often unrighteous from vicious Respects and Affections that pervert the Will or fair Appearances that deceive the Understanding by Gifts or Guile Innocence is cast and Guilt acquitted but the Judg of the World is inflexible to partiality and all things are entirely open to his sight In the Act of Judgment he is represented sitting on a white Throne the emblem of unspotted Holiness The Righteousness of God's Judicial Proceedings will appear by considering three things 1. The Equity of his Law the Rule of the great and final Judgment 2. The Evidence of the Facts and Matter which shall be produc'd as the Reason of the Judgment 3. The impartiality of the Sentence 1. The Equity of the Law which shall be the Rule of the last Judgment This will appear by considering the Law of Nature and the Law of Faith in their Precepts and Penalties annext to enforce the observation of them 1. The Law of Nature which is the Rule of Man's Duty will be the Rule of Judgment for without the Law there is no Transgression and consequently a Person is unaccountable for his Actions This Law is composed of such Rules as are most becoming the wise and gracious Creator to give and the reasonable Creature to receive and obey for they entirely agree and concenter in his Glory and the good of his Subjects The Apostle adorns the Law with the most excellent Elogy 't is Holy Just and Good Holy as it enjoyns all Acts of Piety to God the adoration of his Majesty resulting from his inexpressible divine Perfections the imitation of his Purity a reliance on his Goodness a resignation to his most wise Providence and a dutiful obedience to his Will Such a sense of our dependance and subjection to God is the proper Character of the reasonable Creature as dignified above inanimate and mere sensitive Beings The Law is just as it directs us how to demean our selves in our various Relations Justice is the Cement of Societies without which they disband and fall into Confusion And the sum of the Law is virtually comprised in one Rule to do to others as we would they should do to us than which nothing is more equal 'T is good to Man that keeps it commanding nothing but what is influential upon his well-being here and for ever It does not infringe his true Freedom but allows him unstain'd Delights and enjoyns what is proper to advance and secure his Dignity Felicity and Perfection It forbids every thing that defiles and debases him and causes a degeneration from his native excellency If we prescind in our thoughts the sacred authority of the Law-giver all the Precepts of the Law for their moral Goodness deserve our esteem and choice and entire observation The sanctified Mind approves them universally I esteem all thy Precepts concerning all things to be right saith holy David Nay in the Wicked there is an intellectual assent to the goodness of the Law tho' the corrupt Will doth not embrace it there are some inclinations and wishes to obey it but controll'd by vicious desires 'T is said of the convinced Sinner Thou knowest his Will and approvest the things that are more excellent It may be objected that the Law being pure and Man in a frail state surrounded with innumerable temptations to require perfect obedience from him and condemn him for his Failings seems hard The Law lays a restraint upon all the Senses and forbids all fleshly Lusts this may be easy to separate Souls but for Men to live in the Body as if they were out of it to be always vigilant against the insinuations or attaques of Sin is impossible Thus the Carnal Mind is apt with some colour to traduce the Righteousness of God's Government But it will be clearly vindicated by considering 1. The Law supposes Man in a state of integrity furnish'd with sufficient Power to comply with every Precept tho' free to fall from his Duty and Happiness To command absolute Impossibilities is tyrannical and utterly inconsistent with the Nature of the Blessed God 2. The first Man wilfully transgrest the Law and lost his Holiness And Nature being poison'd in the Fountain is corrupt in all the descendants from him Mankind was justly degraded in rebellious Adam and is destitute of spiritual strength to perform all that the Law requires 3. This disability is vicious and culpable and can be no pretence against the Rights of the Law-giver A natural disability from the want of requisite Faults is a just excuse 'T is no Fault that a Man cannot stop the Sun as Joshua did nor calm a Tempest as our Saviour did by his Word But the disability that arises from a depraved disposition renders a Person more guilty And this is the present Case The Will of Man is disobedient and perverse and as soon as it can exercise Elâ—ction chooses Evil and by custom in Sin becomes more hardened and obstinate And from hence the Prophet charges the contumacious Jews Behold their Ear is uncircumcised and they cannot hearken Were they uncapable of hearing the Divine Commands No but the Word of the Lord was to them a reproach they had no delight in it And our Saviour upbraids