Page images
PDF
EPUB

●ften called in fcripture a voice; and is diftinguished from all other voices because the Holy Ghoft is in it. Hence Chrift fays, it is the Spirit that quickeneth; my word is fpirit, my word is life, John vi. 63. This word and spirit are called a voice; the pofts moved at the voice, Ifai. vi. 4. "The voice said, Cry," Ifa. xl. 6. “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness. Thy watchmen fhall lift up the voice, with the voice together fhall they fing," Ifa. lii. 8. This voice is the word of Chrift, attended with the quickening power of the Holy Ghost; "verily, I fay unto you, the time cometh, and now is, when the dead fhall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear fhall live," John v. 25. To fuch Chrift's voice comes with power; his word is fpirit and life indeed; but he tells us that it is the Spirit that quickens. And this fame voice fhall raife the dead at the laft day. "Marvel not at this, for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the grave fhall hear his voice, and fhall come forth," John v. 28. This is the voice of the archangel which fhall raise the dead, being attended by the spirit of his mouth: and fo it is written, "But if the fpirit of him that raised up Jefus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Chrift from the dead fhall alfo quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you," Rom. viii. 11. The word and spirit come from the Father to the

Son, and from the Son to all his feed; and these, when spoken by Chrift, quickened dead fouls, and shall in the last day quicken our mortal bodies. I fhall now offer a few thoughts upon the trumpet.

He shall defcend with the trump of God. I have often thought that the cuftom of our judges coming into county towns, with the found of trumpets, is taken from the Scriptures, and perhaps from my text. What this trump, or trumpet is, is not easy to say, but it is not likely that it should be a material one. A trumpet was blown by the angels at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai, which founded long, and fo exceeding loud, that Ifrael trembled, Exod. xix. 16 -19. And a trumpet will be founded at the general doom: "for the trumpet fhall found, and the dead fhall be raised incorruptible, and we fhall be changed," 1 Cor. xv. 52. The trumpet that was founded at the giving of the law was no doubt blown by the angels; for Ifrael received the law by the difpofition of angels, Acts vii. 53. Paul calls the law the word spoken by angels, Heb. ii. 2. Hence it appears, that they were angels that blew that trumpet, and they were angels that spake the words of the law.

And we read of feven angels receiving seven trumpets in Rev. viii. 2: four of these founded their trumpets in the 8th chapter, the fifth angel

S

founded his in chapter the 9th, and 1ft verfe; and the fixth angel founded in verfe 13, which brought the Turks into the eastern branch of the Roman empire, and the effects of that trumpet ftill remain. Learned men tell us that we are now under the found of the fixth trumpet, which is what I believe to be true; and that this trumpet will continue till the feventh and laft angel founds his trumpet, which will bring in the fulnets of the Gentiles, and the dispersed tribes of the Jews. But then all thefe trumpets bring on the heavy judgments of God upon the earth; wars, famine, defolation, and deftruction, follow the founding of all these trumpets. Yea, even the trumpet of the seventh angel is a woe trumpet to the inhabiters of the earth, though it is not fo to the inhabiters of Zion. But then all these trumpets are founded by angels; we read of them, and we fee and read the effects of them; but what these trumpets are, no mortal knows, unless it is that they vibrate in our ears the continual rumours and alarms of war; to all which I may add, these trumpets are called the trumpets of the angels, Rev. iii. 13. But the trumpet in my text is to be founded upon a particular and fingular occafion, namely, to raise the bodies of dead faints, and to change the bodies of living ones; and therefore I conceive that thistrumpet is, and ever will be, different from all others : nor do I believe that there is a man upon earth,

.nor any one faint that ever inhabited the city of Zion, nor any one angel in the third heaven, that

ever could found this trumpet

It is called in

my text," the trump of God." And I am more than fure, that none but God himself can blow it.

Under the law trumpets were used on various occafions, but I fhall confine myself to two:

First, they founded a release at the end of every feventh year, that debtors, mortgagers, and fervants, might be made free, Deut. xv. 1.

2. They founded the trumpet on the days of feftivity, to call the people to the facrifices. "Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our folemn feast day. For this was a ftatute for Ifrael, and a law of the God of Jacob, Pfalm lxxxi. 3, 4. I fhall confine myself to these two occafions of blowing the trumpet. When God fent his dear Son to be a facrifice for us, he made on Mount Zion " a feaft to all people, a feaft of fat things, of marrow and fatnefs." And in the displays of his love in the gift of Chrift, he gave us at the fame feast, wines on the lees well refined. To invite perishing finners to this feast, a trumpet is promised: "And it fhall come to pafs in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come that The text were ready to perish," Ifa. xxvii. 13. calls this the great trumpet, by way of diftinction, and it is plain that omnipotence attends it, by

the effects of it: "They fhall come" who hear

it.

r

To this trumpet our Lord alludes, and diftinguishes it by the fame appellation, calling it a great found: "And he fhall fend his angels with a great found of a trumpet; and they fhall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other," Matth. xxiv. 31. Thefe angels feem to be no other than the apoftles; angels, or meffengers by office, and not angels by nature; and this is Ifaiah's great trumpet, which is to gather together the elect to Chrift, to live by the faith of his facrifice; the apostles are these angels, and Chrift's voice is this great found: for Chrift fays, verily I fay unto you, this generation fhall not pass till all these things be fulfilled," Matth. xxiv. 34. This trumpet was in the apoftle's miniftry, but they were not fufficient to blow it; and therefore were bid to tarry in Jerufalem till they were endued with power from on high. And on the day of Pentecoft a rushing mighty wind filled the house, and the Holy Ghoft filled their hearts, and they began to speak as the Spirit gave them utterance. And then was fulfilled this prophecy, " And the Lord God fhall blow the trumpet, and fhall go with whirlwinds of the fouth," Zech. ix. 14. Hence it appears that this trumpet is distinguished from all others, being called the trump of God, the great trumpet, and the great found of a

« PreviousContinue »