name.

'seed of the woman,' till the time of his appearance in the flesh, all the chosen of God have lived upon his grace, though multitudes of them never knew his It is true, the greater part of that illustrious company on the right hand of Christ, lived since the time of his incarnation, (for the "great multitude which no man could number, is derived from the Gentile nations." Rev. vii. 9.) Yet the ancient patriarchs, with the Jewish prophets and saints, shall make, a splendid appearance there: One hundred and forty-four thousand are sealed among the tribes of Israel: These of old embraced the gospel in types and shadows; but now their eyes behold Christ Jesus the substance and the truth. In the days of their flesh they read his name in dark lines, and looked through the long glass of prophecy to distant ages, and a Saviour to come, and now behold they find complete and certain salvation and glory in him. "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them." Heb. xi. 13. They died in the hope of this salvation, and they shall arise in the blessed possession of it.

Behold Abraham appearing there, the Father of the faithful, who saw the day of Christ,' and rejoiced to see it, who trusted in his Son Jesus two thousand years before he was born: His elder family the pious Jews surround him there, and we his younger children among the Gentiles, shall stand with him as the followers of his faith, who trust in the same Jesus almost two thousand years after he is dead. How

shall we both 'rejoice to see this brightest day' of the Son of man, and congratulate each others faith, while our eyes meet and center in him, and our souls triumph in the sight and love, and enjoyment of him in whom we believed! How admirable and divinely glorious shall our Lord himself appear on whom every eye is fixed with unutterable delight, in whom the faith of distant countries and ages is centered and reconciled, and in whom all the nations of the earth' appear to be blessed,' according to the ancient word of promise. Gen. xv. and xvii.

Secondly, It is a further occasion of pleasing wonder, that so many wicked obstinate wills of men, and so many perverse affections, should be bowed down, and submit themselves to the holy rules of the gospel.' This is another instance of the grace of Christ, and shall be the subject of our joyful admiration. Every son and daughter of Adam by nature is averse to God, and inclined to sin, a child of disobedience and death. Eph. ii. 2. There is a new miracle wrought by Christ in every instance of converting grace, and he shall have the glory of them all in that day. It is a first resurrection from the dead, it is a new creation, and the Almighty power shall then be publicly adored.

Then one shall say, 'I was a sensual sinner, drenched in liquor and unclean lusts, and wicked in all the forms of lewdness and intemperance: "The grace of God my Saviour appeared to me, and taught me to deny worldly lusts," which I once thought I could never have parted with. I loved my sins as my life,

but he has persuaded and constrained me to cut off a right hand, and to pluck out a right eye, and to part with my darling vices; and behold me here a monument of his saving mercy.

I was envious against my neighbour,. (shall another say) and my temper was malice and wrath; revenge was mingled with my constitution, and I thought it no iniquity: But I bless the name of Christ my Redeemer, who in the day of his grace turned my wrath into meekness; he inclined me to love even mine enemies, and to pray for them that cursed me; he taught me all this by his own example, and he made me learn it by the sovereign influences of his spirit. I am a wonder to myself, when I think what once I was: Amazing change and almighty grace!'

Then a third shall confess, 'I was a profane wretch, a swearer, a blasphemer; I hoped for no heaven, and I feared no hell; but the Lord seized me in the midst of my rebellions, and sent his arrows into my soul; he made me feel the stings of an awakened conscience, and constrained me to believe there was a God and a hell, till I cried out astonished, what shall I do to be saved? Then he led me to partake of his own salvation, and from a proud rebellious infidel, he has made me a penitent and a humble believer; and here I stand to shew forth the wonders of his grace, and the boundless extent of his forgiveness.'

A fourth shall stand up and acknowledge in that day, And I was a poor carnal covetous creature, who made this world my god, and abundance of money

was my heaven; but he cured me of this vile idolatry of gold, taught me how to obtain treasures in the heavenly world, and to forsake all on earth, that I might have an inheritance there; and behold he has not disappointed my hope: I am now made rich indeed, and I must for ever speak his praises.'

There shall be no doubt or dispute in that day, whether it was the power of our own will, or the superior power of divine grace, that wrought the blessed change, that turned a lion into a lamb, a grovelling earth-worm into a bird of paradise, and of a covetous or malicious sinner, made a meek and a heavenly saint. The grace of Christ shall be so conspicuous in every glorified believer in that assembly, that with one voice they shall all shout to the praise and glory of his grace; "Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to thy name be all the honour." Psal. cxv. 1.

Thirdly, It shall be the matter of our wonder, and the glory of Christ in that day, 'that so many thousand guilty wretches should be made righteous by one righteousness, cleansed in one laver from all their iniquities, and sprinkled unto pardon and sanctification, with the blood of one man, Jesus Christ. See the "great multitude that no man can number," Rev. vii. 9, 10. They all "washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." ver. 14.

It is a matter of wonder to us now on earth, that the blessed Son of God who is one with the Father, should stoop so low as to unite himself to a mortal nature, that he should become a poor despicable man, and pass through a life of sufferings and sorrows, and

die an accursed death, to redeem us from guilt and deserved misery: But when we shall see him in his native glory and lustre, his acquired dignities, and all the honours of heaven heaped upon him, it will raise our wonder high, to think that such a One should once humble himself to the death of the cross, the death of the vilest slave, that he might save our souls from dying; that he should pour out his own blood to wash off the stains of millions of sins, that we might appear righteous before a God of holiness. Then shall the multitude of the saved join in that song, "To him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, be glory and dominion for ever." Rev. i. 5, 6. "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and honour, for thou hast redeemed us with thy blood from every kindred, tribe and nation." Rev. v.

Then shall those blessed words of Scripture appear and shine in full glory, howsoever they are often passed over in silence, and too much forgotten in our age. Rom. v. 17, 19, 21. "If by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace, and of the gift of righte ousness, shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the cedience of one shall many be made righteous. That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord." Then shall our blessed Lord shine in the complete lustre of that incommunicable name, JEHOVAH TZIDKENU, the Lord our righteousness. Jer. xxiii. 6.