can witness against the ungodly that he oft moved them to Repent and Return and they rejected his motions that the spoke to their hearts in secret and oft set in with the Minister and often minded them of their case and perswaded them to God but they resisted quenched and grieved the Spirit Acts 7. 51. As the Spirit witnesseth with the Spirits of the righteous that they are the children of God Rom. 8. 16. so doth he witness with the Conscience of the wicked that they were children of Rebellion and therefore are justly children of wrath This Spirit will not alway strive with men at last being vexed it will prove their enemy and rise up against them Gen. 6. 3. Isa 63. 10. If you will needs Grieve it now it will Grieve you then Were it not a Spirit of Grace and were it not free mercy that it came to offer you the Repulse would not have been so condemning nor the witness of this Spirit so heavy at the last But it was the Spirit of Jesus that came with recovering Grace which you resisted And though the wages of every sin is death yet you will find that it will cost you somewhat more to Reject this salvation than to break the Creators â—aw of works Kindness such Kindness will not be rejected at easie rates Many a good motion is now made by the Spirit to the Heart of a sinner which he doth not so much as once observe and therefore doth not now Remember them But then they shall be brought to his Remembrance with a witness Many a thousand secret motions to Repentance to Faith to a Holy Life will be Then set before the eyes of the poor unpardoned trembling sinner which he had quite forgotten And the Spirit of â—od shall testifie to his Confusion At such a Sermon I perswaded thy heart to Repent and thou wouldst not At such a time I shewed thee the evil of thy sin and perswaded thee to have forsaken it but thou wouldst not I minded thee in thy secret thoughts of the neerness of Judgement and the Certainty and Weight of everlasting things the need of Christ and faith and holyness and of the Danger of sinning but thou didst drown all my motions in the cares and pleasures of the world Thou harknedst rather to the Devil than to me The sensual inclinations of thy flesh did prevail against the strongest Arguments that I used Though I shewed Reasous undenyable Reasons from thy Creator from thy Redeemer from nature from grace from heaven and from hell yet all would not so much as stop thee much less turn thee but thou wouldest go on Thou wouldest follow thy flesh and now let it pay thee the wages of thy folly Thou wouldest be thy own guide and take thine own Course and now take what thou gettest by it Poor sinners I beseech you in the fear of God the next time you have any such motions from the Spirit of God to Repent and Believe and Break off your sins and the Occasions of them consider then what a mercy is set before you and how it will confound you at the day of Judgement to have all these motions brought in against you and that the Spirit of Grace it self should be your Condemner Alas that men should choose their own Desructon and wilfully choose it and that the foreknowledge of these things should not move them to relent So much concerning the witness that will be brought in against the sinner 5. The fifth Evidence that will be given against the sinner will be The Instruments and Effects You know among men if a man be found murthered by the high-way and you are found standing by with a bloody sword in your hand especially if there were a former dissention between you it will be an Evidence that will prove a strong presumption that you were the Murderer But if the fact be certain by other Evidence then many such things may be brought for aggravation of the fault So a twofold Evidence will be brought against the sinner from these things One to prove him guilty of the fact the other to Aggravate the fault and prove that his sin was very great For the former 1. The very creatures which sinners abused to sin may be brought in against them to their Conviction and Condemnation For though these creatures shall be consumed with the last destroying Fire which shall consume all the world yet they shall have a Being in the memory of the sinner an esse Cognitum The very Wine or Ale or other liquor which was abused to drunkenness may witness against the Drunkard The sweet morsels by which the Glutton did please his Appetite and all the good creatures of God which he luxuriously devoured may witness against him Luke 16. 19. 25. He that fared deliciously every day in this life was told by Abraham when he was dead and his soul in Hell Remember that thou in thy life time receivedst thy good things and likewise Lazarus evil things but now he is comfored and thou art tormented Though their sweet morsels and cups are past and gone yet must they be Remembred at Judgement and in Hell Remember Son saith Abraham Yea and Remember he must whether he will or no Long was the Glutton in sinning and many a pleasant bit did he taste and so many Evidences of his sin will lie against him and the sweetness will then be turned into gall The very cloathing and ornaments by which Proud person did manifest their Pride will be sufficient Evidence against them as his being clothed with Purple and fine Linnen is mentoned Luke 16. 19. The very Lands and goods and houses of worldlings will be an Evidence against them Their Gold and Silver which the covetous do now prefer before the everlasting Riches with Christ will be an Evidence against them James 5. 