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<DATE>2013-05-21</DATE>
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<NAME>Colm MacCrossan</NAME>
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<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>THE CERTAINTY OF THE <HI><HI>Future Judgment</HI> A&s;&s;erted and Proved,</HI> IN A SERMON PREACHED At S^t <HI>Michael</HI>'s <HI>Crooked Lane, London,</HI> Octob. xxvi. 1684. By <HI>MATTH. BRYAN,</HI> Lecturer there. <HI>Publi&s;hed in the Author's Vindication.</HI></P>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed for <HI>Walter Kettilby,</HI> at the <HI>Bi&s;hop</HI>'s <HI>Head</HI> in S^t <HI>Paul</HI>'s <HI>Church-yard.</HI> 1685.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2" MS="y">
<HEAD>TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE AND RIGHT REVEREND FATHER in GOD, PETER Lord BISHOP of <HI>WINTON,</HI> AND PRELATE of the <HI>GARTER,</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>MY LORD,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>YOur Lord&s;hip having been plea&s;ed to honour me with a Te&s;timonial under your Epi&s;copal Seal (be&s;ides a Letter to his Grace my Lord of <HI>Canterbury</HI>) of my Beha|viour for about ten Years in your Lord&s;hips late Dioce&s;e of <HI>Bath and Wells,</HI> when I remo|ved thence to the Place where I now am; I &s;hould ju&s;tly have been condemn'd, had tho&s;e &s;candalous Reports, which are rais'd concerning me, been true, as the vile&s;t and mo&s;t ungrateful Wretch living, appearing &s;o unworthy of, and contrary to the Character your Lord&s;hip was pleas'd to give me, pro|ving at once a di&s;obedient Son to your good
<PB REF="3">Lord&s;hip, (to whom I mu&s;t acknowledge my &s;elf to &s;tand, in many in&s;tances, more particu|larly obliged) and a di&s;loyal Subject to the Be&s;t of Kings.</P>
<P>This, my Lord, is the rea&s;on of my in&s;cri|bing to your Lord&s;hip's Name the following plain Di&s;cour&s;e (calculated for a common Auditory) which I am even forc'd out of pure nece&s;&s;ity to make publick (and therefore humbly beg that it may &s;helter it &s;elf under your Lord&s;hip's Patronage) to &s;top the mouth of a flying Scandal, which has wounded my Reputation, and that the Truth may appear, and the World be &s;atisfied how unju&s;tly my Sermon preached at St. <HI>Michael</HI>'s <HI>Crooked Lane, London, Octob.</HI> 26. <HI>ult.</HI> was reflected on, and repre&s;ented as Trea&s;onable and Seditious, and reproaching the Government and the Courts of Ju&s;tice: A heavy Charge and Im|putation! which, I doubt not, Good Men (when undeceiv'd) will conclude to be fal&s;e, and that I am notwith&s;tanding a true and Loyal Subject to the King, the rather, be|cau&s;e</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED><HI>Your Lord&s;hip's mo&s;t Obedient Son, and Obliged Humble Servant,</HI>Matth. Bryan.</SIGNED>
<DATE>Decemb. 10. 1684.</DATE></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="3" MS="y">
<HEAD>To the READER.</HEAD>
<P>IT is not out of Ambition to appear in print, to lie up|on a Book-&s;eller's &s;tall, and be pointed at in a crowd, <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">&mdash;that I publi&s;h the following plain (but pra|ctical) Di&s;cour&s;e, (fitted for a private Auditory in my Cour&s;e of Preaching, and not de&s;ign'd for publick view) but in a ju&s;t Vindication of my &s;elf from tho&s;e A&s;per&s;ions and unworthy Calumnies, ca&s;t upon me by &s;ome of my Auditors, who out of Ignorance, or Prejudice, at lea&s;t not well under&s;tanding, or regarding what was &s;poken, together with the Scope, and Coherence, or out of I know not what ra&s;h and prepo&s;terous Zeal (but not according to Knowledge) hoping perhaps to oblige the Government, (whereas in Truth by &s;uch practices they really prejudice it, whil&s;t they reproach and abu&s;e its Friends, that are truly loyal, and neither &s;peak, nor act any thing a|gainst it, but for it, and that in a lawful A&s;&s;embly) mi&s;erably repre&s;ented my Sermon with &s;o black, and frightful a Face, that I was &s;tartled at it my &s;elf, appear|ing in their deformed Dre&s;s, and &s;o unlike my Genuine I&s;|&s;ue (there being nothing which I abhor more than Di&s;loy|alty, Sedition and Trea&s;on, which, not only my Prin|ciples as a Clergy-man, but my Education too, as a Clergy|man's Son, do, I thank God, &s;ufficiently arm me again&s;t) and therefore took a review of its native Complexion, which I &s;hew'd again to my Auditors the Sunday follow|ing, the major Part of which, and &s;ome the mo&s;t judi|cious, and eminently loyal Per&s;ons, declared it to be the &s;ame, (without any material alteration) and altogether unlike the mon&s;trous &s;hape, which &s;ome had made it to ap|pear in. With which, though &s;ome were &s;atisfied, not only my Auditors, but others too, particularly, the Honourable Sir <HI>Richard Lloyd</HI> Knight, Dean of the Arches (to whom a complaint was brought again&s;t me,
<PB REF="4">which was &s;oon after contradicted by the &s;ame Per&s;on that brought it, being undeceiv'd by a true account from a ve|ry judicious, loyal Per&s;on, in the Pari&s;h of <HI>S^t Michael Crooked-Lane,</HI> who was an Auditor of the &s;aid Ser|mon) and al&s;o his Grace my Lord of <HI>Canterbury,</HI> who has &s;ince had a true account of the whole matter: Yet I doubt not but there are many, to whom it hath, or will appear with its ugly Vizard, and its blacker Dre&s;s (which Ignorance, or Malevolence has put upon it) which will provoke them to abhor and cur&s;e the Child and the Pa|rent too.</P>
<P>To prevent which mi&s;chief, and undeceive the impartial and unprejudic'd, I thought it nece&s;&s;ary to print my Ser|mon, which how faithfully and exactly done, I appeal to the mo&s;t judicious Auditors, both in the Pari&s;h of <HI>S^t Mary Newington</HI> in <HI>Surrey,</HI> (where this very Sermon, that was &s;o carp'd at (but not by one of the Auditors there) was preach'd in the Morning) and in the Pari&s;h of <HI>S^t Michael Crooked Lane, London</HI> (where it was preach|ed in the Afternoon) who, I doubt not, will be ready to atte&s;t (if required) that what is here pre&s;ented to the World in Print, is the very &s;ame, without any material alteration, that was preached in each Pari&s;h on the <HI>26^t^h</HI> of <HI>October</HI> ult. and the <HI>2^d</HI> of <HI>November</HI> following, at which times was delivered what was objected again&s;t, and mi&s;-repre&s;ented in this Di&s;cour&s;e, particularly from <HI>p. 1.</HI> to <HI>p. 18.</HI> which is tran&s;crib'd from my Notes, as it was preach'd.</P>
<P>And whether the whole, or any part of it &s;peaks what my Accu&s;ers did (viz. <HI>that I reproach'd and reflected on the Government, and the Courts of Ju&s;tice, &s;ay|ing, That there is per&s;ecution in our Courts of Judi|cature, and that Men are per&s;ecuted there, and could not have Ju&s;tice done them, and that the Judges did take Bribes,</HI> &amp;c.) let the impartial and un|prejudic'd judge.</P>
<PB REF="4" MS="y">
<P>I pre&s;ume the &s;ubtille&s;t Head, and mo&s;t critical Cen|&s;or cannot pick out one thing that looks like <HI>Trea&s;on,</HI> or <HI>Sedition,</HI> or <HI>Reflection</HI> on the <HI>Government,</HI> or the <HI>Courts of Judicature.</HI></P>
<P>And how tender a Man ought to be of, and concern'd for his Reputation, is determin'd not only by that famous Oracle,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 7.1. Vid. Bp. <HI>San|der&s;on</HI>'s Ser|mons, p. 23.</NOTE> the wi&s;e&s;t Meer-man on earth (who ob&s;erves that <HI>a good Name is better than precious Oyntment</HI>) but al&s;o by the great Apostle, who (as Bi&s;hop <HI>Sander&s;on</HI> ob|&s;erves) makes a Slander ca&s;t upon a Mini&s;ter <HI>(qua talis)</HI> to be at lea&s;t petty
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Acts 6.11.</NOTE> Bla&s;phemy: <HI>(Rom. 3.8.)</HI> <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">, <HI>as we are &s;landered, as we are bla&s;phe|med.</HI></P>
<P>Which Con&s;ideration was perhaps the rea&s;on that that worthy and learned Prelate preached and publi&s;hed a Ser|mon (and that in his younger years,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Vid.</HI> Bi&s;hop <HI>Sander&s;on, ut &s;upra</HI> p. 21.37.</NOTE> before he was ad|vanc'd to the Epi&s;copal Dignity) in vindication of him|&s;elf from a &s;evere and unju&s;t Imputation.</P>
<P>I hope therefore I &s;hall not be blam'd, e&s;pecially by my <HI>Reverend Fathers</HI> and <HI>Brethren</HI> of the <HI>Clergy</HI> (who&s;e <HI>Innocence,</HI> at this rate, may &s;oon be bla&s;ted by the viru|lent tongues of &s;uch Detractors, who take the liberty to comment on our Sermons, and report them in their own words, at lea&s;t catching at part of a Sentence, or a piece of a Period, not minding the Scope, or Coherence where|by 'tis po&s;&s;ible to make foul work with the faire&s;t di&s;cour&s;e that proceeds from the Pulpit) for endeavouring to re|trieve the credit of my reputation, and &s;top the mouth of a flying Slander, which getting upon the wings of Fame (that &s;wift and often lying Me&s;&s;enger, as the Poet ob&s;erves,
<Q><L><HI>Fama, Malum, quo non aliud velocius ullum,</HI></L>
<L><HI>Mobilitate viget, vire&s;que acquirit eundo&mdash;)</HI></L></Q> need not be bid to make &s;peed to carry its me&s;&s;age through the World. <HI>Report,</HI> &s;ay they in the Prophet,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 20.10.</NOTE> <HI>and we will report.</HI></P>
<PB REF="5">
<P>And though I need not, I confe&s;s, (which &s;ome may re|tort upon me) stand upon the Punctilioes of Honour, or value my &s;elf much on that account, being, perhaps, as little in the eyes of the world, as I de&s;ire to be in mine own; yet were I ten times le&s;s than I am, rather than tamely &s;it down under the black cloud of &s;o unju&s;t a &s;can|dal, and &s;evere an Imputation (neither is it incon&s;i&s;tent with Chri&s;tianity, or the meekne&s;s of the Dove &s;o to re|&s;olve, the crime here in&s;inuated being not &s;trictly a carnal &s;in, as <HI>Drunkenne&s;s, Adultery,</HI> &amp;c. (the reproach whereof, how unju&s;t &s;oever, I could more ea&s;ily have born, as my <HI>Saviour</HI> did before me) but <HI>Spiritual,</HI> and <HI>Diabolical,</HI> viz. <HI>to de&s;pi&s;e Dominion, and &s;peak evil of Digni|ties)</HI> which a little warm Breath, and brisk Air would ea|&s;ily blow off; I had rather (I &s;ay) die than live, it being determined long ago&mdash; <HI>Prae&s;tat penitus emori, qu&agrave;m per dedecus vivere.</HI></P>
<P>I will detain the Reader no longer than to tell him that I thought &s;it, for the common good, to publi&s;h my whole Di&s;cour&s;e on this Subject (excepting only the Illu&s;trations of &s;ome Particulars relating to the third Head of Di&s;cour&s;e, <HI>p. 20, 21.</HI> which I was forc'd to omit, le&s;t the&s;e Papers &s;hould &s;well too big, (though no more was &s;trictly nece&s;&s;a|ry for my Vindication than from <HI>p. 1.</HI> to <HI>p. 18.</HI> as a|fore&s;aid) that it might not be imperfect, in which the Argument is weighty (how weak &s;oever the management be) and a mighty Per&s;wa&s;ive to a virtuous and good Life. And if the production of it in the World, though by an <HI>Evil Cau&s;e,</HI> has any good Effect towards the furthering of any ones Salvation, and the promoting of his &s;piritual and eternal Good, I have my End, who de&s;ire to live no longer in the World, than I may be &s;ineerely &s;erviceable to <HI>God,</HI> the <HI>King,</HI> and my <HI>Countrey.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>M. B.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="sermon">
