mindes O how did they look one upon another when such a judgment as this was come upon them which they never looked for how did they speak how did they weep how did they cry and shreek what distress was there then upon all Nations and how did their hearts fail them and sink within them through fear when they looked upon the flood that was come upon the earth when they heard the winds blowing and waves roaring and saw no way of escaping Then they which had heard Noah foretell and threaten them with this judgment too late believed the truth of his words which before they did not regard then they which had seen Noah build the Ark and had accounted him no better than mad were convinced of their own folly and madness that they did not with him take some course for the defence of themselves at this time then they were perswaded of Noah's wisdome above all others on the earth and could have wished that they had imitated his wisdom in building for themselves such another Ark or that they were with him in his and possibly some when the waters were come and Noah was shut in by God in his Ark might run to the place and endeavour to clamber into it and be washed off with the stream Thus will it be at the second comming of the Lord Jesus Christ to judgement his coming will be sudden and unexpected the wicked of the earth will be eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage they will be as sensual and sinful and as secure withal as they are at this day they are told frequently by the preaching of the word that the day of judgment is appointed and that it hastneth greatly that the Lord Jesus Christ will come and that he will come quickly but they want faith to believe it and therefore they do not expect it nor fear it noâ— prepare for it It is said Luke 18. â—8 When the Son of man cometh shall he finde faith on the earth Some interpret this place as spoken not of Christs second personal coming to judgement but of his comming in a way of eminent deliverance of his people from the cruelty and oppression of their enemies which will be so strange and unexpected because they shall be brought so low insomuch that there will hardly be faith in any to believe a desiverance Others interpret this place as speaking of Christs last appearance to judgment that the earth will then be generally secure and that wicked men and unbelievers and oppressours of Gods people will abound and that true believers will be rare and very hardly to be found I shall not determine which is the true sense of the place but sure I am the wicked will be many and very secure at the day of Christ's appearance though the wicked be forewarned of this day yet they do not believe this thing than which nothing is more certain the wicked which are mingled amongst Gods people think strange that they do not run with them unto the same excess of riot they looke upon them as no better than fools and people besides themselves when they see them deny themselves sleight the pleasures and profits and vanities of the world and are so iollicitous above all other things to prepare an Ark for the saving of their souls to get an interest in Jesus Christ typified by the Ark that under his shelter they may be defended from the storm of Gods wrath which shall beat upon the head of the wicked at the last day The wicked do expect Christ's comming no more than the old world did the Flood in the daies of Noah But when the time which the Lord hath appointed the world to continue is expired and the Angel hath lifted up his hand to Heaven and sworn by him that liveth for ever and ever that time shall be no longer when the mystery of God is finished and all the things to be done in the world are accomplished and the day of judgment of old ordained is now come and Christ hath received his commission from his Father to summon all to his judgment seat O the dread that will on that day fall upon the wicked tribes of the earth when they shall see the heavens opened above and such a glorious Majesty with such a glorious Train appear in the air and when the earth and the graves shall be open beneath and all the dead bodies of all generations shall be raised and come forth and some of them shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the clouds and themselves with the most to be left behind and when they feel the wrath of God to begin to assaile them like a flood and to be poured into their souls like water when they see Christ coming in flaming fire to take vengeance upon them for their sins O this will be an unexpected and terrible appearance and so much the more retrible by how much the less expected Then they will not endeavour to climb up mountains but to creep under them to hide them from the wrath of the Lamb but all to no purpose no mountain will receive them for all the mountains and earth it self with the heavens will flee away from the face of the Lord Jesus Christ when his Throne is set for Judgment Rev. 20. 11. they will then looke about them and perceive all refuge to fail them and no way of escaping for them then they will with grief remember the warnings which they had of these things and be vexed at the very heart that they did not take warning then they will wish for an Ark and O that they had an interest in Jesus Christ and they will account believers whom once they esteemed as fools and mad men to have been the wisest people upon the earth and O that they were in their condition possibly some may endeavour to clamber up into the air with them when they are ascending to their Lord but they will have weights sufficient to keep them down The dread of sinners at the last day when Christ doth come so suddenly and unexpectedly will be far greater than the dread of the old world in the daies of the Flood 4. And lastly to name no more the suddenness and unexpectedness of Christs coming is set forth by the raining of Fire and Brimstone from Heaven upon Sodom and Lots going out of that wicked place Luke 17. 28 29 30. Likewise as it was in the daies of Loâ— they did eat they drank they bought they sold they planted they builded But the same day that Lot went out of Sodome it rained Fire and Brimstone from Heaven and destroyed them all Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man shall be revealed The Sodomites were notoriously wicked they were worse than beasts they would have offered violence and buggered the very Angels which were sent to Lot they were generally wicked there were not so many as ten righteous persons in the place though
