We have every reason to suppose they will, but the great body of them will not look for his blessed advent till just previous to his coming. There are multitudes of the true children of God who are not now looking for this glorious event. They have so long and so fully believed in the doctrine of a temporal millennium and the restoration of the carnal Jew, that it is not surprising they do not readily embrace this truth. While that day will come as a thief in the night, and as a snare upon all that dwell on the earth, the true children of God will not be in darkness that that day should come on them as a thief. St. Paul says there is a crown of righteousness hid up for all them who love his appearing; but no promise is made to those who do not love his appearing: and how can they love his appearing unless they are looking for it ? We are also assured that not one will be lost whom the Father has given to Christ. Such considerations induces us to believe that when the bridegroom comes all of his children will be prepared to meet him, and will be expecting his appearance.
Other considerations cause us to believe that this expectation will not become general till just on the eve of his coming, and when the door of the ark of mercy is about being closed forever. We are informed that while the bridegroom tarries they will all slumber and sleep—the wise and foolish virgins together; and they will all arise and trim their lamps at the same time; but it will then be too late for those who have no oil in their vessels to get a supply, otherwise the foolish virgins might be saved with the wise. It is also to be as it was before the flood; they ate and drank, bought and sold till Noah entered into the ark, and knew not till the flood came and swept them all away. We are not to suppose that they had never heard the warning given; for Noah was a preacher of righteousness, and for 120 years he had proclaimed it to them, but they would not believe; and when they cried peace and safety, sudden destruction came upon them. So it will be when Christ comes: the note of warning will have been sounded in tones of thunder in the ears of a careless world and slumbering church; but it will be disregarded, and they slumber on till God in his providence sees fit to awake all those who are his. If all true Christians, both ministers and people, were now awake to these immortal truths, the effect upon the church and world would be electrical, and multitudes would rush into the ark of mercy while the doors are yet open, and all around us would be awake to the subject; but God has assured us that it shall not be so—they shall know not til he comes: and therefore we cannot expect that all his true children will be aroused till on the eve of his appearing.
When the seventh seal is opened, there will be silence in heaven, about the space of half an hour: this in prophetic time, will correspond with the seven days before the flood, when God closed the door of the ark—thus cutting off all hope of deliverance from the antediluvians. We therefore learn that seven days before Christ makes his second appearance, the doors of the ark of mercy will be closed, when no more sins will be forgiven, and no more souls saved. The wise virgins will then be awake, with their lamps trimmed and burning, ready to meet the bridegroom when he cometh; but the foolish virgins will have no oil in their vessels, no grace of God in their hearts; they have woke up too late, and they can only stand without and knock, and cry Lord, Lord, open unto us; we have prophesied in thy name, we have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets; but he will say to them, Depart from me, I never knew you. O! what an awful day!
As our Savior records as many foolish virgins as he does wise, we have every reason to believe, that multitudes who now pass for Christians will find in that day that they have not only deceived the world but deceived their own souls. How important it then is that we all should examine our hopes anew, lest when that silence is in heaven, we join in the wailings of the lost. We know that if we would not love to have our Savior come, that we have no love of God in our hearts, and are therefore none of his. It then becomes all who disbelieve that he is near, even at the doors, to see to it, that their disbelief does not grow out of a want of faith in the word of God, and because the affections of their hearts are entwined about this present evil world; for if they have any idol here that they cannot relinquish for Christ's sake, when the door is closed, they will be found standing without. O how many will be thus deceived! Multitudes, we fear, disbelieve, these things because they are unwilling to have it so, but let them remember that judgment must begin at the house of God ; and if so, where shall the ungodly and sinner appear? And O how dangerous it is for us to delay; for if we are not indeed his true children, we must repent before that day comes upon us, or be lost. If we flatter ourselves that we are Christ's and do not concern ourselves about these things, trusting that God will awake us when the bridegroom appears, if it should prove that he is so very near; O have we not reason to fear that we are deceiving our very souls, and that the love of God is not in us. We therefore call upon all to search the Scriptures for yourselves, throw away the opinions of men, for the traditions of the elders proved the destruction of the Jew s: humble yourselves before God, and, by fasting and prayer, beseech him to open your understandings, and give you faith in his word, that you may examine this question for yourselves, and then say— as you fear God—as you love your Savior—as you hope to be saved, are not these things so?
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