yet if for lack of one thing I should fall short of it What if this covetousness and base spiritedness this worldly-mindedness and uncharitableness this passion and peevishness this stubbornness this stiffness and opposition and disobedience to my Governours this desire of revenge and heart-burning and animosity what if this or any of these should ruine all and shut me out of Heaven Lord therefore prays he let me part with every thing that thou dost hate and embrace that which thou dost love and command that I may appear before thy Tribunal with courage and comfort Thus the thoughts of Judgment strike a holy awe and dread into the hearts of God's Children and do successfully affright 'em from sin It is thus a Terrour even to good men And especially 't is a Terrour to wicked men and impenitent Sinners when under any affliction or the apprehension of approaching Death But after Death especially 't will be so when the Judgment-Day is come 't will be Terrour with a Witness 'T is suppos'd 't will be a kind of Terrour to good men which is gathered from that expression in the Thessalonians 1 Thess 1.10 To be admir'd in all them that believe Even in admiration it self there is a kind of mixture of fear and Terrour through an overplus and overslowing of expectation and ravishing exuberant wonder as some are observ'd to weep for joy But in wicked men all that 's purely dreadful shall meet together But more particularly this dread and Terrour which will fall upon wicked men the Enemies of our Lord ariseth from these four things 1. The sight of the Judge 2. The manner of his coming to Judgment 3. The Accusation of their own Consciences 4. The Nature and Characters of the Judgment Which will be 1. An Universal a General Judgment 2. An exact an accurate and critical Judgment 3. A just and righteous Judgment 4. The final Judgment 5. A Judgment that will sentence to an eternal state either of happiness or misery But perhaps some may be here dissatisfied being ready to demand Whether none shall be sentenc'd to an eternal state till the last and general Judgment What then shall become of departed Souls after Death till the General Judgment Shall they be kept in some Middle Place in some Limbus Patrum or Infantum To this I answer As there is a General Judgment at which the Body and Soul being re-united shall appear and receive Sentence together so there is a particular Judgment of the Soul by it self at its departure from the Body That the Souls of good men immediately after Death are carried to Heaven by the Angels to receive the Sentence of Absolution which shall be pronounced by Christ who will place them in the Mansions of Glory is most certain as may be gathered from the Case of Lazarus Luke 16.22 compared with 2 Cor. 5.1 And I humbly conceive with submission which is not unwarrantable by Scripture as is intimated in the Case of Dives Luke 16.23 that Christ Jesus the Judge of the World by virtue of his Regal Office which he doth now execute as he sends out his Angels which are ministring Spirits to carry holy Souls into Heaven so he commissions his Angels too to take the Souls of wicked men immediately after their separation and deliver 'em to the Devil that cruel Jaylor the Keeper of the Infernal Prison who instantly draggs 'em away to Hell there to be bound as 't is said of the evil Angels in everlasting chains under darkness to the judgment of the great day Jude 6. and in the mean time to be tormented and punished according to their capacity and that in pursuance of the ancient Sentence pronounced long ago He that believeth not is condemn'd already John 3.18 36. and the wrath of God abideth on him Thus having discours'd Doctrinally of that great Fundamental Point of Religion the certainty of Judgment to come a Day of Judgment after this Life together with the dreadfulness of it styled here The Terrour of the Lord It remains now IV. and Lastly that we make some improvement of it by Application And here first of all I hope I need not use Saint Peter's Apology to you how needful soever 't is amongst others in the World for the Lord's slackness and delay in coming to Judgment which he directs to those Scoffers of the last times 2 Pet. 3.3 Knowing this first that there shall come in the last days Scoffers walking after their own lusts and saying Where is the promise of his coming for since the Fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were from the beginning of the Creation I hope there are no such Scoffers here though with sorrow and sadness and lamentation I might speak it and observe it they abound too much in the World yea in Christendom it self and this reformed Part of it men of an Atheistical shall I say or Anti-Christian Spirit who laugh and mock at the Doctrine of a Day of Judgment as a wild Chimaera the idle Dream and fancy of a melancholy Preacher the effect of an inquisitive contemplative Head and the strength of