Looking Unto Jesus, Book 10 · Chapter 1 · Section 2
SECT. II. Of Chriſt coming to judgment.
2. FOr Chriſt's coming to judgment; no ſooner Chriſt prepared, and all in readineſs, but down he deſcends from his Imperial throne to the Judgment-ſeat. In this paſſage I ſhall obſerve theſe particulars.
1. He deſcends with his Train: He comes with his Royal Attendants out of Heaven. This is the glory of a Prince, that hath ſo many Nobles waiting on him; and this is the glory of Jeſus Chriſt, that when he comes to judge the world, he ſhall have his Saints and Angels (the glory of the creation) to be his Attendants in that work. Behold the Lord comes with mighty Angels. 2 Theſ. 1.7. Jude 14.Behold the Lord comes with ten thouſands of his Saints, to execute judgment upon all. Certainly a numberleſs number ſhall wait upon him: Daniel tells us of a thouſand thouſand that this day Miniſter unto Chriſt, A thouſand thouſands miniſtred unto him, Dan. 7.10.and ten thouſand times ten thouſand ſtood before him: or if Heaven have more, I believe Heaven will empty it ſelf of all the Saints, and all the Angels; not one Spirit, whether Saint or Angel ſhall ſtay behind when Chriſt deſcends:Matth. 25.31. The Son of man ſhall come in his glory, and all the holy Angels with him. Oh what a glorious day will this be! if one Sun make the morning Sky ſo glorious, what a bright, ſhining, and glorious morning will that be, when ſo many thouſands of Suns ſhall ſhine over all our heads, the glorious Body of our Chriſt ſurpaſſing them all in ſplendor and glory? here's a new Heaven of Sun and Stars, ſuch as this nether-world never ſaw, Lo yond the Sun of righteouſneſs with all his Morning-ſtars, ſinging and ſhouting for joy: Heaven now empties it ſelf of all its created Citizens, and cleaves aſunder to make way for Chriſt, and all his Train.
Matth. 24.29.2. In his deſcent through the Heavens, he ſhakes the Heavens. And the powers of the heaven ſhall be ſhaken. The whole frame of Heaven, moſt ſtrong and immutable in its being and motion; or the mighty bodies thereof, moſt mighty in their ſubſtance, laſtingneſs, motion and operation ſhall be ſhaken. I know by the powers of heaven ſome mean the Angels, who at this wonderful deſcent of Chriſt ſhall admire and move; but I rather think the Heavens themſelves are meant hereby, whoſe very nature ſhall be moved,Job 26.11. and ſhaken at that day: At his nod the pillars of heaven tremble, and are aſtoniſhed. As yet they are Subject to vanity and therefore 'tis no wonder if at the coming of Chriſt they tremble and are moved. In this moving or ſhaking the Evangeliſts adds, that the glorious lights of Heaven ſhall be altered,Matth. 24.29. The Sun ſhall be darkened, and the Moon ſhall not give her light, Adventum Chriſti tantam lucem allaturam ut ea ſolis & lunae ſplendor obſcuretur. Aretius in loc. Certiſſimum autem diem judicii magna majeſtate ſore, ut rede & ſol & luna dicantur obſcurandi. Aretius in loc. Pſal. 50.3.and the Stars ſhall fall: Many interpretations are given of this: I am not for Allegories, but rather conceive theſe things are real; the very coming of Chriſt ſhall bring with him ſuch a light, that the ſplendor of the Sun and Moon ſhall be obſcured: this is moſt certain, ſaith Aretius, that both Sun and Moon ſhall really be darkened at that day; it is the glory of his Majeſty that will dazle thoſe Candles.
3. As he paſſes through the Elementary world, a fire doth uſher him. Our God ſhall come, and ſhall not keep ſilence; a fire ſhall devour before him, and it ſhall be very tempeſtuous round about him. Whence this fire ſhould come, I ſhall not diſpute, only one tells us with ſome confidence,*Suarez de renovatione mundi, in 3. part. Thomae. Pſal. 97.3. Iſa. 66.15. 2 Theſ. 1 7, 8. Dan. 7.9, 10. 2 Pet. 3.10. 2 Pet. 3.11, 12. that 'tis begotten in the middle Region of the Air by Divine command; and that firſt it goes before him, uſhering the Judge to the Judgment-ſeat, and that there it ſtayes during the judgment; and that ended, and the doom paſſed on all fleſh, then it ſets on fire all the world. Let this paſs as it may, Scripture goes thus far, that a fire goeth before him.—Behold the Lord will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind.—And the Lord Jeſus ſhall be revealed from heaven, with his mighty Angels in flaming fire. In which reſpect Daniel ſaw his throne like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire; a fiery ſtream iſſued, and came forth from before him: and at laſt this fire ſhall have that effect, that the very Elements ſhall melt with fervent heat, the earth alſo, and the works that are therein ſhall be burnt up. O Chriſtians! what cauſe have we to make the Apoſtles uſe on this point, Seeing all theſe things ſhall be diſſolved, what manner of perſons ought we to be in all holy converſation and godlineſs? looking for, and haſtening unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire ſhall be diſſolved, and the Elements ſhall melt with fervent heat?
