Seed of the Woman nor è contrà but there shall be a perfect separation The Sheep shall be separated from the Goats the Elect from the Reprobate there shall not be a Servant of the Lord amongst the Worshipers of Baal nor a Son of Beltal among the Sons of God Sinners and none but Sinners Saints and none but Saints shall make up these two distinct Congregations Nay so terrible will the glory which Christ will put upon his Saints be upon the faces of the Reprobates and so great the horrour of their own guilty Consciences that they shall now as much dread their Society as once they hated it and chuse rather to leap alive into the burning Lake then to mix themselves unto them or so much as to put their head within that holy Assembly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in praestituto tempâ—re Verse 30. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This Christ assureth to his Mourners shall be effected in the appointed time if not in our time yet in Gods time in the time of Harvest But what shall we do in the mean time why saith our Lord Suffer them to grow together suffer them not by sinful toleration in Rulers nor by sinful compliance in people Expectardo non temeâ—è occupando If we cannot separate from Churches yet separate from their Corruptions and defilements 2 Use but suffer them by patient expectation in case of necessity having no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather reproving them If you cannot avoyd the Workers yet avoyding the Works of darkness and then in your patience do you possess your Souls 2. This Circumstance of the Saints separation from the Wicked is improved for comfort by our Lord Jesus Christ himself In case of undue exclusion from Church Ordinances of such as Christ would not have excluded Our Lord Jesus hath foretold that the power of the keys should fall sometimes into such hands as would so diametrically pervert the use of them as that oft-times none should be excluded but whom Christ would have admitted nor admitted but such as Christ would have shut out They shall put You out of their Synagogues 1 Joh. 16.2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Excommunicate you You my Disciples you my Friends Hard measure I but here is comfort the time is coming wherein all the Elect shall be Congregated into one universal Assembly never to suffer exclusion or ejectment any more to all Eternity And then their unrighteous Excommunicators shall be righteously Excommunicated yea they shall be Excommunicated with the highest sort of Excommunication higher than any Church of Christ ever used Excommunicated for ever delivered unto Sathan not for the destruction of the flesh only but to be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord 2 Thes 1.9.10 and from the glory of his Power when he shall come to be glorified in his Saints That 's a dreadful Excommunication indeed the Anathema Maranatha in the highest sense quum Dominus venit quia Domino quasi in manus citra veniae spem dedentur Jude 14. Now the Saints of God are glad to get into Corners by twoes and by threes and blessed be God not without a promise to seek the face of God so making the Harlot's Text Prov. 17.17 speak chast language Stollen waters are sweet and bread eaten in secret is pleasant But in that glorious Morning of the Resurrection they shall meet by millions and myriads of millions and there shall be none to disturb or offend them yea their Enemies shall look on and gnash their Teeth for anguish and vexation of Spirit to see them now got for ever out of their power 3. 3 Use And lastly for Comfort in case of the Saints separation one from another whether by the unrighteous hand of Violence or the righteous hand of Providence Now by means of Dispersions Imprisonments Exile c. the people of God are like Arms and Legs torn out of the body and lye bleeding in their separations Yea God Himself is pleased to make sad breaches between them and their sweetest Relations by Death Under which they are many times like Rachel not without sin weeping for her Children and refuse to be Comforted because they are not lifting up their voyces and crying Oh! my Father Abraham and Oh! my Son Isaac O Absolon my Son my Son Absolon would God I had dyed for thee I will go down to the Grave to my Son mourning c. But here is Comfort the time is coming when the Parent and Child Husband and Wife Friend and Friend with the whole Family of Heaven and Earth from all their dispersions from the uttermost part of the Earth to the uttermost part of Heaven shall meet together and embrace one another Everlasting Joy shall be upon their Heads and sorrow and mourning shall flee away In a word how may all the Saints of God in what state or condition so ever for the present solace themselves in the fore-contemplation of the Triumphant gathering together of the Elect of God What a joyful Sight will it be when all the Saints and Servants of the most high God which ever saw one anothers faces or heard of one anothers names yea and all they which never saw or heard each of other All of every Tongue Nation Kindred or Family of the Earth of what Age Sex Generation soever from the day wherein God made time to the day wherein time shall be no more shall meet together