neglect and abuse of this they shall be judged and not meerly for sinning against the Law that was given us in pure Innocency so that Christ as Redeemer shall judg them as well as others though they had but one Talent yet must they give an account of that to the Redeemer from whom they received it But if any be unsatisfied in this let them remember that as God hath left the State of such more dark to us and the Terms on which he will judg them so doth it much more concern us to look to the Terms of our own Judgment Obj. But how shall Insants be judged by the Gospel that were uncapable of it Answ For ought I find in Scripture they stand or fall with their Parents and on the same Terms but I leave each to their own Thoughts VII For the seventh Head What will be the Cause of the Day to be enquâ—ed after what the Accusation and what the Defence Answ This may be gathered from what was last said The great Cause of the Day will be to enquire and determine who shall die and who shall live who ought to go to Heaven and who to Hell for ever according to the Law by which they must then be judged 1. As there is a twofold Law by which they must be judged so will there then be a twofold Accusation The first will be that they were Sinners and so having violated the Law of God they deserve everlasting Death according to that Law If no Defence could be made this one Accusation would condemn all the World for it is most certain that all are Sinners and as certain that all Sin deserveth Death The only Defence against this Accusation â—ieth in this Plea confessing the Charge we must plead that Christ hath satisfied for Sins and upon that Consideration God hath forgiven us and therefore being forgiven we ought not to be punished To prove this we must shew the Pardon under God's Hand in the Gospel But because this pardoning doning Act of the Gospel doth forgive none but those that repent and believe and so return to God and to sincere Obedience for the time to come therefore the next Accusation will be that we did not perform these Conditions of Forgiveness and therefore being Vnbelievers Impenitent and Rebels against the Redeemer we have no right to Pardon but by the Sentence of the Gospel are liable to a greater Punishment for this Contempt of Christ and Grace This Accusation is either true or false where it is true God and Conscience who speak the Truth may well be said to be the Accusers Where it is false it can be only the Work of Satan the malicious Adversary who as we may see in Job's Case will not stick to bring a false Accusation If any think that the Accuser will not do so vain a Work at least they may see that potentially this is the Accusation that lieth against us and which we must be justified against For all Justification implieth an actual or potential Accusation He that is truly accused of final Impenitency or Unbelief or Rebellion hath no other Defence to make but must needs be condemned He that is falsly accused of such Non-performance of the Condition of Grace must deny the Accusation and plead his own personal Righteousness as against that Accusation and produce that Faith Repentance and sincere Obedience and Perseverance by which he fulfilled that Condition and so is Evangilically Righteous in himself and therefore hath part in the Blood of Christ which is instead of a Legal Righteousness to him in all things else as having procured him a Pardon of all his Sins and a Right to everlasting Glory And thus we must then be justified by Christ's Satisfaction only against the Accusation of being Sinners in general and of deserving God's Wrath for the Breach of the Law of Works but we must be justified by our Faith Repentance and sincere Obedience it self against the Accusation of being Impenitent Vnbelievers and Rebels against Christ and having not performed the Condition of the Promise and so having no part in Christ and his Benefits So that in sum you see that the Cause of the Day will be to enquire whether being all known Sinners we have accepted of Christ upon his Terms and so have Right in him and his Benefits or not whether they have forsaken this vain World for him and loved him so faithfully that they have manifested it in parting with these things at his Command And this is the meaning of Mat. 25. where the Enquiry is made to be whether they have sed and visited him in his Members or not that is whether they have so far loved him as their Redeemer and God by him as that they have manifested this to his Members according to Opportunity though it cost them the Hazard or Loss of all seeing Danger and Labour and Cost are fitter to express Love by than empty Compliments and bare Professions Whether it be particularly enquired after or only taken for granted that Men are Sinners and have deserved Death according to the Law of Works and that Christ hath satisfied by his Death is all one as to the matter in hand seeing God's Enquiry is but the Discovery and Conviction of us But the last Question which must decide the Controversy will be whether we have performed the Condition of the Gospel I have the rather also said all this to shew you in what sense these Words are taken in the Text that every Man shall be judged according to what he hath done in the Flesh whether it be good or bad Though every Man be judged worthy of Death for sinning yet every Man shall not be judged to die for it and no Man shall be judged worthy of Life for his good Works It is therefore according to the Gospel as the Rule of Judgment that this is meant They that have repented and believed and returned to true though imperfect Obedience shall be judged to everlasting Life according to these Works not because these Works deserve it but because the free Gift in the Gospel through the Blood of Christ doth make these things the Condition of our possessing it They that have lived and died Impenitent Unbelievers and Rebels against Christ shall be judged to everlasting Punishment because they have deserved it both by their Sin in general against the the Law and by these Sins in special against the Gospel This is called the Merit of the Cause that is what is a Man's Due according to the true meaning of the Law though the Due may be by free Gift And thus you see what will be the Cause of the Day and the Matter to be enquired after and decided as to our Life or Death VIII The next Point in our Method is to shew you What will be the Evidence of the Cause Answ There is a fivefold Evidence among Men. 1. When the Fact is notorious 2. The Knowledg of an unsuspected competent Judg.
