or forbear to cry out Fire at Midnight or make an Alarm to give notice or Thieves and Robbers lest he awake or disturb the secure sleeping man who is in danger And what shall the Watchmen of Israel who ex Officio are bound to give notice of and help to quench the spiritual Flames hold their peace and be silent Shall we see men all in Flames expos'd to the devouring Fire the Fire of Lusts burning within them evidenc'd by the Flames of Vices without the Flames of wrath and Divine Vengeance over them and the Flames of Hell underneath them into which they are ready to drop every moment Shall we see this and be silent and not cry out and endeavour to quench the Flames and pluck them out of the Burnings and save them from that consuming Fire Shall we see them upon the Precipice of destruction just falling headlong into ruine and not stretch out a hand to save them Shall we see Thieves and Murderers the Devil and his Agents breaking in upon Souls and not give them notice of it and run to their assistance You ought therefore Brethren to put a candid construction on the severest Lectures from the Pulpit to take the sharpest Reproofs the most bitter Invectives against Sin the most earnest and passionate Adjurations as instances of compassion and love to your Souls and faithfulness to him that sent us Believe it 't is the sin we hate while we reprove but yet love the Sinner Phil. 1.15 And though some perhaps may preach Christ out of envy as the Apostle speaks and others for the sake of the Bag with Judas yet I doubt not there are many who have higher Ends and aims viz. God's Glory and the salvation of Souls who can truly say with the Apostle here Knowing therefore the Terrour of the Lord we perswade men I will shut up this with that wholesome Advice of St James and St Peter concerning hearing and receiving of the Word preached Jam. 1.19 20 21. Wherefore my beloved Brethren let every man be swift to hear slow to speak slow to wrath for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness and receive with meekness the ingrafted Word which is able to save your Souls To which let me add that of St Peter 1 Pet. 2.1 2. Wherefore laying aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisies and envies and evil speakings as new-born Babes desire the sincere Milk of the Word that ye may grow thereby But here may some say If all this is true that there is a future State a Day of Judgment coming such a Terrour of the Lord to be reveal'd hereafter Ministers do well to be so earnestly and passionately concern'd for the Souls of men to cry aloud and spare not to tell them of their Sins and warn them to flee from the wrath to come but are you sure you are not under a mistake that you do not erre in the Foundation Are you sure there is such a future Judgment as you speak of What evidence or assurance have you of the certainty of it This I shall answer and therein I hope give you satisfaction in the next Particular which I am to speak to viz. to shew you II. The infallible certainty of the future Judgment Now the certainty of a future Judgment after Death is declar'd and evidenc'd to the World by a threefold voice The Voice of Scripture the Voice of Conscience and the Voice of God's Justice First The Voice of Scripture The Jews had a confident Tradition amongst them That blessed Enoch who was translated to Heaven had left two Pillars as sacred to Posterity wherein were fairly engraven those two great Prophecies one of the first Desolation of and Judgment upon the World by water not many years before which came God remov'd him as a Jewel to an heavenly Cabinet that his eyes might not see it The second Prophecy in a Pillar of Stone of the Dissolution of the World by Fire against the final Judgment The latter Prophecy concerning the final Judgment is warranted by Scripture Jude 14 15. And Enoch also the seventh from Adam prophesied of these saying Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his Saints to execute vengeance upon all and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed and of all their hard speeches which ungodly Sinners have spoken against him There is nothing that the holy Scripture is more plain and positive in than asserting a Day of Judgment Death and Judgment are the Twin-Sisters of the same Womb of Decree Heb. 9.27 It is appointed unto all men once to dye and after that the Judgment The sad certainty of Judgment closeth up that Ironical Expression of the Wise man or rather a wiser than He in reproof of wanton youthful Sinners Eccles 9.11 Rejoice O young man in thy youth and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth and walk in the ways of thy heart and in the sight of thine eyes But know thou that for all these things God will bring thee into Judgment Our Saviour does often very positively and expresly mention a Day of Judgment as we may see in all the four Evangelists And the Apostles are often beating upon this Argument It were endless to enumerate Particulars So positive is the Scripture in this Point that it observes to us that the very Day is appointed and the Judge named Acts 17.31 He hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the World in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained whereof he hath given assurance unto all men in that he hath raised him from the dead There are three Days have an Emphatical Note set upon them the Day of Creation the Day of Redemption and the Day of Judgment 1. The Day of Creation which open'd the Door of Time 2. The Day of Redemption which is call'd