Mount Pisgah, Part 2 · Section 1
And that upon a twofold account.1. R. Why Chriſt will come perſonally, ſc. becauſe the Judgment muſt be viſible.
1. The Lord himſelf will Deſcend in his own Perſon, Becauſe the judgment muſt be viſible: and therefore the Judge muſt be ſo too: There is a diſpute whether Chriſt ſhall ſit on a viſble Throne; and it is very probable he ſhall: ſure we are from the Scripture, that he ſhall appear in the Clouds of Heaven, that He may be heard and ſeen of all, Behold, Rev. 1.7.he cometh with Clouds, and every eye ſhall ſee him. Clouds are viſible things: and theſe Clouds ſhall not obſcure him, but rather render him more conſpicuous; Every eye ſhall ſee him. He ſhall ſo come with Clouds, that they ſhall be a Throne to exalt and lift him up to the view of all the world: therefore is the poſture noted as well as the Throne: Ye ſhall ſee the Son of man ſitting on the right hand of Power, Math. 26.64.and coming in the Clouds of Heaven; Clouds ſhall be his Throne, and ſitting will be the poſture; the poſture of a Judge.
To judge the world is an act of ſupream Authority; and therefore it muſt be done by one of the three Perſons.
Now the Father and the Spirit are inviſible; therefore hath the Father appointed a day, Act. 17.31.wherein he will judge the world by the man Chriſt Jeſus. The Fleſh of Chriſt is a Veil to his Deity, by which God is made viſible to an eye of Fleſh: Chriſt is God manifeſt in the Fleſh: 1 Tim. 3.16. foreign.God conſpicuous in the humane nature; and in that humane nature which he aſſumed of the Virgin, will Jeſus Chriſt appear in Judgment: that ſo every eye may ſee him: the wicked to their terror, but the Godly to their unſpeakable joy, Iſa. 66.5.
Secondly; 2. R. for the recompence of his abaſement.The Lord himſelf ſhall appear for a recompence to his abaſement. It is requiſite that he that was judged by the world, ſhould now come to judge the world. He came at firſt humble, lowly, deſpiſed, ſitting upon an Aſs, ſpit upon, Crucified: but he ſhall come again in power and great glory.
It is good ſomtimes to compare the two Comings of Chriſt together.
At firſt he came into the Fleſh; In Car….he ſhewed himſelf in the nature of man, to be judged.
But at his ſecond coming, he ſhall come in the fleſh. In Carne.He ſhall come from Heaven, in the ſame humane nature which he carried up with him into Heaven: there to be the Judg both of the quick and the dead.
His fore-runner then was John the Baptiſt; the voyce of one crying in the Wilde…neſs; At his ſecond coming, his fore-runner ſhall be an Arch-Ang….
With the voyce of an Arch-Angel, and the Trump of God; as in the Text.
Then, his Companions were poor Fiſher-men: Now his Attendants ſhall be the mighty Angels of Heaven.2 Theſ. 1.7.
Then, he came riding on an Aſs, a Colt, the Foal of an Aſs: Now, he ſhall come riding on the Clouds: ſitting on a Throne.
At his firſt coming, he appeared in the form of a Servant.
Now, he ſhall come as a Lord, in the glory of his Father.
Then, he came in the likeneſs of ſinful Fleſh: to ſuffer as a Sinner, for Sinners. Now, he ſhall appear the ſecond time, to them that look for him, Heb. 9. laſt.without ſin unto Salvation.
Then he drunk of the brook in the way: but now ſhall he lift up his head.
This, for the recompence of his humiliation.
Thirdly, Third Reaſ. to finiſh his Mediatory Office.Our Lord Jeſus Chriſt muſt come himſelf at the laſt day to perfect and finiſh his Mediatory-Office.
At his firſt coming, his Mediatory-work was to pay a price to divine Juſtice, 1 Per. 1.19. So he is called foreign and foreign.and ſo to purchaſe us of his Father.
At his ſecond coming, his Mediatory-work will be, to gather all his Redeemed ones together, and to preſent them a glorious Church to his Father, not having ſpot or wrinckle, or any ſuch thing: but holy and without blemiſh: in ſome ſuch language as was long before Propheſied. Behold here am I, and the Children whom thou haſt given me.Iſa. 8.18.
And again (as when he was going out of the world, he gave his account to his Father) of all whom thou haſt given me, Joh. 17.12.I have loſt none but the Son of perdition.
