Page images
PDF
EPUB

COLOSSIANS.

THE Colossians are also encouraged by the same great apostle," that when Christ who is the Christian's life should appear, then they also should appear with him in glory."

THESSALONIANS.

AND in his epistle to the Thessalonians, he commends them "for their faith God-ward, and for their turning from idols to God, and to waiting for his son from heaven whom he raised from the dead;" and then asks," what is his hope or joy, or crown of rejoicing?" He answers his own question, “are not ye, in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, at his coming ?"—He therefore exhorts them" to establish their hearts unblamable in holiness before God even our father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints."He then proceeds to give them further directions for their holy conduct in this life, and informs them that he would not (amidst their learning how to live here) have them

ignorant concerning their brethren who were asleep? (or had died) that they (by that knowledge) might not sorrow for them, even as for others who have no hope, for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so (as certainly and in like manner) them also who sleep in Jesus, will God bring with him; for this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent them who are asleep; for the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the arch-angel, and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first—then we who are alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so, or then, shall we ever be with the Lord: wherefore (or on this account) comfort. one another with these words”—But of (these) times and seasons, he supposes that he had no need to write, "as the brethren knew perfectly as they had been before instructed fully, that the day of the Lord would come as a thief in the night; and he most devoutly prays to God, that their whole spirit, and soul and body might be preserved blameless until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

And when the Thessalonians appeared to be distressed by the various persecutions of their enemies, in which they had discovered great patience and resignation, he comforts them with the same language; "and as to you who are troubled, you shall rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from

THESSALONIANS.

heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, taking
vengeance on them who know not God, and who 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, when he shall come to be glorified in his
saints, and to be admired in all them who believe."

He then proceeds to exhort the brethren" by the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, that they would not be shaken in their minds, or be troubled, as if the day of the Lord was at hand: he begs that they would not be deceived by any means, for that day should not come until there should first come a falling

The flood of infidelity that is prevailing throughout Europe, as well as other parts of the world, may justly be considered as a manifest fulfilment of the prophetic declarations of the apostles of Christ, and one of the alarming signs of the times.-Germany, which was the principal seat of the reformation, has sorely experienced the truth of this prediction. By means of the illuminati and other vain pretenders to philosophy, she has lost much of her taste and relish for those divine truths that so eminently adorned her great men for two cen turies, and for the support of which, so many have laid down their lives." There still are some respectable divines in Germany; but the principles of Eickhorn of Gottingen, with respect to the old testament, which together with Geddes (of Great Britain) his works on the same subject, are gaining fast ground-I will not assert that Eickhorn by lessening the authority of the old testament, meant to undermine that of the new. But I am fully persuaded and, will positively assert, that if he had that design, he could not possibly have made use of more successful means. Indeed among the most respectable of

away,* (of professors) and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that as God, he sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.”

the clergy whom I have seen and heard of, the divine authority and positive institutions of the gospel seem to be entirely left out of the question; and we have instead of the doctrines and precepts of Jesus Christ, elegant dissertations on the beauty of virtue; lofty declamations on humanity, and against the present war with France; and sublime attempts to account for every thing, not by appealing to the Creator, but by abstract reasoning. But these writings are so extensive and uniformly dangerous that the consequences to the public must be the same, and therefore it is most devoutly to be wished that all the real lovers, and true philosophers of Germany, would follow the example of Genz, and some few others; and unite in stemming the torrent of false philosophy and revolutionary polities.". Anti. Jac. Rev. vi. vol. 571-578.

TIMOTHY.

ST. PAUL chargeth Timothy, "before God and the Lord Jesus, who shall judge the quick and the dead, at his appearing in his kingdom, that he should keep the commandment that he had given him, without spot and unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his times, he shall show, who is the blessed and only potentate, the king of kings and Lord of Lords."-He says that "I have fought a good fight-I have finished my course-I have kept the faith, and henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord the righteous judge shall give me at that day, and not to me only, but unto all them also, who love his appearing," and formally concludes his exhortation, " to the end that his heart might be established unblamable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.”

« EelmineJätka »