that in Queene Maries time of two friends that were put to death together One of them was fearfull to think that the flames should scorch his flesh O saith the other be of good comfort for halfe an houre hence thou shalt be in Heaven O thinke though thou art weake and sick even unto death yet thinke that thou shalt shortly be with Jesus Christ doubt not of the truth of this for I could even pawne my soule of the truth of it that the Soules of the Elect are taken up into Heaven imediately after death O then let not death trouble you Doct. 4 The fourth Doctrine here mentioned is the benefit of Christs coming and that is to raise your bodies from the dead and receive them to himselfe This is the particular that I am now to insist upon and receive you to my selfe Obs The Observation is this that the maine end of Christs coming againe is for to raise the bodies of the Elect and to receive them to himselfe not onely to save the Soule imediatly after death but to raise the body also There are two Queres in the Doctrinall part of this poynt touching the end of Christs coming which is to raise the bodies of the Elect and to receive them to himselfe Two things in this First why Jesus Christ must raise the bodies of the Elect and receive them to himselfe as well as the soules Secondly when Christ doth receive the body to himselfe then what endowments doth the body receive as now it hath not First why must Christ receive the body to himselfe as well as the soule There are foure Reasons First because of the Resurrection of his own body Christs own body is raised from the dead and received up into Heaven and therefore the bodies of the Elect must be there also where Christ is there must his members be Christ the head is raised from the dead and received up into glory The Apostle doth ground this reason 1 Cor. 15.12 Now if Christ be preached that hee rose from the dead c. As if hee should have said Christ being risen from the dead doth argue that our bodies must rise from the Grave though they be dead there In 1 Cor. 6.14 And God hath both raised up the Lord and will also raise up us by his own power 1 Thess 4.14 For if wee believe that Iesus dyed and rose againe even so them also which sleepe in Iesus will God bring with him So that because Jesus Christs body is raised from the dead and received up into Heaven therefore our bodies must be raised up and received into glory with him Secondly the bodies of the Elect must be raised why because of the Inhabitation of the Spirit the Spirit doth sanctifie the bodies of the Elect as well as the soules the very God of peace sanctifie you throughont and I pray God that your Soule Spirit and Body be kept blamelesse unto the coming of the Lord Iesus Christ 1 Cor. 6.18 19 20. Flee Fornication every sinne that a man doth is without the body but hee that comitteth Fornication sinneth against his owne body What know yee not that your body is the Temple of the holy Ghost which is in you which yee have of God and yee are not your owne For yee are bought with a price Therefore glorifie God in your body and in your Spirit which are Gods Now the Spirit of God having a gracious worke in the body as well as the soule Therefore the body must be raised up from the dead as well as the soule and this the Scripture makes an Argument of in Rom. 8.11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you hee that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortall bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you So that spirit that raised up Christ from the dead if that Spirit dwelleth in you the graces of the spirit why that Spirit shall quicken your mortall bodies Therefore the bodies of the Elect shall be raised from the dead and received into glory with the soule Thirdly because the body hath a condition and co-operation with the soule in all gracious working because if that the body shall be partner with the soule being received unto Jesus Christ because the Body doth co-operate with the Soule Rom. 8.13 For if yee live after the flesh yee shall die but if yee through the Spirit doe mortifie the deeds of the flesh yee shall live Now being that the godly doe mortifie the deeds of the body and do expose their bodies to tortures and torments for Jesus Christ now because the bodies of the Elect doe co-operate with the soule in good therefore the body shall be co-partner with the soule in good also Fourthly it proceeds from that neere Union which is in a Believer and Jesus Christ Christ is the head and Believers are the members now the members must be raised and received up to Jesus Christ to make his body a perfect body Thus much for the Reasons why that Jesus Christ at his second coming he shall raise and receive the bodies of the Elect to himselfe as well as the soules The second quere is this I but what benefit is it to the body what endowments shall the body receive by this when Christ comes First in generall I shall say this to you that the body shall receive more glorious endowments then ever it could be capable of to receive and enjoy here in this world it may be thy Body is endowed with a comely feature yet when Christ comes to receive thy Body it shall be endowed better then now it is Chrisostome saith Take Wooll and let this Wooll be dyed into a Scarlet or purple colour dyed in graine yet the Wooll is the same Wooll as it was before when it was white but yet there is a more goodly lustre put upon it Thy body