<PB N="1" REF="5">
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>2 COR. v. 11. the former Part.</HI></BIBL>
<P>Knowing therefore the terrour of the Lord, we per&s;wade men&mdash;</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_THE Apo&s;tle in this and the former Chapter, profe&s;&s;eth his Chri&s;tian integrity with the con&s;tancy of it, and that upon a double Motive, <HI>viz.</HI> the expectance of Immor|tal Glory, and the General Judgment. Of the former he &s;peaks in the Clo&s;e of the fourth Chapter, and the Beginning of this: And as this Motive was before his eye, &s;o that of Judgment to come, <HI>ver.</HI> 10. <HI>For we mu&s;t all appear before the Judgment-&s;eat of Chri&s;t, that every one may receive the things done in his body, ac|cording to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.</HI> Which la&s;t Motive, or Argument he lays down by way of Po&s;ition or Doctrine, and in the Words of my Text draws his Inference from it by way of Ap|plication to others: <HI>Knowing therefore the terrour of the Lord, we per&s;wade men&mdash;</HI></P>
<P><HI>Knowing] i. e.</HI> being a&s;&s;ured of the certainty of Judgment to come, which he calls <HI>The terrour of the Lord,</HI> being the cau&s;e of terrour. <HI>We] i. e.</HI> I and the re&s;t of the Apo&s;tles and Mini&s;ters of Chri&s;t, do <HI>per&s;wade men, i. e.</HI> pre&s;s and excite and &s;tir up and ex|hort
<PB N="2" REF="6">them to their Chri&s;tian Duties, to Go&s;pel-Pie|ty, and Obedience.</P>
<P>So that the Remark or Ob&s;ervation, which natu|rally ari&s;eth from the Words, is this, <HI>viz.</HI></P>
<Q>That the pre&s;&s;ing and per&s;wading men to Go&s;pel-Piety and Obedience by the Apostles and Ministers of Christ, <MILESTONE UNIT="Ob&s;erv."> is grounded upon no le&s;s Motive than the infallible certainty, and &s;everity, and dreadfulne&s;s of the future Judgment.</Q>
<P>In &s;peaking to which, I &s;hall endeavour to do the&s;e four things:
<LIST>
<ITEM>I. Clear the Point as to its Inference.</ITEM>
<ITEM>II. Shew you the infallible certainty of a future Judgment after this Life.</ITEM>
<ITEM>III. Enquire into the &s;everity and dreadfulne&s;s of it, &s;tyled here, <HI>The terrour of the Lord;</HI> and then,</ITEM>
<ITEM>IV. and La&s;tly, Make Improvement of all by Application.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P N="1">I. I &s;hall fir&s;t of all endeavour to clear the Point as to its Inference, and &s;hew you, That no le&s;s Motive than this, <HI>viz. The infallible certainty, and &s;everity and dreadfulne&s;s of the future Judgment,</HI> could put the Apo&s;tles and Mini&s;ters of Chri&s;t upon the &s;o ear|ne&s;t pre&s;&s;ing and per&s;wading men to Go&s;pel-Piety and Obedience.</P>
<P>And this will appear by con&s;idering what other Motive could have any probability to prevail with them.</P>
<P N="1">1. Could they be prevailed with to tell the World of a <HI>Terrour</HI> that they &s;hould never feel, and them|&s;elves
<PB N="3" REF="6" MS="y">did not believe; and thereupon to pre&s;s Go&s;|pel-Piety and Obedience, and that only as an Engine of State-Policy, to keep men in awe, and Obedience to their Governours, and pre&s;erve Civil Peace, as &s;ome Prophane Men would have it? If &s;o, why then were they not more in e&s;teem with Rulers and Princes, with the Great and Noble? why were they the Mark of their malice and envy, of their rage and fury, if they were hired as their Politick Ser|vants, and did them &s;uch great and acceptable &s;er|vice? Again,</P>
<P N="2">2. Was it Honour they had in their eye? Why then were they the Object of the World's contempt and &s;corn, &s;coft at, and derided, having <HI>tryal of cruel mockings,</HI> reviled, defamed, and <HI>accounted the filth of the World, and the off-&s;cowring of all things?</HI> 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 4.13.</P>
<P N="3">3. Was it Profit that was the Motive? Surely no: For then our Saviour, and his Apo&s;tles, and Mini&s;ters would have had a greater intere&s;t in the World; then they would have had full Che&s;ts and Barns to boa&s;t of, as well as others. But 'tis notorious, how great a degree of poverty did await them: Chri&s;t him&s;elf not having a hou&s;e wherein to put his head, no Lands or revenues to give him the title of rich or great. And his Apo&s;tles following him, left their gainful Trades, and were not much richer than their Ma&s;ter. Yea, may it not be truly ob&s;erv'd to this day, that the employment of a Mini&s;ter is none of tho&s;e direct Cour&s;es to Wealth and Riches? whereas other Arts and Employments can rai&s;e an E&s;tate, and advance a Family, they who wait at the Altar, with their Dependents, for the mo&s;t part live in meaner circum|&s;tances. (Not but that God has a Ble&s;&s;ing for the Po&s;terity and Sons of the Clergy, as well as others;
<PB N="4" REF="7" MS="y">many of them arriving to eminent degrees of Great|ne&s;s and Wealth in the World; but then that owes it &s;elf not always &s;o immediately to their Fathers en|couragement and E&s;tate in the World, but to their own, through God's Ble&s;&s;ing upon tho&s;e Employ|ments and gainful Trades wherein they were educa|ted.)</P>
<P>None of the&s;e things then could be Motives to the Apo&s;tles and Mini&s;ters of Chri&s;t to &s;et on this Bu&s;ine&s;s: What Motives then could prevail? Would they be &s;o mad and indi&s;creet to pre&s;s Go&s;pel-Piety upon the &s;uppo&s;ition of a <HI>Terrour</HI> that they &s;hould never hear of, or feel, and which them&s;elves did not believe, and not hope to be advantag'd by it, either here or hereafter? What encouragement were this, nay what madne&s;s rather, to pre&s;s an idle and un|profitable Vertue, an uncommanded Obedience, with de&s;ign only to terrifie and affright the World, and in the mean time expo&s;e them&s;elves to di&s;grace, and &s;hame, and contempt, and reproach, and ha|tred, and per&s;ecution? With what courage or com|fort could they hold out to pre&s;s this impertinent, unprofitable bu&s;ine&s;s, and that with &s;o much &s;weat and labour, weakning their Bodies, and wa&s;ting their Spirits, endangering their lives and livelihood? If there were no other Motive but this, how &s;oon would they have hung the Wing? how &s;oon would the Tongue have faulter'd, and been &s;ilent, and the Spirits faint, and the Hands and Feet have been weary?</P>
<P>'Tis then certainly no le&s;s, no more in&s;eriour Mo|tive, than the certain knowledge of the <HI>Terrour of the Lord,</HI> that put them with &s;uch earne&s;tne&s;s upon this great bu&s;ine&s;s.</P>
<PB N="5" REF="7" MS="y">
<P>'Twas this brought Chri&s;t from Heaven; <HI>Knowing the Terrour of the Lord,</HI> he came down <HI>to per&s;wade men; knowing,</HI> I &s;ay, <HI>the Terrour of the Lord,</HI> the di&s;plea&s;ure of the Great God again&s;t &s;in and Sinners, and the certainty of Divine vengeance and everla&s;t|ing wrath, knowing this, he came into the World to <HI>per&s;wade men.</HI> This made him with &s;o much zeal and earne&s;tne&s;s to &s;et upon this Bu&s;ine&s;s, to <HI>per&s;wade men;</HI> and that both by his Doctrine and Miracles, his Life and his Death, by his bitter Pa&s;&s;ion and Sufferings, his Tears and Bloud, his Re&s;urrection and A&s;cen&s;ion, and Mi&s;&s;ion of the Holy Gho&s;t; and &s;till continues to per&s;wade them by his Mini&s;ters and Amba&s;&s;adors, whom he commi&s;&s;ions and commands to per&s;wade, and entreat, and be&s;eech, by all the endearments and compellations of Love, <HI>to flee from the wrath to come,</HI> to be reconcil'd to God, to embrace and improve the means of Grace and Salvation: Which hath tran&s;|ported their Spirits with zeal and courage, counting nothing dear, but God's Glory and mens Souls; counting, I &s;ay, nothing dear, neither health, nor &s;trength, nor reputation, nor honour, nor liveli|hood, nor their deare&s;t bloud, which they were content &s;hould melt away in the Flames, and be expos'd to the hands of violence, rather than cea&s;e to <HI>per&s;wade men, knowing the Terrour of the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>And this, by the way, may &s;erve as an Apology for Mini&s;ters. When you hear them boldly and &s;everely rebuking Vice, and reproving &s;in and Sinners, laying open the horrid and abominable nature, and &s;ad ef|fects and con&s;equents of &s;in, and &s;o pa&s;&s;ionately and earne&s;tly per&s;wading men to repentance, to the pra|ctice of Vertue and Holine&s;s, and that from the con|&s;ideration of rewards and puni&s;hments to be di&s;pen|&s;ed in the other World, and tho&s;e dre&s;s'd up in the
<PB N="6" REF="8" MS="y">different habit of recommending, or a&s;toni&s;hing, and affrighting circum&s;tances, proper to each di&s;tant &s;tate: when you hear this, do not cen&s;ure it as a common Lecture of Terrour to awe and affright Children, and the weaker &s;ort, who are ea&s;ily impo|&s;ed upon; as words of cour&s;e, and &s;o not much to be regarded; as a Tryal of Skill, and a ca&s;t of our Office; much le&s;s as a de&s;ign out of ma|lice and hatred to your per&s;ons to expo&s;e and abu&s;e you; which will provoke you to be angry, to &s;torm and rage at the Word, and the Preacher of it. No, but rather look upon it and receive it, as Words &s;po|ken in the deepe&s;t &s;eriou&s;ne&s;s, and out of true com|pa&s;&s;ion and charity to your Souls.</P>
<P>Alas! Sirs! were not &s;in &s;o dangerous and hurtful to men, were there no future Account to give at the tremendous Audit, were there no &s;uch flaming wrath and fiery vengeance as you hear of from the Pulpit, were there no future Rewards for good, and no Pu|ni&s;hments for bad men, we would never trouble you: For we come upon an unwelcome Me&s;&s;age to many, to ravi&s;h their <HI>Dalilahs</HI> out of their Arms, (which may turn their Stomachs, and make them rage, as <HI>Herod</HI> did at <HI>John the Baptist</HI>) to take them off from that which they &s;o dearly love, which 'tis as as hard to part with, as to part with a dear Mem|ber, with a right Eye, or a right Hand; and there|fore &s;in is compar'd to the Members of the Body: <HI>Mortifie therefore your Members which are upon the earth:</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Col 3.5.</NOTE> <HI>fornication,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>And no wonder now that the Sinner &s;torms and grows angry; but we mu&s;t not value that. The Chi|rurgeon would be unfaithful, if he &s;hould be loth, or forbear to put his Patient to grief when he &s;ees his danger: No, he will cut and lance and &s;earch the
<PB N="7" REF="8" MS="y">Wound, or Sore to the bottom, though he put his Patient to pain, though he cry and lament &s;ore, and grow angry; he will not &s;pare a dear Member, if a Gangrene calls for amputation. The Phy&s;ician will deal plainly with his Patient, and tell him the nature of his Di&s;ea&s;e, and his danger, and will make him &s;ick with bitter Pills, and loath&s;ome Potions, in or|der to his Cure. The Lawyer will deal faithfully with his Client, and critically examine, and &s;earch into every Creek and Corner of his Evidences, and tell him the wor&s;t, and not flatter him, if he finds any thing defective, that he may con&s;ult a Remedy.</P>
