TheGlorious Day of the Saints’ Appearance By Thomas Brooks, an editedabstract from Works (Nichol, 1867), 6.318-334 Part 1 of 2 "When Christ, who is our life, shallappear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory" (Colossians 3:4). The Apostle, in the verse before, tellsthem that their "life is hid with Christ in God." These saints mightobject: but when shall that hidden life be discovered? When shall that life ofglory be manifested? He answers in the text: "When Christ, who is our life,shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." The words dospeak out the time when the glorious life of believers shall be manifested, andthat is, when Christ shall appear in glory. But first consider that… Christ isthe Life of Believers "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear." Life here is, by a metonymy, put forthe author of life. We have showed that Jesus Christ, He is first the author ofa believer’s spiritual life. "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life"(Jn 14:6). Secondly, He is the matter of a believer’s spiritual life: "I amthe bread of life" (Jn 6:48). The original hath it more elegantly, "Iam the bread of that life," that is, of that spiritual life of whichbefore the Lord Jesus Christ had spoken. Thirdly, He is the exerciserand actor of thespiritual life of believers: "Without me ye can do nothing" (Jn15:5). The original is: "separate from me, or apart from me, ye can donothing, &c." Fourthly, He is thestrengthener and the cherisher of a believer’s spiritual life, "In the day when Icried, thou didst answer me, and strengthen me with strength in my soul"(Ps 138:3). Lastly, the Lord Jesus Christ, he is the completer, He is the finisher of the spiritual life of a saint (Heb12:2, Phil 1:6). TakeCourage in Him! Is the Lord Jesus Christ a believer’slife? Why, then let no believer be disquieted nor overwhelmed and dejected, forany loss or for any sorrow or suffering that he meets with for the Lord JesusChrist’s sake. What a base and unworthy spirit is it for a man to be troubled anddisquieted in himself for anything that he shall do or suffer for his ownnatural life! Oh, Jesus Christ is your life; do not say this mercy is too dearfor Christ, nor that comfort is too great for Christ. Christ is the life of abeliever: what wilt you not do for your life? The devil hit right when he said,"Skin for skin, and all that a man hath will he give for his life."Oh, what should a man then do for Jesus Christ, who is his life! You noblehearts whose particular God has come near in this sad loss, remember this, thatChrist is a believer’s life; Christ is that glorious champion’s life. Thereforebe not overwhelmed, for doubtless he is now triumphing in the love, in thelight, in the goodness, and in the glory of him who is his life. Let the senseof this sad loss kindly affect you, but let it not discourage you. HighlyPrize Him! But, secondly, if the Lord Jesus Christ be a believer’s life, then this servesto bespeak all believers highlyto prize the Lord Jesus.Oh, it is this Christ that is your life; it is not your husband, it is not yourchild, it is not this or that thing; neither is it this ordinance or that thatis a believer’s life. No; it is the Lord Jesus Christ that is the author, thatis the matter, that is the exerciser, that is the strengthener, that is thecompleter, of a believer’s life. You prize great ones; the Lord Jesus Christ isgreat – he is King of kings, and Lord of lords. You prize others for theirwisdom and knowledge: the Lord Jesus has in himself all the treasures of wisdomand knowledge (Col 2:3). You prize others for their beauty: the Lord JesusChrist is the beautifullest of ten thousand (SS 4:10). You prize others fortheir usefulness: the Lord Jesus Christ is the right hand of a believer,without which he can do nothing. The believer may say of Christ as thephilosopher said of the heavens, Tolle cælum, nullus ero– "Take away the heavens, and I shall be nobody";so take away Jesus Christ, and a believer is nobody – nobody to perform anyaction, nobody to bear any affliction, nobody to conquer corruption, nobody towithstand temptation, nobody to improve mercies, nor nobody to joy in others’grace. Oh, prize Jesus Christ! Again, Consider the Lord Jesus Christ doeshighly prize you; you are as the apple of his eye; He accounts you Hisfullness; you are His jewels; therefore prize Him who sets such a high price onyou. ObeyHim! In the last place, Remember a Christ highly prized will be Christgloriously obeyed. As menprize the Lord Jesus Christ, so they will obey Him. The great reason why JesusChrist is no more obeyed, is because He is no more prized. Men look upon Him asa person of no worth, no dignity, no glory; they make slight of Him, and thatis the reason they are so poor in their obedience to Him. Oh, if the sons ofmen did but more divinely prize Christ, they would more purely, and more fully,and more constantly obey Him. Let this bespeak all your hearts highly to prizethe Lord Jesus, who is your life. But I shall pass from this, to that pointthat in order to this occasion I shall now speak to: "When Christ, who isour life, shall appear, then shall ye at this time is, that believers shall at last appear glorious. BelieversShall