allowed to act as others of the same age with us and enjoy our Sports and Pleasures and fulfil our youthful Lusts and Desires when Age comes on then 't will be time enough to turn to God and make Provision for Eternity Ans 1. Early Conversion is very acceptable 'T is the Duty of them that are young to remember their Creatour in the dayes of their Youth Eccles 12. 1. And God is very much pleased when he is thus remembred A mark of Honour is put upon them that have been Converted betimes Joseph Josiah Timothy and others are upon sacred Record because when very young and tender they did fly from sin turn'd to God and fear'd him and by his Word became wise unto Salvation 2. Early Conversion is more easie 〈◊〉 grant Nature in the Young as well as Old is utterly averse from it but yet 't is certain that long continuance and custom in Sin does make it harder to be forsaken Therefore sayes the Prophet Jer. 13. 23. Can the Ethiopian change his Skin or a Leopard his Spots then may ye do good that are accustomed to do evil Evil Custom is a second evil Nature and doubles the Cords which hold and hinder the Sinner from Conversion They that turn while young have not such habits of sâ—â— to grapple with neither are evils so rooted in them as in those that are Older 3. Early Conversion prevents a great deal of Sin which impetuous Youth is apt to be defiled with When the Psalmist saies Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way Psal 119. 9. he plainly intimates that the way of the young man is naturally unclean and Nature being vigorous in him his Pollutions and Defilements exceedingly grow upon him But if he turn to God and take heed to himself according to the Words Direction and Command his Heart shall be made and kept pure his Vessel shall be possessed in Sanctification and Honour and though Youth be a dangerous Age the Grace of God shall be sufficient for preservation 4. You that are born of Christian Parents God has challenged a special interest in you from your very Infancy a The Scripture makes a difference between the Children of Christian Parents and the Children of Infidels and therefore that opinion which makes no difference between them must needs be an errour and contrary to the Scripture The Children of them that are Infidels are expresly said to be unclean but if the Parents or but one of them does believe the Children are affirmed to be holy 1 Cor. 7. 14. You are Holy to the Lord your faithful Parents as they gave themselves so they gave you their Seed unto their Lord to be peculiarly for his Use and Service Circumcision of Infants under the Law and baptizing them under the Gospel shews that obligations to Conversion are early and that the thing it self can never be too soon 5. You that are young and talk of having time enough remember that young ones may dye and often do and after death they are brought to judgment Eccles 11. 9. b Since feats of Youth must be brought into judgement what manner of persons ought young men to be in all holy Conversation and Godliness And if you dye before Converted you will dye in your Sins and the first death and second death will come together O young man consider that Childhood and youth are vanity the Thoughts and Counsels then are usually foolish and unreasonable Life is not to be reckoned upon for mans Life is but 〈◊〉 Vapour and Thine may be as a morning Cloud and as the early dew vanishing very quickly Therefore hasten thy flight from youthful lusts and turn to God without any further delay Obj. 4. Others do further Object That if once they are Converted they must biâ— an eternal farewell to all Delight and Pleasure and live a melancholick Life their eyes must alwaies be full of Tears and theiâ— breathing must be a continual sighing they must ever be complaining of their Hearts and lamenting the miscarriages of their Lives and unto Joy they must become perfect Strangers And by such sad apprehensions as these Satan sills the Hearts of thousands with a mighty Prejudice against Conversion But to this Objection I thus Answer Ans 1. Conversion only banishes the Pleasures that are sinful and to take Pleasure in Sin how unreasonable is it should it be counted a Pleasure to anger the Almighty to lay our selves under a Curse which none can bear without being extreamly wretched should it be counted a Pleasure to expose our selves to all sorts of Judgments and Calamities in this life to wound the Conscience to damn the Soul for ever Is there any ease in Hell are those Burnings become desirable and should Pleasure be taken in Sin which if still delighted in will certainly bring us to those Torments Lovers of sinful Pleasures understand not Pleasures All these kind of Delights are to be shunn'd for they have as it were an intoxicating and stupifying Poyson in the mouth and a mortal Sting in the tail of them 2. Conversion spiritualizes and hightens the Pleasures that are innocent and lawful He that keeps within the bounds that God has set him consults his own Peace When God is eyed and served in the abundance of all things there is the greater Joy in that abundance as is intimated Deut. 28. 47. When the Creatures are improved for God this is one way towards the Cure of that Vanity and Vexation that Sinners find in them To Eat and Drink and Recreate our selves to the Glory of God designing by these actions to be fitter for our Lords work and use this puts a very great sweetness into both our Food and Recreations and this sweetness the greatest Epicures and Sensualists taste not of 3. That Godly Sorrow which is so much cryed out against is not without a satisfaction Did ever any one that truly repented repent of his Repentance Impenitency will be found a most destructive Madness and will be repented of in Hell at farthest but Repentance never not in this World less at Death and least of all in Heaven 2 Cor. 7. 