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of God: and the dead in Chrift fhall rise firft: then we which are alive and remain, fhall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and fo fhall we ever be with the Lord, 1 Theff. iv. 16. 17.

This will be fuch a fhout as armies were wont to make when the fignal of battle was given; and after this fhout the trump of God fhall found. By this tremendous blast finners fhall be affrighted out of their graves; but to the faints it will carry no more terror than the roaring of cannons, when armies of friends approach a befieged city for the relief of those that are within it. And the dead being raised, they fhall be gathered together before the great and awful throne on which Chrift shall fit in his glory, and there they shall be exactly divided by the angels into two companies, one on the Judge's right hand, and the other on his left. Here will be the greatest affembly that ever met; where Adam may fee his numerous offspring, even as the fand upon the fea-fhore, which no man can number.

3. This judgement will be exact and critical. It is the Searcher of the heart, to whom all fecrets are khown, that will pafs this final fentence upon men. His eyes are as a flame of fire, and can penetrate into the centre of the foul. All fins, whether fecret or open, shall be accounted for at that day; and the fins of mens thoughts and affections, which Satan could not accuse them of, thall then be brought into judgement. For in that day God will judge the fecrets of men by Jefus Chrift, Rom. ii. 16. All mens fins of omiffion, and their woful neglect of improving the means, advantages, and opportunities for doing or receiving good, fhall be accounted for at that day. All acts of commiffion in youth and age, whether grofs fenfuality, as licentioufnefs, lufts, excefs of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries, and all excefs of riot, fhall be accounted for to him who is ready to judge the quick and the dead, 1 Pet. iv. 4. 5. And all acts of unrighteoufnefs to men, yca and fins of, leffer guilt, for which the most

part of men are not touched either with grief or shame while here, fhall then be produced in judgement. And all the fins of mens words, which are fo easily committed, but not so easily observed, fhall be called to a heavy remembrance. This will be a day that will perfectly fan the world. Juftice will then hold the balance in an even hand; Chrift will go to work fo exactly, that fome divines have thought, that the day of judgement will laft as long as the day of the gofpel's adminiftration hath done or fhall do.

4. It will be a righteous judgement: He will judge the world in righteoufness, Acts xvii. 31. His knowledge of all mens characters and actions is infallibly true, and therefore his sentence upon them will be inconteftably juft, confiftent with all the rules of the higheft equity and juftice. And the fentence he shall pafs upon both faints and finners, fhall be univerfally applauded at that day.

5. Lastly, It is a final judgement, from which there can lie no appeal. Here in the world, if men judge themselves lefed in one court, they can appeal to another. But it is not fo here: for this is the fupreme tribunal, where the great Sovereign of heaven and earth will give judgement upon angels and men: and the fentence once paffed, will immediately be put in execution; Matth. xxv. 46. Just after the sentence is pronounced by Chrift, it is immediately added, These fhall go away into everlasting punishment; but the righ teous into life eternal. The fentence fhall be irrevocable, and can never be repealed. It will determine the eternal state of all, and tranfmit them either to everlasting happiness or mifery.

SIXTHLY, What are the final caufes or ends of this judgement?

1. The glory of the juftice and mercy of God; the former in punishing the wicked, and the latter in rewarding his friends. Many eminent difplays of these attributes have been exhibited in the world, but the largest and fulleft manifeftation of them will be given Q

VOL. II.

at the laft day, when the righteous Judge fhall take vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jefus Chrift; who shall be punished with everlasting deftruction from the prefence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power, 2 Theff. i. 8. 9. And then he shall fay unto the righteous, Come, ye bleffed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, Matth. xxv. 34.

2. The glory of the Lord Jefus, which will be highly manifefted at that day. His firft coming was obfcure and without obfervation. For he came in the form of a fervant, and was reproached and reviled by men. But then he will come in power and great glory, as the Lord and Heir of all things. At his firft coming he vailed his divinity with the infirmities of flesh. But then the rays of his incomprehenfible glory fhall dazzle the eyes of all that behold him. When he came firft to the world, he ftood before the tribunals of men, and was condemned to the curfed death of the crofs: but then he will fit upon a glorious throne, and all the princes and potentates in the world fhall ftand trembling before him, expecting a fentence from his mouth, upon which their eternal deftiny will depend. He is now feated at the right hand of the Majefty on high; but the curtains of the heavens conceal his glory from us; and therefore there is a time fixed, when in the fight of the whole world he will manifeft his glory.

