A SERMON OF THE Saints judging the World Preached at the Assizes holden in Huntingdon March 13. 1648. By John Gaule Minister of the Word in Great STAVGHTON 1 Cor. 6.2 Doe ye not know that the Saints shall judge the world and if the world shall be judged by you are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters Rectè judicatur hic mundus in nobis si opus perfidorum hominum non inveniatur in nobis Ambros loc LONDON Printed for Thomas Dring and are to be sold at his shop at the Signe of the George in Fleetstreet near Cliffords-â—â—â—â— 1649. To all the SAINTS THe best Books have been dedicated to you and to you only Rom. 1.7 1 Cor. 1.2 2 Cor. 1.1 Eph. 1.1 Phil. 1.1 Col. 1.2 But shall I call them Dedications or Directions For He wrote the Apostle I meane to his Pupils not his Patrons And to speake betwixt such us you and such as my selfe He dedicates nothing to you that directs you not how you should direct your selves to Him to whom you are dedicated Or returning to the Apostle shall I say they were his Salutations or pious Apprecations Grace be unto you and Peace c. So let them be esteemed So let this of mine be accepted God grant you his Grace God send you his Peace It is my daily prayer for you all who am Lesse then the least of all Saints JOHN GAULE Of the SAINTS judging the World 1 Cor. 6.2 Doe ye not know that the Saints shall judge the world and if the world shall be judged by you are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters THE Text to my apprehension sets forth the twofold Assizes the Generall and the Particular or rather the Eternall and the Temporall The generall and Eternall are of the Saints judging the world The Temporall and Particular are about their judging in smaller matters For a further light into the discussions and issues of both these we are now to scanne the Apostles words more exactly And therein to consider these two parts of speech 1. The forme of his Interrogating Doe ye not know c. 2. The forme of his Inferring And if the world shall c. 1. The forme or manner of his Interrogating which is with a vehement indignation at their ignorance or unmindfulnesse For alwayes negative Interrogations in matters necessary serve to convince and reprove with more vehemence Convincing that so it is and reproving because it ought to be otherwise But why should the Apostle so eagerly indigne this their not knowing since it is in a point of so much depth and difficulty as that a well inlightened Saint might be in a great part innocently ignorant of it Indeed had the question been about the 〈…〉 the exact cause and precise forme of the Saints judging the worlâ— their ignorance had not only been pardonable but their modest acquiescence in it commendable But for as much as he enquires only upon the simple 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 intimating that such a truth is and ought to be beleeved by all Saints and Faithfull there was their ignorance culpable yea and the rather worthy of vehement and severe reprehension for these following reasons 1. Because it is not to be doubted but that they had heard the universall promise in this point viz. that in Matthew 19.28 Now to be ignorant of an universall promise having the meanes to understand it is affected ignorance or ignorance out of negligence and therefore deserving the sharper increpation 2. Because he had but lately intimated such a thing unto them even in his rectifying of their rash judgings chap. 4. ver â— Judge nothing before the time untill the Lord come c. For when he comes then shall be the time for you to judge with infallible discerning in your selves and according to the palpable deserts of other men 3. Because he had already declared unto them a speciall priviledge of theirs in such a case which they notwithstanding had misprized or neglected As Chap. 2. ver 15. He that is spirituall judgeth all things All things necessarily pertaining to a naturall life to a civill conversation to a spirituall profession and to eternall salvation Yâ—â— he himselfe is judged of no man that is he himselfe for his person state conscience not but that his life and actions are subject to others judgment Or judged of no man that is not of mans day or more humane judgement opinion censure c. but by the Law and Word of God Or of no man that is of no man rightly that is not spirituall like himselfe For it is impossible that a naturall 〈◊〉 carnall man should discerne of a spirituall mans gifts and graces because it is not the naked observation of sense nor the barren apprehensâ—on of the mind but the conformable inclination of the will and affections whereby all sanctifying graces are truly and perfectly discerned Or lastly the spirituall man as purely and intirely spirituall is judged or justly accused by no man whether carnall or other For to judge or argue him on that part which neither erres nor offends is to judge not him but the Spirit of God in him Pause here a little and take notice how ignorance of this priviledge made them misprize it and derogate from it which also makes many others both to arrogate it and to overprize themselves in it 4. Because he had but immediately before evinced from their Ecclesiasticke yea or domesticke use and authority that it properly belonged to them to judge them that are within though not them that are without Chap. 5.12 How much lesse then did