SERM. cumftance is indeed remarkable and weighty; but I shall XXXIII.not infift on it, meaning immediately to set upon confider

ing the point itself, as it is here laid down in these terms; that it is he which was ordained by God to be Judge of quick and dead: in which words are couched three particulars moft confiderable.

1. A judgment ordained by God, and to be declared to

men.

2. The Judge, by whom immediately that judgment is administered; he; Jefus, our Lord and Saviour.

3. The extent of that judgment, or its adequate object; quick and dead.

These particulars I fhall in order touch, inferting fome material confiderations about the nature and manner of this judgment, with some reasons why it should be thus managed; then I shall adjoin some practical applications.

I. There is a judgment ordained by God, and to be declared to men; that is, concerning the perfons and actions of men performed in this life. How juft and fit it is that there should be fuch a judgment, how useful and requifite the declaration thereof is upon feveral accounts, (for engaging men upon the practice of virtue and restraining them from vice, for the prefervation and maintenance of human fociety, for the support and defence of religion, for the vindication of Divine Providence, and illustration of all God's holy attributes,) I have already endeavoured to declare; and in that regard I shall content myself now to fay, that as upon the apparent equity and usefulness of Juft. M. p. this doctrine all nations commonly have ever embraced the general substance thereof, as a fundamental principle of their religion, (all men commonly with a ready inclination having avowed it reasonable to fuppofe that every man after this life shall be brought unto a just and impartial bar, where his doings fhall be exactly scanned, and his person answerably doomed unto a comfortable or afflictive recompense,) so our religion, in a peculiar manner, doth most expressly affert, moft clearly describe, and most vigorously inculcate it, with all poffible advantage, both for the clearing God's dealings and attributes, and for the

1. et p. 106.

excitement of men to a virtuous and pious life. The na- SERM. ture, manner, procefs, and refult of the future judgment XXXIII. are in the holy Scripture most punctually fet down.

Jud. vi.

I. It teacheth us, that God hath appointed a determinate time for this judgment. God, faith St. Paul, hath Acts xvii. appointed a day, in which he will judge the world in 31. ii. 20. righteousness; that which is called the day of judgment, the last day, the day of the Lord, the great and the illuftrious day; and, by fignal excellency, The day; and, That 2 Tim. i. day; intimating, befide the certainty of the thing itself, 1 Thef. v. 4. the most especial regard that men are concerned to bear Heb. x. 25. thereto.

18. iv. 8.

2. That in order to this judgment all the actions of men are with greater exactness registered in books; (the books of divine omniscience, feeing all things prefent, and retaining all things paft, which nothing can efcape;) The (Job xiii. books (it is faid in the Revelation) were opened, and the 17.) dead were judged from the things written in the books, 12. according to their works.

27. xiv.

Rev. xx.

Dan. vii.

10.

15.

3. That, in order thereto, there fhall be (effected by divine power and command) a general refurrection of all perfons, both just and unjust: The hour, faith our Lord, is Acts xxiv. coming, in which all that are in the graves fhall hear his John v. 28. voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, to the refurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the refurrection of damnation.

Rom. xiv.

4. That then all perfons fo raised shall be presented at the bar of our Lord, to answer and undergo their trial; IRev.xx.12. faw, faith St. John, the great and small standing before 10. God's throne; and, We must all, faith St. Paul, be made Dargwappear, and be fet forth at the judgment-feat of Chrift; 2 Cor. v. and, The Son of man, faith our Lord, Shall fit upon the 10. throne of his glory, and all nations fhall be gathered to- odai. gether before him.

5. That then and there every thought, every word, every work of men fhall be throughly disclosed and difcuffed; fo that it, together with its due quality and desert, shall plainly appear; all the defigns and pretences of men fhall be laid bare; every cafe fhall be confidered; every

Παρίσα

Matt. XXV.

31, 32.

SERM. plea heard and scanned; the merits of every cause weighed XXXIII. in an even balance, according to truth and equity; men's

neglects and omiffions of duty shall also come under confideration; an account will be exacted of all the talents entrusted to any man, (of the abilities, opportunities, and advantages he ever had of doing God fervice,) and of what improvements answerable he hath made; what men have done themselves, and what they have done by others, from the influence of their advice, their perfuafion, or 1 Cor. iv. 5. their example, shall be searched out and poised; God, faith St. Paul, will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, Rom. ii. 29. and will make manifeft the counfels of hearts; and, of Matt. xii. every idle word that men fhall Speak, they shall render an 36. account at the day of judgment, faith our Lord; and, Matt. xxv. After a long time, faith he again, the Lord of thofe fervants cometh, and reckoneth with them, &c. and, Every work, faith the Preacher, God fhall bring into judgment, with every fecret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

1 Pet. 4, 5.

18.

Ecclef. xii. 4.