of every Crime to the Will of Man and there to leave it Upon this all Laws and Judgments are grounded From Ignorance and intellectual Weakness Men commonly fetch Excuses for their Faults but from the Will they are aggravated If we think it strange that Man's Will should be the first Cause so much as of a sinful Mode and answer all occurring Objections it may suffice that we are certain the Holy Majesty is not the Author of Sin and he is able to make all this as plain as the Sun and easily answer all these vain Excuses though we should be unable And if we be much ignorant of the Frame and Motions of our own Souls and especially of that high self-determining Principle free-Will the great Spring of our Actions and the curious Engine by which God doth sapientially govern the World it is no wonder considering that the Soul can know it self but by Reflection and God gave us a Soul to use rather than to know it self and to know its Qualities and Operations rather than its Essence The five and twentieth Excuse No Man can be saved nor avoid any Sin nor believe in Christ but those whom God hath predestinated thereto I was under an irreversible Sentence before I was born and therefore I do nothing but what I was predestinated to do and if God decreed not to save me how could I help it Answ 1. God's Judgments are more plain but his Decrees or secret Purposes are mysterious And to darken Certainties by having recourse to Points obscure is no part of Christian Wisdom God told you your Duty in his Word and on what Terms you must be judged to Life or Death hither should you have recourse for Direction and not to the unsearchable Mysteries of his Mind 2. God decreeth not to condemn any but for Sin Sin I say is the Cause of that Condemnation though not of his Decree 3. God's Decrees are Acts Immanent in himself and make no change on you and therefore do not necessitate you to sin any more than his Fore-knowledg doth For both cause only a necessity of Consequence which is Logical as the Divines on both sides do confess And therefore this no more caused you to sin than if there had been no such Decree And it 's a Doubt whether that Decree be not negative a willing Suspending of the Divine Will as to evil or at most a Purpose to permit it The six and twentieth Excuse If it be no more yet doth it make my Perdition unavoidable for even God's Fore knowledg doth so for if he foreknow it all the World cannot hinder it from coming to pass Answ Must God either be ignorant of what you will do or else be the Cause of it If you foreknow that the Sun will rise to morrow that doth not cause it to rise If you foreknow that one Man will murder another you are not the Cause of it by foreknowing it So is it here The seven and twentieth Excuse God might have hindred my Sin and Damnation if he would Answ And will you wilfully sin and think to escape because God doth not hinder you The Prince that makes a Law against Murder could lock you up and keep you from being a Murderer But are you excusable if he do not We are certain that God could have hindered all the Sin and Death and Confusion and Misery that is in the Word and we are as certain that he doth not hinder it but by forbidding it and giving Men means against it and we are certain that he is Just and Good and Wise in all and not bound to hinder it And what his Reasons are you may better know hereafter In the mean time you had been better have looked to your own Duty The eight and twentieth Excuse How could I be saved if Christ did not die for me He died but for his Elect and none could be saved without his Death Answ He did die for you and for more than his Elect though he absolutely purposed only their Salvation Your Sins crucified him and your Debt lay upon him and he so far ransomed you that nothing but your wilful Refusal of the Benefits could have condemned you The nine and twentieth Excuse It was Adam's Sin that brought me into this Depravedness of Will which I can neither cure nor could prevent Answ 1. If Adam cast away his Holiness he could no more convey that to us which he cast away than a Nobleman that is a Traitor can convey his lost Inheritance or Honours to his Son 2. You perish not only for your Original Sin but for rejecting the recovering Mercy of the Redeemer you might have had Christ and Life in him for the accepting The thirtieth Excuse God will require no more than 〈◊〉 gives He gave me not Grace to repeat and believe 〈◊〉 without his Gift I could not have it Answ 1. God will justly require more than he giveth that is the improvement of his Gifts as Mat. 25. shews He gave Adam but a Power to persevert and not actual Perseverance Yet did he justly punish him for want of the Act even for not using by his own Wll the Power which he had given him 2. It is long of your self if God did not give you Grace to believe It was because you wilfully refused some preparatory Grace Christ found you at a great distance from him and he gave you Grace sufficient to have brought you nearer to him than you were you had Grace sufficient to have made you better than you were and restrained many Sins and brought you to the means when you turned your back on them tho this were not sufficient to cause you to believe it was sufficient to have brought you nearer to believing and through your own wilfulness became not effectual even as Adam had sufficient Grace to have stood which was not effectual So that you had not only Christ offered to you if you would but accept him but you had daily and precious Helps and Means to have cured your Wills and caused you to accept him for neglect of which and so for not believing and so for all your other Sins you justly perish The one and thirtieth Excuse Alas Mâ—â— is a Worn a dry Leaf Job 13. 25. a silly foolish Creature and therefore his Actions be not regardable nor deserve so great a Punishment Answ Though he be a Worm and as nothing to God and 〈◊〉 by Sin yet he is naturally so noble a Creatur◠〈◊〉 â—â—age of God was on him Gen. 12. 26. 〈◊〉 1. James 3. 9. and the World made his Servâ—â—◠〈◊〉 Angels his Attenâ—ants Heb. 1. 14. so noble 〈◊〉 Christ died for him God takes special care of him he is capable of knowing and enjoying God 〈◊〉 Heaven is not thought too good for him if he will â—ey And he that is capable of so great Good must 〈◊〉 capable of as great Evil and his Ways not to be so â—â—erlooked by that God that hath undertaken to be