it appertaine to them that are without to judge them that are within Neverthelesse they ignorant or negligent in all these had by wilfull provocation or appeale betrayed their truth to errour their promise to unbeliefe their priviledge to invasion and their peculiar jurisdiction to common usurpation And not only so but their causes to corruption their persons to contempt their infirmities to derision their vocation to calumny and the whole Church of Christ or Christian profession to scandall and offence Was there not then just cause for the Apostles more vehement indignation in reproving such their carelesse and peevish errour Were we to examine the like causes with their like effects now adayes it were enough to raise or urge an endigning and increpating commotion in us beyond the Apostles because of the more excessive errours and exorbitances Yea set aside all other the blindnesse and abuses even in this particular were sufficient to provoke it For as touching Saints and Saints judging men were never more ignorant and yet never more arrogant But though I intend to follow the Apostle in his forme of interrogating yet perswaded of better things in you I shall as it behooves me abate somewhat of his vehemence and aske only in a moderation and so calmely as with some concession to your judgment in the truth 1. Doe ye know who the Saints are that shall judge the world
immediate revelation and therefore need no mediate or secondary information of theirs by parts and degrees Or to the Devils and the Damned what need that either after an immediate and totall conviction of all consciences And since as themselves are more inclined to believe it shall be exercised mentally a proper act of divine Power to what purpose then should there be a vocall pronuntiation or repetition And if the Saints have any other way to insinuate themselves into one another which way else should they doe it to the world Or what needs any further patefaction of the divine justice to any than that proportionable to every ones witnesse within himselfe 4. Another is That the Saints shall judge in a petitionary way requiring provoking rather invoking or praying justice against the world I dare not deny but that there may be very truth in this As Revel 6.9 10. But yet in as much as this is an act of the Saints or Souls under the Altar yea and of the Saints upon the footstoole too Luke 18.7 8. Me thinks the precise act of the Saints upon the throne should bee something moreover to that 5. Another is That the Saints shall judge the world as it were by way of inditing impleading accusing witnessing c. And I conceive it may be thus The Saints of the law more especially accusing the breakers of the law by the law Ioh. 5.45 Rom. 2.12 And the Saints of the Gospell more especially judging the profaners of the Gospell by the Gospell Rom. 2.16 But forasmuch as these are the rules and formes whereby they accuse them here and accordingly have done it in all ages something assuredly it is that they shall more formally act hereafter 6. Another is That the Saints shall then judge after the manner of exultation glorying rejoycing to see the vengeance Psal 58.10 And that out of a perfect zeale of justice void of the least desire of revenge But neverthelesse this their exulting being a constant and perpetuall act here inchoate there consummate not for time but integrity me thinks still the present or precise act should yet be somewhat more 7. The last and I conceive the aptest is That the Saints shall judge in Christ and Christ in the Saints He in them by those infallible principles of divine justice which are imprest in them they in him by those inseparable bonds of union whereby they wholly relate to him Or he and they together as Head and Members The act of the Head imputed to the Members and the act of the Members acknowledged by the Head His judiciary act especially as from his Mediatorship and Manhood having a peculiar influence upon them and so their act in a perfect conformity though not absolute proportion having a peculiar reference to him And in this conception I am not alone others as orthodox and more learned speak with me to this effect Nor are we in it without the Scriptures Mat. 19.28 Inde 14 15. which saving to each their property speaks there of it as one joint act And therefore I beleeve when Christs act shall be perfectly apprehended and understood then shall this of the Saints also and not before Only suffer me to conclude the point in a few distinctive terms 1. Causaliter auctoritative as principall Cause and through absolute Authority so shall Christ judge alone and neither Saints nor Angels with him 2. Exemplariter comparativè by comparing their actions and examples so shall not only good men judge bad men but bad men one another 3. Assistenter interpretativè as assessors adherers approvers admirers applauders c. So shall the Saints judge the world 4. Ministerialiter executivè ministerially and in a powerfull executing of the judgment both upon the world and the Devils so shall the Angels also judge together with him at that day II. The forme or manner of the Apostles inferring And if the world shall be judged by you are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters And he inferres with an interrogation upon a supposition indigning still that any man should not easily see into the force of