our enemy, will at last vanquish him by that almighty energy by which he is "able even to subdue all things unto himself." He will then "fashion these vile bodies like unto his own glorious body;" he will stand forth as the pattern by which believers shall be formed. They that are earthy continue, like the first man, earthy; but believers, who once bore the image of the earthy, now bear the image of the heavenly. "The first man is of the earth," but "the second man is the Lord from heaven." He has the capacity of everlasting existence; a well-spring of life from which life will be supplied to all his brethren. In the epistle to the Thessalonians, which is the first that was written by this apostle, he says, "I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For, if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first." He does not mean to teach us here that they shall rise before the wicked, however true that may be; but that they shall rise before those who are alive shall be changed: "then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord." The first effect of Divine power will be to raise the dead in a moment, to call forth those that sleep in the dust, to make "the sea give up the dead that are in it ;" to loosen the tombs and open the sepulchres that have been closed for ages over the dust of the saints: then "they which are alive shall be changed." He recurs to the same subject in this chapter: "Behold,” says he, "I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." The last trump, which shall give notice of the change of those that are alive, is here distinguished from the former trumpet, at the sounding of which the dead shall be raised. Thus the Saviour, by one voice, uttered with greater majesty than when he said, "Lazarus, come forth," will raise the dead; and by a second he will change the living; so that all will be prepared to be "caught up to meet the Lord in the air." Thus the empire of death, which has suffered a slow decay, which it has required so many ages to overthrow, which has seemed to recover from its defeats, will at last sink by one powerful stroke, never to rise again. It will not require more than a moment of time to raise all the dead, to lay open every sepulchre, to restore every particle of dust, that is fit to be restored, to its proper body, and for all the bodies of the saints to be prepared for the mansion of eternal glory. Phil. iii. 21. 1 Thess. iv. 17. 11 Cor. xv. 47. 1 Thess. iv. 13-16. 1 Cor. xv. 51, 52. How insipid and tame are the histories of all other conquests,-of the rise and fall of all other kingdoms and empires,-when compared with the grand and wonderful achievements of the "King Immortal," and the fall of death beneath his power, and the giving up of all his prey; when every victim from earth and sea, though under monuments of marble, nay, rocks of adamant, shall be restored; when he shall bring forth every particular form to be repossessed by its proper spirit, from which it has been for a season divorced! Thus will he "swallow up death in victory," and then clothe his redeemed with garments of immortality. Death shall be known and feared no more. Millions of millions shall join in everlasting praises to him whom all the redeemed will acknowledge as their great Deliverer. My dear brethren, what is the proper improvement of this subject? To raise our eyes in adoration and gratitude to the blessed Saviour, who will fulfil the threatening, "O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction."* "Thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." "We shall be more than conquerors, through him that loved us." Lift up your eyes, ye saints, in love and praise to the glorious Redeemer. He hath reconciled you by his blood; defeated your spiritual enemies, and raised in you hopes of immortality. What remains for you is infinitely greater than what you possess. "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." What is the proper frame of spirit for you to possess? To have your conversation in heaven, to be "looking for, and hasting to, the coming of the Son of God." How great, my brethren, are the privileges you enjoy! Have you any need to scramble for the perishing riches of this world? Will you "load yourselves with thick clay?" Will you fret and repine if you are disappointed in your expectation of worldly good, or if you are deprived of what you once enjoyed? Will you forget "the inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the power of God, through faith, unto salvation?" The pledge is granted to you now. Your Elder Brother, at the right-hand of the throne, has taken possession for you. Will you corrupt yourselves with "lusts of the flesh, and of the eye, and with the pride of life," while you have heaven open to your view, and the promise of eternal life laid before you? It doth not indeed "appear" at present "what you shall be;" there is not room enough on earth for the display of such glory: the glory of the eternal world must come down, before we can fully know what "God hath prepared for them that love him." Your glory would be too great to be sustained by flesh and blood; these cannot enter into the kingdom but at the redemption of the body. Then shall be the "manifestation of the sons of God:" the meanest Christian will appear as a glorious temple of the Holy Ghost; every saint will arise and shine as the sun in the *Hosea xiii. 14. † Rom. viii. 37. + 1 John iii. 2. kingdom of his heavenly Father. At his powerful voice, that penetrates the grave and agitates the dust, all shall shine forth with a lustre which will extinguish all sublunary glory. 66 How, also, ought these considerations to elevate believers above the sorrows and afflictions of time! The apostle, when speaking of the same solemn event, in the passage from the Thessalonians which I have already quoted, adds, Wherefore, comfort one another with these words." This indeed is substantial comfort; this is the balm of every wound; this supports us under the stroke that bereaves us of our dearest friends and relatives. Those who have followed the remains of Christians to the grave have, amid their sorrows, nourished heavenly hope, and enjoyed consolation sufficient to make them almost the objects of envy. And this enemy is the "last enemy:" when he is destroyed, the field will be quite clear; the vast field of eternity will be free from every molestation. The mind may travel on as far as imagination can extend, and nothing will arise to discourage. This is the "last enemy:" nothing more to be feared; all sin shall be absolved, the powers of darkness banished, evil inclinations eradicated, and the world destroyed. When death is vanquished, all his precursors, appendages, and consequences shall fall with him; nothing remains but salvation, glory, and eternal life, an everlasting monument to the honour of the mighty Conqueror of death. Well may he be styled the "King of kings," and the "Lord of lords:" worthy was he to receive a name, a "new name," exalted "above every other name,” "that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, and every tongue confess"* him to be Lord of all! Never was there another being, much less a being in our nature, who ever thought of gaining such a victory, ever thought of lifting up a weapon, or aiming a stroke, in such a conflict. But Jesus has "led captivity captive;"† he has swallowed up death in victory. I speak to dying men, and cannot conclude without addressing a word to those who have no acquaintance with Christ, no vital union with him, no comfort in his promises. You may have surmounted many difficulties, been conducted through scenes of trial, gained some advantage over certain enemies, obtained great prosperity in the world, and be ready to say, "Soul, take thine ease, thou hast much goods laid up for many years;" but recollect, there is another enemy yet to contend with; a dreadful battle remains to be fought, and by no power of your own can you overcome. There is an adversary at the end of your path: he adds to the tyranny all the caprice which is common to arbitrary powers; he delights to strike into the dust those who are most exalted; he loves to shoot his arrows at a shining mark, and suddenly to fall upon those who are least apprehensive. Whether you are aware of this enemy or not, whether you foresee his approach or not, he will meet you, and engage you in a greater conflict than you have ever yet sustained. You must conquer, or be defeated and lost for ever. But you have no power to overcome, to appease, to deceive, to turn away, or to escape from this strong adversary. There is, however, a proclamation proceeding from the Saviour, in the gospel: "I am the resurrection, and the life: whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die."* "The hour is coming when they that are in the graves shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and shall come forth."t "Them that sleep in Jesus will God bring with him."+ Wherefore, blessed are the dead that die in the Lord:" their spirits repose in his bosom; even their dust is precious in his sight, and he watches over it till he shall fashion it anew; and in body and spirit they shall be heirs of immortality and partakers of his glory for ever and ever. 66 What then remains for my dying hearers? Some of you will, perhaps, never hear another sermon; all are liable soon and suddenly to fall; none of you can escape, none can find comfort but in the Saviour and in his gospel. What then remains? What is your wisdom? What does sound common sense dictate, but that you should make an immediate application to the Saviour, and place an entire confidence in him; that you should pray for his Spirit, and seek its constant guidance? Let me entreat you that are young to consider that your covenant with death will soon be at an end. Youth is often the victim of this enemy; and he, whom they think will come late, because he is the last enemy on earth, frequently levels those to the dust who bid fair to flourish for years to come. Some of you have advanced far in the path of life; gray hairs are here and there upon you: others observe your approach to the cave of the last enemy; the feebleness of your voice, the wrinkles on your forehead, the decay of your vigour, forebode your last conflict, while you are buried amid the cares of life, and think nothing of death. "This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation," that men so near to eternity will not look to the Saviour, nor direct a single thought to heaven, nor offer up one prayer to secure the immortal crown. Prepare for death! You cannot be prepared but by repentance and faith. "This is life eternal, to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent:" not to hear of Christ, or speak of him, or profess him; but to know him; to have fellowship with him; to have an interest in him; to receive him as your friend, while you submit to his sceptre. If you have not yet submitted to the Saviour, when you come to the end of life, what can you carry with you? What can you retain, but an immortal nature, a conscience of right and wrong, and therefore of your own deserts ?-an awful responsibility! "After death is the judgment." What is to shield you in judgment from the stroke of vengeance? Have you been hearing the calls of the gospel without regarding them? Have you not applied the truth to yourselves? O, retreat now from the snares of the world; shut your eyes upon the scenes of time, on which they must soon be closed for ever. Converse with the world to come; endeavour to yield to the power of it; look at "the things which are not seen;" walk, as it were, upon the borders of the ocean of eternity, and listen to the sound of its waters till you are deaf to every sound besides. The blessed Saviour, who, when he was upon earth, raised the dead and healed all manner of diseases, is able to heal your spiritual maladies, and to raise you from the dead. He is exalted for this purpose: the "river of life" flows from his side; he invites you to partake of it; "the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And whosoever will, let him come and take of the water of life freely."* In the blessed Saviour are all the springs of pardon, grace, and everlasting consolation: he will guide you through every scene, give you victory over death, admit you through the gates into the city, and there he will "wipe away all tears from your eyes ;"† he will dwell with you, and you with him; and you shall be "kings and priests unto God" for ever. When you meet with the next suggestion to infidelity, the next temptation to sin, ask whether those who tempt you can confute the declarations of Jesus; whether they can give such evidence of the falsehood, as he gives of the truth, of his sayings; whether they can offer any thing that is worthy of being put in competition with the blessings he promises; whether all the world affords,-even if it could be prolonged to eternity, which cannot be,-would be equal to the blessings of eternal and heavenly glory? If not, turn from them; spurn them away; "lay hold on eternal life," and say, "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” X. THE SUCCESS OF MISSIONS DEPENDS UPON THE AGENCY OF THE SPIRIT.‡ ISA. xxxii. 13-15.-Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers; yea, upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city: because the palaces shall be forsaken; the multitude of the city shall be left; the forts and towers shall be dens for ever, a joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks; until the Spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest. [PREACHED AT THE BAPTIST MISSIONARY MEETING AT CAMBRIDGE, OCTOBER 6, 1819.] THIS chapter contains a very evident prophecy of the appearance and the kingdom of Christ, as you perceive by referring to the first ↑ Rev. xxi. 4. *Rev. xxii. 17. Printed from the notes of W. B. Gurney, Esq., collated and blended with those of the Rev. S. Hillyard. |