right hand) may be advanced hereafter to shine in such majesty but that we dull heavy souls should be thought worthy of the like favour, none but a man so divinely illuminated as he was by the power of the Holy Ghost, is sufficient to se cure us. And, blessed be God, we do not want such a divine testimony. For after this great apostle had related what a course he had run, what agonies he had sustained, with what difficulties he had wrestled in the service of his blessed Master Jesus; and that he nothing doubted but he would remember him at his coming again, and confer the honour on him which was laid up in heaven for such victorious souls: he encourages all other Christians to comfort themselves with the same expectations, and not imagine they should lose the crown (though they came far behind him in the holy race) if they did but love the appearings of Christ Jesus. That is the particular mark and character which he gives of the persons to whom this honour shall be done. For the understanding of which, and that we may the better comprehend both the happiness itself, and that pious affection we ought to have for it (which is the principal drift of this discourse), we are to make an inquiry into these three things: First, What may be conceived to be the meaning of this appearing of our Lord. Secondly, What certainty there is of it. And, Thirdly, What the love is which they should bear to it who hope to enjoy the blessings of it. CHAP. II. Showing what is meant by the appearing of our Lord It is not hard to give an account of the first of these, if we carefully observe and examine the words whereby the holy 5 Αεὶ γὰρ ὁ λόγος ζῶν ὑπάρχων, καὶ τὸ ζῆν ἐφ' ἑαυτοῦ ἔχων, καὶ ζωὴν τοῖς avтòv åуanwσi didous-Epiph. Hæres. liv. n. 5. [tom. i. p. 466 D.] books express it. And there are three of them; every one of which signifies, that our blessed Lord (who now reigns in unseen glory) will once more appear visibly to all mankind. 1. The first is Tарovσía, which we render only his coming; but it is a different word from that in our Creed, and in its proper signification denotes his presenting himself to us, after he hath been thus long absent from us. In the Creed we profess to believe that he is ascended into heaven, ὅθεν μέλλει ἔρχεσθαι, 'from whence he shall come,' &c. But that we may know what kind of coming we are to expect (and not imagine it is merely by an invisible power, as he came to destroy Jerusalem), we are to mind how the apostles speak of it as a πaрovσía; and teach us to understand that word in the strictest sense, concerning his personal appearance to us. Thus St. Paul discourses to the Corinthians, (where we first meet with this word in the apostolical writings,) that every man shall arise from the dead, but in due order; Christ the first-fruits; and then they that are Christ's, at his coming h: in person, that is, as the King and the Judge of the world. For so he presently after directs us to expound the word, when he declares the joy he had by the mapovσía, coming of Stephanus, Fortunatus and Achaicus, who (as Theodoret there notes k) were the persons that brought the letter to him from the church of Corinth. In such a manner he believed Christ would come; and that he and those Christians he had converted appearing before him, it would prove the greatest joy and honour to him, to be able to present to that great King such a number of persons who had been persuaded by his ministry to become his subjects'. In short, this is the word that is used in most other places, where we read of the coming of Christ. And presently after that last-named, he tells us, he will come attended with all his saints m; and therefore will personally appear, and show himself in that royal majesty wherein he now reigns. 2. Thus the second word still more fully informs us, which is ámокáλvis, the revelation of Jesus Christ, or his discovering himself again to the world, by coming out of that high and holy place where he now lives, but is not seen. So Theophylact expounds the word both upon 1 Cor. i. 7. and 2 Thess. i. 7, where he says, "The apostle calls the coming of Christ by the name of his revelation, to denote that though he be now with us, yet he is hid, and then shall be openly discovered." Which he borrows from St. Chrysostomo, whose words are these; "The apostle indicates, that though he be not seen, yet he is, and is present even now, and then will appear," or show himself visibly to the world. Ecumenius also writes to the same effect; and we may still further establish this truth, by considering another word of the same import with this (and therefore I shall not mention it distinctly by itself) very much. used by St. John, who exhorts his disciples to abide in Christ, that when pavepwon, he shall be made manifest (or be shown to the world) we may not be ashamed before him at his coming P. So we translate the word in other places (though here it be rendered only appears); especially in that remarkable place, John xxi. 1, where we read how he showed himself to them at the sea of Tiberias, and that this was the third time that he showed or made himself manifest to them after that he was risen from the dead. In the very same visible manner will he once more appear, and be as really manifested to raise us from the dead, and to give us life, as he was manifested in the flesh at first, and again showed himself after his crucifixion to be alive from the dead. For