There is a judgement of assession and witnesse of consent and allowance and this belongs to the whole company of Gods Elect. They shall judge the twelve Tribes of Israel All Israel not exempting Levi yea not onely all Israel but all the world and all the creatures therein though never so eminent and sublime in glory 1 Cor. 6.23 Know you not that the Saints shall judge the World Yea Angels Devils And how as members of the mysticall body whereof Christ is the head and Saviour Christ and his Church are one and therefore whatsoever is given to him is also given to her Christ the primary Judge shall passe the Sentence and the Saints shall approve it and rejoyce therein they shall triumph in the truth of divine Justice with the sweetest notes of praise and jubilation See here the glory and honour of Gods people their advancement and super-exaltation above the Starres of the morning they are Citizens of Heaven When God shall come to judge the world thousand thousands of Angels shall come with him but yet as his ministers and servants the Saints shall fit with him as his familiars and associates upon Thrones and that ever Thrones and all the glorious hoast of his noblest creatures their judgement as the Schooles distinguish is not condemnationis sed manifestationis they condemne none onely they shew forth the praise and glory of God in the justice of the Sentence on them whom Christ condemnes Here then is ground of support to all the people of God you are now troubled and molested by the Devill and his agents malicious adversaries you groane under unjust Censures and accusations bee content a day is comming wherein the Saints shall judge both the evill angels the Devils and all their malicious instruments Let our care be in the meane time so to live and converse here as to be worthy of that honour then farre bee it from them that are to judge the world so to live as to justifie the world by their prophane and impure conversation Thus they that follow Christ shall sit on twelve Thrones and judge the twelve Tribes of Israel But when In the regeneration when the sonne of man shall sit in the Throne of his Glory Wherein you have the determinate time of Glory Where observe First A Position in the regeneration Secondly an Exposition that regeneration wherein Christ shall sit in the Throne of his Glory The Position The regeneration that is the Resurrection or otherwise the redemption of our bodies A time is comming wherein all creatures shall be as it were new borne Mortality shall be swallowed up of life and this corruptible shall put on incorruption 1 Cor. 15. Our bodies now subject to many infirmities to hunger nakednesse thirst cold many diseases dull and heavie in the service of God shall then bee immortall and therefore needing no bodily refreshments immortality shall chuse death out of nature and command sleepe from the eyes then shall our bodies have strength to performe their owne actions Were such an Elixar to be bought your Chymicks talke of as would free us from all diseases and repaire the ruines of old age who would not give all hee hath to have it and such an one there is in the hands of God an Elixar of immortalitie 'T is better saith Christ Matth. 18.8 for a man to enter into life hurt and maymed then having two hands two feet and so all parts intire to be cast into hell fire True it is were it possible but of this we may be sure we cannot goe to heaven either imperfect or without glory Particularly First wee shall have all the parts of our bodies perfect and intire though now maymed or deformed yet than wee shall be perfect 1. Because then all things shall be reduced to their former estate of beauty and perfection that namely the body had in its first creation The Heavens saith the Apostle Peter Acts 3.21 must containe Christ till all things be restored 2. 'T is said Revel. 21.4 There shall be no more death If no more death to the whole man saith Tertullian then no more death to any part of man It 's better saith Christ Mat. 18. for a man to goe halt or maymed into Heaven then c. Understand Christ Ex hypothesi not that any shall goe to heaven maimed but that if possible iâ— were better so to doe then to goe to hell with all the glory of the world Neither doth Christ there speake of the body but of the soule and the conclusion would be this that it is farre better for a man to lose any or all his limbes for the saving of his soule then to lose his soule and so to goe into hell with all his members Feare not then to lose a legge or an arme or an eye for Christ every member then shall bee restored againe Hast thou lost any member for Christ or otherwise trouble not thy selfe remember he that gave Malcus his eare againe who was his enemy will much more restore to thee thy parts who act his friend Secondly our bodies shall not onely be intire but beautifull and lovely though now deformed much more when stained with the pale and gastly colours of death yet then we shall be exceeding faire farre beyond the most exquisite beauty of any that lived ever since Adam for wee shall then be as Adam in his innocencie on whose beauty and splendour the beasts of the field stood gazing Salomons Temple was full of beauty and glory the second Temple the former being destroyed by the Chaldeans was howsoever faire yet farre short of the former in respect of beauty but our bodies in that Day shall bee restored to greater beautie and lovelinesse then ever they had O what paines doe the crooked take to make their bodies streight or at least to appâ—are so or not so crooked as they are How farre send they for complexion and how deare doe they buy it and this at last makes them more deformed perfect beauty is not to bee had till the Glorious morning of the Resurrection and the way to have it then is to bee Religious now Thirdly our bodies shall bee full of splendour howsoever now darke and obscure yet then they shall bee as so many shining Starres Dan. 12.3 They shall shine as the Sunne in the Kingdome of their Father Matth. 