Subjectively body 153 to 157 soul 158 to 160 2. Objectively 161 3. Formally 162 to 166 2. Of their entring into eternal life p. 167 chapter 11 2. Concerning the certainty of Christs appearance proved by 3. Arguments where concerning the Divine Authority of the Scriptures and the Resurrection c. from p. 168. to 206 chapter 12 3. Concerning the speediness and suddenness of Christs coming where is a Description of the Old Worlds drowning and Sodom's burning applied c. from p. 207. to 224 chapter 13 4. The Application 1. More generall from 225 to 229 2. More particularly 1. To sinners 1. To discover them from p. 230 to 234 2. To awaken them from p. 235 to 246 3. To exhort them from p. 247 to 263 chapter 14 2. To believers 1 For the trial of them from p. 264 to 269 2. For the comforting of them from p. 270 to 28◠chapter 15 3. To both sinners and believers to perswade them 1. To believe 2. To consider 3. To prepare where twelv◠Duties requisite in order 〈◊〉 preparation From 283. 〈◊〉 the end Christ's certain and sudden Appearance to Judgment Revel 22. 20. Surely I come quickly Amen Even so come Lord Iesus CHAP. I. THe last words of a Dear friend are usually most remarked and best remembred especially when they speak great affection these are the last words of Jesus Christ the best friend that the children of men ever had which he sends his Angel from Heaven after he had been some yeers in glory with the Father to speak in his Name unto his Churches upon the earth v. 16. I Iesus have sent mine Angel to testifie these things in the Churches and of all the things which he testifieth by his Angel this is the last and the sweetest in the Text Surely I come quickly Which words of Promise comming down from Heaven and expressing so much Love to the Church are followed with 〈◊〉 Eccho and resound of the Churches earnest desire Amen Even so come Lord Iesus c. Hence observe Doct. 1. That the Lord Iesus Christ will certainly and quickly appear Doct. 2. That there is an earnest desire and longing in the Church after Christs appearance D. 1. That the Lord Iesus Christ will certainly and quickly appear Here I shall speak 1. Concerning Christ's appearance 2. Show that he will certainly appear 3. Show that he will quickly appear 4. And lastly Apply 1. Concerning Christs appearance There is a twofold appearance of Christ which the Scripture makes mention of 1. In the Flesh. 2. In Glory CHAP. II. 1. THe first appearance of Christ was in the flesh above sixteen hundred years ago in the Land of Iudea unto the people of the Jews the only-then-visible-Church upon the Earth There it was that the Word was made Flesh and amongst that people he dwelt for a while some of whom beheld his Glory the glory as of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth There it was that the eternal Son of God was made man being conceived miraculously by the power of the Holy Ghost in the womb of the Virgin Mary without the contamination of original sin which all ordinary conceptions do introduce His real Mother and supposed Father were both of the Tribe of Iudah and of the lineage of David and he was born in the Town of Bethlem according to the Scripture predictions who after he had lived thirty years in obscurity was baptized by Iohn Baptist his Fore-runner and Harbinger in whose Baptism when Iohn saw the Heavens opened and the Spirit of God descending like a Dove and lighting upon him and heard the voice from the excellent Glory saying This is my Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased He gave his testimony concerning him that he was the Son of God and the Lamb of God who taketh way the sins of the world Who after his own baptism and temptation and Iohns imprisonment made his appearance more openly unto Israel shewing forth his glory not in outward pomp and splendour but in a more high eminent and wonderful manner altogether Divine exceeding the imitation of any Earthly Monarch in the World He shewed forth the glory of his power in the Miracles which he did work namely in opening the eyes of the blind and ears of the deaf in loosning the tongue of the dumb and the bonds of other infirmities in cleansing the Lepers and healing other diseases with a word in casting out Devils after long profession in calming the Sea and Winds when boisterous and stormy in raising up the dead before and after burial for some daies and the like He shewed forth the glory of his Knowledge in looking into the hearts of those which came unto him being able to perceive their most secret thoughts and imaginations and needed not that any should restifie of man for he knew what was in man He shewed forth the glory of his Wisdom in his most wise answer to the ensnaring questions of the Pharisees and others in the most excellent and heavenly doctrine which he preached wherein he did not teach his Disciples subtile and empty speculations which the greatest wits in the world have busied themselves about but great soul-saving truths indeed he revealed some great and deep mysteries above the reach of the highest wit of the greatest Schollar without the teachings of his Spirit which were momentous and needful in order unto practice but the greatest part of his doctrine was plain and easie He shewed forth the glory of his Holiness in his exact walking and perfect obedience unto the Law of God without the least deviation or sin He shewed forth the glory of his Goodness and tenderness towards the children of men in going about to do them good and give succour to them which were in misery casting out none which came unto him Especially he shewed forth the glory of his Mercy and infinite Love to his own people in submitting to so low a condition as he liv'd in for their sakes in humbling himself and becomming obedient unto death even the cursed disgraceful painful death of the Cross besides the soul miseries which he endured through sense of Gods wrath due for their sins that he might satisfie Gods justice and deliver them from eternal death and wrath to come and purchase Life and Glory for them Thus Christ lived and thus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures and being dead the bonds of death could not hold him neither did the holy one see corruption but the third day rose again from the dead according to the Scriptures and after his resurrection was seen of Mary Magdalen of Peter Iames all the Apostles of five hundred brethren at once according to the Scriptures After forty daies was taken up into Heaven and is there in his humane nature at the right hand of the Throne of the Majesty in the heavens making intercession for his people where he will abide untill the second appearance Thus concerning Christs appearance
in the flesh CHAP. III. 2. THe second appearance of Christ will be in Glory at the last day when the world shall come to an end this is the appearance we are treating of and therefore I shall speak of it more largely and show 1. The manner of this appearance 2. The end and transactions at this appearance 1. Concerning the manner of Christs second appearance what tongue of Men or Angels is able to set it forth what heart can conceive the splendour thereof Something the Scripture doth reveale and taking the Scripture for my guide I shall assay to speak something of it See Luke 21. 27. Then shall they see the Son of man coming in a Cloud with Power and great Glory 1. Christ at his second appearance will come with Power with great power he hath all power put into his hands in Heaven and in Earth now and doth exercise it more secretly then he will exercise it more visibly and apparently in the sight of the whole world To give instance 1. He will come with power over Death Death hath had great power since the Fall and is the greatest Conquerour in the world Death hath made an universal Conquest over all the sons and daughters of Adam Enoch and Elias only excepted which lived in former generations and hath led them captive binding their faces in secret chaining their hands and their feet and clapping them up close prisoners in the grave and none have been able to make resistance yea Death did assail the Lord of Life himself and got the victory for a while and shut him up in prison but he got loose before three daies were at an end broke open the doors and gave Death a deep wound as it were and an abolishing stroke in his Resurrection 2 Tim. 1. 