10. Godly sorrow worketh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Repentance unto Salvation not tâ— be repented of As God is pleased with thâ— Sacrifice of a broken and contrite Spirit sâ— the Heart that is broken may be glad oâ— this Contrition which is the work of a Coâ—forter and to find how God has changâ— the heart of stone into an heart of flesh 4. 'T is the greatest mistake in the World to think that turning to God is nothing else but turning sorrowful Care is taken that the grossest Offenders if truly Penitent should not be swallowed up of over much sorrow 2 Cor. 2. 7. The Mourners are pronounced blessed for they shall be Comforted They that sow in Tears shall reap in Joy The Kingdom of God is Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost as well as Righteousness Rom. 14. 17. and this Peace passes all
God is meer madness 't is disobedience to the highest Soveraign 't is base ingratitude against the highest Kindness 't is in effect the charging the God of Grace and Truth with falshood and ill-will 't is a rejecting the best and safest Counsel and 't is the way to engage the great Jehovah to be much more an enemy by refusing to turn and be reconciled to Him. 4. Consider what the Lords design is in requiring you to become Converts He could glorifie his Truth and Righteousness and make his Power known in executing vengeance and in punishing you with everlasting Destruction but he chuses rather to magnifie his Mercy and Grace therefore he waits to be Gracious Isa 30. 18. and if he be exalted that he may shew Mercy his Mercy will be exceeding plenteous and glorious in the blessed Effects of it if you forsake your evil wayes and thoughts and turn to him In turning you to himself the Lord designs to demonstrate that his Grace can superabound where Sin never so much abounds he designs to shew forth the merit of his Sons blood and the Power of his Spirit he designs to new make what sin had marr'd and to produce Vessels of honour out of the corrupt masse of defiled Clay In short he does design to form you for himself that you may be most blessed for ever in himself and both here and eternally shew forth his Praises And what colour or shadow of Reason is there that you should walk contrary to such a God that you should thwart and oppose such gracious Designs by refusing to return 5. Turn ye Why wo'nt you Live Is Alsufficiency to be lookt upon as empty the chiefest good become evil in your Eyes Are you fallen out with the truest felicity as if it were not at all desirable Is the perfection of Happiness fear'd as if 't were Misery Is Heaven shunn'd as if 't were Hell and do you avoid the Path that leads to it that you may be sure never to come thither These are strange Interrogatories but they serve for Conviction that those who will not turn may be sensible they wrong their own Souls Prov. 8. 36. in contemning the tender of Eternal Life and Salvation 6. Turn ye Why will ye Dye Is the Guilt of Sin become a light matter the Wrath of the Almighty easie to be born do you make a mock of that which makes the whole Creation groan and travel in pain together Rom. 8. 22. Is it no longer fearful to fall into the hands of the Living God and has the second Death ceased to be terrible Are the Tears of the Damned dryed up Is their Sorrow turned into Joy Is the never-dying Worm to be hugg'd in your bosoms and everlasting Fire a thing to be play'd with Oh! What do you mean who will not turn Why do ye love Death Prov. 8. ult Why have ye the greatest hand in your own ruine Why are ye Devils to your selves Why do ye desperately rush on in Sin and in the end throw your selves down into everlasting Burnings 7. To perswade you to turn Consider Conversion is a thing that never was that never will be Repented of The Prophane in the other World at farthest repent they did not turn at all the Hypocrites repent they did not turn in truth but sincere Converts are glad they are so and see good reason still to continue so The Apostle tells us that the Gifts and Calling of God are without Repentance Rom. 11. 29. when he effectually Calls any and gives Converting Grace to them it is such a Gift that God never repents of bestowing neither ever does he take it quite away again It is such a Gift as Man never repents he has received but has good cause to desire that God would perfect what concerns him and not forsake the work of his own hand Psal 138. ult 8. Conversion will make you great Blessings in the places where you live Converts are the Horse-men and Chariots of Israel because as so many Princes they have power with the God of Israel Solomon tells us that Righteousness exalts a Nation Prov. 14. 34. The more Converts to Righteousness there are the more the Nation is beholding to them but Obstinate Sinners are not only their own but the Nations greatest Enemies When Gods Anger has been exceedingly provoked so that he has doom'd a Nation to Destruction Conversion even in this Case will do a kindness Jer. 18. 7 8. At what instant I speak concerning a Nation and concerning a Kingdom to pluck up and to pull down and to destroy it If that Nation against whom I have pronounced turn from their evil way I will repent of the evil that I thought to do to them Though England at this day has many Enemies whose Power and Policy is engaged against it yet it is chiefly endanger'd by its sins and wickedness A speedy and general Conversion to God would certainly be Englands security and establishment 9. If you are Converts in truth the News of it will be heard and known in Heaven and occasion Joy there Luk. 15. 