4. He deſcends lower and lower till he is inwrapt with clouds.Matth. 26.64. Hereafter ſhall ye ſee the Son of man ſitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. When he went up into Heaven it is ſaid, that a cloud received him out of their ſight; Act. 1.9.and the Angels then ſaid, Ye men of Galilee, why ſtand ye gazing up into heaven? this ſame Jeſus which is taken up from you into heaven, ſhall ſo come, Act. 1.11, 12. Dan 7.13.in like manner as ye have ſeen him go into heaven. He went up in clouds and he ſhall come down in clouds. I ſaw in the night viſions, and behold one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven. Here is the firſt ſight of Chriſt to men on the earth, when once he is come down into the clouds, then ſhall they lift up their eyes, and have a full view of Jeſus Chriſt; a cloud firſt received him out of their ſight; and a cloud now diſcovers him to their ſight; Then ſhall appear the ſign of the Son of man in heaven, Matth. 24.30.and they ſhall ſee the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory: is it not plain that the firſt appearings, and ſight of Chriſt at his ſecond coming from Heaven, is in the midſt of clouds? Behold he cometh with clouds, and every eye ſhall ſee him, Rev. 1.7.and they alſo which pierced him. Some controverſie there is about theſe clouds, as whether they be Angels? when the Pſalmiſt ſpeaks of all ſorts of Meteors, as of Waters, Clouds, Winds, Flames, ſome ſay, all theſe are Angels; and of the Angels he ſaith, who maketh his Angels ſpirits, and his Miniſters a flame of fire. For my part I take it in the literal ſenſe, that upon the very backs of clouds Chriſt ſhall come riding along at the general day; and howſoever this may ſeem a ſmall matter unto us, yet I cannot look on any circumſtance of this tranſaction as ſmall and trifling! the very clouds on which Chriſt rides, ſpeaks terror, and comfort.
1. Oh what a terror is this to the wicked?Heb. 1.7. Matth. 24.30. Id de impiis ſolum intelligo, ad quos planctus & luctus ille miſerandus ſolum pertinet. Aretius in locum. They ſhall ſee the Son of man coming in the clouds, and then ſhall all the Tribes of the earth mourn. Theſe Tribes of the Earth are the Tribes of the wicked; no ſooner ſhall they look up, and ſee Chriſt in his clouds, but with unconceivable horror will they cry it out, O yonder is he whoſe blood we neglected, whoſe grace we reſiſted, whoſe counſels we refuſed, whoſe government we caſt off. O yonder is he that comes now in clouds, in tempeſtuous clouds; O ſee how he ſtorms! do not thoſe very clouds in which he rides ſpeak or threaten a ſtorm? In the eighteenth Pſalm is a deſcription of Chriſt's coming to judgment. But O how terrible! in the ſeventh verſe, we find the earth trembling; in the eighth verſe, a fire devouring; in the ninth verſe, the heavens bowing downwards▪ in the 12, 13, 14, 15. verſes, are thick clouds darkning the skie, thunders, lightnings, haileſtones flying through the air, the foundations of the world diſcovered; thus the Mighty God, our Jeſus deſcends. Oh how ſhould the wicked but tremble at this, when but a conſideration of this hath ſometimes ſtartled God's own people? behold Habakkuk with quivering lips, trembling joynts,Hab. 3.16. bones mouldering into duſt, when he had onelyonly a Prophetick repreſentation of Chriſt's ſecond appearance! all the dreadful things that attended the preſence of God in Egypt, at the red Sea on Mount Sinai, through the Wilderneſs, are made but types, but ſhadows of the terrible march of the Captain of the Lord of Hoſts; and therefore ſhall the wicked mourn.