10. presaging the compleat victory which afterward he would obtain over this enemy of man-kind Now when Christ makes his second appearance in the world at the last day he will exercise his power over death he will lead captivity captive he will lay his first Hands on Death and tread this Conquerour under his feet and strip him of all his force and spoils which he hath been treasuring up for so many years he will snatch the keys of the grave out of the hand of Death and open the prison doors and let forth all his captives he will loosen all the bonds of Death and knock off his chains and bring out all his prisoners into freedom and enlargment as it is said Hos. 13. 14. I will ransom them from the power of the grave I will redeem them from Death O Death I will be thy Plagues O Grave I will be thy destruction And it is said 1 Cor. 15. 25 26. that all enemies shall be put under the feet of Jesus Christ and the last enemy which he shall destray is Death And v. 54. When this mortall shall put on immortality then Death shall be swallowed up in victory And surely Christ must needs come with great power to get victory over such a potent enemy 2. He will come with power over Men and Devils he will have power over all his enemies which have rebelled against him over all the Principalities and Powers on the Earth that exercise Lordship and dominion in the World he will bring the Kings of the Earth down from their seats and pluck off the robes of Princes he will take the staff and the sword out of their hand and divest them of all their royalty and greatness and they who have employed their borrowed power against him how will they quake and tremble before him See Rev. 11. 15 16 17 18. When the seventh Angel sounded there were great voices in Heaven saying the Kingdomes of the World are become the Kingdomes of our Lord and of his Christ and he shall reign for ever and ever And the four and twenty Angels fell on their faces saying we give thee thanks O Lord God all-mighty which art and wast and art to come because thou hast taken to thee thy great power and hast reigned And the Nations were angry and thy wrath is come and the time of the dead that they should be judged and that thou shouldst give reward unto thy servants the Prophets and to thy Saints and them that fear thy name small and great and shouldst destroy them which destroy the Earth The Kings of the Earth and great Potentates will be angry when they are dis-throned and the wicked of the Earth will be troubled when the Lord Jesus shall come down from Heaven to call them to Judgment If all the Powers of wicked Men and Devils too who are greater in power than Men could they would make head and resist the Lord Jesus Christ and pull him from his Throne and put him to death as the Iewes did at his first appearance if they had but any hopes of making their party good against him how would they call their forces and gather their Armies and wage War with this great King especially when all the wicked shall be raised up and the ancient Rebels the Giants of the old World shall come forth of their dust and the Prison of Hell where some of them have been tormented by him many years O how would they combine their strength and so many millions of them together rush upon him with rage and violence and endeavour to avenge themselves upon him at least defend themselves against him when he comes to torment them but Christ will come with so great power that he will be able to deale with the whole wicked world of men together when they are raised and united in one body and have obtained more strength of body and are filled with more rage and spight of minde than here they had and are out of all hopes of making any peace with him and have the whole flock of all the Devils in Hell to joyn in to their company I say Christ will come with sufficiency of strength to binde them all in Chains and so to hold them all down that they shall not be able to make the least resistance he that hath power to raise the wicked from the dead will have power to keep all his Enemies from Rebellion he will come with Power 2. Christ will come at his second appearance with great glory At his first appearance he came like a Servant yea like a Servant of Servants at his second appearance he will come like a Lord yea like a Lord of Lords like the great Lord of glory at his first appearance he was â—loathed with dishonour and a chain of contempt was put about him but at his second appearance he will be cloathed with glory and honour and most excellent Majesty will be put upon him at his first appearance his Deity was vailed his beauty was masked with infirm flesh his brightness was under a Cloud though sometimes some beams did break forth with such a dazling lustre as made Peter fall at his feet saying Depart
God will enlighten it and the Lamb will be the light of it and Chap. 22. 5. There shall be no night there and they shall need no Candle nor the light of the Sun but the Lord God giveth them light and they shall raign for ever and ever In Hell it will be all night and no day there will be blackness of darkness for ever and not the least beam of light shall shine into that place and if the Sun and other Stars be given for the measure and distinction of times and seasons when the last day is come Time will be no longer and all must launch forth from the confines of Time into the vast Ocean of Eternity which cannot be bounded nor measured It is said Rev. 20. 11. When the great white Throne shall be set and Christ is placed thereon that the Heavens and the Earth shall flee away from before his face and no more place be found for them and 2 Pet. 3. 10. When the day of the Lord cometh that the Heavens shall pass away with a great noise and the Elements shall melt with fervent heat and the Earth with all its works shall be burnt up Christ will come with a glorious light and with a roaring dreadful noise which will further set forth the glory of this appearance see this expressed 1 Thes. 4. 16. The Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout with the voice of the Arch-angel and the Trump of God and Matth. 24. 31. He shall send forth his Angels with a great sound of a Trumpet who shall gather in his Elect from the four mindes Never was there such a noise heard in the World as then will be heard when Christ shall appear the heavens will roar the Earth will be in flames of Fire there will be a great shout and the sound of the last Trump in the Aire this shout will be given by Jesus Christ himself as is likely for it is said Iohn 5. 28 The hour is coming in which all that are in their Graves shall hear his voice and shall come forth we read Iohn 11. 43. When Christ came to raise Lazarus that he cried with a loud voice Lazarus come forth surely then when he comes to raise the World he will cry and shout with a much louder voice Such a voice likely will come down from him in a roaring shout Awake yee dead and come to Iudgement or arise yee Children of Men and come forth of your Graves Never was there such a shout given as then will be given which will be accompanied with the sound of the Trumpet the Angels shall sound the Trumpet we read Exod. 19. 