grave, and shall have no resurrection. The new-raised bodies of the righteous in that day, shall be completely obedient to the dictates of their spirits, without any vicious juices to make reluctance, or perverse humours to raise an inward rebellion: And not only so, but perhaps even our bodies shall have some active holy tendencies, wrought in them so far as corporeal nature can administer, toward the sacred exercises of a glorified saint. A sweet and blessed change indeed! And Jesus who raised these bodies in this beauty of holiness, shall receive the glory of this divine work.

'

The last instance. I shall mention, wherein Christ shall be admired in his saints, is this, they shall appear in that day, as so many images of his person, and as so many monuments of the success of his office.

Is the blessed Jesus a great Prophet and the Teacher of his church? These are the persons that have learnt his divine doctrine, they have heard the joyful sound' of his gospel, and the holy truths of it are copied out in their hearts. These are the disciples of his school; and by his word, and by his spirit, they have been taught to know God and their Saviour, and they have been trained up in the way to eternal life.

Is Jesus a great High Priest, both of sacrifice and intercession?' Behold all these souls, an endless number, purified from their defilements by the blood of his cross, washed and made white in that blessed laver, and reconciled to God by his atoning sacrifice : Behold the power of his intercession, in securing mil

lions from the wrath of God, and in procuring for them every divine blessing. He has obtained for each of them grace and glory.

Is Jesus the Lord of all things,' and the King of his church? Behold his subjects waiting on him, a numerous and a loyal multitude, who have the laws of their King engraven on their souls. These are the sons and daughters of Adam, whom he has rescued by his power from the kingdom of darkness, and the hands of the devil: He has guarded them from the rage of their malicious adversaries in earth and hell,. and brought them safe through all difficulties, to behold the glories of this day, and to celebrate the honours of their King.

·

Is he the Captain of salvation? See what a blessed army he has listed under his banner of love; and they have followed him through all the dangers of life and time under his conduct. These are the 'chosen, the called, the faithful.' They have sustained many a sharp conflict, many a dreadful battle, and they are at last, made more than conquerors through him that has loved them.' They attribute all their victories to the wisdom, the goodness, and the power of their divine Leader; and even stand amazed at their own success, against such mighty adversaries: But they fought under the banner, conduct, and influence of the 'Prince of life,' the King of righteousness, who is always victorious, and has a crown in his hand for every conqueror.

6

Is Jesus the great example of his saints?' Behold the virtues and graces of the Son of God, copied out

in all his followers. As he was, so were they in this world, holy, harmless and undefiled, and separate from sinners:' As he now is, so are they, glorious in holiness, and divinely beautiful, while each of them reflects the image of their blessed Lord, and they appear as wonders to all the beholding world. They 'were unknown' here on earth, even as Christ himself was unknown: This is the day appointed to reveal their works and their graces. Jesus is the 'brightness of his Father's glory, and the express image of his person;' and all the sons and daughters of God shall then appear, as so many pictures of the blessed Jesus, drawn by the finger of the eternal spi

rit.

And not their souls only, but their glorified bodies also are framed in his likeness. What grace and grandeur dwells in each countenance, as thou art,' O blessed Jesus, so shall they be in that day, all of them resembling the children of a king!' Vigour and health, beauty and immortality, shine and reign throughout all that blessed assembly. The adopted sons and daughters of God resemble the original and only begotten Son: Christ will have all his brethren and sisters conformed unto his glories, that they may be known to be his kindred, the children of his Father, and that he may appear the first-born among many brethren.' When the Son of God breaks open the graves, he forms the dust ints, by the

model of his own glorious changes their vile bodies

glorious body, by the

subdue all things to himself," Phil. iii. ult. He shall be admired as the bright original, and each of the saints as a fair and glorious copy: The various beauties that are dispersed among all that assembly, are summed up and united in himself; he is the chiefest of ten thousands, and altogether lovely.' One sun in the firmament can paint his own bright image at once, upon a thousand reflecting glasses, or mirrors of gold: What a dazzling lustre would arise from such a scene of reflections! But what superior and inexpressible glory, above all the powers of similitude and beyond the reach of comparison, shall irradiate the world in that day, when Jesus the Son of righte ousness shall shine upon all his saints, and find each of them well prepared to receive this lustre, and to reflect it round the creation; each of them displaying the image of the original Son of God, and confessing all their virtues and graces, all their beauties and glories, both of soul and body, to be nothing else but mere copies and derivations from Jesus, the first and fairest image of the Father!

USE.

The doctrines and the works of divine grace are full of wonder and glory: Such is the person and offices of Christ, such are his holy and faithful followers, and such eminently will be the blessed scene at his appearance. In the foregoing part of the discourse, we have briefly surveyed some of those glorious wonders, we now come to consider what use may be made of such a theme.

Use 1. It gives us eminently these two lessons of instruction.

Lesson 1. How mistaken is the judgment of flesh and sense, in the things that relate to Christ and his saints. The Son of God himself, was abused and scorned by the blind world, they esteemed him as "one smitten of God and unbeloved," and "they saw no beauty nor comeliness in him," Isa. liii. 23. He was poor and despised all his life, and he was doomed to the death of a criminal and a slave. for the saints, they find no more honour or esteem among men than their Lord, they are many times called and counted the filth of the world, and the offscouring of all things,' 1 Cor. iv. 13. This is the judgment of flesh and sense.

As

But when the great appointed hour is come, and Jesus shall return from heaven with a shout of the arch-angel, and the trump of God,' when he shall call up his saints from their beds of dust and darkness, and make the graves resign those 'prisoners of hope,' when they shall all gather together around their Lord, a bright and numerous army, shining and reflecting the splendours of his presence, how will the judgment of flesh and sense be confounded at once, and reversed with shame! Is this the man' that was loaded with scandal, that was buffetted with scorn, and scourged and crucified in the land of Judea? Is this the person that hung on the cursed tree, and expired under agonies of pain and sorrow? Amazing sight! How majestic, how divine his appearance! The Son of God, and the King of glory! And