rather that godly Christians might the better understand how to deal with these vain Excuses when they meet with them which will be daily if they deal with Men in this sad Condition X. We have done with that part of the Judgment which consisteth in the Exploration or Trial of the Cause we now come to that which is the Conclusion and Consummation of all and that is to shew you what the Sentence will be and on whom And for this we must go strait to the Word of God for our Light it being impossible for any Man to have any particular Knowledg of it if Christ had not there revealed it unto us Indeed almost all the World do acknowledg a Life after this where it shall go well with the Good and ill with the bad But who shall be then accounted righteous and who unrighteous and on what Terms and Grounds by whom they shall be judged and to what Condition they know not The Sentence in Judgment will be 1. Either on those that never had Means to know Christ 2. Or on those that had 1. For the former as it less concerneth us to enquire of their Case so it is more obscurely revealed to us in the Scripture It is certain that they shall be judged according to their Use of the Means which they had Rom. 2. 11 12 13 14 15 16. and the Talents which they received Mat. 25. But that it ever falleth out that he that hath but the one Talent of natural Helps doth improve it to Salvation or that ever they who knew not Christ are justified and saved without that Knowledg being at Age and Use of Reason I find not in the Scriptures I find indeed that as many as have sinned without Law shall also perish without Law and as many as have sinned in the Law shall be judged by the Law Rom. 2. 12. but not that any are justified by the Works of Nature such as are here said to be without Law I find also that They have the Work of the Law written in their Hearts their Conscience also bearing witness and their Thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another in the Day when God shall jude the Secrets of Men by Jesus Christ according to the Gospel Rom. 2. 15 16. And I believe it is a just Excuse and not an unjust which is here meant But it will be but an Excuse so far as they were guiltless and that will be but in tanto and not in toto in part only and so not a full Justification A Heathen's Conscience may excuse him from those Sins which he was never guilty of but not from all But no more of them 2. The Case of those that have had the Gospel is more plainly opened to us in God's Word Their Sentence is opened in many Places of Scripture but most fully in Matth. 25. whence we will now collect it There we find that Jesus Christ the Redeemer as King of the World shall sit in Judgment on all Men at the last and shall separate them one from another as a Shepherd divideth the Sheep from the Goats and so shall pass the final Sentence This Sentence is twofold according to the different Condition of them that are judged To them on the right Hand there is a Sentence of Justification and Adjudication to everlasting Glory To them on the left Hand there is a Sentence of Condemnation to everlasting Punishment The Sentence on each of these containeth both the State which they are judged to and the Reason or Cause of the Judgment to that State For as God will not judg any to Life or Death without just Cause so he will publish this Cause in his Sentence as it is the manner of Judges to do If you say Christ will not use a Voice let it satisfy that though we know not the manner yet if he do it but by mental Discovery as he shews Men what shall everlastingly befal them so he will shew them why it shall so befal them 1. The Sentence on them on the right Hand will contain 1. Their Justification and Adjudication to Blessedness and that both as generally denominated and as particularly determined and described 2. And the Cause of this Judgment 1. In general they shall be pronounced Blessed Satan would have had them cursed and miserable the Law did curse them to Misery many a fearful Though hath possessed their own Breasts lest they should prove at last accursed and miserable but now they hear the contrary from their Judg. All the Promises in the Gospel could not perfectly overcome those their Fears all the comfortable Words of the Ministers of the Gospel could not perfectly subdue them all the tender Mercies of God in Christ did not perfectly subdue them but now they are vanquished all for ever He that once had heard his Redeemer in Judgment call him blessed will never fear being cursed more For he that Christ blesseth shall be blessed indeed The Description of their Blessedness followeth Come inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the Foundation of the World And also they are called Blessed of the Father Here is the Fountain of their Blessedness the Father and the State of their Blessedness in being the Father's for I suppose they are called the Blessed of are Father both because the Father blesseth them that is makes them Happy and because these blessed Ones are the Father 's own And so Christ will publish it to the World in Judgment that he came to glorify the Father and will proclaim him the principal Efficient and ultimate End of his Work of Redemption and the Blessedness of his Saints and that himself is as Mediator but the Way to the Father It is the Father that prepared the Kingdom for them and from the Foundation of the World prepared it both for them as chosen ones and for them as future Believers and righteous Ones It is called a Kingdom partly in respect to God the King in whose Glory we shall partake in our Places and partly metapherically from the Dignity of our Condition For so it is that our selves are said to be made Kings Rev. 1. 6. and 5. 1. 1 Pet. 2. 9. and not that we are properly Kings for then we must have Subjects who must be governed by us Thus we see their Blessedness in the Fountain End and State of Dignity As to the receptive Act on their Part it is expressed by two Words one signifying their first Entrance on it Come the other their Possession Inherit That is possess it as given by the Father and Redeemed by the Son and hold it in this Tenure for ever The true Believer was convinced in this Life that indeed there was no true Blessedness but this Enjoyment of God in the Kingdom of Heaven The Lord revealed this to his Heart by his Word and Spirit And therefore he contemned the seeming Happiness on Earth and laid up for himself a Treasure in Heaven and made him Friends
