At the time when the faints are raised to reign with Chrift a thousand years, those believers in Christ who are alive at his coming will stand and fee their brethren rif ing out of their graves, and will have no change till all the faints are raised out of their graves: immediately after this, they will be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, and be caught up with the rest to meet the Lord in the air, to welcome him to the earth to reign, and not to go away with him as many think. All: this is plainly declared by Paul, 1 Theffalonians iv. 16, 175 "And the dead in Chrift fhall arife firft; then we which are alive and remain, fhall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the LORD in the air, and fo fhall we ever be with the LORD. 1 Cor. xv. 51, 52, "Behold I fhew you a mystery; we fhall not all fleep; but we fhall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye at the laft trump-and the dead fhall be raifed incorruptible, and we shall be changed."

That this text refers to the firft refurrection is plain from this; that the dead who are raised will be incorruptible, this will not be at the laft refurrection; for the wicked at that time will reap corruption. There is not one place in all the word of God which fays the wicked will be raised immortal; but they will utterly perish in their own corruptions.

What an aftonifhing feparation there will be at that' day among the dead and the living! Every faint will be called out from among the graves of the wicked where they now lie buried in filence; not one forgotten or misfed. The feparation among the living when those that: are alive, shall be changed, will be furprifing beyond defcription, "then (fays Jefus,) fhall two be in the field; the one fhall be taken, and the other left; two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one fhall be taken and the other left." Matth. xxiv. 40, 41.This is fpoken of as that which fhall take place at the coming of Christ. See ver. 42. To apply this to the deftruction of Jerufalem, it will not do; for we have no account of any fuch thing; to apply it to the last judgment will not do, for all will then ftand before the judgment feat of Chrift; but when

we confider it as refering to the fecond coming of Chrift to raise the dead faints, and change the living ones; it is plain how one in the field can be taken and the other left; the believer will be taken, changed,and caught up in the clouds to meet the LORD in the air, while the other is left behind to mourn his lofs, of that glory which his believing companion is gone to enjoy.

This

At the refurrection of the dead faints, and the change of the living ones, this text will be fulfilled, Matth. xxiv. 31, "And he fhall fend his angels with a great found of a trumpet, and they fhall gather together his ELECT, from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." This text refers particularly to the fecond coming of Christ to reign on the earth with the raised faints; at the time when the tribes of the earth fhall mourn to fee him coming in his glory to the mount of Olives. See verfe 30,"And then shall appear the fign of the fon of man in heaven; and then fhall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they fhall fee the fon of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." gathering the elect, is mentioned in the next verse, as what will take place when he comes. Many are praying the LORD to gather in his ELECT; their prayer will nev er be answered, for there is no fuch thing mentioned in the bible as "gathering in the elect;" it is tradition; the elect at the coming of Chrift will be gathered from the four winds, from all parts of the earth, where they are buried, and where any will be living at that day; and will all meet in the air over Jerufalem, or over the great army which will be gathered against Jerufalem. Zech. ix. 14, "And the LORD shall be seen over them, and his arrows fhall go forth as the lightning, and the LORD God' fhall blow the trumpet, and fhall go with whirlwinds of the fouth."-"Alas! who fhall live when God fhall do this?"

Chrift fays, his coming will be like the lightning.Paul fays, he will come with a great found of a trumpet, and the dead in Chrift will rife at the found of the trump. Zechariah fays, in this verse, that his arrows will go forth as lightning, and that the LORD God fhall blow

the trumpet; it is certain that all these writers refer to one thing, which will take place at the coming of Chrift

2. Another thing which will take place at the coming of Christ, will be the converfion of the Jews; when they will all fubmit to Chrift according to what is said of the

new covenant.

