Oh then, my brethren, though we be never so much assured of things to come, yet let us join prayer thereto ; for the assurance of the end will stir
VOL. VI. . M m
546 THE bride's longing.
us np to the careful use of the means. None are so careful of the latter as they who are most assured of the former. Witness the church here.
The next thing I shall premise, as making way for that, that I mean more fully to speak of, is this :
Obs. 5. That God. s promises have gradual performances.
They are made good by degrees. God goes by many steps to the per- formance of his great promises ; as here, the promise of Christ's ' second glorious coming' hath many degrees to the accomplishment thei'eof. 80 God promises ' a new heaven and a new earth,' Isa. Ixvi. 22. That was one degree of the performance hereof, when the Jews came out of captivity. It had a second degree of performance when Christ came in the flesh. Then all things were new. There was a new priest, a new Sabbath, a new nation. So when the Gentiles were called, and came in, it had a third gradual performance. When the Jews shall be called, when there shall be *a resurrection from the dead,' as it were, Rom. xi. 15, then all things shall be new. That was a fourth. And the last and full performance shall be, when all things shall be new indeed ; that is, when there shall be ' a new heaven and a new earth.' So this promise here, ' Come, Lord Jesus,' it hath a latitude and a breadth of performance ; ' Come, Lord,' into our hearts first, and set up thy kingdom and sceptre there ; subdue all therein unto thyself, throw down all lusts, thrust out Satan, take thine own interest in us.
And then ' come' into thy church, as you have it, Mark ix. 1. There is a powerful coming of Christ in the gospel ; therein ' the kingdom of God comes with power.' Come thus in the ministry of thy word. When Christ was bodily ascending up into heaven, he came spiritually in his ordinances. And thus ' come ' thou by thy Spirit.
And then ' come ' to blast antichrist, and to consume ' that man of sin,' 2 Thes. ii. 3, and so make way for the other degree of thy coming. ' Come' in the fulness of the Gentiles, ' come' in the conversion of thy people of the Jews, that their riches may be an increase of our riches, that there may be golden times indeed, as surely then they will be.
And then, because there is a certain number of the elect of God, which must be accomplished and fulfilled ; and Christ will delay his last coming till that be done ; therefore, ' come ' and accomplish the number of thine elect, as you have it Rev. vi. 11, 'And white robes were given to every one of them ; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow-servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.' They must stay till the rest come in. As they that have invited a company of strangers to a feast, do stay till the last be come, so there will not be a glorious coming of Christ until all the elect be gathered into one body. And then shall be the com- ing of all comings, which is the glorious coming of Christ, to take us to himself, and to make us sit with him, ' to judge the world,' 1 Cor. vi. 2, as so many kings and judges of the world, and to be with him for ever. As the apostle saith, ' Then shall we be ever with the Lord,' 1 Thes. iv. 17, 18. And that is a comfort indeed. As he adds there, ' Wherefore comfort one another with these words.' And so you see the gradual per- formance thereof.
Now I come unto the last, and that which I mean most to stand upon, being a blessed truth, most suitable to this occasion.
Obs. 6. Tliat as it is the duty, so it is the disposition of a gracious heart, to desire the glorious coming of Christ Jesus ; and, to desire all his other com- ings in way and order to this, as they make way for his last coming.
THE bride's longing. 547
In the unfolding of this I shall shew you the grounds and reasons why the church doth so, and then make some trials whether we do so or no, and then give some few directions to help us therein.
Whv doth the church desire so much this second and glorious coming of Christ"?
Reason 1. Because the church is in imnt till that time, and the ground of all desire is want. We want our bodies, we want many of our friends, &c. But then there shall be a supply of all.
Reason 2. Because ' our life is hid with Christ in God,' and ' when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall we also appear with him in glory,' Col. iii. 3, 4. Our glorious head is there already. When he shall be revealed, then our glory shall be revealed, for * he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all those that do believe.'