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SERM. XLII. it was fince he took our nature, till that day; now he will ap pear in his glory. For,

First, This act of judging pertaining properly to the kingly office, Chrift will be glorified as much in his kingly office, as he hath been in either of the other. We find but fome few glimpfes of the kingly office, breaking forth in this world; as, his riding with Hofannahs into Jerufalem; his whipping the buyers and fellers out of the temple; his title upon the crofs, &c. But thefe were but faint beams: Now that office will fhine in its glory, as the fun in the midst of the heavens. For what were the Hofannahs of little children, in the streets of Jerufalem, to the shouts and acclamations of thousands of angels, and ten thou fands of faints? what was his whipping the prophane out of the temple, to his turning the wicked into hell, and fending his angels to gather out of his kingdom every thing that offendeth? what was a title written by his judge, and fixed on the ignominious tree, to the name that shall now be feen on his vesture, and on his thigh, King of kings, and Lord of lords.

Secondly, This will be a difplay of his glory in the highest, before the whole world. For there will be prefent at once, and together, all the inhabitants of heaven, and earth, and hell; angels must be there to attend and minifter; thofe glittering courtiers of heaven must attend his perfon; fo that heaven will, for a time, be left empty of all its inhabitants: men and devils must be there to be judged: and before this great affembly will Chrift appear in royal Majefty. He will, (to allude to that text, Ifa. xxiv. 23.), reign before his ancients gloriously. "For he will "come to be glorified in his faints, and to be admired in all them "" that believe," 2 Theff. i. 1C. The inhabitants of the three regions, heaven, earth, and hell, fhall then rejoice, or tremble before him, and acknowledge him to be fupreme Lord and King.

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Thirdly, This will roll away for ever the reproach of his death for Pilate and the high-Prieft, that judged him at their bars, fhall now ftand quivering at his bar; with Hered that fet him at nought, the foldiers and officers that traduced and abufed him there they that reviled him on the cross, wagging their heads, will stand, with trembling knees, before his throne. વડ every eye fhall fee him, and they also that pierced him," Rev. i. 7. O what a contemptible perfon was Chrift in their eyes. once? As a worm, and no man. Every vile wretch could freely tread and trample on him; but now fuch will be the brightness of his glory, fuch the awful beams of majefty, that the wicked fhall not ftand in his prefence, or "be able to rife up," (as that

† word imports, Pfal. i. 5.), "before him." So that this will be a full and univerfal vindication of the death of Christ, from all that contempt and ignominy that had attended it. We next improve it.

Inference 1. Is Jefus Christ ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead? Great then is the fecurity believers have, that they shall not be condemned in that day. Who fhall condemn, when Chrift is Judge? If believers be condemned in judgment, Chrift must give fentence against them: yea, and they must condemn themselves too. I fay, Chrift must give fentence, for that is the proper and peculiar office of Chrift. And, to be fure, no fentence of condemnation thall, in that day, be given Chrift against them. For,

Firft, He died to fave them, and he will never cross and overthrow the defigns and ends of his own death. That cannot be imagined. Nay,

Secondly, They have been cleared, and abfolved already. And being once abfolved by divine fentence, they can never be condemned afterward. For one divine fentence cannot cross and refcind another. He juftified them here in this world by faith : Declared in his word, (which fhall then be the rule of judgment, Rom. ii. 16.), that " there is no condemnation to them that are "in Christ," Rom. viii. 1. And furely he will not retract his own word, and give a fentence quite cross to his own statutebook, out of which he hath told us that they shall be judged. Moreover,

Thirdly, The far greateft part of them will have paffed their particular judgment, long before that day, and being therein acquitted by God, the Judge of all; and admitted into heaven upon the fcore and account of their justification; it cannot be imagined that Christ should now condemn them with the world. Nay,

Fourthly, He that judged them is their head, husband, friend, and brother: who loved them, and gave himself for them: O then, with what confidence may they go, even unto his throne? and fay, with Job, "Though he try us as fire, we know we shall

come forth as gold." We know that we fhall be juftified. Especially, if we add, that they themselves fhall be the affeffors with Chrift in that day. And, (as a judicious author pertinently obferves), not a sentence fhall pafs without their votes. " So "as that they may by faith not only look upon themselves as already in heaven, fitting with Chrift, as a common perfon, in

לא יקמו ז .

Goodwin's Triumph, p. 146.

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their right; but they may look upon themselves as judges al"ready. So that if any fiu fhould arife to accuse, or condemn, yet it must be with their votes. And what greater fecurity can they have than this, that they must condemn themselves, if they be condemned." No, no, it is not the the bufinefs of that day to condemn, but to abfolve, and pronounce them pardoned and juftified, according to the fentence of Acts iii. 19. and Mat. xii. 32. So that it must needs be a time of refreshing, (as all fcriptures call it), to the people of God. You that now believe, fhall not come into condemnation, John v. 24. You that now judge your felves fhall not be condemned with the world, 1 Cor. xi. 31, 32.

Inference 2. If Chrift be ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead, how miferable a cafe will Chriftless fouls be in at that day! They that are Christlefs now, will be fpeechless, helplefs, and hopeless then. How will their hands hang down, and their knees knock together! O what pale faces, quivering lips, fainting hearts, and roaring confciences will be among them in that day! O dreadful day ! O astonishing fight! to fee the world in a dreadful conflagration, the elements melting, the stars faling, the earth trembling, the judgment fet, the prifoners brought forth; O who fhall endure in this day, but those that by union with Chrift are fecured against the danger and dread of it! Let me demand of poor Chriflefs fouls, whom this day is like to Overtake unawares.