10. I say unto you there is Joy in the presence of the Angels of God over one Sinner that repenteth The Angels did Sing at the Birth of a Saviour Glory be to God in the highest on Earth peace good Will towards Men and they rejoyce at the New-birth of all that are saved 10. Consider the vast difference that is between the End of Converts and those that dye Vnconverted They that are wise look not only at the begininng but to the end of things and they cannot think well of that which must needs end ill And Vnconverted Sinner dying is one of the saddest spectacles in the World he is leaving all his good things all his Consolation behind him he and his hopes dye together and whither does Death send him to the Bar of an Holy and Righteous God. 'T is a terrible Clause in the Statute of Dying After this the Judgment Heb. 9. 27. And how can the wicked Man who would live and did dye in his Sins be able to stand in Judgment Death comes to the Unconverted armed with a Sting with a Sting did I say nay the Stings are thousands and millions for every one of his Sins is a Sting in his Death and his Sins being more in number than the Stars of Heaven when Death seizes him how many Stings will pierce him and put him to Pain which will be Eternal If he dyes stupid 't is so much the worse for Hell being not fear'd or thought of when felt will be the more woful If he dyes in horrour alas the greatest Despair and Anguish on a Death-bed is no more to be compared with the Agonies of the Damned Spirits than a Whisper is to be compared with Thunder or the smallest Spark of fire is to be compared with those devouring Flames that in -66 did burn down London But on the other side how ends the Convert Death is a fall
cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God and whensoever the Word is effectual to change a Sinner and turn him into a Believer 't is made effectual by no less a Power than His who is Omnipotent Who hath believed our report There 's preaching And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed there 's the Power of God graciously and gloriously manifested that causes Preaching to be successful In the handling of this Doctrine I shall First Shew you what it is in the Word of God that is made use of as a Means of Conversion Secondly Demonstrate the aptitude and fitness of the Word to be such a Means Thirdly I shall tell you what kind of Means it is Fourthly Whence this Means comes to be effectual Lastly Apply I begin with the first of these What it is in the Word that is made use of as the Means of Conversion 1. The Word layes before Sinners eyes the just the strict the holy Law of God. It leads them to Mount Sinai burning with Fire and to the blackness and darkness and Tempest there Where all the Congregation heard a Voice that put them into a deadly consternation and trembling and so terrible was the sight that Moses said I exceedingly fear and quake Heb. 12. 18 19 20 21. This Law is the Law of the onely living and true God the King eternal Immortal the blessed and onely Potentate the King of Kings and Lord of Lords Who has the highest Authority and full power to impose what commands he pleases upon the Sons of Men and they in all duty and reason are obliged to yield Obedience to them This Law of God is so large so Spiritual and so pure that every evil action every idle word nay every sinful intent desire and thought breaks it Add also that not only the doing speaking and thinking evil but the not doing speaking and thinking what is good causes this 〈◊〉 to be transgressed What fallen Man can reach this Laws exactness Since it curses every one that continues not in all things which are written in the book of the Law to do them Gal. 3. 10. 'T is a certain and one of the great Oracles of God That by the deeds of the Law shall no flesh be justified in his sight Rom. 3. 20. and the reason is added because by the Law is the knowledge of Sin. The Laws Authority and Purity makes Mans guilt and defilement the more apparent and the true sight of these goes before Conversion 2. The Word of God shews how all that have sinned have by the Law the Sentence of Condemnation really past upon them The Sinner that is Unconverted and Unbelieving is said to be condemn'd already Joh. 3. 18. How cold does it strike to the Malefactors Heart when the Judge pronounces the Sentence of Death upon him Bidding him go from the Bar to the Gaol and from the Gaol to the Gallows and there shamefully end his days The Law of God Sentences every Transgressor unto Death not Temporal only but Eternal And though the Execution of this 〈◊〉 is for a while deferr'd yet the 〈…〉 of being thus sentenced should be exceedingly affrighting and amazing The Sentence of Condemnation past by the Law is very big with evils it fills Time with them nay it comprehends evils enough to fill Eternity The Sinners Life is miserable his Death more miserable and after Death he is most miserable because his misery will never have an end The case of a Man is judged very ill and sad who is condemned to be broken upon the Wheel or to be flead alive or to be roasted to death before the Fire But what 's all this if compared with being Sentenced to endure the pains of Hell to dwell with devouring Flames which the angry breath of the Lord as a stream of brimstone doth kindle to inhabit everlasting burnings The hearing of such a terrible Sentence has a mighty tendency to startle and make the sinners in Sion afraid and to cause fearfulness to surprize the hypocrites Isa 33. 14. that they may be no longer secure while unconverted 3. The Word of God warns Sinners to flee from the wrath to come and the very Warning intimates a possibility of escaping it The Word from Heaven reveals the wrath of God against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men Rom. 1. 