Looking Unto Jesus, Book 10 · Chapter 2 · Section 7 – Section 8
SECT. VII. Of joying in Jeſus in that reſpect.
7. LET us joy in Jeſus, as carrying on the great work of our ſalvation for us in his ſecond coming. Chriſt delights to have his People look upon him with delight; for a ſoul to be always under a ſpirit of bondage, and ſo to look upon Chriſt as a Judge, a Lyon, or an offended God, it doth not pleaſe God; the Lord Jeſus is tender of the joy of his Saints, Rejoyce, and be exceeding glad, ſaith Chriſt; rejoyce evermore,—rejoyce in the Lord alwayes; Mat. 5.12. 1 Theſ. 5.16. Phil. 4.4. Pſal. 68.3.and again, I ſay rejoyce. Let the righteous be glad, let them rejoyce before God, yea let them exceedingly rejoyce. All that Chriſt doth to his Saints tends to this joy, as the upſhot or end of all; if he caſt down, it is but to raiſe them up; if he humble, it is but to exalt; if he kill, it is but to make alive; in every diſpenſation ſtill he hath a tender care to preſerve their joy. This is the Benjamin, about which Chriſt's bowels beat; Let my Children ſuffer any thing, but nothing in their joy; I would have all that love my Name to be joyfall in me.
Oh, ſay ſome, but Chriſt's day is a terrible day; when Chriſt appears, he will make the Heavens, and Earth, and Hell to ſhake and tremble. Our God ſhall come, and ſhall not keep ſilence; Pſal. 50.3.a fire ſhall devour before him, and it ſhall be very tempeſtuous round about him. True! but what's all this terror but an argument of my Father's power, and juſtice againſt ſinners? if thou art Chriſt's, and haſt thy part in him, not one jot of all this terror belongs to thee, The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reſerve the unjuſt to the day of judgment to be puniſhed. 2 Pet. 2.9.He knows how to make the ſame day a terror to his foes, and a joy to his people; he ever intended it for the great diſtinguiſhing and ſeparating day, wherein both joy and ſorrow ſhould be manifeſted to the higheſt. O then let the heavens rejoyce, the ſea, the earth, the floods, the hills, for the Lord cometh to Judge the earth: Pſal. 97.7, 8, 9.with righteouſneſs ſhall he judge the World, and the people with equity. If you find it an hard thing to joy in Jeſus, as in reference to his ſecond coming, think of theſe motives—
1. Chriſt's coming is the Chriſtians encouragement; ſo Chriſt himſelf layes it down, You ſhall ſee the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory; and when theſe things begin to come to paſs, Luk. 21.27, 28.then look up, and lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh. The ſigns of his coming are the hopes of your approaching introduction into glory, and what ſhould you do then but prepare for your approaching with exceeding joy? many evils do now ſurround you every where; Satan hath his ſnares, and the World his baits, and your own hearts are apt to betray you into your enemies hands; but when Chriſt comes, you ſhall have full deliverance, and perfect redemption; and therefore look up, and lift up your heads. The Apoſtle ſpeaks the very ſame encouragement.1 Theſ. 4.16, 71, 18. The Lord himſelf ſhall deſcend from heaven with a ſhout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God, and the dead in Chriſt ſhall riſe firſt; then we which are alive, and remain, ſhall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air,—wherefore comfort one another with theſe words. Chriſt's coming is a comfortable doctrine to all believers; and therefore all the Elect that hear theſe words, ſhould be comforted by them. Comfort ye, comfort ye my people.
2. Chriſt our Saviour muſt be our Judge; the ſame Jeſus that was born for us, and lived for us, and dyed for us, and doth now pray for us, will come at laſt to judge us; is not this comfortable? you that have heard all his tranſactions, can you ever foget the unwearineſs of Chriſt's love, in his conſtant and continual actings for your ſouls? how long hath he been interceding for his Saints? how long hath he been knocking at their hearts for entrance? it is now above a thouſand ſix hundred years that he hath been praying, and knocking, and he reſolves not to give over till all be his, till all the Tribes in ones and twos be over Jordan, and up with him in the heavenly Canaan. And if this be he that muſt be our Judge; if he that loves our ſouls muſt Judge our ſouls; if he that hath a great intereſt and increaſe of joy in our ſalvation, muſt paſs our ſentence, will not this work us into a rejoycing frame.
