cording to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. And Chrift's judicial proceedings are fet forth at large, Matt. xxv. Hence then it follows, that the Lord Jefus fhall certainly appear to judgment. I might add other arguments drawn from the faith and hope, and expectation of the righteous, and Chrift's faithfulness, love, and the engagement of his honor to appear again: but fo much concerning the certainty of Chrift's second appearance.

CHAP. XII.

3. THE third thing promifed, is to show that the Lord Jefus Chrift will quickly appear, that is, 1. He will come within a short time. 2. He will come fuddenly and unexpectedly when he doth appear.

1. Chrift will come quickly, that is, within a fhort time, Heb. x. 37. Yet a little while, and he that shall come, will come, and will not tarry. He that fhall come, will come, there is the certainty of his coming, and yet a little while he will come, and will not tarry, there is the fpeediness of his coming. The Lord is at hand, Phil. iv. 5. The coming of the Lord draweth nigh, James v. 8. The Judge stands at the door, ver. 9. The end of all things is at hand, 1 Pet. iv. 7. Therefore our days are called the last days, 2 Tim. iii. 1. And upon us the ends of the world are come, 1 Cor. x. 11. We live in the end of the world, in the last day, in the old

age thereof. The world hath, as it were, three ages, the youth, the middle age, and the old age; the youth of the world was from the creation to the flood; the middle age from the flood to the coming of Chrift; the old age from the first coming of Chrift to the fecond coming; the old age and laft days of the world began in the apostles' time; now many of them are spent, and we are come not only to the declining years, but also the decrepit age of the world and if the Lord Jefus Chrift were to come fhortly in the days of the apoftles, much more fhortly will he come now, when fo many years are paft fince the Scripture was wrote, and these things foretold.

If any fhould doubt the certainty of Chrift's appearance, becaufe the Scripture fpeaks of the fpeediness thereof, as if Chrift had been in thofe days prefently to come, and yet above feventeen hundred years are pait fince the promife was made.

I answer that the apostle Paul, who in his firft epiftle to the Theff. fpeaks of Chrift's com ing as if it might be in his time, 1 Theff. iv. 16, 17. The Lord himself will defcend from heaven with a fhout, &c. And the dead in Chrift fhail rife firft, then we which are alive and remain, fhall be caught up in the clouds, &c. The fame apoftle tells the Theff. in his fecond epistle, chap. ii. 3. That the day of the Lord should not come till there was a falling away, and the man of fin fhovld be revealed,

&c. And ver. 7. That there was then a let to the revelation of the man of fin which was the heathenish Roman empire, which it was not likely, in hafte, neither was removed till fome hundreds of years after; and therefore it is evident from that place, that the coming of the Lord was not to be until feveral ages after the writing of the Scriptures. This may be fufli cient to give fatisfaction concerning the length of time, fince the Scripture tells us that the Lord Jefus Chrift would quickly appear.

If any profane mocker thall fcoff at this anfwer, and fay, Where is the promise of his coming? Do not all things remain as they were fince the creation? Do not the fun and moon and stars keep their conflant course? And what likelihood of the darkening of the fun, and the falling of the ftars, and the palling away of the heavens with a great noife? Is not the earth ef tablished upon fure foundations, and what likelihood of moving it, and burning it with the works which are upon it? And if Chrift would have come fo quickly, would not he have been here before now? I anfwer,

1. That the apostle Peter foretels, that in the laft days fuch fcoffers fhould arise, 2 Pet. iii. 3, 4.

3. That all things are not as they were from the creation, for the world in the time of Noah was drowned with the flood, Noah only excepted, and those which were with him in the

ark; furely there was a great transformation of things in that age, ver. 5, 6.

3. That by the fame word of command, whereby the old world was drowned with water, by the fame word, the world that now is fhall be burned with fire, at the day of judgment, and perdition of the ungodly, ver. 7.

4. That though many hundred years be paft fince the promise that the Lord would come quickly, yet there is not a failure in regard of God; for though the time be long in regard of our account, who are of fo fhort continuance, and time feems tedious to us, because of the miseries of our fhort life; yet in regard of the eternal God, the time is but short, for in his fight a thousand years are but as one day: and by that account there are not yet two days: paft fince the promife, ver. 8..

5. The reason of God's protracting this ap pearance of Jefus Chrift to judgment, is for our fakes, it is from his long-fuffering to us ward, that hereby he might lead us unto repentance, ver. 9. The Lord hath a number to be called, fome of which might be unborn, others not yet new born, but fcattered: amongst the wicked. But when the elect are all called, and perfuaded to repent and believe, and are gathered unto God's family; I doubt not but the Lord Jefus Chrift will be here iminediately. The Lord Jefus furely now will come within a fhort time; the certain time of

his appearance is unknown, Mat. xxiv. 26. "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no not the angels, but the Father only;" this is a fecret which God hath locked up in his own breaft, it is written in the book of his decrees, and however other things are revealed and unfolded to men, yet the leaf where this is written is folded up and fealed, fo that none can read it; yet furely it cannot be long before the mystery be finished, and Chrift be revealed from heaven; yet a little while, and he will be here, he ftands at the door, and the door will quickly be opened, and then he will make his

appearance.

2. The Lord Jefus Christ will come quickly, that is, fuddenly and unexpectedly, especially in regard of the ungodly world; "the day of the Lord will come as a foare upon all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth,” Luke xxi. 34, 35. And fudden deftruction wilk come upon the wicked, as pains on a woman with child, 1 Thefs. v. 3. "The Lord will come in a moment in a twinkling of an eye, 1 Cor. xv 52. As lightning cometh forth out of the eaft, and fhineth unto the weft, fo fhall the coming of the Son of man be," Matt. xxiv. 27. Further, this coming of the Lord Jefus is. fet forth in Scripture,

1. By the coming of a thief in the night, Rev. xvi. 15. " Behold I come as a thief. 1 Thefs. v. 2. For yourfelves know perfectly