manner of languages which have been in the world, 'tis nevertheless very likely that we shall all speak but one language, that we may all praise God with the same voice. But whether this shall be the holy language, or another more perfect and majestic, which God shall sanctify for this purpose, we cannot know until God of his infinite mercy shall have raised us to this state of glory and perfect happiness. From what we have already said, Christians, you may easily understand, that our happiness hath three steps or degrees; the first is attainable in this life; the second at the egress of the soul out of the body; the third is at the great day of our glorious resurrection. For already in this life God bestows upon us the first-fruits of his glory, and the foretastes of his paradise. The Spirit of God, and of his glory, rests at present upon us, which fills us full of an unspeakable glorious joy, and with the peace of God which passeth all understanding. When our souls depart out of this wretched and infirm body, God gathers them up into the bundle of life; he introduceth them into the blessed company of the angels and glorified spirits, and admits them to the contemplation of his face, which is fulness of joy. But in this day of triumph, when Christ shall come down from heaven to judge the quick and the dead, he will advance us, both in soul and body, to the highest glory and happiness whereof we are capable. For this reason the name of glory is ascribed to the highest degree of happiness which is promised to us at the blessed appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the viiith chap. to the Romans, where the apostle saith, "That the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope; because the creature itself shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into theglorious liberty of the children of God.” And in the iiid chap. to the Colossians, he saith, "You are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God; when Christ, who is your life, shall appear, you shall appear also with him in glory." Therefore this glorious appearing is styled a blessed

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hope; that is to say, the fulfilling and accomplishment of all that we expest or hope for; as in the iid chap. to Titus, St. Paul saith," We expect the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God, who is the Saviour Jesus Christ."

Then shall be the consummation of the glory of the Head and members; for then the Son of God shall cause the damned to feel that almighty power which he possesseth in heaven and earth, and in the depth. He shall discover himself to the faithful, in his greatest glory and most divine splendour. Therefore this glorious day of his descent from heaven, with the angels of his power, is mentioned as the first day of his manifestation, of his appearing, and of his kingdom. For this cause, when the Holy Ghost speaks of this day, he styles it "the day of our Lord Jesus Christ," "the day of our Lord Jesus;" as also, "the day of the Lord, and the day of God." As it shall be the day of the Lord Jesus, it shall also be our day. Therefore St. Paul calls it, "The day of our redemption," because that in this day our Lord shall redeem our bodies out of their graves, and shall bestow upon both our souls and bodies, all the fruits of the redemption which he hath purchased for us with his blood, Rom. viii. and shall raise us up to the highest glory, and most perfect happiness, Heb. ix. 'Tis the happy day of consummation of our marriage with the divine Lamb. "Tis the day of our joy and triumph with the glorified men and angels. 'Tis the day of our coronation, and of our entrance into our kingdom, when the King of kings, and Lord of lords, shall crown us with his own hand, and put us in possession of an empire prepared for us in the beginning of the world. In a word, 'tis the day when we shall come to the Lord Jesus, and be with him, as he with the Father, that we may be all in one.

Because of the glorious and wonderful things that shall come to pass on this day, 'tis named, The great day. St. Jude calls it thus: When he speaks, of the revolted angels, he saith, "That

"That God hath reserved them in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day." In this manner many understand the words of St. John, when he describes the foul spirits, and likens them to frogs that he saw coming out of the dragon's mouth, and of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, and saith, "They are the spirits of the devil working miracles, which God sent forth unto the kings of the earth, and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty," Rev. xvi.

Lastly, This glorious day is not only called "the day of judgment, the day of the Lord, the day of our redemption," and the great day, but oft-times, without any addition, is styled the day, and that day; as Heb. "Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works; not forsaking the assembling ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another, and so much the more as ye see the day approaching." In the epistle to the Thessalonians, "You are not in darkness, that that day should surprise you." Thus in the 2d epistle to Timothy, and 1st chapter, St. Paul saith, "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day." And when he remembers the good and charitable deeds of Onesiphorus, he prays for him in this manner, "The Lord grant unto him, that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day;" and in the ivth chap. speaking of himself, he saith, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day.”

It is so styled because of its excellency; it is the day of days, the end of all the seasons, the consummation of all ages and times; after this there shall be no more alteration of days, months, and years. Therefore an angel is represented in

the Revelations, lifting up his hands to heaven, swearing by the living God who hath created heaven and all things therein, the earth and all things in it, and the sea and the things that are therein, that there shall be no more time. For instead of this unconstant time, which flies away without leav ing any sign of its being, an everlasting eternity shall succeed; an eternity always the same, always blessed with happiness, always glorious and joyful. This divine and magnificent day shall begin at the end of other days, but shall never draw to an end. Therefore St. Peter in these words calls it an eternal day, or eternity, 2 Pet. iii." Glory be to the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, both now and for ever," Amen. And in expectation of this day of days, all creatures are groaning and travailing in pain until now; but especially believers, who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, groan in themselves, desiring with an earnest and holy desire to see the breaking of the great and glorious day. It is the end of all the prophecies, and the accomplishment of all God's gracious promises to his people, in all ages of the world; it is the end and reward of our spiritual calling, and fulfilling of all our desires and expectations, and crowning of all our labours, and the highest step of that glory and happiness unto which we pretend.

You, devout souls, that delight in the contemplation of celestial things, I pray consider with me the accomplishment and the perfection of three kinds of work, which have been succeeded by their several rests. The first was that of the creation of the world; for in six days God created the heavens and the earth, and all things in them; and when he had finished his works, and found that they were good and perfect, he rested the seventh day, Gen. i. & ii. therefore he blessed and sanctified it. The second great work was that of redemption; for when our Saviour had fulfilled all the prophecies which mentioned him; when he caused the meaning of all the ancient types and figures to appear in his person and sufferings; when 3 U

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he had fully satisfied the justice of God, and purchased for as with his blood an eternal redemption, he cried out, All is finished, John xix. and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. After this, Christ had nothing more to do, nor suffer, but he is gone into heaven to rest from all his works, Rev. v. and to take possession of all power, riches, wisdom, strength, honour, glory, and praise. The third work is that of our glorification; when we shall see the new heavens appear, and a new earth, when our bodies shall be clothed with incorruption and immortality, and united again to our souls; and when in both soul and body we shall attain to the highest glory, and most perfect happiness, then he that sits upon the throne of eternity shall say with a loud voice, All is finished, Rev. xxi.

Afterwards the sabbath of sabbaths shall succeed that eternal rest, and that peace which shall never be interrupted by any unhappiness. We may say, that the first rest is that of God the Father, the second belongs to the Son, and the third is the rest of the Holy Ghost, that shall have then gathered all the saints together, reared up the house of God to the roof, and perfectly enlightened and sanctified the Catholic Church, from whence shall proceed its eternal glory and happiness. Or rather, we may say, that this last rest is the rest of all the three Persons of the most holy and glorious Trinity; for then they shall rest from all manner of works for ever and ever, and we in the bosom of their glory: we shall also enjoy an everlasting rest. When the works of creation were finished, the works of redemption were next expected; and after the works of redemption, we hope for the works for our final glorification. But when God shall have brought us all into his glorious rest, and that he shall have declared for the third time from heaven, All is finished, we shall then expect nothing, neither from God's justice nor from his mercy; for all God's enemies shall be then destroyed, and it shall not be possible to add any thing to the infamy of their punishments, nor to

the