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CHA P. III.

Who shall be our Judge, viz. The Man CHRIST JESUS.

III.

LET us now confider who fhall be

our Judge: That man whom he bath ordained, whereof be hath given affurance unto all men, in that he bath raifed him from the dead; where there are two things to be confidered: First, The Perfon who is to judge us. Secondly,, What Affurance we have, that He fhall be our Judge.

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First, The Perfon who is to judge us: That man whom he hath ordained; that is, the Man, CHRIST JESUS: for thus both Chrift and his Apoftles affure us, that God hath appointed him to be the Judge of the World: The Father judgeth no man; but bath committed all judgment to the Son, 5 John 22. The Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father,, with his Angels; and then shall be reward every man according to his works, 16 Matthew 27. Thus St. Peter affures Cornelius concerning Chrift, He commanded us to preach unto the people, and to teftifie that it is be which was ordained by God to be the Judge of quick and dead, IO Acts 42. But there is no need to multiply Texts in fo plain a Cafe, it is of more concernment to inquire, why Chrift, who is the Eternal Son of God, and a God Incar

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nate, when he is spoke of as Judge of the World, is most usually defcrib'd as a Man, or the Son of Man; thus, He is that man whom God bath ordained; and the Son of man; nay, Chrift himself tells us, For this reafon God hath given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of man, 5 John 27.

Now the reason why our Saviour is defcribed as a Man, and the Son of Man, when he comes to Judgment, is, because he fhall vifibly appear in Humane Nature to judge the World ; and therefore will be, and will appear as much a Man as he did when he dwelt on Earth, though he will appear alfo more like a God: Thus the Prophet Daniel defcribes it He Saw in the night vifions, and behold, one like the Son of man, came with the clouds of beaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him Dominion and Glory, and a Kingdom, that all People, Nations, and Languages fhould ferve him: his Dominion is an everlasting Dominion, which fhall not pass away, and his Kingdom that which shall not be deftroyed, 7 Dan. 13, 14. It is the Son of Man who has this Glory and Kingdom given him, and which he muft adminifter as the Son of Man.

And this feems the true reafon why our Saviour fo often calls himself the Son of Man, not as fome imagine with respect to the mean Circumftances of his Appearance in the World, for this Phrafe, The Son of Man, no where in Scripture relates to fuch an external Meannefs and Poverty as diftinguishes one

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49 Fer. 28. Man from another; but it either fignifies no 25 Job 6. more than a Man, or it refpects the com80 Pfal.17. mon Weakneffes of Humane Nature; and 146Pfal3 when this Name is applied to any particular 2 Ezek. Perfons, it is never ufed of mean Men, but

always of Princes or Prophets : But by this Title of the Son of Man, our Saviour gives us to underftand, that he is that Great and Extraordinary Perfon, known by the Name of The Son of Man in Daniel's Vifions, whom God hath ordained to be the Lord and Judge of the World.

But I fhall not pass over this Argument thus, but fhall more particularly confider the great Wifdom of this; how neceffary, congruous and fitting it is, that the Son of Man fhould judge the World; which will fuggeft a great many useful Meditations to us. Now I fhall reduce what I have to fay to thefe two Heads : 1. That it is very fitting and neceffary, that the Saviour of Mankind fhould be their Judge alfo. 2. And therefore that the Man Chrift Jefus, who is the Saviour of the World, fhould judge it.

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I. That it is very fitting and neceffary that the Saviour of Mankind fhould be their Judge alfo; and that upon two Accounts,

1. Becaufe the Authority to judge is ef fential to the Notion and Authority of a Saviour To Save Sinners, fignifies to fave them from their Sins; which is the true Interpretation of the Name Jefus, 1 Matth. 20. And to fave them from their Sins, is to deliver them from

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from the Punishment of Sin; that is, from the Wrath of God, from the Curfe of the Law, from Death and Hell, to raise them from the Dead, and to beftow Immortal Life on them: Now there are feveral Acts must concur to perfect this Salvation, but the last concluding and finishing Act is Judgment. And he only is a compleat and perfect Saviour, who has Authority to Judge, to Pardon, and to -Reward.

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God is a Holy and Pure Being, and can never be reconciled to Sinners, till they are renewed and fanctified, which makes it neceffary for the Saviour of the World, to inftruct Mankind in their Duty, and by the Power of his Grace to change their Natures, and make them Holy as God is, fince without holiness no man shall fee God and therefore he must be a great Prophet and Preacher of Righteoufnefs, to turn men from darkness unto light, and from the power of Satan unto God. God is a very Righteous Judge and has threatned Death againft Sin ; and therefore the Saviour of Sinners must make Atonement and Expiation for Sin, muft deliver us from the Curse of the Law, by being made a Curfe for us; that is, must be our Prieft and our Sacrifice, muft dye for our Sins, and intercede for us with, God: but all this while a Sinner is not faved till he is finally acquitted and abfolved; till he is a&tually delivered from the Curfe of the Law and poffeffed of Eternal Life and Glory; all things elfe are only Preparatory Acts, but the final Judgment perfects our Salvation; or he

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who finally pardons, and beftows Heaven on us, is our Saviour: Chrift might have been our Prophet, our Prieft, and our Sacrifice, without being our Judge, but he could not have been our Saviour without it; and therefore after Chrift's Refurrection from the Dead, after he had preach'd the Gofpel, and died upon the Crofs to expiate our Sins, he tells his Difciples, All power is given unto me both in heaven and in earth, 28 Matth. And St. Peter tells the Sanhedrim, Him bath God exalted with his right band to be a Prince and a Saviour, to give repenpentance to Ifrael, and forgiveness of fins, 5 Acts 31. So that he faves by Power, he is our Saviour and our Prince; and this Power is the Reward of his Obedience and Sufferings: Therefore God bath highly exalted him, and given him a Name which is above every Name: That at the Name of Jefus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue fhould confefs, that Jefus Chrift is Lord, to the Glory of God the Father, 2 Phil. 9, 10, 11. His Power to fave is attributed to his Interceffion, or Mediatory Kingdom: Wherefore he is able alfo to fave them to the utter most, that come unto God by him, Seeing be ever liveth to make interceffion for them, 7 Hebr. 25. And in like manner St. Paul attributes our Reconciliation to God, to the Death of Chrift, but our Salvation to his Life; that is that Power he was invested with at his Refurrection from the Dead: For if when we were Enemies we were reconciled unto God by the death of his Son: much more being reconciled,

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