Matth. xvi. 27. 2 Cor. x. 10. 2 Theff. i. 7, 8, 9, 10 Rev. XX. 11, 12, 13, 14, 15. God has not 'on'y faid it, but he has fworn it, Rom. xiv. 10, II. We must all stand before the judgment feat of Chrift. For it is written, As I live faith the Lord, every knee thall bow to me, and every * tongue fhall confefs to God.' So that the truth of God is moft folemnly plighted for it,

Secondly, The rectoral justice and goodness of God, the fovereign Ruler of the world, do neceffarily require it, inafmuch as they require its being well with the righteous, and ill with the wicked. Howbeit, we often now fee wickednefs exalted, while truth and righteoufner fall in the streets; piety oppreffed, while profanity and irreligion do triumph. This is fo very ordinary, that every one, who fincerely embraceth the way of holiness, must, and doth lay his account with the lofs of all he has, which the world can take away from him. Luke xiv. 26. If any man come to me, and hate · not his father,, and mother, and wife, and children, and • brethren, and fifters, yea, and his own life alfo, he cannot

be my difciple. 'But it is inconfiftent with the justice and goodness of God, that the affairs of men fhould always continue in this state, which they appear in, from one generation to another; but that every man be rewarded according to his works and fince that is not done in this life, there must be a judgment to come; Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompence tribulation to them that trouble you: and to · you who are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jefus fhall be revealed from heaven.' 2 Theff. i 6. 7. There will Be a day, in which the tables will be turned; and the wicked fhall be called to an account for all their fins, and suffer the due punishment of them; and the pious fhall be the profperous; for, as the Apoftle argues for the happy refurrection of the faints. If in this life only we have hope in Chrift, we are of all men moft miferable,' 1 Cor. xv. 19. It is true, God, fometimes punifheth the wicked, in this life; that men may know, he is a God that judgeth in the earth: but yet much wickedness remains unpunished, and undiscovered; to be a pleige of the judgment to come. If none of the wicked were punished here, they would conclude that God had utterly forfaken the earth; if all of them were punished in this life, men would be apt to think, there is no after reckoning

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State Therefore, in the wisdom of God, fome are punished and some not. Sometimes the Lord fmites finners, i very act of fin; to fhew unto the world, that he is w to all their wickednefs, and will call them to an ac for it. Sometimes he delays long, ere he strike; th may discover to the world, that he forgets not mens ill though he does not prefently punish them. Befides al the fins of many do outlive them; and the impure fou by them opened, runs long after they are dead and As in the cafe of Jeroboam the first king of the ten ti whofe fin did run on all along unto the end of that un kingdom, 2 Kings xvii. 22. The children of Ifrael w in all the fins of Jeroboam, which he did; they de not from them, Ver. 43. Until the Lord removed out of his fight.'

Thirdly, The refurrection of Chrift is a certain that there fhall be a day of judgment. This arg Paul ufeth to convince the Athenians, fays he, he hat offurance to all men, in that he hath raised him from th Acts xvii. 31. The Judge is already named, his written and fealed, yea, and read before all men, in fing again from the dead. Hereby God hath given a of it (or offered faith, Marg.) He hath by railing from the dead, exhibited his credentials as Judge of the When, in the days of his humiliation, he was fifted a tribunal, arraigned, accufed, and condemned of m plainly told them of this judgment, and that he himfeli be the Judge, Matth. xxvi. 64. Hereafter fhall ye Son of man fitting on the right hand of power, and co the clouds of heaven.' And now that he was raised fr dead, tho' condemned as a blafphemer on this very h is not an undeniable proof, from heaven, of the truth he afferted? Moreover, this was one of the great Chrift's death and refurrection, for to this end Chr died and rofe, and revived, that he might be the Lor The Lord Judge, as is evident from the context) bot dead and of the living, Rom. xiv. 9.

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Laftly, Every man bears about with him a witness within his own breast, Rom. ii. 15. Which fhews the the law written in their hearts, their confcience al

⚫ing witnefs, and their thoughts the mean while accufing, or • elfe exculing one another.' There is a tribunal erected within every man, where confcience is accufer, witness, and judge, binding over the finner to the judgment of God. This fills the most profligate wretches with horror, and inwardly flings them, upon the commiffion of fome attrocious crime; in effect fummoning them to answer for it, before the Judge of the quick and dead. And this it doth, even when the crime is fecret, and hid from the eyes of the world. It reacheth those, whom the laws of men cannot reach, because of their power or craft. When men have fled from the judgment of their fellow creatures; yet, go where they will, confcience as the fupreme Judge's officer, Atill keeps hold of them, reserving them in its chains to the judgment of the great day. And whether they escape punishment from men, or fall by the hand of public justice, when they perceive death's approach, they hear from within of this after reckoning; being constrained to hearken thereto, in these the most serious minutes of their life. If there be fome, in whom nothing of this doth appear, we have no more ground thence to conclude against it, than we have to conclude, that because fome men do not groan, therefore they have no pain; or that dying is a mere jest, because there have been, who have feemed to make little elfe of it, A good face may be put upon an ill confcience: and the more hopeless mens cafe is, they reckon it the more their intereft to make no reflections on their state and cafe. But every one, who will confult him feriously, fhall find in himfelf the witness to the judgment to come. Even the heathens wanted not a notion of it, though mixed with fictions of their own. Hence, though fome of the Athenians, when they heard of the refurrection of the dead, mocked, Acts xvii. 32. yet there is no account of their mocking, when they heard of the general judgment, ver. 31.

