house of Levi apart, and their wives apart," &c.; which cannot be understood of the day of judgment, because then the families of David, Nathan, Shimei, Levi, shall not mourn apart, and their wives apart.

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Of this coming of Christ to set up his kingdom, I rather take this parable to be understood, and not of his coming at the day of judgment; for in Matt. xiv. the disciples did propound three questions to our Saviour Christ: verse 3, Tell us, when shall these things be?" that is, the destruction of the temple; "and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?" To the last he doth answer first, as is usual in Scripture, negatively: verse 6, " Ye shall hear of wars, and rumours of wars, but the end is not yet." Affirmatively, verse 14, " And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness to all nations, and then shall the end come." To the first question he doth answer in the second place, verses 15, 16, and to the second he doth answer in the third and last place, because he intended to speak most of that, and so proceeds to speak of his coming, and the signs thereof, in the after part of the xxivth chapter, verses 37-50, and so he goes on in this beginning of the xxvth: "Then shall the kingdom of heaven be like unto ten virgins." In which parable still he speaks of his coming as before, for, verse 13, he concludes this parable thus, "Watch ye, therefore, for ye know not the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh."

Besides, Christ comes not as a Bridegroom but as a Judge at the day of judgment. And if ye look into Rev. xix., xxi., and xxii., where mention is made of the glory of Christ's kingdom in the latter times, ye find that the converting Jew, who there sings the Hebrew song, Hallelujah! is called the bride, the Lamb's wife, saying, “Come, Lord Jesus.” And at chapter xix. 18, 19, mention is made of a great battle: but there is no fighting or battling at the day of judgment. That is no time for feasting, nor suppers neither; but at weddings and marriages there were and are great suppers, which we read shall be at this time, verse 17. And as the wise enter, so the foolish, and those that tell and make lies, are shut out. Finding therefore all these things at that coming of Christ, thus to suit with this parable, I rather incline to think, that it cannot be understood of the day of judgment, but of that time when Christ will appear at the Jews' conversion, to set

up his kingdom on earth, in that glorious and blessed manner which all the prophets bear witness unto.

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And because all the victories and deliverances that Christ worketh for the churches in the meantime, are so many steps unto this kingdom and coming of his therefore, in scripture phrase, sometimes they are called his coming. Matt. xvii. His transfiguration was called his coming in his kingdom, for chap. xvi. 28, Christ saith, "There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death till they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom." And then, chap. xvii. 1, it is said, "And after six days, Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them." In three gospels the history of the transfiguration is linked unto that speech: "There are some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom," with those words, "And after six days Jesus took Peter," &c. Our Lord and Saviour Christ was then come when he spake those words, but he was to come in a more glorious way and manner to set up his kingdom; and his transfiguration being a taste of that glory and coming, it is here called his coming in his kingdom. So all these great deliverances and victories which Christ worketh for his church, being so many tastes and forerunners of his coming in his kingdom, they may be called his coming too: surely they are as so many steps that he takes in the way of his coming to his kingdom.

But, says the text, he comes at midnight; that is, in a time when he is least expected, suddenly, and when we are most in the dark. And so the observation is this:

Christ comes at midnight: though his coming be most expected, yet he will come in a time when he is least expected when he comes as a Bridegroom, he comes at midnight, in a time when he is least expected, in the darkest time; Christ comes at midnight.

"Behold (says Christ) I come as a thief:" thieves come in the darkest time, a time when they are least expected; so will Christ's coming be.

For the opening and clearing of which truth, I shall labour to shew,

First, That our Lord and Saviour Christ will come again. Secondly, That he will come at midnight.

Thirdly, Give you some account why he chooses rather thus to come at midnight, than otherwise.

And then draw down this by way of application to our present occasion.

First, Our Lord and Saviour Christ will come again.

Take his coming for his spiritual coming, and though now absent from your souls, yet he will come again. "If any man love me, my Father will love him, and we will come unto him and make our abode with him," John xiv. 25.

Take his coming, for his personal, visible coming at the day of judgment, so he will come again, 2 Thess. i. 7-10.

Take his coming for his appearing in the clouds, when he will come to set up his kingdom, so he will come again before that great day: for if ye look into the Scripture, ye shall find that his coming and his kingdom are knit together, do synchronnize. Dan. vii. 13, 14.

So in many scriptures ye shall find that his coming and his kingdom do go together. Now if ye look into Rev. xi., we shall find it spoken of times yet to come: "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever," ver. 15. "And we give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned," ver. 17: which cannot be understood of the day of judgment, for then the nations are not angry, then the temple door is not opened, as is here said, ver. 18, 19.

