fauour he is with-holden sometimes bribes blind his eies and peruert the right sentence But it shall not be so with this Iudge of the whole world His sentence is a righteous sentence he will iudge according to trueth he is able to finde out any cause and will examine it to the bottome hee feareth no mans person he will not be moued with fauor to conceale the truth And as for rewards hee contemnes them all therefore no doubt hee will proceede according to iustice This serueth for the comfort Vse 1 of Gods people in this world we see oftentimes the righteous cause is troden vnder foot mens lands and liuings are detained and taken from them by vnrighteous Iudges and that vnder colour of Law Well let men haue patience and know this that there wil come a day wherin there shal be Iustice and true Iudgement doone vnto them Here thy cause shall be heard it shal be righted for Christ Iesus will bee a righteous Iudge for the poore the fatherlesse and the widow Againe we see how the members of CHRIST which make conscience of sinne and care of their liues to heare the word and to walke accordingly they be disgraced and despised of the world Well let vs learn here to possesse our soules with patience for there will come a day of reckoning when as our righteous cause will bee heard and we shall haue iustice and all the contemners of Christ Iesus and persecutors of his poore members shall feele the smart of it Vse 2 Secondly seeing Christ Iesus the Iudge commeth thus with might and Maiestie not as a Sauiour or Mediator but as a Iudge It must admonish all men and women now to repent and turne vnto God in the time of mercy Esay 55.6 to seeke the Lorde while he may be found and to call vpon him while hee is neere Now while we liue Iesus Christ commeth vnto vs by his Ministers as a Sauiour to saue our Soules in mercie to bring vs to Repentance But after this life hee will no more come as a Sauiour or a Mediator but as a mightie Iudge full of Maiestie full of Might Power and Glory And therefore looke how men die so shall the Iudge finde them If thou die in thy sinnes and doest not repent and seeke for pardon at the hand of the Iudge whilest thou liuest heere There is no hope of mercy after death For how death leaueth thee so shall iudgement finde thee Cain died many thousand yeares agoe and Iudas in their sins so shall the last day find them For after death there is no mercy but iustice and iudgement And one fitting thereon NOw who this is which sate vppon this Great White Throne The Person of the Iudge described Reu. 14.14 you may see in the Reuelation of Saint Iohn the foureteenth chapter and the foureteenth verse I sawe a White Cloud and one sitting on it like the Sonne of man hauing on his head a golden Crowne and in his hand a sharpe Sickle So that wee see that it is the Sonne of man euen CHRIST IESVS GOD and man that shal be the iudge And so doth Saint Mathew call him Mat. 25.31 When the Sonne of man cometh in his glorie and all his holie Angells with him then shall hee sit vpon the Throne of his glorie And againe he titles him by the name of a King Verse 24. Then shall the King say to them on his right hand c. This is taught by the Apostle Wee must all appeare before the iudgement seate of Christ .1 Cor. 5.10 True it is that our Sauiour Christ is King Priest and Prophet a true Prophet in whom vvas contayned all the secrets and whole counsell of God A true high Priest whose Sacrifice alone was able to put avvay the sinnes of the vvhole world But when he comes in the Throne of his Maiestie to iudge the quicke and the dead he shall not come as Priest or Prophet for these Offices of Christ are finished For his Propheticall Office he hath sufficiently reuealed the whole counsell of God his Father to his Church and People First by his holy Prophets then by himselfe after by his Apostles and Minsters And therefore seeing that his Prophetical Office is finished he calles not himselfe a Prophet but a King Againe CHRIST IESVS our Priest hauing once for all offered vp that Propiciatory Sacrifice for the sinnes of all the Elect now this Office of a Priest is likewise finished and this Sacrifice must be no more iterated and repeated But now hee commeth as a King in all Maiestie and Glorie For though his Propheticall and Priestlie Office be accomplished yet his Princely Office is not finished But now CHRIST IESVS the Iudge of quicke and dead shall beginne to manifest himselfe to be a King to all Nations to men and Angells Novv shall hee shevv himselfe to be King of Kings and Lord of Lords full of all Diuine and Heauenly power and glory For that now at the name of CHRIST euery knee shall bow When our Sauiour IESVS CHRIST liued on earth he came in misery very base and lowly euery childe durst look him in the face Then euery base fellow euery sinfull wretch durst mock him and spit in his face Herod and Pontius Pilate and the rabble of the Iews durst then vse him at their pleasure But now Hee shall come as a King full of maiestie and glorie guarded and attended vpon with many thousands of heauenly Souldiours euen all his holie Angells and then he will make Herod and Pontius Pilate yea the greatest