Gal. 4.4 The Fullness of Time 3. The Day of Judgment This shall shut out Time and usher in Eternity And this Day is Emphatically call'd The Day of the Lord 1 Thess 5.2 Phil. 2.16 Jude 6. Joel 2.31 Eph. 4.30 the Day of Christ and the great Day and the great and terrible Day of the Lord and the Day of Vengeance and the Day of Redemption and the Day of refreshing That 's the first Evidence of the certainty of the future Judgment the Voice of Scripture The Second is Secondly The Voice of Conscience and that both natural and enlightned 1. Natural Conscience which is affrighted at the hearing of a Judgment to come Felix trembled at it Acts 24.25 And as he reasoned of righteousness and temperance and Judgment to come Felix trembled As St Paul preached to him of righteousness and temperance his guilty Conscience reflected on all his past acts of injustice and intemperance and when he heard of the Grand Audit the dreadful Judgment
ungrateful use of his patience and long-suffering But 't is such as the Wise man spake of and observ'd long ago Eccles 8.11 Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil and St Paul here intimates and sadly observes and bewails in this his passionate Expostulation Despisest thou the riches of his Goodness c. But hear O despising scoffing ungrateful man Hear what follows v. 5. After thy hardness and impenitent heart thou treasurest up unto thy self wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous Judgment of God who will render to every one according to his deeds For though the Lord is long suffering yet he will not be ever-suffering But the day of the Lord will come as St Peter observes ver 10. and it will come speedily as a Thief in the Night unlookt for and so surprize or as 't is worded 1 Thess 5.2 3. The day of the Lord so cometh as a Thief in the night for when they shall say Peace and safety then sudden destruction cometh upon them as travail upon a Woman with Child and they shall not escape Secondly This Doctrine of the certainty and severity and dreadfulness of the future Judgment may serve to awaken secure Sinners out of their sinful and dangerous security As there are some that Atheistically scoff at Religion so there are others that are sufficiently careless of it do not speak but act against it who live vicious lives and are led by their passions and appetites and are regardless of the World to come and stupidly and securely sinful They are perhaps more carnal and sensual than the former though not so Diabolical If there are any such here let me seriously ask them Sirs Do you believe the Bible to be true Do you believe the Articles of the Christian Faith that there is a God that made the World and governs it that you have immortal Spirits within you that are capable of endless happiness or misery that you must dye and come to Judgment appear before the Judgment-Seat of Christ who shall come from Heaven to judge the quick and the dead Do you believe all this You 'll readily answer Yes that we do God forbid we should be Unbelievers we can say our Creed as sincerely and devoutly as the best Can you so What! and live in such manifest contrariety and opposition to what you believe and the terms of salvation as if all this were false as if all were cheat and imposture as if the Gospel were a Fable or an idle Romance For God's sake Sirs be serious and consider and do not suffer your selves so tamely to be impos'd upon and baffled by your Spiritual Enemies those that hate you and will laugh at your folly and triumph over your misery Do not live the reverse of your Reason and Religion too and contradict your Faith and Perswasion and suffer your selves to be fool'd out of that eternal happiness which you say you hope for and lose the best and greatest interest which is more valuable than all the Treasures and instances of happiness in this World which you must shortly leave and dye from when nothing here below neither Riches nor Friends can help you but only an effectual saving interest in the Judge of the World 2 Thess 1.7 8. who will shortly be revealed from Heaven with his mighty Angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that do not obey his Gospel O that I could make some secure Sinner here to tremble Ephes 5.14 and effectually warn him to flee from the wrath to come Awake thou that sleepest and arise from the dead and Christ shall give thee light Thirdly It exhorts us to Holiness And indeed this Doctrine is a powerful disswasive from Vice and perswasive to Vertue a disswasive from Vice because it will be certainly and severely punished a perswasive to Vertue because it will be certainly and amply rewarded I doubt not but there are some that are very indifferent as to the State of happiness in the other World for which they are not greatly concern'd but could be content to part with it provided they might not be miserable they could be content that their Bodies and Souls too should sleep eternally They could be content perhaps not to be rewarded in Heaven so that they might not be punished in Hell But know Christian that there is no medium here If we are not rewarded we shall certainly be punished if we are not happy we must be miserable If we do not go to Heaven we must to Hell If we have not the enjoyment of God we must have the company of Devils for ever So that holiness is indispensably necessary not only to intitle us to Heaven but to keep us out of Hell And there is no greater or more forcible Argument to perswade to holiness than this of Judgment to come This is the great