<P>Now, Sirs! our Work is much like the Work of the&s;e: like the Chirurgeon we are to cut and lance with the Sword of the Spirit, and the Knife of Mor|tification, and to &s;earch the Sinners Wounds and ul|cerous Sores to the bottom; yea, and to amputate and di&s;member too. Like the Phy&s;ician we mu&s;t tell men of their Sickne&s;s, and their danger, and do&s;e them with bitter Pills, and loath&s;ome Potions: We are Phy&s;icians in Ordinary to the King of Kings, and the World is his great Ho&s;pital, where do lye abun|dance of impotent Folk, of blind, and lame, and &s;ick, and di&s;ea&s;ed, who are our Care; we are bound <HI>ex Officio</HI> to look after them, and mu&s;t deal faith|fully, and in &s;uch methods as the nature of the Di&s;ea&s;e requires. Like the Lawyer, we mu&s;t &s;earch and examine our Peoples Evidences for the heavenly Inheritance; yea, like Amba&s;&s;adours, we mu&s;t deli|ver our Me&s;&s;age, whether of Peace, or War. And would you have us flatter and deceive?</P>
<P>Now were there no need of this, we would not trouble men. But, alas! who can &s;ee his Neigh|bour's, or his Friend's danger, and not be concern|ed? What an uncharitable man is he, that &s;ees his
<PB N="8" REF="9" MS="y">Neighbour's Hou&s;e on Fire, and will not tell him of it, and endeavour to &s;ave him from, or pluck him out of the Burnings? that &s;ees him drowning, and will not help him? that &s;ees Thieves breaking in up|on him, and will not cry out, and a&s;&s;i&s;t him? e&s;pe|cially 'tis the Watchman's Office &s;o to do, who will not be loth, or forbear to cry out Fire, at Midnight, or make an Alarm to give notice or Thieves and Robbers, le&s;t he awake or di&s;turb the &s;ecure &s;leep|ing man who is in danger. And, what! &s;hall the Watchmen of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> who <HI>ex Officio</HI> are bound to give notice of, and help to quench the &s;piritual Flames, hold their peace and be &s;ilent? Shall we &s;ee men all in Flames, expos'd to the devouring Fire, the Fire of Lu&s;ts burning within them, evidenc'd by the Flames of Vices without, the Flames of wrath and Divine Vengeance over them, and the Flames of Hell underneath them, into which they are ready to drop every moment? Shall we &s;ee this, and be &s;ilent, and not cry out and endeavour to quench the Flames, and pluck them out of the Burnings, and &s;ave them from that con&s;uming Fire? Shall we &s;ee them upon the Precipice of de&s;truction, ju&s;t falling headlong into ruine, and not &s;tretch out a hand to &s;ave them? Shall we &s;ee Thieves and Murderers (the Devil and his Agents) breaking in upon Souls, and not give them notice of it, and run to their a&s;|&s;i&s;tance?</P>
<P>You ought therefore (Brethren!) to put a candid con&s;truction on the &s;evere&s;t Lectures from the Pulpit; to take the &s;harpe&s;t Reproofs, the mo&s;t bitter Inve|ctives again&s;t Sin, the mo&s;t earne&s;t and pa&s;&s;ionate Adjurations, as in&s;tances of compa&s;&s;ion, and love to your Souls, and faithfulne&s;s to him that &s;ent us. Be|lieve it, 'tis the &s;in we hate, while we reprove, but
<PB N="9" REF="9" MS="y">yet love the Sinner.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 1.15.</NOTE> And though &s;ome perhaps may preach Chri&s;t <HI>out of envy</HI> (as the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks) and others for the &s;ake of the Bag, with <HI>Judas;</HI> yet, I doubt not, there are many, who have higher Ends and aims, <HI>viz.</HI> God's Glory, and the &s;alvation of Souls, who can truly &s;ay with the Apo&s;tle here, <HI>Knowing therefore the Terrour of the Lord, we per|&s;wade men.</HI></P>
<P>I will &s;hut up this with that whole&s;ome Advice of S^t <HI>James</HI> and S^t <HI>Peter</HI> concerning hearing and recei|ving of the Word preached, <HI>Jam.</HI> 1.19, 20, 21. <HI>Where|fore, my beloved Brethren, let every man be &s;wift to hear, &s;low to &s;peak, &s;low to wrath: for the wrath of man worketh not the righteou&s;ne&s;s of God. Wherefore lay apart all filthine&s;s, and &s;uperfluity of naughtine&s;s, and receive with meekne&s;s the ingrafted Word, which is able to &s;ave your Souls.</HI> To which let me add that of S^t <HI>Peter,</HI> 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2.1, 2. <HI>Wherefore laying a&s;ide all ma|lice, and all guile, and hypocri&s;ies, and envies, and e|vil &s;peakings; as new-born Babes de&s;ire the &s;incere Milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby.</HI></P>
<P>But here may &s;ome &s;ay, If all this is true, that there is a future State, a Day of Judgment coming, &s;uch a <HI>Terrour of the Lord</HI> to be reveal'd hereafter, Mini|&s;ters do well to be &s;o earne&s;tly and pa&s;&s;ionately con|cern'd for the Souls of men, to <HI>cry aloud and &s;pare not,</HI> to tell them of their Sins, and warn them to <HI>flee from the wrath to come:</HI> but are you &s;ure you are not under a mi&s;take, that you do not erre in the Foundation? Are you &s;ure there is &s;uch a future Judgment as you &s;peak of? What evidence or a&s;&s;u|rance have you of the certainty of it?</P>
<P>This I &s;hall an&s;wer; and therein, I hope, give you &s;atisfaction in the next Particular which I am to &s;peak to, <HI>viz.</HI> to &s;hew you,</P>
<PB N="10" REF="10" MS="y">
<P N="2">II. The infallible certainty of the future Judg|ment. Now the certainty of a future Judgment af|ter Death is declar'd and evidenc'd to the World by a threefold voice. <HI>The Voice of Scripture, the Voice of Con&s;cience,</HI> and <HI>the Voice of God's Justice.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>The Voice of Scripture.</HI> The Jews had a confident Tradition among&s;t them, That ble&s;&s;ed <HI>E|noch,</HI> who was tran&s;lated to Heaven, had left two Pillars, as &s;acred to Po&s;terity, wherein were fairly engraven tho&s;e two great Prophecies, one of the fir&s;t De&s;olation of, and Judgment upon the World by water; not many years before which came, God remov'd him, as a Jewel to an heavenly Cabinet, that his eyes might not &s;ee it. The &s;econd Prophecy in a Pillar of Stone, of the Di&s;&s;olution of the World by Fire again&s;t the final Judgment. The latter Pro|phecy, concerning the final Judgment, is warranted by Scripture, <HI>Jude</HI> 14, 15. <HI>And Enoch al&s;o, the &s;eventh from Adam, prophe&s;ied of the&s;e, &s;aying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thou&s;ands of his Saints, to execute vengeance upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them, of all their ungodly deeds, which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard &s;peeches which ungodly Sinners have &s;poken again&s;t him.</HI></P>
<P>There is nothing that the holy Scripture is more plain and po&s;itive in, than a&s;&s;erting a Day of Judg|ment. Death and Judgment are the Twin-Si&s;ters of the &s;ame Womb of Decree.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 9.27.</NOTE> <HI>It is appointed unto all men once to dye, and after that the Judgment.</HI> The &s;ad certainty of Judgment clo&s;eth up that Iro|nical Expre&s;&s;ion of the Wi&s;e man, or rather a wi&s;er than He, in reproof of wanton youthful Sinners, <HI>Eccle&s;.</HI> 9.11. <HI>Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth, and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thy heart, and in the &s;ight of thine
<PB N="11" REF="10" MS="y">eyes: But know thou, that for all the&s;e things God will bring thee into Judgment.</HI> Our Saviour does often very po&s;itively and expre&s;ly mention a Day of Judgment, as we may &s;ee in all the four Evangeli&s;ts. And the A|po&s;tles are often beating upon this Argument. It were endle&s;s to enumerate Particulars. So po&s;itive is the Scripture in this Point, that it ob&s;erves to us, that the very Day is appointed, and the Judge na|med, <HI>Acts</HI> 17.31. <HI>He hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the World in righteou&s;ne&s;s, by that man whom he hath ordained, whereof he hath given a&s;&s;urance unto all men, in that he hath rai&s;ed him from the dead.</HI></P>
<P>There are three Days have an Emphatical Note &s;et upon them: the Day of Creation, the Day of Re|demption, and the Day of Judgment.</P>
<P N="1">1. The Day of Creation, which <HI>open'd the Door of Time.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. The Day of Redemption, which is call'd,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 4.4.</NOTE> <HI>The Fullne&s;s of Time.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. The Day of Judgment. This &s;hall &s;hut out Time, and u&s;her in Eternity. And this Day is Em|phatically call'd <HI>The Day of the Lord,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 The&s;&s;. 5.2. Phil. 2.16. Jude 6. Joel 2.31. Eph. 4.30.</NOTE> <HI>the Day of Chri&s;t,</HI> and <HI>the great Day,</HI> and <HI>the great and terrible Day of the Lord,</HI> and <HI>the Day of Vengeance,</HI> and <HI>the Day of Redemption,</HI> and <HI>the Day of refre&s;hing.</HI></P>
<P>That's the fir&s;t Evidence of the certainty of the fu|ture Judgment, <HI>the Voice of Scripture.</HI> The Se|cond is,</P>
<P>Secondly, <HI>The Voice of Con&s;cience;</HI> and that both natural, and enlightned.</P>
<P N="1">1. Natural Con&s;cience, which is affrighted at the hearing of a Judgment to come. <HI>Felix</HI> trem|bled at it, <HI>Acts</HI> 24.25. <HI>And as he rea&s;oned of righte|ou&s;ne&s;s and temperance and Judgment to come, Felix trembled.</HI> As S^t <HI>Paul</HI> preached to him of righteou&s;|ne&s;s
<PB N="12" REF="11">and temperance, his guilty Con&s;cience reflected on all his pa&s;t acts of inju&s;tice and intemperance; and when he heard of the Grand Audit, the dreadful Judgment, at which he mu&s;t account for all his faults, the mighty <HI>Felix</HI> trembled. 'Twas too har&s;h a Note, and jarring Sound, and unplea&s;ant Mu&s;ick for his de|licate Ears and accu&s;ing Con&s;cience to hear, and there|fore pre&s;ently di&s;mi&s;s'd the Preacher, <HI>Go,</HI> get thee gone, &s;ays he, <HI>for this time, and when I have a more conve|nient &s;ea&s;on, I will call for thee.</HI></P>
<P>Though the Athenians mocked when they heard of the Re&s;urrection of the dead, yet not at the hearing of the Day of Judgment. The Heathen, by the very Light of Nature, had a &s;en&s;e of Divine wrath and vengeance, which would pur&s;ue Sinners. Thus the barbarous People in the I&s;land of <HI>Melita,</HI> where S^t <HI>Paul</HI> arriv'd after his Shipwrack, when they &s;aw the Viper leap out of the Fire, and fa&s;ten upon his hand, <HI>they &s;aid among them&s;elves,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 28.3, 4.</NOTE> <HI>No doubt this man is a Murderer, whom though he had e&s;caped the Sea, yet vengeance &s;uffereth not to live.</HI> Why, whence had they this Notion of vengeance? Where had this barbarous People the&s;e Notices? What Go&s;pel-Preacher ever arriv'd there before, to preach to them this Doctrine of the Divine wrath and vengeance? This Preacher dwelt within them. 'Twas the Wit|ne&s;s and Light of God within them, which made di&s;|coveries of the heinous Nature, and Guilt of Mur|ther, and the vindicative Ju&s;tice of the invi&s;ible Powers, which, they believ'd, will call every man to an account for his mo&s;t &s;ecret Guilts. That's a fa|mous In&s;tance of the Heathen Mariners in <HI>Jonah. Jon.</HI> 1. The Mariners there being affrighted at the terrible and unu&s;ual Tempe&s;t. (which God, for <HI>Jonah</HI>'s &s;ake, &s;ent out into the Sea) re&s;olve among them&s;elves (<HI>v.</HI> 7.)
