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confess me before men, him shall the Son of Man also confess before the angels of God."-See also Matt. x. 32.

3. That believers shall be acquitted by Christ in the judg ment. 1 Pet. i. 7.-"That the trial of your faith being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise, and honour, and glory, at the appearing of Jesus Christ."-See also Matt.

XXV. 21.

4. That believers shall be made perfectly blessed in the enjoyment of God. 1 Cor. ii. 9.-"Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” See also 1 John iii. 2.

5. That believers shall enjoy God through all eternity. 1 Thess. iv. 17.-" So shall we ever be with the Lord."

EXPLANATION.

Obs. 168.-At the resurrection believers shall be raised up in glory.

That there shall be a resurrection, is evident from the following passages of Scripture :-Dan. xii. 2.—“ And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt." John v. 28, 29.-"Marvel not at this; for the hour is coming, in which all that are in their graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth, they that have done good unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation." 1 Cor. xv. 13, 14.-" But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen. And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain." And again, ver. 16-18.-"For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised; and if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also who are fallen asleep in Christ are perished." See also Job xix. 25-27. Seeing then that God hath revealed in his Word that he will raise the dead, and seeing also that he is infinite in power and consequently can raise them, it cannot be doubted that there will be a general resurrection. We have several evidences of God's power in raising the dead, both in the Old and New Testament.-See 1 Kings xvii. 22; 2 Kings iv. 35, and xiii. 21; Mark v. 41; Acts ix. 40; Luke vii. 12, 15; John xi. 39, 44.

The dead shall be raised with the same bodies,-see 1 Cor.

xv. 42-44, 53, 54; from which it is evident, that with respect to substance, the same bodies shall be raised, although they shall be endued with different qualities; for, were not this the case, it would be a creation, and not a resurrection. At the resurrection, the bodies of believers shall be raised up in glory. By this we are to understand, that they shall be raised incorruptible, glorious, powerful, and spiritual.-1 Cor. xv. 42-44. They shall be incorruptible; they shall be no more subject to disease or to death. They shall be glorious; no defect shall be observable in them, but they shall be full of splendour and brightness; for they shall be fashioned like unto Christ's glorious body.-Phil. iii. 21. They shall be powerful; they shall not know weariness, for they shall be girded with strength, and in the strength of the Lord shall they go. They shall be spiritual; they shall not indeed be changed into spirits, but they shall be endued with spiritual qualities; they shall be of a very refined constitution; for they shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; nor will they ever sleep, but serve God day and night in the heavenly temple. Rev. vi. 15, 16.

Obs. 169. Believers shall be openly acknowledged and acquitted by Christ at the day of judgment.

1. They shall be openly acknowledged or owned by Christ as his. They shall be owned by him, not in the presence of a few, not only before their brethren, but before many witnesses, before an assembled world, before devils, and before God and the holy angels.-Matt. x. 32.

2. They shall be acquitted by Christ, the judge of all. They shall be acquitted, not only from every false aspersion cast upon them, but also from the real guilt of all their sins, on account of their interest in Christ and his righteousness. Neither men, nor devils, nor law, nor conscience, shall have any thing to prefer against them, which shall not be fully answered by Jesus.-Rom. viii. 33, 34.

There are several other benefits, of which believers shallpartake in the day of judgment, besides those above men tioned. They shall be gathered together from all quarters of the earth by the angels.-Matt. xxiv. 31. They shall be caught up together in the clouds, to meet the Lord Jesus who will descend from heaven with a shout.-1 Thess. iv. 16, 17. They shall be placed at the right hand of Jesus.Matt. xxv. 33. They shall be invited by Christ to take pos

session of the glorious inheritance prepared for them.—Matt. xxv. 34. They shall sit with Christ as assessors in judgment on fallen angels and wicked men.-1 Cor. vi. 2, 3.

Obs. 170.—Believers shall be made perfectly blessed in the full enjoyment of God to all eternity.

They shall be made perfectly blessed, or they shall be completely delivered from all sin and misery, and fully possessed of all happiness. Blessedness consists in freedom from sin and sorrow, from suffering and temptation, and from all evil whatever. But there can be no freedom from these things till death; nor even at death are believers perfectly blessed, for before this can take place, the soul and the body must be united; and when these are united, they shall be fully satisfied. "When Christ, who is their life, shall appear, then shall they also appear with him in glory."-Col. iii. 4.

The highest degree of happiness consists in the full enjoyment of God, the chief good.-Psal. lxxiii. 25. This implies that believers shall have the glorious presence of God with them,-Rev. xxi. 3; that they shall have the immediate and beatific vision of his face,-Rev. xxii. 4; 1 Cor. xiii. 12; 1 John iii. 2; that they shall have a full persuasion and sense of God's love to them, and perfect love in their hearts to him, which necessarily results from the vision of God in heaven; and that they shall have fulness and exceeding joy. --Psal. xvi. 11; Jude 24.

And this full enjoyment of God by believers, shall continue through all eternity. It shall be without interruption and without end.-1 Thess. iv. 17.

Obs. 171.-At the last day, the state of unbelievers shall be very different from that of believers.

In the day of judgment, the condition of the wicked will be miserable beyond expression. Their bodies shall be raised from the grave by Christ as their offended judge; and shall be endued with strength and immortality, only to render them capable of eternal misery. They shall with horror behold Christ coming in flaming fire, to take vengeance upon them. Rev. i. 7; 2 Thess. i. 7, 8. They shall be placed before the judgment-seat of Christ, where they shall be judged and sentenced to eternal punishment.-Rev. xx. 11, 12; Matt. xxv. 41. And immediately after this, they shall be driven from the presence of the Lord into hell, where they

shall be punished both in soul and body throughout the endless ages of eternity.-Matt. xxv. 46; Rom. ii. 8, 9; Rev. xiv. 11.

INFERENCES.

From this subject we learn,—1. The encouragement which believers have to go on their way rejoicing. 2. That there shall be a great difference between the righteous and the wicked at the resurrection. 3. That believers shall soon obtain the redemption of their bodies. 4. The happiness resulting from confessing Christ before men, and the danger of denying him. 5. That the enemies of believers shall in due time have their reward. 6. That the saints have no cause to fear the consequences of the resurrection. 7. That believers, while in this world, can enjoy no blessedness which is full. 8. That a final separation shall be made between the righteous and the wicked at the day of general judgment.

PART SECOND:

THE DUTY WHICH GOD REQUIRES OF MAN.

INTRODUCTION.

Nature of Man's Duty in General.

The duty which God requires of man, is obedience to his revealed will.

ANALYSIS AND PROOFS.

We are here taught,—

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1. That there are certain duties required by God from men. Deut. x. 12.-" And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul."

2. That the sum of man's duty to God is obedience. 1 Sam. xv. 22.-"Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams."

3. That the extent of the obedience required by God is a universal obedience. James ii. 10.-" Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all."

4. That the quality of the obedience required from man is a perfect and perpetual obedience. Matt. xxii. 37.—“ Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind."

5. That the only rule of man's obedience is the revealed will of God. Micah vi. 8.-"He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God."

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