II. For explication, the following particulars may ferve to give fome view of the nature and tranfactions of that great day.

Firft, God fhall judge the world by Jefus Chrift. He will judge the world in righteousness, by that man whom he hath ordained, A&ts xvii. 31. The Pfalmift tells us, that God is Fudge himself, Pfal. I. 6. The holy bleffed Trinity, Father,

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Son, and Holy Ghoft, is Judge, in refpect of judicial authority, dominion, and power: but the Son incarnate is thy Judge, in respect of difpenfation, and special exercise of that power. The judgment fhall be exercised or performed by him, as the Royal Mediator; for he has a delegated power of judgment from the Father, as his fervant, his King, whom he hath fet upon his holy hill of Zion, (Pfal. ii. 6.) and to whom he hath committed all judgment, John v. 22. This is a part of the Mediator's exaltation, given him, in confequence of his voluntary humiliation. Philip.ii. 8, 9, 10. He bumbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God hath also highly exalted him, and given him a name, which is above every name, (i. e. power and authority over all, to wit( That at (or in) the name of Jefus) not, the name of Jefus; that is not the name above every name, being common to others, as to Jufus, Col. iv. 11. and Joshua, Heb. iv. 8. every knee shall bow. The which is explained by the Apoftle himfelt, of ftanding before the judgment feat of Chrift, Rom. xiv. 10, II. So he who was judged and condemned of men, fhall be the judge of men and angels.

Secondly, Jefus Chrift the Judge, defcending from heaven into the air, ( Thess. iv. 16, 17. fhall come in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory, Matth. xxiv. 30. This his coming will be a mighty furprize to the world, which will be found in deep fecurity: foolish virgins fleeping, and the wife flumbering. There will then be much luxury and debauchery in the world, little fobriety and watchfulness; a great throng of bufinefs, but a great fcarcity of faith and holinefs. As it was in the days of Noah, so also shall it be in the • days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark: and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise alfo as it was in the days of Lot: they did eat, they drank, they bought, they fold, they planted, they builded-Even thus fhall it be in the day, ⚫ when the Son of man is revealed,' Luke xvii. 26, 27, 28, 30. The coming of the Judge will surprise fome at markets.buying and felling; others at table, eating and drinking, and making merry: others bufy with their new plantings; fome building new houses; Day, fome's wedding day will be their

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own, and the world's judgment day. But the Judge cometh!, the markets are marred; the buyer throws away what he has bought; the feller cafts down his money: they are raised from the table, and their mirth is extinguished in a moment; tho' the tree be fet in the earth, the gardner may not ftay to caft the earth about it; the workmen throw away their tools, when the house is half built, and the owner regards it no mores the bridegroom, bride, and guests must leave the wedding. teaft, and appear before the tribunal: for, Behold he cometh with clouds, and every eye shall fee him Rev 1.7 He fall come moft gloriously: for he will come in the glory of his Father, with the holy angels, Mark viii. 38. When he came in the flesh, to die for finners, he laid afide the robes of his glory, and was despised and rejected of men: but when he comes again, to judge the world, fuch fhall be his vifible glory and majesty, that it fhall call an eternal vail over all. earthly glory, and fill his greateft enemies with fear and dread. Never had prince, or potentate in the world, fuch a glorious train, as will accompany this Judge: all the holy angels fhall come with him, for his honour and fervice., Then he, who was led to the cross with a band of foldiers. will be gloriously attended to the place of judgment, by (not a multitude of the heavenly hoft, but) the whole hoit of angels; all his holy angels, tay the text.

Thirdly, At the coming of the judge, the fummons are given to the parties, by the found of the last trumpet; at which the dead are raised, and thefe found alive changed; of which before, Theff. iv. 16, 17. O loud trumpet, that fhall be heard at once, in all corners of the earth, and of the fea? O wonderful voice, that will not only difturb thofe who fleep in the duft;, but effectually awaken, rouze them out of their fleep, and raise them from death! Were trumpets founding now, drums beating, furious foldiers crying and killing men, women and children running and fhrieking, the wounded groaning and dying; thofe who are in the graves, would have no more disturbance, than if the world were in most profound peace. Yea, were ftormy winds cafting down the lofty oaks, the feas roaring and fwallowing up the fhips, the most dreadful thunders going along the heavens,lightnings every where flashing,the earth quaking, trembling, opening, and fwallowing up whole cities,

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