and stand on tip-toe ready to take their flight to meet their Lord and Bridegroom coming in the Clouds with his mighty Angels Yea what a glorious sight will it be to see all The glorious Company of the Apostles The goodly Fellowship of the Prophets The whole Army of Martyrs with The holy Church throughout all the World A Congregation of Kings and Priests in all their Royal Robes Yea as I may so say a Congregation or Constellation of Morning-Starrs yea of so many Noon-day Suns arising from the Earth co-Ascending through the several Regions of the Air to meet the Sun of Righteousness now descending from his own Orb of Supream Glory and Majesty in the highest Heavens to Judg both the quick and the dead Surely such an Assembly eye never saw ear never heard of nor can it enter into the heart of man to conceive how immense how august how exceeding it will be in glory While in the mean time the Congregation of the Reprobate the Malignant Church that are left below upon the Earth on the left hand shall stand trembling looking upwards and gnashing their Teeth to see this sudden and tremendous turn of things the Saints whom they despised and persecuted before thus snatched out of their cursed power and fellowship Ascending in so much Pomp and Royalty to meet their glorious Redeemer They themselves left behind to curse themselves and one another for their Prejudices Envy and Rage which once they breath'd out against Gods people
all that believe 2 Thes 1.10 Oh how will such an Acknowledgment as this made by the Judg himself fill the Elect Angels with Admiration and the Reprobate with Envy that not the least guilt should be charged upon them by whom they themselves knew so much having been so many eye-witnesses as I may say the one to their grief as Tutors the other to their joy as Tempters Yea how will it fill the Saints themselves with amazement while they are secretly accusing themselves with Josephs Brethren we are utterly guilty concerning our Brother our Lord and elder Brother I say to hear the Lord himself not charging them with the least unkindness yea representing them before God men and Angels even as it were as immaculate as the Angels themselves who kept their first Estate yea in all this putting the Crown upon their head Rev. 4 10. which they cast down at his feet saying Not unto us O Lord not unto us but unto thy Name give the Glory Behold such honour have all the Saints And oh Use of Consâ—lation How will this infinitely compensate all the reproaches and scandals which a generation of malignant Cainites did cast upon the Saints of God while they sojourned with them in Mesech had their habitation in the Tents of Kedar speaking all manner of evil against them 〈◊〉 malam Verbum Gr. lying falsely for Christ's sake How will it cut them to the very heart to hear the Judg himself speak so honourably of those very persons whom they reviled with so much pride and contempt Mich. 7.10 shame shall now cover them which said Where is the Lord your God Their eyes shall behold them and now they shall be troden down as the mire in the streets Math. 5.12 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let them rejoyce and skip for joy Oh let the Saints even here rejoyce and be exceeding glad because for their repreach they shall have praise and for their shame they shall have double sc renown and glory and for their confusion they shall rejoyce and triumph in the approbation of their Judg and Redeemer c. yet behold all this is but the beginning of their Triumph I come now to a second end of the Saints meeting with Christ in the Air Second end The Saints publick justification consisting and that is their Full and final Justification And this consists of two parts 1. Their publick Absolution 2. The Judg's Pronouncing of them to be Righteous First Their publick Absolution Pardon of Sin is the privative part of Justification Imputation of Righteousness is the positive part Pardon or Remission is the Sinner's Justification sc from sin both from the guilt of sin and from the sentence or punishment due to sin By him sc by Christ all that believe are justified from all things Acts. 13 39. from which they cannot be justified by the Law of Moses This now must be one branch of the solemn justification of the Saints at their meeting with the Lord Jesus in the Air as a Judg he shall fully and finally in open Court Absolve the Saints from all their sins both guilt and punishment from which there was no Absolution ever to be expected by the Covenant of works This truly was done before initially at their first Conversion then were their sins truly and perfectly pardoned though not as some too presumptuously affirm all past present and to come Rom. 3.25 for sin to be pardoned before committed is somwhat an uncouth doctrine yet all 1. As to sins already past 2. All as to the state of Remission Jus ad rem though not jus in re an aptitudiâ—al right though not an actual 1 Jo. 1.9 Ch. 2.1 Rom. 8.16 they had a perfect right to the pardon of all their sins past present and to come though not an equal investiture Pardon was theirs and Absolution theirs though it was to be applied to them from time to time upon new acts of Repentance in them and new acts of Intercession in the Mediator and