But, secondly, If the Lord Jesus Christ be a believer's life, then this serves to bespeak all believers highly to prize the Lord Jesus. Oh, it is this Christ that is thy life ; it is not thy husband, it is not thy child, it is not this or that thing ; neither is it this ordinance or that that is a believer's life, No ; it is the Lord Jesus Christ that is the author, that is the matter, that is the exerciser, that is the strengtheuer, that is the completer, of a believer's life. You prize great ones ; the Lord Jesus Christ is great — he is King of kings, and Lord of lords. You prize others for their wisdom and knowledge : the Lord Jesus hath in himself all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, Col. ii. 3. You prize others for their beauty : the Lord Jesus Christ is the beautifullest of ten thousand. Cant. v. 10. You prize others for their usefulness : the Lord Jesus Christ is the right hand of a believer, without which he can do nothing. The believer may say of Christ as the philosopher said of the heavens, Tolle ccelum, nullus ero — Take away the heavens, and I shall be nobody ; so take away Jesus Christ, and a believer is nobody — nobody to perform any action, nobody to bear any affliction, nobody to conquer corruption, nobody to withstand temptation, nobody to improve mercies, nor nobody to joy in others' grace. Oh, prize Jesus Christ !
Again, Consider the Lord Jesus Christ doth highly prize you ; you are as the apple of his eye ; he accounts you his fulness ; you are his jewels ; therefore prize him who sets such a high price on you. But I hasten to what I intend—
In the last place, Eemember a Christ highly prized will he Christ gloriously obeyed. As men prize the Lord Jesus Christ, so they will obey him. The great reason why Jesus Christ is no more obeyed, is because he is no more prized. Men look upon him as a person of no worth, no dignity, no glory ; they make slight of him, and that is the reason they are so poor in their obedience to him. Oh, if the sons of men did but more divinely prize Christ, they would more purely, and
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more fully, and more constcantly obey him. Let this bespeak all your hearts highly to prize the Lord Jesus, who is your life. But I shall pass from this, to that point that in order to this occasion I shall now speak to : ' When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye appear also with him in glory.' The observation that I shall speak to at this time is, that believers shall at last ajqiear glorious.
It is a very choice point, and a useful point, in order to the present providence. I shall not be long in the doctrinal part, because the application is that that I have my eye most upon. The scriptures that speak of this truth I will but name them ; at your leisure you may read them: Judges xv. 14; 1 Cor. xv. 43, 44, 51-55; 1 Thes. iv. 13, seq. ; Mat. xix. 26-28. These scriptures clearly speak out this truth, that the people of God shall at last appear glorious.
The reasons of this point, why they shall appear glorious, are these as follow. They shall appear glorious ; —
1. First of all, because that day is a day of solemnity ; it is the marriage-day of the Lamb. 1 may allude to that Rev. xix. 6-8. It is true, believers in this life, they are spiritually married to the Lord Jesus ; but this marriage is not celebrated till this day, when the saints shall appear in their glory. God the Father hath jjut off the celebration of this glorious marriage to this last day, when believers' mourning weeds shall be taken off, and their glorious robes shall be put on ; when God himself shall, as a Father, be more fully and gloriously present among all his children ; whenas he shall have all his attendants visible, I mean his angels, which now are not visible, in that spiritual marriage between his Son and believers.
2. A second reason that believers at last shall appear glorious, is this, because they shall all aj^pear at the last as kings crowned. Here believers are kings elected, but at that last day they shall all appear as kings crowned. Here believers have a crown in reversion, but at the last they shall have a crown in possession ; the Lord will set it upon their heads : 2 Tim. iv. 7, 8, 'I have fought the good fight of faith, I have finished my course ; henceforth is laid up for me' — the Greek word (XTTOKenai, is ' safely laid up' — ' a crown of glory which he shall give me at that day.' I have now, saitli he, a crown in reversion ; but at that day I shall have it in possession ; then it shall be set upon my head, and then angels and devils and murderers shall say, ' Lo ! here is the man that God is pleased to honour.'
3. Then a third reason why believers at the last shall appear glorious, is for the terror and the horror of all ungodly ivretches that have opposed, persecuted, and murdered them. They shall appear glorious for the greater torment of such imgodly souls. Oh, there is nothing that will make sinners in that great day more to tear their hair, to beat their breasts, to wring their hands, and to gnaw their own hearts, than this, when they shall behold those advanced and those a])pearing in their glory, whom they have slighted, and despised, and most treacherously murdered, here below. I doubt not but there are some base, unworthy spirits here ; Jbut let them know that there is a day coming when the saints shall appear in glory, and then the mangled ones and this thrice-worthy champion shall appear among the rest, to the terror, horror, and confusion of these murderous wretches
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that have brought the guilt of his blood upon them. It will be with you and with all ungodly wretches as it was with Haman : he, like an ungodly wretch, had plotted and contrived the destruction of the Jews ; he had sold them, as it were, to bondage, tyranny, and slavery ; but the Lord wheels things gloriously about, and Haman comes to the king, (Esther vi.) : saith the king to him, ' What shall be done to the man whom the king is pleased to honour ?' Saith he, ' Let the king's horse be brought, and glorious robes put on him, and let the chief nobles of the kingdom lead him and proclaim before him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king is pleased to honour.' ' Go,' saith the king, ' and do thus to Mordecai.' But mark, (ver. 11), ' Then took Haman the apparel and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, and brought him on horseback through the streets of the city, and pro- claimed before him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honour ; but Haman hasted to his house, mourning and having his head covered.' This is but an emblem of the carriage of wicked men, when they shall behold the saints of God, his glorious worthy ones, in their glory at this great day. Then shall they, with Haman, have their heads covered, which was a sign of shame and confusion of face.