shall be the same body but thy body shall have more illustrious endowments then now it hath And thus much onely in the generall Now to come to particulars I shall resolve this Question in these six Particulars There are six glorious endowments that the body shall receive from Jesus Christ at his second coming when hee receives the body to himselfe First from being a naturall body as it is now it shall be made by Christ a spirituall body that is the first endowment thou shalt cast off thy old Apparell of corruptible flâ—sh and blood and shalt be cloathed with robes of glory it is no contradiction to say a spirituall body because the Apostle useth the expression 1 Cor. 15.44 It is sowne a naturall body it is raised a spirituall body There is a naturall body and there is a spirituall body The meaning is the body as it lives here is a naturall body reeding naturall refreshments I but saith the Apostle it shall be raised a spirituall body it shall have no more neede of naturall refreshments which the naturall body requireth
bewail bloudshed wicked men have made publique confessions of sin but in secret between God and their own souls they never made acknowledgement and confession of their evils unto God thus much for the third Quere The fourth Quere is this Wherein appears the difference of a godly mans making confession of sin unto God and between those confessions of sin in wicked men and there are these eight differences First Holy confession in godly men makes the soul to be more active and inquisitive after cure remedy and pardon for sin holy confession makes the soul industrious I confesse sin but how shall I subdue sin I acknowledge sin but how shall I get pardon for sin It makes it enquire how to get cure and remedy for the evils which before were confest Job 7.20 Job 7.20 I have sinned What shall I do unto thee O thou preserver of men c. I have sinned there is his confession Lord what shall I do there is his industry Thus the Jewes they were convinced by Peter of their great sin insomuch as they cryed out What shal we do to be saved But false confession leaves men idle and carelesse confesse they doe but they are not inquisitive how to get pardon for those sins they doe confesse Secondly Holy confession of sin unto God in godly men is attended with remorse of conscience and with grief of heart Psal 38.18 For I will declare mine iniquity I will be sorry for my sin there is confession and sorrow joyned together Hos 12.4 Hos 12.4 Yea he had power over the Angell and prevailed he wept and made supplication unto him Whilest confessions are in the mouth there will be either tears in the eye or sorrow in the heart if confession be true The wicked confesse sin but they never grieve for the sins they have committed they are not ashamed neither can they blush in the Prophets language Thirdly A godly man in confession of sin hath more freedome of spirit to confesse his particular sins in secret then he hath in publique I have poured out my soul before God saith the Psalmist confession of sin is a pouring out the soul before God he that can pour forth complaints against sin in secret more then in publique is a gracious man The wicked are only for confession of sin before men and not before God 4. Fourthly Godly men confesse sin freely out of a willingness they have to be rid of sin wicked men confesse sin with confessions extorted and drawn from them as men on a rack whether they will or no. Godly men confesse sin freely they are freely willing to part with their lusts therefore they confesse them to God Job 32.18 19 20. Job 32 18. For I am full of matter the spirit within me constraineth me Vers 19. Behold my belly is as wine which hath no vent it is ready to burst like new bottles Vers 20. I will speak that I may be refreshed I will open my lips and answer Thus a godly man in confessing sin his belly is as it were burst with new wine he must needs have vent else he is broken he must needs confesse sin his sin drives him to God But confession is extorted and wrested from wicked men It was the plagues of Egypt upon Pharaoh that wrung confession from him before these he would say Who is the Lord It was pangs and horrour of conscience in Judas that forced him to acknowledge he had sinned in betraying innocent bloud Mariners cast over their goods not that they hate them but as they are forc't to doe it to escape drowning when there is a storm and a tempest in their consciences then men are forc't to confesse sin it is by compulsion it is not voluntary Fifthly A godly man is conscious to confesse secret and small sins as well as grosse wickednesse David confest his pride and carnal confidence in numbring the people as well as his adultery with Bathsheba David confest the cutting off the lap of Sauls garment as well as spilling the bloud of Vriah But hypocrites confesse their grosse sins but not their small sins Cain confest his murder but not his envie Cain confest his murder but not his bad offering they confesse their grosse sins but not their smaller Pharaoh confest his oppression of the children of Israel but he did not confesse the secret hardnesse of his heart But godly men though they have not so many grosse and open evils yet small and secret evils pinch their consciences and troubles their spirit Those evils which will not break a wicked mans sleep will break their hearts what though they have not uncleannesse in the flesh what though they have