of this World and was worshipped with Divine Honours and St. Iohn tells us For this end the Son of God was manifest to destroy the works of the devil 1 Joh. 3.8 And Christ tells us That the Holy Ghost whom he would send upon his Apostles after his Resurrection from the Dead should convince the world of judgment because the prince of this world is judged 16 John 11. Where by Judgment I understand the final Judgment which the Spirit should convince the World of by that visible Judgment he would execute upon the Prince of this World For by the preaching of the Gospel he turned Men from Darkness unto Light and from the Power of Satan unto God converted great part of the Heathen World silenced their Oracles and exposed their Gods and their Worship their Temples and their Altars to contempt This was a visible Judgment of the Prince of this World and have not bad Men reason to look about them when they see their Prince and Captain so miserably defeated If Christ have already begun to execute Judgment on the Prince of this World is not this a plain Fore-runner of the final Judgment when the Devil and his Angels and all bad Men shall be condemned to Eternal Fire This assurance we have that the Son of Man shall Judge the World that God hath raised him from the Dead and thereby confirmed that Testimony which he gave of himself advanced him to the right Hand of Power and has already given some sensible Proofs of his Power and Justice in the Overthrow of the Iewish Nation and the Devil's Kingdom I shall only farther observe that this sensible Proof we have that Christ shall Judge the World is a sensible Proof of a Future Judgment as certain as we are that Christ is risen from the Dead so certain we are of a Future Judgment which is an abundant Confirmation of all those other Arguments from Reason and Scripture that God will Judge the World CHAP. IV. The Manner and Circumstances of CHRIST's Appearance and the Awful Solemnities of Iudgement IV. LET us now consider the Manner and Circumstances of Christ's Appearance and the Awful Solemnities of Judgment I have upon several Occasions hinted at most of these things already but the Order of my Discourse requires that I should say something particularly though briefly to them Now our Saviour tells us 16 Matth. 27. That the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels 9 Luke 26. That the Son of man shall come in his own glory and in his Fathers's and of the holy angels That the Lord Iesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on them â—hat know not God and obey not the gospel of our Lord Iesus Christ 2 Thess. 1.7 8. That the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God which shall awaken the dead and raise them out of their graves but the dead in Christ shall rise first then we which are alive that is whoever shall then be alive at Christ's coming to Judgment shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord 1 Thess. 4.16 17. That when the Son of man cometh in his glory and all his holy angels with him then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory And before him shall be gathered all nations and he shall separate them one from another as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats 25 Matth. 31 32. Or as it is described in St. Iohn's Visions 20 Revel 11 12 13. And I saw a white throne and him that sat on it from whose face the earth and heavens fled away and there was no place found for them And I saw the dead small and great stand before God and the books were opened and another book was opened which is the book of life and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works This gives us a general Prospect of the Order and Solemnity of the last Judgment which is very Pompous and Glorious and very Terrible there never was any thing like it all the Roman Triumphs in comparison with this were but like the Sports and Apish Imitations of Children let us then particularly but briefly consider the several parts of it Christ shall come in his own glory and in his Father's and of the holy angels In his own glory that must signifie the Glory of his Person that is the Glory of an Incarnate God His Body will be bright and glorious as the Sun so it was when he was transfigured before them on the Mount His face did shine like the sâ—â— and his raiment was white as the light 17 Matth. 2. And if there be any new degrees of Glory and Majesty we may be sure he will appear in it all when he comes to Judgment The Scripture assures us that Christ is now clothed with a glorious Body and that at the Resurrection he shall change our vile bodies that they may be like to his own most glorioâ—s body and he himself tells us At that day the righteous shall shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father And if he bestows such Glory on his meanest Members how glorious will the Head be for St. Paul assures us that there are very different degrees of Glory There is one glory of the sun and another glory of the moon and another glory of the stars for one star differeth from another star in glory So also is the resurrection of the dead 1 Cor. 15.41 42. With what Glory then will our Lord appear when he comes to Judgment If the Righteous shall shine forth like the Sun