[3.] Now his spiritual glory is seen but in a glass darkly, 1 Cor. xiii. 12. We apprehend him by faith, but see him not face to face ; though he be revealed to the soul, yet not so revealed as he will be at his second coming. Vision or beholding of his glory is reserved for heaven : John xvii. 24, ' Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory.'
[4.] His kingdom is not always clear and visible in the world, though he ruleth in the midst of his enemies, Ps. ex. 2. His interest to all appearance is many times suppressed in the world, though at other times it breaketh out again, and is owned in the world : Luke xvii. 20, ' The kingdom of God cometh not with observation.' fxera <TrapaTT)pri<Teoi<$. It is not set up as other kingdoms are, with warlike preparation or visible pomp and glory.
[5.] His people and subjects are under a veil ; their life is hid with Christ in God, Col. iii. 3 ; ' The world knoweth us not, as it knew him not,' 1 John iii. 2. It doth not now appear to the world, nor alto- gether to the saints themselves, what a blessed portion is made sure to them. The day of the manifestation of the sons of God is not yet come, Rom. viii. 19, either of the eldest and first-born, or of all the rest of the brethren ; which is a comfort to us in our reproaches ; if we be not revealed and manifested to be what we are, neither is the Son of God revealed to the full of his glory. In short, though Christ be revealed to us in the doctrine of the gospel, yet his excellency doth in part lie hid from his own children. We see him but darkly, and no
236 SERMONS UPON 2 THESSALONIANS I. [SeR. V.
wonder if the world see him not, and know him not. And for believers, their glory is hidden under the veil of afflictions, infirmities, and imperfections.
2. That this time is coming is evident — j
[1.] From the promise of his coming. This was the great promise ever kept afoot in the church. The scoffers took notice of it : 2 Peter iii. 4, ' Where is the promise of bis coming ? ' There was an ancient promise long ago : Jude 14, 15, ' Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his saints, to execute judgment upon all,' &c. It hath been re- vived in all ages by the Lord's messengers, Moses, David, Samuel, Joel, Zechariah, Malachi, and more clearly by Christ himself and his apostles everywhere : John xiv. 3, ' I will come again ; if it were not so, I would have told you.' God, that hath been faithful in all things, will not fail us at last. He hath ever stood to his word, how unlikely so- ever the things promised were. The believers of the old world were not deceived in the promise of his first coming in the flesh. Surely Christ would not deceive us with a vain hope, nor flatter us into a fools' paradise ; we may rest upon his infallible word for his second appearance.
[2.] From the types whereby Christ was prefigured. I shall instance in one, which the apostle explaineth from ver. 24 to the latter end ; see it.
[3.] There are ordinances appointed in the church, to keep afoot the remembrance of this promise; the word preached, the Lord's supper: 1 Cor. xi. 26, ' As oft as ye eat of this bread and drink this cup, ye show forth the Lord's death till he come.' He hath left it as a monument of his faithfulness to revive our hopes and expectations. Would Christ institute a solemn ordinance for the remembrance of his appearing if he meant to come no more at us ? The word declareth it : 2 Tim. iv. 1, ' I charge thee before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing,' &c.
[4.] We have an inward pledge of it, the coming of the Holy Ghost into our hearts. At parting there is a taking and giving of tokens. Christ is not gone in anger, but about business, to set all things at rights for the great day of espousals. To prevent suspicion, he left the Spirit to stir up in us a certain and earnest expectation of that day : Rom. viii. 23, ' We ourselves also, which have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, even the redemption of our body ; ' and Rev. xxii. 17, ' The Spirit and the bride say, Come.' The time is determined, the marriage- day fixed, though unknown to us ; but the Spirit dwelling in us sets us a-looking and a-longing for it.
[5.] Our constant experience of his love and care over us. There are frequent messages of love which pass between us and Christ, which show that he doth not forget us, and is not strange to us now. There is a constant intercourse kept up between every believing soul and his Redeemer ; though he be absent from us in the body, yet we hear from him, and he is present with us in the spirit. We hear from hirn in the word, in prayer, and in the sacraments ; and will he not come again, who is so mindful of us at every turn ? If he forgat us in his exaltation, as