<PB N="13" REF="11" MS="y">to ca&s;t Lots, that they might know for who&s;e cau&s;e that Evil was upon them: Which intimates, that they be|lieved that the mo&s;t &s;ecret faults were not unknown to the Omni&s;cient Being; and therefore re&s;olv'd to ca&s;t Lots, which, they apprehended, did not fall for|tuitou&s;ly and by chance, but by Divine direction, and the guidance of an invi&s;ible hand. So <HI>Solomon</HI> ob&s;erves, <HI>Prov.</HI> 16. <HI>ult. The lot is ca&s;t into the lap; but the whole di&s;po&s;ing thereof is of the Lord.</HI> And though the Lot fell upon <HI>Jonah,</HI> who confe&s;t that he was a Fugitive Prophet, and that for his &s;ake the Sea was tempe&s;tuous, and that the only Expedient to a&s;|&s;wage its raging, was to ca&s;t him over-board, which he bid them do: yet the men were afraid,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jon. 1.12.</NOTE> being loth to contract the guilt of Murder, knowing that 'twas a cry|ing &s;in, and that the voice of his Bloud would cry aloud, and plead again&s;t them before the invi&s;ible Judge of the World; and therefore they tugg'd hard to get the Ship to Land, but all would not do, the Sea be|ing more and more tempe&s;tuous; wherefore being forc'd to throw him over-board for their own &s;afety, yet they did it with Cries and Prayers and earne&s;t Supplications to the great God, deprecating the guilt of Murder, and the cry of innocent Bloud, <HI>v.</HI> 14. <HI>Wherefore they cried unto the Lord, and &s;aid, We be|&s;eech thee, O Lord, we be&s;eech thee, let us not peri&s;h for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent bloud.</HI></P>
<P>And if Natural Con&s;cience is &s;o much affrighted at the thoughts, and hearing of Judgment, how much more,</P>
<P N="2">2. An enlightned one; A Con&s;cience en|lightn'd by the Light of Scripture, which gives the true&s;t mea&s;ures of &s;in, and Divine wrath and venge|ance. The Chri&s;tian has the be&s;t and true&s;t account of the nature of &s;in, and the &s;ad con&s;equents of it, is
<PB N="14" REF="12">&s;uppos'd to know and under&s;tand it be&s;t. And &s;o he does, and therefore is &s;ufficiently affrighted at its gha&s;tly looks, when he is under an apprehen&s;ion of a &s;peedy approach to Judgment: Witne&s;s the cries and groans, the &s;ighs and lamentations of the &s;ick dying Sinner, whom you may hear, if you &s;tep into his Chamber, as he lyes langui&s;hing upon his &s;ick Bed, lamenting and cur&s;ing his wicked life, and bewailing his &s;ins with all the aggravating in&s;tances of abhor|rence and dete&s;tation. Why, what's the matter? What ails the man? How comes it, that he is now &s;o troubled at &s;in, who before never fear'd it? Why, 'tis the Witne&s;s of God within him, who&s;e mouth was &s;topt before, that thus &s;peaks. His Con&s;cience is a|waken'd, and does la&s;h and &s;ting him with a &s;en&s;e of guilt, and the fiery vengeance, &s;hews him what he has done, and whither he is a going, that he is ma|king his trembling approach before the Judgment-Seat of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>That's the Second Evidence of the certainty of Judgment, <HI>viz. the Voice of Con&s;cience;</HI> The third is,</P>
<P>Thirdly, <HI>The Voice of God's Ju&s;tice,</HI> which re|quires that there &s;hould be a future Judgment. They who will not be convinc'd by Scripture, may per|haps by this Argument, The con&s;ideration of God's Ju&s;tice, together with the State of Affairs, and things in this Life.</P>
<P>They who have any &s;en&s;e of Religion, and believe there is a God, mu&s;t believe him to be ju&s;t, that he is the ju&s;t and righteous Governour of the World, a Lover of Ju&s;tice, and will admini&s;ter Ju&s;tice to his Creatures. Now, in regard we are not capable of an immediate conver&s;e with God, who is a Spirit, and invi&s;ible, he is pleas'd to conver&s;e with us by men, by Creatures like our &s;elves, and does appoint
<PB N="15" REF="12">&s;ome as his Vice-gerents, his Delegates and Sub&s;titutes here on Earth, to execute the Laws of Ju&s;tice, and make an equal di&s;tribution of it, in giving rewards, and inflicting puni&s;hments, according to the nature and merit of the actions of men, and to render to e|very one his due.</P>
<P>Now 'tis notorious, that Ju&s;tice is not univer&s;ally and impartially executed in this Life. The vertuous are not always rewarded, nor the vicious puni&s;hed, according to the different nature of their actions. Of which I could give you various In&s;tances: As,</P>
<P N="1">1. In the Ca&s;e of Per&s;ecution. Good men, that fear God, are many times per&s;eucted for the true Re|ligion, as the Martyrs in the <HI>Marian</HI> Days, and other Prote&s;tants in <HI>Christendom.</HI> The&s;e were good, and yet receiv'd evil; they had not the reward of their Vertue here. What &s;hould I &s;peak of that Cloud of Witne&s;&s;es, that noble Army of Martyrs mentioned in the 11^t^h of the <HI>Hebrews,</HI> who had <HI>tryal of cruel mock|ings and &s;courgings, yea moreover of bonds and impri|&s;onment, were &s;toned, were &s;awn a&s;under, were tempt|ed, were &s;lain with the &s;word; wandred about in Sheep skins, and Goat skins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented; of whom the World was not worthy?</HI> On the other &s;ide, their Per&s;ecutors fared well, though they did &s;o ill; did not receive the recompence of their Vices, and wickedne&s;s, and cruelties, and bla&s;|phemies; had not their puni&s;hment in this Life, liv'd in plea&s;ure, and dy'd in peace, <HI>i. e.</HI> outward peace.</P>
<P>And now where is the Ju&s;tice of God, in reward|ing Vertue, and puni&s;hing Vice, if there is no future Audit of the&s;e matters, if the&s;e things eternally &s;leep thus, if the per&s;ecuted &s;hall never be rewarded, and their Per&s;ecutors never be puni&s;hed?</P>
<P>But God is ju&s;t, and will &s;ee Ju&s;tice done, and
<PB N="16" REF="13">impartially executed. So the Apo&s;tle tells the per&s;e|cuted Chri&s;tians. 2 <HI>The&s;&s;.</HI> 1.6, 7. <HI>It is a righteous thing with God to recompence tribulation to them that trouble you: and to you who are troubled re&s;t with us, when the Lord Je&s;us &s;hall be revealed from Heaven, with his mighty Angels.</HI> Again,</P>
<P N="2">2. In the times of confu&s;ion, and licentiou&s;ne&s;s, and rebellion, when <HI>there is no King in I&s;rael,</HI> then <HI>every one does what &s;eems good in his own eyes;</HI> Vice and wickedne&s;s walk bare-fac'd and uncontroul'd; and the plundering Thief, the bloudy Murderer, and Traytor goes perhaps to his Grave in peace, yea, with the Pompous Solemnities of a Royal Funeral.</P>
<P N="3">3. Yea, in Times of Peace, and the regular Ad|mini&s;tration of Ju&s;tice, Vice, though it dare not walk &s;o impudently, bare-fac'd and uncontroul'd, yet may lurk in Corners, and skulk up and down in &s;ecret, and e&s;cape the Magi&s;trate's eye; the Thief, the Mur|derer, the Traytor may be quick of Foot, and &s;wift of Wing, and fly from Ju&s;tice, and may never be over|taken by it in this Life.</P>
<P>Yea, even in Courts of Judicature 'tis impo&s;&s;ible that Ju&s;tice &s;hould be univer&s;ally and equally admi|ni&s;tred, (let none mi&s;take me, as if I de&s;ign'd to a&s;per&s;e, or reflect on our Governours, and the Reve|rend Judges of the Land, but I ob&s;erve in general that) I &s;ay, 'tis impo&s;&s;ible, even in Courts of Judi|cature, and the be&s;t upon Earth too, (where <HI>Judg|ment runs down as waters,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Amos 5.24.</NOTE> <HI>and righteou&s;ne&s;s as a mighty &s;tream</HI>) that Ju&s;tice &s;hould be always equally di&s;tribu|ted. For (not to &s;peak of the corruption of the Judge's heart, and the blinding of his eyes by Bribes (which <HI>turns Judgment into Gall,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cap 6.12.</NOTE> <HI>and the fruit of righteou&s;ne&s;s into Hemlock</HI>) which is not impo&s;&s;ible, con&s;idering that he is but a man: I &s;ay, not to &s;peak of
<PB N="17" REF="13">this, but) &s;uppo&s;ing the Judge to be as ju&s;t as <HI>Job,</HI> (of whom God te&s;tifies, that there was none like him in the Earth, <HI>a perfect and upright man,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Job 2.3.</NOTE> <HI>one that feared God, and e&s;chewed evil</HI>) one who&s;e eyes cannot be blinded with Bribes, or prejudice, or partial favour, or malice; yet they may be blinded with untruth up|on mi&s;-information. Some perjur'd Villain may de&s;pe|rately &s;wear his Neighbour out of his E&s;tate, or good Name, or Life. And the Judge nothwith&s;tanding is to proceed <HI>&s;ecundum allegata &amp; probata,</HI> according to the Evidence, whether true or fal&s;e; for he &s;ees through the eyes of others: and &s;o every one may not have Ju&s;tice done him: Sometimes the guilty e|&s;capes, and receives not the demerit of his Crimes, is not dealt with according to the evil <HI>he hath done in his Body.</HI> On the other &s;ide, the innocent may fall a Sacrifice to mi&s;taken Ju&s;tice, receive according to the &s;uppo&s;ed evil he hath not, and not according to the real good <HI>he hath done in his body:</HI> the Judge the mean while remaining really and invincibly ignorant of the truth upon mi&s;-information; and yet may be &s;aid to do Ju&s;tice; he does it intentionally and for|mally, though materially and by accident it proves o|therwi&s;e. But that's re&s;erv'd to the &s;erutiny of the &s;upreme Judge, it falls under his cognizance, <HI>who &s;earcheth the hearts, and tries the reins;</HI> who, as <HI>Solo|mon</HI> &s;peaks, <HI>will bring every work into Judgment;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 12. <HI>ult.</HI></NOTE> <HI>with every &s;ecret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.</HI></P>
<P>The certainty of which Judgment is methinks &s;ufficiently evinc'd by the Ob&s;ervation of the&s;e things; that Ju&s;tice is not, no nor cannot be univer|&s;ally and impartially admini&s;tred in this Life, that good men have not always the reward of their Ver|tue, nor wicked men the recompence of their Vice
<PB N="18" REF="14">and wickedne&s;s: therefore, God being ju&s;t, and the God of Ju&s;tice, and the ju&s;t Governour of the World, who is concern'd in the Affairs of Mortals, and &s;its in the Seats of Judicature, and &s;ees and re|cords all that's done in his Book of remembrance, the great Regi&s;ter of humane actions, there mu&s;t ne|ce&s;&s;arily come a Day, when all things &s;hall be au|dited, and examined, and tryed before him, and all things &s;et to rights, and a ju&s;t Judgment pa&s;s up|on all, and every one receive (as 'tis worded in the Context) <HI>the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good, or bad.</HI></P>