2. Here is the patience, and faith, and joy of Saints.Rev. 1.7. And all the kindreds of the earth ſhall mourn over him; even ſo, Amen. This I cannot but underſtand of the wicked; onelyonly ſome tell us of a double mourning on that day, the one of joy and love, and the other of ſorrow and deſpair; I ſhall not deny but there may be ſome ſweet tears upon this ſweet Subject, Chriſt's apparition in the clouds: Such a ſhine will be from Chriſt in the cloud, that the very ſhine will pierce the hearts of men with the golden-headed arrow of love, and how may this work tears?Rev. 1.7. Hinc conſequitur Chriſtum in eo judicio cicatrices vulnerum oſtenſurum tanquam trophaeum infallibile contra omnes ſuos boſtes. Aret. in loco. from this Text of John, Behold he cometh with clouds, and every eye ſhall ſee him, and they alſo which pierced him, and all the kindreds of the earth ſhall wayle, &c. Some Divines gather, that Chriſt at that day, will ſhew in his glorified body the wounds of his crucifying, as an infallible trophy of his victory over all his enemies; and hence the wicked who pierced, or crucified the Lord of glory, by their ſins, will weep and waile. I can think no leſs, but that Chriſt at that day will open his boſom, and ſhew thoſe wounds of love, which he had in his heart from all eternity, together with thoſe wounds which he received on the Croſs, as they are glorified in his eternal love: and then as at the diſcovery of Joſeph, he and his brethren fell upon the necks of earth other and wept; ſo will this diſcovery in the appearances of Chriſt bring a ſweet confuſion upon the Spirits of Saints; then ſhall a Saint fall at the feet of his Saviour, and weeping ſay, O my Jeſus! thou art my Father, Brother, Husband, Self; while there were other things, I loved other things beſides thy ſelf, but alas! they are everlaſtingly gone, and have left me alone, yet now thou owneſt me; O my Jeſus thou breakeſt my heart: oh I cannot but weep out tears of love, and tears of joy at this appearing; O welcome, welcome, ſweet Jeſus into theſe clouds! oh welcome, welcome, ſweet Jeſus into this neather world.
In theſe Clouds I muſt leave our Saviour for a while, and the rather, becauſe I believe he will deſcend no lower: onelyonly before I paſs, one word of Uſe to all his Saints.
Ʋſe.You ſee him ſtill upon his old deſign; though the world now end, yet hitherto there is no end of his great tranſaction; his firſt coming and his ſecond coming is to ſave your ſouls; his firſt coming was to purchaſe, his ſecond to give you the poſſeſſion of Salvation. What, are you not glad of this Goſpel-news, that Chriſt will come at laſt from this Empyreal Throne to his judgment-ſeat, to give you the poſſeſſion of ſalvation? is not the promiſe of his coming comfortable? is it not comfortable to believe in him, and to hope for him? why, muſe then, what comfort will it be to ſee his perſon with all his glorious train coming for you?Pſal 50.1, 2, 3, 4. The Mighty God, the Lord hath ſpoken, and called the Earth, from the riſing of the Sun, to the going down thereof; out of Zion the perfection of beauty hath God ſhined; our God ſhall come, and ſhall not keep ſilence; a fire ſhall devour before him, and it ſhall be very tempeſtuous round about him; he ſhall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth that he might judge his people. It is indeed a moſt terrible day unto the wicked, but oh how ſweet, and pleaſant, and comfortable to his Saints? Chriſtians! do we not long to have Chriſt's Spirit come into our ſouls with life? do we not droop while Chriſt is abſent from our ſouls? are not the feet of them beautiful that bring glad tydings of peace, and of ſalvation by Jeſus Chriſt? Oh then what will it be to ſee the King, not in his Embaſſadors, but in his own perſon coming for us to fetch us into Heaven? if we have but a dear friend returned from ſome far Country, how do all run out to meet him with joy? Oh ſaith the child, my father is come; ſaith the wife, my husband is come; and ſhall not we, when we ſee our Father, our Husband, our Head, our Saviour returning with great glory, and glorious Majeſty, cry out, he is come, he is come? ſhall not we at the firſt view of him in his clouds, cry out, O yonder is he whoſe blood redeemed us, whoſe Spirit cleanſed us, whoſe prayers prevailed for us, whoſe Law did govern us? yonder comes he in whom we truſted, and now we ſee he hath not deceived our truſt, yonder is he for whom we waited long, and now we ſee we have not waited in vain.
I verily believe thus it will be with us one day; we ſhall have comfort then, oh let us comfort our ſelves with theſe words; and ever and anon cry, Come Lord Jeſu, come quickly! Cant. 8.14.make haſt my beloved, and be thou like to a Roe, or to a young Hart upon the Mountain of ſpices.