[2.] The saints, they are his attendants too. Some shall come from heaven with Christ, others shall be ' caught up in the air to meet the Lord,' 1 Thes. iv. 17. Certainly the wicked shall be left still to tread upon the earth. And this contributes much to the glory of the day, because when Christ appears we appear with him in glory ; we shall be like him, we shall suddenly attain to that fulness of glory that their hearts could never conceive of. Oh ! what a glorious day must that needs be when so many suns shall meet together ! Every one of the elect shall shine more than the sun. Then our spiritual empire and dominion begins ; we come to share with Christ in the glory of his kingdom, to be associated with him in judging of the world. Do not then please yourselves with fencies of temporal happiness. ' The
VeR. 13.] SERMONS UPON TITUS II. 11-14. 223
upright shall have dominion over them in the morning,' Ps. xlix. 14. When is that ? After they have slept their sleep of death, then God's saints and servants, that are now scorned, censured, and persecuted, in the morning of the resurrection, when thev awake to meet with Christ, then doth our glory begin. We are all for a while to stand before the judgment-seat of Christ. But look upon all the draughts of the last judgment, and you shall find this method ; sentence begins with the godly, but execution begins with the wicked. The books are opened, the godly are called, and they are first acquitted, that afterwards they may join with Christ to judge the world: 1 Cor, vi. 2, 'Do you not know that the saints shall judge the world.' The first process is with the godly, that their faith may be found to praise ; but first the wicked shall go into everlasting punishment : Mat. xxv. 46, ' These shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal ; ' that by others' misery they may be more apprehensive of their own felicity.
3. Another thing that makes the day glorious is his work and powerful executing the work of the day. Jesus Christ is to gather the wicked together, dragging them out of their graves with horror ; then to extend and enlarge their consciences, that all their doings may come to remembrance ; and then to cast them into eternal darkness, to chase them with the glory of his presence into hell, dragging them out of their graves with terror: Eev. vi. 16, 'They said to the mountains and to the rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.' They are ashamed to look Christ in the face, whom they have slighted, despised, neglected in the world. Then they shall be ashamed to see the godly preferred ; as Haman did fret to see Mordecai put upon the king's horse, and led through the city with triumph, so they are envious to see the preferment of God's children. Then they are cursed out of Christ's presence, and go away yelling and howling, and are led away to their final state, as Haman's face was covered, and then led away to execution. Now Christ hath the most glorious conquest over his enemies that ever he had ; now he shows himself like a king, in punishing his enemies and rewarding his friends. In punishing his enemies, stubborn knees shall bow to him ; it is not done fully till now. Isa. xlv. 23, there is a decree, ' I have sworn by myself, the word has gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that unto me every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall swear.' It is a predic- tion of Christ's sovereignty, and it is ratified with an oath ; all God's holiness and glory is laid at stake that it shall be accomplished. Now this prophecy is twice alleged in the New Testament: Phil. ii. 10, 11, 'At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth ; and every tongue shall confess.' There it is made the fruit of Christ's ascension ; what is sivear in the prophet, there is confess ; they are both acts of worship, and given to Christ. Presently God gave him this power upon his ascen- sion, for his ascension was his solemn inauguration into the kingly office. Christ was a chosen king, and anointed from all eternity. While he was here in the world he was a king, but when he ascended up on high, then he was a crowned king, and God undertook to make
224 SERMONS UPON TITUS 11. 11-14. [SeR. XVII.
good this prophecy, ' That every knee should bow to him ; ' as David was anointed by Samuel, but crowned at Hebron. But some will say, We do not see that all things are put under him ; there are damned spirits that resist his counsels, and there are wicked men that rebel against his laws ; every knee doth not bow, and every tongue doth not call him Lord. But w^ait a little, the work is a-doing. Christ's royal office receiveth several accessions of glory and degrees of perfection, till the day of judgment, and then it is discovered in a most imperial manner. The apostle quoteth this place to prove the day of judgment : Eom. xiv. 10, 11, 'Why dost thou judge thy brother? and why dost thou set at nought thy brother ? We must all stand before the judgment-seat of Christ.' How doth he prove that? ' For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God ; ' implying that at the day of judgment this promise shall be fully made good. This is the consummate act of his regal office ; then devils and wicked men shall all be made to stoop to Christ. Christ's kingdom is a growing kingdom : Isa. ix. 7, ' Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end.' Not only of his government, but of the increase of his government ; then it is at its full strength. Therefore it is called ' the day of the Lord ; ' 2 Peter iii. 10, ' The day of the Lord cometh as a thief in the night.' Then Christ discovereth himself as Lord in all his royalties and greatness, and makes his enemies shake before him. Then also he shows himself to be a king to his people : Mat. xxv. 34, ' Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand.' Mark the special title that is given to Christ when he invites the saints into his bosom ; then we come to receive from Christ the most royal donative and highest fruit of his kingly office.