16. When the Lord gave the Law from Mount Sinai that there were thunderings and lightnings and the voice of a Trumpet exceeding loud which made all the People which were in the Camp to tremble O what thunderings will there be in the aire at Christs second appearance and how exceeding loud will the sound of this last Trumpet be when Christ comes to judge them which have broken this Law That Trumpet was heard only by the Nation of the Jewes which were together about the Mount this Trumpet will be heard by all Nations throughout the World that Trumpet was heard only by those which were alive at that time this Trumpet will be heard not only by them that shall remain alive upon the Earth at the last day but also by all those which have dyed throughout all Generations from the beginning of the Creation such a noise there will be as will awaken all that shall be asleep in their graves Such a noise as will make all the corners of the earth to ring and the pillars of the world to tremble but O how will it startle the wicked when they hear it and fill them with terrour and amazement Thus you have something of the manner of Christ's second appearance set forth unto you he shall come with power and great glory CHAP. IV. 2. THe second thing is to speak of the end of Christs second appearance and the transactions of that day The end of Christs second appearance will be to judge the world the end of his first coming was not to judge but to redeem and save as he tells his disciples when they desired him to execute some judgment from Heaven upon those Samaritans which would not receive him Luke 9. 55 56. Ye know not what spirit ye are of for the Son of man is not come to destroy mens lives but to save them And Iohn 7. 47. If any man hear my words and believe not I judge him not for I came not to judge but to save but when Christ doth appear the second time he will come to judge the world Iude 14. 15. Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his Saints to execute judgment upon all c. Matth. 26. 31 32. When the Son of man shall come in his glory and all the holy Angels with him then shall he sit on the Throne of his glory and before him shall be gathered all Nations and so he goeth on in description of the last judgment In speaking of Christs judging the world and the transactions at that day I shall show 1. That Christ will raise up all the dead one of their graves 2. That he will gather all Nations before his judgment Seat 3. That he will separate the righteous from the wicked 4. That he will open the Boâ—ks out of which all must be judged 5. I shall speak more particularly of the judgment of the Righteous and the Wicked 1. Christ at his second appearance will raise up all the dead out of their graves there shall be a general resurrection Iohn 5. 28 29. The hour cometh in which all that are in their graves shall hear his voice and come forth they that have done good to the resurrection of life they that have done evil to the resurrection of damnation Something hath been spoken already concerning Christs victory over death and loosning all his prisoners but give me leave to illustrate the resurrection a little further and here I shall endeavour to set it forth by an allusion to that notable place Ezek. 37. and the ten first verses The hand of the Lord was upon me and carried me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones And caused me to pass by them round about there were very many in the open valley and so they were very dry And he said unto me Son of man Can these bones live and I answered O Lord thou knowest Again he said unto me Prophesie upon these bones and say unto them O ye dry bones hear the Word of the Lord Thus saith the Lord unto these bones Behold I will cause breath to enter into you and ye shall live And I will lay sinews upon you and bring up flesh upon you and cover you with skin and put breath in you and you
clog to the spirit I conceive that hereafter they shall be like Angels for quick and nimble motion they may be so qualified as in a moment to move many thousand miles why may not they move so quick then as well as the Sun and other Stars in the Firmament do so now which are bodies of many thousand times greater magnitude 6. The bodies of the righteous will be incorruptible and immortal 1 Cor. 15. 43. It is sown in corruption it is raised in incorruption And v. 52 53. In a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trump the dead shall be raised incorruptible for this corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortall must put on immortality And v. 54. Then shall come to pass the saying which is written Death is swallowed up in victory Now death is unavoidable and unto some is very terrible death hath all the children of men in the chase and shoceâ— his arrows at the righteous as well as the wicked and though they be delivered from the sting of death which is sin yet they are not delivered from the stroke of death but however death play the tyrant here on the earth and spare none yet he will have no footing in Heaven the bodies of the righteous when raised up again will be impassible and immortal immortality will be swallowed up of life and the life of the body as well as of the soul will be everlasting 2. The souls of the righteous will be the subjects and the chief subjects of the glory and happiness of Heaven if their bodies shall be glorious their souls shall be much more glorious as being their more excellent part and capable of more glory than their bodies will be we read Rom. 8. 18. Of the glory which shall be revealed in us that is in the soul and the Apostle tells us that The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with this glory the greatest sufferings and calamities in this World have not that evil and misery in the least shaddow of comparison with the happiness of the glory which shall be put into the souls of the Saints indeed the Apostle doth compare them and see how he makes this future glory to out-ballance 2 Cor. 4. 17. These light offlictions which are but for a moment do work for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory The afflictions are light but the glory will be weighty the afflictions are but for a moment but the glory will be eternal the weight of glory will be exceeding more exceeding far more exceeding here the Apostle layes one high expression upon the back of another and another upon that like so many great Mountains upon the back one of another and when he hath got upon the top of the highest of them yet he is too low to look into the glory of Heaven and his expressions and apprehensions fall short of the glory which shall be revealed in the soul when it shall be received into the new Ierusalem for it is yet to be revealed and therefore as the Apostle Iohn saith I Ioh. 3 2. It doth not yet appear what we shall be but when Christ shall appear we shall be made like him not only the body shall be made like his glorious body but also the soul shall be made like his glorious soul for we shall see him as he is as the eye doth receive the image of the object which it looks upon so the soul in its vision of Christ shall receive the Image of Christ and have a perfect similitude and likeness unto him the soul will be made most beautiful the perfect lineaments of Christ will be drawn upon it if grace makes the soul to shine here how much more will glory which is grace in the perfection of it make the soul to shine in Heaven and therefore grace is called glory it is glory begun 2 Cor. 3. 