escaped the pollutions of the world yet they know they have secret and inward defilements on the spirit and these they bewaile these they acknowledg to God A sixt difference is this that godly men are distinct and clear to confesse these particular speciall evils that have most predominancy over them Beloved observe this Wicked men in their confessions are confused and only run in generall that they are sinners Just like Ahimaaz when he would bring tidings to David touching the issue of the battell with Joab and Absalom saith he I saw a tumult and I heard a noyse but I know nothing Wicked men will tell you that their sins do make a noyse within them but they can tell you nothing distinctly and nothing particularly but only go at randome Wicked men in confessing sin are like Nebuchadnezzar Dan. 2. Dan. 2. He dreamt something but he could not tell what it was Wicked men dream of sins and think of them as confusedly as a man in a dream but when how and where and with what aggravating circumstances they know not they have not a distinct and clear view of their corruptions Thus Bellarmine did shew his wickednesse in saying he was not wicked when he was on his death-bed and his Confessor came to him to have him confesse his sin to him saith Bellarmine I do not know any sin in my self to confesse This was not the holinesse of the man but heedlesnesse that he did not observe his wayes Donatus the great ringleader of the Donatists saith O Lord I have nothing that thou shouldst pardon me Beloved this doth arise from stupidity that men see not sin it doth not arise from holinesse but from heedlesnesse and carelesnesse It is an observation that one hath on Job saith Job I have sinned and cause me know mine iniquity and my transgression and my sin Whilest Job made this complaint that he had finned God saith in all this Job sinned not that is not absolutely but meaning comparatively Beloved to be free in complaints and to be full in confession of sins doth not argue that you have more sin then other men have but it argues that you have more sight then other men have and the lesse sinne you have in you Seventhly Godly men confesse sinne out of a
my Brethren and say unto them I ascend unto my Father and to your Father and to my God and your God Christ did promise that hee would ascend Iohn 16.5 7. But now I go my way to him that sent mee and none of you asked me whither goest thou Neverthelesse I tell you the truth it is expedient for you that I go away for if I go not away the Comforter will not come unto you but if I depart I will send him unto you Iohn 16.16 A little while and yee shall not see mee and againe a little while and yee shall see mee because I goe to the Father I could quote you many Scriptures that Christ promised hee would goe away Fourthly the Doctrine of Christs going up to Heaven is confirmed by the Testimony of the Apostles who were Eye-witnesses of Christs Ascension Gerrard notes saith he Jesus Christ did rise invisible none saw him Rise the Scripture telleth you that the Souldiers that watched were asleepe yet Christ gathereth all his eleven Apostles that they might be Eye witnesses of his Ascension that they saw him ascend to Heaven Acts 1.9 10. And when hee had spoken these things while they beheld hee was taken up and a Cloud received him out of their sight And while they looked stedfastly towards Heaven as hee went up behold two men stood by them in white apparell and so the Apostle Peter in the 1 Peter 3.22 Who is gone into Heaven and is on the right Hand of God Angells and Authority and Powers being subject unto him So Paul tells you in Ephesians 4.10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up farre above all Heavens that hee might fill all things So in Hebrewes 9. the Author of that Booke tells you that Jesus Christ is not gone into the holy place but is gone into the Heaven it selfe In vers 24. For Christ is not entred into the Holy places made with hands which are the figures of the true but into Heaven it selfe now to appeare in the presence of God for us 1 Tim. 3.16 And without controversy great is the mystery of Godlinesse God was manifest in the flesh justified in the spirit seene of Angels preached unto the Gentiles believed on in the World received up into glory And in Mark 16.19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them hee was received up into Heaven and sate on the right hand of God I take the more paines to prove this because of what Ancient Heresies there have been to overthrow this great comfortable Doctrine of Christs going bodily into Heaven having our flâ—sh in Heaven this very day Fifthly it may be proved by the Concurrent Testimonies of the Angells who were witnesses of this truth Acts 1.10 ve And while they looked stedfastly toward Heaven as he went up behold two men stood by them in white apparell These two men were Angells the Angels did give in their concurrent Testimonies that Jesus Christ did goe into Heaven and the same Jesus Christ that did go shall come againe Beloved I know not any one poynt in all the Bible that is so proved and strengthned as Christs personall and Bodily going up to Heaven and thus much for the strengthning of you in the proofe of the poynt I lay that for the Foundation because if the proof of it be not well grounded then the fruit of it will not be well regarded Secondly what is the reason that Christ must have his Body goe up to Heaven and not his Soul as