must willing or unwilling there is no avoiding it appear stand forth or make your appearance and there have your Hearts and Ways laid open and appear as well as we Before the Judgment-seat of Christ i. e. before the Redeemer of the World to be judged by him as our Rightful Lord. That every one even of all Mankind which are were or shall be without Exception may receive that is may receive his Sentence adjudging him to his due and then may receive the Execution of the Sentence and may go from the Bar with that Reward or Punishment that is his due according to the Law by which he is judged The things done in his Body that is the due Reward of the Works done in his Body or as some Copies read it The things proper to the Body i. e. due to the Man even Body as well as Soul according to what he hath done whether it be Good or Bad i. e. this is the Cause to be tried and judged whether Men have done well or ill whilst they were in the Flesh and what is due to them according to their Deeds Knowing therefore c. i. e. being certain therefore that these Things are so and that such a terrible Judgment of Christ will come we perswade Men to become Christians and live as such that they may then speed well when others shall be destroyed or as others Knowing the Fear of the Lord that is the true Religion we perswade Men. Doct. 1. There will be a Judgment Doct. 2. Christ will be the Judg. Doct. 3. All Men shall there appear Doct. 4. Men shall be then judged according to the Works that they did in the Flesh whether Good or Evil. Doct. 5. The End of Judgment is that Men may receive their final Due by Sentence and Execution Doct. 6. The Knowledg and Consideration of the terrible Judgment of God should move us to perswade and Men to be perswaded to careful Preparation The ordinary Method for the handling of this Subject of Judgment should be this 1 st To shew you what Judgment is in the General and what it doth contain and that is 1. The Persons 2. The Cause 3. The Actions 1. The Parties are 1. The Accuser 2. The Defendant 3. Sometime Assistants 4. The Judg. 2. The Cause contains 1. The Accusation 2. The Defence 3. With the Evidence of both 4. And the Merit The Merit of the Cause is as it agreeth with the Law and Equity 3. The judicial Actions are I. Introductory 1. Citation 2. Compulsion if need be 3. Appearance of the Accused II. Of the Essence of Judgment 1. Debate by 1. The Accuser 2. Defendant called the Disceptation of the Cause 2. By the Judg. 1. Exploration 2. Sentence 3. To see to the Execution But because this Method is less sutable to your Capacities and hath something humane I will reduce all to these following Heads 1. I will shew what Judgment is 2. Who is the Judg and why 3. Who must be judg'd 4. Who is the Accuser 5. How the Citation Constraint and Appearance will be 6. What is the Law by which Men shall be judged 7. What will be the Cause of the Day what the Accusation and what must be the just Defence 8. What will be the Evidence 9. What are thosâ— frivolous insufficient Excuses by which the Unrighteous may think to escape 10. What will be the Sentence who shall die and who shall live and what the Reward and Punishment â—s 11. What are the Properties of the Sentence 12. What and by whom the Execution will be In â—hese particular Heads we contain the whole Doctrine of â—his Judgment and in this more familiar Method shall â—andle it I. For the first Judgment as taken largely comprehendeth all the sorementioned Particulars as taken more strictly for the Act of the Judg it is the Trial of a controverted Case In our Case note these things following 1. God's Judgment is not intended for any Discovery to himself of what he knows not already he knows already that all Men are and what they have done and what is their Due But it is to discover to others and to Men themselves the ground of his Sentence that so his Judgment may attain its End for the glorifying â—his Grace on the Righteous and for the convincing the Wicked of their Sin and Desert and to shew to all the World the Righteousness of the Judg and of his Sentence and Execution Rom. 3. 4 26. and Rom. 2. 2. 2. It is not a Controversy therefore undecided â—in the Mind of God that is there to be decided but only one that is undecided as to the Knowledg and Mind of Creatures 3. Yet iâ— not this Judgment a bare Declaration but a Decision and so a Declaration thereupon the Cause will be then put out of Controversy and all farther Expectation of Decision be at an End and with the Justified there will be no more Accusation and with the Condemned no more Hope for ever II. For the second Thing who shall be the Judg I answer The Judg is God himself by Jesus Christ 1. Principally God as Creator 2. As also God as Redeemer the humane Nature of Jesus Christ having a derived subordinate Power God lost not his Right to his Creature either by Man's Fall or the Redemption by Christ but by the latter hath a new farther Right but it is in and by Christ that God judgeth For as meer Creator of innocent Man God judgeth none but hath committed all Judgment to the Son who hath procured this Right by the redeeming of fallen Man Joh. 5. 22. But as the Son only doth it in the nearest Sense so the Father as Creator doth it remotely and principally 1. In that the Power of the Son is derived from the Father and so standeth in Subordination to him as Fountain or Efficient 2. In that the Judgment of the Son as also his whole Mediatorship is to bring Men to God their Maker as their ultimate End and recover them to him from whom they are faln and so as a Means to that End the Judgment of the Son is subordinate to the Father From hence you may see these following Truths worthy your Consideration 1. That all Men are God's Creatures and none are the Workmanship of themselves or any other or else the Creator should not judg them on that Right 2. That Christ died for All and is the Redeemer of the World and a Sacrifice for All or else he should not judg them on that Right For he will not judg Wicked Men as he will do the Devils as the meer Enemies of his Redeemed Ones but as being themselves his Subjects in the World and being bought by him and therefore become his own who ought to have glorified him that bought them 2 Cor. 5. 14 15. 2 Pet. 2. 1. 1 Cor. 6. 19 20. 1 John 2. 2. Heb. 2. 9. 1 Tim. 2. 6 7. 3. Hence it appeareth that all Men were under some Law of
