of his displeasure. St. Paul himself puts that matter beyond < all doubt, when he says, " If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maran-atha."]
2. On the godly —
[Blessed be God, though all the unregenerate shall wail, there are some to whom the Saviour's advent will be a ground of joy! We are told, that the saints " wait for his appearing," and " love it," and " look forward and haste unto it," and in the spirit of their minds are saying, " Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly." However terrible his advent will be to others, it will not be so to them; for the prospect of being called to *' meet the Lord in the air," is that which St. Paul teaches us to regard as a source of the richest consolation, under what- ever trials or losses we may be called to sustain. '* Comfort ye one another," says ye, " with these words."
But here you will naturally ask. Whence arises this dif- ference between the two? Why do the one behold him with such anguish of heart, and the others with such unutter- able joy? I answer, The godly have beheld him here, and " mourned before him as for an only Son\" They have seen how grievously they have themselves pierced him by their iniquities ; and they have bewailed their guilt and folly with the deepest contrition. They have even looked to his wounds as endured for their transgressions ; and have sought for *' heahng to their souls by the stripes inflicted on him :" and having done this by faith, they are accepted before God, and shall " be presented before him faultless with exceeding
joy-
Seek ye then, Beloved, " the Spirit of grace and of suppli- cations," whom God has promised to pour out upon you. Then shall you have such views of the Saviour as shall bring peace to your souls, and such views as will give you confidence before him at his future coming.]
* Zech. xii. 10.