other mens First Christ in his bodily presence must go to Heaven lest his Disciples should be taken too much with his bodily presence and never looke after the Communication of his Spirit Therefore they aske Christ Lord when wilt thou restore the Kingdome to Israel they expected that Christ would take away the Roman Emperour which was a heathen and expected that hee would bee King himselfe Acts 1.6 When they therefore were come together they asked of him saying Lord wilt thou at this time restore againe the Kingdome to Israel It is for this reason say Interpreters because the Disciples should not dote on Jesus Christ as to looke on him as a temporall King and looke on him for a temporall Kingdome so that was one reason why hee would not leave his body with them but that they might looke after the Kingdom where he is therefore Paul hath a passage in 2 Cor. 5.16 Wherefore henceforth know wee no man after the flesh yea though we have known Christ after the flesh yet now henceforth know we him no more As if hee should say it may be those that lived in Christs time that knew him according to the flesh as a lovely person but saith Paul wee know him in a spirituall way to looke after Heaven by Christ to looke after Salvation by Christ Secondly Christ must be taken up into Heaven in his body to make a compensation and a recompence to himselfe for his sufferings in his Body to make a compensation to him for his bodily sufferings hee must go to Heaven Phil. 2.8.9 And being found in fashion as a Man hee humbled himselfe and because obedient unto Death even the Death of the Crosse Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him and given him a Name which is above every Name Therefore God did exalt Christ and raise him from the dead and bring him to Heaven because hee obeyed the death of the Crosse and took on him the forme of a servant Psal 110. last Vers He shall drinke of the brooke in thy way therefore shall hee lift up the Head Because thou dyedst and sufferedst therefore thou shalt lift up thy head therefore thou shalt ascend up to Heaven Heb. 2.9 But we see Jesus who was made a little lower then the Angells for the suffering of Death crowned with glory and honour that hee by the grace of God should taste death for every man For suffering of Death hee was crowned with Glory and Honour to translate him bodily into heaven that is a second Argument Thirdly Christ was taken up bodily to heaven it was to manifest to the World that Christ was God as well as man to manifest the God head of Jesus Christ therefore taken up bodily to heaven Eph. 4.9 10. Now that hee ascended what is it but that hee also descended first into the lower parts of the Earth Hee that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all Heavens that he might fill all things There the Apostle proves that Christs going up to heaven it was an argument that Christ came downe from heaven So in John 6.62 What and if yee shall see the Sonne of man ascend up where hee was before That shews that Christ was in heaven before therefore must bee God Coequall and Coeternall with God the Father and thus you have the second poynt dispatched to you shewing the reasons why Jesus Christ must go bodily into heaven The third point is I but what benefit and comfort
Heaven it is a ground of comfort to thee that though thou hast no place to put thy head in here in this World yet remember Christ is gone to prepare Heaven for thee It may be many of you have poor cottages smoaky houses why for all that lift up thy heart with joy that Christ is gone to prepare a large place in Heaven for thee Ballans the Arrian Emperour when hee did threaten Basill and said that neither by Sea not Land hee should be safe from his power yet saith Basil for all the Emperours rage I shall be either in Heaven or under Heaven Why so though thou mayst be driven to and fro by Sea and Land and have no abiding place of safety to put thy head in yet maugre the malice of Men and Divells thou shalt be either in Heaven or under Heaven A Cardinall threatned Luther with this that there should not be a place left for Luther in all the Empire O saith Luther smilingly if Earth cannot keepe mee yet Heaven shall Beloved beare up your Hearts that though thou mayst not have an abiding place on Earth yet thou hast one prepared for thee in Heaven Fourthly is Christ gone into Heaven to prepare a place for Beleevers then all Christlesse and Gracelesse men have no benefit by the Passion or Ascension of our Lord Iesus Christ dyed but not for thee Christ rose againe but not for thee Christ is gone up to Heaven but not for thee heâ— will prepare no place in Heaven for thee therefore as was spoken of Judas Acts 1.25 That hee may take part of this Ministery and Apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell that hee might goe to his Owne place It was to no place of Christs preparing it was prepared of old for condemnation In the phrase of Jude Tophet is prepared of old it is a place of an angry God and not a place prepared by a Mediatour This therefore should be matter of astonishment to all Christlesse and Gracelesse men what though Christ be gone into Hearen yet thou shalt never follow after him What though Christ prepareth a place for all his Elect yet hee prepareth none for thee thy place is prepared by an angry God thou goest to Hell and not to a place prepared by Jesus Christ And thus I have done with the second Doctrine to wit that