13.43 Moses returning from God after his fortie dayes conference with him was so full of shining Glory in his face by the Reflection of the Glory of GOD that the people could not behold him How full of Glory shall our bodies bee when wee shall abide with God not fortie dayes onely but for ever and ever Fourthly our bodies shall be immutable and immortall subject to no change not needing the Elements or Elementary food God doth with us as the Goldsmith with his Gold or Silver first melts our bodies by death and then makes us up againe to a more glorious forme as Vessels of Honour to stand
immortality dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto whom no man hath seene nor can see You see if wee could come neere him yet wee cannot see him for he is invisible No man 〈◊〉 see him and live All have sinned and come short of the Glory of God Rom 3.23 So that wee may as easily see that which is invisible and attaine that which is unapproachable as of our selves to become holy againe unlesse the Lord shall please through some veile to exhibit his Image unto us or through some Glasse shall make the same to shine upon us wee shall live and dye without it strangers from the life of God Behold the Sonne of God is made the Sonne of man God made manifest in the flesh 1 Tim. 3.16 So that through his humane Nature as through a veile wee have accesse to the holiest of all Hee is the Image of the invisible God Colos. 1.15 and by him are wee made the Sonnes of God Joh. 1.12 Partakers of the Divine Nature 1 Pet. 4. and 2 Cor. 3.18 Wee all with open face beholding as in a glasse the glory of the Lord are changed into the same Image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord So that as Christ is the Image of his Father Heb. 1.3 so are we the Image of God but with this difference Christ us imago equalitatis Christianus imitationis As the Image of an Emperour saith Augustine is aliter in nummo aliter in filio so the Image of God is aliter in Christo aliter in Christiano The renewed are the Image of God Non quantum ad naturalia as the Schooles teach though therein us yet be some remaines of our lost glory but as renewed by Christ Thirdly the quality of the mysticall body where of Christ is the head and Saviour requires this imitation hee is our head Heb. 2.10 11. For it became him for whom are all things and by whom are all things in bringing many sonnes unto glory to make the Captaine of their salvation perfect through sufferings For both hee that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all one for which cause hee is not ashamed to call them Brethren and Heb. 4.15 c. Fourthly Christ is the summe of all Scriptures and therefore necessarily the rule of all holinesse as the Apostles did so must wee preach nothing but Jesus Christ How too blame are those who are so farre from following Christ that they follow man any man the worst the most and thinke it their safest way But if great men if men in Authoritie doe so and so then all is out of doubt Their Religion is to them as their Coyne all goes for Currant that is stamped with Authoritie and allowance of the State Nay what phantasticall Spirit so idle and ridioulous that hath not many Disciples What jugling Impostor so despicable and infamous that hath not many followers What rebellious Sonne of Belial or Atheisticall Ruffler so execrable and odious that hath not many observers What Ignatian Viper or devillish Jesuite Monochus Damonnicus so prodigiously wicked so trayterously audacious that hath not many favourers and attendants Habet Diogenes suos parasitas the Cynick is not without his approvers and admirers whilest Christ the Sonne of the living God sits alone like a Pellican in the Wildernesse or a Sparrow on the house top But the men are good c. Yet are they but men and all men are Lyars may both deceive and be deceived Peter was a good man yet once dissembled so was Barnabas yet snatcht away by example into the like dissimulation You see in the Scripture the failings of the Saints to hang on record not that God either delights to see them or others to gaze on them for he hath cast them all behind his back and blotted them out of the Booke of his Remembrance but that the Apostles admonition might ever be thought on Let him that standeth take heed lest he fall Cavenda tempestates flenda naufragia Aug. And that wee might not thinke it safe to follow good men no not the best men in all things nor would good men have us so to doe Follow me saith Paul as I follow Christ 1 Cor. 12.1 Some