are sanctified both in Soul and Body therefore in Body and Soul they shall be gloryfied The dead shall rise again all that are in the Graves shall hear the Voice of Christ and shall come forth they that have done good to the resurrection of Life they that have done evil to the resurrection of Damnation Joh. 5. 28 29. The Grave is only a prison for a time not a Body that is there that shall lye there always the same Body that was employed in the unfruitful works of darkness shall be raised by the Power of the righteous Judge to share in the demerited Punishment And the same Body of the Saints the Members of which were used as Instruments of Righteousness unto Holiness by Vertue of its Union with Christ shall rise again and be made like unto Christs glorious body according to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself Phil. 3. 21. It is not another Body I grant that qualities are alter'd but the substance is the same therefore the Apostle does not stick to say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This corruptible shall put on incorruption this mortal shall put on immortality so when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption and this mortal shall have put on immortality then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written Death is swallowed up in Victory 1 Cor. 15. 53 54. 4. Will there be a Judgment 't is wonderful there should be so much security in them that hear of it Really the very mentioning of Christs Tribunal before which all must stand should make all Criminals to tremble If a Man were seized for a Crime that 's capital deserving Death by the Law of God and Man and being in Bolts and Fetters in Newgate he should be secure and unconcerned though the Sessious were at hand you would conclude him to be very stupid and inconsiderate What Sinner secure and shortly to be Judged O Drunkard Whoremonger Swearer Sabbath-breaker Covetous Worldling what secure and speedily to appear at the Judgment-seat of Christ who has said That they that do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God! Sin is folly security in Sin is the folly of that folly Take heed of Security 't is not I only but Christ himself also that gives you this necessary caution Luk 21. 34 35 36. And take heed to your selves lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkeness and the cares of this life and so that day come upon you unawares for as a share shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth Watch ye therefore and Pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all those things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of Man. VSE II. By way of Counsel Two words of Counsel I would give this Congregation The one is more firmly to believe a Judgment and more frequently to think of it The other is Be sure in time to prepare for eternal Judgment 1. More firmly believe more frequently think of Judgment You have reason to believe it for the Judge is ordained and though neither Men nor Angels know the day yet the day is appointed Act. 17. 30 31. The time of this ignorance God winked at but now commands all men every where to repent because he hath appointed a day in which he will judge the World in righteousness by that Man whom he hath ordained whereof he hath given assurance unto all in that he hath raised him from the dead The stronger your assent is unto this the more serious and often will be your Consideration of it To think of Judgment is proper for a Saint that he may be encouraged to fight the good fight of Faith and persevere in well doing to the end To think of Judgment is proper for a Wicked Man to awaken him and to make him with fear and trembling to work out his Salvation It 's proper for an Hypocrite to think of Judgment because then all Masks and Vizours will be pull'd off all shews will be at an end and naked Truth will appear at that day The Graves will be open'd and do ye think the whited painted Sepulchers will remain shut Oh! then all the concealed Pride and Filthiness and Selfishness and Sensuality and Injustice and earthliness of Professors will with all their aggravations be brought to light before Men and Angels Oh how many demure and serious Countenances that have been a covering to naughty Hearts will then be filled with Confusion 'T is proper for the Old to think of Judgment they have one foot in the Grave already and quickly the whole body must drop into it and the Spirit must return to God who gave it You also that are Young should think of Judgment have the youngest of yoa any assurance of your Lives Infants Children Youths do not many of them dye and step into Eternity and as you see them leave the World so certainly they appear before God and one way or other have their Doom Solomon tells you that Childhood and Youth are Vanity Would you that are Young be serious the Meditation of Judgment would conduce much to it Eccles 11. 