1 2 3 4. Go to now ye Rich men weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you Your Riches are corrupted and your Garments moath-eaten Your Gold and Silver is cankered and the Rust of them shall be a Witenss against you and shall eat your flesh as it were fire Ye have heaped Treasure together for the Last daies Behold the hire of the Laborers which have reaped down you fields which is of you kept back by fraud cryety and the cryes of them which have reaped are entred into the ears of the Lord of Sabboth Ye have lived in pleasure on the Earth and been wanton Ye have nourished your hearts as in a day of slaughter Oh that worldlings would well consider this one Text and therein observe whether a life of earthly pleasure and fulness of worldly Glory and Gallantry be as desirable as they imagine and to what Time and Purpose they now lay up their Treasures and how they must hear of these Things hereafter and what effect the review of their Jovial daies will have upon their miserable condemned souls 2. The very circumstances of Time Place and the
to the nature of their waâ—es which we see is not done here where the wicked Prosper and the good are afflicted therefore it must be heareafter 2. We see there is a necessity that God should make promises and threatnings of everlasting hapiness or misery for the right governing hfâ— the world for we certainly perceive that no lower things will keep men from destroying all humane society and living worse then bruit beasts and if there be a necessity of king such threats and promises then there is certainly a necessity of fullfilling them For God needeth no lye or means of deceiving to rule the world 2. And as we see it by Reason so by certain experience that this is descernable by the light of nature for all the world or almost all do believe it Even those nations where the Gospel never came and have nothing but what they have by nature even the most barbarous Indianâ— acknowledge some life after this and a difference of men according as they are here Therefore you must believe thus much or renounce your common Reason and humanity as well as your Christianity Let me therefore perswade you all in the fear of God to confirm your souls in the belief of this as if you had heard Christ or an Angel from Heaven say to you Oh man thou art hasting to Judgement Qu. 2. MY next Question is Whether you do ever soberly consider of this great day Sirs do you use when you are alone to think with your selves how certain and how dreadful it will be how fast it is coming on and what you shall do and what answer you mean to make at that day â—are your minds taken up with these considerations Tell me is it so or not Alas Sirs Is this a matter to be forgotten Is not that man even worse then mad that is going to Gods Iudgement and never thinks of it when if they were to be tryed for their lives at the next Assize they would think of it and think again and cast 100 times which way to escape Methinks you Should rather forget to go to bed at night or to eat your meat or do your work then forget so great a matter as this Truly I have often in my serious thoughts been ready to wonder that men can think of almost any thing else when they have so great a thing to think of What! forget that which you must remember for ever forget that which should force remembrance yea and doth force it with some whether they will or not A poor despairing soul cannot forgâ—t it He thinks which way ever he goes he is ready to be Judged Oh therefore Beloved Fix these thoughts as deep in your hearts as thoughts can go Oh be like that holy man that thought which way ever he went he heard the Trumpet sound and the voice of the Angel calling to the world Arise ye dead and come to Judgement You have warning of it from God and man to cause you to Remember it do not then forget it It will be a cold excuse another day Lord I forgate this day or else I might have been ready you dare not sure trust to sech excuses Qu. 3. MY next Question to you is How are you affected with the Consideration of this day Barely to think of it will not serve To think of such a day as this with a dull and sensless heart is a sign of fearful stupidity Did the knees of King Belshazzar knock together with trembling when he saw the hand-writing on the wall Dan. 5. 6. How then should thy heart be affected that seeth the hand-writing of God as a summons to his barr When I began to preach of these things long ago I consess the matters seemed to me so terrible that I was afraid that people would have run out of their wiâ—s with fear but a little experience shewed me that many are like a dog that is bred up in a forge or furnace that being used to it can sleep though the hammers are beating and the fire and hot iron flaming about him when another that had never seen it would be amazed at the sight When men have heard us 7 years together yea 20 years to talk of a day of Judgement and they see it not nor feel any hurt they think it is but talk and begin to make nothing of it This is their thanks to God for his patience Because his Sentence is not executed speedily therefore their hearts are set in them to do evil Eccl. 8. 11. As if God were slack of his Promise as some men Account slickness 2 Pet 3. 