though our life be now hid with Christ in God, yet when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, or be manifested, then shall we also appear with him in gloryt. Upon which words Theophylact" hath this pertinent gloss: "At his second coming Christ shall be openly manifested, and showed to all as God; though now he be so hid, that it is the thing which is objected against him, and a pretence for men's unbelief." And to the same purpose Theodoret bids us note how exceeding appositely the apostle speaks, when he saith, "Christ will then be manifested, who now is not seen by Christians, nor so much as known by infidels;" but then will let no man remain ignorant of him, because every eye shall see him, and all men be forced to confess that he is the Lord of all. 8 3. For, lastly, to make this still more evident, it is called here (in the words I have undertaken to explain), and in many other places, his èπipáveia, appearing, in so clear and illustrious a manner, that St. Paul bids us look for it as that blessed hope of Christian people, far more splendid than any thing that hath yet been manifested; for it is the glorious appearing, or the appearing of the glory, of the great God and our Savioury. Which epithet is to be carefully observed, because it distinguishes this appearing from a former, and teaches us how we are to conceive of it: for every body knows (who hath any skill in these things) that there is at least a double appearing of Christ spoken of in the holy writings. One past, when he came and sensibly appeared, and was manifested in mortal flesh, for these two ends, to preach the gospel, and to die for our sins. Let the reader consult 1 Tim. i. 10. and Hebr. ix. 26. This is called the appearing of God's grace (Tit. ii. 11), which was so manifested at this time that it eclipsed all former discoveries that had been made of it. The other is yet to come; when the same Lord will as sensibly appear to reward men according to the entertainment they have given his gospel, and show himself as a royal Priest, who hath so perfectly expiated our sins and conquered all our enemies, that he hath nothing then to do but to give complete salvation to his servants. So you read Hebr. ix. 28, that, to them who expect him, he will appear the second time (¿p0ńσerat, 'make himself be seen, appear visibly') without sin unto salvation. As in the former coming he was seen in our flesh, but appeared like a mean person, in the form of a servant; so in this he will personally appear in our nature, but in greater splendour, in the form of a prince, even as the Lord of all the world. And therefore, in the first verse of this chapter2, his kingdom and his appearing are both put together, as things contemporary; and as before there was an appearance of his grace, so hereafter he is said to appear in his glorya. To these two appearings some add a third, in the middle between them; and that was his appearing to destroy Jerusalem, and therewith the persecutors of his disciples; to whom, at that time, it must be acknowledged, he gave a mighty sal y Tit. ii. I .13. z 2 Tim. iv. I. a Col. iii. 4. action, and triumph beforehand in the assured victory which he will get over hell and the grave. 2. For then, saith the apostle, will be heard the voice of the archangel; that is, one of the chief leaders and commanders of the celestial hosts (Michael, I suppose, the protector of the Christian church) shall march before his Majesty, calling aloud to all the rest of that heavenly company to follow after in their order. 3. And then will the trump of God sound; which the apostle adds to signify, after the manner of men, the powerful summons which will be issued forth to alarm all the world to attend at this great solemnity. For the gathering of the congregation of Israel together was by the sound of a trumpet, as we find, among other places, in Jer. iv. 5: Blow ye the trumpet in the land; cry, gather together, and say, Assemble yourselves. To which the apostle seems to allude, and calls it the trump of God, to distinguish it from all other, and to express such a mighty and penetrating sound as shall be heard every where; such an one as is fit to precede none but God the Father Almighty himself, or him that holds his place, his only begotten Son, when he comes to judge the world. In short, this seems to be an expression borrowed from the appearance of God at mount Sinaih: whither all Israel being to be gathered together, they were summoned thither by thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud, which made all the people tremble. So that the meaning of the apostle is, that our Lord shall come as the great King of the world in a most venerable majesty, which shall make all mankind stand in awe of him, and tremble before him, as the Israelites did at the appearance of the divine majesty on mount Sinai. And a great deal more: for, 4. When he appears, it will be, as I have intimated already, with innumerable glittering troops of angels (all clothed in very bright and shining clouds) as his guard or retinue to attend upon him. So we are informed in several other places : For the Son of man (saith our Lord himself) shall come in the glory of his Father, with his angels, and then he shall h So Theophylact [in loc. tom. ii. p. 521 D.] and other Greek interpreters. [S. Chrysost. in loc. tom. xi. p. 478 B; Theodoret in loc. tom. iii. p. 519.] Exod. xix. 16. * Matt. xvi. 27. |