imagination being ready to say in the Words of these Scoffers here mentioned by St Peter Where is the promise of his coming c. i. e. Where is the Promise or Prophecy fulfill'd that Christ shall come to judge the World for since the death of Adam and the Patriarchs and the Prophets and Christ himself who told the World of a Day of Judgment the World continues as it was no alteration appears and 't is like to continue so for ever Now this mocking and scoffing and infidelity owes it self St Peter observes partly to their Lusts partly to their wilful ignorance and inadvertency and inconsideration Which in regard there are so many in the World that are ready to join Issue with these Scoffers here I will take particular notice of both to obviate their Atheistical Objections and Anti-Christian scoffs and to antidote you against the infection of a contagious Air. 1. Then It owes it self partly to their Vices and Lusts Scoffers walking after their own lusts Some men so long abandoning themselves to Vice become Athestical and deny God for 't is their interest there should be none and upon the same Grounds they become Anti-Christian and deny Christ deny his Divinity and Authority and Veracity his Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven and his coming to Judgment For 't is their interest that he should never come whose coming will be so terrible to all his Enemies 't will be to the perdition of ungodly men 2. It owes it self partly to their wilful ignorance and inadvertency and inconsideration and that of three things First God's Power and Providence both in the Creation and destruction of the World Secondly The nature of God and his measure and account of time Thirdly His patience and long-suffering First God's Power and Providence both in the Creation and destruction of the World ver 5 6 7.
or forbear to cry out Fire at Midnight or make an Alarm to give notice or Thieves and Robbers lest he awake or disturb the secure sleeping man who is in danger And what shall the Watchmen of Israel who ex Officio are bound to give notice of and help to quench the spiritual Flames hold their peace and be silent Shall we see men all in Flames expos'd to the devouring Fire the Fire of Lusts burning within them evidenc'd by the Flames of Vices without the Flames of wrath and Divine Vengeance over them and the Flames of Hell underneath them into which they are ready to drop every moment Shall we see this and be silent and not cry out and endeavour to quench the Flames and pluck them out of the Burnings and save them from that consuming Fire Shall we see them upon the Precipice of destruction just falling headlong into ruine and not stretch out a hand to save them Shall we see Thieves and Murderers the Devil and his Agents breaking in upon Souls and not give them notice of it and run to their assistance You ought therefore Brethren to put a candid construction on the severest Lectures from the Pulpit to take the sharpest Reproofs the most bitter Invectives against Sin the most earnest and passionate Adjurations as instances of compassion and love to your Souls and faithfulness to him that sent us Believe it 't is the sin we hate while we reprove but yet love the Sinner Phil. 1.15 And though some perhaps may preach Christ out of envy as the Apostle speaks and others for the sake of the Bag with Judas yet I doubt not there are many who have higher Ends and aims viz. God's Glory and the salvation of Souls who can truly say with the Apostle here Knowing therefore the Terrour of the Lord we perswade men I will shut up this with that wholesome Advice of St James and St Peter concerning hearing and receiving of the Word preached Jam. 1.19 20 21. Wherefore my beloved Brethren let every man be swift to hear slow to speak slow to wrath for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness and receive with meekness the ingrafted Word which is able to save your Souls To which let me add that of St Peter 1 Pet. 2.1 2. Wherefore laying aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisies and envies and evil speakings as new-born Babes desire the sincere Milk of the Word that ye may grow thereby But here may some say If all this is true that there is a future State a Day of Judgment coming such a Terrour of the Lord to be reveal'd hereafter Ministers do well to be so earnestly and passionately concern'd for the Souls of men to cry aloud and spare not to tell them of their Sins and warn them to flee from the wrath to come but are you sure you are not under a mistake that you do not erre in the Foundation Are you sure there is such a future Judgment as you speak of What evidence or assurance have you of the certainty of it This I shall answer and therein I hope give you satisfaction in the next Particular which I am to speak to viz. to shew you II. The infallible certainty of the future Judgment Now the certainty of a future Judgment after Death