550 THE bridk's longing.
all wolfish and lionisli dispositions shall he suhdued ; then there shall be no iiihimity in others to displease us, nor any in us to give distaste to them ; but then we shall have an eternal communion together. Therefore is there not, in regard of ourselves, good reasons for Christians to say, ' Amen. Even so, come. Lord Jesus' ? Then, in regard of every one in his own particular, doth not evei-y one find that true in himself that Paul saith of himself, that we carry about with us ' a body of sin and a body of death' ? Our corruptions, that we carry about with us, are like a dead body tied unto a living body. Now, what an odious and loathsome thing is it for a man to carrj^ about with him a dead body ! Thus we do, and the more we grow in grace, the more noisome it will be to us ; for the more we grow in grace, the more life wo have, and therefore the more antipathy against sin. The more we grow in grace, the more light we have to discern the bad, and the more will our love to grace increase. Now the more light, and life, and love, the more shall we be annoyed carrying about with us this body of sin, and ' the thorn in the flesh,' 2 Cor. xii. 7. Some corruptions are as grievous to us as a thorn that rends the flesh. And this is the disposition of the best in this Hfe. Therefore, in regard of the church and the enemies of it, in regard of ourselves and every particu- lar Christian, in regard of their conflicting and afllicted condition, have we not cause to say, ' Amen ; come, Lord Jesus' ? Thus we see the grounds which the church hath to say so.
Let us now come to the second point, to try whether we can indeed express this desire that the Spirit of God makes. For it is only the Spirit in the spouse that saith, ' Come, Lord Jesus.' Let us see whether the Spirit says so in us.
We shall not say much. It may be known by that which hath been said in the beginning, and it is evident also besides. Therefore, in a word or two.
Trial 1. Let us try ourselves by this. What benefit have we bij the first coming of Christ, by his death, a)td the sheddinr/ of his blood? Doth that pardon our sins ? Are our consciences ' besprinkled by that from dead works to serve the ever-living God '?' Heb. ix. 14. Are our hearts set at liberty to go to the throne of grace ? Have we thus any benefit by his first coming ? Then we cannot but with a long and longing expectation look for his second.
But, on the contrary, he that hath no good by the first, cannot truly desire nor comfortably expect the second coming of Christ : for why ? The second coming is but to make good what is begun here. The first is to redeem our souls, the second is to glorify our bodies. If our souls be not redeemed, never look for the ' redemption of our bodies,' Horn. viii. 23. The first and second coming of Christ are of so near connection, that often- times they are comprised together, as the regeneration of our souls and the regeneration of our bodies, the adoption of our souls and the adoption of our bodies, the redemption of our souls and the redemption of our bodies ; to shew that wheresoever there is the true redemption and adop- tion of the soul, there the redemption and adoption of the body will follow, and an expectation thereof also. Christ will be redemption to us when he bath been redemption to our souls fii'st, in the assurance of the pardon of our sins. Look then to that first.
Trial 2. If we desire the second coming of Christ, we will prepare for it. If a man says, he desires to go to some great person, and yet never thinks of any preparation for it, it is but a pretended desire if he doth not put on
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his best clothes, and fit himself for it, as Joseph did for Pharaoh, Gen. xU. 14. So if a man hope for this coming of Christ, he will * purify him- self for it, even as he is pure,' 1 John iii. 3. He will not appear in his foul clothes, but will ' put off the old man, and put on the new,' Eph. iv. 22. He will fit himself as the bride for the coming of the bridegroom. Beloved, if the thoughts of Christ's second coming be not efficacious to work in the soul a great care to fit and prepare for it, it is but a false conceit and lying fancy, it is no holy desire.
Trial 3. Examine it by this, ivhether your hearts he the kuu/doin of Christ, xi'hethcr he rule in your hearts here? Do we think to rule with him in heaven, in his kingdom, if we will not yield up our hearts to be his kingdom upon earth ? No ; he will come into our hearts before we shall come to him ; he will come to rule in us here, before we shall ever think to come to rule with him in heaven. Therefore all they that stand out against the ordi- nances of God, and will live in sin against their knowledge and conscience, do they spend any thoughts or wishes on Christ's second coming ? He will come indeed, but it will be a ' day of darkness and gloominess' unto them, Joel ii. 2. Such persons cannot say, ' Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly,' but ' Mountains come, and rocks come, come quickly : fall upon us, and hide us from the presence of him that sitteth upon the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb,' Rev. vi. 16. Nothing will be more terrible to such than that day. Fire is the most comfortable thing, and the most terrible ; and so God is most comfortable to his, and yet most terrible to such that do not prepare for his coming. ' Who amongst us,' saith the prophet, * shall dwell with the devouring fire ? Who aniongst us shall dwell with everlasting burnings ?' Isa. xxxiii. 14. Who shall appear before Christ ? To them, then, that live in their sins, in this glorious light of the gospel, there is a most terrible threatening, even from the coming of Christ. ' If any man love not the Lord Jesus,' when he is discovered clearly in the gospel, ' let him be Anathema, Maran-atha,' 1 Cor. xvi. 22, which is a more terrible curse than any is in the law. As the greatest blessings are from the coming of Christ, so from the same is the more ter- rible threatening. There is not a more terrible curse in all the Scriptures again, as that is in the Corinthians. So that ' the Lord shall come in flaming fire, rendering vengeance to all them that know him not, and that obey not the gospel,' 2 Thes. i. 8. Therefore take heed of this.