Argument the Wise man useth to perswade both to negative and positive holiness Thus in the 11th of his Ecclesiastes ver 9. he does tacitly exhort to negative holiness i. e. he does by a sharp and keen but pleasant Irony disswade from Vice and youthful Lusts and sinful Pleasures Rejoice O young man in thy youth and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth and walk in the ways of thine heart and in the sight of thine eyes there follows a terrible But which is like the Damp to the Candle or the Death's Head to the Egyptian Feasts a Cooler to the heat of Lust and like Belshazzer's hand upon the Wall dasheth all that mirth and jollity But know thou that for all these things God will bring thee into Judgment And Chap. 12. ver 13. he exhorts to positive holiness not excluding negative i. e. to the practice of Vertue and doing good Fear God and keep his Commandments for this is the whole Duty of man And this he presseth by the same Argument the great Motive of Judgment to come ver 14. For God shall bring every work into Judgment with every secret thing whether it be good or whether it be evil This is the great beaten Argument that both the Prophets and Apostles are frequently upon and spreading before the eyes of men Most of the weighty Exhortations in Scripture like the Scales upon the Beam are fastned upon this therefore work walk run strive deny your selves be stedfast 1 Cor. 15. ult unmoveable always abounding in the work of the Lord forasmuch as you know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. 'T is the great Argument both to Active and Passive Obedience Saint Paul observes it to be so 2 Tim. 4.7 8. I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith Henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of righteousness which the Lord the righteous Judge shall give me at that day
at which he must account for all his faults the mighty Felix trembled 'T was too harsh a Note and jarring Sound and unpleasant Musick for his delicate Ears and accusing Conscience to hear and therefore presently dismiss'd the Preacher Go get thee gone says he for this time and when I have a more convenient season I will call for thee Though the Athenians mocked when they heard of the Resurrection of the dead yet not at the hearing of the Day of Judgment The Heathen by the very Light of Nature had a sense of Divine wrath and vengeance which would pursue Sinners Thus the barbarous People in the Island of Melita where St Paul arriv'd after his Shipwrack when they saw the Viper leap out of the Fire and fasten upon his hand they said among themselves Acts 28.3 4. No doubt this man is a Murderer whom though he had escaped the Sea yet vengeance suffereth not to live Why whence had they this Notion of vengeance Where had this barbarous People these Notices What Gospel-Preacher ever arriv'd there before to preach to them this Doctrine of the Divine wrath and vengeance This Preacher dwelt within them 'T was the Witness and Light of God within them which made discoveries of the heinous Nature and Guilt of Murther and the vindicative Justice of the invisible Powers which they believ'd will call every man to an account for his most secret Guilts That 's a famous Instance of the Heathen Mariners in Jonah Jon. 1. The Mariners there being affrighted at the terrible and unusual Tempest which God for Jonah's sake sent out into the Sea resolve among themselves v. 7. to cast Lots that they might know for whose cause that Evil was upon them Which intimates that they believed that the most secret faults were not unknown to the Omniscient Being and therefore resolv'd to cast Lots which they apprehended did not fall fortuitously and by chance but by Divine direction and the guidance of an invisible hand So Solomon observes Prov. 16. ult The lot is cast into the lap but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. And though the Lot fell upon Jonah who confest that he was a Fugitive Prophet and that for his sake the Sea was tempestuous and that the only Expedient to asswage its raging was to cast him over-board which he bid them do yet the men were afraid Jon. 1.12 being loth to contract the guilt of Murder knowing that 't was a crying sin and that the voice of his Bloud would cry aloud and plead against them before the invisible Judge of the World and therefore they tugg'd hard to get the Ship to Land but all would not do the Sea being more and more tempestuous wherefore being forc'd to throw him over-board for their own safety yet they did it with Cries and Prayers and earnest Supplications to the great God deprecating the guilt of Murder and the cry of innocent Bloud v. 14. Wherefore they cried unto the Lord and said We beseech thee O Lord we beseech thee let us not perish for this man's life and lay not upon us innocent bloud And if Natural Conscience is so much affrighted at the thoughts and hearing of Judgment how much more 2. An enlightned one A Conscience enlightn'd by the Light of Scripture which gives the truest measures of sin and Divine wrath and vengeance The Christian has the best and truest account of the nature of sin and the sad consequents of it is suppos'd to know and understand it best And so he does and therefore is sufficiently affrighted at its ghastly looks when he is under an apprehension of a speedy approach to Judgment Witness the cries and groans the sighs and lamentations of the sick dying Sinner whom you may hear if you step into his Chamber as he lyes languishing upon his sick Bed lamenting and cursing his wicked life