the Pharisees How can ye believe which receive Honour one of another and seek not the Honour that comes from God only They were in high reputation for their Holiness which made it impossible for them in an humble penitent manner to submit to our Saviour In short the primary end of the Law was the happiness of Man in the performance of his Duty and his first Sin and consequent impotence to fulfil it was by his own Fault As the Obliquity of a Line cannot be ascrib'd to the strait Rule but to the Error of the Hand that draws it And from hence 't is clear that if God should with a terrible exactness require of Men unsinning Obedience upon the pain of Damnation he could not be taxt with unrighteousness But God has been pleased to mitigate and allay the Severity of the Law by the Gospel so that although the least breach of it makes a Person an Offender and obnoxious to Judgment yet the Law of Faith propounds such merciful Conditions to the Guilty that upon the performance of them they may plead their Pardon seal'd with the Blood of their Redeemer and shall be saved and crown'd in the Day of Judgment We are commanded so to speak and do as they that shall be judged by the Law of Liberty Thus the Gospel is stiled in that it frees the Conscience tho' not from the obedience yet from the terrors and condemnation of the Law for there was not the least signification of Mercy by it But in the Gospel the Grace of God most illustriously appears 1. In that when our Innocence was lost there may be a renovation of the Sinner by Repentance to which the plenary pardon of Sin is assured Wash ye make ye clean put away the evil
judged according to his Works the tenor of good Works and the desert of bad The Apostle assures us That whatsoever a Man sows that shall he reap He that soweth to the Flesh shall of the Flesh reap Corruption But he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap Life everlasting The Harvest shall be according to the Seed both in kind and measure 1. Those who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for Glory and Honour and Imortality shall obtain eternal Life Indeed eternal Life is the Gift of infinite bounty nay of pure Mercy and Mercy excludes Merit 'T is said of the Blessed Martyrs who contended for the Truth and Purity of the Gospel to the Death that their Robes were wash'd white in the Blood of the Lamb not in their own Blood Their right to Heaven was from the application of his Merits to them But the Reward is dispens'd from God according to the Evangelical Law not only as a Magnificent Prince but as a Righteous Judge All those whom the Gospel ordains to Eternal Life shall infallibly obtain it and none that the Gospel excludes Those who were sensible of their Sins and cordially forsaking them did humbly and entirely depend upon the Grace of God through the Blessed Reconciler and Saviour shall be justified and glorified Then the Judg will discern between unfeigned Faith and vain Presumption and will justify the Faith of the Saints by the genuine Fruits of it the Godliness Righteousness and Sobriety of their Lives and a victorious perseverance in their Duty notwithstanding all the pleasing Temptations or Tortures to withdraw them from it Thus the Apostle expresses his humble confidence I have fought the good Fight I have finish'd my Course henceforth there is laid up for me the Crown of Righteousness which God the Righteous Judg will give me at that day and not only to me but to all that love his appearance We read in the Description of the Last Judgment That the Book of Life was opened the Names of all that were written in Heaven shall then be declared that it may appear they are saved by Grace For it was his most free pleasure to select some from the common Mass of Perdition who were naturally as guilty and corrupted as others and to predestinate them to Eternal Glory and effectual persevering Grace to prepare them for it The Saints are created in Christ Jesus unto good Works which God hath before ordained that they should walk in them And the New Creation is as undeserved and entire an Effect of God's Love as the first was But 't is said That every Man was judged according to his Works For Eternal Election does not entitle a Person immediately to Heaven but according to the order establish'd in the Gospel Thus the King at the last Day speaks to the Elect Come ye Blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you before the foundation of the World for I was hungry and ye fed me naked and ye clothed me And according as the Saints have excell'd in Fidelity and Zeal in God's Service they shall be rewarded with a more excellent Glory The Stars of Paradise are of a different brightness and greatness as the Stars of the Firmament Indeed all are perfectly happy without jealousie that any is equal or superior to them in that Kingdom But God will crown his own Graces as the Saints have improved them Our Saviour valued the Widows two Mites as transcending all the magnificent Gifts of others because of the degrees