6. That upon each man, according to the true quality of his doings, thus detected, examined, and stated, a definitive sentence fhall pafs, whereby he shall be acquitted and approved, or condemned and reprobated; TOTE Ó ÉTαivos 1 Cor. iv. 5. Yevýσetaι êxásw, Then, faith St. Paul, praise shall be to each one; praise, that is, generally, (by an evenμioμòs, or favourable manner of speech,) a due taxation and esteem, accordMatt. xxv. ing to merit: then, Well done, good and faithful fervant, and, O thou bad and flothful fervant, shall be pronounced to one or the other fort of men, refpectively, according to their demeanour here.

21, 26.

Μισθαποδοσία.

Heb. xi. 26.

7. That according to the purport of this fentence a difcrimination fhall be made; and to one party a gracious reward, correfpondent to the quality and measure of their good works, in a blissful place; to the other, a fore punishment, in proportion to their demerits, in a place of misery: to the one, everlasting joy and glory above in heaven; to the other, endless forrow and shame beneath in hell, shall Matt. xvi. be affigned and difpenfed effectually. The Son of man fhall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then

27.

he shall reward every man according to his works; he will SERM. Separate them one from another, as a Shepherd divideth his XXXIII. Sheep from the goats; and he shall fet his sheep on his right Matt. xxv. hand, but the goats on the left: then the King fhall fay unto 32, &c. them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:-and, Then he shall fay alfo unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye curfed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: and, the good and faithful fervant fhall enter into his Mafter's joy; the bad and flothful shall be caft into utter darkness, where is weep- Matt. xxv. ing and gnashing of teeth: fo our Lord himself expreffeth 21, 30. it and St. Paul thus; We must, faith he, all appear before 2 Cor. v. 10. the tribunal of God, Iva xoμíontas exa505, that each one may bear away the things done in the body, according to what he hath done, whether it be good or bad: and, God will Rom. ii. render unto every man according to his works: to them 6-9. who by patient continuance in well-doing feek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: but unto them that are contentious, and obey not the truth, but obey unrighteoufnefs, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every foul of man that doeth evil: and even of old the Prophet Daniel thus briefly did express this different doom; Many of them that fleep in the dust of the Dan. xii. 2. earth shall awake; fome to everlasting life, and fome to Shame and everlasting contempt. Hence in regard to one party is the time of judgment styled the season of refresh- A&ts iii. 19. Eph. iv. 30. ment, the day of redemption, the time of recompenfe; in Luke xiv. reference to the other, the day of wrath, the day of de- 12. ftruction, the time of vengeance; when our Lord will, as Rom. ii. 5. St. Paul faith, take vengeance on them that know not God, 2 Pet. iii. 7. and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jefus Chrift; who fhall be punished with everlasting deftruction from the prefence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.

Col. iii. 24.

2 Thef. i. 8.

8. We are also farther taught, that all this fhall be tranfacted in a regular, public, and most folemn manner, in open court, in the face and audience of all the world, before angels and men. For our Lord is described com- 2 Thef. i. 7. ing to judgment with attendance of all the holy angels; Matt. xxv.

K 3

Lukeix. 26.

31. xvi. 27.

Jude xiv.

SERM, and the faints, being themselves first approved, shall beXXXIII. come affeffors there; and all men are represented as prefent at the trial, or as fpectators and auditors thereof: 1 Cor. vi. 2. Whosoever, faith our Lord, shall confefs me before men, him Matt. xix. fhall the Son of man also confefs before the angels of God; Luke xii. but he that denieth me before men, shall be denied before Matt. x. 32. the angels of God: and, There is nothing covered that Luke xii. 2. fhall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known :

28.

8, 9.

11.

10.

whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness fhall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in closets shall be proclaimed upon the house-tops.

9. That also the judgment shall pass to the full conviction and entire fatisfaction of all that are prefent; fo that each one concerned therein fhall be forced in confcience to acquiefce in his doom, as most just and equal; the condemned stooping with awe to his justice; the abfolved adoring with humble reverence his mercy; the spectators applauding with admiration his holy wifdom: for that Rom. ii. 5. day will be, as St. Paul calleth it, a day of revelation of God's righteous judgment; and God in regard thereto is Rom. xiv. represented speaking thus; To me, as I live, faith the Lord, every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall give 2 Thef. i. glory to God: and, our Lord, in that day, faith St. Paul, will be glorified in his faints, and admired in all them that believe and, He will then, as it is in St. Jude, convince all that are ungodly of all their ungodly deeds, which they have ungodlily committed, and of all the hard Speeches which ungodly finners have spoken against him. So that thereupon those confeffions and acclamations of praise in Rev. xix. 2. the Revelation fhall be refounded through heaven; Allexvi. 7. vii. luia; Salvation, and glory, and power, be to the Lord our God; for true and righteous are his judgments: Salvation be unto our Lord, that fitteth on the throne, and to the Lamb: Great and wonderful are thy works, O Lord God Almighty; juft and true are thy ways, O thou King of Saints.

Jude xv.

1. XV. 3.

Thus do the holy Pandects of our religion fet out that judgment, which all men hereafter muft undergo; wherein all the attributes of God fhall be confpicuously glorified;