9. When one day with him is as a 1000. years and a 1000. years as one day What if we tell you 20 years together that you must dye will you not believe us because you have lived so long and seen no death comming Three or four things there be that should bring any matter to the heart 1. If it be a matter of exceeding weight 2. If it concern not others only but our selves 3. If it be certain 4. If neer All these things are here to be found and therefore how should your hearts be moved at the Consideration of this great day 1. What matter can be mentioned with the Tongue of man of greater moment For the poor creature to stand before his Maker and Redeemer to be Judged to everlasting Joy or Torment Alas all the matters of this world are playes and toyes and dreams to this Matters of profit or disprofit are nothing to it Matters of credit or discredit are unworthy to be named with it Matters of temporal life or death are nothing to it We see the poor bruiâ— beasts go every day to the slaughter and we make no great matreâ— of it though their life be as deer to them as ours to us To be Judged to an Everlasting death or torment this is the great danger that one would think should shake the stouâ—est heart to consider it and awake the dullest sinner to prevent it 2. It s a matter that concerneth every one of your selves and every man or woman that ever lived upon the earth or ever shall do I am not speaking to you of the affairs of some far Countrey that are nothing to you but only to marvail at which you never saw nor ever shall do no It is thy own self man or woman that hearest me this day that shalt as surely appear before the judgement-seat of Christ as the Lord liveth and as he is true and faithful and that is as sure as thou livest on this earth or as the heaven is over thee That man that heareth all this with the most careless blockish heart shall be awakened and stand with the rest at that day that man that never thought of it but spent his time in worldly matters shall leave all and there appear that man that will not believe these things to be true but make a jest of them shall see and feel what he would
God is mine thou stolest it from me This wealth is mine this life and all is mine Only thy self he will not own They shall require thy soul that have conquered and ruled it Though it was his by right of Creation and Redemption yet seeing it was not his by a free Dedication he will not own it as to everlasting salvation but say Depart from me I know you not ye workers of iniquity Mat. 7. 23. O with what hearts then will self-seeking Gentlemen part with their honours and estates and the earthly minded with their beloved possessions when he that resigned all to God and devoted himself and all to his service shall find his consumed estate to be increased his neglected honour abundantly repaired and in this life he shall receive an hundred fold and in the world to come eternal life Mat. 10. 30. Joh. 4 56. 1 Tim. 6. 12. 19. 13. Lastly consider When judgement comes enquiry will be made whether you have lived as your own or as his that bought you then he will require his own with improvement Luke 19. 23. The great business of that day will be not so much to search after particular sins or duties which were contrary to the scope of heart and life but to know whether you lived to God or to your flesh whether your time and care and wealth were expended for Christ in his members and interest or for your carnal selves Mat. 25. In as much as you did it not to these you did it not to him You that Christ hath given Authority to shall then be accomptable whether you improved it to his advantage You that he hath given honor to must then give account whether you improved it to his honor In the fear of God Sirs cast up your accounts in time and bethink you what answer will then stand good It will be a doleful hearing to a guilty soul when Christ shall say I gave thee thirty or fourty years time thy flesh had so much in eating and drinking and sleeping and labouring in idleness and vain talking and recreations and other vanities but where was my part how much was laid out for the promoting of my glory I lent you so much of the wealth of the world so much was spent on your backs and so much on your bellies so much on costly toyes or superfluities so much in revengeful suits and contentions and so much was left for your posterity but where was my part how much was laid out to further the Gospel and to relieve the souls or the bodies of your brethren I gave thee a family and committed them to thy care to govern them for me and fit them for my service but how didst thou perform it O Brethren bethink you in time what answer to make to such Interrogatories your judge hath told you that your doom must then pass according as you have improved your talents for him and that he that hideth his Talent though he give God his own shall be cast into utter darkness where is weeping and gnashing of teeth Mat. 25 30. How easily will Christ then evince his right in you and convince you that it was your duty to have lived unto him Do you think sirs that you shall then have the face to say I thought Lord that I had been made and redeemed for my self I thought I had nothing to do on earth but live in as much plenty as I could and pleasure to my flesh and serve thee on the by that thou mightest continue my prosperity and save me when I could keep the world no longer I knew not that I was thine and should have lived to thy glory If any of you plead thus what store of Arguments hath Christ to silence you He will then convince you that his Title to you was not questionable He will prove that thou wast his by thy very Being and fetch unanswerable Arguments from every part and faculty He will prove it from his Incarnation