of Love in the giver There was a richer Mine of affection in her Heart Gold of a more noble Vein more pure and precious than all their Riches This was of greater price in God's account who weighs the Spirits in his Ballance God will accept and reward according to what a Man has and not according to what he has not He that improves but two Talents with his best skill and diligence shall have a greater Reward than another that had ten Talents and was remiss and less careful to employ them for his Masters profit The Rule will be exactly observed He that sows bountifully shall reap bountifully and he that sows sparingly shall reap sparingly And if God will be thus impartial in rewarding the Saints much more in punishing the Wicked For the renumeration of our Duty is the effect of his most free Favour but the recompences of Sin are due and decreed by Justice in Number Weight and Measure The severity of the sence will be in proportion as Mens Sins have been more numerous and heinous Altho ' all the Damned shall be equally miserable in dispair all broken on an endless Wheel yet the degrees of their Torment are different Sins of Ignorance are extenuated in comparison of Rebellious Sins against knowledge The first are like a Servant's dashing against his Master in the dark the other like the insolent striking of him in the light And as they incur greater Guilt will expose to greater Punishment Accordingly our Saviour predicts that the Servant which knew his Lord's Will and prepared not himself neither did according to his Will shall be beaten with many stripes But he that knew not and did commit things worthy of stripes shall be beaten with few stripes Unactive Knowledge is worse than Igâ—orance For this reason the case of Heathens wil be more tolerable than of the Jews for tho' some natural Principles were strong and quick in their minds that made them sensible of their duty and danger yet they were not so clear and perfect as the Law delivered by Moses Those Sins that were infirmities in a Pagan were presumptuous in a Jew And the case of the Jews will be more tolerable than of disobedient Christians who enjoy the Gospel less charged with Ceremonies and more abundant in Grace than the Mosaical Dispensation Those that have set before them the Life of Christ the Model of all Perfection that are excited by such lowd Calls to flee from the Wrath to come and yet are deaf and regardless to the Commands nay to the melting Invitations and precious Promises of the Gospel shall have a more intolerable Judgment than the most guilty Sinners even the Sodomites and Sidonians that were strangers to it The precious Blood of the Son of God despised induces a Crimson Guilt And as Sins are committed with pride and pleasure with eager appetite and obstinacy the revenge of Justice will be more heavy upon Persons More particularly Sins of consequence whereby others are drawn to Sin will heighten the Guilt and the retribution of Justice will be to every Man according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings This will principally concern Superiours in eminency of place whose dignity has always a concomitant proportion of Duty Their vicious Actions are Examples and their Examples more powerful Rules than their Laws and give countenance to others to sin licentiously They sin
their consummate degrees Our Obedience supposing it perfect is of no desert When we have done all we are unprofitable Servants but his Obedience was infinitely meritorious by the union of the Deity with his humane Nature and is the foundation of the excellent Reward Not that his Merits derive a value to our Works to make them worthy of eternal Glory as some noble Mineral infused into Water that is in it self without taste or efficacy gives it a medicinal tincture and virtue for this is impossible since the infinite Dignity of his Person and his most perfect habitual and actual Holiness that are the fountains and reasons of his Merits are incommunicable to our persons and works For this would render us equal to our Saviour and our works to be divine as his But the active and passive Righteousness of Christ is so satisfactory and meritorious that God is pleased graciously to reward with the Crown of Life the mean services of those who are by a lively and purifying Faith united to him 2. Sincere Obedience that is an uniform and entire respect to all the Commands of God will alone be accepted in that day for his Authority runs through all and binds them on the Conscience David had this Testimony from God himself that he was a Man after his own heart that fulfilled all his Will And St. John refers the decision of our state to this If our hearts condemn us of any allowed Sin of omission or commission much more God will who is greater than our hearts and knows all things But if the illuminated tender Conscience condemns us not of insincerity we have confidence towards God that he will spare and accept us notwithstanding our frailties and give free and safe access into his presence The