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Show ·How the SOH! may behold Chrifl r hath hid his face from them; or for his fecond coming to Judg· t ment, he r.eadeth .thefe, a~d through this perfpe&ive feeth and be· holdeth htm commg to htm. ' 3• Thirdly, The Believer feeth him comiltg in the fure words of ~rsph<ry. I~deed .under the old difpen!ation Believers faw Chnll more commg thts way than we that live under the Gofpel ~here Pro~hecy is. in a great meafureceafed. The Jews of old ttme faw htm comtng In Types, Prophecies and. Promifas. The Ty~ es wh•ch were but !hadows of a Chrill to come in the fle!h vam!hed when Chri!l came i.n the fle.!h. The Prophecies in a grea; meafure ~efpe&ed Gc;>ds commg to hts people in Babylon, and in his Incarnatt?n; a"d fo far as they concerned thefe comings , they have 1hetra~comph!hrn e nt: But there are yet lome Prophecies the acco':"ph!hment <'f which we wait li:>r. I am fure there ar~ Prophectes of Chrills. COf!1ing in the Clouds to Judgment, the accomph! hme?t of ~htch IS not yet ; yea, and Prophecies of Gods commg a gam to hts Ancient people the 7ews; what the b k of the R.velation containeth yet to be fulfilled I cannot tell 00 • th~t·Book begins and ends with a Prophecy of,Chri!ls comi~~~~ Ju gmen~, chap~ 1. 7· chap. 22. 20. And let others if they will enJoy thetr particular fancies : it is- to me out of doubt that j tha~ Book under dark Prophecies are comprehended all the grea~ a/fms_of the world till the day of Judgment. Now what part of them ts f~lfilled I cannot tell ; whether that cb, I r. be yet fulfilled or no ~s deferv~dly quellioned, and the contrary mufl proha~ ly be helteved. It ts more than we can fay,ifthe 7th. Angel mentton~ d v. I 5 hat~ yet founded. Now it is true, particularities· conhermng .Prophecte.s yet to be fulfilled are not revealed, and many a.ve ~atled in thetr gud[es at them: but the Believer may fee the thmg m t~e Prophecy, though he !"ee not the particular circum· ~ances oftt~e,place and manner for the fulfilling of it. The comtbng of Clm.!l to Judgment is matter of Faith to every Chriltian ; ut the parttcular year, month, or day is not fo. 4· Fourt~ly , Chrifl's coming co his Spoufe may be beheld in ·},he fteps ofhH Provzdmcc • . The three former ways, the Believer eeth .Chn!l w~tle§ yet hts Chariot is •far olf; hut this latter \ way he feet~ htm nearer hand even at the door. Great perfons ~ mo ve no~ wi!ho~t fome Harbingers, fome that come before to gt ve nottce ~>f hts coming. The great God feldome moves towards or agamllpeople in remarkable difpenfation;,eitherofjudg· ment I mentor mercy, hut he makes his Providence in fame !ignal and remarkable a61:s to go before, and as it were proclaim his coming. You will fay, what are thofc fleps of Providence by which a Be· Jiever may fee Chri!ls coming? To which I anfwer, You may re· member I told you of a threefold coming of Chri!t. 1. To a·tm· ticu/ar Soul in the influences of his Grace. 2. To t#.>e pqblic% Afjemblies of his people in the influences of his common Providences; 3• To the VniverfalJudgment. As to the firll of th,de. I· The be!lli?,n ol it is Gods dzfpoj!ng and 'reparing of the heart far the mercy; You have it Pfalm 20. 17. Thou wilt prepne the heart, thou wilt caB{e thine ear to hear. When the Soul that walketh in the dark, and fees no light, difcerneth God preparing the heart, that the Lord hath difpofed and fitted the Soul for mercy,he may then fee Chrill coming to 01ew him mercy. But you will fay, how doth God prepare the heart? I anfwer, I. By mortifying thofe lu{l:sandcom<ptionsin it which were the caufe of hiswithdrawi11g. 2. By mal\!ng it low and humble, and teaching it to accept of the p~tnijhmtnt of its iniquity. 3. By flirring up in it a JPirit of Prayer. I cannot enlarge upon thefe things; hut let any deferred Soul obferve this and he !hall find it true : when God gives it to loath itfelf for its wantonncfs and hock-IIiding, &c. and to junify God in the hidings of his face, accepting it as the jull puni!hment of its iniquity, and !lirreth up in it an heart to pray, and to cry mightily unto God for the return of his prefence, its deliverance is not far olf; when he prepareth the heart he alfo caufeth his ear to hear. As to the fecond, There are figns alfo of Chri!ls ccming to the refcue and deliverance of his people, which we !hall better un· derfland if we confider that this ComiAg as it is always a work of mercy to his people, fo it is ordinarily in wrath and jud-gment to his Enemies. I touched upon this before. I will mention three or four fleps of Providence, or Signs by which his coming may be read. I. The fir II !hall be, when you fee that God hath prepored his people for mercy; and Juffered their Enemies to prepare them{elves for drflmlizon. Tbe people of God are by God prepared for mer· -7- • cy, that's a work of Grace: when God hath humbled a people, and taught them to accept the puni!hment of their fins, and gi-ven them an heart to feek his face, he is not then far otHrom thetr help. I will not enlarge upon this, for it is the fame as to many . with |