3. Chriſt's ſentence is the Chriſtian's acquittance; (I may call it his general acquittance from the beginning of the World to the end thereof.) Hence ſome call this the day of the believers full juſtification; they were before made juſt, and eſteemed juſt, but now by a lively ſentence they ſhall be pronounced juſt by Chriſt himſelf; now is the compleat acquittance, or the full abſolution from all ſin; now will Chriſt pardon, and ſpeak out his pardon once for all; now will he take his book (wherein all our ſins, as ſo many debts or treſpaſſes are written) and he will cancel all;Acts 3.19. Your ſins ſhall be blotted out (ſaith Peter) when the time of refreſhing ſhall come from the preſence of the Lord. And is not this enough to cauſe our joy? when the ſpirit witneſſing with our ſpirits, doth but in part aſſure us of ſins pardon, is it not exceeding ſweet? Oh but how ſweet will be that ſentence, which will fully reſolve the queſtion, and leave no room of doubting any more for ever? conſider O my ſoul, the day is a coming, when the Judge of Heaven and Earth will acquit thee of all thy ſins before all the World; it is a part of his buſineſs at that day to glorifie his Juſtice and free grace in thy abſolution. O Chriſtians! how may we comfort one another with theſe words?
4. Chriſt in the iſſue will lead us into glory. As the Bridegroom after nuptials, leads his Bride to his own home, that there they may live together, and dwell together; ſo Chriſt our royal Bridegroom will lead us into the Palace of his glory. And is not this joy of our Lord enough to cauſe our Joy; Oh what embraces of love, what ſhaking of hands, what welcomes ſhall we have into this City? there ſhall we ſee Chriſt in his garden, there ſhall we be ſet as a ſeal on Chriſt's arme, and as a ſeal upon his heart; there ſhall we be filled with his love, enlightned with his light, encircled in his arms, following his ſteps, and praiſing his Name, and admiring his glory; there ſhall we joy indeed, For in thy preſence there is fulneſs of joy, Pſal. 16.11.and at thy right hand there are pleaſures evermore. There is joy, and full joy, and fulneſs of joy; there are pleaſures, and pleaſures evermore, and pleaſures evermore at God's right hand. O the muſick of the ſanctuary! O the ſinleſs and well-tuned Pſalms! O the Songs of the high Temple, without either Temple or Ordinances, as we have them here! can we chooſe to joy at the thought of this joy above? if God would ſo diſpenſe, that even now we might ſtand at the utmoſt door of Heaven, and that God would ſtrike up a window, and give us a ſpiritual eye, and an heavenly heart, ſo that we could look in, and behold the Throne, and the Lamb, and the troops of glorified ones cloathed in white; would not this chear up our hearts, and fill them with joy unſpeakable, and full of glory? certainly this day will come, when Chriſt will bring us not only to the dore, but through the gates into the City; and then we ſhall ſee all theſe ſights, and hear all the muſick made in heaven: how then ſhould we but joy in the hope of the glory of God? O methinks raiſed thoughts of our manſion in glory, ſhould make us ſwim through the deepeſt Sea of troubles, and afflictions, and never fear. Come then, O my drowzy ſoul, and harken to theſe motives; if yet thou ſeeſt not the Son it ſelf appear, methinks the twilight of a promiſe ſhould revive thee; it is but a little while, And he that ſhall come, will come, and he will not tarry. It may be thou art reviled, and perſecuted here on Earth; and what then? hath not Chriſt bid thee to rejoyce in afflictions? is it not his word, that in this very caſe thou ſhouldſt rejoyce, Matth. 5.12. 1 Pet. 4.12.and be exceeding glad?