18. It tells them that the Lord has an Armoury which he can open at his pleasure and bring forth the weapons of his indignation Jer. 50. 15. and there is no Shield for the Obstinate no standing before these weapons Deut. 32. 40 41. For I lift up my hand to Heaven and say I live for ever If I whet my glittering Sword and my hand take hold on Judgment I will render vengeance to my enemies and will reward them that hate me The Lord not only says but swears and that by his own Life which is for ever that Death and Destruction will be the Portion and Reward of them that will not turn but impenitently persist in their rebellion against him Sinners are in time warned by the Word of this Sword that 's coming Ezek. 33. 7. Son of Man I have set thee a Watchman unto the House of Israel therefore thou shalt hear the Word at my Mouth and waâ—n them from me They are warned of the Vials that are filling with wrath as they are filling up the Measure of their iniquities they are warned of the righteous Purpose and Decree that is pregnant before it actually bring forth vengeance Zeph. 2. 1. 2. Gather your selves together yea gather together O Nation not desired before the Decree bring forth before the day pass as the chaffe before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you before the day of the Lords anger come upon you And in thus admonishing them to flee from the wrath that is without repentance so certainly and justly coming there is much of pity and mercy shew'd them 4. The Word of God encourages Conversion by representing him in Christ as ready to be reconciled to and receive all that turn The elect Angels when they saw God manifested in the flesh admired his good will towards Men and proclaimed Peace on Earth Luk. 2. 14. Mercy is not extorted from God for sinners sensible of their sin and misery but he delights in shewing it Pardon is not hardly gotten at his hand and against his Nature but he is ready to forgive He is not almost inexorable when distressed Souls fear his Power and Wrath and cry for Peace but as they intreat Him so He intreats them to be reconciled 2 Cor. 5. 20. Now then we are Ambassadours for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christs stead be ye reconciled to God. The Word speaks of a Jubilee of an accepted time of a day of Salvation in which the Lord seriously calls Sinners and the very worst of them to turn and whosoever he be that turns in truth shall graciously be received
change our very Hearts Love to the Word distinguishes the true Church from the Antichristian Society Of these 't is said because they received not the love of the Truth that they might be saved God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lye that they all might be damned who believed not the Truth but had Pleasure in Vnrighteousness 2 Thes 2. 10 11 12. All the excellent properties of the Word and the wonderful effects of it should take your Hearts and still be increasing your affection to it and the stronger your love is the greater will be your care to keep it Psal 119. 167. My Soul hath kept thy Testimonies and I love them exceedingly Love will make you labour hard in the work which the Word commands and yet it will so overcome the difficulty that hard labour shall become easie It was a saying of Bernard Is rectè divinas Scripturas legit qui verba vâ—rtit in opera He rightly reads the Holy Scriptures who turns VVords into VVorks Love will mightily constrain you to this 't will make you doers and blessed in your deed Love the Word of God as a Malefactour would love to read his pardon after the Sentence of Death has been past upon him Love the Word as a Debtour would love to read his general and full discharge which delivers him out of Prison and secures him from the danger of being arrested any more Love the Word as a Sick man would love to read a Receipt prescribing a medicine that would certainly cure his distemper and save his Life Finally love the Word as an Heir would love to read over a Testament in which is left him a rich Estate a most plentiful Inheritance In the VVord of God you find a pardon a discharge from all debts by your great your sufficient Surety here is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Souls universal remedy And the Psalmist says Psal 119. 111. Thy Testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever for they are the rejoycing of my Heart 8. Never be ashamed of this Word of God which is so perfect and worthy to be owned VVith your Hearts believe it unto Righteousness with your Mouths Confess it to Salvation Be not concerned that the VVorld accounts the VVord foolishness fear not either their reviling or their rage their hands are weak considering how strong your helper is and their Judgments weaker Stand fast in the Faith and quit you like men be strong 1 Cor. 16. 13. Your Lord will be much pleased to see you valiant for the Truth and no less than a Crown of Life shall be the reward of Faithfulness unto the Death But if you are ashamed of Christ and of his word before Men he will be ashamed of you before his Father and all his Holy Angels Mar. 8. 38. And how great and everlasting then will your shame and confusion be VSE III. Of Exhortation Since the VVord is perfect let me exhort you all unto Perfection The legal Perfection of Adam in Innocency you cannot reach since the fall keeps all his Posterity short of it hear the Apostle confessing and bewailing Not as though I had already attained either were already perfect Phil. 3. 