2 ThES. II. 1, 2.] THE FIRST SERMON. 9
if they might have the liberty to choose, they would never look nor long for the day of assizes ; but the Spirit in the bride is another thing, it giveth us other inclinations : the sooner Christ cometh the better ; they can never be soon enough taken up to him, nor he come to them.
[2.] There are graces planted in us, faith, hope, and love, to move us earnestly to desire his coming.
(1.) Faith believeth Christ will be as good as his word: ' I will come again ; if it were not so, I Avould have told you,' John xiv. 2. And if Christ saith in a way of promise, ' I come,' the church saith, ' Amen,' in a way of faith, ' even so, come.' If Christ had gone away in discontent, and with a threat in his mouth. Ye shall never see my face more, we should altogether despair of seeing him again ; but he parted -in love, and left a promise with us, which upholdeth the hearts of believers during his absence. Would Christ deceive us, and flatter us into a fools' paradise ? What need that ? He can strike us dead in an instant if we do not please him, and we have hitherto found him true in all things, and will he fail us at last ?
(2.) Hope, which is faith's handmaid ; it looketh for that which we do believe, it is the immediate effect of the new creature : 1 Peter i. 3, ' Begotten to a lively hope ; ' as soon as grace is infused, it discovereth itself by its tendency to its end and rest ; it came from heaven, and carrieth the soul thither.
(3.) Love is an affection of union ; it desireth to be with the party loved : Phil. i. 23, ' I desire to depart, and to be with Christ ;' therefore its voice is, * Come, come.' He hath communion with us in our houses of clay ; therefore we desire presence with him in his palace of glory. His voice now is very sweet when he saith, ' Come unto me, ye that are weary and heavy laden,' but much more will it be so when he saith, * Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit a kingdom prepared for you before the foundations of the world were laid.' Keconciliation with God is comfortable, but what will fruition be !
[3.] Look upon a Christian's privileges ; believers then find the fruit of their interest in him, and have their reward adjudged to them : Kev. xxii. 12, ' Behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me.' Christ doth not come empty-handed : it is but maintenance we have from him now, but then wages ; earnest now, but then the full sum ; it is our pay-day, yea, rather, it is our crowning-day : 2 Tim. iv. 8, ' Henceforth is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which God the righteous Judge will give me in that day ;' 1 Peter v. 4, ' When the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory, which fadeth not away.' Those that have been faithful and diligent in their duty shall not need to seek another paymaster ; that which Christ giveth us in hand is worth all the pains that we lay out in his service ; grace and inward peace : but then we shall have glory and honour ; he will honour us in the sight of those that have opposed, contradicted, and despised us : our comfort is hidden, but our glory is sensible, and visible, and public before all the world.
Object. But how can true Christians earnestly desire it, when so many tremble at the thought of it, for want of assurance of Gods love?
10 THE FIRST SERMON. [2 ThES. II. 1, 2.
Ans. We suppose a Christian in a right frame, and one that doth prepare for his coming ; but —
1. The meanest saint hath some inclination this way. It was one of the points of the apostohcal catechism : Heb. vi. 2, ' The doctrine of resurrection from the dead, and of eternal judgment:' and the apos- tolical catechism was for the initiating or entering of Christians into the faith and profession of the gospel : when they laid the foundation, this was one truth which was never omitted, the coming of Christ to judgment Now faith is a believing, not with the mind only, but the heart ; they were to be affected with what they did believe — sapida scientia was the qualification — and not with trembling only, for that would deter them from Christianity; but with rejoicing of hope, which did invite them to the practice of it: Heb. iii. 6, ' Whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and rejoicing of hope firm unto the end;' and indeed what other affection can become the thought of Christ's rewards which he will bring with him ?
2. Sometimes there may be a drowsiness and indisposition in the children of God when their lamps are not kept burning: Luke xii. 37, ' Blessed are those servants whom, when the Lord cometh, he shall find watching ;' but the wise virgins slumbered as well as the foolish ; and so for a season they may be unprepared for his coming by care- lessness or remission of their watchfulness and neglect of preparation, yet the spirit and inclination this way beginneth with the new birth. A wife desireth her husband's coming home after a long journey, but it may be all things are not ready and in so good order : sometimes all good Christians desire the coming of Christ, but sometimes they are not so exact and accurate in their walkings, and therefore their affections are not so lively ; security breedeih deaduess, and God is fain to rouse us up by sharp afflictions.