At his firſt coming, his Mediatory-work was to fight with the Devil, Act. 26.18. Coloſ. 1.13. Luk. 11.21, 22. In this reſpect he is called foreign. Rom. 11.26.and all the powers of darkneſs, and to reſcue what he had bought of the Father, out of the power of Satan, that ſtrong man armed, who kept his goods in peace.
At his ſecond coming, his Mediatory-work will be to vanquiſh all thoſe Enemies, out of whoſe dominion he hath freed his Elect; to bind them with chains, to caſt them into everlaſting darkneſs, and to ſeal the bottomleſs pit upon them for ever.
And when he hath done this, the Lord Jeſus ſhall deliver up the Kingdome to his Father; His Office is not compleated till this be done. God's Oath is paſt upon it, and cannot be reverſt, Iſa. 45.23. &c. The Text is applyed to Chriſt, preſently upon his Exaltation, to this very purpoſe, Phil. 2.20.
Well then, we have now found out the perſon of the Judg.
The Lord Himſelf, &c.
And for the
Uſe, it may ſerve.
1. For infinit terror to the Wicked.
2. For unſpeakable Conſolation to the Godly.
Firſt it ſerves for infinit terror to the Wicked. Uſe. 1 That the Judgment now ſhould be put into the hand of Him, Terror to the Wicked.whom (of all the world) they counted their Enemy: (at leaſt, if they did not call him ſo, they uſed him ſo:) Oh what a dreadful ſight will his Appearance be!
If Ahab cryed out with ſo much diſcompoſure of ſpirit, at the ſuddain appearance of Elijah the Prophet of God, Haſt thou found me, Oh mine Enemy? With what horror and affrightment, will Reprobate Gaitiff's cry out when they ſhall be drag'd from before the Tribunal of the Lord Jeſus, the Lord of the Prophets! Haſt thou found us, Oh our Enemy!
If Joſephs Brethren were ſo aſtoniſhed at the preſence of Joſeph, when he ſaid unto them. I am Joſeph whom you ſold into Egypt! How will all the world of ungodly men be confounded at the preſence of the Lord, now coming in the glory of his Father, to Judg them; when he ſhall ſay unto them, I am Jeſus.
I am Jeſus, whom ye ſold, for leſs than ever Judas ſold me, even for the price of a baſe Luſt.
I am Jeſus, whom ye Crucified over and over again to your ſelves; and put me to an open ſhame!
I am Jeſus, whoſe Perſon you have ſlighted; whoſe Government you have ſpurn'd at; crying in the Pride and Rebellion of your obſtinate ſpirits, We will not have this man Reign over us.
I am Jeſus, whoſe Counſel you have rejected; whoſe Threatnings you have laughed to ſcorn; whoſe Promiſes you have derided and ſet at nought.
I am Jeſus, whoſe Blood you have trampled under your feet as an Ʋnholy thing, even doing deſpite to the Spirit of grace, &c.
I ſay, Now will the Reprobate world be confounded at the preſence of their Judg!
Behold in the days of his Fleſh, when he appeared in the forme of a Servant, and was even led away as a Sheep to the Slaughter, and as a Lamb before the Shearer, not opening his mouth (by way of murmur againſt his Father, or reviling againſt his Enemies) yet how did that Lamb-like Word [I am He] fill the hearts of thoſe ſturdy Souldiers, (who came to apprehend Him) with horror, and ſtrike them to the ground, like a blaſt of Thunder and Lightning?
Oh how will that word, when he ſhall come cloathed with Majeſty and terror, with all the glorious Hoſt of Heaven attending his Perſon; [I am he] fill Reprobate Souls with aſtoniſhment and diſtraction, and even ſtrike them backward into Hell before their time! How will it cauſe them to woo the Mountains and Rocks (now as hard and inexorable, as their hearts once were, in the day of God's patience, crying out to them, (to the amazement of Heaven and Earth) Mountains, Fall on us; Rev. 6.26, 27.Rocks, cover us, and hide us from the face of Him that ſitteth on the Throne, and from the preſence of the Lamb; for the great day of his Wrath is come, and who ſhall be able to ſtand?
But all in vain! As the Lord Jeſus once in the day of his grace, cryed unto them, and they would not anſwer, &c. So they ſhall now cry to Heaven and Earth, to Rocks and Mountains, Prov. 1.24, 25, 26. Pſal. 50.22.and they ſhall not anſwer; yea the Judg ſhall laugh at their Calamity, and mock when their fear cometh.
Oh conſider this, ye that forget God, leſt he tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.