and all believers. If particular believers words, it is as they are a part of the bride, who will give a hearty Amen to’this truth, and what he promiseth, they turn it over into a prayer, and will not be long in doing of it, but will take the opportunity, and as they are defirous to have it, they will wrestle and long for it.

We fhall leave general obfervations, and come to the words as they are knit to the former. There are two words prefixed to fhewtheir earnestness in their fuit. 1. Amen, Which is not only a confent to what is promised, and a believing of the truth of it, but a wish and ardent defire that it may be as it is promifed, as Jer. chap. xxviii. 6. fpeaks, "Amen, the Lord do fo, and perform thy words." So this abrupt Amen, is not only their fetting to their feal to the truth of the thing, but a wifhing and longing for it, even as the fong of praife, Rev. xix. 4. "Amen, Allelujah," that is, there is a good reafon for it, O that all creatures might praise him. Amen here is, Lord we not only believe thy coming, but, Lord, haften it, let there be no delay of it.,

So

The fecond word prefixed is, Even fo, which is fometimes rendered, So be it, and and fets out believers ardent defire to be

at the thing, they would have it, and fay, Let it be fo. 3dly, Their fuit is more directly expreffed, "Come Lord Jefus," a fhort prayer, but with much faith and love, having in it a ground of hope that he will came, and an encouragement to pray that he ntay. come, for he is Lord and Jefus, who came to redeem his people, and will come again according to his promife, as Heb. ix. 28. "He was once offered to bear the fins of many; and unto them that look for him, he fhall appear the fecond time, without fin unto falvation."

The words hold out a lively frame in believers, a frame they fhould be in: and would God we were all in fuch a frame to hear and fpeak of him. This being the fum and fcope of all religion, to bring us to a comfortable meeting with Chrift, they give us thefe three doctrines. 1. That Chrift's fecond coming is a moft defirable thing to believers, nothing they welcome fooner, no tidings fo glad to them. 2. When be

lievers are in a good frame, there is nothing they more long and pray for. 3. This petition hath more than ordinary ferioufnefs in it and wrestling in believers to be at it: for though the petition be fhort, the two words prefixed fhew their ferioufnefs that prefent it. All cometh to one Numb. II.

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purpose, and therefore we fhall not speak of them feparately but jointly.

First, That Chrift's coming is most defirable to believers, is clear from the Old Teftament, it was Job's great comfort, chap. xix. 25. "I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that with thefe eyes I fhall fee him, and not another for me; though worms deftroy this body, yet in my flesh I fhall fee God, I fhall behold him," &c. This is the great confolation, he hath against all his prefent croffes and temptations; and it is generally given out as the ground of the faints confolation, I Theff. iv. at the end, when he has been speaking of Chrift's coming to judgment, and of the diffolution of all things, "comfort ye one another with thefe words," faith he, that Chrift fhall come, and we fhall fee it.

Secondly, That believers, in a good frame, (whatever they may do when in a fit of paffion and unbelief) and when their grace is in exercife, their is nothing they more long and pray for, nothing they are more defirous of. And to take in the

Third, No petition wherein they are more ferious, nor more frequent. It is clear from verse 17, before; it is the voice Spirit, and of the bride, and the voice of the hearer. "The Spirit and the bride fay, Come. And let him that heareth fay

-come." It is on this ground that, 2 Tim. iv. 8. believers are defcribed from this, that they love his appearance, and long for it. And that fame apoftle, Rom. viii. 23. faith," Even we ourselves which have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan within ourfelves, waiting for the adoption, viz. the redemption of our bodies;" like a fick man for health, or one in a prifon for hiberty, or like a loving wife for her hufband. And the fame confiderations will clear believers' defire, the ground of their hearty welcome, and the cause of their longing for Chrift's coming, there being nothing more interefting than thefe.

1. There is nothing more contributeth to his honour, being that which freeth his honour of the imputations put on it here, and putteth his enemies under foot; the way of his reigning here ceafing, and he as a full conqueror entering into the poffeffion of all that he has bought, and giving the fatisfaction his foul defired for all his foul travails, and never till then. And their being in believers a love to his honour, and to that which may fatisfy him, muft not that day be wifhed and longed for by them, when he fhall be declared Lord and Chrift? That being the folemnizing of the marriage, which till that day is fufpended. 2. If we consider the state of the church, it

will be made perfect then, the bride then will be prefented fpotlefs, all the first-born will make their rendezvous, and the queen will be brought into the king in raiment of needle-work, all the virgins following her;, therefore, Rom. viii. 23. it is called the day of believers' redemption, because their redemption is not perfected till then.

3. If we confider all the wicked, and the enemies of Chrift, believers in that day they get the full victory and triumph over them all, Rev. xx. 14. "Death and hell, is then caft into the lake:" every thing that, offendeth is caft out, and Chrift's victory, and his faints victory and triumph is not complete till that day come.

4. If we confider our own particular condition, it is defirable for ourselves, it is the day of our particular marriage to Chrift, and this maketh it to be the more longed for, becaufe every particular believer have their intereft in it, there is then a divorcement betwixt them and the body of death, they are married to Chrift, and fhall be made like him, we fhall then fee our Redeemer, and no other for us.

5. All the promises are then made out, 1. The promifes that relate to juftification, for believers juftification fhall then be declared openly and judicially, they shall be freed from the guilt of fin, and all the