his life of humiliation his bloody sweat his crown of Thorns his Cross his Grave He that had wounds to shew after his Resurrection for the convincing of a doubting Disciple will have such Scars to shew then as shall suffice to convince a self excusing Rebel All these shall witness that he was thy rightful Lord He will prove it also from the discoveries of his Word from the warnings of his Ministers from the mercies which thou receivedst from him that thou wast not ignorant of his Right and of thy duty or at least not ignorant for want of meanes He will prove it from thy Baptismal Covenant and renewed engagements The Congregation can witness that you did promise to be his and seale to it by the reception of both his Sacraments And as he will easily prove his right so will he as easily prove that you denyed it to him He will prove it from your Works from the course of your life from the streame of your thoughts from your love your desires and the rest of the affections of your disclosed hearts O Brethren what a day will that be when Christ shall come in person with thousands of his Angels to sit in judgment on the rebellious world and claim his due which is now denyed him when Plaintiff and Defendant Witnesses and Jurors Councellors and Justices Judges and all the Princes on Earth shall stand equal before the impartial Judge expecting to be sentenced to their unchangeable state then if a man should ask you what think you now Sir of living to God Is it better to be devoted to him or to the flesh which now do you take for the better master what would you do now if it were all to do again what would you then say to such a Question how would you answer it would you make as light of it as now you do O sirs you may hear these things now from your poor fellow-creature as proud-hearted Gallants or as self-conceited Deriders or as besotted worldlings or senseless blocks or secret Infidels that as those Deut. 29. 19. do bless themselves in their hearts and say We shall have peace though we walk in the imagination of our hearts But then you will heare them as trembling prisoners Read the 20 verse at leisure Such a sight will work when words will not especially words not believed nor considered of When you shall see the God that you disowned the Redeemer whom you â—eglected the Glory which you forfeited by preferring the plesures of the flesh before it the Saints triumphing whom you refused to imitate and a dolefull eternity of misery to be remedilesly endured then Saints will seem wiser men in your eyes and how gladly wouldâ— you then be such but O too late what a thing is it that men who say they believe such a judgment and everlasting life and death as all Christians profess to do can yet read and hear and talk of such things as insensibly as if they were dreames or fables I know it is
of Judgement 1. Debate by 1. the Accuser 2. Defendant called the Disceptation of the cause 2. By the Judge 1. Exploration 2. Sentence 3. To see to the Execution But because this Method is less suitable to your capacities and hath something humane I will reduce all to these following heads 1. I will shew what Judgement is 2. Who is the Judge and why 3. Who must be ludged 4. Who is the Accuser 5. How the citation constraint and appearance will be 6. What is the Law by w h men shall be judged 7. What wâ—ll 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 those frivolous insufficient excuses by which the unrighteous may think to escape 10. What will be the sentence who shall dye and who shall live and what the Reward and Punishment is 11. What are the Properties of the Sentence 12. What and by whom the exâ—cution will be In these particular heads we contain the whole Doctrine of this Judgement and in this more familar method shall handle it I. FOR the first Judgement as taken largely comprehendeth all the forementioned particulars As taken more strictly for the Act of the Iudge it is the trial of a Controverted case In our case note these things following 1. Gods Iudgement is not intended for any Discovery to himself of what he knows not already he knows already what 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 Iudgement may attain its end for the glorifying 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 Iudge and of his Sentence and Execution Rom. 3. 4 26. and Rom. 2. 2. 2. It is not a Controversie therefore undecided in the mind of God that is there to be decided but only one that is undecided as to the knowledge and mind of creatures 3. Yet is not this Iudgement a bare Declaration but a Decision and so a Declaration thereupon the cause will be then put out of controversie and all further 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 Iudge I answer The Iudge is God himself by Iesus Christ 1. Principally God as Creator 2. As also God as Redeemer the humane nature of Iesus Christ having a derived subordinate power God lost not his right to his creature either by mans fall or the Redemption by Christ but by the latter hath a new further right but it is in and by Christ that God Iudgeth For as meer Creator of innocent mar God judgeth none but hath committed all judgement to the Son who hath procured this right by the redeeming of fallen man John 5. 