66

till they saw his glory, as Jesus was transfigured before them, and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light, and Moses and Elias appeared in glory, and a bright cloud overshadowed them; and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man save Jesus only. And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead." Then they did tell the vision; and because they had seen that of which they testified, they were thus constituted to bear conscious testimony of the power and coming of the Lord, as they were eye-witnesses of his majesty. Unlike to other men of that generation, and of every other, till the Lord shall come, they saw his glory ere they tasted of death. Eye-witnesses of his majesty they were when they were with him on the mount, and they followed not any cunningly devised fable in making known the power and coming of the Lord. Touching this thing especially, but embracing all things that are revealed, this has first to be known, that "no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man but holy men of old spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." It is not upon any human, and therefore fallible, interpretation of the words of Christ concerning his coming that inen can retreat from any word that he ever uttered. Hear ye him was the voice that came out from the bright cloud that overshadowed them; and the true and faithful Witness himself hath said, in reference too to his coming, “heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." It is not upon any interpretation that uninspired man can give that men can retreat from the plain testimony of those who spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. It is not upon any interpretation of the testimony of the apostles that a retreat can be found from the sure word of prophecy. For while the apostle urges his own testimony as that of an eye-witness of His majesty, he tells those that had obtained like precious faith with himself, to whom were given exceeding great and precious promises, that they had a more sure word

1 Matt. xvii. 6-9.

of prophecy, to which they did well to take heed, till, its entrance giving light, the day-star should arise in their hearts.

To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. The word of God abideth forever: it is the word of him who changeth not. As written beforehand concerning him, the Son of the Highest was manifested in the flesh; and according to the same sure word, to them that look for him he will come again a second time without sin unto salvation. He that shall come, will come, and will not tarry. John bare record of this fact, but not he only. Even so, Amen, is not its sole, however solemn, confirmation; but prophet after prophet, and apostle after apostle, bears corresponding and responsive testimonies, till to them all faith must say Amen.

&c. ""

me." 2

3

"Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds,' To me belongeth vengeance and recompense.-The Lord shall judge his people.-If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment, I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate "The Lord came with ten thousands of saints; from his right hand went a fiery law (a law of fire) for them.' 66 Our Lord shall come, and shall not keep silence. -He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people." "O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, show thyself. Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth."5 "He cometh, he cometh to judge the earth." "He cometh to judge the earth."" "When the Lord shall build up Zion he shall appear in his glory." "Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord." -"They shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth." 10 Behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity.' 'The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man. He shall prevail against his enemies.-I

1 Jude, 14.

4 Psalm 1. 3, 4.

7 Psalm xcviii. 9.

o Isa. ii. 19, 21.

66

2 Deut. xxxii. 35, 36, 41.

5 Psalm xciv. 1, 2.

8 Psalm cii. 16.

11 Isa. xxvi. 21.

B*

9

3 Deut. xxxiii. 2.

6 Psalm xcvi. 13.

9 Psalm cxviii, 26.

have long holden my peace; I have been still and refrained myself. I will destroy and devour at once.-The Redeemer shall come to Zion. O that thou wouldst rend the heavens, that thou wouldst come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence-to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence. Men have not heard what He hath prepared for him that waiteth for him. He shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed. Behold, the Lord will come with fire, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire, and by his sword, will the Lord plead with all flesh. I saw, and behold one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven. And there was

6

given him dominion and glory, and a kingdom,* &c. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come. Behold, the Lord cometh out of his place, and will come down, and the mountains shall be molten under him, &c. The Lord shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning, &c. They shall look on me whom they have pierced. The Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. Who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth?-I will come near to you to judgment,10 &c. For behold the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble, and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of Hosts.—But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings."

9

Christ himself hath testified that "as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.-They shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. Then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud, with power and great glory.12 I will come again, and receive you to myself.13 A cloud received him out of their sight. This same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into

Isa. xlii. 13, 14; lix. 20.

4 Dan. vii. 13, 14.

7 Zech. ix. 14.

10 Mal. iii. 2, 5.

heaven.14

2 Isa. Ixiv. 1-4.

5 Joel ii. 31.

8 Zech. xii. 10. 11 Mal. iv. 1, 2.

3 Isa. lxvi. 5, 15, 16.

6 Micah 1.

9 Zech. xiv. 5, 9.

12 Matt. xxiv. 27, 30. Mark xiii. 26; xiv. 62. Luke xxi. 27. 13 John xiv. 3.

14 Acts i. 9, 11.

Throughout the epistles, also, there is so constant and express testimony of the coming and appearing of the Lord, that wherever there is faith in the writings of the apostles, as well as in those of the prophets, and in the word of the Lord Jesus himself, these things are known and received as established truths, as if they were already accomplished facts. Behold, He cometh. The testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so that ye come behind in no gift, waiting for the coming (revelation) of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.1 They that are Christ's at his coming. The coming of the Lord

is ever appealed to as that for which believers looked, and is uniformly spoken of as a cherished and unquestionable truth, and not as a thing that needed to be revealed to them.

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His own

And every eye shall see him. The day of the Lord is that of his coming, and also of his appearing. testimony-"They shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven' -is that also of his apostles and of his prophets. When Christ who is our life shall appear*— when the Chief Shepherd shall appear—when he shall appear we may have confidence- —we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is-I charge thee that thou keep commandment until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which in his times he shall show, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords-I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead, at his appearing, and his kingdom; the righteous judge shall give at that day a crown of righteousness to all them also that love his appearing, looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; that the trial of your faith might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ; these are all testimonies-not to a truth as made known to believers, but-to the faith of Christian men. To this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. We shall all stand before the judgment-seat of

1 1 Cor. i. 7.

11

9

2 1 Cor. xv. 23.

31 Thess. ii. 19; iii. 13; iv. 15; v. 23; 2 Thess. ii. 1, 8; James v. 7, 8; 2 Peter i. 16; 1 John ii. 28.

4 Col. iii. 4.

7 1 John iii. 2.

10 2 Tim. iv. 8.

5 1 Peter v. 4.

6 1 John ii. 28. 92 Tim. iv. 1. 12 1 Peter i. 7.

Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. Every eye shall see him.

And they that pierced him, they shall look upon me whom they have pierced." O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killest the prophets, &c., I say unto you, ye shall not see me henceforth till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.3 With him (the high priest) were assembled all the chief priests, and the elders, and the scribes, and the high priest asked him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said, I am and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.* At the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, he will render to every man according to his deeds, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, and the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; but glory, honor, and peace, to every one that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile.5

And all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. He of whom these words are written asked these questions, Shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh shall He find faith on the earth? It is written, And He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor, therefore his arm brought salvation unto him-and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing-according to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompense to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompense. shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him. And the Redeemer shall come to Zion. For behold the darkness shall cover the earth. and gross darkness the people; but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee." "Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it. For I am with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee: though

1 Rom. xiv. 9-11.

4 Mark xiv. 53, 61, 62. 7 Isa. lix. 16-20; Ix. 2.

2 Zech. xii. 10.

5 Rom. ii. 6-10.

3 Matt. xxiii. 39.

6 Luke xviii. 7, 8.

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