is declar'd and evidenc'd to the World by a threefold voice The Voice of Scripture the Voice of Conscience and the Voice of God's Justice First The Voice of Scripture The Jews had a confident Tradition amongst them That blessed Enoch who was translated to Heaven had left two Pillars as sacred to Posterity wherein were fairly engraven those two great Prophecies one of the first Desolation of and Judgment upon the World by water not many years before which came God remov'd him as a Jewel to an heavenly Cabinet that his eyes might not see it The second Prophecy in a Pillar of Stone of the Dissolution of the World by Fire against the final Judgment The latter Prophecy concerning the final Judgment is warranted by Scripture Jude 14 15. And Enoch also the seventh from Adam prophesied of these saying Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his Saints to execute vengeance upon all and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed and of all their hard speeches which ungodly Sinners have spoken against him There is nothing that the holy Scripture is more plain and positive in than asserting a Day of Judgment Death and Judgment are the Twin-Sisters of the same Womb of Decree Heb. 9.27 It is appointed unto all men once to dye and after that the Judgment The sad certainty of Judgment closeth up that Ironical Expression of the Wise man or rather a wiser than He in reproof of wanton youthful Sinners Eccles 9.11 Rejoice O young man in thy youth and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth and walk in the ways of thy heart and in the sight of thine eyes But know thou that for all these things God will bring thee into Judgment Our Saviour does often very positively and expresly mention a Day of Judgment as we may see in all the four Evangelists And the Apostles are often beating upon this Argument It were endless to enumerate Particulars So positive is the Scripture in this Point that it observes to us that the very Day is appointed and the Judge named Acts 17.31 He hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the World in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained whereof he hath given assurance unto all men in that he hath raised him from the dead There are three Days have an Emphatical Note set upon them the Day of Creation the Day of Redemption and the Day of Judgment 1. The Day of Creation which open'd the Door of Time 2. The Day of Redemption which is call'd Gal. 4.4 The Fullness of Time 3. The Day of Judgment This shall shut out Time and usher in Eternity And this Day is Emphatically call'd The Day of the Lord 1 Thess 5.2 Phil. 2.16 Jude 6. Joel 2.31 Eph. 4.30 the Day of Christ and the great Day and the great and terrible Day of the Lord and the Day of Vengeance and the Day of Redemption and the Day of refreshing That 's the first Evidence of the certainty of the future Judgment the Voice of Scripture The Second is Secondly The Voice of Conscience and that both natural and enlightned 1. Natural Conscience which is affrighted at the hearing of a Judgment to come Felix trembled at it Acts 24.25 And as he reasoned of righteousness and temperance and Judgment to come Felix trembled As St Paul preached to him of righteousness and temperance his guilty Conscience reflected on all his past acts of injustice and intemperance and when he heard of the Grand Audit the dreadful Judgment
ungrateful use of his patience and long-suffering But 't is such as the Wise man spake of and observ'd long ago Eccles 8.11 Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil and St Paul here intimates and sadly observes and bewails in this his passionate Expostulation Despisest thou the riches of his Goodness c. But hear O despising scoffing ungrateful man Hear what follows v. 5. After thy hardness and impenitent heart thou treasurest up unto thy self wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous Judgment of God who will render to every one according to his deeds For though the Lord is long suffering yet he will not be ever-suffering But the day of the Lord will come as St Peter observes ver 10. and it will come speedily as a Thief in the Night unlookt for and so surprize or as 't is worded 1 Thess 5.2 3. The day of the Lord so cometh as a Thief in the night for when they shall say Peace and safety then sudden destruction cometh upon them as travail upon a Woman with Child and they shall not escape Secondly This Doctrine of the certainty and severity and dreadfulness of the future Judgment may serve to awaken secure Sinners out of their sinful and dangerous security As there are some that Atheistically scoff at Religion so there are others that are sufficiently careless of it do not speak but act against it who live vicious lives and are led by their passions and appetites and are regardless of the World to come and stupidly and securely sinful They are perhaps more carnal and sensual