22. But as the Son only doth it in the neerest senâ—e 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 Iudgement 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 Iudgement of the Son is subordinate to the Father From hence you may see these following Truths worthy your consideration 1. That all men are Gods creatures and none are the workmanship of themselves or any other or else the Creator should not Iudge them on that right 2. That Christ dyed for All and is the Redeemer of the world and a sacrifice for All or else he should not Iudge them on that Right For he will not Iudge 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 Joh. 2. 2. Heb. 2. 9. 1 Tim. 2. 6. 7. 3. Hence it appeareth that all men were under some Law of grace and did partake of some of the Redeemers mercy Though the Gospell came not to all yet all had that mercy which could come from no other Fountain but his Blood and which should have brought them neerer to Christ then they were though it were not sufficient to bring them to believe and which should have led them to Repentance Rom. 2. 4. For the neglecting of which they justly perish and not meerly for sinning against the Law that was given man in innocency Were that so Christ would not Iudge them as Redeemer and that for the abuse or not-improvement of his Talents as he tels us he will do Mat. 25. per totum 4. If God will be the Iudge then none can expect by any shifts or indirect means to scape at that day For how should it be 1. It is not possible that any should keep out of sight or hide their sin and the evill of their actions and so delude the Iudge God will not be mocked now nor deceived then Gal. 6. 7. they grossly deceive themselves that imagine any such thing God must be Omniscient and All-seeing or he cannot be God Should you hide your cause from men and from Devils and be ignorant of it your selves yet cannot you hide it from God Never did there a thought pass thy heart or a word pass thy mouth which God was not acquainted with and as he knows them so he doth observe them He is not as Imperfect man taken up with other business so that he cannot mind All. As easie is it with him to observe every Thought or Word or Action of thine as if he had but that one in the world to observe and as easie to observe each particular sinner as if he had not another creature to look after in the world He is a fool indeed that thinks now that God takes no noâ—tice of him Ezek. 8. 12. and 9. 9. or that thinketh then to escape in the croud He that found out one Guest that had not on a wedding Garment Mat. 22. 12. will then find out every unholy soul and give him so sad a salutation as shall make him speechless Job 11. 11. For he knoweth vain man he seeth wickedness also and will he not consider it 2. It is not possible that any should scape at that Day by any Tricks of wit and false Reasoning in their own Defence God knoweth a sound Answer from an unsound and a Truth from a Lye Righteousness may be perverted here on earth by out-witting the Judge but so will it not be then To hope any of this is
not been so mercifull thou wouldst not have been so miserable for rejecting it The five and thâ—rtieth Excuse I would not so Torment mine enemy my self Answ No reason you should Is it all one to wrong you and to wrong the God of Heaven God is the only Judge of his own wrongs The six and thirtieth Excuse All men are siners and I was but a sinner Answ All were not Impenitent Unbelieving Rebellious sinners and therefore all are not unpardoned condemned sinners All did not live after the flesh and refuse to the last to be converted as you did God will teach you better to difference between sinners and sinners The seven and thirtieth Excuse But if Christ have satisfied for my sins and dyed for me then how can I justly suffer for the same sins will God punish one sin twice Answ 1. Christ suffered for man in the Nature of man but not in your person nor you in him It was not you that provided the price but God himself Christ was not mans Deligate in satisfying and therefore received not his Instructions from us nor did it on our terms but his own It was not the same thing which the Law threatned that Christ underwent for that was the Damnation of the sinner himself and not the suffering of another for him it cannot therefore be yours but on Christs own terms He dyed for thy sin but with this intent that for all that if thou Refuse â—â—m thou shalt dye thy self It is therefore no wrong to thee to dye for it was not thou that dyedst before And Christ will take it for no wrong to him For he will Judge thee to that Death It is for refusing a Christ that dyed for thee that thou must perish for ever The eight and thirtieth Excuse But I did not Refuse Christ I believed and trusted in him to the last and Repented of my sins though I sometime wasovertaken with them Answ Had this been true thy sin would not have condemned thee But there is no mocking God He will shew thee then thy naked heart and convince thousands that thought they Believed and Repented that indeed they did not By thy works also will this be disovered that is by the main bent and scope of thy life as Matth. 