3. The rewarding of men according to their works, and thereby vindicating the providence of God from the imputation of unrighteoufnefs in his governing of the world. Things feem to be carried with an unequal balance in the prefent life. The wicked profper, as if they were rewarded for being evil; and the godly fuffer, as if they were punished for being good. Yea, the virtuous and the vitious are equally miferable here. In common calamities there is no difference between the righteous and the wicked. There is no peculiar antidote to fecure them from peftilential infection;

there is no ftrong retreat to defend them from the fword of a conquering enemy: they have no fecret provifions in time of famine; for the wheat and the tares are bound in a bundle, and caft into the fame fire: yea, oftimes the godly are in the worst condition, and merely on account of their goodness. They are daily oppreffed, because they do not make re fiftance; and loaded with fufferings, because they endure them with patience. They are for God's fake made the spectacles of extreme mifery, while the infolent defiers of his Majefty and laws enjoy all manner of visible felicity. And therefore, for the vindication of his juftice, there must be a day of retribution, wherein God will reward every man according to his works. Divine juftice requires that there fhould be a different procedure with thofe that differ among themfelves; that it should be well with them that do well, and ill with them that do evil; and that every man fhould reap according to what he hath fown,

USE. 1. Labour to get a firm belief and perfuafion of this great and awful truth. Alas! the most part of inen are fo bufied about the affairs of the present life, that they do not mind the future. Thefe awful words, death, judgement, and eternity, make no more impreffion upon their hearts, than if they were words of no fignification. This is a truth of the greateft importance, and therefore is clearly and plentifully revealed in the holy fcripture. Hearken then to the voice of this heavenly oracle, and believe and tremble at the thoughts of this awful day,

2. Think frequently on this terrible judgement, that the belief of it may be powerful on your hearts and lives. One great caufe of mens woful neglect of duty is the want of ferious thoughts concerning Chrift's fecond coming. This renders them lazy and fecure, fo that they make no provifion for it but where it is firmly believed and duly thought upon, O how active and diligent does it make them! It had this effect on Paul, 2 Cor. v. 9. 10. 11. Many put

this day far away, and fet it at a remote diftance from them, and this makes them ftupid and fecure. I have read of a minifter, who in a fermon described the last judgement in all its terrors, with fuch ardent expreffions, and thofe animated with fuch an affecting voice, and fuch an inflamed countenance and action, that his hearers broke forth into paffionate cries, as if the Judge himself had been prefent to pass the final fentence upon them. In the height of their commotion, the preacher bade thein ftop their tears and paffions, for he had one thing more to add, the most affecting and aftonishing confideration of all the reft, namely, that, within lefs than a quarter of an hour, the memory and regard of that which fo tranfported them would vanish, and their affections return to their carnal objects in their ufual manner. The neglect of ferious confideration makes even the doctrine of eter nal judgement to become without efficacy. It is needful therefore that the belief of this truth be fo firmly feated in the heart, that it may engage the attention of the thoughts, and may have a royal power over the will and affections, that fo our lives may be ordered according to its rules. Serious thoughts of this awful day would prove the most effectual reftraint from fin; and particularly it would have a notable efficacy in keeping them back from fecret fins, and deprive the devil of one of his greatest advantages against men, arifing from folitude and fecrecy. It would be a powerful remedy againft fenfual temptations, which fo eafily enfnare the hearts of men; and would change the apprehenfions of the mind, alter the taste of the appetite, and make the most enticing and irresistible lufts the objects of our greateft detefta

tion.

3. We fhould fear and tremble at the thoughts of this awful day. The great ones in the world that are most powerful and unruly, may hence fee that there is a power above them. Many oppofe Chrift and his intereft now, faying, Let us break their bands

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