12. But evangelical Perfection is possible 't is necessary 't is actually found in all true Converts In legal Perfection it may be said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there is no Sin. In evangelical Perfection it may be said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there is no predominant Hypocrisie In the former there is no sin at all in the latter there is no Sin loved and allowed In the one every command is kept in the other there is grief when any command is broke and a true Desire after Grace to keep every Commandment better When I exhort you to Perfection I mean three things That you would be of a perfect Heart That you would walk in a perfect way That you would stand perfect and compleat in all the will of God. 1. Let your Hearts be perfect The Heart is the very Seat of Sincerity if it be not here 't is no where 't is not in the eye or tongue or hands or feet if the Heart remain as it was by Nature without a change and is still wicked sensual and earthly the VVords and actions though never so good signifie and avail nothing nay the better the VVords and Actions are the greater is the Hypocrisie and Dissimulation There are several excellent ingredients in this Perfection of Heart which I would press upon the Hearts and Consciences of All. 1. Let your Hearts shew themselves perfect by setting God alwaies before them Walk before me says God to Abraham and be perfect Gen. 17. 1. The perfect Heart is sensible that Gods eye looks into it and sees all that is in it therefore its eye is also upon God and as there is an holy awe of God upon it so 't is not satisfied without his approbation Upright David cryes out O Lord thou hast searched me and known me thou understandest my thoughts afar off Psal 139 1 2. Thoughts include all the affections workings and inclinations of the Heart all these were open and naked unto the Eye of Gad. And David looks to his Heart accordingly and he begs that the evil of his Heart might be more plainly discover'd to him that his Heart might be more throughly cleansed 2. Let your Hearts be perfect in being truely willing and very studious to please that God with whom you have to do The perfect Heart sees 't is highly reasonable that Mans Will in all things should be obedient unto Gods since the VVill of God is so righteous good and holy since He cannot be tempted with evil neither tempteth hâ— any man to any thing that is hurtful Jam. 1. 13. to please the Lord should be the Pleasure of your very Souls You should hate every abominable thing which he hates and what he delights in should always be chosen 3. Let your Hearts be perfect in refusing to have a liking respect and regard to any iniquity David manifested his uprightness and as a perfect man he was regarded and his Prayer heard because he did not regard iniquity in his Heart Psal 66. 18 19. Iniquity in the Heart is to be regarded so as to be humbled for it weary of it and bewail it and to endeavour by all means to mortifie and purge it away 't is not to be regarded so as to cover and excuse it so as secretly to delight in it and resolve to spare iâ— Especially let your Hearts set themselves with full bent against that which may be called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Sin that does most easily be set you Heb. 12. 1. from hence is the greatest guilt defilement danger the Sin that by reason of your Constitutions Callings Age and the bad Customs of the Places where you live have been most insinuating into your Affection and aptest to prevail should be abandon'd with a special and peculiar
themselves unto God. This Doctrine concerning Judgment was Preached early in the World we find 't was Published before the Flood of Noah as you may see Jude v. 14 15. where you have the summe of a Sermon but a very terrible one Preached by Enoch the seventh 〈◊〉 Adam Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his Saints to execute Judgment upon all 〈◊〉 to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed and of all the hard speeches which ungodly Sinners have spoken against him Under the Mosaical Dispensation the Children of Israel heard the same Doctrine That great Prince and Preacher Solomon thus concludes his Book of Ecclesiastes having displayed the Creatures Vanity having taught Man his Interest and Duty To fear God and to keep his Commandments he closes with these words Chap. 12. ult God will bring every worâ— into Judgment with every secret thing whether it be good or whether it be evil And how plainly does the Apostle Paul speak to the same purpose 2 Cor. 5. 10 11. For we must all appear before the Judgment-seat of Christ that every one may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done whether it be good or bad knowing therefore the terrour of the Lord we perswade Men. In the handling of this Doctrine this is the Method I shall observe First I shall Discourse concerning Him that is to be the Judge Secondly I shall speak concerning the Persons that are to be judged Thirdly Concerning the things that shall be brought into Judgment Fourthly I shall demonstrate the Certainty of this Judgment And then in the lest Place make Application In the first Place I am to Discourse concerning the Judge and the Text plainly tells us that the Judge is Christ The Father I grant is said to judge 1 Peâ— 1. 17. If ye call on the Father who without respect of persons judgeth according to every mans work pass the time of your sâ—journing here in fear Yet it is said in another place The Father judgeth no man but hath committed all judgment to the Son Joh. 5. 