3. The Parties Confession 4. Witness 5. Instruments and visible Effects of the Action All these Evidences will be at hand and any one of them sufficient for the Conviction of the guilty Person at that Day 1. As the Sins of all Men so the Impenitency and Rebellion of the Wicked was notorious or at least will be then For though some play the Hypocrites and hide the Matter from the World and themselves yet God shall open their Hearts and former Lives to themselves and to the view of all the World He shall set their Sins in Order before them so that it shall be utterly in vain to deny or excuse them If any Man will then think to make their Cause as good to God as they can now do to us that are not able to see their Hearts they will be foully mistaken Now they can say they have as good Hearts as the best then God will bring them out in the Light and shew them to themselves and all the World whether they were good or bad Now they will face us down that they do truly repent and they obey God as well as they can but God that knoweth the Deceivers will then undeceive them We cannot now make Men acquainted with their own unsanctified Hearts nor convince them that have not true Faith Repentance or Obedience but God will convince them of it they can find Shifts and false Answers to put off a Minister with but God will not so be shifted off Let us preach as plainly to them as we can and do all that ever we are able to acquaint them with the Impenitency and Unholiness of their own Heart and the Necessity of a new Heart and Life yet we cannot do it but they will believe whether we will or not that the old Heart will serve the turn But how easily will God make them know the contrary We plead with them in the dark for though we have the Candle of the Gospel in our hands when we come to shew them their Corruption yet they shut their Eyes and are wilfully blind but God will open their Eyes whether they will or not not by holy Illumination but by forced Conviction and then he will plead with them as in the open Light See here thy own unholy Soul canst thou now say thou didst love me above all canst thou deny but thou didst love this World before me and serve thy Flesh and Lusts though I told thee if thou â—idst so thou shouldst die Look upon thy own Heart now and see whether it be an holy or an unholy Heart a spiritual or a fleshly Heart a heavenly or an earthly Heart Look now upon all the Course of thy Life and see whether thou didst live to me or to the World and thy Flesh O how easily will God convince Men then of the very Sins of their Thoughts and in their secret Closeâ—s when they thought that no Witness could have disclosed them Therefore it 's said that the Books shall be opened and the Dead judged out of the Books Rev. 20. 12. Dan. 7. 10. The second Evidence will be the Knowledg of the Judg. If the Sinner would not be convinced yet it is sufficient that the Judg knoweth the Cause God needeth no farther Witness he saw thee committing Adultery in secret Lying Stealing Forswearing in secret If thou do not know thine own Heart to be unholy 't is enough that God knoweth it If you have the Face to say Lord when did we see thee hungry c. Mat. 25. 44. yet God will make good the Charge against thee and there needeth no more Testimony than his own Can foolish Sinners think to lie hid or escape at that Day that will now sin wilfully before their Judg that know every Day that their Judg is looking on them while they forget him and give up themselves to the World and yet go on even under his Eye as if to his Face they dared him to punish them 3. The third Evidence will be the Sinners Confession God will force their own Consciences to witness against them and their own Tongues to confess the Accusation If they do at first excuse it he will leave them speechless yea and condemning themselves before they have done O what a difference between their Language now and then Now we cannot tell them of their Sin and Misery but they either tell us of our own Faults or bid us look to our selves or deny or excuse their Fault or make light of it but then their own Tongues shall confess them and cry out of the wilful Folly that they committed and lay a heavier Charge upon them than we can now do Now if we tell them that we are afraid they are unregenerate and lest their Hearts are not truly set upon God they will tell us they hope to be saved with such Hearts as they have But tâ—en O how they will confess the Folly and Falseness of their own Hearts You may see a little of their Case even in despairing Sinners on Earth how far they are from denying or excusing their Sins Judas cries out I have sinned in betraying innocent Blood Mat. 27. 4. out of their own Mouth shall they be judged That very Tongue that now excuseth their Sin will in their Torments be their great Accuser For God will have it so to be 4. The fourth Evidence will be the Witness of others O how many thousand Witnesses might there be produced were there need to convince the guilty Soul at that Day 1. All the Ministers of Christ that ever preached to them or warned them will be sufficient Witnesses against them we must needs testify that we preached to them the Truth of the Gospel and they would not believe it We preached to them the Goodness of God yet they set not their Hearts upon him we shewed them their Sin and they were not humbled we told them of the danger of an unregenerate State and they did not regard us we acquainted them with the absolute Necessity of Holiness but they made light of all we let them know the Deceitfulness of their Hearts and the need of a close and faithful Examination but they would not bestow an Hour in such a Work nor scarce once be afraid of being mistaken and miscarrying We let them know the Vanity of this World and yet they would not forsake it no not for Christ and the Hopes of Glory we told them of the everlasting Felicity they might attain but they would not set themselves to seek it What we shall think of it then the Lord knows but surely it seemeth now to us a matter of very sad Consideration that we must be brought in as Witnesses against the Souls of our Neighbours and Friends in the Flesh Those whom we now unfeignedly love and would do any thing that we were able to do for their good whose Welfare is dearer to us than all worldly Enjoyments Alas that we must be forced to testify to their Faces for