<P>So much for the &s;econd Particular, which I un|dertook to &s;peak to, <HI>viz.</HI> The certainty of a future Judgment. Come we now in the third Place, to en|quire,</P>
<P N="3">III. Into the &s;everity and dreadfulne&s;s of this Judgment, &s;tyled here <HI>The Terrour of the Lord;</HI> it being the cau&s;e of Terrour, and that both to good and bad, and that both in this life, and that to come.</P>
<P>In this Life, 'tis a Terrour even to good men, which keeps 'em in a holy awe, and cau&s;eth them to <HI>work with fear and trembling.</HI> They often look back towards the la&s;t things, and ca&s;t an eye on the dreadful Tribunal of <HI>Je&s;us Christ:</HI> which keeps 'em in a holy awe, fearing to offend him who &s;hall be their Judge. It frights 'em from &s;in, makes 'em afraid of the very appearance of evil: For though a Child of God acts from love, (which is the great and ingenuous Principle which moves him) yet that love is mixt with fear; 'tis the love of Sons, which is not a &s;awcy, a malapert, a too bold and &s;upercilious, a too familiar, wanton love; but a reverent, &s;ub|mi&s;&s;ive, humble love, a love that has an allay of
<PB N="19" REF="14">fear, fear of di&s;plea&s;ing and offending their Father, whom it re&s;pects not only as good, and hating Vice, but as powerful, and able to puni&s;h it. In a word, 'tis not unmixed fear, which is the fear of Slaves, nor unmixed love, which is the love of Wantons, or at lea&s;t of Equals, who may love, but do not fear. In this holy awe and fear the thoughts of the dread|ful Judgment do e&s;pecially keep the Children of God (neither let it be thought Legal Preaching &s;o to affirm) yea, their holy performances are mixt with fear; they <HI>work with fear and trembling;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 2.12.</NOTE> not &s;u&s;pect|ing God's faithfulne&s;s, but their own, often thinking thus with them&s;elves, How &s;hall I be able to hold out in the la&s;t hour, in my dying agonies? How &s;hall I with&s;tand the Storms of Hell,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 6.16.</NOTE> and <HI>quench the fiery Darts of</HI> the Devil? How &s;hall I be able to appear before the great Tribunal? How &s;hall I give up my Accounts there? Should God be &s;trict to mark what I have done ami&s;s, how &s;hould I be able to <HI>&s;tand in Judgment, or to an&s;wer him one of a thou&s;and?</HI> What if all the&s;e &s;ervices of mine &s;hould be con&s;trued then to be but hypocri&s;ie and formality? What if God &s;hould not accept my per&s;on, and owne my perfor|mances? What if he &s;hould fling back my &s;ervices as Dung, upon my Face, accounting it (as he did the Jew's) but <HI>as the cutting off of a Dog's neck;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;aiah 66.3.</NOTE> <HI>and the offering of Swines bloud in Sacrifice?</HI> What if my &s;ins &s;hould appear hereafter unpardon'd, and my Ob|ligations uncancell'd? What though I am not far from the Kingdom of God, yet if for lack of one thing I &s;hould fall &s;hort of it? What if this cove|tou&s;ne&s;s and ba&s;e &s;piritedne&s;s, this worldly-minded|ne&s;s and uncharitablene&s;s, this pa&s;&s;ion and peevi&s;h|ne&s;s, this &s;tubbornne&s;s, this &s;tiffne&s;s, and oppo&s;ition, and di&s;obedience to my Governours, this de&s;ire of
<PB N="20" REF="15">revenge and heart-burning and animo&s;ity; what if this, or any of the&s;e &s;hould ruine all, and &s;hut me out of Heaven? Lord, therefore, prays he, let me part with every thing that thou do&s;t hate, and em|brace that which thou do&s;t love and command, that I may appear before thy <HI>Tribunal</HI> with courage and comfort!</P>
<P>Thus the thoughts of Judgment &s;trike a holy awe and dread into the hearts of God's Children, and do &s;ucce&s;sfully affright 'em from &s;in. It is thus a <HI>Terrour</HI> even to good men.</P>
<P>And e&s;pecially 'tis a <HI>Terrour</HI> to wicked men, and impenitent Sinners, when under any affliction, or the apprehen&s;ion of approaching Death. But after Death, e&s;pecially, 'twill be &s;o; when the Judgment-Day is come, 'twill be <HI>Terrour</HI> with a Witne&s;s.</P>
<P>'Tis &s;uppos'd 'twill be a kind of Terrour to good men; which is gathered from that expre&s;&s;ion in the <HI>The&s;&s;alonians,</HI> 1 <HI>The&s;&s;.</HI> 1.10. <HI>To be admir'd in all them that believe.</HI> Even in admiration it &s;elf there is a kind of mixture of fear and Terrour, through an o|verplus and over&s;lowing of expectation, and ravi&s;h|ing, exuberant wonder, as &s;ome are ob&s;erv'd to weep for joy.</P>
<P>But in wicked men all that's purely dreadful &s;hall meet together.</P>
<P>But more particularly, this dread and Terrour, which will fall upon wicked men, the Enemies of our Lord, ari&s;eth from the&s;e four things:</P>
<P N="1">1. The &s;ight of the Judge.</P>
<P N="2">2. The manner of his coming to Judgment.</P>
<P N="3">3. The Accu&s;ation of their own Con&s;ciences.</P>
<P N="4">4. The Nature and Characters of the Judgment: Which will be,</P>
<P N="1">1. An Univer&s;al, a General Judgment.</P>
<PB N="21" REF="15">
<P N="2">2. An exact, an accurate, and critical Judg|ment.</P>
<P N="3">3. A ju&s;t and righteous Judgment.</P>
<P N="4">4. The final Judgment.</P>
<P N="5">5. A Judgment that will &s;entence to an eternal &s;tate, either of happine&s;s or mi&s;ery.</P>
<P>But perhaps &s;ome may be here di&s;&s;atisfied, being ready to demand, Whether none &s;hall be &s;entenc'd to an eternal &s;tate till the la&s;t and general Judgment? What then &s;hall become of departed Souls after Death, till the General Judgment? Shall they be kept in &s;ome <HI>Middle Place,</HI> in &s;ome <HI>Limbus Patrum,</HI> or <HI>Infantum?</HI></P>
<P>To this I an&s;wer: As there is a General Judgment, at which the Body and Soul being re-united, &s;hall ap|pear, and receive Sentence together; &s;o there is a particular Judgment of the Soul by it &s;elf, at its de|parture from the Body. That the Souls of good men, immediately after Death, are carried to Hea|ven by the Angels, to receive the Sentence of Ab&s;o|lution, which &s;hall be pronounced by Chri&s;t, who will place them in the Man&s;ions of Glory, is mo&s;t certain: as may be gathered from the Ca&s;e of <HI>La|zarus, Luke</HI> 16.22. compared with 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5.1.</P>
<P>And I humbly conceive, (with &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion) which is not unwarrantable by Scripture, (as is intimated in the Ca&s;e of <HI>Dives, Luke</HI> 16.23.) that Chri&s;t Je&s;us, the Judge of the World, by virtue of his Regal Office (which he doth now execute) as he &s;ends out his Angels, which are <HI>mini&s;tring Spirits,</HI> to carry ho|ly Souls into Heaven, &s;o he commi&s;&s;ions his Angels too, to take the Souls of wicked men, immediately after their &s;eparation, and deliver 'em to the Devil, that cruel Jaylor, the Keeper of the Infernal Pri&s;on, who in&s;tantly draggs 'em away to Hell, there to be bound
<PB N="22" REF="16">(as 'tis &s;aid of the evil Angels) <HI>in everlasting chains under darkne&s;s to the judgment of the great day;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jude 6.</NOTE> and in the mean time to be tormented, and puni&s;hed accord|ing to their capacity; and that in pur&s;uance of the ancient Sentence, pronounced long ago; <HI>He that be|lieveth not is condemn'd already,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">John 3.18, 36.</NOTE> <HI>and the wrath of God abideth on him.</HI></P>
<P>Thus having di&s;cours'd Doctrinally of that great Fundamental Point of Religion, the <HI>certainty of Judgment</HI> to come, a Day of <HI>Judgment</HI> after this Life, together with the dreadfulne&s;s of it, &s;tyled here <HI>The Terrour of the Lord:</HI> It remains now</P>
<P>IV. and La&s;tly, that we make &s;ome improve|ment of it by Application.</P>
<P>And here, fir&s;t of all, I hope I need not u&s;e Saint <HI>Peter</HI>'s Apology to you (how needful &s;oever 'tis among&s;t others in the World) for the Lord's &s;lackne&s;s, and delay in coming to Judgment; which he directs to tho&s;e Scoffers of the la&s;t times, 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3.3. <HI>Knowing this fir&s;t, that there &s;hall come in the la&s;t days Scoffers, walking after their own lu&s;ts, and &s;aying, Where is the promi&s;e of his coming? for &s;ince the Fa|thers fell a&s;leep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the Creation.</HI></P>
<P>I hope there are no &s;uch <HI>Scoffers</HI> here, though with &s;orrow, and &s;adne&s;s, and lamentation I might &s;peak it, and ob&s;erve it, they abound too much in the World, yea in <HI>Chri&s;tendom</HI> it &s;elf, and this reformed Part of it; men of an Athei&s;tical, &s;hall I &s;ay, or An|ti-Chri&s;tian Spirit, who laugh and mock at the Do|ctrine of a <HI>Day of Judgment,</HI> as a wild <HI>Chimaera,</HI> the idle Dream and fancy of a melancholy Preacher, the effect of an inqui&s;itive, contemplative Head, and the &s;trength of imagination; being ready to &s;ay, in the Words of the&s;e <HI>Scoffers</HI> here mentioned by S^t <HI>Peter,
<PB N="23" REF="16">Where is the promi&s;e of his coming?</HI> &amp;c. <HI>i. e.</HI> Where is the Promi&s;e, or Prophecy fulfill'd, that Chri&s;t &s;hall come to judge the World? for &s;ince the death of <HI>A|dam,</HI> and the Patriarchs, and the Prophets, and Chri&s;t him&s;elf, who told the World of a Day of <HI>Judgment,</HI> the World continues as it was, no altera|tion appears; and 'tis like to continue &s;o for ever.</P>
<P>Now this mocking and &s;coffing and infidelity owes it &s;elf, S^t <HI>Peter</HI> ob&s;erves, partly to their Lu&s;ts, part|ly to their wilful ignorance, and inadvertency and in|con&s;ideration. Which (in regard there are &s;o ma|ny in the World that are ready to join I&s;&s;ue with the&s;e <HI>Scoffers</HI> here) I will take particular notice of, both to obviate their Athei&s;tical Objections, and Anti-Chri&s;tian &s;coffs, and to antidote you again&s;t the infection of a contagious Air.</P>
<P N="1">1. Then, It owes it &s;elf partly to their Vices and Lu&s;ts: <HI>[Scoffers, walking after their own lu&s;ts]</HI> Some men &s;o long abandoning them&s;elves to Vice become Athe|&s;tical, and deny God; for 'tis their intere&s;t there &s;hould be none: and upon the &s;ame Grounds they become Anti-Chri&s;tian, and deny Chri&s;t; deny his Divinity and Authority and Veracity, his Re&s;ur|rection and A&s;cen&s;ion into Heaven, and his coming to Judgment: For 'tis their intere&s;t that he &s;hould never come; who&s;e coming will be &s;o terrible to all his Enemies; 'twill be to the perdition of ungodly men.</P>