18. We all with open face beholding as in a Glass the Glory of the Lord are changed into the same Image from glory to glory as by the spirit of the Lord. The Vail which was under the Law is now taken away and with open face we behold the glory of the Lord that is I conceive the Lord Jesus Christ who is the glory of the Father the brightness of the Fathers glory which glory was more dark to our view under the Law represented by the cloud which filled the Temple but now there is more clear revelation of Christ without the Vail and clouds of types and figures whom we now see in the Glass of the Word and Ordinances and hereby are changed into his Image and receive froâ— him impressions of grace which is glory begun through the operation of his spirit in his Ordinances upon us yet stil we see him in a Glass and therefore there is a darkness through this interposition and the eye of our faith which looks thorow this Glass upon Christ is weak and therefore our Graces are imperfect and our similitude to him is imperfect but when the Glasse shall be removed and instead of the sight of faith we shall have an immediate Vision then our souls will be changed into a perfect conformity unto his Image and it will not be from glory to glory from one degree unto another but glory will be arrived unto its heighth and the souls of the righteous will be made perfectly glorious their souls will then have perfection of holiness without the least remainders of sin which in this World the most holy Persons are not wholly free from 1. Their thoughts shall be holy no blaâ—phemous thoughts shall then arise in their minde no filthy thoughts no eâ—vious and malicious thoughts yea they shall not have the least vanity or impertinency in their thoughts all their thoughts shall then be brought into pâ—rfect obedience unto Jesus Christ. 2. Their understandings shall be holy there shall not be the least Cloud or mist of ignorance or errour to darken and â—ully them when they appear before the glorious Sun of righteousness the brightness which will issue forth from his face will dispel all clouds and they will have a clear understanding of all things which will be needful foâ— them to know to make them happy God will then unlock his treasures open his Books which â—â—w are sealed and open their understandings too that they may conceive those mysteries of his word and that manifold wisdome of God which now do exceed their comprehensions 3. Their memories shall be holy they shall be strengthnâ—d to retain and bring forth continually out of their treasures whatever things new or old shall tend to feed them with love and joy and elevate their souls in the praiâ—es of God 4. Their wills shall be perfectly holy there shall be a sweet harmony between their wills and â—he will of God a perfect compliance with the sweet Law which they shall be under without the least contranitency or contradiction they shall not
make such an impression as to raise their hearts to an unconceivable heighth of love 3. The righteous will have a higher capacity for love in Heaven than here they have and they shall be filled with love unto the heighth of their capacity they will be able to love a thousand times more than now they can do and they shall love unto their utmost ability they will see perfection of loveliness in God and all that are about him and they shall have perfection of love here their love is sincere and growing but it is weak and imperfect hereafter it will be grown up to the full heighth of it and perfect love will cast out all tormenâ— here their love is mixed the stream is divided â—t runs and wasts it self in many small rivulets which empty themselves upon the creatures but then the whole stream will run forth unto God individedly not a drop of their love shall be â—pâ—lt on the ground God will be the sole object â—f their love here their love is uneven and incoâ—stant to God sometimes it ebbs and someâ—imes it slows sometimes they have a high and â—pring-tiâ—e of love to God but at other times it 〈◊〉 low water hereafter their love to God will be â—ven and constant and alwaies at the greatest â—eighth 3. And O what joy will there be in their hearts through the union which the righteous shall have unto God the chief good when their minds shall be joyned to him in immediate vision and their hearts in perfect love O how sweet a fruition of God will this be what delights will spring from hence if the Saints can now rejoyce exceedingly in God when they see him so little and their love is so imperfect what will they do when they see and love him perfectly and fully if they are now exceeding glad sometimes with the light of his countenance though they have but a glimpse thereof what will they be when they shall have a constant view thereof and live eternally under the beams of that light their love to God is sweet now though it be weak but what will it be in Heaven when the conjunction of their hearts to God by love shall be so neeâ— and close if the Saints can now rejoyce in hope of the glory of God what will they do in the possession thereof when faith shall be changed for vision and hope turned into fruition O how will the Saints rejoyce and triumph when they are sailed quite thorow the tempestuous Sea oâ— this world and are landed safely in Heaven where there is rest and peace without any windy stormâ— when they have got the victory over the devil and sin and are now placed out of the gun-shoâ— of temptation and have conquered througâ— Christ the grave and death and are out of feâ—â— of his arrows when they see that they have escaped the terrible wrath of God and finde them selves in the arms of his love when theâ— perceive that they are in Heaven now inâ—deed notwithstanding all their sins and doubts and fears and now they have that blessed vision of God which they so much desired and the full fruition of God in love which they hoped for when they shall look about them and see so much glory about them and shall look within them and see so much glory there revealed beyond whatever they could imagine O how will they be transported with joy then they will have fulness of joy in the presence of God and their pleasure and happiness wil be perfect without interruption or possibility of a conclusion And the eternity of their happiness will be the Heaven of Heaven as eternity of misery will be the Hell of Hell Thus concerning the happiness of the Saints or the eternal life of glory which they shall enter into 2. Concerning the righteous going or entring into eternal life The righteous after the pronouncing of their sentence and their seeing the execution of the sentence of the wicked shall pass away from them and go with Christ into eternal life they shall go with singing to the Zion which is above and everlasting joy on their heads they shall obtain joy and gladness and sorrow and sighing shall flee away Isa. 51. 11. It wil be a most glorious train such as eye never hath seen which will go together unto Heaven The Lord Jesus Christ will be in the head in shining glory all the holy Angels will be with him and the whole company of the righteous will be together that ever lived in all generations and O with what mirth and gladness will they move towards Heaven together with what shoutings and Hosannah's will they attend upon the glorious triumph of our Saviour unto the new Ierusalem but when they are come to the gates of Heaven and the everlasting doors shall be lifted up to them and they look into the place prepared for their eternal abode when the Lord Iesus shall bring them into the glorious presence of the Father and they shall have the beatifical vision of his face and see the smiles of his countenance and are received into the imbracements of his love Then Then they will finde themselves to be happy indeed then their heart will be filled with joy and their tongues with singing then they will sing the new Song the Song of the Lamb which now cannot be learned then they will sound forth the prayses of God and cry with a loud voice as Rev. 7. 