, not thou. Awake then to righteousness; and fly from the wrath to come, that in the day of the Lord's fierce anger thou mayest stand approved, and rejoice with all his saints. It will be awfully great.-When God appeared as the Great Legislator of his people, and gave forth his holy law upon Mount Sinai, it was very alarming: there were thunders, lightnings, a thick cloud upon the Mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceedingly loud, so that all the people in the camp trembled but this, dreadful as it might appear to them, was a very faint representation of the last day. The people then only beheld the thick darkness accompa◄ nied by flashes of lightning; but here the Divine Judge is seen in glory and majesty. 'Tis not a partial earthquake, but every where villages, towns, cities, kingdoms, are all laid in ruins; the earth in every part takes fire, and is consuming; the powers of the heavens are shaken and falling ; the voice of the archangel sounding; and the trump of God, louder than the most dreadful thunders; flaming fire goes forth from before him, and it is very tempestuous round about him. Weeping, wailing, and lamentation, are heard on every hand from among the despairing children of perdition; while the army of the living God welcomes his approach with shouts of joy, loud as the fall of mighty cataracts of water, or as the "voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Hallelujah for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.' Nor can we suppose that, as the devils cried out, and were afraid of his wrath in the days of his humiliation, they will be insensible to the dreadful sentence that is to overwhelm them inexpressibly deep in the abyss of torment and destruction. In the mean time, ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousand thousands of holy angels, joining their harmonious voices, shall shout, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive blessing, honour, glory and power! Such a scene as this was never seen before, and never will there be such another. Joy of sorrow, delight or anguish, confidence or shame, triumph or sadness appears in each, individual, as their Judge is considered a friend or foo All things, being prepared; the earth, having yielded up the |