It is the opinion of people in general, that the converfion of the Jews will be before they return to the land of Canaan, or elfe by preaching after the return; but they have had the preaching of Chrift and the apostles, with all the miracles he and they wrought; yet they remained a perverfe, and rebellious people; fo they are to this day. It will require fomething more than what has been fufficient to bring others to repentance. Chrift said of them, that if the mighty works which were done among them had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented; and that if the fame things had been done in Sodom that were done among the Jews; it would have remained to this day. From all that has been done, I have no reason to think that the Jews as a nation, will ever submit to Chrift until they fee him whom their fathers and they have pierced, and when they fee him they will fay, blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

At the time when the great army of Gog is gathered against Jerufalem, and the Jews are in great ftraits, they will fee Chrift in the air, they will hear the trumpet found, and fee the dead faints arifing and coming in every direction, to meet the LORD; they will feel the earthquake, fee the mount of Olives part, and know that it is he whom they have long defpifed; whom their fathers pierced; they will be convinced of his power to destroy; and will be in doubt as Joshua was; whether he is for them or their adverfaries. In this fituation, there will be a great mourning among them, like that in Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon, when they mourned for king Jofiah; and at the end of their mourning, Jefus will fhew kindness to them in flaying their enemies, and thus deliver them from their deftroyers. This goodness.

of his to them, will lead them to repentance, and in this day of his power, they will fubmit to him, faying, bleffed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

This mourning of the Jews at the appearing of Chrift, before they fubmit and own him as the Messiah, is recorded in Zechariah xii. 11, 12, 13, 14, “In that day there fhall be a great mourning in Jerufalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon ;. and the land fhall mourn, every family apart; the fam ily of the houfe of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart; the family of the houfe of Levi apart, and their wives apart; all the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart." Here is a general mourning defcribed among all the families of the Jews, which remain when Chrift appears. This mourning will take place at the time the great army is gathered against Jerufalem. See verfe 9, "And it shall come to pafs in that day, that I will feek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerufalem." It is plain from this, that the mourning will be while the nations are gathered against Jerufalem.

While the Jews are lockingup ward, and feeing him whom they have pierced, and mourning, and being as one mourning for a first born, or an only fon; the LORD' will pour out upon them the spirit of grace and fupplica tion; and feeing no way for deliverance, only through him who is feen over them; him whom they have pierc ed; they will all as one, unitedly call on him in this day of Jacob's trouble, and he will hear them, and delive them, and they will glorify him. This is mentioned in Zechariah xii. 10, "And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerufalem, the fpir of grace and fupplications; and they fhall look upon m whom they have pierced, and they fhall mourn for him as one mourneth for his only fon, and fhall be in bitter nefs for him, as one that is in bitterness for his first born.' This is the time mentioned by Ifaiah, when Zion fhall travail and bring forth, when the glory of the Gentile hall flow to them like a river, and they be eternally fav

ed from their enemies. This is the time when the DELIVERER fhall come out of Zion, and turn away ungod linefs from Jacob, Rom, xi. 26.

I think that the converfion of the Jews is what is meant by the marriage of the Lamb, in the book of Revelation. The Jews are now confidered a divorced people. Ifaiah li. I, "Thus faith the LORD, where is the bill of your mother's divorcement, whom I have put away? Or which of my creditors is it to whom I have fold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye fold yourselves, and for your tranfgreffions is your mother put away." Here the divorcement is mentioned, and the caufe of it. This is mentioned again in Hofea ii. 2, "Plead with your mother, plead; for the is not my wife, neither am I her hufband." It was thought a wicked thing for a man to put away his wife, and to marry her again after fhe had been another man's wife; yet the Lord tells them it will not be fo for them, to return to him after he has put them away. See Jeremiah iii. 1, “ They fay, if a man put away his wife, and the go from him, and become a, nother man's, fhall he return unto her again? Shall not the land be greatly polluted? But thou haft played the harloe with many lovers; yet return again to me, faith the LORD."

When Isaiah mentions the return of the Jews to their land, and their turning to the Lord; he calls it a marriage. Ifaiah liv. 4, 5, "Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed; neither fhalt thou be confounded; for thou fhalt not be put to fhame; for thou fhalt forget the shame of thy youth, and fhall not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more; for thy Maker is thine Husband, the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the holy one of Ifrael; the God of the whole earth fhail he be called." This is mentioned as fomething to take place when the Jews return. John has fpoken plainly of this matter in Revelation. xix. 7, 8, 9, "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herfelf ready. And to her was granted, that fhe fhould be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white; for the fine lin