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Show How the So11/ may behold Chrifl cOIJting. with what I before-mentioned as to particular Souls: a Sinner prep~res hlrnfelf for jt1dgrnent. 0 Ifrael (faith God) thy drftru· ~toH u oft by {<If. I told you before, that ordinarily the prefervatton of Gods people and deliverance of them and the punilhrnent ?f the ~icked arc joined together; fo that ~s the humbling and 1~prov10g of the people of God under afllid:ions is a fign of deltverance, fo the ripening of finners is a fign to them. Give me leave_ro ad~ this, that ~icked mens perfecution of the people of God ts a ktnd of fin whtch fiUs up the me4fore of their fins : See Matth, 23.32, FiU yo•.,•ptbmthe meafore of Y"" fathers iniqui· trrt : How !hall they do this ? read ver, 3 4• I conclude then, that when you fee Gods people low and humble under the af!lid:ing ~and of ~od, and their Enemies fullell of rage and wickedncfs, it IS as a prtnt of Chrl£ls feet,and lignifies to you that he is coming and not far off from his people. ' 2. Prodigious difPen[ationt of Provir:{eHce is a great lign of --L Chri£1 corning, and this either in a way ofj,.dgmeHt or mercy. God 1~ ~!her'd.in his corning to the refcue of his Spoufe in Ef.ypt, by turnIng thetr w~tert into bloNd, flndi11g frr>arms of frogs, lice,fliu, murrAtnl to thetr Cattel, extraordinary hail, d4r/l,.ntji &c. God ufl1er'd in his 'corning to his Spoufe in B4bylon, by D~eams and Vilions which Daniel interpreted by a flrange Hand-writing upon the wa1Mb Bel(hazzar. This is fo ufi>al, that there hath been hardly any great difpenfation ofProvidence in the world, tending either lo the puni!hment of his People or extraordina.ry mercy for them; but his coming hath been fecn beforehand in fomc fuch extraordinary and prodigious workings of Providence, by lome Comets, f\pparitions in :he Air, monllrous productions , or the lrke. It ts true, thefe thtngs rather fignifie in the general than in the particular. I fay in the general , that God is doing fome flrange work either of judgment or mercy, and are ordinarily figns of Gods corning to his people in ways of mercy when they have been and are In great and deep af!lid:ions. Such things as thefe wue mentioned by our Saviour as f ~ns of his coming in Wrath to dellroy Hierujalem; and they w~re figns of Gods comir.g in mercy to . Gods People in Egypt and Babylon. \ A third lign o£Chrifls corning to his Spoufe, by \ lhich as in a V foi'Jt·tlep of Pro•idencc it rna)' be forefeen, is a general agreemrnt in the f>ithful Propht111111d mrffmgm of God, ar to this thing. Gods promtfes are magy f~>r the deliverance of his people in all!id:ion and.. ofChrifl'l coming. and they are lim; but the time, the particular time for fulfilling, not exprcl\. God of old fiirred up Prophets, whom he indued wi;h the knowledg of fu ture things; under the Gofpel he hath a ]landing Miniftry, whofe work it is to rcvral hif wiUunt> hi! peQpie; and though the Lord under the Gofpel doth not fa ordinarily ap. pear to his Minillers in Vi lions, and. give them a Spirit ofProph<;fy, yet he doth not ufc to hide from his Miniflcrs what h.e clotlt intend to do in the world : you !hall obferve this, that it is a very ill fign of the Judgments of God coming upon his people, when there is an zmiverf•l agreemen1 to that purpofe amongH the faithful meifengers of God ; and that it is as great a lign 1f mercy, when they are as well agreed as to that thing., viz:. Tha~ the time to fa· vour Zion iseome. I put in two terms. r. Faitbfulmeffingers ! Alas there arc many in the world that Glory in the title of Gods Me!Tengeri a:nd Prophets, that are far enough from acquaintance and communion with God. 2. V11iver{aUy ggreed; for it is very pollibleand hath been found true in ali titnes, that particular perfons have been mifiaken, both as to MercY and Judgment; but it is not probable, and an infiance cannot be given that the whole numberr or greater part of Gods rne1fengers !hould be millaken as to the mind of God. Though God takes a different courfe in revealing his mind to his people, yet he doth not ufe to hide from ali his Abr4hams,whathe Intends to do. . 4· The !all fign I {hall mention by which Chrifis corning ( in this fenfe) to his people may be read ; is the pmitence andfted[aftn• fs of hi1 people. I obferve in the book of Judger, aifoon as the \, Children of I{ratl were come into C4nAaH, God foreiy affiill:ed "'them feveral times ; but their times of af!lid:ion was but fhort : Eight years by Cujhan Rijhath4im King Qf Mefopat4m~a, J,.dg.} .8. eighteen years by the Moabiw, v. 14. twenty years by Si]tr4; from whom, ]11dg. 4· Deborah and B&rak.. delivered them; feven years by the Midranitet,Judg. 6. r, but afterwards by the Babylonian! 70 years, after that he gave them up to a total ruine from whence they are not recovered to this day. If you obfcrve, you will lind that the days of their af!lid:ion were according to the degrees of their Apollacy ; when God afllid:s his p<:Pple keeping in any degree fledfafi with them, it is a fure lign that their af!lid:ioas will not be long. As to the third 'oming of Chrlll. That may alfo be beheld aforehaml. |