there are so farre from following Christ that they goe before him These are they that despise Government and speake evill of things they understand not Others worse yet are so farre from following Christ that they runne from him called after they will not returne having nothing to plead for themselves they make their Will their Master and so have as many Lords over them as Affections in them all under the Curse of Chaâ— a slave to their slaves one to his Pleasure another to his Profit a third to his Vanitie c. If God move by his Spirit that is resisted if hee allure by his Mercies they are abused if threatned by Judgements they are neglected if called by Ministers they are reviled c. Oh when men thus pull away their shoulders from Christs Yoake when they turne their back on God set up mounds against the Gospel Non-plus Gods mercies this is an heavie signe that God hath left them unto themselves a very plague of plagues See Psal. 81.11 12 c. What remaines but that wee send them to the Judge with this Scrowle on their fore-heads Domine noluerunt incantari Some there are who follow Christ but not constantly Sequnntur sed non assequuntuâ— Bern. With Orpha they goe a little way and then returne into their owne Countrey Set wee the example of Christ before us in all the things wee doe If the thing be unlawfull and yet wee finde our Lusts swaying us that way aske wee this question Would Christ have done this or doth hee allow it c. If the thing being both lawfull and expedient yet if not sutable to our person wee must here respect Christs allowance in all other things wee must reflect on his example 1 John 2.6 He that saith he is in Christ ought to walke as he hath walked First Religiously Beginning all things with God sanctifying every Creature and every Ordinance with prayer and this longer or shorter as the occasions are more or lesse serious doing all things by the warrant of the Word contemning our owne will that wee may doe our Fathers chusing rather to lose life then our obedience as if there were but one will betweene God and us doing all things for God and reserring all unto his glory Secondly Christ walked holily so must wee for without holinesse noâ—e shall see the Lord if wee live like monsters Christ will never owne us for his members Thirdly Christ walked fruitfully in his Calling Acts 10. Hee went about doing good hee watched and apprehended all occasions of being helpfull unto others to their soules to their bodies Thus should wee spend our dayes and not as the most doe who bring the day to an end without the performance of any thing
according to that hea hath done whether it be good or bad Seventhly Happie are all they that are gone out of themselves into Christ for Rom. 8.1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christlesus who walke not after the flesh but after the Spirit Observe further As Christ shall come to judge the world so being come hee shall sit in the Throne of his glory Dun. 7.9 14. I behold and lee are like the Some of Man 〈◊〉 wâ—h the Clouds of Heaven and came to the Ancient of dayes and they brought him neere before him and there was given him Dominion and Glory and a Kingdome that all People Nations and Languages should serve hiâ— his Dominion is an everlasting Dominion which shall not passe away and his Kingdome that which shall not bee destroyed Match 34.30 And then shall appeare the signe of the Sonne of Maâ— in Heaven What this signe is me thinkes may be gathered from verse the 27. As the Lightning commeth from the East and passeth to the West so shall the comming of the Sonne of Man be Mâ— saith Christ 〈…〉 here is Christ and there is Christ 〈…〉 shall be the signe of my comming even the brightâ— and splendour of my Body obscuring all other Lights and awakening all the World That it shall be this is manifest Revel. 21.23 And the Citie had no need of the Sunne neither of the Moone to shine in it for the glory of God did lighten it and the Lambe is the light thereof If wee tell you of Christs Glory at his Transsiguration in the Mount you will tell us of that of Moses comming from his fortie dayes conference with the Lord But the difference is great First the glory of Moses was onely in his face that of Christ all over his Body secondly when Moses veyled his face none could see his beautle but that of Christ appeared through his garments Thirdly the glory of Moses made the people afraid but that of Christ was amiable and lovely Bonum est esse hit said they that were with him Fourthly Moses could not communicate his glory unto any but Christ saith the Apostle shall make our bodyes like unto his glorious Body Since the Glory of Christ was such at his Transfiguration what will his Glory be in that Day when hee shall sit in his Throne Hee came in the forme of a servant was a man of sorrowes knowning infirmities Our sinnes like continuall droppings of water putting out the Lumpe of his life But when hee comes againe O what beauty what resplendant Majesty But what of all this In that day they that have followed Christ shall sit on twelve Thrones and judge the twelve Tribes of Israel Observe First the Saints shall partake of CHRISTS GLORY Secondly They and none but they Thirdly Nor they till then First the Saints shall partake of Christs