how bright will the Sun of Righteousness himself be If meer Creatures shall appear so glorious what will the Glory of an Incarnate God be for he will not then appear as a glorious Creature but as a visible God as I observed before his Godhead will shine through his glorified Humanity as visibly as our Souls do through our Bodies and how glorious must that Body be in which the Deity appears a Glory which distinguishes a God from the most glorious Creatures But he must appear in the Glory of his Father also that is as I understand it with the Authority of an Universal Judge this is a great Glory for Authority and Power carries Reverence and Majesty with it whatever Mens personal Qualifications are though upon all other accounts they are much inferior to their Neighbours yet the Character of a Judge makes them Venerable especially to those who must be judged by them Authority is an invisible Character but yet gives a visible Majesty it is apt to impose upon our Judgments of Persons that we hardly think them the same Men when they are in Authority and out of it and
be made better by their Company as to escape the better with them but they should remember that the Tares and the Wheat grow together in the same Field but yet have a very different end the one is gathered into the Barn and the other is burnt and that good and bad Fish are taken in the same Net but they are separated at the Day of Judgment All our Separations now will avail us nothing unless we take care to be found in the Number of Christ's Sheep when we come to Judgment for if we be concealed Hypocrites and rotten and corrupt Members of a Sound and Orthodox and Pure Church though we have conversed with good Men all our lives here yet we must part Company at last the angels at that day will gather forth 〈◊〉 of Christ's kingdom and Church all things which offend and work iniquity The Judge being thus seated on his Throne and all Mankind before him the Books are opened which is another Circumstance to be considered in the last Judgment 20 Revel 12. And I saw the dead small and great stand before God and the books were opened and another book was opened which is the book of life and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works The like we have 7 Dâ—â— 10. This opening of the Books seems to be an Allusion to the Form of Process in Humane Judicatures for we cannot think that God keeps Books of Record in a literal sence as Men do for such Books are onely Helps to Memory and therefore God needs them not but this represents to us the exact and impartial Justice of the last Judgment for there are two sorts of Books which shall be opened and out of which we shall be judged 1. The Laws of God which are the Rule of our Actions by which we shall be judged 2. The Records of our Lives and Actions which contain the Matters of Fact or that for which we shall be judged I shall discourse more particularly of this hereafter and shall only observe at present that God is a curious Observer of all our Actions and keeps a faithful Record of them though we take little notice of our Sins ourselves and forget them presently and then think they are gone and past yet God remembers them and we shall find fair and fresh Records of them when we come to Judgment And how will it amaze and confound bad Men to see all the Sins of their Lives called to remembrance to see a black Catalogue of all their Impieties and Blasphemies Injustice and Oppression Uncleanness and Impurities to see an exact Counterpart of a most wicked and ungodly Life Nothing can blot our Sins out of God's Book but a sincere Repentance and Reformation of our Lives for then God has promised to blot out all our iniquities which is somewhat more then crossing the Account for when the Account is only crossed it is visible still but what is blotted-out don 't so much as appear it no longer stands upon Record it is forgot and shall never be alleadged against us there shall be no mention made of it at the Day of Judgment for St. Iohn tells us there is another Book shall be opened the Book of Life out of which good Men shall be judged which records their Faith and Patience and Charity and all the good they have done but none of their Sins which God has blotted out of his Remembrance and has promised to keep no Record of them And is not this a mighty encouragement to true Repentance that all our Sins shall be blotted out before the Day of Judgment that there shall be no mention no remembrance of them then Some very good Men have been guilty of very great Wickedness which it may be none but God and their own Consciences know and the best Men have so many Failings Weaknesses Miscarriages that should all the Sins of good Men be exposed to the View and Censure of Men and Angels at the Day of Judgment tho' they were finally absolved and acquitted yet it would cause great Shame and Confusion and overcast the Glory of that Day but their Sins are done away and forgot and they have washed their Garments and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb this is the only way to conceal your most secret Sins to blot them out of God's Book by Repentance for if they remain there upon Record how successful soever you may be in concealing them at present the