10 11. Salvatiâ—n to our God 〈…〉 upâ—n the Throne and to the Lâ—mb And worshipping God they will say Amen Blessing and Glory and Wisdom and Thanâ—sgiving and Honour and Power and Might be untâ— our God for ever and ever Amen And there shall they live and reign for evermore Thus concerning the execution of the sentenceâ— on the righteous and concerning the second appearance of Christ and end thereof CHAP. XI 2. COneâ—rning the Certainty of Christs second appearance I'shall prove this by several Arguments 1. Aâ—g If the Scriptures have clearly revealed an◠〈◊〉 Christ's second appearance to judgment an◠〈◊〉 the Scriptures are certainly true then this second appearance of Christ is certain But the Scriptures have clearly revealed and foretold this second appearance of Christ to judgement and the Scriptures are certainly true Therefore the second appearance of Christ is certain 1. The Scriptures have clearly revealed and foretold Christ's second appearance to judgment It is not a truth written in the book of nature it is not to be found in the writings of the Philosophers and those who have had the highest speculations of natural causes and effects and products this is a mysterie which the world by wisdom could never finde out it is a secret which hath been hid in God and is revealed by his Spirit in his Word this coming of Christ was foretold by Enoch Iude 14. 15. And Enoch also the seventh from Adam prâ—phesied Behold the Lord â—â—meth with ten thousand of his Saints to execute judgement upon all
Earth Lâ—ke 21. 34 35. And sudden destruction will then come upon the wicked as pains on a Woman with Childe 1 Thess. 5. 3. The Lord will come in a moment in the twinkling of an eye 1 Cor. 15. 52. As lightning cometh out of the East and shineth unto the West so shall the coming of the Son of Man be Matth. 24. 27. Further this coming of the Lord Jesus is set forth in Scripture 1. By the coming of a Thief in the night Rev. 16. 15. Behold I come as a Thief 1 Thess. 5. 2. For your selves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a Thief in the night 2 Pet. 3. 10. The day of the Lord cometh as a Thief in the night in which the Heavens shall pass away with a great noise c. The Lord will not come like a Thief in regard of any wicked purpose and design but he will come like a Thief in regard of the suddenness and unexpectedness of his coming Men do not think of they do not know of they are not aware of they do not desire the coming of Thieves so the Lord will come at a time which Men do not know of when they do not think of it wheâ— they are not aware of it and he will be more unwelcome at his second appearance to the greatest part of the World than a Thief who comes suddenly in the night and breaks in upon their Houses to steal their goods and take away their lives when the Lord Jesus shall suddenly unfold the Doors of Heaven and come down in his glory and summon the wicked to Judgment how will they start and be affrighted out of their deep sleep of security and be filled with horrour and amazement 2. Christs coming is set forth by the coming of a Bridegroom at midnight in the Parable of the ten Virgins Matth. 25. 6. At midnight there was a cry made Behold the Bridegroom cometh go yee forth to meet him The Virgins were all asleep the wise as well as the foolish they did not expect the Bridegroom at that time the coming of Christ will be sudden and unexpected as to the particular time unto his own Disciples yet they will quickly arise and trim their Lamps and receive him with joy when the Lamps of the foolish Virgins for want of Oile will go out and they shall be shut out of the Bride-chamber of Heaven for ever 3. Christs coming is set forth by the coming of the Flood upon the old World and Noah's entering into the Ark Luke 17. 26 27. And as it was in the dayes of Noah so shall it be in the dayes of the Son of Man They did eat they drank they married Wives they were given in marriage until the day that Noah entered into the Ark and the Flood came and destroyed them all The old World was very licentious and secure in the dayes of Noah though universal ruines and destruction were so neer yet it being a thing which was unseen they did not expect it nor take any care to prevent it It is said of Noah Heb. 11. 7. That by faith being warned of God of things not seen as yet moved with fear he prepared an Ark to the saving of his house By faith he knew that the Flood would come when there was no appearance of it nor possibility in regard of the ordinary way of the working of second causes he believed it because God who could effect it and who cannot lie had foretold it and therefore he prepared according to Gods direction this great Vessel to defend himself and Family and some living Creatures of every kinde against the Waters which he foresaw were coming upon the Earth but the ungodly World having no eye of faith could not discern this unseen thing it is most likely they heard often of it by Noah who was a Preacher of righteousness but they did not believe it therefore they did not expect it nor fear it nor prepare for it they are and drank and slept and sin'd as if no such thing had been coming upon them It is likely when they saw Noah build the Ark such a large and capacious Vessel on the dry Land that they scoffed at him and accounted him no better than a mad-man as we should do a Man that should build a Ship on the top of a Mountain and expect that Waters should come up thither and waft it away But when the dayes of a hundred and twenty years which the Lord had appointed the old World to continue after his threatning of their destruction were expired when the decree had brought forth and the year of Gods recompence was come and the day of his fierce anger wherein he sent the Flood upon the Earth O the terrour and amazement which did surprize the secure sinners of the World at that time when the Windows of Heaven were opened from above out of which God looked forth upon sinners with such a furious countenance and poured forth his anger in such streames of water and the Fountains of the great deep were opened from beneath and the Flood began to arise and lift up the head and swell about them when the Valleys were filled with running Waters and the Plains were covered as if they had been a Sea when this enemy did combine so many Forces together having a Commission from God to destroy and strengthned it self on every side and environed these rebellious sinners round about and assailed them in every quarter when not only smaller Cortages were overturned but also the streames brake in with irresiftible force upon the strongest and greatest edifices when great Doors were lifted off of their hinges or broken to pieces and the Water like a Thief climbed in at the Windows and roaring all about with a hideous noise pursued those which fled from it following them up stairs even to the highest room until it had overtaken them and devoured them without mercy think what a hurry and affright the World was in at that time how every one shifted for himself if possible to preserve himself from the fury of this Conqueror how they forsook the lower grounds and flocked together to the Hill-Countreys in great haste leaving their substance behinde them with a sad heart how they were drenched with the Rain from Heaven and wet to the skin as they went along and scarcely were able to take breath the stormes was so impetuous about them and when they perceived the Flood to beset the highest Mountains whither some of them were fled and upon the top of which some of them had climbed hoping it may be that they had got unto an inaccessible place that the billows were mounting towards them now the whole World seeth their death and ruine to be inevitable that there was no contending with no resisting or flying from these armed Waters which God had sent to execute his vengeance upon them for their sins we may imagine something of the horrible perplexitie of their