than the former though not so Diabolical If there are any such here let me seriously ask them Sirs Do you believe the Bible to be true Do you believe the Articles of the Christian Faith that there is a God that made the World and governs it that you have immortal Spirits within you that are capable of endless happiness or misery that you must dye and come to Judgment appear before the Judgment-Seat of Christ who shall come from Heaven to judge the quick and the dead Do you believe all this You 'll readily answer Yes that we do God forbid we should be Unbelievers we can say our Creed as sincerely and devoutly as the best Can you so What! and live in such manifest contrariety and opposition to what you believe and the terms of salvation as if all this were false as if all were cheat and imposture as if the Gospel were a Fable or an idle Romance For God's sake Sirs be serious and consider and do not suffer your selves so tamely to be impos'd upon and baffled by your Spiritual Enemies those that hate you and will laugh at your folly and triumph over your misery Do not live the reverse of your Reason and Religion too and contradict your Faith and Perswasion and suffer your selves to be fool'd out of that eternal happiness which you say you hope for and lose the best and greatest interest which is more valuable than all the Treasures and instances of happiness in this World which you must shortly leave and dye from when nothing here below neither Riches nor Friends can help you but only an effectual saving interest in the Judge of the World 2 Thess 1.7 8. who will shortly be revealed from Heaven with his mighty Angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that do not obey his Gospel O that I could make some secure Sinner here to tremble Ephes 5.14 and effectually warn him to flee from the wrath to come Awake thou that sleepest and arise from the dead and Christ shall give thee light Thirdly It exhorts us to Holiness And indeed this Doctrine is a powerful disswasive from Vice and perswasive to Vertue a disswasive from Vice because it will be certainly and severely punished a perswasive to Vertue because it will be certainly and amply rewarded I doubt not but there are some that are very indifferent as to the State of happiness in the other World for which they are not greatly concern'd but could be content to part with it provided they might not be miserable they could be content that their Bodies and Souls too should sleep eternally They could be content perhaps not to be rewarded in Heaven so that they might not be punished in Hell But know Christian that there is no medium here If we are not rewarded we shall certainly be punished if we are not happy we must be miserable If we do not go to Heaven we must to Hell If we have not the enjoyment of God we must have the company of Devils for ever So that holiness is indispensably necessary not only to intitle us to Heaven but to keep us out of Hell And there is no greater or more forcible Argument to perswade to holiness than this of Judgment to come This is the great Argument the Wise man useth to perswade both to negative and positive holiness Thus in the 11th of his Ecclesiastes ver 9. he does tacitly exhort to negative holiness i. e. he does by a sharp and keen but pleasant Irony disswade from Vice and youthful Lusts and sinful Pleasures Rejoice O young man in thy youth and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth and walk in the ways of thine heart and in the sight of thine eyes there follows a terrible But which is like the Damp to the Candle or the Death's Head to the Egyptian Feasts a Cooler to the heat of Lust and like Belshazzer's hand upon the Wall dasheth all that mirth and jollity But know thou that for all these things God will bring thee into Judgment And Chap. 12. ver 13. he exhorts to positive holiness not excluding negative i. e. to the practice of Vertue and doing good Fear God and keep his Commandments for this is the whole Duty of man And this he presseth by the same Argument the great Motive of Judgment to come ver 14. For God shall bring every work into Judgment with every secret thing whether it be good or whether it be evil This is the great beaten Argument that both the Prophets and Apostles are frequently upon and spreading before the eyes of men Most of the weighty Exhortations in Scripture like the Scales upon the Beam are fastned upon this therefore work walk run strive deny your selves be stedfast 1 Cor. 15. ult unmoveable always abounding in the work of the Lord forasmuch as you know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. 'T is the great Argument both to Active and Passive Obedience Saint Paul observes it to be so 2 Tim. 4.7 8. I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith Henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of righteousness which the Lord the righteous Judge shall give me at that day