Books will be opened at the Day of Judgment and then all the World will know them Thus in our Saviour's Account of the last Judgment none of the Sins which good Men ever committed are mentioned but only the Graces and Vertues for which they are rewarded nor is there any notice taken of any good Actions done by bad Men but only of their Sins 25 Mat. as God expresly declares it shall be 32 Ezek. 13 14 16. When I shall say to the righteous that he shall surely live if he trust to his own righteousness to the good he hath already done and commit iniquity all his righteousness shall not be remembred but for his iniquity that he hath committed he shall die for it Again when I say to the wicked Thou shalt surely die if he turn from his sin and doth that which is lawful and right None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him he hath done that which is lawful and right he shall surely live And now let us consider in what order Christ will Judge the World When he has separated between the Sheep and the Goats between good and bad Men he first calls good Men to Judgment and pronounces them blessed as we see 25 Matth. And this very much becomes the Person of our Judge who is the Saviour of the World and therefore to save is his proper Work and must take place of all Acts of Justice and Vengeance the Saviour of the World as I observed before must be our Judge that he may be a complete and perfect Saviour that he may finally acquit and reward us and therefore this is his first care to separate his Elect from the Company and to deliver them from the Destruction of the Ungodly This demonstrates to all the World that God takes more pleasure to save then to destroy this convinces Sinners that their Destruction is from themselves that they might have been saved as well as others for Christ came to save them and they see now that he would have done it would they have been saved by him in the Glory which is conferred on good Men they see what they have lost before they hear that terrible Sentence pronounced Go ye cursed into everlasting fire and this is a double Damnation to see the Happiness of good Men and to feel their own Misery for when we come to Judgment to lose Heaven will be thought a terrible Punishment though there were no Hell
are so busie and careful in keeping your Books and casting up your Accounts and ballancing your Gain and your Loss and observing how your Stock increases or decays can you forbear thinking that you have a greater and more concerning Account than this the Account of your Life and Actions which if you do not keep God does he has his Records of them and will produce his Books at the Day of Judgment and judge you out of them When you call your Servants or Stewards to an Account how they have improved or embezled your Goods whether they have hid their Talent in a Napkin or traded with it and gained five or ten Talents you should remember that you also are but God's Stewards and must give an Account of your Stewardship and either shall be Stewards no longer but be turned out of your Master's Service and punished for your Negligence or shall receive a Reward proportionable to your Diligence and Gain When we correct our Children or Servants for their Idleness Disobedience or any other Miscarriage or reward their Diligence and Vertue can we forget that we have a Father and a Master in Heaven who curiously observes all our Actions and will judge will reward and punish us according to our Works When we see at Harvest the Wheat gathered into the Barn and the Weeds neglected or burnt should it not mind us what a difference God will make between good and bad Men at the Day of Judgment that though they live intermixed in this World they shall be parted then good Men received into Heaven where God dwells and bad Men banished into outward Darkness where there is Weeping and Wailing and Gnashing of Teeth for evermore The awful Solemnities of Humane Judicatures the Judge sitting on the Bench the Malefactor arraigned at the Bar the Jury the Witnesses the Tryal Condemnation Sentence Execution are lively Emblems of a Future Judgment and methinks should mind Judge and Juries and Witnesses and Spectators of it I have mentioned these few Instances because they are common and familiar and Scripture-Representations of a Future Judgment and so often occur that if we would but as often think seriously of a Future Judgment we should soon attain an habitual Sence of it And possibly my applying them to this purpose now as little an Observation as it may seem may make you think of your great Account when you are casting up your Books or reckoning with your Workmen or taking an Account of your Stewards and Servants and if it should I shall have my end and you will find the benefit of it But there is one thing which is naturally apt to mind us of a Future Judgement and I am sure always ought to do so and is of very near and present concernment to us at this time and that is When the judgments of GOD are in the earth for then as the Prophet Isaiah tells us the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness 26 Isaiah 9. I have already observed to you that the Examples of a just and righteous Providence which governs this World are a good Proof of a