the fruit and benefit that all the Elect of God have by Christs going into Heaven it is to prepare a place for them I goe and prepare a place for you Doct. 3 The third maine Doctrine it is the Doctrine of Christs coming againe I goe and prepare a place for you but I will come againe Christ may stay long but hee will not stay ever but Christ that said he would goe away also said hee would come againe To explicate the phrase I will come againe what is meant by Christs coming againe Beloved there are foure sorts of Interpretations of these words neither which are true but the last First by coming againe some understand by Christs first coming so the Jewes understand the Jewes that doe study for some of them doe study the Evangelists though they study to confute it they doe not believe that Christ is come so they make it of his coming in the flesh John 4. it was their sence of the coming of Christ in the 25. verse The Woman saith unto him I know that Messias cometh which is called Christ when hee is come hee will tell us all things why hee was come but shee thought that hee had not beene come O saith Jesus Christ I am hee I am come already so that the Jewes and the Samaritans did ever take the phrase of Christs coming but not to Judge the World but of the coming in the flesh Secondly it cannot be understood as by the coming of Christ by his spirit so some Interpreters doe understand the words but I will come againe by his Spirit and they make it agreeable to that phrase but loe I goe away but I will bee with you to the end of the World but Calvin rejects it because the next words say I will come againe to receive you to my selfe Thirdly it cannot be meant as the Milliners understand it of Christs coming again to remaine a thousand yeares upon the Earth and for that I shall give you severall demonstrations from Scripture when I come to handle it Fourthly by Christs coming againe it is to be understood as Calvin and most Interpreters take it of Christs coming to Judge the World As if hee should say I goe to prepare Heaven for you and I promise you to come againe that though your bodies die and rot in the Graves yet I will come againe and raise you up another day and receive you unto my selfe It is to be understood of his last coming And thus much for the Explication of the phrase Obser 3 The Observation is this Christ doth here give them a promise of his coming to comfort their troubled hearts From thence observe That Christs coming againe to judge the World is a Doctrine full of comfort to every Believer whilst they are here upon the Earth for the proofe of this see 1 Thess 4.15 to the end For this wee say unto you by the Word of the Lord that wee which are alive and remaine unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asteepe For the Lord himselfe shall descend from Heaven with a sheut with the voyce of the Archangell and with the Trumpe of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first Then wee which are alive and remaine shall bee caught up together with them in the clouds to meete the Lord in the Ayre and so shall wee ever bee with the Lord Wherefore comfort one another with these words In the handling of this there are three particulars and then the use The first is by way of Objection what comfort is this to us or to them that Christ should bid them they should not be troubled that hee would come againe when betweene the making of this accomplishment and this time it hath run above 1600 years already Answer First that Tract of time can neither interrupt the accomplishment of a promise nor the comfort of a promise it is comfortable that what is promised shall sooner or later come to passe especially in this wherein all the comforts of the Elect of God are reserved to the day of judgement Daniel 10.1 In the third yeare of Cyrus King of Persia a thing was revealed unto Daniel whose Name was called Belteshazzar and the thing was true but the time appointed was long and hee understood the thing and had understanding of the vision It is a promise made by Christ to comfort you against all the troubles of the World hee will come againe and though the time be long ere hee doth come yet the time appointed will be true it is certaine though it be long Secondly that the godly in ages before us they could
fruit of the Vine untill that day when I drinke it new with you in my Fathers Kingdome And this Alsted quotes from thence they gather it cannot be meant of Heaven why because there is no eating and drinking there here is promise by Jesus Christ and come to them no more till hee would drinke with them Wine in his Fathers Kingdome and it cannot be unlesse Christ doth come in person amongst his people Therefore Christ must have a Kingdome to eate and drinke with his people in this World This they stand much upon Take these cleare Answers to these Quotations First if all this cannot be meant of a Kingdome in this World for a thousand yeares my reason is this because the Kingdome which is Christs personall reigne it should be called Christs Kingdome and not his Fathers Kingdome it should have been called my Kingdome and not my Fathers Kingdome that is one answer that Divines give Secondly observe this that this may referre to that time betweene Christs Resurrection and Ascention for after Christ did rise from the dead you know hee did continue forty dayes on the Earth and the Scripture telleth you in Luke 24.42 And they gave him a piece