A fourth volume containing one hundred and fifty sermons on several texts of Scripture…

2. In regard of his Attendants, who are Angels and Saints, this Appearance must needs be very glorious.

(1.) There are Angels, multitudes of them that come with Christ, and with such a Glory as cannot be conceived of; Matth. 25.31. When the Son of Man shall come in his Glory, and all the holy Angels with him. Mark the Emphasis of the Expression, All the holy Angels shall come with him. When a Prince removes, the whole Court removes with him; so when Christ removes out of Heaven, the whole Court of Heaven removes with him. As Chrysostom saith, Heaven now shall be left void; all the Angels shall come out with Christ, that they may be present at this great Act: Those blessed Mansions shall be forsaken for a while, that they may be present with the Judg of the World. Look, as the Angels were present at the giving of the Law; so also will they be present when the Sentence of the Law comes to be executed. Thrones, Principalities, Powers and Dominions, Angels, however distinguished, were all made by Christ; he is their Head, and they are given to Christ by his Father, as he is Mediator, to be his Servants in the Mediatory Office. And therefore Christ always useth Angels; in his Conception the Angel Gabriel came to Mary. At his Nativity, an Host of Angels came down to acquaint us with the glad Tidings of Salvation; in his Passion, he was comforted by an Angel; at his Resurrection, there were Angels at his Grave; at his Ascension, he was carried to Heaven by Angels; and in the Government of the Church, in the present Dispensation, Christ useth Angels more than we are aware of: these Principalities and Powers are conversant about and in the Church; and in the last Day's Act he shall come with his Holy Angels. Whether these Angels shall then visibly appear, I dispute not; certainly their Attendance upon Christ is, partly as a Train, to make his Appearance more full of Majesty; and partly, because Christ hath a Ministry and Service for them. Partly, as a Train to Christ, and to make his Appearance more full of Majesty: They that waited upon Christ at his Ascension, will now come to wait upon him at his coming to Judgment▪ Public Ministers of Justice are made formidable by their Attendance and Officers. Christ will come like a Royal King in the midst of his Nobles; and partly, because they have also a Ministry and Service at that Day, they are to gather the Elect from the four Winds,