25. throughout and Jam. 2. The nine and thirtieth Excuse I did many Good Works and â— hope God will set those against my evil works Answ Thy good works were thy sins because indeed they were not good being not done in sincerity of heart for God The best mans works have some infirmity which nothing can clense but the blood of Christ which thou hast made light of and therefore hast no part in If all thy lise had been spent in perfect works except one day they would not make satisfaction for the sins of that day For they are but part of thy Dut. Wo to him that hath no better a Saviour at Judegment then his own good works The Fortieth Excuse I lived in poverty andmisery on earth and therefore I hope I have had my suffering here and shall not suffer in this world and another too 1. By that Rule all poor men and murderers and thieves that are tormented and hanged should be saved but as Gooliness hath the promise of this life and that to come so Impenâ—tency and Wickedness hath the Threatning of this life and that to come 2. The Devils and the damned have suffered much more then you already and yet they are never the nearer a Deliverance When thou hast suffered ten thousand years thy pain will be never the neerer an end How then can a little misery on earth prevent it Alas poor soul these are but the foretasts and beginnings of thy sorrow Nothing but pardon through the blood of Christ could have prevented thy Condemnation and that thou rejectedst by Infidelity and Impenitency His Sufferings would have saved thee if thou hadst not Refused him but all thy own Sufferings will yeild thee no Relief So much for the answering of the Vain Excuses which poor Sinners are ready to make for them selves Wherein I have been so large as that this part I confess is disproportionable to the rest but it was for these two Reasons 1. That poor careless souls might see the vanity of such Defences and consider if such a worm as I can easily confute them how easily and how terribly will they be all answered by their Judge 2. I did it the 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 Judgement which consisteth in the exploration or tryal 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 knowledge of it if Christ had not there revealed it unto us Indeed almost all the world do acknowledge 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 Vnrighteous and on what terms and grounds by whom they shall be judged and to what condition they know not The Sentence in Judgement 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 shal1 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 knowledge 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 their Thoughts the mean while â—ccusing or else Excusing one another in the day when God shal Judge 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
be cast out of the presence of Christ and his Saints for ever I have now finished the Directions which I tender to you for your preparation for the Day of the Lord and withall my whole Discourse on this weighty point What effect all this shall have upon your hearts the Lord knows it is not in my power to determine If you are so far blinded and hardened by sin and Satan as to make light of all this or coldly to commend the Doctrine while you go on to the end in your carnal worldly condition as before I can say no more but tell thee again that Iudgement is neer when thou wilt bitterly bewail all this too late And among all the rest of the Evidence that comes in against thee this book wil be one which shall testifie to thy face before Angels and men that thou wast told of that Day and intreated to prepare But if the Lord shall shew thee so much mercy as to open thy eyes and break in upon thy heart and by sober Consideration turn it to himself and cause thee faithfully to take the warning that hath here been given thee and to obey these Directions I dare assure thee from the word of the Lord that this Iudgement which will be so dreadful to the ungodly and the beginning of their endless terror and misery will be as joyful to thee and the beginning of thy glory The Saviour that thou hast believed in and sincerely obeyed will not condemn thee Psal 1. 5 6. Rom. 8. 1. Iohn 3. 16. It is part of his business to Iustifie thee before the world and to glorifie his merits his Kingly power his holyness and his rewarding Iustice in thy Absolution and Salvation He will account it a righteous thing to recompence Tribulation to thy Troublers and Rest to thy self when the Lord Iesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty Angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Iesus Christ who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power Even then shall he come to be glorified in his Saints and to be admired in all them that believe in that day Even because his servants Testimony and his Spirits among them was believed 2. Thes 1. 6 7 8 9 10. That day will be the great marriage or the Lamb and the Reception of thee and all the Saints into the glory of thy beloved to which they had a Right at their first Consent and Contract upon earth And when the Bridegroom comes thou who art Ready shalt go in to the Marriage when the door shall be shut against the sleepy negligent world and though they Cry Lord Lord open to us they shall be repulsed with a Verily I know you not Mat. 25. 10 11 12 13. For this day which others fear maist thou long and hope and pray and wait and comfort thy self in all troubles with the remembrance of it 1 Cor. 15. 55 56. 57 58. 1 Thes 4. 17 18. If thou were â—â—ady to be offered to death for Christ or when the time of thy departing is at hand thou maist look back on the good fight which thou hast sought and on the course which thou hast finished and on the Faith which thou hast kept and maist confidently conclude that henceforth there is laid up for thee a Crown of Righteousness which The Lord the Righteous Judge shall give thee at that day and not to thee only but unto all them also that Love his Appearing 2 Tim. 4. 6 7 8. Even so Come Lord Jesus Rev. 22. 20. FINIS This Sermon was proached in the time of the Ecclipse