Appear Glorious The scriptures that speak of this truth Iwill but name them; at your leisure you may read them: (Jdg 15:14; 1 Cor 15:43,44, 51-55; 1 Th 4:13ff; Mt 19:26-28). These Scriptures clearly speak out thistruth, that the people of God shall at last appear glorious. The reasons of this point, why they shallappear glorious, are these as follow. They shall appear glorious because:— It isa Marriage-Day 1. First of all, that day is a day of solemnity; it is the marriage-dayof the Lamb. I may alludeto that Rev 19:6-8. It is true, believers in this life, they are spirituallymarried to the Lord Jesus; but this marriage is not celebrated till this day,when the saints shall appear in their glory. God the Father has put off thecelebration of this glorious marriage to this last day, when believer’smourning weeds shall be taken off, and their glorious robes shall be put on;when God himself shall, as a Father, be more fully and gloriously present amongall His children; when as He shall have all His attendants visible, I mean hisangels, which now are not visible, in that spiritual marriage between His Sonand believers. It isa Day of Crowning 2. A second reason that believers at lastshall appear glorious, is this, because they shall all appear at the last as kings crowned. Here believers are kings elected, but atthat last day they shall all appear as kings crowned. Here believers have acrown in reversion, but at the last they shall have a crown in possession; theLord will set it upon their heads: "I have fought a good fight, I havefinished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me acrown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me atthat day" (2 Tim 4:7-8a). I have now, says he, a crown in reversion; butat that day I shall have it in possession; then it shall be set upon my head,and then angels and devils and murderers shall say, "Lo! here is the manthat God is pleased to honour." It isa Day of Vengeance 3. Then a third reason why believers atthe last shall appear glorious, is for the terror and the horror of all ungodly wretches that haveopposed, persecuted, and murdered them. They shall appear glorious for the greater torment of suchungodly souls. Oh, there is nothing that will make sinners in that great daymore to tear their hair, to beat their breasts, to wring their hands, and tognaw their own hearts, than this, when they shall behold those advanced andthose appearing in their glory, whom they have slighted, and despised, and mosttreacherously murdered, here below. I doubt not but there are some base,unworthy spirits here; but let them know that there is a day coming when thesaints shall appear in glory, and then the mangled ones and this thrice-worthychampion shall appear among the rest, to the terror, horror, and confusion ofthese murderous wretches that have brought the guilt of his blood upon them. Itwill be with you and with all ungodly wretches as it was with Haman: he, likean ungodly wretch, had plotted and contrived the destruction of the Jews; hehad sold them, as it were, to bondage, tyranny, and slavery; but the Lordwheels things gloriously about, and Haman comes to the king (Esth 6): says theking to him, "What shall be done to the man whom the king is pleased tohonour?" Says he, "Let the king’s horse be brought, and glorious robesput on him, and let the chief nobles of the kingdom lead him and proclaimbefore him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king is pleased tohonour." "Go," says the king, "and do thus toMordecai." But mark, "Then took Haman the apparel and the horse, andarrayed Mordecai, and brought him on horseback through the streets of the city,and proclaimed before him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the kingdelighteth to honour; but Haman hasted to his house, mourning and having hishead covered" (Esth 6:11). This is but an emblem of the carriage of wickedmen, when they shall behold the saints of God, his glorious worthy ones, intheir glory at this great day. Then shall they, with Haman, have their headscovered, which was a sign of shame and confusion of face. And it will be with all such ungodlywretches as it was with Belshazzar: "In the samehour came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote over against the candlestickupon the plaister of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw the partof the hand that wrote. Then the king’s countenance was changed, and histhoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and hisknees smote one against another" (Dan 5:5-6). Just thus shall it be with ungodlywretches, that oppose and murder and destroy the righteous ones. Oh! when theyshall see them in glory – as when he saw the handwriting, his countenance waschanged, his thoughts were troubled, his loins were loosed, and his kneesdashed against one another – thus shall it be when the saints shall appear inglory: therefore they at last shall appear glorious, to the terror, horror, andinexpressible confusion of all ungodly, bloody wretches. TheSaints’ Glory Redound 4. A fourth reason why they shall appearglorious at last, is, because their glorious appearance at the last will make much for the honour and glory ofthe Lord Jesus. The moreglorious the body