the consequence upon such a Concession Yet all the weight of his inference is not so particularly to be apprehended from any Translation as from the originall words themselves According to their native Emphasis therfore we observe how strongly he inferres 1. A majori 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And thus are they inforcing or affirming validly from the greater to the lesse If the Collective the univerfall world shall be judged by you how much more then may you be Judges of the distributive or a few particulars If in things eternall how much more in things temporall If in Causes betwixt God and man how much more in matters betwixt man and man If in those the greatest how much more in these the smallest matters 2. Ab interiori 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We misse the rise of this Argument in many translations and in most expositions Because it is usuall excepting the Greeke Interpreters to translate and expound this in you by you Notwithstanding under correction as touching the frequent enallage or change of certaine Particles let me say that where the originall expression is cleare sense and notably serving to a deduction of sound doctrine there it is safest alwayes to retaine the words in their owne idiome Now to me it signifies very emphatically to read it thus If the world be judged in your rather than thus If the world shall be judged by you For it notes a fundamentall and intrinsecall act of judging which excels any instrumentall and extrinsecall act whatsoever And to judge externally in forme and word and sentence is nothing so essentiall to judiciall truth as to judge internally in heart in mind and conscience Besides the originall phrase reserved more properly respects either kind of Judicature For the eternall judgement as it is generally conceived and upon more probabilitie shall be mentall in the execution rather than vocall consisting in Revelation and conviction from within more than in any kind of examination or discussion from without Therefore is it more proper to say of the Saints there the world shall be judged in you than by you And as for temporall Judicature who apprehends it not to be more in a rationall and conscientious verity than in any verball or sentencing formallity And that this even in all the exactnes is but a formall injustice without that Therefore even here also the world is rather to be judged in you than by you And therefore I could wish that we were not so strict in formes of judging by and yet more strict in grounds of judging in For beleeve it if another be only judged by us then are we judged in our selves But I pursue the Apostles Argument If the world be judged in you which is the greatest matter then may it the better be judged by you in these the smallest matters And you all Christians and Saints know this
'T is a question and not well answered by all and therefore not well knowne to all The Papists are tying up the Saints here either to those of their owne making or else to those of their own marring The judging Saints after their judgement are the Patriarks Prophets Apostles say they no more but so yes the blessed Virgin by her selfe and yet their whole order of Virgins Apostolicall men their Doctors Confessors Martyrs their contemplative men perfect men men of voluntary poverty And for these they are framing speciall Aureola's not only to preferre them in their glorious state but in this judiciary act And yet more precisely for the men of voluntary poverty And all because upon Peters saying Behold we have forsaken all and followed thee Christ sayes Ye shall sit upon twelve Thrones judging the twelve Tribes c. Mat. 19.27 28. But by their leave our Saviour directs not his speech to Peter only but to all the rest Neither doth he now reply to their forsaking and following for to that he speaks precisely in the subsequent verse but to all them that have followed him in the regeneration viz. in the doctrine of it and so are come unto the state of it are regenerate or are Saints Even theirs one as well as another is this priviledge this preferment It is worth the noting how they all of them consent to contradict themselves even in the very earnestnesse of their contention about this preheminence And herein they follow their owne Master the Master of Sentences who though he would faine determine it to some such as before spoken of yet he is forced to conclude that by those fitting on the twelve Thrones is to be understood an universitas judicantium and so by the twelve Tribes an universitas judicandorum For which we are to thanke the Fathers and neither him nor them I may as aptly and without all contradiction apply it to this Text as he to that As by the world here we understand a collective or an universallity of those that shall be judged so by the Saints a collective also or an universallity of those that shall judge them Neverthelesse we deny not a preheminence to some certaine Saints even in this very act For we hold it not against the rules of Reason or Faith either to beleeve That those Saints which are more eminent in grace and so judging the world here shall also be more eminent in glory and so judging the world hereafter Only though we are taught to preferre them for their severall measures yet we are not let to understand why we should there preferre one Saint before