Judgment of the Saints must be over before the other can take place. Therefore by the Dead, Small and Great, who are at this time to ftand before God, the whole Number of all the wicked must be understood.

Their ftanding before God, is not God confider'd in his pure and holy Effence, without Relation to the human Nature; but God in Chrift Jefus, or God in the human Nature of Chrift. For, the Fa ther judgeth no Man, (without the Son) but bath. committed all Judgment to the Son. John v. 22. The fame we find in Acts xvii. 31. Because he hath ap pointed a Day in which he will judge the World in Righteoufnefs by that Man whom he hath ordained; wherefore he hath given Affurance unto all Men, that be bath raised him from the dead. This proves the Truth of Chrift's human Nature, that he is very. Man; and yet if this be compared with the other Text, we may fee how this proves the Truth of Chrift's Divinity alfo; and fhews that he is very God. Becaufe this is the Perfon, before whom the Dead, Small and Great is to ftand, that they may be tried by him, in the time of the Judgment; who is in exprefs Words faid to be God. And therefore this muft certainly be an undeniable Proof of the Deity of the Lord Jefus ; who is declared to be God as well as Man, or God-Man Mediator: Before whom it is that the Dead, or the Number of all Men, that are, was, or fhall be, muft ftand in that great and awful Day.

By the Books being opened, it is to fhew, that the Works and Actions of all Men, (even of all the Wicked) will be laid open in this time of their judging. By thefe Books, we are not to understand

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it in a proper, but in a figurative Senfe; because the Lord hath no need of Books, as we have ; only is spoke in Allufion unto fuch who fet down their Accounts in Books; to fhew that the Lord takes Notice of all our particular Actions, which must be laid open, and tried in the time of the Judgment. By Books in the plural Number, is to fignify that every Man hath his particular Book, to wit, the Book of Confcience; and fo here will be as many Books, as there fhall be Perfons to be judged. Befides here will be the Book of God's Remembrance; the Book of the Law; and the Book of the Gospel. All which will be opened, and laid before the Wicked and Ungodly at this time. The Book of Confcience fhall be fo awakened, as to make manifeft all their fecret as well as their open Sins: To which the Book of God's Remembrance will exactly agree; or there will be nothing charged by the Lord against the Sinner, as being found in the Book of his Remembrance, but what will be found in the Book of the Sinner's Confcience; which will ftrike them into a dreadful Aftonishment. Again, the Book of the Law will, when open'd, fill them with dismal Horror, when they fhall fee how they have broke every Precept a thousand and a thoufand times over. The Book of the Gospel will be no fmall Aggravation of their Condemnation, when they shall behold what Grace was held forth in the Gospel to Sinners, and how often they turned a deaf Ear unto thofe gracious Invitations. The Argument will not be fo much, whether they had a Power to come, as the Obftinacy of their Wills; they would not, neither had they any mind to be faved purely and alone by Jefus Chrift, as our Lord told

the

the Jews, ye will not come to me, that ye might have Life. John v. 40.

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Well, when all thefe Books fhall be opened, what a dreadful Confternation will there be the Spirits of poor Sinners then? They may now for a time dally with Sin, and ftifle Confcience, but in the Day of Judgment they cannot do fo. It is certain that then their Sins will find them out; which will appear as a thousand Witneffes again them. The Lord make poor Sinners fenfible of this before that Day comes.

But here is another Book open'd, and that is the Book of Life. The Reafon why it is called fo is, because the Names of all the Elect will be found written therein; the Book of God's Electing Love, wherein all the Saints will each one of them, find their particular Names inrolled. Which Book, without Doubt, was opened before in the time of their reigning with Chrift; which will fill their Hearts with Acclamations of unexpreffible Joy. But why is mention made of this Book being opened now, in the time that the Wicked are judged? Because every Mouth fhall be flopped; then will the Lord clear his Juftice from all thofe wicked Reflections of ungodly Men; who do so abuse the Doctrine of Election, by reflecting against the Juftice of God; as if God were unjuft in making Choice of fome, and leaving others. What Liberty have fome Men given themselves, in charging God (if this Doctrine of Election be true) with the higheft Injuftice imaginable! But alas, in the Day of Judgment, when this Book of Life comes to be opened, every Mouth will be ftopped! All Cavils and Objections that now can be made againft

this Doctrine, will be answered; wherein will appear fuch Grounds and Reafons of Equity and Justice, as well as Grace and Mercy, (in Election) as will fill the Hearts of the Saints with a ravishing Wonler, and the Hearts of Sinners with an Eternal Silence; fo as that there will not be one Word faid againft what the Lord hath done, or in that Day will do, but must be forced to acknowledge the Juftice and Righteoufnefs of God in all his Divine Proceedings.

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And the Dead were judged out of those things which were written in the Books, according to their Works. By the Dead, I underftand the reft of the Dead (as before) that is the Number of all the Wicked, expreffed here under the Denomination of fmall and great. By the Words fmall and great, I do not think (as fome) that thofe who died in Infancy fhould rife Infants. All that I understand by thofe Expreffions, is that all the, Wicked, as well as all the Saints, muft rife and appear before the Judgment Seat of Chrift, to give an Account of what they have done in the Body, whether it be good or bad. The Words fmall and great is to fignify that none will be fo fmall, as to be over-looked or none fo great as to be exempted, but they muft all arife and come forth to Judgment; whether they be high or low, rich or poor, noble or ignoble, bond or free; none will be excluded, they muft all stand before God. I humbly conceive, that each particular Perfon (what time foever it were that they died) will appear in that Day, in the full Age and Maturity of a Man.

Well, thefe must be judged out of thofe things which were written in the Books, according to their

Works.

Works. According to what their Works, State, and Conditions is found to be when these Books are opened, fhall they be judged: Or the Lord will pronounce a righteous Sentence upon each particular Perfon, according to the juft and due Defert of their Works, as they fhall be found written in the Books: According to the greatness of their Sins, or the Light which they have finned againft, will their Punishment be. What good or moral Acts that shall be found in these Books, as done by any of the wicked, I believe will be taken Notice of by the Lord, fo as that there will be a leffening or abating of their Punishment: For God will act and proceed in a way of pure Juftice with all his Creatures, though it be a thing difputed, whether there fhall be any Difference as to the Glory amongst the Saints in Heaven: It is certain and appears undifputable, there will be a Difference as to the Punishment of the Wicked in Hell. For it fhall be more tolerable for fome in the Day of Judgment, then it fhall be to others, as we may fee in Luke x. 12. but I fay unto you, (thefe are Chrift's Words) that it fhall be more tolerable (or eafier) in that Day for Sodom, than for that City. Sodom and Gomorrah, which for its Wickedness, was destroyed with Fire from Heaven, will not be fo much punished in the Day of Judgment; as those who perifh'd under the found of the Gofpel. It followeth, v. 13. Wo unto thee Chorazin, Wo unto thee Bethfaida; for if the mighty Works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented fitting in Sackcloth and Afbes, v. 14. But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the Fudg

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