is, the more it makes for the glory of the head: the moreglorious the bride is, the more it makes for the glory of the bridegroom: forthe glory of His power, wisdom, fullness, and goodness; and therefore theyshall appear glorious. TheSaints’ Glory is Consistent 5. Then, again, they shall appear gloriousat the last day, that there may be some suitableness between the head and the members. Oh, what an uncomely thing would it beto see the head to be all of fine gold, and the hands of iron, and the feet ofclay! What an uncomely thing would it be to see the bridegroom in all Hisglorious apparel, and the bride in her rags, or her mourning weeds! The Lordwill have it so, that His people at last shall appear glorious, that they maybe suitable to their glorious head, unto their precious bridegroom. It is true, when Christ came first, Hecame clothed with flesh, and was looked upon as one that had no form norcomeliness nor beauty, that men should desire Him (Isa 53:2, 3). And such astate was the church in to whom he came. Oh! but now when He shall appear"the second time, without sin, to salvation," then He shall appearglorious; and so shall all His saints, that there may be a suitableness betweenthe members and the head, between the bride and bridegroom. It isa Day of Vindication 6. And then, again, another reason whybelievers shall appear glorious, is, because that is the very time wherein the most wickedshall justify the goodness and mercy of God in his dealings towards his ownpeople. Oh, here many saywith those "What profit is there in serving of God?" (Job 21:15). Whowould be as those men are, to carry their lives in their hands? Who would runthrough so many miseries; and all for others? "What profit is there inhonouring of God?" (Mal 3:14). It is a strong affirmation that there is noprofit. They are ready to say, when they look upon the sorrows, miseries, andevils that attend the saints in this wilderness, that it is madness and follyto walk holily as they walk, and to do righteously as they do. And so it istaken as axiomatic that "truth faileth; and he that departeth from evilmaketh himself a prey" (Isa 59:15). Oh, the world accounts them a company ofmad, foolish people that refrain from evil. But God will have His people atlast appear glorious, that the mouths of ungodly wretches may be stopped, thatthey may justify God in his goodness and mercy towards his own people. Whenthey shall see those that they accounted monsters and wonders of the world, mennot worthy to live in the world, when they shall see crowns set on their heads,and glorious robes put on their backs, oh how will ungodly men gnash teeth, andsay, Oh! We thought them fools and madmen, that thus waited on God, and walkedwith God; but now we see ourselves the only fools, the only mad ones, that haveturned our backs on God, and kicked at God, and that have said, "There isno profit in serving of God." Therefore the saints shall appear gloriousat the last. It isa Day of Glorious Judgment 7. The, the last reason why they shallappear glorious, is, because they shall be employed about glorious work:"Know ye not that the saints shall judge the world?" (1 Cor 6:2, 3).Nay, he goes higher, "Know ye not that the saints shall judge theangels?" There is a day coming when the saints shall judge the world. Theyshall be employed in a glorious work. Therefore they shall appear glorious; forthe work in which they shall be employed shall be glorious. They shall sit asso many fellow-judges with the Lord Jesus Christ, to say Amen to the righteoussentence that Christ shall pass upon all treacherous and bloody murderers. O ungodly souls, the day is coming whenthose that now you have persecuted, murdered, and destroyed, they shall situpon thrones and shall judge you; they shall say Amen to that glorious sentencethat Christ at the last day shall pass upon you. There is a day coming when allthose that have rejoiced in the fall of this worthy, and those treacherouswretches that had a hand in this unparalleled butchery, when they shall hold uptheir hands at the bar of God’s tribunal. There is a day a-coming when thesaints shall appear glorious, and this worthy among the rest, to pass arighteous sentence upon such unrighteous, bloody wretches. That is anotherreason why they shall appear in glory, because they shall be employed in aglorious service, in judging the wicked world, however they have been scoffedat and despised here.
Verylittle of significance is known of the life of Thomas Brooks (1608-80) apart fromthe fact He was puritan preacher living around the time of the WestminsterAssembly. But he is, today, renown to many of us for his sayings which werecompiled by Charles Spurgeon entitled "Smooth Stones Taken from AncientBrooks." Spurgeon says of him: "As a writer, Thomas Brooks scattersstars with both his hands. He has dust of gold. In his storehouse are allmanner of precious stones. Genius is always marvellous, but when sanctified itis matchless." Thissermon, which we are reprinting in two parts, with some minor editorial work,was preached at the interment of the Colonel Thomas Rainsborough who wastreacherously murdered on Oct 29, 1648. It was Brook’s first published work.
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