<P N="2">2. It owes it &s;elf partly to their wilful ignorance, and inadvertency, and incon&s;ideration, and that of three things:</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, God's Power and Providence, both in the Creation and de&s;truction of the World.</P>
<P>Secondly, The nature of God, and his mea&s;ure and account of time.</P>
<PB N="24" REF="17">
<P>Thirdly, His patience and long-&s;uffering.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, God's Power and Providence, both in the Creation and de&s;truction of the World, <HI>ver.</HI> 5, 6, 7. <HI>For this they willingly are ignorant of, That by the Word of God the Heavens were of old, and the Earth &s;tand|ing out of the Water, and in the Water; whereby the World that then was, being overflowed with Water, pe|ri&s;hed. But the Heavens and the Earth which are now, by the &s;ame Word, are kept in store, re&s;erved unto fire, again&s;t the Day of Judgment, and perdition of ungodly men.</HI> The &s;umm and force of which Argument is briefly this: God made the World (for it could not make it &s;elf) and having the power over it, did once de&s;troy it, <HI>i. e.</HI> the face of it, with the things in it, by water: and he has the &s;ame power over it &s;till, and can de&s;troy it (as he has told us he will) by fire. If he could do the former, he can as ea&s;i|ly do the latter. <HI>Noah</HI> prophe&s;ied of the former, and it came to pa&s;s; and the Prophets, yea the great Prophet, Chri&s;t him&s;elf, has prophe&s;ied of the lat|ter; and why &s;hould we not believe it? To this I might add, that other Prophecies in Scripture con|cerning Chri&s;t have been fulfill'd, particularly that concerning his coming in the Fle&s;h; and why &s;hould we di&s;-believe this of his coming to Judgment?</P>
<P>Secondly, The Nature of God, and his Mea&s;ure and Account of Time, <HI>ver.</HI> 8. <HI>Be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thou&s;and years, and a thou&s;and years as one day, q. d.</HI> You think it a long time e're Chri&s;t come to Judgment; and therefore conclude he will never come, judging of the Lord by your &s;elves, not under&s;tanding and con&s;idering his Divine Nature, which is Infinite, Im|men&s;e, Omni&s;cient and Eternal. He does not look upon things, and mea&s;ure time as we do. He is not
<PB N="25" REF="17">&s;ubject to &s;ucce&s;&s;ion and mutation, as we are. He &s;uffers no Flux of Time. There is no time pa&s;t, or to come, with him. He does by one infinite Act of Intuition behold, and comprehend all things pa&s;t and to come, as pre&s;ent: they all exi&s;t before him in one eternal <HI>Now.</HI> There is nothing, to &s;peak &s;trict|ly and properly, &s;hort or long in his &s;ight, or ac|count of things. <HI>One day,</HI> which &s;eems &s;o &s;hort with us, is with him as long as a <HI>thou&s;and years;</HI> and a <HI>thou&s;and years,</HI> which appear &s;o long to us, are with him as &s;hort <HI>as one day.</HI> Tho&s;e Periods of Time, that &s;eem &s;o long unto us, are with him but as a moment. So <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> ob&s;erves, <HI>P&s;al</HI> 90.4. <HI>A thou&s;and years in thy &s;ight are but as ye&s;terday</HI> when it is pa&s;t, (which is infinitely le&s;s than ye&s;terday when it was pre&s;ent) <HI>and as a Watch in the Night.</HI></P>
<P>This the Heathen were &s;en&s;ible of by the Light of Nature, a&s;cribing Immen&s;ity to their Gods: <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">, &s;ays <HI>Pythagoras;</HI> There is nothing long with the Gods. And Divine <HI>Plutarch,</HI> &s;peaking of the late vengeance of the Deity, ob&s;erves, <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">&mdash; All the In|terval of humane life, is to the Gods nothing.</P>
<P>This, Saint <HI>Peter</HI> ob&s;erves, the&s;e Scoffers are wil|fully ignorant of, at lea&s;t incon&s;iderate; and there|fore talk at &s;uch a mad and &s;en&s;le&s;s rate, and give way to, and indulge their Athei&s;m and infidelity.</P>
<P>And again&s;t this ignorance and incon&s;ideration of the Nature of God, and his mea&s;ure and account of Time, he cautions even the Friends of Chri&s;t, that they might not be di&s;couraged with the thoughts of the <HI>Lord's &s;lackne&s;s</HI> in coming to <HI>Judgment;</HI> or be tempted to entertain an Athei&s;tical Anti-Chri&s;tian O|pinion that he will never come, and &s;o laugh, and mock at the Doctrine with the&s;e Scoffers here: and
<PB N="26" REF="18">therefore he greets them with an endearing compel|lation <HI>[Beloved]</HI> which is an evidence that he &s;peaks to the Saints. <HI>But (Beloved) be not ignorant of this one thing (of which the&s;e</HI> Scoffers <HI>are wilfully ignorant</HI> and incon&s;iderate) <HI>that one day,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P N="3">3. This Scoffing and Infidelity owes it &s;elf to their wilful ignorance and incon&s;ideration of God's <HI>patience</HI> and <HI>long-&s;uffering, v.</HI> 9. <HI>The Lord is not &s;lack concerning his promi&s;e, (as &s;ome men count &s;lackne&s;s) but is long-&s;uffering to us-ward, not willing that any &s;hould peri&s;h, but that all &s;hould come to repentance. The Lord is not &s;lack, as &s;ome men count &s;lackne&s;s; i. e.</HI> as if he had chang'd his purpo&s;e, or broke his pro|mi&s;e, or were unwilling or unable to keep it, and fulfil it. He is not &s;lack that &s;tays long, but that &s;tays beyond his appointed time, or that comes not at all. The Lord will not defer his coming to Judgment one moment beyond his appointed time. <HI>He that &s;hall come, will come, and will not tarry; i. e.</HI> beyond his own appointment. 'Tis not then becau&s;e he has forgot|ten his promi&s;e, or cannot keep it, or has over-&s;lipt his appointed time, that he deferrs coming to Judg|ment; but out of infinite compa&s;&s;ion and kindne&s;s to Sinners, being <HI>long-&s;uffering, not willing that any &s;hould peri&s;h, but that all &s;hould come to repentance.</HI> Which the&s;e ungrateful Wretches are not &s;en&s;ible of, and therefore &s;coff and mock, kick and &s;purn at the Divine Bowels, abu&s;e that clemency which keeps 'em out of Hell, trample upon that patience which bears with their follies, and waits for their repentance, de|&s;pi&s;e that love, and goodne&s;s which &s;u&s;pends the fear|ful vengeance. How pa&s;&s;ionately does the Apo&s;tle expo&s;tulate with &s;uch as the&s;e! <HI>Rom.</HI> 2.4. <HI>De&s;pi&s;e&s;t thou the riches of his Goodne&s;s, and forbearance, and long-&s;uffering, not knowing that the Goodne&s;s of God leadeth thee to repentance?</HI></P>
<PB N="27" REF="18">
<P>O that my Voice could this Day reach the ears, and pierce the heart of every &s;coffing Athei&s;t, and hard|ned, bla&s;pheming Sinner in this Kingdom! I would be bold to ask him &s;eriou&s;ly, Do&s;t thou think, O man! that the God that made thee, is not able to pu|ni&s;h thee? that he that created and pre&s;erves thee, cannot judge thee? that he that governs and up|holds the World, is not able to deal with &s;uch a weak, &s;illy Creature as thou art? that he, in whom thou do&s;t <HI>live, and move, and ha&s;t thy Being,</HI> is not able to de&s;troy thee, and execute vengeance on thee? and therefore do&s;t dare him to his face, and bid him do his wor&s;t again&s;t thee, and accelerate the &s;low-pac'd vengeance, laughing and mocking at the Divine threatnings, and the Doctrine of the future Judgment, as a thing which thou do&s;t not fear, and &s;halt never feel, &s;porting with Hell and the Devil, bidding him take and rot and &s;ink thee, laughing at the Great Judge, and bidding him damn thee if he can; what el&s;e is the meaning of tho&s;e direful Cur|&s;es, tho&s;e horrid <HI>God-damn-me</HI>-Execrations, which pollute the Air, and wound the ears of God and men? I do not think that the&s;e men &s;eriou&s;ly de&s;ire damnation, but out of a daring bravery, mock and deride God him&s;elf, and affront him to his face, tel|ling the World, that they do not fear him, nor his threatnings, nor all the powers of Hell, which he can &s;et again&s;t them; that they are &s;o little afraid of his damning power, that they will damn them&s;elves in a frolick, or bid him damn 'em if he can, and ha&s;ten his threatned Judgment.</P>
<P>A very ill and ungrateful u&s;e of his patience and long-&s;uffering! But 'tis &s;uch as the Wi&s;e man &s;pake of, and ob&s;erv'd long ago, <HI>Eccle&s;.</HI> 8.11. <HI>Becau&s;e &s;en|tence against an evil work is not executed &s;peedily, there|fore
<PB N="28" REF="19">the heart of the &s;ons of men is fully &s;et in them to do evil:</HI> and S^t <HI>Paul</HI> here intimates, and &s;adly ob|&s;erves, and bewails in this his pa&s;&s;ionate Expo&s;tulati|on, <HI>De&s;pi&s;e&s;t thou the riches of his Goodne&s;s,</HI> &amp;c. But hear, O de&s;pi&s;ing, &s;coffing, ungrateful man! Hear what follows, <HI>v.</HI> 5. <HI>After thy hardne&s;s, and impenitent heart thou trea&s;ure&s;t up unto thy &s;elf wrath against the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous Judgment of God,</HI> who will render to every one according to his deeds. For though the Lord is <HI>long &s;uffering,</HI> yet he will not be <HI>ever-&s;uffering.</HI> But the day of the Lord will come, as S^t <HI>Peter</HI> ob&s;erves, <HI>ver.</HI> 10. and it will come &s;peedily, <HI>as a Thief in the Night,</HI> unlookt for, and &s;o &s;urprize: or as 'tis worded, 1 <HI>The&s;&s;.</HI> 5.2, 3. <HI>The day of the Lord &s;o cometh, as a Thief in the night, for when they &s;hall &s;ay, Peace and &s;afety, then &s;udden de|&s;truction cometh upon them, as travail upon a Woman with Child, and they &s;hall not e&s;cape.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, This Doctrine of the certainty, and &s;e|verity, and dreadfulne&s;s of the future Judgment may &s;erve to awaken &s;ecure Sinners out of their &s;inful and dangerous &s;ecurity.</P>