another for their severall orders onely Our Saviour Christ spake it to all kind of Saints ye which have followed me in the regeneration and then more precisely to his Disciples Ye also shall sit c. yet is their preheminence no barre to the priviledge of all other The Lord commeth not with his twelve only but with the ten thousands of his Saints to execute judgement upon all c. Jude 14.15 Yea as touching the executing upon them the judgement written be it temporall as some Rabbines would or spirituall and eternall as Christians understand it yet it followes this honour have all his Saints Psal 149.9 Thus we see who the Saints are in the generall enough for exposition yet it remaineth to say who or what a Saint is in particular but that shall be in the conclusion 2. Doe you know what the World is that shall be judged by the Saints The vulgar translation though it be redundant to the text yet it seemes to be deficient to the truth For it thus construes it of this World as if it were but this present World and but a part also or some appurtenance of it But the text saith the World emphatically and meanes the whole present and future both persons and actions I could take up old tearmes and tell you of a twofold world a mundus perditionis and a mundus salvationis a world of damned ones and a world of saved ones and both of them to be judged The one by Christ alone and the other by Christ and all his Saints And these say as much in effect as the latter received distinction â—f a judgement of Absolution for so Christ himselfe shall judge the Saints and of a judgement of Condemnation for so Christ and his Saints shall judge the world But I am to speak of that world which the Saints shall judge and so I may say the Saints are competent judges of a threefold world the Naturall the Civill and the Sinfull 1. The Saints are apt and proper judges of the Naturall world the world of Creatures And that by their true and certain knowledge of their christian liberty in the lawfull use and subordinate disposition of them For where true christian liberty is in any thing there God hath left a man to be his owne judge and he that rightly uses it rightly judges over those things he hath a power to use But he that abuses it makes the creatures to groane against him and now are they his judges and not he theirs â— The Saints are apt and proper judges over the Civill world or the world of men And indeed more apt than other men Because of their more light of universall truth more rectitude of reason more discretion of circumstances more tendernesse of conscience more innocence of heart and hand more abnegated passions and affections more zeale to justice more love of mercy more reputation with good men and more deputation from God himselfe as bearing his Image both in their persons and places above the rest 3. The Saints are the apt and proper judges against the sinfull world the world of wicked men and reprobates as having first judged sinne in themselves as having long judged them by their workes and examples as having the gift of the discerning of spirits as labouring to judge exactly after the perpetuall law of God as being witnesses of their wretched lives as having suffered at their unjust hands and as minding nothing more than the glory of the supreme Judge himself Well as the Saints are the judges so the world is alwayes the guilty party or worthy to be judged and therefore seeing they are the Saints that shall judge the world let the world take heed how it takes upon it to judge the Saints For the more presumptuously or perversly the world shall judge the Saints by wise permission here in this present life the more adversely and severely shall the Saints by just commission judge the world in the world to come But caution is not for the world but correction let the Saints therefore see to it that they goe not now beyond their commission judging the world uprightly however and in no case rashly one another 3. Doe ye know what this act of the Saints judging is Something of it is to be learn't from the originall word twice varied in the Text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 both in voyce and tense 1. Varied in the voice one active the other passive and active as from the Saints passive as upon the world Whence I observe by the way that the Saints shall be active onely and the world passive onely in judgement 2. Varied againe from the tense or time one a word of the future the other though translations note it not a word of the present whereupon I observe againe that the Saints shall not onely judge the world hereafter but the world is already judged by them even in this present life And verily this ought to be regarded for be that is not such a Saint as to judge the world here shall never be such a Saint as to judge the world hereafter I meane if the world be not judged by him now in his faith and profession in his heart and conscience in his life and example ther 's little hope that he should be one elected to judge the world by his vote and suffrage at that great day Furthermore for this act of judging Some both Papists and Protestants are scrupled at the precisenesse of the act and would have the Saints judging the world the Angels the twelve tribes the ungodly c. to be rather an hyperbolicall expression than to signifie any such precisely reall action or that this their