Kings and Monarchs to stoope Nay then all his enemies shall tremble and quake Zach. chap. 12 ver 10. and not dare to open their mouthes against him Oh then what a terrour may this bee to all vvicked and vngodlie sinners that liue in sinne to see him come in that wonderfull Maiestie to be their Iudge whom they haue contemned vvhose members they haue persecuted and whose word and glorious Gospel they haue not regarded but troden vnder foot for he shall come with a sharpe two-edged Sword to cut them in peeces and a consuming fire to burne vp all vngodlie sinners And as hee is a King to the vvicked so is hee a King to the godlie Hee alone hath the Scepter of Dauid to the endlesse comfort of those that bee the children of his Kingdome For who is it that curbs Leuiathan snaffles the Diuell brideleth his force and malice Surely this our King Who is it that cuts the throate of sinne in his members and taketh away the strength of sinne Surelie this King of Kings Who breaketh the brasse barres of Death and pulleth out the sting of Death Our sinnes that they sting not our soules to the eternall death None can doe that but this our King CHRIST IESVS Who opens the gate of heauen who puts his spirit into the hearts of his children making them to crie Abba Father to lift vp their soules and with ioy to long
that our accounts must beginne before God himselfe wee must stand naked in his sight and who then can thinke to hide his sins from him Hee knoweth the heart and trieth the reines and his eyes are like a flame of fire Reuel 2. O how this should mooue euerie man and woman often to bethinke himselfe of this time when hee shall come to his accompt euen before the eternall God who cannot be deceiued nor bribed If a malefactor come before the Iudge that is guiltie of treason or murder how hee quakes to thinke of the terrour and seueritie of the Iudge hee is afraide and trembles to appeare in his presence How much more should we tremble and quake And how should hard-hearted sinners be at their wittes end to thinke they must come to stand before God to appeare at the barre of the euer-liuing and most mighty Iehoua who can cast both bodie and soule into hell fire O what secure and carelesse wretches are wee that are nothing mooued with these things to repent and to turne to God to leaue our foule and filthie sinnes And if a poore prisoner condemned should laugh and bee merrie would not all men thinke him to be a mad-man And shall not we be worse then madde-men if we neuer come to thinke of these things If a poore traueller that hath but one penny in his purse shal come to an Inne call for all manner of dainties and neuer thinke of the shotte would not all men thinke him madde and out of his wittes VVhat madnesse then is in euery one of vs all if in this our pilgrimage or trauaile on earth we spend our dayes in pleasure bathe our selues in sport and pastimes carking and caring for the things of this world and neuer to bethinke our selues as to say Alas what do I now I eate I drinke I carde I dice I take my pleasure and bathe my selfe in delight but woe is me I must com to iudgement I must giue my reckoning l I must stand before GOD one day and there giue an account O that we had hearts to thinke of this both young and old rich and poore Minister and people that wee must stand bellie-naked before God that wee must giue an account of all our sinnes to his Maiestie It would bridle vs and keep vs from many presumptuous sinnes which now we commit The end of the first Sermon The great Assize THE SECOND SERMON REVEL 20.12 c. 12 And I saw the dead both small and great stand before God and the Bookes were opened and another book was opened which is the book of life and the dead were iudged of those things which were written in the books according to their works WEe haue heard alreadie the person of the Iudge described vnto vs with what vnspeakable maiestie and glorie he shall come to the great comfort of the godly and also with what wonderfull terror he will come to the great terror of the wicked Secondly wee haue heere who shall be cited to appeare Both great and small 1. Thes 1.8 al must appeare Now follows in the third place the most speciall and principall matter of all namely after what manner all men shall be iudged in these words And the bookes were-opened c. We see that earthlie Iudges are brought vnto the Bench with great attendance They being set the prisoners are brought forth and are called ouer one by one and their matters are heard and witnesses produced and so according to their faults they receiue iudgement Euen so at this great day of the Lord Christ Iesus shall come with a thousand of Angels and before him shall stand all men and women Both great and small And then shal the Books be brought forth Indeed we see when an earthly iudge sits on the Bench it holds a long time to trie causes such witnesses and such euidences must be produced But it shall not be so at the last day for when all men shall stand at the barre of Christs iudgement they shal then be iudged according to the written Records euen according to the Bookes for they shall then be opened Books whaâ— is meant by