come little thinking that the World is not of a years nor two dayes standing longer but O what terrour will seize upon these Worldings the next morning when Christ doth appear to judge them and they finde that whilst they have gained something in the World which they cannot now keep and will yield no profit in this day of wrath that they have lost their souls and happiness for ever which they cannot regain that whilst they have been busie about trifles they have neglected the one thing necessary then they will wish that instead of planting Trees in their Ground they had spent their time in getting grace planted in their hearts that instead of building Houses for their bodies they had laid a good foundation for this time and got a title to the building of God the House not made with hands which is durable and eternal The day before Christs coming will be a sinning-day with all the wicked and a day of general security some will be swearing and cursing others will be oppressing and grinding the faces of the poor others will be reproaching and persecuting of Gods people and the very night before it may be many wicked Persons may be got together Carding and Dicing and Drinking all night unto Drunkenness and others may be got into the unclean Bed and there lie in their filthiness and all will be sleeping in sin and security but the sound of the last Trumpet will startle and awaken them all when sinners open their eyes on this morning and see the Heavens open before them and the Lord Jesus Christ descend in such glory as hath been described none can utter what their perplexity will be at that day and the suddenness of Christs coming will make their horrour the greater some of them were told of this day of Fire when the Heavens should pass away with a great noise and the Elements should melt with fervent heat and the Earth with the works therof should be burnt up and what course they should take to escape the vengeance of this day they were perswaded to leave their sins to flee from the wrath to come to hasten out of Sodom if they would not be consumed in its flames to get away and not look back to flee presently into Zoar where only they could be hid to get into the City of refuge if they would escape the vengeance which did pursue them which had them upon the chase they were invited into Gods Family and into the armes of his mercy they were invited unto Christ and to partake of his grace freely they were told again and again if they did go on in the way of sin that iniquity would be their ruine that so long as they did abide in a state of impenitency and unbelife that the wrath of God did abide on them they were told how sweet Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ was and how ready he would be to receive them if they applyed themselves by faith with repentance for sin unto him and they were told how furious and inexorable a Judge he would be and what vengeance he would take upon them at the last day if they did not take warning in the day of grace which they had allowed them they were told that Hell Fire was very hot and intollerable and that Heavens pleasures were very sweet and most desirable and they were earnestly entreated to fly from the former and accept of the latter upon the most reasonable termes on which they were proffered But they were like Lot's Sons in Law they did not believe Ministers which warned them seem'd in their eyes as if they had mocked them their words seemed like idle tales whatever haste the Lots made out of Sodom they would not stir they did not look after a Zoar to flie unto they hugged their sins and would not leave them they heard of Christ but they neglected slighted refused him they did not apprehend such need which they had of a Saviour they were fearless of future wrath and careless of the salvation and happiness of their souls But when Christ doth come down so suddenly and unexpectedly to judge and condemn them and shall cast them into the Lake which burns with Fire and Brimstone then they will remember these things with vexation far greater than that of Lot's Sons in Law when Fire and Brimstone was rained from Heaven upon them who would not hearken to the counsel of their Father to escape it CHAP. XIII The Application THe Lord Jesus Christ will certainly and quickly appear The day is appointed by the eternal and unalterable decree of God and he hath revealed the thing though not the time in his word of truth the day approacheth it cannot be far off time is flying away upon swift wings the day of the World is almost spent the shaddowes of its evening are stretched forth to a great length yet a little while and Christ will be here he will appear in his glory never did eye of Man behold such glory and majesty in the greatest earthly Potentate as will be seen in the Lord Jesus Christ on this day all the state and pomp and splendor and glittering glory which some Princes have been decked withall in their Triumphant showes is no more to be compared with the pomp and splendor of the Lord Jesus Christ in this appearance than the shining of a Candle or Glow-worm or rotten stick in the night is to be compared with the shining of the Sun in its noon-day glory Ere long the great Gates of Heaven will lift up their heads and those everlasting Doors within which Christ doth for the present remain will be opened and then this King of Glory will come forth and come down with marvellous splendour and brightness of Majesty It is said Psal. 47. 5. God is gone up with a shout the Lord with the sound of the Trumpet then God will come down with a shout the Lord with the sound of a Trumpet 1 Thess. 4. 16. The Chariots of the Lord are twenty thousand even thousands of Angels Psal. 68. 17. All the holy Angels shall attend upon him and blow the Trumpet before him at this last Assizes to awaken and summon on the World to judgment then the Sun in the Firmament will be darkned when this more glorious Sun doth appear then the whole frame of Heaven will shake and the foundations of the Earth will be moved the everlasting Mountains will bow and the perpetual Hills will shrink yea the Heavens will pass away with a great noise and like a skroll be rolled together and the Elements will melt with fervent heat and the Earth wâ—â—l be on Fire and every Mountain and Island will flee away from before his face then the Sea will roar and all living Creatures likely will be in a strange consternation then the wicked Tribes of the Earth will mourn and the Saints will rejoyce at this glorious appearance of the great God and their Saviour But who will be alive on