I would not be mistaken here; for I do not think that Christ shall come and reign, continue reigning upon earth a thousand years: I do not see how the saints can spare him out of heaven so long. Neither do I think that this his coming is only to be understood of a spiritual coming into the souls of his, so filling their souls with his Spirit, that they shall have need of ordinances no more; for in those glorious times, though there shall be no temple, that is, a Jewish temple, yet the temple door, that is, the gospel temple, shall be opened. And in Zech. xiv. which is plainly spoken of the glory of the latter times yet to come, it is said expressly three times in that chapter, that men shall go up to keep the feasts of tabernacles, an allusion to the Jewish ordinance. But why not the feast of pasaover and pentecost, only the feasts of tabernacles? Many reasons may be given, but I

think one is, because the feast of tabernacles had been more neglected than other feasts; for upon the coming out of Babylon, in Neh. viii. it is said, they had not kept that feast from the time of Joshua the son of Nun to that day, which was almost a thousand years. Now the Holy Ghost seeing what degenerations there would be in our latter times, and losings and neglectings of ordinances, he saith here, that then they shall keep the feast of tabernacles: that is, in the expression of the Jews, observe those ordinances especially, which had been most defaced and forgotten. But I keep to the words of Scripture.

Christ shall come in the clouds again, when the poor Jews shall see him, and those which are called, Forsaken, shall be called, Beloved, the King's bride; when the fulness of the Gentiles shall be come in, when Christ himself shall set up his kingdom in the world, his regnum potentiæ, not patientiæ, when he shall rule from sea to sea, when he shall come, not riding upon an ass' colt, but in the clouds, with thousands of angels ministering unto him. When foolish virgins shall be shut out from his glory, and the wise professor taken in. And in the meanwhile, though our Lord and Saviour Christ seem to forsake the churches for the present, yet he will come again unto them with delivering and conquering mercy: "Behold, I come quickly, hold fast that which thou hast," Rev. iii.*

But how may it appear that Christ will come at midnight? I shall give you a taste of it in all his comings, because there is the same Spirit in one as in another.

For his spiritual coming. When Christ comes first with his converting grace, and causes his converting mercy to pass upon any soul, then he doth come at midnight. "God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceives it not; in a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon man, in slumberings upon the bed: then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction," Job xxxiii. 14, 15, 16. When a man is fast asleep in his sins, little thinks of any good, unless it be to oppose it, then Christ comes and seals

* Read 2 Esdras xiii. which though it be apocryphal, and the lowest of the Apocrypha, being written in Latin, yet of great antiquity, cited by Cyprian, Jerome, Austin, Clemens Alexandrinus, and divers others.

on some instruction upon his soul. Thus he doth come at midnight.

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Again, When Christ comes with his comforting mercy, and causes his comforting grace to pass upon a man's heart, then he doth come at midnight, in an hour and time when he doth least expect him. "I sought him (says the spouse) but I found him not. I sought him on my bed (in private), and found him not. I sought him in the streets (in the public ordinances), but I found him not. It was but a little that I passed from the watchmen, but I found him whom my soul loveth." Then and there she finds him, where she looked not for him, and did not expect him. Ps. xlii. 6, 7, 8, says David, "O my God, my soul is cast down within me." Here is trouble, sorrow and heaviness. "All thy waves have gone over me," ver. 7. Here is more. Yet, saith he, ver. 8, "The Lord will command his loving kindness in the day time, and in the night his songs shall be with me." It is God's ordinary title, "The Lord our Maker, who giveth songs in the night," Job xxxv. We read of Master Robert Glover, mentioned by Master Fox in the Book of Martyrs, that though he were a man very gracious and holy, faithfully bearing witness to the truth; yet it pleased God to withdraw himself and presence from him, insomuch that he was greatly distressed while he was in prison: and opening himself to his friend, told him how God had left him and deserted him. His friend exhorted him still for to wait on God, which he laboured to do; and the night before his execution, spent much of that time in prayer. Yet no comfort came, no manifestations of the presence of Christ. The next day he was drawn out to the stake for to die for the truth, and as he went, he mourned much for the presence of Christ; but when he came in the sight of the stake, it pleased God so to fill his heart and soul with comfort and the incomes of his love, that he cried out unto his friend, Oh, Austin, he is come, he is come, he is come! This good man was in the dark a great while, but when in the darkest time, then Christ came. Christ comes at midnight, when he doth come with comfort.

And, when Christ comes with outward delivering mercy to a person or people, then he doth come at midnight also. It is said of Israel, that they went out of Egypt at midnight.