The Life and Death of Joseph Alleine, Letters · Letter 27
LETTER XXVII. [Of the Second coming of Christ.]
To the Faithful, and Beloved, the Servants of God in Taunton, Grace and Peace.
Loving and most dearly Beloved,
THough I trust my Bonds do preach to You, yet methinks that doth not suffice me, but the Conscience of my Duty, and the workings of my Heart towards You, are still calling upon me to stir You up by way of Remembrance, notwithstanding You know and be established in the present Truth. And if Paul do call upon so great an Evangelist as Timothy, to Remember that Jesus was raised from the dead according to the Gospel, why should not I be often calling upon my self, and upon you, my dearly Beloved, to remember and meditate upon, and closely apply the great and weighty Truths of the Gospel, which You have already received? And in truth, I perceive in my self and you another manner of heat and warmth in the insisting upon the plainest Principles of Christianity, and the setting them home upon mine own heart and yours, than in dwelling upon any more abstruse Speculations, in the clearest handling of which, the Preacher may seem to be too much like the Winter nights, very bright, but very cold.
But now, my Brethren, I shall not with Paul call upon You so much to remember the Resurrection of Christ, as the … of Christ: Behold, He cometh in the Clouds, and every Eye shall see him; Your Eyes and mine Eyes: and all the Tribes of the Earth shall mourn because of him: But we shall lift up our heads, because the Day of our Redemption draweth nigh: This is the Day I look for, and wait for, and have laid up all my hopes in. If the Lord return not, I …, my self undone, my Preaching is vain; and my suffering is vain, and the Bottom in which I have intrusted all my hopes is for ever miscarried. But I know whom I have trusted: We are built upon the Foundations of that sure Word, we are not built upon the sand of Mortality. Nor do we run so as uncertainly, but the Word of the Lord abideth for ever, upon which word do we hope; How fully doth this word assure us that this same Jesus that is gone up into Heaven shall so return, and that he shall appear the Second time unto Salvation, to them that look for him. Oh, how sure is the thing! How near is the time! How Glorious will his Appearing be!
The thing is sure, the Day is set, God hath appointed 2 Day wherein he will judge the World by that man whom he hath …; The manner of it is revealed, Behold the Lord … with ten thousand of his Saints: The Attendants are appointed and nominated. The Son of Man shall come in his Glory, and all his holy Angels with him. The thing You see is established, and every circumstance is determined. How sweet are the words that dropped from the pretious Lips of our departing Lord! What generous Cordials hath he left us in his parting Sermons, and his last Prayer! And yet of all the rest those are the sweetest, I will come again and receive you to my self, that where I am, there you may be also. What need you any further witness: You have heard him your selves, assuring you of his Return. Doubtless he cannot deceive you, you have not onelyonly known, but seen and felt the Truth of his promises.
And will he come? Tremble then ye Sinners, Triumph ye Saints, Clap your hands all ye that look for the Confolation of Israel. O Sinners, where will you then appear? How will you look upon him whom you have pierced? Whom you have persecuted? Whose great Salvation you have neglected and despised? Wo unto you that ever you were born, unless you should then be found to be New-born.
But you, O Children of the most high, how will you forget your travel, and be melted into Joy. This is he in whom you have believed; whom having not seen … loved. But how will Love and Joy be working (if I may so speak) with pangs unutterable when you shall see him, and hear his sweet Voice commending, applauding, approving of you, and owning you by Name before all the World. Brethren, thus it must be, the Lord hath spoken it. See that you stagger not at the Promise, but give Glory to God by Believing.
Again, The Time is near, Yet a little while, and he that shall come will come. Behold, I come quickly, saith he: And again, The Lord is at hand: Sure You are, that death cannot be far off. O Christian, thou dost not know but the next year, nay, possibly the next week, thou mayest be in Heaven. Christ will not long endure thine absence, but will have thee up to him till the time of his General appearing; when he will take us up altogether, and so we shall be ever with the Lord.
Soul, believest thou this? If thou dost indeed, what remains but that thou shouldest live a Life of Love and Praise; studying to do all the good thou … till thou come to Heaven; and waiting all the days of thine appointed time till thy change shall come. O my Soul. look out and long. O my Brethren, be you as the Mother of … looking out at the Windows, and watching at the Latices, saying, why are his Chariot-wheels so long a coming. Though the time till you shall see him be but very short, yet love and longing make it seem tedious.
My Beloved, comfort your hearts with these Words Look upon these things as the greatest reallities, and let your affections be answerable to your expectations. I would not have told you these things, unless I had believed them; for it is for this hope that I am bound with this Chain. The Blessing of the Holy Trinity be upon You, I am yours and will be. The God of Peace be with you, I Rest,
Your Embassador in Bonds, JOS. ALLEINE. From the Prison at Juelchester, August. 5. 1666.