hath purchased this is a making light of him When Men â—ccount the Doctrine of Christ to be but a Matter of Words and Names as Gallio Acts 18. 4. or as Festus Acts 25. 19. a superstitious Matter about one Jesus who was dead and Paul saith is alive or ask the Preachers of the Gospel as the Athenians Acts 17. 18. What will â—â—is Babler say This is a Contempt of Christ 4. When Men are informed of the Truths of the Gospel and on what Terms Christ and his Benefits may be had and how it is the Will of God that they should â—iâ—ve and accept the Offer and that he commandeth them â—o do it upon Pain of Damnation and yet Men will â—ot consent unless they could have Christ on Terms of their own they will not part with their worldly Conâ—ents nor lay down their Pleasures and Profits and Hoâ—our at his Feet as being content to take so much of â—hem only as he will give them back and as is consistent with his Will and Interest but think it is a hard â—aying that they must forsake all in Resolution for Christ this is a making light of him and their Salvation When Men might have part in him and all his Benefits 〈◊〉 they would and they will not unless they may keep â—he World too and are resolved to please their Flesh whatever comes of it this is a high Contempt of Christ and everlasting Life Mat. 13. 21 22. Luke 18. 23. you may find Examples of such as I here describe 5. When Men will promise fair and profess their Willingness to have Christ on his Terms and to forsake all for him but yet do stick to the World and their sinful Courses and when it comes to Practice will not be removed by all that Christ hath done and said this is making light of Christ and Salvation Jer. 4â— 5. compared with 43. 2. III. The Causes of this Sin are the next thing to be enquired after It may seem a Wonder that ever Men that have the use of their Reason should be so sottish 〈◊〉 to make light of Matters of such Consequence But the Cause is 1. Some Men understand not the very Sense of the Words of the Gospel when they hear it and how 〈◊〉 they be taken with that which they understand not Though we speak to them in plain English and study to speak it as plain as we can yet People have so estranged themselves from God and the Matters of their own Happiness that they know not what we say as if we spoke in another Language and as if they were under that Judgment Isa 28. 11. with stammering Lips and with another Tongue will he speak to thâ— People 2. Some that do understand the Words that we speak yet because they are carnal understand not the Mattâ— for the natural Man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned 1 Cor. 2. 14. They are earthly and these things are heavenly John 3. 12. Thâ— things of the Spirit are not well known by bare hearsay but by a spiritual Taste which none have but those thâ— are taught by the Holy Ghost 1 Cor. 2. 12. that we maâ— know the things that are given us of God 3. A carnal Mind apprehendeth not a Sutableness in these spiritual and heavenly things to his Mind and therefore he sets light by them and hath no mind of them When you tell him of everlasting Glory he â—eareth you as if you were perswading him to go play â—ith the Sun they are Matters of another World and â—ut of his Element and therefore he hath no more Deâ—ight in them than a Fish would have to be in the fairest â—eadow or than a Swine hath in a Jewel or a Dog â—n a piece of Gold They may be good to others but â—e cannot apprehend them as sutable to him because â—e hath a Nature that is otherwise inclined he savourâ—th not the things of the Spirit Rom. 8. 5. 4. The main Cause of the slighting of Christ and â—alvation is a secret Root of Vnbelief in Mens Hearts Whatsoever they may pretend they do not soundly â—nd throughly believe the Word of God they are â—aught in general to say the Gospel is true but they neâ—er saw the Evidence of its Truth so far as throughly to â—erswade them of it nor have they got their Souls â—ttled on the Infallibility of God's Testimony nor conâ—dered of the Truth of the particular Doctrines revealâ—d in the Scripture so far as soundly to believe them 〈◊〉 did you all but soundly believe the Words of this Gospel â—f the Evil of Sin of the Need of Christ aâ—d what â—e hath done for you and what you must be and do if â—ver you will be saved by him and what will become of â—ou for ever if you do it not I dare say it would â—re the Contempt of Christ and you would not make 〈◊〉 light of the Matters of your Salvation But Men do â—t believe while they say they do and would face us â—own that they do and verily think that they do themâ—â—lves There is a Root of Bitterness and an evil Heart 〈◊〉 Unbelief that makes them depart from the living â—od Heb. 2. 12. and 4. 1 2 6. Tell any Man in this â—ngregation that he shall have a Gift of 10000 pounds â—he will but go to London for it if he believe you he â—ll go but if he believe not he will not and if he will not go you may be sure he believeth not supposing that he is able I know a slight Belief may stand with a wicked Life Such as Men have of the Truth of a Prognostication it may be true and it may be false but a true and sound Belief is not consistent with so great Neglect of the things that are believed 5. Christ and Salvation are made light of by the World because of their desperate hardness of Heaâ—â— The Heart is hard naturally and by Custom in sinning made more hard especially by long abuse of Mercy and neglect of the means of Grace and resisting the Spirit of God Hence it is that Men are turned into such Stones and till God cure them of the Stone of the Heart no wonder if they â—eel not what they know or regard not what we say but make light of all 〈◊〉 hard preaching a Stone into tears or making a Rock to tremble You may stand over a dead Body long enough and say to it O thou Carcase when thou hast 〈◊〉 rotting and mouldred to Dust till the Resurrection God will then call thee to account for thy Sin and cast thee into everlasting Fire before you can make it feel what you say or fear the Misery that is never so truly threatned When Mens Hearts are like the High-way that is troddâ—â— to hardness by long custom in Sinning or like thâ— Clay that is hardned to a Stone by the heat of thosâ— Mercies that should have melted them into