—is it not his command, Think it not ſtrange concerning the fiery tryals, but rather rejoyce, in as much as ye are partakers of Chriſt's ſufferings, that when his glory ſhall be revealed, ye may be glad alſo with exceeding joy. We muſt rejoyce now, that we may rejoyce then; indeed our preſent joy is a taſte of our future joy, and God would have us to begin our Heaven here on Earth. Come then, come forth, O my dull conjealed heart! thou that ſpendeſt thy days in ſorrow, and thy breath in ſighing, that mingleſt thy bread with tears, and drinkeſt the tears which thou weepeſt; thou that prayeſt for joy, and waiteſt for joy, and longeſt for joy, and complaineſt for want of joy; O the times a coming, when thou ſhalt have fulneſs of joy; the times a coming when the Angels ſhall bring thee to Chriſt, and when Chriſt ſhall take thee by the hand, and lead thee into his purchaſed joy, and preſent thee unſpotted before his Father, and give thee thy place about his Throne; and doſt thou not rejoyce in this: art thou not exceedingly raiſed in ſuch a Meditation as this? ſurely if one drop of lively faith were but mixed with theſe motives, thou mighteſt carry an Heaven within thee, and go on ever ſinging to thy grave; ſay then, doſt thou believe? or doſt thou not believe? if thy faith be firm, how ſhould'ſt thou but rejoyce? if thou rolleſt thy ſelf on Chriſt, and on that promiſe, I will ſee you again, and your heart ſhall rejoyce, and your joy no man taketh from you; how ſhouldſt thou but rejoyce, and be exceeding glad? if thou lookeſt upon the holy Ghoſt as deſigned by the Father and the Son to bring joy and delight into thy ſoul? how ſhouldſt thou but be filled with the water of life, with the oyl of gladneſs, and with the new wine of the Kingdom of God? O the bleſſed workings of faith on ſuch a ſubject as this! if once we are but juſtified by faith, and that we can act our faith on Chriſt's glorious coming, then it will follow,Rom. 5.1, 2, 3. that we ſhall have peace with God, and rejoyce in the hope of the glory of God; and not only ſo, but we ſhall glory in tribulation alſo.
SECT. VIII. Of calling on Jeſus in that reſpect.
8. LEt us call on Jeſus, as carrying on our ſouls ſalvation at his ſecond coming; this contains prayer and praiſe.
1. Let us pray for the coming of Chriſt; this was the conſtant prayer of the Church, Come Lord Jeſu, come quickly. The ſpirit and the Bride ſay, come. Well knows the Bride that the day of Chriſt's coming is her wedding day,Rev. 22.17. her coronation day, the day of preſenting her unto his Father, and therefore no wonder if ſhe pray for the haſtening of it; Make haſt my beloved, and be thou like to a Roe, or to a young Hart; thy Kingdom come. Cant. 8.14.Many prayers are in the bowels of this, as that Chriſt, when he comes, may bid us welcome, and give us a place on his Throne, on his right hand, and pronounce us bleſſed, and take us to himſelf, to live with himſelf in eternal glory, &c. But I mention onelyonly this general, and let each ſoul expatiate on the reſt.
2. Let us praiſe him for his coming, and for all his actings at his coming. Our engagement to Chriſt even for this tranſaction is ſo great, that we can never enough extol his Name; at that day the books ſhall be opened, and why not the book of our engagements to Jeſus Chriſt? if it muſt be opened, I can ſurely tell you it is written full; the page and margent, both within and without, is written full; it's an huge book of many volumes. O then let our hearts be full of praiſes! let us joyn with thoſe bleſſed Elders that fell down before the Lamb, and ſung, Worthy it the Lamb that was ſlain to receive power, Rev. 5.12.and riches, and wiſdom, and ſtrength, and honour, and glory, and bleſſing. Yea, let us joyn with all thoſe creatures in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and in the Sea; whom John heard, ſaying, Bleſſing, Honour, Glory, and Power be unto him that ſitteth on the throne, Ver. 13.and unto the Lamb for ever and ever, Amen.