22. How shall these Scriptures â—e reconciled The reconciliation is easie thus the Father judges because the Authority of Judging belongs to him because he does Consent unto the Sons Judgment and has ordained him to Judge the World in Righteousness the truth is the Father Judges all but 't is mediately by Jesus Christ And yet in another sense the Father judges not because Christ the Son the second Person in the Godhead alone was incarâ—ate and manifested in the Flesh and He alone will visibly Judge the World at the great approaching Day These four things may be observed concerning Christ the Judge He is a Saviour to the uttermost He is the Only Saviour He is Lord of all And as such a Lord he will come with a â—â—st glorious Attendance 1. Christ the Judge is a Saviour to the uttermost and really at the Judgment-day he will compleat the Churches Salvation he began it here in this World and still is carrying it on but the last day will be the day in which he will put his last Hand to this Work and make it perfect Heb. â— 28. Christ wâ—◠〈◊〉 offered 〈◊〉 tâ—â—ear the sins of many and unto them that lâ—â—k 〈◊〉 him shall he appear the second time without sin 〈◊〉 Salvation then Salvation shall be cons 〈…〉 the whole of it shall be wrought nothing oâ— Sin or the sad effects of it shall remain nothing that shall cause the least frown in the Face 〈◊〉 God to eternity Death will be swallowed 〈◊〉 in Victory the whole Man will be glorious anâ— immortal Christ will then have compleated his whole Design upon all his Saints and Members he will have made them as holy and happy aâ— he did intend to make them he will indeed prâ—sent his Church a glorious Church not having sâ— or wrinkle or any such thing but it shall be all holy and its Beauty without the least 〈◊〉 Eph. 5. 27. 2. Christ the Judge is the Only Saviour therefore those that are Condemn'd by Him 〈…〉 vain for them to expect Salvation from any 〈◊〉 Christ is the only Foundation-stone on which all that build shall stand other Builders are foolish and build upon the sand and what they build will fall and great will be the fall of it They that are not interested in the Lord Jesus by Faith that are not Justified by his Blood who besides can save them from Wrath those whose Iniquities are not done away by his offering up oâ— himself without spot to God there can be found no other Sacrifice for their sins but a certain fearful looking for of Judgment and fiery indignatioâ— that shall devour the Adversaries And how dreadful will it be to be Sentenced to Death and 〈…〉 by the only Author of Salvation and Life they that by his Mouth shall be doom'd â—o eternal Destruction that Destruction will be made ten thousand times the sorer by eternal Desperation Alas what Hope can be left when the Lamb of God who alone can take away Sin shall â—e so full of Wrath as for ever to reject and cast away the Sinner 3. Christ the Judge is Lord of all this is a truth that the Tongue of an Angel did Proclaim Luk. 2. 11. a truth that every Tongue should confess Phil. 2. 11. that every Heart ought to believe and which the most unbelieving and obstiâ—aâ—â— at last shall be made to know Christ hath on his Vesture and on his Thigh this Name written King of Kings and Lord of Lords Rev. 19. 1â— He has all Power in his hand things in Heaven and Earth and under the Earth are subâ—ect to him Those that are wise do willingly â—ow before him and they who will not bow â—e can easily break and dash them to pieces A mighty Lord Christ is at whose Command Death shall deliver again all that for so many years he had imprisoned in the Grave he has indeed the Key of Death and Hell too Rev. 1. 1â— both are under his Power at his Command also the Heavens shall pass away with a great noise the Elements shall melt with fervent heat the Eartâ—â—lso and the works therein shall be burnt up There is no dealing with this Judge by way of resistance it concerns us all to be diligent that â—e may be sound of him in peace without spot and blameless â— Pet. 3. 10 14. 4. Christ the Judge will come with a 〈◊〉 glorious Attendance How awakening to the Worâ— will the Voice of the Arch-Angel and the Trâ—mp of God be Christ will appear with a light sâ—â— above the brightness of the Sun not a Member of his but shall shine like that glorious Luminary Mat. 13. 43. Then shall the righteous shâ—â—â— as the Sun in the Kingdom of their Father And what a spectacle will all the Saints together be as so many millions of Suns shining at Once
and their Lord in the heighth of Glory at the head of them He will be revealed also with his mighty Angels these excellent Spirits at his Command ministred unto his Members on Earth and they will wait upon the Head at the day of his appearing and his Kingdom There is much Work for the Angels to do at the Worlds end they are compared to Reapers that are safely to gather the Wheat and to bind the Tares in bundles for the fire Mat. 13. 41 42. The Son of Maâ— shall send forth his Angels and they shall gather ouâ— of his Kingdom all things that offend and them which do iniquity and shall cast them into a furnace of fire there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth The greatest Train of Nobility and Courtiers that attend at the Coronation of the highest Emperour on Earth are but a poor shew to an â—â—â—â—merable Company of Angels for all in Heaven will be with Christ at Judgment to do him honour who is indoed the Head of all Principality and Power Thus of the Judge In the second Place I am to speak of the Persons that are to be judged The Text takes in All therefore none shall be exempted and none in a vain and foolish imagination should exempt themselves It will be a general Assize at which all the Sons and Daughters of Adam shall appear 1. The highest and greatest of Men will be brought to Judgment Death makes bold with them as well as others and enters the stateliest Palaces the strongest Forts as well as the Cottages of the meanest The Rulers and Conquerors of the World that caused Terror in the land of the living yet they are made to bear the shame of their Weakness and Mortality they are brought down to the Pit their Swords are laid under their Heads their Hands being able to hold them no longer Ezek. 32. 