so likewise by new acts of Application by the Spirit thus the Saints were truly pardoned at the first moment of their Regeneration or new Birth And Secondly Fully and perfectly their sins were forgiven at the moment of their dissolution at death I say not only their right and state of Absolution was perfected but all their sins were so fully and finally forgiven them that at the moment of their Souls going out from the body there was not one sin Omissive or Commissive nor any Aggravation or least Circumstance left standing in the book of God's Remembrance And this is the true Reason 1 Jo. 1.7 The reason why the Judg makes no mention of the Saints sins why there is not as I told you even now the least mention made of sin in their tryal at Christ's Tribunal because they were all pardoned fully and finally at the hour of their death all scores were then crossed so that now when the books are opened and perused there is not a sin to be found but all blotted out and all Reckonings made even in the blood of Christ There was a punishment indeed due to sin but that was forgiven or taken off Psal 32.1 Ashre nesuâ— pâ—shing nesui from nasa Hebr. elevaâ—e Num 23.24 Châ—sui from Chasah â—gâ—re Lo Jaâ—ha shâ—b Iehovah is gnavon as the word signifieth blessednesses to the man whose transgression is forgiven i.e. the punishment of whose transgression is taken off There was a stain or pollution in sin but that is covered covered so close that it cannot be seen no not by God's all-seeing eye he hath not seen iniquity in Jacob c. Likewise there was a guilt in sin but that is not imputed and that 's the meaning of the former passage he hath not seen iniquity in Jacob i. e. not seen so as to impute it I say there was sin enough and enough for which God might have sentenced all the Jacobs in the world to Condemnation and have cast all the Israels that ever were into the bottomless pit but it is gone it is forgiven pardon makes such a clear riddance of sin that it is as if it had never been Isa 1 18. the scarlet Sinner is as white as snow snow newly fallen from the skie which was never fullied the Crimson Sinner is as wool wool which never received the least tincture in the dye-fat Here is I say Ier. 50.20 the reason why when the iniquity of Israel is sought for there is none and the sins of Judah and they are not to be found Ier. 31.34 for I will pardon them c. Yea not forgiven only but forgotten and should they now be remembred The Judg had long since cast their sins behind his back and he will not now surely set them before his face Ier. 38.17 he had cast them into the depths of the Seas bottomless depths of everlasting Oblivion that they might be buoyed up
thoughts of death O ye Saints of God! and why do you indeed what the Jews supposed Mary did John 11.31 go so oft to the Sepulcher to weep there behold your beloved Lazarus is not dead but sleepeth yea that which is of an infinitely higher consideration he sleeps in Jesus Did he live in Christ behold he died in Christ also Did he dye in Christ behold he sleeps in Christ Christ is nearly related to the Saints dust their ashes are not laid up in the Grave so much as in Christ yea though after death they should pass through never so many changes and revolutions and should be scattered at length into all quarters and corners of the world Dormire in Christo est conjunctionem retinere in morte quam habemus cum Christo Calv. in loc he that calls the Stars by their own names knows every dust of their precious bodies keeps them in his hand and is as really united to them as to his own humane nature in Heaven This may be as Jonathan's honey upon the top of the rod taste of it oh ye mourners of hope and your eyes will be enlightned look not on your pretious Relations so much as they lye rotting in the Grave or resolved into dust as upon their dust as it is laid up in a sacred Vrn in the hand and bosome as it were of Jesus Christ for which he himself will be responsible and bring it forth safely and entirely in the morning of the Resurrection there shall not be so much as a dust wanting for so it followeth Them which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him which is a wider breach The sixth Word of Comfort Sixth word of Comfort God will bring his Sleeping Saints with him God will come and when he cometh He will bring them with him which sleep in Jesus God will or God shall c. Some understand it of God the Father others of God the Son I know not why they should be separated they that say God the Father include God the Son i. e. God the Father shall bring them with him in Christ of by Christ referring he shall bring unto the former clause in Jesus The Verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So Erasmus and Tertul. Or by Jesus so reading it God shall bring them by Jesus And they who understand here God the Son exclude not God the Father And verily the order of working which is between the three glorious Persons in Trinity will not allow us to seclude either in this place For as all the external works of the Trinity are common Opera Trinitatis ad extrà sunt indivisa and undivided so Divines observe this method or order in their working The Father worketh all things of himself in the Son by the Holy Ghost