9. Rejoyce O young Man in thy Youth and let thy heart chear thee in the days of thy Youth and walk in the wayes of thy heart and in the sight of thine eyes He says Rejoyce but speaks Ironically and means the quite contrary thoa hast no reason at all to rejoyce whilst thou walkest that are seen and whilst thou walkest in those evil ways which thy Heart naturally does like Then the Wise man speaks seriously But know thou that for all these things God will bring thee to Judgment If you ask me What are the Benefits that will accrue by a firm Belief and frequent Meditation of Judgment I thus Answer to this momentous Question 1. This will be a great Preservative against Temptation Look beyond the present advantage and delight that Sin boasts of and see as far as the Judgment-seat this is the way to silence the Tempter and to avoid his share Would the Lyar dare to speak falily if he considered that all Lyars shall be adjudged to the lake that burns with fire and brimstone which is the second death Rev. 21. 8. Would the Unclean Person dare to desile himself and run to the Harlots house if he did but believe and consider that it boremangers and Adulterers God will judge Improve Christs Cross and think of Christs Tribunal and this will cool and kill Corruptions and take away the force of your Temptations 2. The Belief and Meditation of Judgment will cause you to use this World as not abusing it to make a good improvement of it You that have this World in great abundance and have the clearest and largest Estates do you think you are Proprietors of what you have Do you think 't is given or only lent you for a
are and you should be stirr'd up to abound in them but other works are not excluded for afterwards our Lord does only mention the mercilesness and uncharitable Omissions of the wicked and yet 't is plain from other Scriptures that their other Sins will be punished their not knowing God their disobedience to the Gospel of Christ 2 Thess 1. 8. 3. The Sentence which will be past upon them will be a Sentence of Absolution they shall be absolved and acquitted openly before Men and Angels All their Sins will be forgotten and buried there will be an eternal deliverance from the Curse With what Admiration Joy and Triumph will they hear Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the Foundation of the World Mat. 25. 34. What a Kingdom is that that never shall be moved What a Crown is that that is incorruptible What gladness will fill their Hearts when the Crown of Life is put upon their Heads The Sentence being pronounced presently 't will be done according to this Sentence possession will be taken of the glorious Inheritance they shall enter into life Eternal Mat. 25. 46. Thus of the Righteous I am to speak also concerning the Wicked and as to these you must understand 1. All the works of wicked men will be brought into Judgment All their sinful Deeds will follow them to the Bar of God! they will rise with them and against them at that Day when a Sinner shall appear and all his Drunkenness his Whoredoms his unjust and cheating Actions all his evil Deeds of every fort shall surround and appear with him before the Holy and Righteous Judge How will he be amazed at the sight of all his Transgressions How will he tremble to hear how loud they cry for Vengeance upon him Not a deed of Darkness but then will be brought to light to his greater confusion 2. Not only the Works of the Wicked but their very Words shall all be accounted for The Judge himself speaks this very plainly Mat. 12. 36. But I say unto you that every idle word that men shall speak they shall give an account thereof in the day of Judgment By idle words may be meant words useless and unprofitable to the Speakers and to the Hearers or idle and vain according to the Hebrew use may signifie false deceitful lying God does hear all words at present Psal 139. 4. There is not a word in my Tongue but lo O Lord thou knowest it altogether And words which very much declare what most abounds in the Heart must be answeerd for at last And if unprofitable talk will then be condemned how sad will be the Case of all obscene and filthy Speakers of all egregious Lyars of all injurious Slanderers and Back-biters of all Blasphemers cursing cursed Swearers of all whose impious Tongues have made bold with the Blood and Wounds of God their Judge and instead of serious praying have most presumptuously called upon and dared God to Damn them 3. As the works and words so the Thoughts of wicked men shall be brought into Judgment Thoughts are Sins and need forgiveness and ought to be repented of Memorable is that which Simon Peter says to Simon Magus Act. 8. 22. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness and pray God if perhaps the thought of thy Heart may be forgiven thee If these are not repented of and pardon'd alas these also must be charged upon Sinners vastly to the increasing of their punishment How innumerable are the Thousands of thousands the Millions of Millions of vain and wicked thoughts desires and lustings that have lodged in the Hearts of the ungodly The heart searcher sees every one of them and will make them know at the last day that he remembers all Proud and Self-conceited Thoughts and touring imaginations impure and lascivious Thoughts and inward boyling of Concupiscence insatiable Covetousness and eager projects for filthy gain the stirrings of Envy Malice Anger and Revenge the Judge will take notice of all for he knows what is in Man Joh. 2. 25. It will be a large Bill of Inditement where Deeds Words and Thoughts are all written down from first to last and not so much as one forgotten The opening of the Book of Gods remembrance where all are recorded will be very amazing 4. The Sentence that will be past upon the wicked will be unconceivably full of horrour Mat. 25. 41. Then shall he say to them on the Left-hand Depart from me ye Cursed into everlasting Fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels For Him who is the way to come to God to say Depart to God to say Depart to depart from Christ the Sinners only Hope and Saviour to depart with a Curse to depart into Fire the Extremity of Torment to depart into everlasting Fire to be tormented without any intermission or end to be for ever in such evil and hateful Company as Devils and damned Angels this is woful beyond all utterance And this Sentence as soon as pass'd will be put in Execution Now indeed such is the patience of God Sentence against an evil work is not speedily Executed and therefore such is their Malignity and Ingratitude the Heart of the Sons of men is fully set in them to do Evil Eccles 8. 11. But at the great day as soon as the wicked are Sentenced they will be sent and forced to go away into everlasting Punishment Mat. 25. ult the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 everlasting Punishment or Torment are remarkable for here it is necessarily imply'd that the wicked shall certainly be to Eternity that they may be Punished and Tormented to Eternity and they shall be sensible else it would not be Torment of the Punishment they undergo By eternal Destruction you are not to understand eternal Annihilation or being turned for ever into Nothing for if a wicked Man should altogether cease to be he must needs also cease to be punished For 't is no more a Punishment to be nothing to Eternity than it can be called a Punishment to have been nothing from Eternity Wicked men must be for ever and alas they must bear for ever the Lord's Vengeance and Indignation I speak thus terribly not without bowels of Compassion towards you I would fain fright you by telling you of Wrath and the Vengeance of eternal Fire that you may never never feel it In the Fourth place I am to demonstrate the certainty of this Judgment If Faith concerning it were but more strong what an Influence would it have upon the Hearts and Lives of them that do believe it The Arguments to prove a future Judgment are these 1. Are there not fears of this Judgment impress't even upon natural Conscience What 's the reason that when Men commit the most secret wickedness that is very unlikely to be known there is notwithstanding a dread upon their Spirits The true reason is Conscience tells them there is a God that sees what Man does not see and that he
will judge and punish the wickedness of which Man takes no notice This Doctrine of a Judgment to come of future Rewards and punishments is written in the heart of Man by Nature and he is fain to offer great violence to his own Soul before he can wear off what is written there and tho a Sinner become ordinarily very Stupid and Atheistical yet the thoughts and fears of Judgment will sometimes in spight of him return upon him The Apostle speaks of Conscience bearing witness and Thoughts accusing and excusing and then presently speaks of the Day when God shall judge the Secrets of Men by Jesus Christ Rom. 2. 15 16. Conscience judges at present and hints a future judgment 2. There is not such a Discrimination made in this World between the Righteous and the Wicked as is suitable to the difference that Grace has made between them Therefore there is a Day coming when there will be such a Discrimination Solomon tells us that in the course of Divine Providence at present no Man can know either Love or Hatred by all that is before him All things fall alike to all there is one Event to the Righteous and to the Wicked to the good to the clean and to the unclean to him that Sacrificeth and him that Sacrificeth not as is the good so is the sinner and he that Sweareth as he that feareth an Oath Eccles 9. 