churches of God, of the Jewish as well as Christian, and they are so often repeated, that the texts themselves, were I to recite them all, would form a volume. I shall, therefore, treat of them in a brief manner, only referring the reader to many others, in which they are farther explained and foretold. In regard to the coming of Christ to judge mankind, the texts are numerous indeed. Samuel declares, "That the adversaries of the Lord (Satan and the ungodly) shall be broken to pieces," (utterly destroyed). "Out of heaven he shall thunder upon them," (shall pour down his wrath). "The LORD shall judge the ends of the "earth, and he shall give strength to his King, " and exalt the horn of his anointed*," (of Jesus Christ). "He shall call to the heavens from "above, and to the earth, that he may judge his peoplet." "Arise, O God, and judge the earth, "for thou shalt inherit all nations." "For he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earths." I could recite many other prophecies in the Old Testament, of the same great event, but to avoid prolixity, which has been my aim throughout these comments, I shall take the liberty of referring the pious seeker after truth, to the chapters and verses where they are to be found. These evidently prove, that the coming of Christ to judge the world, to separate the righteous from Psal lxxxii. 8. † Psal. 1, 4. Deut. xxxii. 36.-Ps. cxxxv. 14. xcviii. 9.-cx. 4, 5, 6.-Isa. ii. 4.-Micah, iv. 3. &c. &c. the ungodly, was a part of the creed, and constituted the great hope of the Jewish church. And strange it would be, indeed, were not the same essential truth to be found in the Christian, her sister church, when they proceeded from the same God and were founded upon his holy truth. However, let us hear them in their order. " All things," says Christ, "are delivered unto me of the Father*;" that is, all the earth, and the things in it, mankind not excepted, are given to my power, and subject to my dominion. Again, "For the Father judgeth no man; but hath com"mitted all judgment to the Sont. For as the "Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to "the Son to have life in himself: and hath given "him authority to execute judgment also, because "he is the Son of Man." And again, after his crucifixion and ascension, having finished his dreadful atonement to his Father's justice for the sins of the world, he appeared to the eleven apostles, and, as it seems, for the sole purpose of confirming their faith in this fundamental doctrine of his Gospel, saying, "All power is given unto me, in heaven and in earth;" meaning, all power, as well over the ancient patriarchs, prophets, and fathers, who had died in the fear and love of God, who were in heaven before his ascension, as over all the other dead and living upon earth. So John the Baptist, referring to Christ, says, "He shall "throughly purge his floor (the world), and gath"er his wheat (the righteous and redeemed) into *Matt. xi. 27. ↑ Ver. xxvi. 27. "his garner (his kingdom), but he will burn up "the chaff with unquenchable fire*." St. Luke tells us, "that Christ commanded the apostles to "preach unto the people, and to testify that HE "it is which was ordained of God to be the "judge of quick and deadt. Again, "Because "he (God) hath appointed a day (the day of "judgment) in the which he will judge the world "in righteousness by that Man (Christ, the Son "of Man) whom he hath ordained, whereof he "hath given assurance unto all men, in that he "hath raised him from the dead." St. Paul charges Timothy in a solemn manner§, "before “God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall come "to judge the quick and the dead at his appearing " and his kingdom, to preach the word." I could add many other texts to show the agreement between the two churches in respect to this fundamental truth; a truth, when rightly considered, which must strengthen the faith, and be an unceasing source of joy to the true believer," who fears God, and gives him the glory:" but a truth which shall, perhaps, when too late, smite those that live without God in the world," and blasphemously deny his existence, with terror and dismay. In regard to the resurrection of the dead, for the purpose of their appearing before the awful tribunal of the Son of God, there is the same consistency to be found between the two Testa *Matt. iii. 12. † Acts x. 42 ments. It is also foretold by the prophets, the apostles, and by Christ himself. David certainly believed in, and foresaw his own resurrection, or he could not have positively asserted, in his devotions to God, "Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell," i. e. in the grave, nor suffer* thy holy one (Christ) to see corruption." Nor could he have foretold the resurrection of the righteous unto life eternal, and of the wicked to the condemnation of the second or eternal death, more clearly than in these words: "Like sheep, they (the wicked) are laid in the grave, death (the second death) "shall feed on them: the upright (the saints) "shall have dominion over them, and their beau(their temporal pleasures) shall consume in " ty "the grave, from their dwelling;" meaning, from their proper dwelling with Christ, where they might and ought to have been: but he adds, " God "will redeem my soul (through Christ) from the "power of the grave; for he shall receive me. Selaht." Indeed this whole Psalm seems to be written to foretel the resurrection. Again, he seems by faith to have received, from God, such assurance of his resurrection, that, full of praises and thanksgivings for it, he exclaims, "For great "is thy mercy towards me, for thou hast delivered "my soul from the lowest bell," or grave. So Hosea the prophet when foretelling the restoration and redemption of Israel, through Christ, represents God as declaring, "I will ransom them "from the power of the grave, I will redeem them Psalın xvi. 10. † Psalm xlix. 15. Ibid. lxxxvi. 13. << from death (the second death), O DEATH, I " will be thy plagues; O death, I will be thy de"struction*.' Moreover, it seems scarcely possible for any person, sincerely seeking after the truth, to read, in the thirty-seventh chapter of Ezekiel, the parable of the dry bones, without perceiving a complete prophecy of the last resurrection. The prophet was carried in his vision to a valley (the earth) full of dry bones. He was ordered to "prophecy upon these bones," and to say unto them, "O ye dry bones, hear the word "of the Lord. I will cause breath to enter into you "and ye shall live: and I will lay sinews upon you, "and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye "shall live: and ye," even ye, whether righteous "or wicked, shall know I AM THE LORD." And the prophet further tells us, that, while he was prophesying to the dry bones, there was a "noise and a shaking," to denote the convulsions of nature at the resurrection, "and the bones came "together, bone to his bone, and the sinews, and "the flesh, came upon them, and the skin cover"ed them above; but there was no breath in "them." And he is now again "ordered to pro phecy unto the breath, and say, Come from the "four winds (the four spirits of God ruling the "whole earth), O BREATH, and breathe upon these "slain (these dead bones, now bodies covered "with sinews, flesh, skin), that they may live. "And the breath came into them, and they lived, Hosea. xii.i 14.] 1 |