Use 2.
1. Here is comfort to the godly. To you Christ's appearance is glorious, but not terrible ; it is as light, but not as fire ; the trumpet sounds, but it summons you to be crowned. The sign of the Son of man shows your Lord is come ; it is as the shadow of the husband before his person appeareth : this is your Jesus. Certainly they that have an interest in him will not be afraid of him ; for his angels are your guardians, his saints your companions ; bis appearance is to pro-
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nounce your pardon ; a crown shall be set upon your heads in the face of all the world. That which is so formidable and dreadful to our thoughts in itself is all comfortable to a child of God. Christ comes as God, but still in the human nature, as your brother. If he be glorious it is for your sakes, that you might be like him ; he comes as a pattern of your glory.
2. Here is terror to them that lie in their sins. How can they hear of these things without astonishment ? You that despise the still voice when God speaks to you by the angel of the church, what will you do when you hear the great trump which will be an alarm to death and execution ? Your avenger is come. Christ's sign is not light, but terror to you. If you tremble not, you are worse than Felix, an heathen, for Felix's heart trembled when he heard of judgment to come, Acts xxiv. 25 ; he had a more tender conscience. Nay, such as do not, they are worse than Satan ; for the devils fear and tremble, James ii. 19. Loose and carnal persons scoff at that at which devils tremble. It is storied of a king that wept when his brother came to him : being asked the reason, Oh ! saith he, I that judge others must be judged myself ! Shall not I tremble at the great trumpet that shall awaken the dead ? Oh ! take sanctuary in grace.
3. Here is advice to all. It is a good check to sin ; it stays the boiling of the pot. Remember, when thou art in the career and heat of thy lusts, 'for all these things God will bring thee to judgment,' Eccles. xi. 9. Whenever thou sinnest, thou art entering into the lists with Christ, as if thou wert stronger than he. But man, canst thou grapple with him ? Then it is an engagement to repentance. When Jacob heard Esau was coming with a great power and force against him, he sends to make peace with him. You have heard that Christ comes in a glorious manner, and will be terrible to his enemies. Let us compromise all difference between us and God. Oh ! go and make peace with him. It is Christ's own advice : Luke xiv. 32, ' Or else while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassador, and desireth conditions of peace.' And repent, saith the apostle, ' that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord,' Acts iii, 19. Then it is of use to make you constant in walking in the fear of the Lord : Eccles. xii. 13, 14, ' Fear God, and keep his commandments ; for this is the whole duty of man : for God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.' Especially it is an engagement to faithfulness in your calling, especially ministers : 2 Cor. V. 9, ' Wherefore we labour, that whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.' Again, it urgethyou to keep the command- ments ; Christ will bear you out : ' Keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,' 1 Tim. vi. 14. And then he presseth to diligence ; he comes with crowns in his hands to reward all that are faithful to him : 1 Peter v. 4, * And when the chief shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory, that fadeth not away ; ' 2 Tim. iv. 1, 'I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead, at his appearance, and his kingdom ; ' 1 Thes. ii. 19, ' For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing ? are not even ye in
230 SERMONS UPON TITUS II. 11-14. [SeR. XVIII.
the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming ? ' The day of judgment respects our callings, especially as ministers ; Christ's officers must give an account ; and in whatever condition God hath set us in, wherein he expects a trial of our faithfulness, we are to consider what we must do.
SERMON XVIII.
Of the great God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ — Titus ii, 13.
I COME to the description of the person who shall appear, who is de- scribed by a title of power and a title of mercy and love, because in Christ's person there is greatness and goodness mixed ; for he is called * the great God ; ' there is his attribute of power and majesty ; and then there is a comfortable name and title, ' Our Saviour.' That both these titles do belong to the same person, the fathers have abundantly, proved against the Arians. In the original there is but one article, Tov fjie-dXov &eo{/ kul awTrjpo^ jj/jlcov, ' that great God and our Saviour.' We have just such another expression, 1 Cor. xv. 24, 'He shall deliver up the kingdom to that God and Father,' rco 0ec3 koI TJarpl ; that is, to God even the Father. So here ' the great God and Saviour,' that is, the God that is the Saviour. Besides, there is another argument that the words must be referred to the same person, because it is never said anywhere the Father doth appear, but only Jesus Christ, and therefore the appearance of the great God must needs be applied to Jesus Christ.