27. And if Death is not afraid to seize them surely Christ will not be afraid to Judge them This mighty Lord regards not the persons of Princes nor the rich more than the poor Job 34. 19. I have said ye are Gods speaking to the great Ones of the World but ye shall dye like Men Psal 82. 7. Princes are greater Worms other Men are lesser but all must call Corruption Father and when they come to stand before Christâ—â—ar foregoing earthly Dignity will be insignificant all must stand upon even ground And truly those great Ones of the World that have abused their Power and by a bad example drawn many to Sin and to Hell after them their greatness will but Increase their Account and Misery 2. As the greatest so the Meanest must be brought â— Judgment though there is never so vast a mulâ—tude God takes notice of them all now and â—onâ— of them must think to escape in a crowd then The Apostle speaks plainly of Individualâ—â—â—â— Rom. 14. 12. So then every one of us shall give â—â—count of himself to God Those that live most private and retired are under Gods continual Inspection they that are of the lowest rank and quality whom there are that disdain so much as to look upon yet God sees them The Sâ—â— shines upon a Mole-hill as well as upon a Mountain upon a Shrub as well as upon a Cedar upon a Fly as well as upon an Emperor and truly the All-seeing Eye of God beholds the â—oâ—â— well as the high and there is not any one of them all but shall be made to render an account â— all his doings 3. Righteous Ones must stand before Christs Judgment-seat All his Members must appear before Him their Head but shall be dealt with after different manner from others Grace and Lâ—â— makes a difference now but how highly magnified will the Grace of Christ be in the differenâ— it makes at that Day to sind Mercy of the Lâ—â— in that day which the Apostle Prays Onesiphâ—â— might find 2 Tim. 1. 18. when the greatest â—â—â— of the World shall with a strong hand the â—â— being deaf to all their cryes be turned into everlasting fire this is great Mercy indeed great the Heaven is high above the Earth The Righteous shall appear but they shall be set at thâ— Lords right hand to shew his peculiar Favourâ— them and they shall joyfully own what â—â— Hand has done for them Christs Appearing â—â— be glorious and so will be the appearing of â—â— Saints then 't will be understood what ' tâ—â—â— be a Saint Col. 3. 4. When Christ who is our â— shall appear than shall ye also appear with him iâ— Glory A Question is here started by some Whether the Sins of the Righteous shall be then made known The Scripture plainly tells us That when the Sins of such come to be sought for there shall be none and that they shall not be found none of them shall be imputed or laid to their charge none shall be so discover'd in Judgment as to rise up in Judgment against them to Condemn them But since there will such a light shine at that day that will make all things manifest both good and evil suppose the Iniquities of the Righteous should be made known to the whole Creation such will be their Purity such will be their Blessedness and Joy that there will not be the least room for shame or sorrow at the discovery But when all the Sins that have been Forgiven and Purged shall be revealed others as well as themselves will be filled with Wonder at the Blood of Jesus and the powerful Grace of God. 4 As the Righteous so the Wicked must stand before Christs Bar they would fain not come â—â—ither but there is an irresistible Power to force them The Malefactor who is Condemned for Murther Rape or Treason would fain decline â—he Judges View he is Self-condemn'd and therefore fears the Judges Sentence but the â—aoler the Officers compel him to the Bar where â—udgment is given against him to take away his â—ife Wicked Men will be horribly afraid to â—ake their Appearance before the Lord Jesus â—hose Salvation they have slighted whose Kingdom and Government they would by no means submit unto they will wish that their Bodies might sleep eternally in their Graves and never have such a Resurrection which will be only to Damnation they will wish rather to be turned into Nothing than to be turned into Hell they will call to the Rocks and the Mountains to fall upon them to hide them from the Face of him that sits upon the Throne and from the Wrath of the Lamb Rev. 6. 16. But will they nill they they must appear at his Seat and see him Eye to Eye though his Eye will be as a flame of Fire to terrifie them That just Indignation that sparkles from Christs looks how will it amaze them Rev. 1. 7. Behold he cometh with Clouds and every eye shall see him and all the kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him even so Amen the thing is certain 5. They that never heard Christs Gospel