and bewailing his sins with all the aggravating instances of abhorrence and detestation Why what 's the matter What ails the man How comes it that he is now so troubled at sin who before never fear'd it Why 't is the Witness of God within him whose mouth was stopt before that thus speaks His Conscience is awaken'd and does lash and sting him with a sense of guilt and the fiery vengeance shews him what he has done and whither he is a going that he is making his trembling approach before the Judgment-Seat of Christ That 's the Second Evidence of the certainty of Judgment viz. the Voice of Conscience The third is Thirdly The Voice of God's Justice which requires that there should be a future Judgment They who will not be convinc'd by Scripture may perhaps by this Argument The consideration of God's Justice together with the State of Affairs and things in this Life They who have any sense of Religion and believe there is a God must believe him to be just that he is the just and righteous Governour of the World a Lover of Justice and will administer Justice to his Creatures Now in regard we are not capable of an immediate converse with God who is a Spirit and invisible he is pleas'd to converse with us by men by Creatures like our selves and does appoint some as his Vice-gerents his Delegates and Substitutes here on Earth to execute the Laws of Justice and make an equal distribution of it in giving rewards and inflicting punishments according to the nature and merit of the actions of men and to render to every one his due Now 't is notorious that Justice is not universally and impartially executed in this Life The vertuous are not always rewarded nor the vicious punished according to the different nature of their actions Of which I could give you various Instances As 1. In the Case of Persecution Good men that fear God are many times perseucted for the true Religion as the Martyrs in the Marian Days and other Protestants in Christendom These were good and yet receiv'd evil they had not the reward of their Vertue here What should I speak of that Cloud of Witnesses that noble Army of Martyrs mentioned in the 11th of the Hebrews who had tryal of cruel mockings and scourgings yea moreover of bonds and imprisonment were stoned were sawn asunder were tempted were slain with the sword wandred about in Sheep skins and Goat skins being destitute afflicted tormented of whom the World was not worthy On the other side their Persecutors fared well though they did so ill did not receive the recompence of their Vices and wickedness and cruelties and blasphemies had not their punishment in this Life liv'd in pleasure and dy'd in peace i. e. outward peace And now where is the Justice of God in rewarding Vertue and punishing Vice if there is no future Audit of these matters if these things eternally sleep thus if the persecuted shall never be rewarded and their Persecutors never be punished But God is just and will see Justice done and impartially executed So the Apostle tells
the persecuted Christians 2 Thess 1.6 7. It is a righteous thing with God to recompence tribulation to them that trouble you and to you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven with his mighty Angels Again 2. In the times of confusion and licentiousness and rebellion when there is no King in Israel then every one does what seems good in his own eyes Vice and wickedness walk bare-fac'd and uncontroul'd and the plundering Thief the bloudy Murderer and Traytor goes perhaps to his Grave in peace yea with the Pompous Solemnities of a Royal Funeral 3. Yea in Times of Peace and the regular Administration of Justice Vice though it dare not walk so impudently bare-fac'd and uncontroul'd yet may lurk in Corners and skulk up and down in secret and escape the Magistrate's eye the Thief the Murderer the Traytor may be quick of Foot and swift of Wing and fly from Justice and may never be overtaken by it in this Life Yea even in Courts of Judicature 't is impossible that Justice should be universally and equally administred let none mistake me as if I design'd to asperse or reflect on our Governours and the Reverend Judges of the Land but I observe in general that I say 't is impossible even in Courts of Judicature and the best upon Earth too where Judgment runs down as waters Amos 5.24 and righteousness as a mighty stream that Justice should be always equally distributed For not to speak of the corruption of the Judge's heart and the blinding of his eyes by Bribes which turns Judgment into Gall Cap 6.12 and the fruit of righteousness into Hemlock which is not impossible considering that he is but a man I say not to speak of this but supposing the Judge to be as just as Job of whom God testifies that there was none like him in the Earth a perfect and upright man Job 2.3 one that feared God and eschewed evil one whose eyes cannot be blinded with Bribes or prejudice or partial favour or malice yet they may be blinded with untruth upon mis-information Some perjur'd Villain may desperately swear his Neighbour out of his Estate or good Name or Life And the Judge nothwithstanding is to proceed secundum allegata probata according to the Evidence whether true or false for he sees through the eyes of others and so every one may not have Justice done him Sometimes the guilty escapes and receives not the demerit of his Crimes is not dealt with according to the evil he hath done in his Body On the other side the innocent may fall a Sacrifice to mistaken Justice receive according to the supposed evil he