Future Judgment for it is an argument that God does take notice of the Actions of Men and concerns himself in the Government of the World and then we have no reason to question whether he will judge the World And when God is actually executing Judgments on the World when he is a judging Kingdoms and Nations when he has unsheathed the Sword and made it drunk with Blood when the Desolations of flourishing Countries the Burning of Towns and Cities the lamentable Slaughter of infinite numbers of People do so loudly proclaim the Wrath and Displeasure of God those who han't a great and awful and terrible Sence of Judgment will never be awakened but by the sounding of the last Trumpet It is this that makes the Judgments of God so effectual to Reform the World not meerly the Fears of present Sufferings of those Temporal Evils and Calamities wherewith God punishes Sinners but that by these visible Tokens of God's Anger by the present sensible Effects of his Justice and Power Men are rouzed and alarm'd into a Consideration of future Vengeance We extreamly weaken the Argument from present and sensible Judgments when we urge it no further then to perswade Men to reform their Lives to remove those Judgments which are upon them this is an additional Argument to reform our Sins to save our Country from Ruin but those who will not reform their Sins to save their Souls will never part with them to save a Nation and therefore the true force of the Argument resolves itself into a Future Judgment God has begun to punish us already in this World for our Sins and unless we repent we must not hope to escape so these Temporal Sufferings are but a Summons to Judgment and it may be are intended to remove us presently into the other World to receive our Reward The Axe is now visibly laid to the root of the Tree and every Tree which bringeth not forth good Fruit is hewen down and cast into the Fire And the visible Execution of GOD's Judgments upon the World will certainly mind us of a Future Judgment and give us a feeling sence of it as it gives us a present and sensible View of God's Justice and Power and a nearer Prospect of it 1. It gives us a present and sensible View of God's Justice and Power And that though he be very good and merciful he is very righteous too and very severe in his Judgments that though he be gracious and merciful slow to anger and of great kindness yet he will not always spare but will awake to visit the heathen and will not be merciful to any wicked transgressors 59 Psal. 5. When we see what Desolations God makes in the Earth how his Judgments like a sudden and mighty Torrent overflow a secure and happy Country sweep away the Inhabitants of it or transplant them into foreign Nations to beg their Bread among Strangers when we see how he sounds an Alarum to War and sets Kingdom against Kingdom and every Man's Sword against his Brother when we observe with what an impartial Hand he strikes that there is no Country no People no Religion escapes that he makes Ambition and Covetuousness correct Superstition and Superstition chastise the Coldness and Formality the loose and licentious Lives of more Orthodox Christians I say when we see such things as these in the World shall we not fear and tremble before that just and righteous Judge Can we forget that GOD will judge the World in Righteousness when we see already such terrible Executions which are onely Preludiums to a Final Judgment 2. These present and visible Judgmenâ— give us a nearer Prospect of a Futurâ— Judgment and Judgment will more seâ—sibly affect us the nearer we see it Not that such Judgments as these prove that the Final Judgment is near at hand foâ— the Records and Histories of
condemn or absolve Bad Men indeed are very much afraid of their own Consciences because they reprove and condemn them and threaten them with Hell-fire and therefore they fly from their Consciences will not hear them and will not suffer them to speak but what do they get by this but to drop securely and quietly into Hell and then Conscience will speak and never be silent more If they will not hear their Consciences now they must hear their Judge at the last Day Though Conscience be never so severe in its reproofs and censures they are the reproofs of a Friend the Judgment of Conscience is only to warn us of the Judgment of God to warn us to fly from the Wrath to come and would Men hearken to their own Consciences it would give check to them and reform their Lives if we would patiently hear Conscience threaten us with Hell-fire it would be the most effectual means to prevent our falling into it But what is the Joy and Triumph of a good Conscience which speaks Peace to us and gives us a secure hope in God which gives us the joyful prospect of Eternal Rewads of a Crown and a Kingdom of those Rivers of Pleasures which are at God's right hand When with St. Paul we can say I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith henceforth is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which God the righteous Iudge will give me at that day 2 Tim. 4.7 8. This is a happy state indeed a plerophory and full assurance of hope which makes good Men impatiently long for the Day of Judgment to be put into the possession of so great