them Now if you would know what these Bookes bee it is easie to know for they be euen the particular conscience of euery man and woman thy conscience is the booke that shall be opened and that shall be as good as ten thousand witnesses either to excuse or accuse thee before God For there shall neede no other witnesse no other euidence against vs at the last but our own conscience For as God hath his Booke of infinite Knowledge whereby he knoweth the sinnes of all men and women as certainly as if they were written in a booke and though men forget them yet the Lord remembreth them So hee hath giuen vnto euerie man and woman a booke their owne conscience wherein are written all our thoughts words and deedes so as none shall escape And the Bookes are two the Booke of the Law and the Book of Conscience the one shewing a man what he should doe the other what he hath done Against the booke of the Law none shall be able to except For the commandements of the Lord are pure and righteous altogether Psal 19.9 And as for the booke of Conscience who can deny it or except against it seeing the Lord will now iudge a man not by another mans Conscience but by his owne the which he hath alwayes had in his owne keeping euen in his owne bosome Now seeing heere what is meant by these bookes namely euery mans particular Conscience let vs come to search what bee the things written in this booke and first what vse we are to make vnto our selues from this Euery mans booke shall be opened c. First in these books are written euerie thought of our heart In the Bookes of our consâ—ince is written Our 〈…〉 none so secret or so close but it is here recorded Secondly euerie speech and word of our mouth Thirdly euery deed that men do Thou hast sealed vp all our sinnes in a bagge saith Iob to shew the exact kind of keeping of them against that day of account Surely if there be any thing in a man to be maruailed at I must needs confesse that this is a wonderfull worke of God that hee hath giuen to euery man and woman a Conscience which is like vnto a booke in which is recorded all our thoughts words and works A wicked man an vnchaste woman how many thousand vile filthy thoughts haue they in their mindes night and day their hearts burne in lust and in vncleannesse now they passe away to them they regard them not they make little or no account of them But alas they are all written in this Booke of thy conscience thy conscience markes them thy conscience writes them downe And if thou repent not of them and leaue them O woe to thy soule when these Bookes come to bee opened and read ouer
hee should be a warning to all vngodly sinners Hee gaue his bodie to all kinde of vncleanenesse pride drunkennesse c. Hee gaue his tongue to lying swearing and cursed speaking and now is his body tormented and would giue euen a whole world if he were Lord ouer it for one drop of water to coole his flaming tongue O let him be a warning to all sinners and teach vs to vse our bodies well to look to our eies to our eares and to set a VVatch before our mouthes for feare lest wee dishonour GOD by them and bring endlesse woe vnto our selues Well then you see that as it is an exceeding great ioy to Gods Saints that they shall rise againe so is it a terrour vnto the wicked that they shall Rise againe to Iudgement 1. Sam. 2. It were well with the wicked man with the Drunkard c. if their bodies might neuer rise if they might rotte and perish in corruption and that their soule might be euen as the soule of a beast a vapour vtterly to be extinguished But now there is more behinde they shall one day come to iudgement And therefore Saint Iohn telleth vs in this place that he saw the dead both great and small stand before GOD. Euen our dead bodies must rise eyther to honour or dishonour eyther to ioy or to paine to saluation or damnation And therefore let vs bethinke our selues of this betimes Both great and small Great and Small who These words may admit a double exposition for it may seeme this that by Great and Smal is meant those that be great men growne or else small children young and old all must appeare For wee see that many die euen little children young Infants of a span long some againe die men of yeares Well both great and small must appeare none shall be so yong or so little but that they must stand before GOD and none so great or so strong but they must appeare likewise Secondly by great and small may be vnderstood all sorts and degrees of men and women great men and great women poore men and poore women All sorts and conditions must come to iudgement as well the prince as the subiect as well the rich as the poorest Begger as though Saint Iohn should haue said I saw all men that euer haue beene or shall be to the end of the world none shall be wanting the rich and poore yong and old high and low married and vnmarried bond and free all must stand before God Oh what a wonderfull assembly will this be to see so many millions of thousands It is a great sight to see an Armie of men of a thousand But heere shall be a thousand thousands Euen all men women and children that euer haue beene or shall be to the worlds end None shall