discourse, which we have been induced to adopt, not so much on account of any peculiar excellency, as on the ground of its developing our author's views on a subject of considerable interest in the present day. It is on the Gospel for the Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany, and is entitled, THE SIGN OF the COMING OF THE SON OF MAN.

MATTHEW Xxiv. 30, 31. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

In the beginning of the chapter from which these words are taken, an account is given of a prophecy delivered by our Lord Jesus Christ respecting the destruction of the temple at Jerusalem; in consequence of which His disciples asked Him, Tell us when shall these things be, and what shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world? The disciples of Christ seem to have supposed that the temple, being a house erected for the worship of the true God, would last as long as the world itself; and therefore connected the one with the other. Our Saviour answered the question in the way that

was proposed: first informing them of the sign of His coming to overturn the Jewish polity, and destroy the temple; and then proceeding to mention the signs of His second coming; and of the end of the world. To this latter part of the subject, the Gospel appointed for this day seems to refer.

Our blessed Lord had forewarned His disciples, that when the time of the destruction of the Jewish nation should draw near, many false Christs would arise; men would set up themselves as some great ones, and give out themselves to be the long-expected Messiah: which accordingly came to pass. It seems as if impostors of a similar description would arise previous to the second coming of Christ. The impostures of Popery and Mahometanism have long subsisted, and deceived the greater part of the civilised world. But when the appointed time for the conversion and restoration of the Jews shall draw nigh, it is likely that false

Christs and false prophets will again arise among them, and endeavour to prevent their nation from believing in Jesus of Nazareth; and that considerable success will attend their efforts. Trouble, and distress, and perplexity will be the result of the unwearied exertions of the enemies of Christ and his gospel. Some of these

false Christs will lead their followers into

the deserts, and revolt openly against their rulers. Others will act more in secret, and privately stir up the people to take part with them.

In reference to these pretenders, our Saviour exhorted His disciples, in the Gospel for this day, Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Perhaps, the showing great signs and wonders may mean only that they will pretend to do these things; that they will act in a very plausible manner; and also will in reality strike terror into the minds of many, as the latter word intimates. And their plausibility on the one hand, and the dread of themselves which they will excite on the other, will lead many to follow their pernicious ways: and even some who were supposed to be the most cautious, and least likely to be deceived; but at the same time it is intimated that the elect, or the chosen people of God, would not be deceived, though some who had the reputation of being numbered among them would fall from their profession. Such observations were made by our blessed Saviour, in order to induce selfexamination among those who should make a profession of being his disciples.

It is needful indeed to beware of selfdeception in a matter of such vast importance. We cannot be too diligent in examining ourselves, whether we be in the faith; or whether we are truly believers in Christ, who being reconciled to God by a reliance upon the obedience unto death of His beloved Son, are made partakers of the sanctifying influences of the Holy Ghost; and are thereby enabled to walk humbly with our God, so as to maintain continual intercourse with Him in the spirit of our minds, and to walk circumspectly before him, in obedience to his holy will and commandments, day by day. These are the called, and chosen, and

faithful, who alone will be owned by the Son of man at his appearing.

That his disciples might not be seduced by deceivers, our Saviour warned them, Behold, I have told you before of the manner in which these false Christs will act. Wherefore, if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth. For the Son of man will not collect his followers together in desert places. And again, if they say, Behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For he will not appear to merely a few select persons as the Messiah, as he did at the time of his first coming. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. His glory will at once be displayed far and wide with splendour and majesty; swiftly and manifestly as the shining of the lightning, which at once illuminates the whole face of the sky. There will be no concealment, and no secret collecting together of his forces, in the way that conspirators act; no dark plots of people meeting in private rooms; no place of assembling together appointed in the desert. For the Son of man will then publicly appear in his own real character, to the dismay of his enemies; and to the joy of his people, who will hail his coming with delight, and be attracted to him, in like manner as wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. But this similitude may not only denote the public and instantaneous assembling of the people of God to their Lord and Saviour at the time of his appearance; it may also be made use of to intimate the self-interested views of the fulse Christs, and false prophets; whose only concern would be about the prey that they might obtain; who would seek only their own worldly advancement and emolument, as eagles fly to a carcase.

The appearance of these pretenders to a character which they are unable to sustain, will be in a time of great tribulation and affliction to the world; and will be the forerunner of great changes in it. For immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heaven shall be shaken. What is spoken of the sun and moon and stars, is generally supposed to refer to the great ones of the earth, its kings and princes. But it may relate particularly to the subversion of

Popery and Mahometanism; and other false religions, the profession of which is less extensive. St. Luke speaks on the subject in still more awful language: There shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. In the midst of all this agitation of the world, the Son of man will appear. At such a time, his second coming will be announced. Then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven. He will be manifested in the way that has long been foretold. The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire. And then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn; and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. And before the assembled world he will own them to be his peculiar treasure, and then will take them to be with himself, to enter into the joy of their Lord.

Let us now consider more particularly, the subjects to which the text directs our attention; in the

First place, The manner of the second coming of Christ.

Secondly, The effect that will be produced by it upon the people of the world in general. And

Thirdly, The special purpose for which he will come.

In the consideration of each of these topics we may find something applicable to ourselves, by the blessing of the Spirit of God. Let it be our prayer that he may be pleased by his grace to bring home the subject to each of our hearts and consciences.