of the Wicked that the Devil and his Angels must be their Companions Though some think as is said before that the Reason why wicked Men are not mentioned tere is because they are part of the Angels of the Devil and so included And some think it is purposely to manifest God's general Love to Mankind that prepared not Hell for them but they cast themselves into the Hell prepared for the Devils But the first seems to be the true sense And how apparently Righteous are the Judgments of the Lord that those Men who would here entertain the Devil into their Hearts and daily Familiarity should be then entertained by him into his Place of Torments and there remain for ever in his Society Though few entertained him into visible Familiarity with their Bodies as Witches do who so make him their Familiar yet all wicked Men do entertain him into more full and constant Familiarity with their Souls than these Witches do with their Bodies how familiar is he in Thoughts to fill them with Vanity Lust or Revenge How familiar is he in their Hearts to fill them with Covertousness Malice Pride or the like Evils and to banish all Thoughts of returning to God and to quench every Motion that tendeth to their Recovery How familiar is he with them even when they seem to be worshipping God in the publick Assemblies stealing the Word out of their Hearts filling them with vain and wandring Thoughts blinding their Minds that they cannot understand the plainest words that we are able to speak to them and filling them with a proud Rebellion against the Direction of their Teachers and an obstinate Refusal to be ruled by them be the Matter never so necessary to their own Salvation How familiar are these evil Spirits in their Houses filling them with Ignorance Worldliness and Ungodliness and turning out God's Service so that they do not pray together once in a Day or perhaps at all How familiarly doth Satan use their Tongues in Cursing Swearing Lying Ribaldry Backbiting or Slandring And is it not just with God to make these Fiends their Familiars in Torment with whom they entertained such Familiarity in Sin As Christ with all the blessed Angels and Saints will make but one Kingdom or Family and shall live altogether in perpetual Delights so the Devil and all his hellish Angels and wicked Men shall make but one Houshold and shall live altogether in perpetual Misery O poor Sinners you are not troubled now at his Presence and Power in your Hearts but will you not then be troubled at his Presence and tormenting Power As long as you do not see him let him do what he will with you it grieves you little or nothing at all but what will you say when you must see him and abide with him for ever O Sirs his Name is easily heard but his Company will be terrible to the stoutest Heart alive He sheweth you a smiling Face when he tempteth you but he hath a grimmer Face to shew you when Temptations have conquered you and Torments must succeed As those that write of Witches say he appeareth at first to them in some comely tempting Shape till he have them fast tied to him and then he beats them and affrights them and seldom appears to them but in some ugly Hew Believe it poor Sinners you do not hear or see the worst of him when you are merry about your sinful Pleasures and rejoicing in your Hopes of the Commodities or Preferments of the World he hath another kind of Voice which you must hear and another Face to shew you that will make you know a little better whom you had to do with You would be afraid now to meet him in the Dark what will you be to live with him in everlasting Darkness Then you will know who it was that you entertained and obeyed and plaid with in your Sins 3. And as the Text tells us that it is a Fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels So it telleth us that it is an everlasting Fire It had a Beginning but it shall have no End If these Wretches would have chosen the Service of God they would have met with no Difficulty or Trouble but what would have had a speedy End Poverty and Injuries would have had an End Scorns and Abuses would have had an End Fasting Humiliation Sorrow for Sin watching and fighting against our spiritual Enemies would all have had an End But to avoid these they chose that Ease that Pleasure which hath brought them to that Torment which never will have end I have said so much of these things already in my Book called the Saints Rest that I will now say but this much It is one of the Wonders of the World how Men that do believe or think they do believe this Word of Christ to be true that the Wicked shall go into everlasting Fire can yet venture on Sin so boldly and live in it so fearlesly or sleep quietly till they are out of this unspeakable Danger Only the commonness of it and the known Wickedness of Man's Heart doth make this less wonderful And were there nothing else to convince us that Sinners are mad and dead as to spiritual Things this were enough that ever the greatest Pleasures or Profits of the World or the most enticing Baits that the Devil can offer them should once prevail with them to forget these endless things and draw them to reject an everlasting Glory and cast themselves desperately into everlasting Fire Yea and all this under daily Warnings and Instructions and when it 's told them beforehand by the God of Truth himself For the Lord's sake Sirs and for your Souls sakes if you care not what Ministers say or what such as I say yet will you soberly read now and then this 25 th Chapter of Matthew and regard what is told you by him that must be your Judg and now and then bethink yourselves soberly whether these are Matters for wise Men to make light of and what it is to be everlastingly in Heaven or in Hell-fire 2. We have seen what is the Penalty contained in the Sentence against the Ungodly The next thing that the Text directs us to is the Cause or Reason of the Sentence ver 42. For I was hungry and ye gave me no Meat c. The Reason is not given expresly either for their Sin against the Law of Works that is because they were Sinners and not perfectly innocent nor yet from their Unbelief which is the great Sin against the Law of Grace But it is given from their not expressing their Faith and Love to Christ in Works of Mercy and Self-denial And why is this so 1. We must not suppose that these Words of Christ do express the whole judicial Process in every Point but the chief Parts It is supposed that all Men are convicted of being Sinners against the perfect Law of the Creator and that they are guilty of Death for that