be wanting the rich and poore yoong and old high and low bond and free all must stand before God and therefore it is well called the day of the Lord when all the of-spring of Adam shall stand before God Seeing S. Iohn saw the dead both great and small Vses diuerse 1. stand before God that is al sorts of men and women high and low rich and poore bond and free all must appeare and hold vp their Hand at the Barre of this great Iudge Surely this ought to moue all men both great and small rich and poore to make conscience of their liues to repent of all their euill wayes to turne to GOD by true repentance for you see here no excuse can serue the turne no auoyding of this appearance all must appeare the very Diuells themselues 2. Cor. 5. Esay 30. and all the damned spirits must come to iudgemēt Tophet is prepared for the King the Iudge the Gentleman the rich man if they be wicked their riches shall not be excused nor the poorest shall not be forgotten Surely and if we haue any care at all what shall become of our poore soules at this day It ought to perswade al men both poore and rich both Minister and People to repent to turne to Almighty God to leade new liues that then we may reioyce with ioy and comfort This did make Paul to labour to keepe a good conscience Acts 24.16 before God and all men and why Because there would come a day when all must arise to iudgement and giue a straight accompt of all their thoughts wordes and workes And the same reason should mooue vs likeiwse to keepe a cleare conscience And what is the cause that men liue in sinne and defile their bodies with many thousand filthy sins Surely because they thinke not of this day whē they must stand before God If they could but thinke of this day that they must all come to a reckoning O it would stay and bridle their carnall hearts from many foule and filthie sinnes which novv they commit with greedinesse 2. Cor. 5.11 Acts 17.3 This will be a blessed day to all the children of God to heare the Iudge say vnto them Come yee blessed O happy day O blessed voyce But to the vngodlie sinners that liue in sinne to the Drunkard Blasphemer c. this will be a terrible and fearefull day to heare the woefull voyce of the Iudge Go yee cursed into c. Oh dolefull voyce Oh heauie newes O fearefull Sentence O woe and ten thousand woes to all vngodly sinners woe then to the blasphemer woe to the drunkard c. woe vnto all vngodly and wretched sinners for there is no escaping of this Sentence All must appeare all must stand before God all must come to their answere None shall be so great to escape or so small to be forgotten And then woe to them that shall rise to this fearefull and woefull Sentence and heauy newes of condemnation Oh it had beene good for such men if they had neuer been borne or had beene brought foorth as loathsome Toads or Serpents for then beginnes their eternall misery and condemnation O then againe and againe let vs bethinke our selues that wee must come to iudgement we must be called to a reckoning wee cannot escape the Sentence of Iudgement by anie meanes whatsoeuer Agayne vvhere Saint Iohn saith He saw the dead Heere Vse 2 is matter of endlesse comfort to all the poore members of Iesus Christ In this life who is more full of woe vvho more full of payne in bodie and soule then Gods children Long and tedious sickenesses many annoyances Some be sore from top to toe as Iob was some maymed in bodie as the poore man was Iohn 5. Well when our bodies shall now arise they shall not bee weake or lame or maymed but a perfect body sound and a glorious body All paine shall haue an end all woe shall cease But as for the vngodly Psal 1.6 it is not so with them But they shall arise that both bodie and soule may goe to hell together Stand before God I sawe the dead c. Heere wee see againe
himselfe in a Vision and sheweth after what manner we shal be all iudged Euen according to those things written in the Booke according vnto our workes You haue heard before that hee saw all both great and small stand before God none shall bee wanting or absent themselues Now it might bee wondered how this great multitude shall bee iudged how euerie mans Booke should bee read and euerie mans cause should bee tryed For wee see what a long time it holdes our Iudges heere to trie a few persons such calling for Euidences such prouing of witnesses such preferring of Inditements But Saint Iohn saith It shall not bee so heere for all must proceed according to the written Records And according to these things which bee written in the Booke So as when Christ Iesus the great Iudge shall once sit vpon the Throne of his Glorie attended by his holy Angells then shall the Bookes of euerie mans conscience bee opened and then they shal afresh call to minde all their sinnes In these words we are to obserue three speciall points Parts of the Text. First who they are that must come to this Iudgement namely the dead euen they which haue lien many thousand years rotten in the graue Secondly the means whereby they must be tryed euen by those things which bee written and recorded in their Bookes Thirdly the Touch-stone of this tryall namely the written word