of broyled Fish and of an Hony-combe And hee tooke it and did eate before them So he may as well drinke as eate but that to mee is somewhat uncertaine Thirdly which is the true scope of this place I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the Vine untill that day when I drinke it new with you in my Fathers Kingdome hee was taking the Lords Supper and was drinking the Cup of Wine saith hee I am going away and will drinke no more till wee meete in Heaven not that there should be Eating and Drinking in Heaven but when you and I meete wee shall have sweet fellowship and communion together as Eating and Drinking together As Feasting is a badge of Communion and a badge of Love so there should be endeared love and endeared Communion with Christ in Heaven you shall drink it new not new Wine nor eate new Bread but after a new manner of Love and Communion they should expresse Love each to other and have everlasting Communion one with another They say likewise that there shall be no sinne in the World and that the Earth shall be restored to its primitive fruitfulnesse as it were before the fall but I shall not meddle with these And thus according to my poore measure I have laboured to lay downe the grounds from Scripture why Christ cannot come to reigne personally upon the Earth a thousand yeares and have vindicated those Scriptures that seeme to patronize that Opinion Vse Is it so that the Scripture doth not determine of any coming of Christ out of Heaven till his last and great coming to judge the World O then labour to make it your worke to have Jesus Christ as King to reigne in your hearts by mortification to rule in thy Heart by his Spirit to Mortifie thy head-strong lusts that are in thee Secondly Seeing there is no Christ coming as King in this World why then labour to have Christ to reigne in his Church by a well-ordered Discipline that the Government of Christ may be established in the places where you dwell Thirdly seeing there is no Christ coming as King in this World then doe not trouble your selves about Niceties and Obscurities about his coming upon the Earth but labour to be fitted and prepared for his last and great coming Fourthly if Christ should come to reigne upon the Earth which the Scripture no ways speakes of then certainly the Saints of these times they doe make but a bad preparative for Christs reigne men that doe impale Saint-ship and monopolize Saint-ship unto themselves and say they are the people of God The Church of Christ and the Saints of Christ they make but a bad preparation for Christs coming to live in sensuality as they doe and comit such wickednesses as they doe upon the Earth This is but a bad preparation and but poore encouragement to Jesus Christ to come and reigne amongst such Saints as these are which indeed are a scandall to Saints a scandall to Religion and would be a scandall to that thousand yeares of Christ if hee should come to reigne but Christ will have better Saints then these are to reigne with him In treating of the Doctrine of Christs coming againe the other Quere is this how or after what manner shall this coming of Christ be but I will come againe Now in the resolving of this question I shall confine my answer to these six Particulars First hee shall come certainly Secondly hee shall come personally Thirdly he shall come visibly Fourthly hee shall come gloriously Fifthly hee shall come terribly And sixtly hee shall come unexpectedly These wayes the Scripture doth furnish you with severall hints touching his coming First the Lord Jesus shall come certainly Christs coming is not to be numbred among Poeticall Fictions or with the delusion of Mahomet but the certainty of Christs coming againe it is built on these three foundations First it is built on the immutability of Gods decree Acts 17.31 Because he hath appoynted a day in the which hee will judge the World in righteousnesse by that Man whom hee hath ordained whereof hee hath given assurance unto all men in that hee hath raised him from the dead The immutability of Gods decree doth prove the certainty of Christs coming God hath appointed a day in which he will judge the World Secondly the certainty doth stand upon the infallibility of Christs promises Mat. 26.64 Jesus saith unto him Thou hast said neverthelesse I say unto you Hereafter shall yee see the Sonne of Man sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of Heaven there is Christs promise to which three of the Evangelists doe concurre Thirdly the certainty of his coming it is grounded upon the impartiality of his Justice here every man hath not right and in Solomons Phrase a just man perisheth in his uprightnesse and a wicked man prolongeth his days in wickednesse therefore to shew Gods impartiality there must be a coming of the Sonne of Man to judge the World righteously I means this because the Doctrine of Christs coming is impugned by Atheists therefore you reade what Peter tells you 2 Peter 3.3 4. 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 asleepe all things continue as they were from the begining of the Creation And wee reade of the men of Athens they questioned this and would not believe this of Christs coming to judge the World Acts 17.32 And when they heard of the Resurrection of the dead some mocked and others said wee will heare thee againe of this matter Why of old time in the times of Jesus Christ or soone after men did mock at this Doctrine that the