1 2. Nay often times the worst of men have in this present Life the best on 't We read Luke 16. of a wicked Rich Man receiving his good things cloathed in Purple and fine Linnen and faring Sumptuously every day A poor Man ready to starve for Hunger was laid at this Rich Man's Gate his Body was full of sores and yet this Mans Soul was sanctified with Grace a good Man he was though here he received evil things since thus it is now there is a day coming when 't will be otherwise Job having spoken of the Prosperity of the Wicked in this World strongly argues that in the next World there will be a dreadful after-reckoning Job 21. 30. The Wicked is reserved to the day of destruction they shall be brought forth to the day of Wrath This is the day I am speaking of a day of the revelation of the righteous Judgment of God Rom. 2. 5. Who then will render to every man according to his works to them that by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality eternal life but to them that are contentious and do not obey the truth but obey unrighteousness indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doth evil of the Jew first and also of the Gentile v. 6 7 8 9. 3. Christ hath Promised his Church that he will come again to Judgment and hath raised her hopes and expectations of his coming Rev. 3. 11. Behold I come quickly hold that fast which thou hast that no man take thy Crown Heb. 10. 36. For yet a little while and he that shall come will come and will not tarry He thus speaks to his Disciples Let not your hearts be troubled ye believe in God believe also in me I am indeed about to leave you but I go to prepare a place for you and assure your selves I will come again and receive you to my self that where I am there may be also Joh. 14. 1 5. Christ is the Amen the true and faithful Witness he will certainly be the Judge The Church will assuredly see him at last upon the great White Throne and her self safe and triumphant at his right hand When he comes how will he be glorified in his Saints and how will he be admired by all Believers in that Day 2 Thes 1. 10. 4. There are several things that are hastening Christs coming to Judgment The World grows old in Wickedness and all the Sins of the World have tongues to cry for the appearing of a Judge to pay their deserved Wages the World grows riper and riper for Vengeance dryer and dryer for that Fire that is to burn it The Church of Christ is also hastning Christs Appearing with their incessant Cryes Come Lord Jesus Come quickly Rev. 22. 20. The Spirit and the Bride say Come not only unto Sinners to come to Christ but unto Christ himself to appear that he may put an end both to Sin and Suffering That 's the longing and language of the Spouse Cant. 8. 14. Make haste my Beloved and be like a Roe or a young Hart upon the mountains of spices And this is not the Voice only of the Church on Earth but they in Heaven wish for and intreat the same thing How long Lord holy and true is heard from the Souls under the Altar Rev. 6. 10. In the last Place I come to the Application I begin with Inferences from the Doctrine 1. If there will be a Day of Judgment hence I inferr that there is a present Providence Will the Lord judge all at last surely he observes all now The Lord Jesus would have all the Churches to know as well that he searches the Reins and Heart as that he will render to every man according to his Works Rev. 2. 23. Whether thy Eye be upon God or no his Eye is never off from thee 't is indeed in every place beholding the evil and the good What a foolish Creature hast thou reason to call thy self who considerest not in thy heart that God remembers all thy Wickedness Hos 7. 2. and Gods remembrance at last will rub up thine and what thou now forgettest will sadly be recalled to thy Mind 2. Shall all be Judged hence I inferr the Love of God to the Righteous and his hatred of Iniquity Not one righteous Man but shall be acquitted and received by the Judge not a righteous action or sincere intention but shall be rewarded It will be found at the last day that a Widdows Mite given with a Charitable spirit and according to the ability was a great deal in Gods Treasury and that a Cup of cold Water given to a Disciple in the Name of a Disciple was well taken and shall not go unrewarded Mat. 10. 42. And there has not been there is not a Wicked Man on Earth but his Sin that has been hunting and pursuing to overthrow him will then find him out Psal 11. 5 6. because the Lords Soul hates the workers of Iniquity therefore upon the wicked he will rain snares fire and brimstone and an horrible tempest this shall be the portion of their Cup By fire and brimstone and tempest understand a suddain grievous surprizing and intolerable Punishment and by snares understand that they in Hell shall never be able to extricate themselves out of that Misery into which their Wickedness has brought them 3. If all shall be Judged hence I inferr the truth of the Doctrine of the Resurrection The whole Man has sum'd the whole Man shall be judg'd and punished for sin Believers