hath not and not according to the real good he hath done in his body the Judge the mean while remaining really and invincibly ignorant of the truth upon mis-information and yet may be said to do Justice he does it intentionally and formally though materially and by accident it proves otherwise But that 's reserv'd to the serutiny of the supreme Judge it falls under his cognizance who searcheth the hearts and tries the reins who as Solomon speaks will bring every work into Judgment Eccles 12. ult with every secret thing whether it be good or whether it be evil The certainty of which Judgment is methinks sufficiently evinc'd by the Observation of these things that Justice is not no nor cannot be universally and impartially administred in this Life that good men have not always the reward of their Vertue nor wicked men the recompence of their Vice and wickedness therefore God being just and the God of Justice and the just Governour of the World who is concern'd in the Affairs of Mortals and sits in the Seats of Judicature and sees and records all that 's done in his Book of remembrance the great Register of humane actions there must necessarily come a Day when all things shall be audited and examined and tryed before him and all things set to rights and a just Judgment pass upon all and every one receive as 't is worded in the Context the things done in his body according to that he hath done whether it be good or bad So much for the second Particular which I undertook to speak to viz. The certainty of a future Judgment Come we now in the third Place to enquire III. Into the severity and dreadfulness of this Judgment styled here The Terrour of the Lord it being the cause of Terrour and that both to good and bad and that both in this life and that to come In this Life 't is a Terrour even to good men which keeps 'em in a holy awe and causeth them to work with fear and trembling They often look back towards the last things and cast an eye on the dreadful Tribunal of Jesus Christ which keeps 'em in a holy awe fearing to offend him who shall be their Judge It frights 'em from sin makes 'em afraid of the very appearance of evil For though a Child of God acts from love which is the great and ingenuous Principle which moves him yet that love is mixt with fear 't is the love of Sons which is not a sawcy a malapert a too bold and supercilious a too familiar wanton love but a reverent submissive humble love a love that has an allay of fear fear of displeasing and offending their Father whom it respects not only as good and hating Vice but as powerful and able to punish it In a word 't is not unmixed fear which is the fear of Slaves nor unmixed love which is the love of Wantons or at least of Equals who may love but do not fear In this holy awe and fear the thoughts of the dreadful Judgment do especially keep the Children of God neither let it be thought Legal Preaching so to affirm yea their holy performances are mixt with fear they work with fear and trembling Phil. 2.12 not suspecting God's faithfulness but their own often thinking thus with themselves How shall I be able to hold out in the last hour in my dying agonies How shall I withstand the Storms of Hell Ephes 6.16 and quench the fiery Darts of the Devil How shall I be able to appear before the great Tribunal How shall I give up my Accounts there Should God be strict to mark what I have done amiss how should I be able to stand in Judgment or to answer him one of a thousand What if all these services of mine should be construed then to be but hypocrisie and formality What if God should not accept my person and owne my performances What if he should fling back my services as Dung upon my Face accounting it as he did the Jew's but as the cutting off of a Dog's neck Isaiah 66.3 and the offering of Swines bloud in Sacrifice What if my sins should appear hereafter unpardon'd and my Obligations uncancell'd What though I am not far from the Kingdom of God
yet if for lack of one thing I should fall short of it What if this covetousness and base spiritedness this worldly-mindedness and uncharitableness this passion and peevishness this stubbornness this stiffness and opposition and disobedience to my Governours this desire of revenge and heart-burning and animosity what if this or any of these should ruine all and shut me out of Heaven Lord therefore prays he let me part with every thing that thou dost hate and embrace that which thou dost love and command that I may appear before thy Tribunal with courage and comfort Thus the thoughts of Judgment strike a holy awe and dread into the hearts of God's Children and do successfully affright 'em from sin It is thus a Terrour even to good men And especially 't is a Terrour to wicked men and impenitent Sinners when under any affliction or the apprehension of approaching Death But after Death especially 't will be so when the Judgment-Day is come 't will be Terrour with a Witness 'T is suppos'd 't will be a kind of Terrour to good men which is gathered from that expression in the Thessalonians 1 Thess 1.10 To be admir'd in all them that believe Even in admiration it self there is a kind of mixture of fear and Terrour through an overplus and overslowing of expectation and ravishing exuberant wonder as some are observ'd to weep for joy But in wicked men all that 's purely dreadful shall meet together But more particularly this dread and Terrour which will fall upon wicked men the Enemies of our Lord ariseth from these four things 1. The sight of the Judge 2. The