of God And first of the persons It is not to bee doubted but that Saint Iohn meaneth that all must come to Iudgement Both great and small must stand before God But why doth he say heere And the dead shall bee iudged It is to be obserued that he names so expresly the dead euen those which haue lyen rotting so many thousand yeares must come to Iudgement they must be called to accompt yea their olde sinnes must be now brought to light For this is rhe wicked thoughts of many carnall men that when a man is dead hee is well then all his sinnes die with him hee is forgotten and his sinnes are not spoken of But Saint Iohn saith heere that euen the dead must come to iudgement euen their olde sinnes must come to light and they must answer for them It is nigh sixe thousand yeares since Caine slew his brother yet this sin of his is not forgotten though Caine bee dead so long since yet his sins are not dead No no Caine one day shall come to accompt for his sinne Iudas he did for vile lucre sell his Maister many hundreds of yeares agoe hee is dead and gone but at this day hee shall be called to accompt So in our dayes many men thinke when they die their sins shall neuer be brought to light The Vsurer hee getteth his goods by wicked and vngodly meanes he groweth in wealth when hee dieth hee thinkes hee shall neuer heare of this sinne agayne So the Drunkard Swearer Profaner of the Lords Sabboth c. they are persvvaded that death will end all their miserie Ah poore soules it were well with them indeede if death might end their wofull miserie But alas alas death is euen as a wide Gate to let them haue some passage to endlesse woe and miserie For when they be dead and buried their sins doe not die with them their misery is not then ended O no then begins their endlesse miserie torment Oh it were good they might haue no more being after death It had beene good for such men they had neuer beene borne or being borne that they had been made rather a Toade or a Serpent for in death they haue an end But it is not so with a filthy and and vngodly sinner For when hee is dead and buried euen then beginnes his greatest woe and misery for euen the sinner that is dead a many thousand yeares must for all this come to iudgement And therefore thou that liuest in sinne in adultery c. remember that although thou die yet thy sinnes doe not die with thee No no both thou and they must one day come to iudgement thy old sinnes and those which thou hast committed in secret they must come now to light Seeing that the dead must come to Iudgement Vse that haue laine a many hundred yeares in the graue and then their old sinnes and secret sinnes must come to light Oh let vs then watch ouer our liues and haue this still in our mindes Well though I die and rotte in the Graue yet my sinnes shall not die my euill wayes cannot be buryed they must come to light that so wee may neuer dare to sinne thinking as many doe that when they be once dead they shall neuer come to accompt for their sinnes But Saint Iohn sayth heere that the dead were iudged euen those whom wee forgot and whose sinnes wee would thinke would neuer be called to accompt euen they must come to a reckoning In the next place Saint Iohn tells vs how all men shall be tryed and according to what Sentence shall bee avvarded Namely according to those things Written in their Bookes Heere is the Euidence heere is no witnesse to bee produced for a mans conscience shall bee euen as good as a thousand witnesses Novv what is heere meant by the bookes you haue heard already namely the particular Conscience of euerie man and woman Thy conscience is the Booke that is the Euidence No other witnesse shall bee produced but euen thy owne conscience Againe the things which be written in these Bookes I told you they be all our thoughts wordes and workes not onely our grosse sinnes as murder c. but in our Bookes bee recorded euen our idle and vaine words euery vile and filthy thought and by these Sentence must proceede and according to these must Iudgement be awarded Now then those which haue good thoughts yea and holie things written in their Bookes they be blessed and happie for they shall not be ashamed nay they shall be glad to haue their Bookes layd open that their repentance their faith loue zeale and patience c. might bee knowne and come to light But woe then to all filthie sinners adulterers c. For the reward of these sinnes is death the wrath and curse of God for euer Vse Seeing that heere is the Euidence and by the things written in our Bookes in our consciences we must be arraigned and seeing in our Bookes bee recorded all that we do all our words thoughts and deedes First it must teach vs aboue all things to looke to our Bookes our consciences to keepe them very faire and cleane that our Bookes of Accompts bee in a readinesse For our consciences shall eyther excuse or accuse vs at the day of Iudgement Acts 24. This was the care of the blessed Apostle saint Paul Acts 24 in regard of this that wee must all come vnto iudgement and our consciences must be layed open and wee iudged according to the things therein recorded it made this holie seruant of God to take all