Glory God hath said it and you know hee is faithfull who hath promised All his promiser are Yeâ— and Amer See here what a good Master we serve The World payes his followers with trouble and carefulnesse the Flesh payes her followers with corruption and filthinesse the Devill his with despaire and wreâ—ednesse but Christ his with Glory and Blessednesse To hasten your desires homeward and to sweeten your affections by the way with Moses looke up to the recompence of Reward God gives you leave so to doe Secondly as the Saints shall partake of Christs Glory so none but they shall partake thereof Psal. 50.5 Gather my Saints together unto meâ— those that have made a Covenant with me by Sacrifice So Mal. 3.17 18. And they shall bee mine saith the Lord of Hosts in that day when I make up my Jawels and I will spare them as a man spareth his owne sonne that serveth him then shall yee returns and discerne betweene the righteous and the wicked betweene him that serveth God and him that serveth him not Againe Mal. 4.2 3. But unto you that feare my Name shall the Sonne of Righteousnesse arise with healing in his wings and yee shall goe forth and grow as Calues of the stall and yee shall tread downe the wicked for they shall bee as ashes under the soles of your feet in that day I shall doe this saith the Lord of Hosts This point like the Red Sea opens it selfe for the passage of Gods people into Heaven and then closeth againe on the ungodly to their destruction You that live prophanely c. you are lost men you are of the forlorne hope for 1. Joh. 3.2 3. Beloved now are wee the Sonnes of God and it doth not yet appeare what wee shall bee but wee know that when hee shall appeare wee shall bee like him for wee shall see him as hee is and every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himselfe even as hee is pure Gather hence a necessity of a godly life if wee will be happy wee must be holy Revel. 22.14 Blessed are they that doe his Commandements that they may have a right to the Tree of Life and may enter in through the Gates into the City This also the Glory promised and expected calls for 2 Cor. 7.1 Having therefore these promises dearely beloved let us cleanse our selves from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit perfecting holinesse in the feare of God Alexander invited to a Race with Plebeians could answer That Kings ought not to run but with Kings So neither Christians but with Christians Thirdly as the followers of Christ shall bee partakers of Christs Glory and they onely so they onely in the Regeneration when Christ shall come in his glory not till then that is the day of our Redemption First therefore wee are to long and look out for this Day Job 14.14 If a man dye shall he live againe All the dayes of my appointed time will I wait till my change come Rom. 8.22 23. For wee know that the whole Creation groaneth and travelleth in paine together untill now and not-onely they but our selves also which have the first fruits of the Spirit even wee our selves groane within our selves waiting for the Adoption to wit the Redemption of our body Then is our Iubile the Trumpet having sounded and liberty proclaimed wee may enter into our possessions Secondly wee are to comfort our selves against all troubles in assurance and expectation of that Day Colos. 3.2 3 4. Set your affections on things above not on things on the Earth for yee are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God when Christ who is our life shall appeare then shall wee appeare with him in glory Recordatione temporum meliorum spero said a Roman beholding the rubbish of old Marble the ruines of ancient building But looke forward to the day comming and the glory thereof me thinkes this should much comfort us surely 〈◊〉 would if wee did beleeve How joyfull will it be to meet with our Saviour in that day when the thought of it is so refreshing Rabboni saith Mary unto Christ when her eyes were opened to see her Savicur whom before shee supposed to be the Gardner as if shee should have said What have I found thee whom I have so desired so longed for If thus it were with Mary then How exuberant beyond expression yea imagination great shall our joy in that Day bee when wee shall sit on Thrones with CHRIST and all partake of his Glory Thirdly wee are in the meane time to waite on in the use of all holy meanes Heb. 10.36 For yee have need of patience that after yee have done the will of God yee might receive the promise for yet a little while and hee that shall come will come and will not tarry 1 Ioh. 2.28 And now little children abide in him that when hee shall appeare wee may have confidence and not bee ashamed before him at his comming Amen Soli Deo Gloria FINIS 1 Tim. 3.16 Matth 19 28â— Jam. 1.12 1 Obserâ— 1 Vse Instruction in Truth 2 Vse Instruction to Dâ—ie 3 Use Comfort 2 Obser. 1 Vse Reproofe 2 Vse Exhortation Object Sol. Art 3.6 Job 2.10 4 Obser. Vse Counsaile Vse Conviction Counsell Vse Reproofe Advice Observ. Vse Reproofe Counsell Obser. Use Counsell Dub. Sol. Obser. Vse Quest 1. Note this â—ove arising from faith in Christ in whom alone â—s the accepâ—ance of perâ—ons and duâ—es Quest 2. Answ. Observ. Use Obser. Rom. 3. â— 1 Tim. 6.16 Heb. 2.16 Obser. Object Answ. 1 Vse 2 Vse Object