manner of his coming to Judgment 3. The Accusation of their own Consciences 4. The Nature and Characters of the Judgment Which will be 1. An Universal a General Judgment 2. An exact an accurate and critical Judgment 3. A just and righteous Judgment 4. The final Judgment 5. A Judgment that will sentence to an eternal state either of happiness or misery But perhaps some may be here dissatisfied being ready to demand Whether none shall be sentenc'd to an eternal state till the last and general Judgment What then shall become of departed Souls after Death till the General Judgment Shall they be kept in some Middle Place in some Limbus Patrum or Infantum To this I answer As there is a General Judgment at which the Body and Soul being re-united shall appear and receive Sentence together so there is a particular Judgment of the Soul by it self at its departure from the Body That the Souls of good men immediately after Death are carried to Heaven by the Angels to receive the Sentence of Absolution which shall be pronounced by Christ who will place them in the Mansions of Glory is most certain as may be gathered from the Case of Lazarus Luke 16.22 compared with 2 Cor. 5.1 And I humbly conceive with submission which is not unwarrantable by Scripture as is intimated in the Case of Dives Luke 16.23 that Christ Jesus the Judge of the World by virtue of his Regal Office which he doth now execute as he sends out his Angels which are ministring Spirits to carry holy Souls into Heaven so he commissions his Angels too to take the Souls of wicked men immediately after their separation and deliver 'em to the Devil that cruel Jaylor the Keeper of the Infernal Prison who instantly draggs 'em away to Hell there to be bound as 't is said of the evil Angels in everlasting chains under darkness to the judgment of the great day Jude 6. and in the mean time to be tormented and punished according to their capacity and that in pursuance of the ancient Sentence pronounced long ago He that believeth not is condemn'd already John 3.18 36. and the wrath of God abideth on him Thus having discours'd Doctrinally of that great Fundamental Point of Religion the certainty of Judgment to come a Day of Judgment after this Life together with the dreadfulness of it styled here The Terrour of the Lord It remains now IV. and Lastly that we make some improvement of it by Application And here first of all I hope I need not use Saint Peter's Apology to you how needful soever 't is amongst others in the World for the Lord's slackness and delay in coming to Judgment which he directs to those Scoffers of the last times 2 Pet. 3.3 Knowing this first that there shall come in the last days Scoffers walking after their own lusts and saying Where is the promise of his coming for since the Fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were from the beginning of the Creation I hope there are no such Scoffers here though with sorrow and sadness and lamentation I might speak it and observe it they abound too much in the World yea in Christendom it self and this reformed Part of it men of an Atheistical shall I say or Anti-Christian Spirit who laugh and mock at the Doctrine of a Day of Judgment as a wild Chimaera the idle Dream and fancy of a melancholy Preacher the effect of an inquisitive contemplative Head and the strength of imagination being ready to say in the Words of these Scoffers here mentioned by St Peter Where is the promise of his coming c. i. e. Where is the Promise or Prophecy fulfill'd that Christ shall come to judge the World for since the death of Adam and the Patriarchs and the Prophets and Christ himself who told the World of a Day of Judgment the World continues as it was no alteration appears and 't is like to continue so for ever Now this mocking and scoffing and infidelity owes it self St Peter observes partly to their Lusts partly to their wilful ignorance and inadvertency and inconsideration Which in regard there are so many in the World that are ready to join Issue with these Scoffers here I will take particular notice of both to obviate their Atheistical Objections and Anti-Christian scoffs and to antidote you against the infection of a contagious Air. 1. Then It owes it self partly to their Vices and Lusts Scoffers walking after their own lusts Some men so long abandoning themselves to Vice become Athestical and deny God for 't is their interest there should be none and upon the same Grounds they become Anti-Christian and deny Christ deny his Divinity and Authority and Veracity his Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven and his coming to Judgment For 't is their interest that he should never come whose coming will be so terrible to all his Enemies 't will be to the perdition of ungodly men 2. It owes it self partly to their wilful ignorance and inadvertency and inconsideration and that of three things First God's Power and Providence both in the Creation and destruction of the World Secondly The nature of God and his measure and account of time Thirdly His patience and long-suffering First God's Power and Providence both in the Creation and destruction of the World ver 5 6 7.