First, Do you think it poffible to avoid appearing, after what terrible citation is given to the world by the trump of God? Alas, how can you imagine it? is not the fame power that revived your duft, able to bring you before the bar? There is a neceffity that you must come forth, 2 Cor. v. 10. "We [must] "all appear." It is not at the finner's choice, to obey the fam

mons or not.

Secondly, If you must appear, are there no accufers, nor wit neffes, that will appear against you, and confront you in the court? What think you, was Satan so often a tempter to you here, and will he not be an accufer there? Yes, nothing furer; for that was the main defign of all his temptations. What think you of your own confciences? are they not privy to your fecret wickednefs; do not they now whifper fometimes in your ears, what you care not to hear of? If they whisper now, they will thunder then, Rom. ii. 15, 16. Will not the Spirit accufe you, for refifting his motions, and ftifling thousands of his convictions? Will not your companions in fin accufe you? who drew, or were drawn by you to fin? Will not your teachers be your

accufers? How many times have you made them complain, Lord, they are iron and brass, they have made their faces harder than a rock; they refuse to return. Will not your very relations be your accufers, to whom you have failed in all your relational duties? Yea, and every one whom you have tempted to fin, abufed, defrauded, over-reached; all thefe will be your accufers. So that it is without difpute, you will have accufers enough to appear against you.

Thirdly, Being accused before Jefus Chrift, what will you plead for yourselves: will you confefs, or will you deny the charge? If you confefs, what need more? "Out of thine own mouth "will I judge thee," faith Christ, Luke xix. 22. If you deny, and plead not guilty; thy Judge is the fearcher of hearts, and knows all things. So that it will not at all help thee to make a lie thy last refuge. This will add to the guilt, but not cover it.

Fourthly, If no defence or plea be left thee, then what canft thou imagine should retard the fentence? Why should not Chrift go on to that dreadful work?" Muft not the Judge of all the "earth do right?" Gen. xviii. 25. Must not he render to eve ry man according to his deeds? 2 Cor. v. 10. Yes, no que ftion but he will proceed to that fentence, how terrible foever it be to you to think on it now, or hear it then.

Fifthly, To conclude, if fentence be once given by Christ against thy foul, what in all the world canft thou imagine fhould hinder the execution? Will he alter the thing that is gone out of his mouth? No, Pfal. lxxxix. 34. Dost thou hope he is more merciful and pitiful than fo? Thou mistakest, if thou expectest mercy out of that way in which he difpenfes it. There will be thousands, and ten thoufands that will rejoice in, and magnify his mercy then; but they are fuch as obey his call, repented, believed, and obtained union with his perfon here; but for unbelievers, it is against the fettled law of Chrift, and constitution of the gofpel, to fhew mercy to the defpifers of it. But it may be, you think your tears, your cries, your pleadings with him, may move him; thefe, indeed, might have done fomewhat in time, but they come out of feafon now. Alas, too late. What the fuccefs of fuch pleas and cries will be, you may fee, if you will but confult two fcriptures, Job xxvii 3, 9. "What "is the hope of the hypocrite, tho' he hath gained, when "God taketh away his foul? Will God hear his cry when "trouble cometh upon him?" No, no: And Mat. vii. 22. Many will fay unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not VOL. II. K

"prophefied in thy name, and in thy name have caft out de"vils, and in thy name done many wonderful works? And "then will I profefs unto them, I never knew you; depart "from me ye that work iniquity."

And must it come to this dismal issue with you indeed? God forbid it should. Oh then,

Inference 3. If Chrift be appointed of God to be the Judge of all, how are all concerned to fecure their intereft in him, 'and therein an eternity of happiness to their own fouls, by the work of regeneration? Of all the bufinefs that men and women have in this world, there is none fo folemn, fo neceffary, and important, as this. O my brethren, this is a work, able to drink up your fpirits, while you do but think of the confequence of it.

Summon in then thy felf-reflecting, and confidering powers: get alone, reader, and, forgetting all other things, ponder with thyfelf this deep, dear, eternal concernment of thine. Examine the fate of thy own foul. Look into the fcriptures, then into thine own heart, and then to heaven, faying, Lord, let me not be deceived in fo great a concernment to me as this. O let not the trifles of time wipe off the impreffions of death, judgment, and eternity, from thy heart. O that long word [Eternity,] that it might be night and day with thee. That the awe of it may be still upon thy fpirit. A gentlewoman of this nation, having spent the whole afternoon, and a great part of the evening at cards, in mirth and jollity, came home late at night, and finding her waiting gentlewoman reading, fhe looked over her fhoulder upon the book, and faid, Poor melancholy foul, why doft thou fit here poring fo long upon thy book? That night he could not deep, but lay fighing and weeping; her fervant asked her once and again what ailed her; at last she burst out into tears, and faid, O! it was one word that I caft my eye upon in thy book, that troubles me; there I faw that word Eternity. How happy were I, if I were provided for eternity! Sure it concerns us, feeing we look for fuch things, to be diligent that we may be found of him in peace. O let not that day come by furprizal u pon you. Remember that as death leaves, fo judgment will find you.

Infer. 4. Is Jefus Chrift appointed Judge of quick and dead, then look to it, all you that hope to be found of him in peace, that you avoid thofe fins, and live in the daily practice of thofe duties, which the confideration of that day powerfully perfuades you to avoid or practife. For it not only preffes to holiness in actu prime, in the being of it; but in actu fecundo, in the daily exercise