when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption and this mortal shall have put on immortality then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written Death is swallowed up in Victory 1 Cor. 15. 53 54. 4. Will there be a Judgment 't is wonderful there should be so much security in them that hear of it 〈◊〉 Really the very mentioning of Christs Tribunal before which all must stand should make all Criminals to tremble If a Man were seized for a Crime that 's capital deserving Death by the Law of God and Man and being in Bolts and Fetters in Newgate he should be secure and unconcerned though the Sessious were at hand you would conclude him to be very stupid and inconsiderate What Sinner secure and shortly to be Judged O Drunkard Whoremonger Swearer Sabbath-breaker Covetous Worldling what secure and speedily to appear at the Judgment-seat of Christ who has said That they that do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God! Sin is folly security in Sin is the folly of that folly Take heed of Security 't is not I only but Christ himself also that gives you this necessary caution Luk. 21. 34 35 36. And take heed to your selves lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness and the cares of this life and so that day come upon you unawares for as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth Watch ye therefore and Pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all those things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of Man. VSE II. By way of Counsel Two words of Counsel I would give this Congregation The one is more firmly to believe a Judgment and more frequently to think of it The other is Be sure in time to prepare for eternal Judgment 1. More firmly believe more frequently think of Judgment You have reason to believe it for the Judge is ordained and though neither Men nor Angels know the day yet the day is appointed Act. 17. 30 31. The time of this ignorance God winked at but now commands all men every where to repent because he hath appointed a day in which he will judge the World in righteousness by that Man whom he hath ordained whereof he hath given assurance unto all in that he hath raised him from the dead The stronger your assent is unto this the more serious and often will be your Consideration of it To think of Judgment is proper for a Saint that he may be encouraged to fight the good fight of Faith and persevere in well doing to the end To think of Judgment is proper for a Wicked Man to awaken him and to make him with fear and trembling to work out his Salvation It 's proper for an Hypocrite to think of Judgment because then all Masks and Vizours will be pull'd off all shews will be at an end and naked Truth will appear at that day The Graves will be open'd and do ye think the whited painted Sepulchers will remain shut Oh! then all the concealed Pride and Filthiness and Selfishness and Sensuality and Injustice and earthliness of Professors will with all their aggravations be brought to light before Men and Angels Oh how many demure and serious Countenances that have been a covering to naughty Hearts will then be filled with Confusion 'T is proper for the Old to think of Judgment they have one foot in the Grave already and quickly the whole body must drop into it and the Spirit must return to God who gave it You also that are Young should think of Judgment have the youngest of you any assurance of your Lives Infants Children Youths do not many of them dye and step into Eternity and as you see them leave the World so certainly they appear before God and one way or other have their Doom Solomon tells you that Childhood and Youth are Vanity Would you that are Young be serious the Meditation of Judgment would conduce much to it Eccles 11. 9. Rejoyce O young Man in thy Youth and let thy heart chear thee in the days of thy Youth and walk in the wayes of thy heart and in the sight of thine eyes He says Rejoyce but speaks Ironically and means the quite contrary thou hast no reason at all to rejoyce whilst taken with things that are seen and whilst thou walkest in those evil ways which thy Heart naturally does like Then the Wise man speaks seriously But know thou that for all these things God will bring thee to Judgment If you ask me What are the Benefits that will accrue by a firm Belief and frequent Meditation of Judgment I thus Answer to this momentous Question 1. This will be a great Preservative against Temptation Look beyond the present advantage and delight that Sin boasts of and see as far as the Judgment-seat this is the way to silence the Tempter and to avoid his snare Would the Lyar dare to speak falsly if he considered that all Lyars shall be adjudged to the lake that burns with fire and brimstone which is the second death Rev. 21. 8. Would the Unclean Person dare to defile himself and run to the Harlots house if he did but believe and consider that Whoremongers and Adulterers God will judge Improve Christs Cross and think of Christs Tribunal and this will cool and kill Corruptions and take away the force of your Temptations 2. The Belief and Meditation of Judgment will cause you to use this World as not abusing it to make a good improvement of it You that have this World in great abundance and have the clearest and largest Estates do you think you are Proprietors of what you have Do you think 't is given or only lent you for a time You are only Stewards intrusted with that which is Gods and not yours and are accountable at the last day for all you have received What sad accounts will most give up of their Stewardship when they must be no longer Stewards Imprimis So much daily for Eating and Drinking to Self and not to the Glory of God. Item So much for brave Apparel that Pride might be maintained and gratified Item So much for making provision for the Flesh to fulfil the Lusts thereof Item So much for costly and vast Past-times a great deal of Wealth and much more precious Time being wasted together But unto good uses to maintain a Godly and laborious Ministry of the Gospel to the poor and needy given very little or nothing With what an Eye do you think that the Judge will look upon such accounts as these Think of Judgment that you may holily improve the unrighteous Mammon and Christ may say you have been Faithful Stewards even of worldly things 3. The Belief and Meditation of Judgment will make you exceeding diligent that you may be found of your Judge in peace without spot and blameless With what Seriousness and Fervency will he come