For this they willingly are ignorant of That by the Word of God the Heavens were of old and the Earth standing out of the Water and in the Water whereby the World that then was being overflowed with Water perished But the Heavens and the Earth which are now by the same Word are kept in store reserved unto fire against the Day of Judgment and perdition of ungodly men The summ and force of which Argument is briefly this God made the World for it could not make it self and having the power over it did once destroy it i. e. the face of it with the things in it by water and he has the same power over it still and can destroy it as he has told us he will by fire If he could do the former he can as easily do the latter Noah prophesied of the former and it came to pass and the Prophets yea the great Prophet Christ himself has prophesied of the latter and why should we not believe it To this I might add that other Prophecies in Scripture concerning Christ have been fulfill'd particularly that concerning his coming in the Flesh and why should we dis-believe this of his coming to Judgment Secondly The Nature of God and his Measure and Account of Time ver 8. Be not ignorant of this one thing that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day q. d. You think it a long time e're Christ come to Judgment and therefore conclude he will never come judging of the Lord by your selves not understanding and considering his Divine Nature which is Infinite Immense Omniscient and Eternal He does not look upon things and measure time as we do He is not subject to succession and mutation as we are He suffers no Flux of Time There is no time past or to come with him He does by one infinite Act of Intuition behold and comprehend all things past and to come as present they all exist before him in one eternal Now. There is nothing to speak strictly and properly short or long in his sight or account of things One day which seems so short with us is with him as long as a thousand years and a thousand years which appear so long to us are with him as short as one day Those Periods of Time that seem so long unto us are with him but as a moment So Moses observes Psal 90.4 A thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past which is infinitely less than yesterday when it was present and as a Watch in the Night This the Heathen were sensible of by the Light of Nature ascribing Immensity to their Gods 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 says Pythagoras There is nothing long with the Gods And Divine Plutarch speaking of the late vengeance of the Deity observes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All the Interval of humane life is to the Gods nothing This Saint Peter observes these Scoffers are wilfully ignorant of at least inconsiderate and therefore talk at such a mad and sensless rate and give way to and indulge their Atheism and infidelity And against this ignorance and inconsideration of the Nature of God and his measure and account of Time he cautions even the Friends of Christ that they might not be discouraged with the thoughts of the Lord's slackness in coming to Judgment or be tempted to entertain an Atheistical Anti-Christian Opinion that he will never come and so laugh and mock at the Doctrine with these Scoffers here and therefore he greets them with an endearing compellation Beloved which is an evidence that he speaks to the Saints But Beloved be not ignorant of this one thing of which these Scoffers are wilfully ignorant and inconsiderate that one day c. 3. This Scoffing and Infidelity owes it self to their wilful ignorance and inconsideration of God's patience and long-suffering v. 9. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise as some men count slackness but is long-suffering to us-ward not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance The Lord is not slack as some men count slackness i. e. as if he had chang'd his purpose or broke his promise or were unwilling or unable to keep it and fulfil it He is not slack that stays long but that stays beyond his appointed time or that comes not at all The Lord will not defer his coming to Judgment one moment beyond his appointed time He that shall come will come and will not tarry i. e. beyond his own appointment 'T is not then because he has forgotten his promise or cannot keep it or has over-slipt his appointed time that he deferrs coming to Judgment but out of infinite compassion and kindness to Sinners being long-suffering not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance Which these ungrateful Wretches are not sensible of and therefore scoff and mock kick and spurn at the Divine Bowels abuse that clemency which keeps 'em out of Hell trample upon that patience which bears with their follies and waits for their repentance despise that love and goodness which suspends the fearful vengeance How passionately does the Apostle expostulate with such as these Rom. 2.4 Despisest thou the riches of his Goodness and forbearance and long-suffering not knowing that the Goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance O that my Voice could this Day reach the ears and pierce the heart of every scoffing Atheist and hardned blaspheming Sinner in this Kingdom I would be bold to ask him seriously Dost thou think O man that the God that made thee is not able to punish thee that he that created and preserves thee cannot judge thee that he that governs and upholds the World is not able to deal with such a weak silly Creature as thou art that he in whom thou dost live and move and hast thy Being is not able to destroy thee and execute vengeance on thee and therefore dost dare him to his face and bid him do his worst against thee and accelerate the slow-pac'd vengeance laughing and mocking at the Divine threatnings and the Doctrine of the future Judgment as a thing which thou dost not fear and shalt never feel sporting with Hell and the Devil bidding him take and rot and sink thee laughing at the Great Judge and bidding him damn thee if he can what else is the meaning of those direful Curses those horrid God-damn-me-Execrations which pollute the Air and wound the ears of God and men I do not think that these men seriously desire damnation but out of a daring bravery mock and deride God himself and affront him to his face telling the World that they do not fear him nor his threatnings nor all the powers of Hell which he can set against them that they are so little afraid of his damning power that they will damn themselves in a frolick or bid him damn 'em if he can and hasten his threatned Judgment A very ill and