The Son worketh from the Father by the Holy Ghost The Holy Ghost worketh from the Father and from the Son by himself The Original of the action is ascribed to the Father The Wisdom and manner of working to the Son The Efficacy of the operation to the Holy Ghost All external operation begins in the Father is continued in the Son and terminated in the Holy Ghost This is a mystery rather to be adored Psal 139.6 than curiously to be pried into such knowledg is too wonderful for us it is high we cannot attain unto it But as to the words of the Text God will bring them with him I conceive they relate more properly and peculiarly to the Son 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jesus Christ the Lord. For so it follows The Lord himself shall descend c. And when he cometh he will bring them with him that sleep in him The propriety of the work is ascribed to Jesus Christ God-man the Mediator between God and man he shall bring them with him when he descendeth from Heaven And that in a four-fold respect 1. Their Spirit or Souls from Heaven 2. Their Bodies from the Grave 3. Body and Soul united he shall take up to himself into the Clouds 4. And then carry all his Saints back with him into Heaven First when the Lord shall descend he will bring the spirits of just men made perfect with him from Heaven The Souls of all his glorified Saints whose bodies to this moment have slept in the Grave shall follow Christ out of the gates of the New Jerusalem to attend that glorious solemnity so it is prophesied Behold Jude v. 14. the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his Saints When Christ cometh to judg the world there shall not be a Saint left in Heaven saith Chrysostom * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heaven shall as it were be left empty to attend the King of Glory going forth out of his Royal Palace to finish the work of the great and last Judgment of the world he shall come attended with all his Saints they shall fill up his Train Secondly As Christ will bring their Souls with him from Heaven so he will bring their bodies from the Grave It is noted how that in the Transfiguration the body of Moses which was hid in the Valley of Moab appeared in the Mount of Tabor which assures us that the bodies of the Saints where-ever they be lodged are not lost but laid up to be raised to glory the same numerical body that was laid down in dust Christ at his coming to Judgment will first go to the Graves of the Saints and cry to them aloud in some such language as once he did to their Souls in the days of their unregeneracy when dead in sins and trespasses in the Gospel-call Awake thou that sleepest and stand up from the dead and I will give thee Life Or as somtimes in the days of his flesh he did to Lazarus John 11.41 when he had lien four days rotting in the Grave Veniet aliquando Christus cum potestate et majestate carnem illam quaerere illud corpus cadaverosum configurare corpors claritatis suae Bern. a lively Emblem and Type of the general Resurrection Lazarus come forth and they that are dead shall come forth It was the tenour of his own prediction while yet in the world The hour is coming in the which all that are in the Graves shall hear the voyce of the Son of man and shall come forth c. I shall not stay here to inquire into the nature and properties of the Saints bodies when Christ shall raise them up out of their Graves that inquiry will be more proper and seasonable in some of the following clauses of this context Concerning the manner of it for the help of our Infant-understandings briefly The manner of the Resurrection we may conceive it after this method First The holy Angels of God shall be sent abroad to gather together the scattered dust of the Saints though separated one from the other at never so great a distance into all the quarters and extremities of the earth Math. 24.31 and
precious Souls of Men which they being damn'd themselves ceased not to draw into the same Condemnation The Angels which kept not their first Estate or principality Jude 6. but left their own habitation he hath reserved in chams under darkness unto the judgment of the great Day With these chains ratling at their heels shall they be drag'd to the bar of divine Judgment and there having received their dreadful Sentence they shall be hanged up in those * There be two Chains viz. God's Wâ—ath and their own Guth chains in the mid'st of unquenchable flames to all Eternity but first they shall have a just and a fair Tryal And as the Reprobate Angels so the Reprobate world of ungodly men and women shall be judged for all the wickedness done in the body For the sin of their Natures Eph. 2.3 for they were by Nature Children of Wrath And for their actual sins for as they were Children of Wrath so also they were Children of disobedience they shall be judged for their Atheism whether secret by which as Fools Psal 14.1 they have said in their hearts only There is no God or open whereby as proud Blasphemers they have set their mouth against the Heavens Psal 73 9. saying How doth God know and Is there knowledg in the most High who through the pride of their Countenance Psal 10 4 13. would not seek after God yea contemning God said concerning all this