<P>As there are &s;ome that Athei&s;tically &s;coff at Reli|gion, &s;o there are others that are &s;ufficiently carele&s;s of it; do not &s;peak, but act again&s;t it; who live vi|cious lives, and are led by their pa&s;&s;ions and appe|tites, and are regardle&s;s of the World to come, and &s;tupidly and &s;ecurely &s;inful. They are perhaps more carnal and &s;en&s;ual than the former, though not &s;o Di|abolical. If there are any &s;uch here, let me &s;eriou&s;ly ask them, Sirs! Do you believe the Bible to be true? Do you believe the Articles of the Chri&s;tian Faith? that there is a God that made the World, and governs it, that you have immortal Spirits within you, that are capable of endle&s;s happine&s;s or mi&s;e|ry,
<PB N="29" REF="19">that you mu&s;t dye, and come to Judgment, ap|pear before the Judgment-Seat of Chri&s;t, who &s;hall come from Heaven to judge the quick and the dead? Do you believe all this? You'll readily an&s;wer, Yes that we do, God forbid we &s;hould be Unbelievers, we can &s;ay our <HI>Creed</HI> as &s;incerely and devoutly as the be&s;t. Can you &s;o? What! and live in &s;uch manife&s;t contrariety and oppo&s;ition to what you believe, and the terms of &s;alvation, as if all this were fal&s;e, as if all were cheat and impo&s;ture, as if the Go&s;pel were a Fable, or an idle Romance! For God's &s;ake, Sirs! be &s;erious, and con&s;ider, and do not &s;uffer your &s;elves &s;o tamely to be impos'd upon, and baffled by your Spiritual Enemies, tho&s;e that hate you, and will laugh at your folly, and triumph over your mi&s;ery; Do not live the rever&s;e of your Rea&s;on and Religion too, and contradict your Faith and Per&s;wa&s;ion, and &s;uffer your &s;elves to be fool'd out of that eternal happine&s;s, which you &s;ay you hope for, and lo&s;e the be&s;t and greate&s;t intere&s;t, which is more valuable than all the Trea&s;ures and in&s;tances of happine&s;s in this World, which you mu&s;t &s;hortly leave, and dye from, when nothing here below, neither Riches, nor Friends can help you, but only an effectual &s;aving intere&s;t in the Judge of the World:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 The&s;&s;. 1.7, 8.</NOTE> who will &s;hortly <HI>be revealed from Heaven with his mighty Angels, in flaming fire, ta|king vengeance on them that know not God, and that do not obey his Go&s;pel.</HI></P>
<P>O that I could make &s;ome &s;ecure Sinner here to tremble,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 5.14.</NOTE> and effectually warn him to <HI>flee from the wrath to come! Awake, thou that &s;leepe&s;t, and ari&s;e from the dead, and Christ &s;hall give thee light.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, It exhorts us to Holine&s;s. And indeed this Doctrine is a powerful di&s;&s;wa&s;ive from Vice, and per&s;wa&s;ive to Vertue: a di&s;&s;wa&s;ive from Vice, be|cau&s;e
<PB N="30" REF="20">it will be certainly and &s;everely puni&s;hed; a per&s;wa&s;ive to Vertue, becau&s;e it will be certainly, and amply rewarded.</P>
<P>I doubt not, but there are &s;ome that are very indif|ferent, as to the State of happine&s;s in the other World; for which they are not greatly concern'd, but could be content to part with it, provided they might not be mi&s;erable; they could be content that their Bodies and Souls too &s;hould &s;leep eternally. They could be content perhaps not to be rewarded in Heaven, &s;o that they might not be puni&s;hed in Hell. But know (Chri&s;tian!) that there is no <HI>medium</HI> here. If we are not rewarded, we &s;hall certainly be puni&s;hed; if we are not happy, we mu&s;t be mi&s;erable. If we do not go to Heaven, we mu&s;t to Hell. If we have not the enjoyment of God, we mu&s;t have the com|pany of Devils for ever. So that holine&s;s is indi&s;pen|&s;ably nece&s;&s;ary, not only to intitle us to Heaven, but to keep us out of Hell. And there is no greater, or more forcible Argument to per&s;wade to holine&s;s, than this of <HI>Judgment to come.</HI> This is the great Ar|gument the Wi&s;e man u&s;eth to per&s;wade both to ne|gative and po&s;itive holine&s;s. Thus, in the 11^t^h of his <HI>Eccle&s;iastes, ver.</HI> 9. he does tacitly exhort to nega|tive holine&s;s; <HI>i. e.</HI> he does by a &s;harp and keen, but plea&s;ant Irony di&s;&s;wade from Vice, and youthful Lu&s;ts, and &s;inful Plea&s;ures, <HI>Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth, and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the &s;ight of thine eyes:</HI> there follows a terrible <HI>But,</HI> which is like the Damp to the Candle, or the Death's Head to the Egyptian Fea&s;ts, a Cooler to the heat of Lu&s;t, and, like <HI>Bel&s;hazzer</HI>'s hand upon the Wall, da&s;heth all that mirth and jollity: <HI>But know thou, that for all the&s;e things God will bring thee into Judgment.</HI></P>
<PB N="31" REF="20">
<P>And <HI>Chap.</HI> 12. <HI>ver.</HI> 13. he exhorts to po&s;itive ho|line&s;s (not excluding negative) <HI>i. e.</HI> to the practice of Vertue, and doing good: <HI>Fear God, and keep his Commandments; for this is the whole Duty of man.</HI> And this he pre&s;&s;eth by the &s;ame Argument, the great Motive of <HI>Judgment to come, ver.</HI> 14. <HI>For God &s;hall bring every work into Judgment, with every &s;ecret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.</HI></P>
<P>This is the great beaten Argument that both the Prophets and Apo&s;tles are frequently upon, and &s;preading before the eyes of men. Mo&s;t of the weighty Exhortations in Scripture (like the Scales upon the Beam) are fa&s;tned upon this: therefore work, walk, run, &s;trive, deny your &s;elves, <HI>be &s;tedfa&s;t,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 15. <HI>ult.</HI></NOTE> <HI>unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, fora&s;much as you know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.</HI> 'Tis the great Argument both to Active and Pa&s;&s;ive Obedience. Saint <HI>Paul</HI> ob&s;erves it to be &s;o, 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 4.7, 8. <HI>I have fought a good fight, I have fini&s;hed my cour&s;e, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of righteou&s;ne&s;s, which the Lord the righteous Judge &s;hall give me at that day:</HI> It follows, <HI>and not to me only, but to all them al&s;o that love his appearing.</HI> And the &s;ame Apo&s;tle does by this Argument &s;upport the Spirits of tho&s;e who &s;uf|fer'd for the name of Chri&s;t, who&s;e invincible pati|ence and faith in per&s;ecution and tribulation he ap|plauds and glories in, 2 <HI>The&s;&s;.</HI> 1.14. a&s;&s;uring them <HI>ver.</HI> 6. <HI>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 Je&s;us &s;hall be revealed from Heaven,</HI> &amp;c. And S^t <HI>James, Chap.</HI> 5. <HI>ver.</HI> 7, 8. exhorts to patience under tribulation by this Argument, <HI>Be patient therefore, Brethren, unto the coming of the Lord:</HI> which he ob&s;erves will be as
<PB N="32" REF="21">&s;ure as the joyful Harve&s;t after Seed-time, for which the Hu&s;bandman waits with patience: <HI>Behold, the Husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the Earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain: Be ye al&s;o patient; &s;tabli&s;h your hearts, for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.</HI></P>
<P>This is the great Pillar and Under-prop to &s;upport the Spirits of men both in doing and &s;uffering the Will of God. Alas! It would be comfortle&s;s labour, could we not look over the Burden to the Reward; unplea&s;ant Work, where there is no expectation of Wages; dull and heavy and di&s;couraging Service, where there is no hope of recompence, or of any advantage.</P>
<P>'Tis true, Vertue is in it &s;elf lovely, and &s;ome &s;ay its own reward. But God is not content that it &s;hould be &s;o; but propounds a real Reward as the End of Vertue: which he allows us to regard, and look to, as our great encouragement to all vertuous Actions.</P>
<P>'Tis recorded as an Act of <HI>Mo&s;es</HI>'s Faith, and a Point of his Prai&s;e, that he had an eye <HI>to the recom|pence of reward, Heb.</HI> 11.26.</P>
<P>'Tis not unworthy of a Chri&s;tian, as if he were to be thought a Mercenary to do this. 'Tis true indeed a Chri&s;tian mu&s;t not have <HI>amorem mercenarium,</HI> but he may have <HI>amorem mercedis;</HI> though not a merce|nary love, yet a love of the reward. Though he may not ultimately eye his own reward, yet he may in a &s;econdary and &s;ub&s;ervient manner. God's Glory mu&s;t be our chief and ultimate, but our own inte|re&s;t may be our &s;econdary and &s;ub&s;ervient End. God will have none of his Servants to &s;erve him for nought: they <HI>&s;hall in no wi&s;e lo&s;e their reward:</HI> which he allows us to look to with <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> here, who
<PB N="33" REF="21">had <HI>re&s;pect unto the recompence of reward,</HI> which &s;up|ported him under doing and &s;uffering for God, <HI>v.</HI> 25, 26. <HI>chu&s;ing rather to &s;uffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the plea&s;ures of &s;in for a &s;ea&s;on: e|steeming the reproach of Chri&s;t greater riches than the trea&s;ures of Egypt:</HI> the rea&s;on of which eminent acts of &s;elf-denial and re&s;ignation is a&s;&s;ign'd in the follow|ing Words, <HI>For he had re&s;pect unto the recompence of reward.</HI></P>
<P>And as it &s;upported him, &s;o it has and does others too. This &s;upported S^t <HI>Paul</HI> in the mouth of the roaring Roman Lyon
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Nero.</NOTE>. This &s;upported S^t <HI>Stephen</HI> un|der the Showre of Stones; He lookt to the recom|pence of reward, and &s;aw it in his Redeemer's hand;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 7.55, 56.</NOTE> <HI>the Heavens were open'd</HI> to him, <HI>and he &s;aw Je&s;us &s;tanding at the right hand of God.</HI> This &s;upported the Martyrs under their Fiery Tryals; whil&s;t their Bodies were melting at the Stake, their Souls were inflam'd with holy ardours, and fortified with invin|cible courage, their Faith giving 'em a pro&s;pect of <HI>Je|&s;us &s;tanding at the right hand of God,</HI> not with fading Garlands, but immarce&s;&s;ible Crowns of Glory in his hand, to &s;et upon their triumphant heads.</P>
<P>Indeed without this, how &s;oon would the Spirits faint in the be&s;t Chri&s;tian! In all the In&s;tances of Mortification, and Self-denial, and Suffering, and Per&s;ecution for Religion, could he not look to the recompence of reward, what di&s;couragement would he labour under! He might thus argue with him&s;elf: What do I do! I am a Lover of Religion, and am ha|ted for it; I deny my &s;elf in point of the profits and plea&s;ures of the World, which others wallow in to &s;atiety; I do good, and receive evil; am vexed and troubled and per&s;ecuted in this World, whil&s;t others are at re&s;t. And to what end is all this? What!