tempt thee to evil seduce conquer and triumph over thee if they can then shrink and faint hide thy head and deny thy Master in the Storms of Persecution those bloudy Showres and prove a base cowardly Deserter if thou canst then let those fiercer ruder Winds of Hell those turbulent Euroclydons shipwrack thy Faith if they can there is no danger surely if thy Anchor-hold be sure and stedfast Heb. 6.19 fastned within the Veil In all the Instances of Duty in all the Turns of Providence in all the Occurrences of humane Life in all the Temptations either of the World or the Flesh or the Devil always remember there is a Day of Judgment coming when wicked men shall be punished and good men shall be rewarded then thou shalt have thy reward though thou tarriest long for it a reward that will abundantly compensate all thy trouble all thy labour all thy love all thy service and sufferings for thy Lord and Master a reward that will be infinitely satisfactory and Glorious that infinitely exceeds all the Honours and Glories and Names of Happiness in this lower World which Earthly Crowns and Scepters cannot purchase nor the United Power of Earth and Hell rob or deprive thee of which Devils will envy thee and wicked men wish for as well as be amazed at who shall stand trembling at the dreadful Barr Wisd 5.1 c. whilst thou art exulting on the Throne who will stand ashamed in their poverty and nakedness whilst thy brighter Glories and Royal Robes are putting on beholding with horrour what is done to the man whom the King delighteth to honour O terrible and yet O comfortable glorious Day A Day indeed of gloominess and blackness of horrour and astonishment a Day of Terrour and the blackest grief and the deepest sorrow to the Enemies but a Day of comfort and joy a Day of mirth and gladness to the Friends of Christ A Day of refreshing as St Peter calls it Acts 3.19 When the time of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. 'T will be truly a time of refreshing refreshing to the weary tired Traveller when he comes to sit down at rest the Christian that was burden'd and weary and heavy-laden with corruption and sin who shall then have a true intire and perfect rest refreshing to the buffetted tempted afflicted Saint refreshing to the weather-beaten Cant. 1.6 Luke 21.28 sun-burn'd afflicted Church of Christ A Day of Redemption as our Saviour styles it full and compleat Redemption Redemption from all sin and temptation and misery full Redemption from sorrow and tears and suffering when sorrow shall be no more and all tears shall be wip'd away So the Spirit assures us in the Revelation speaking of the Immunities of that Blessed State Rev. 21.4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes and there shall be no more death neither sorrow nor crying neither shall there be any more pain Fourthly and Lastly Is there such infallible certainty of Judgment to come Is there a Day of Judgment coming when we must all appear before Jesus Christ the Judge both of the quick and dead O then let us make preparation for it which it concerns us all to do and that speedily and here I might give you these following Directions which I shall but name 1. Get your Accounts ready Look into your selves and examine your state how it stands between God and your Souls that you may not be surpriz'd when you shall be summon'd to appear before the Judgment-Seat of Christ. 2. Do nothing now which you dare not account for then which you would not then hear of 3. Buy and put on your Wedding-Garments Rev. 3.17 Mat. 22.11 12. 25.1 c. and get your Lamps trim'd and furnish'd with Oil to meet the Bridegroom 4. Make Christ who is the Judge your Friend And that must be done First By keeping his Commandments especially those which are more peculiarly his those Laws which have their immediate Institution and Sanction in the Gospel particularly that of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper Which they that despise and contemn and neglect may sadly remember and consider that 't is his Ordinance who will be their Judge Secondly By obliging his Friends And how that is to be done he himself intimates St Matth. 25.35 c. 5. Matth. 25.13 Be always upon your Watch. 6. Add to Watching Prayer This is our Lord's Advice St Mark 13.33 Take ye heed watch and pray for ye know not when the time is I will conclude all with St Peter's Exhortation which he makes from this very Doctrine of the final Judgment 2 Pet. 3.11 12. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved i. e. seeing that this World and all things here below shall have an End and Christ shall come to Judgment what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God and ver 14. Wherefore Beloved seeing that ye look for such things be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace without spot and blameless FINIS