2. There is a sign of the Son of man ; that is spoken of Mat. xxiv. 30, ' Then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven ; and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.' What it is we cannot certainly tell, until experience manifests ; sure we are it must be such a sign as shall make the world sensible of his approach. Some think it shall be some strange star, such as there was at his first coming ; the wise men were conducted to Christ by a star : this is but a mere conjecture. Others suppose it shall be the sign of the cross which shall appear in the heavens, because that is Christ's badge, by which he was known here in the world. The great subject of the gospel is Christ crucified, therefore it is called the ' word of the cross ; ' and so they think the sign of the cross shall be impressed upon the heavens in the sight of all the world. To confirm the conjec- ture, they urge the appearance that was made to Constantine in his war against Maxentius, the tyrant and persecutor of the church ; he saw the sign of the cross, say they, with this inscription, ev tovto) viK-qa-ea — By this shalt thou overcome. Bat Eusebius describes it otherwise, as an X, the first initial letter of Christ's name. Bat many of the ancient writers went this way, they thought that this way the scandal of Christ is best taken away ; the cross, which is now the scandal and oftence the world takes at Christ, then shall be his ensign and royal standard, which shall be impressed upon the heavens. Look, as kings when they make a triumphant approach, have their banner carried before them, so Jesus Christ shall have his cross, which is the sign of the Son of man ; but in
220 SERMONS UPON TITUS II. 11-14. [SeR. XVII.
sucli a point I dare not thus peremptorily dogmatise. Others more probably (and to which I incline) interpret it of some forerunning beams of majesty and glory, which shall darken the great luminaries of the world, the sun and moon, and so strike terror into the hearts of men. The glory of Christ, which is described to pass through the heavens like lightning, shall be like those morning beams and streaks of light before the body of tlie sun be risen ; as Paul was struck blind with the sight of Christ, ' he saw a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about him,' Acts xxvi. 13. Certainly some sign there shall be that shall make the world fall a-n^ourning. And it is notable that these preparations and beams of majesty are sometimes expressed by light, and sometimes by fire ; by light, to note the comfortableness of it to the godly ; it is as the light of the sun, which doth not scorch, but refresh and revive, and cheer the heart : light is comfortable. But then at other times it is repre- sented by fire : 2 Thes. i. 8, it is said, ' The Son of man shall come in flaming fire,' or, as the apostle's word is, ev irvpl ^\o^o<i, in fire all a -flame, to show the dreadfulness of his appearance to the wicked. Look, as Joseph told the butler and the baker what Pharaoh would do to them, hang the one and exalt the other, therefore when the messenger comes for them, the butler's heart leaps for joy he was to be preferred, but the baker thought of nothing but dreadful execution that was pre- signified ; just thus shall it be with the wicked and the godly; the sign of the Son of man shall be comfortable to the godly, but it shall be as a flame of fire and devouring burnings, dreadful and formidable to the wicked, whose execution and final judgment now draws near. So much for the prej-jaration.
Secondly, The appearance itself. And there you must consider Christ's personal glory, his attendance, and his work.
1. His personal glory. Certainly that must be exceeding great, if you consider the dignity both of his person and employment.
[1.] The dignity of his person. Mat. xxiv. 30, it is said, he shall come ' in great glory ; ' at other times, ' in the glory of his Father,' Mat. xvi. 27 ; that is, he shall come as God's own natural Son, with such a glory as cannot be communicated to any creature. His first coming is like the carpenter's son, mean and despicable ; but his second coming is like God's Son. Now, that you may conceive of this glory, you must guess at it by several hints. There shall be great glory put upon the saints : ' Then shall the righteous shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of the Father,' Mat. xiii. 43 ; and Christ will be ' glorified in his saints, and admired in all them that believe,' 2 Thes. i. 10. But we do not come in the glory of the Father ; when we are glorified, we are not deified ; yet our glory shall be so great that men and angels shall stand wondering what God hath done to us. But now Christ is God-man in one person, and that mystery is now to be discovered to the uttermost, the union of the two natures in his person ; and therefore he must have such a glory as never creature was capable of, nor can be. He doth not only appear in the text as ' our Saviour,' but as 'the great God.' Guess at it again we may by other appearances of God. When Christ came to give the law, his voice shook Mount Sinai, that Moses trembled and quaked at the hearing of it : Heb. xii. 21, ' So terrible