Sin and that there is no way but by Christ to obtain Deliverance But because all this must be acknowledged by the Righteous themselves as well as by the Wicked therefore Christ doth not mention this but that only which is the turning Point or Cause in the Judgment For it is not all Sinners that shall be finally condemned but all impenitent unbelieving Sinners who have rebelled finally against their Redeemer 2. And the Reason why Faith itself is not expressed is 1. Because it is clearly implied and so is Love to Christ as Redeemer in that they should have relieved Christ himself in his Members That is as it 's expressed Mat. 10. 42. they should have received a Prophet in the Name of a Prophet and a Disciple in the Name of a Disciple all should be done for Christ's sake which could not be unless they believed in him and loved him 2. Also because that the bare Act of Believing is not all that Christ requireth to a Man's final Justification and Salvation but holy self-denying Obedience must be added And therefore this is given as the Reason of their Condemnation that they did not so obey We must observe also that Christ here putteth the special for the general that is one way of self-denying Obedience and Expression of Love instead of such Obedience in general For all Men have not Ability to relieve those in misery being perhaps some of them poor themselves But all have that Love and Self-denial which will some way express it self And all have Hearts and a Disposition to do thus if they had Ability without such a Disposition none can be saved It is the fond Conceit of some that if they have any Love to the Godly or wish them well it is enough to prove them happy But Christ here purposely lets us know that whoever doth not love him at so high a rate as that he can part with his Substance or any thing in the World to those Uses which he shall require them even to relieve his Servants in want and Sufferings for the Master's sake that Man is none of Christ's Disciple nor will be owned by him at the last XI The next Point that we come to is to shew you the Properties of this Sentence at Judgment When Man had broken the Law of his Creator at the first he was liable to the Sentence of Death and God presently sat in Judgment on him and sentenced him to some part of the Punishment which he had deserved but upon the Interposition of the Son he before the rest resolved on a Way that might tend to his Recovery and Death is due yet to every Sinner for every Sin which he commits till a Pardon do acquit him But this Sentence which will pass on Sinners at the last Judgment doth much differ from that which was passed on the first Sin or which is due according to the Law of Works alone For 1. As to the Penalty called the Pain of Loss the first Judgment did deprive Man of the Favour of his Creator but the second will deprive him of the Favour both of the Creator and Redeemer the first Judgment deprived him of the Benefits of Innocency the second deprives him of the Benefits of Redemption the loss of his hopes and possibility of Pardon of the Spirit of Justification and Adoption and of the Benefits which conditionally were promised and offered him these are the Punishments of the last Judgment which the Law of Works did never threaten to the first Man or to any as it stood alone Also the loss of Glory as recovered is the proper Penalty of the violated Law of Grace which is more than the first loss As if a Man should lose his Purse the second time when another hath once found it for him or rather as if a Traitor redeemed by another and having his Life and Honours offered him if he will thankfully accept it and come in should by his Refusal and Obstinacy lose this recovered Life which is offered him which is an Addition to his former Penalty Besides that the higher Degree of Glory will be lost which Christ would bestow on him more than was lost at first The very Work of the Saints in Heaven will to praise and glorify him that redeemed them and the Father in him which would not have been the Work of Man if he had been innocent 2. As to the Pain of Sense the last Judgment by the Redeemer will sentence them to a far sorer Punishment than would have befaln them if no Saviour had been offered them Heb. 10. 29. The Conscience of Adam if he had not been redeemed would never have tormented him for rejecting a Redeemer nor for refusing or abusing his gracious Offers and his Mercies nor for the forfeiting of a recovered Happiness nor for refusing of the easy Terms of the Gospel which would have given him Christ and Salvation for the accepting nor for neglecting any Means that tended to Recovery no nor for refusing Repentance unto Life nor for disobeying a Redeemer that bought him by his Blood As all these are the Penalties of the Redeemer's Law and Judgment so is it a sorer Penalty than Conscience would have inflicted meerly for not being perfectly innocent and they will be far soarer Gripings and Gnawings of the never-dying Worm for the abuse of these Talents than if we had been never trusted with any after our first Forfeiture Yea and God himself will accordingly proportion his Punishments So that you see that privatively and positively or as to their Loss and their Feeling the Redeemer will pass on them a heavier Doom than the Creator did or would have done according to the first Law to perfect Man 3. Another Property of the Judgment of Christ is that it will be final peremptory and excluding all farther Hopes or Possibilities of a Remedy So was not the first Judgment of the Creator upon faln Man Though the Law of pure Nature knew no Remedy nor gave Man any Hope of a Redeemer yet did it not exclude a Remedy nor put in any Bar against one but God was free to recover his Creature if he pleased But in the Law of Grace he hath resolved that there shall be no more Sacrifice for Sin but a fearful looking for of Judgment and Fire which shall devour the Adversary Heb. 10. 26 27. and that the Fire shall be everlasting the Worm shall not die and the Fire shall not be quenched Mat. 25. ult Mat. 13. 42 50. John 5. 27. Mat. 5. 26. Mat. 3. 12. and Luke 3. 17. Mark 9. 43 44 45 46 48. He that now breaketh that pure Law that requireth perfect Innocency as we have all done may fly to the Promise of Grace in Christ and appeal to the Law of Liberty or Deliverance to be judged by that But he that falls under the Penalty of that Law which should have saved him as all final Unbelievers and impenitent ungodly Persons do hath no other to appeal