lives of many are chequer'd with a stran◠disparity they are restrain 〈…〉 some Sins of apparent odiousness but indulgent to others they are strict in some duties but loose and slack in others as if they hop'd by way of commutation to be accepted of God to expiate their Delinquencies in one kind by supererrogating in another Some are painted Pharisees in the duties of the first Table very exact in the formalities of outward Devotions but gross Publicans in the duties of the second careless of Justice and Equity and Charity to Men Others are in appearance strictly moral in the discharge of their duties to Men and negligent of their obligations to God But partial obedience can never endure the trial of Conscience much less of God For what is the weak light of our minds to the pure eyes of his Glory It will make us liable to inward rebuke now and to open confusion at the last St. Paul's rejoycing was from the Testimony of his Conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity he had his conversation in the World and as he expresses it in another place it was his daily exercise to have a Conscience void of offence towards God and towards Men. Tho our conquest of Sin be not compleat yet our resolution and endeavours must be to mortify it in every kind Tho' our obedience has not the perfection of degrees we must be equally regarding the Divine Law If there be any secret-favoured Sin either of omission or commission it will render our Petitions unacceptable at the Throne of Grace and our Persons at the Throne of Judgment If I regard Iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear my Prayer The Law requires the performance of our Duty without abatement or denounceth the penalty without allay or mitigation the Gospel has not relax'd the strictness of the Law as 't is the Rule of Life but as it was the condition of obtaining Life Sincere obedience is accepted by that gracious Covenant where the Legal Perfection is wanting but that is indispensibly required of all I may illustrate this by a passage of Alexander the Great who being desirous to learn Geometry applied himself to a skilful Instructer in it But his warlike disposition made him more capable to conquer than to measure the Earth so that tired with the first Propositions he desir'd his Master to make the Scheme more clear and plain and easy to him To whom the Master replied that the Theorems of that Science were equally difficult to all and requir'd the same attention of mind to understand them Thus the Gospel of Mercy requires of all sincere Sanctification and serious endeavours to perfect Holiness in the Fear of God and without this none shall be exempted from Condemnation To the sincerity of Obedience I shall add a more restrained Notion of it as respecting Religion The duties of Piety consist of an outward and inward part and the one without the other is but as a Carcass without a quickning Soul Now there will be an exquisit Anatomy of the Heart in that Judgment a discovery of all the Principles and Motives by which Men were acted and then he that is a Saint inwardly in the Spirit who with pure aims and holy affections hath served God shall have praise of him And those who have us'd God to injoy the World that have assumed pretences of Piety for secular ends shall be reproved This will be a cause of wonder in that day that many who are highly esteemed by Men as excellent Saints shall be an abomination to God That in the broad way to Hell thousands go thither is sad beyond expression but not strange at all but that in the path of Heaven any should descend to Hell is astonishing That those who live without God in the World in the prophane neglect of his Worship in a dissolute disorderly course should fall under Condemnation is believed of all but that those who have appeared zealous in Religion shall be at last rejected is contrary to universal expectation And not only the gross Hypocrite that deceives others but he that deceives himself by the external practice of holy Duties without correspondent lively Affections that prayes with that coldness as if he had no desire to be heard and hears with that carelesness as if he had no desire to be sanctified by the Word and is conversant in other parts of divine service in that slight manner as if he had no design to be saved shall by a convincing upbraiding Light see his Wickedness in dishonouring that God whom he pretended to worship and neglecting his Soul When the Upright as pure Gold shall be more radiant by the Fire the Insincere like reprobate Silver shall not endure that severe trial 3. The frequent discussion of Conscience and reviewing our ways is necessary in order to our comfortable appearing before our Judg. This is a duty of constant revolution for while we are in flesh the best Saints notwithstanding all their vigilance and diligence are overtaken by surprisal and sometimes overborn by strong temptations and 't is more necessary to beg for daily pardon than for our daily bread Under the Law if any one had by