judging should import onely a kind of superlative and indefinite preheminence of their state in generall and not any positive and determinate sentence of such an act in speciall And the reason for such their opinion appeares to be this lest otherwise they might seem to derogate or detract from the judiciary act and office of Christ But with their peace I must prove it from my Text that if the Saints judging of the world be but allegoricall so likewise is their judging in the smallest matters But if the judging in the smallest matters be to be understood as a specifique and precise act of judicature so likewise is the judging of the world or else the Apostles inference a simili or a majori conferâ—ing here the one with the other and preferring the one before the other is not onely incongruous or unapt but nâ—l and of no force at all For in arguments of imparity there must be some sunilitude of the kind wherein both are consentaneous or else there can be no inequality of degree wherein the one is to be supposed to exceed the other And as to their reason the sole property of judging the authority power glory these being Christs confest and the Saints onely the assession assent vote suffrage comprobation acclamation c. Surely this can no more derogate from Christs act or office than the session of the Justices doth from the authority of the Judge in chiefe Christ is pleased to make them his assessors and assistants co-operators though not co-adjutors in that peculiar act both for the more setting forth of his own majesty and glory for their more dignity and comfort and for the others more terror and conviction This truth with all these reasons appeares plaine from these places Mat. 19.28 1 Cor. 6.2 2 Thes 1.9 10. Jude 14.15 To which I may adde Psal 149.9 Zach. 14.5 So then that the Saints shall judge together with Christ is necessary and easie to believe but how they shall doe it there 's the difficulty to conceive and peradventure not much necessary for us as now For of this there 's deep silence in the Scriptures or else obscurity deeper than silence it selfe The most curious inquisitors here are driven to confesse that the manner of this their precise acting is not to be learnt but by divine revelation I may say further with some of them also that it shall not be directly known ere it be seen and done or at least wise cannot be perfectly apprehended but in the very acting of it Yet since the boldnesse of mens broaching their conceptions in this case is already begunne And that not without confidence even of erronious assertions and impositions Let me therefore be bold also to set forth some conceptions leaving you to your liberty of judging which of them may be more orthodox and which of them the most genuine 1. One is That the Saints shall then judge by presenting their persons or rather by a presentation of their actions comparing their good examples with the evill of the world thereby to convince and condemne them This I conceive to be a truth For somuch is to be collected out of Mat. 19.28 25.35 42. Rom. 2.5 6. 14.10 1 Cor. 4 5. 2 Cor. 5.10 Iude 14 15. yet surely this is not all For if it be no more but a manifestation or comparison of their workes thus shall the world judge it selfe and the wicked of it work to condemne one another For as the worse examples of the more wicked are said to justifie the ill actions of the lesse wicked Ezek. 16.51 so the lesse ill actions of the lesse wicked shall then judge the worse examples of the more wicked Mat. 12.27 41 42. 11.22 24. And although there be great difference between the workes and examples of the Saints and others and so between their comparisons yet shall they all agree to judge This singular act therefore of the Saints judging must needs be something more than so 2. Another is That the Saints shall judge by way of assession assent vote suffrage comprobation acclamation and the like subordinate and conformable acts Mat. 19.28 Psal 119.137 Revel 16.7 19.1 2. This also is a truth and commonly so received yet neither is this all For not onely the Saints are saved but even the Devils and the Damned shall then be convinced and constrained to acknowledge the justice and equity of Gods judgements At that time saith Christ Rom. 14.11 Every knee shall bow to me and every tongue shall confesse to God All powers persons nations languages consciences good and bad shall not only be brought into a subjection to the power but to the confession of the justice of it And albeit Angels and Saints shall doe it directly and voluntarily and adore admire and praise 2 Thess 1.10 yet the Devils and the Damned shall not be able to detract any thing from it And therefore shall doe it although it be but involuntarily and indirectly so that both their acts are thus also tending to judgement and therefore that of the Saiuts must yet be somewhat else 3. Another is That the Saints though they shall not pronounce the sentence together with Christ yet they shall repeat it after him or relate and tell it unto others This is the fond opinion exprest and prest so by the Papists and by the wisest of them their Schoolmen Summists Casuists But if it be not frivolous let them answer us To whom for Gods sake should they tell it To their fellow Saints and Angels why they all were acquainted with it as well as themselves understanding it at once by a primary and