First, With regard to the manner of the second coming of Christ; it is said, They shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. We have reason to believe then that as he went up to heaven in a human form, and was seen ascending until a cloud received him out of the sight of his astonished disciples; so he will descend in a human form. The clouds of heaven will open, and disclose to the wondering view of the children of men the judge of all the earth, as the Son of man, appear

ing in human nature, and as the Son of God, invested with Divine power and glory. When he came to dwell with men on earth at his first advent, he appeared only in the lowest state of abasement and humiliation. Then he made himself of no reputation, he emptied or divested himself of the splendour of his divine Majesty, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross; for then he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. This was the errand of mercy which brought the Son of God into our world, which led him to condescend to be the Son of man. But when he shall appear again, although he will retain the same human form, that he may be recognised as the same Person who was crucified through weakness, and may be known as such, both by his believing people, and by his enemies; yet He will not then appear in weakness, he will not appear as a sufferer, he will not come to be treated as a malefactor, he will not be the object of ridicule, the scorn and contempt of his enemies, as he was before; but they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. For the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, and then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory. The splendour of the glory and majesty which he will then display, none can conceive. Three of his disciples were favoured with a glimpse of it, when he was transfigured before them in the holy mount, and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light; and they were so overpowered with it, that they fell on their faces and were sore afraid. The beloved disciple St. John had again a view of it when he was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ; and it affected him so deeply that when he saw him he fell at his feet as dead. The prophet Isaiah had a vision of it also, when he saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and it made him cry out, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. This language of the prophet, on his vision of the King of glory, may lead us to consider

Secondly, The effect which will be produced upon the people of the world in general by the second coming of our Lord

Jesus Christ. Then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn. Each will cry out, Woe is me! for I am undone. For behold he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him ; and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so. Amen. But what will be the reason of their wailing and mourning? It will be because before him shall be gathered all nations; and he shall separate them one from another, each individual from his neighbour, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats. And he will take vengeance on them that know not God; and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power. The success of Satan and his emissaries in deceiving the whole world that lieth in wickedness, will then appear to have been great indeed. And the awful consequence will be, that the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bond man, and every free man, will endeavour to hide themselves in the dens, and in the rocks of the mountains; and say to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? Oh! what lamentations, and mourning, and woe will then fill the inhabitants of the earth, that they should have despised and rejected the Saviour of sinners; that they should have refused to come unto him for life and salvation, when they were graciously invited to partake of these blessings freely, without money and without price. Those who would not be won by his love, will then be terrified by His power. Those who would not rejoice in his salvation, will then mourn over their own condemnation. Those who have not mourned over their sins here, will then mourn over the consequences of them; but their mourning will be of no avail, their distress will be without remedy; for they shall go away into everlasting punishment, and be banished from the blissful presence of the Son of man, to take up their dire abode in the blackness of darkness for ever.

With what seriousness of mind does it become us to hear these solemn truths of the word of God. When the Lord Jesus Christ shall appear in his glory, then shall

all the tribes of the earth mourn. They shall mourn from a consciousness that they had despised and rejected him, that they would not have him to reign over them. Let us bring the subject home to our own consciences, and ask ourselves, What will be our condition in this great and awful day of the Lord? Were our souls this night required of us, should we be prepared to meet him? Have we humbled ourselves before him? Have we sought his mercy? Have we received him as the Saviour of sinners, the Saviour of our souls? Have we sought for the pardon of our sins and reconciliation with God, and the enjoyment of the Divine favour through his humiliation, and death, and intercession? None of those who in that great day cannot recognize him as the Redeemer in whom, through his grace, they have put their trust for pardon and salvation, will be able to endure the sight of him when he shall appear with power and great glory. They will be conslighted his mercy

scious that they have and grace, and that they have therefore to look for the wrath of the Lamb. And when the great day of his wrath is come, who shall be able to stand? His wrath will be insupportable by those who have rejected his mercy and despised his grace. It is our wisdom in this our day of his merciful visitation, in which we are graciously invited to believe in him that we may be saved, to seek after the things which belong to our peace, that they may not be for ever hid from our eyes. May we be numbered among those who are now looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. While the door of mercy is yet open, may we flee from the wrath to come. The text sets before us, Thirdly, The purpose for which most especially the Son of man will come; and that is, to gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. For as the Apostle says, Unto them that look for him, shall he appear the second time, without sin unto salvation. Then he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe in that day. And therefore our Lord directed his disciples, When these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. Such being the blessedness which awaits believers in the Lord Jesus Christ at his coming, they are described as those who love his appearing; who are

looking for his glorious appearing with a blessed hope, that will not make them ashamed; who are looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God. It is to be observed that the elect of God are called his saints, and them that believe. They are termed his elect, because it pleased the Lord to make them his people. As our Saviour said to his disciples, Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you; so it was not because they chose him, but because he chose them, and called them by his grace to believe in his name, that they became his people. This character is given them to show that every blessing they enjoy is the gift of God. They are indebted to him for all. All is derived from his unmerited goodness, and therefore to him they are to ascribe the glory. His distinguishing grace should fill their hearts with love to him. His mercy should ever excite their most grateful feelings of praise, and most humble devotedness to his service. They are known to God as his elect, peculiar people, whom he has formed for himself to show forth his praise they are known to the world by their profession of being believers in Christ, and by their conduct as saints or holy persons; who desire and endeavour by his grace to live and walk according to the holy law and word of God. When the Son of man shall come in his glory, he will gather together his elect to himself. He will say to them, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. And then they shall go into eternal life; and so shall they ever be with the Lord. Such will be the blessedness of the saints of God, of believers in Christ, at his coming to judge the quick and the dead, at his appearing, and his kingdom.

Do

Let us ask ourselves, Are we among those who shall then be blessed by him? Are we truly believers in the Lord Jesus Christ? Is he our hope? Have we peace with God through faith in his name? we walk humbly with our God, being accepted in his beloved Son? Have we not merely a name to live, but do we really live the life which we now live in the flesh by the faith of the Son of God. Does our conduct manifest that we are influenced by His Spirit? Are we saints of God, holy persons, set apart to his service, living to his glory? If so, we have reason to trust that when he shall send his angels, and gather together his elect, we shall be found