a happiness and there is no way to have this but from the Testimony of our own Consciences The Holy Spirit indeed does give Testimony to good Men and fill them with joys unspeakable and full of glory but then the spirit beareth witness with our spirits that we are the sons of God 8 Rom. 16. Unless our Consciences give testimony to us the Holy Spirit never does all pretences to the Testimony of the Spirit without this are cheats and delusions and Conscience will never give this testimony to us without a tried and experienced Vertue till the Flesh be subdued to the Spirit till our Minds are refined and purified and our Conversations adorned with all Divine and Heavenly Graces Every new conquest we gain over this World every new degree of strength and vigour in serving God our increase in Charity and all good Works will add new degrees to our hope our Consciences will give the more ample testimony to us and that gives us greater confidence towards God which will make us joyfully expect that blessed hope and glorious appearance of the great God and our Saviour Iesus Christ. The END BOOKS Published by the Reverend Dr. SHERLOCK Dean of St. Paul's Master of the Temple and Chaplain in Ordinary to Their Majesties AN Answer to a Discourse Entituled Papists Protesting against Protestant Popery Second Edition 4 o An Answer to the Amicable Accommodation of the Differences between the Representer and the Answerer 4 o A Sermon at the Funeral of the Reverend Benjamin Calamy D. D. 4 o A Vindication of some Protestant Principles of Church-Unity and Catholick-Communion from the Charge of Agreement with the Church of Rome 4 o A Preservative against Popery Being some plain Directions to unlearned Protestants how to Dispute with Romish Priests First Part. Fifth Edition 4 o A Second Part of the Preservative against Popery Second Edition 4 o A Vindication of Both Parts of the Preservative against Popery in Answeâ— to the Cavils of Lewis Sabran Jesuit 4 o A Discourse concerning the Nature Unity and Communion of the Catholick Church First Part. 4 o A Sermon Preached before the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor and Aldermen of the City of London on Sunday Novemb. 4. 1688. 4 o A Vindication of the Doctrine of the Holy and Ever-Blessed Trinity and the Incarnation of the Son of God Occasioned by the Brief Notes on the Creed of St. Athanasius and the Brief History of the Unitarians or Soâ—iâ—ians and containing an Answer to both The Second Edition 4 o The Case of the Allegiance due to Soveraign Powers stated and resolved according to Scripture and Reason and the Principles of the Church of England with a more particular Respect to the Oath lately enjoyned of Allegiaâ—ce to their present Majesties King William and Queen Mary Sixth Edition 4 o A Vindication of the Case of Allegiance due to Soveraign Powers In Reply to an Answer to a late Pamphlet Entituled Obedience and Submission to the present Government demonstrated from Bishop Overal ' s Convocation-â—ook with a Postscript in Answer to Dr. Sherlock ' s Case of Allegiance 4 o A Practical Discourse concerning Death The Fifth Edition 8 o A Practical Discourse concerning a Future Judgment 8 o Printed for W. Rogers Books lately Printed for Will. Rogers A Sermon Preached at White-Hall before the Queen on the Monthly-Fast-Day September 16th 1691. 4 o A Persuasive to Frequent Communion in the Holy Sacrament of the Lord's Supper The Eighth Edition 12 o Both by the most Reverend Father in God John Lord Archbishop of Canterbury A Sermon Preached on the 28th of Iune at St. Andrew's Holbourn By the Right Reverend Father in God Iohn Lord Bishop of Norwich 4 o A Sermon Preached on the 28th of Iune at St. Mary it Bow on Sunday the fifth of Iuly 1691 at the Consecration of the Most Reverend Father in God Iohn Lord Archbishop of Yoâ—k and the Right Reverend Fathers in God Iohn Lord Bishop of Norwich Richard Lord Bishop of Peterborough and Edward Lord Bishop of Gloucester By Ioshua Clark Chaplain to the Right Reverend Father In God the Bishop of Norwich 4 o The Necessity of Serious Consideration and Speedy Repentance as the only way to be safe both living and dying By Clement Elis Rector of Kirkby in Nottingham-shire 8 o Reflections upon two Books one Entituled The Case of Allegiance to a King in Possession The other An Answer to Dr. Sherlock ' s Case of Allegiance to Soveraign Powers in Possession on those parts especially wherein the Author endeavours to shew his Opinion to be agreeable to the Laws of this Land In a Letter to a Friend 4 o In the Press The Folly of Atheism demonstrated to the Capacity of the most unlearned Reader By Clement Elis Rector of Kirkby in Notting-hamshire 8 o 9 Heb. 27. 1 Tim. 6.3 Practical Discourse of Death Ch. 2. Sect. 1. 2 Pet. 3.5 6. 22 Matth. 30. 49 Ier. 18. 25 Iob. 6. 80 Psal. 17. 146 Psal. 3. 2 Ezek. 1. 3 Phil. â—2â— 13 Mat. 43. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â— Rom. 1. 3 Rom. 20 21 22 24 25. 4 Rom. 5 Rom. 1. 2 Eph. 8 9. 3 Tit. 5. 2 Rom. 6. 2 Cor. 5.10 7 Mat. 21.22 23. 1 Rom. 18. 2 Rom. 8 9. 2 Titus 11 12. 6 Ron 23. 10 Act. 34 35. 2 Cor. 8.12 2 Cor. 5.14 Nimquam vir magnus sine Divino afflatu 119 Psalm 5 10 14 18 19 27 28 34 35 36 37. 51 Psal. 10 12. P. 415. 2 Tit. 13.