wickedness and that to God's Face Tush thou wilt not require it But that Judgment shall fully convince the Atheist and he that would not believe a God shall know him by the judgments which he executeth Then shall the Idolater whether Ethnick or Romish or of what other impression soever the Blasphemer of God's Name whether by prodigious Oaths or by lighter taking his Name in vain the Prophaner of the Sabbath which violateth that holy day of God by work or sport either by sinning or idling out that holy time either by writing against the Sabbath or by living down the Sabbath the disobedient to Fathers or Mothers Natural or Political the Murderer the Adulterer the Thief the false Accuser the Covetous whom God hateth all these I say in what degree of wickedness soever even to every idle word Rom. 2.16 Math. 12.36 and every vile yea vain thought which with David Psal 119.113 they have not hated shall be judged I say out of those books The Gospel-Sinner shall then be brought to the Bar to answer for his unbelief impenitency his rejecting of Christ's Yoke his despising the tenders and offers of free grace his ignorance of and disobedience to 2 Thes 1.8 the Gospel shall then be judged the Lord Jesus is now revealed from Heaven with his mighty Angels in flaming fire to take Vengeance of them that know not God and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ All the Persecutions whether by the mouth of the Sword Imprisonment Banishment Martyrdom c. or by the sword of the mouth revilings scandals false accusations cruel mockings of proud Sinners now they shall be all charged upon the world of ungodly men whether out of the Church Jude 15. or in the Church Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his Saints to execute judgment upon all and to convince all that are ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodlily committed and of all their hard speeches which ungodly men have spoken against Him whether his Person or Members every sin with all the Circumstances and Aggravations yea Omissions shall then be reckoned to them that thought themselves safe because they were not gross and scandalous Sinners Math. 25.42 43. men shall be judged for their nots yea for defects and coming short in the manner of duties as well as the matter Mal. Rom. 2.12 1.14 Formality and Perfunctoriness and Hypocrisie shall then come into open view In a word all the world of ungodly men that have sinned and not repented of their Sin shall be judged at Christs Tribunal and every man according to the Light and Law under which he hath lived As many as have Sinned without Law shall Perish without Law Heathens shall be judged by the light of Nature and as many as have Sinned * Bez. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cum lege Verse 16. in the Law shall be judged by the Law And they that have Sinned under the Gospel shall be judged by Jesus Christ according to the Gospel Yea they that sin against the Gospel shall be judged by the light of Nature by the Law of Moses and by the Gospel too as having not only sinned against Moses's Ink but against Christ his Blood And all these Tryals will be severe but especially the Tryal in the Gospel Court So that whereas Sinners flatter themselves with thoughts That Tryal by the Gospel will be the easiest Tryal as if the Gospel were all Mercy the Tryal of the Gospel will be found to be the most severe and above all others intolerable It was indeed a Gospel of Mercy and a Gospel of Peace in the tenders and invitations and expostulations and woings and beseechings that were used the Tears of the Ministers and the blood of a Crucified Redeemer while once the long suffering of God waited in the day of Grace but all these are now past and gone having been rejected despised and laughed to scorn by wretched proud Sinners who with the bloody Jews preferred a Barabbas before a Jesus a base Lust before a precious Saviour now is the time of Recompence come the day of Vengance from the presence of the Lord is come and the Sinner shall know it The terrour of which day will further appear in these following Particulars First There will be no denying of any matter In the day of Judgment there will be 1. No denying of sin small or great that shall be charged upon those guilty Malefactors By the mouth of those two Witnesses the book of Gods Remembrance and the book of Conscience shall every branch of the Indictment be established the one of these books was kept before the Face of the Lord continually so that the great Accuser himself nor any of his malignant Agents could get in thither to alter or add to any thing upon Record in that sacred Register unless per-adventure he could find a time when God was a-sleep And the other book the book of Conscience was in the Sinners own keeping and who could break in there to interline it Indeed the Sinner writ down many sins there with the juice of a Lemon but the Fire of the day of Judgment will make it legible he writ them with the point of an Onion but God writ them with a pen of Iron and with the point of a Diamond deep and durable Characters that should never be raced out of the Conscience of a Sinner Now these two Books will agree so exactly like two Tallies one with another that it will be