<PB N="34" REF="22">that I &s;hould live like a Fool, and dye like a Bea&s;t? And &s;urely &s;o it would be, were there no future re|ward for him to eye, and have re&s;pect to. S^t <HI>Paul</HI>'s Hypothe&s;is is a Great Truth, and the Con&s;equence natural, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 15.19. <HI>If in this life only we have hope in Chri&s;t, we are of ll men mo&s;t mi&s;erable.</HI> Only there is a comfortable <HI>But</HI> which turns the Scales, converts the Hypothetick into a Categorical Propo&s;i|tion, in the next Words: <HI>But now is Chri&s;t ri&s;en from the dead, and become the fir&s;t-fruits of them that &s;lept;</HI> who &s;hall ri&s;e with him too, and appear at Judgment, <HI>the Judgment-Seat of Chri&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>The thoughts of which, as it &s;trikes un&s;peakable Terrour into ill men, (perhaps here, as well as here|after) &s;o it comforts and refre&s;heth, &s;trangely enli|vens and animates, invigorates and encourages good men to, and in all the In&s;tances of their Duty, both in doing and &s;uffering. What will they &s;tick at? What difficulties dare they not encounter with? What Ob&s;tacles can they not remove, or break through? What Lyon in the way &s;hall di&s;courage them, or turn them back? What &s;hall divert them from pur&s;uing &s;uch great and &s;ure rewards, which are before their eyes, which they &s;hall one day cer|tainly receive? What &s;hall turn <HI>them</HI> out of the way of the Lord, who&s;e eyes are fixed on this Glo|rious Object? Shall the Enchantments or bewitching Charms of &s;inful Plea&s;ures allure, or the thundering Peals of Per&s;ecution fright 'em thence? May not &s;uch make S^t <HI>Paul</HI>'s triumphant Challenge, <HI>Rom.</HI> 8.35. <HI>Who &s;hall &s;eparate us from the love of Chri&s;t? Shall tribulation, or distre&s;s, or per&s;ecution, or famine, or nakedne&s;s, or peril, or &s;word, or any other Creature what&s;oever? Nay, in all the&s;e things we are more than Conquerours through him that loved us.</HI></P>
<PB N="35" REF="22">
<P>Go on then (Chri&s;tian!) with courage and com|fort, and let thine eye be ever fixed on this Glorious Object, look to the recompence of reward, have an eye to the Glories that <HI>are within the Veil,</HI> act Faith upon the things un&s;een, keep a con&s;tant eye upon the <HI>Judge</HI> of the World, and the great <HI>Tribunal,</HI> and let thy Meditations on it be frequent, and deep, and &s;erious: and then leave the way of the Lord, if thou can&s;t; then let the plea&s;ures of &s;in bewitch thee, and turn thee a&s;ide, if they can, <HI>like a broken Bow;</HI> then leave the narrow, and walk in the broad way that leads to de&s;truction, then turn thy face (which now looks Heaven-ward) to the Regions of darkne&s;s, if thou can&s;t; then apo&s;tatize from thy Religion, and renounce Chri&s;tianity, bid adieu to the Communion of Saints, and a&s;&s;ociate with the blacker Spirits, and the Cabal of Hell, if thou can&s;t; then let the World, the Fle&s;h and the Devil tempt thee to evil, &s;educe, conquer and triumph over thee, if they can; then &s;hrink and faint, hide thy head and deny thy <HI>Ma|&s;ter</HI> in the Storms of Per&s;ecution, tho&s;e bloudy Showres, and prove a ba&s;e, cowardly De&s;erter, if thou can&s;t; then let tho&s;e fiercer, ruder Winds of Hell, tho&s;e turbulent <HI>Euroclydons,</HI> &s;hipwrack thy Faith, if they can: there is no danger &s;urely if thy Anchor-hold be <HI>&s;ure and stedfa&s;t,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 6.19.</NOTE> <HI>fa&s;tned within the Veil.</HI></P>
<P>In all the In&s;tances of Duty, in all the Turns of Providence, in all the Occurrences of humane Life, in all the Temptations either of the <HI>World,</HI> or the <HI>Fle&s;h,</HI> or the <HI>Devil,</HI> always remember there is a Day of Judgment coming, when wicked men &s;hall be pu|ni&s;hed, and good men &s;hall be rewarded: then thou &s;halt have thy reward, though thou tarrie&s;t long for it; a reward that will abundantly compen&s;ate all
<PB N="36" REF="23">thy trouble, all thy labour, all thy love, all thy &s;er|vice and &s;ufferings for thy Lord and Ma&s;ter; a re|ward that will be infinitely &s;atisfactory and Glorious, that infinitely exceeds all the Honours and Glories and Names of Happine&s;s in this lower World: which Earthly Crowns and Scepters cannot purcha&s;e, nor the United Power of Earth, and Hell rob or deprive thee of; which Devils will envy thee, and wicked men wi&s;h for, as well as be amazed at, who &s;hall &s;tand trembling at the dreadful Barr,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Wi&s;d. 5.1, &amp;c.</NOTE> whil&s;t thou art exulting, on the Throne; who will &s;tand a&s;hamed in their poverty and nakedne&s;s, whil&s;t thy brighter Glo|ries and Royal Robes are putting on, beholding with horrour what is <HI>done to the man whom the King de|lighteth to honour.</HI></P>
<P>O terrible, and yet O comfortable glorious Day! A Day indeed of gloomine&s;s and blackne&s;s, of hor|rour and a&s;toni&s;hment, a Day of <HI>Terrour</HI> and the blacke&s;t grief, and the deepe&s;t &s;orrow to the Ene|mies, but a Day of comfort and joy, a Day of mirth and gladne&s;s to the Friends of Chri&s;t! A Day of <HI>re|fre&s;hing,</HI> as S^t <HI>Peter</HI> calls it, <HI>Acts</HI> 3.19. <HI>When the time of refre&s;hing &s;hall come from the pre&s;ence of the Lord.</HI> 'Twill be truly a time of <HI>refre&s;hing; refre&s;hing</HI> to the <HI>weary,</HI> tired Traveller, when he comes to &s;it down at re&s;t; the Chri&s;tian that was burden'd, and <HI>weary, and heavy-laden</HI> with corruption and &s;in, who &s;hall then have a true, intire and perfect re&s;t; <HI>refre&s;h|ing</HI> to the buffetted, tempted, afflicted Saint; <HI>refre&s;h|ing</HI> to the weather-beaten,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant. 1.6. Luke 21.28.</NOTE> <HI>&s;un-burn'd</HI> afflicted Church of Chri&s;t. A Day of Redemption, as our Saviour &s;tyles it, full and compleat Redemption, Redempti|on from all &s;in and temptation and mi&s;ery; full Re|demption from &s;orrow and tears and &s;uffering, when &s;orrow &s;hall be no more, and all tears &s;hall be wip'd
<PB N="37" REF="23">away. So the Spirit a&s;&s;ures us in the <HI>Revelation,</HI> &s;peaking of the Immunities of that Ble&s;&s;ed State, <HI>Rev.</HI> 21.4. <HI>And God &s;hall wipe away all tears from their eyes: and there &s;hall be no more death, neither &s;orrow, nor crying, neither &s;hall there be any more pain.</HI></P>
<P>Fourthly and La&s;tly, Is there &s;uch infallible cer|tainty of Judgment to come? Is there a Day of Judgment coming, when we mu&s;t all appear before Je&s;us Chri&s;t, the Judge both of the quick and dead? O then let us make preparation for it, (which it concerns us all to do) and that &s;peedily; and here I might give you the&s;e following Directions, which I &s;hall but name.</P>
<P N="1">1. Get your Accounts ready. Look into your &s;elves, and examine your &s;tate; how it &s;tands be|tween God, and your Souls, that you may not be &s;urpriz'd, when you &s;hall be &s;ummon'd to <HI>appear be|fore the Judgment-Seat of Christ.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. Do nothing now which you dare not account for then, which you would not then hear of.</P>
<P N="3">3. Buy, and put on your Wedding-Garments,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 3.17. Mat. 22.11, 12. &mdash; 25.1, &amp;c.</NOTE> and get your <HI>Lamps trim'd</HI> and furni&s;h'd with <HI>Oil</HI> to meet the <HI>Bridegroom.</HI></P>
<P N="4">4. Make Chri&s;t, who is the <HI>Judge,</HI> your <HI>Friend.</HI> And that mu&s;t be done,</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, By keeping his Commandments, e&s;pecially tho&s;e which are more peculiarly his, tho&s;e Laws which have their immediate In&s;titution and Sanction in the Go&s;pel, particularly that of <HI>the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper.</HI> Which they that de&s;pi&s;e, and contemn, and neglect, may &s;adly remember and con|&s;ider, that 'tis <HI>his Ordinance</HI> who will be their <HI>Judge.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, By obliging his Friends. And how that is to be done, he him&s;elf intimates, S^t <HI>Matth.</HI> 25.35, &amp;c.</P>
<PB N="38" REF="24">
<P N="5">5.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 25.13.</NOTE> Be always upon your Watch.</P>
<P N="6">6. Add to Watching Prayer. This is our Lord's Advice, S^t <HI>Mark</HI> 13.33. <HI>Take ye heed, watch and pray, for ye know not when the time is.</HI></P>
<P>I will conclude all with S^t <HI>Peter</HI>'s Exhortation, which he makes from this very Doctrine of the final Judgment, 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3.11, 12. <HI>Seeing then that all the&s;e things &s;hall be di&s;&s;olved, (i. e.</HI> &s;eeing that this World, and all things here below, &s;hall have an End, and Chri&s;t &s;hall come to Judgment) <HI>what manner of per&s;ons ought ye to be in all holy conver&s;ation and godline&s;s! Looking for, and hasting unto the coming of the day of God&mdash;</HI> and <HI>ver.</HI> 14. <HI>Wherefore (Beloved) &s;eeing that ye look for &s;uch things, be diligent, that ye may be found of him in peace, without &s;pot, and blamele&s;s.</HI></P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