this glorious day who will be the Spectators of these great things whose eyes shall behold this blessed sight who shall see the Lord Jesus come in such glory many Kings and Prophets and righteous Men desired to-see Christ come in the flesh and did not see him and to hear the things which he taught but they did not obtain their desire many Generations were asleep in their Graves before Christs first appearance the righteous saw him afar off and darkly in types and figures few lived in the dayes when our Saviours abode was upon the Earth he had not many Disciples whom he made happy with his personal acquaintance and abode with them A great access there hath been since Christs departure unto the Church who though they have loved him and believed in him yet they never saw him with bodily eyes Three things one desired to see Christ in the flesh Paul in the Pulpit and Rome in its glory but past things are fled out of sight and the wishes of such things are â—o no purpose death hath closed the eyes of many millions of Christs Disciples who have heard the report of him but never saw him And is not their hopes of seeing Christ perished in the Graves with their bodies which are turned into rottenâ—ess and purrefaction and are not we all hastâ—ing towards those dark Chambers where no â—eam of light doth shine and nothing can be seen the righteous indeed which remain when Christ doth come down will be happy when they see their Lord in the aire but if we die before the time what shall we be the better Beloved let me tell you or rather believe the Word of God which doth tell you that all of you will be spectators of the great things which shall come to pass at the last day all Generations of Men and Women that ever lived upon the face of the Earth and are sleeping in the dust shall then be awakened and raised and be alive together and you shall be found alive amongst them that which our Saviour spake to the chief Priests and Elders of the Iewes before whom he was accused and stood as a Prisoner Hereafter yee shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power and coming in the Clouds of Heaven Matth. 26. 64. The same may I say unto all you that hear me this day hereafter yee shall see the Son of Man coming in the Clouds of Heaven Rev. 1. 7. Behold he cometh with Clouds and every eye shall see him These very eyes with which you look upon me or one upon another shall see the Lord Jesus Christ come in the aire these very cares with which you hear me preach this Doctrine unto you shall hear the sound of the last Trumpet and the great shout with which Christ will descend out of his Fathers Pallace into this inferiour World these very bodies which are standing or sitting in this place must stand before Christs Tribunal Seat at the last Day Death hath a Commission from God to pull you out of your habitations and drag your bodies into its Prison and this enemy is upon the way and hath you all in pursuit and how neer he is come to your Doors you do not know his arrows are flying about your eares and you will be smitten sooner or later either when you are younger or older none can escape his stroke your time is wasting your Glass is running and ere long you will be expiring your last breath and these bodies which you are cloathing and feeding and providing for every day will lie a dying and be carryed by your mourning friends to your Graves And as certain as Death so certain will your Resurrection be at Christs coming Christ hath received a Commission from God to judge the World and he will come down from Heaven with the Keyes of Death and Hell and open the Doores where you shall have your lodging and bring you forth to judgment I must awake on that day if I fall asleep into my Grave before and arise and give an account of my self and the souls committed to my charge unto my Lord and Master and you must awake also and give an account of your selves and actions unto the glorious Judge your lives then will be reviewed your actions will be examined and it will be known then what you have been doing ever since you came into the World how you have spent your time how you have improved the seasons and means of grace then it will appear who are Christs sheep and who the Goats however they now flock together sometimes in one company who are wise and who the foolish Virgins however now all have Lamps shining then it will be known who have been wise unto salvation who have made their peace with God in the way who have furnished their hearts with grace laid up their treasure in Heaven and improved their talents for their Masters use upon the Earth and who have foolishly slipt and sinned away the harvest and day of grace neglecting Christ and the things which belonged to their peace and happiness until they were hid from their eyes who have been hypocrites and unbelievers and served divers lusts instead of serving the Lord of life and glory and all ungodly sinners will be found out and punished then all of you yea the whole World will believe the doctrine which we now preach concerning the vanity of the Creatures the evil of sin the necessiry of Christ the excellency of grace the happiness of Gods Children and O what will the pardon of sin the favour of God the least measure of grace be worth then our Doctrine concerning these things is as true now and the worth to Christ and grace and salvation as great though then Mens valuation will be greater because the worth will be more apparent But give me leave to apply this Doctrine concerning the certainty and speediness of the coming of Christ to Judgment 1. To Sinners 2. To Believers 3. To both 1. I shall speak to sinners 1. To discover them 2. To awaken them 3. To exbort them 1. For the Discovery of Sinners Will the Lord Jesus Christ certainly and quickly appear to Judgment and must the whose World be summoned unto his Bar surely then it doth above all things concern all of you to sit down and consider how you are provided for this day all of you will be spectators of Christ and his glory on that day but you will not be idle spectators as sometimes you have been of great shows in the City whilst it was yet standing which have passed away and you have gone away without much regard of the things you have seen No you will all be most highly concerned in this appearance of Christ more then Persons who are to be tryed for their lives are concerned at the appearance of the Judge who comes to paâ—s sentence upon them you will all be tryed on that day and your everlasting weal or wo will depend
upon the account you shall give and the sentence which shall be pronounced upon you by the great Judge therefore let me beseech you all to examine your selves whither you are prepared for this day of Judgment it will be a woful day to such sinners whom the Lord Jesus will condemn unto everlasting torments and are there no such Persons amongst you are there no ungodly ones gathered together into this place are all of you Saints and Children of God if you are not such you will wish you had been such at that time but are you all such now the worst of you may be such if you seriously diligently and timely seek such a priviledge but are you such yet are there not many here whom the Lord Jesus Christ will come in flaming Fire to take vengeance upon It would take up too much room to speak of all those sinners whom Christ will condemn especially having already spoken particularly of them under the conviction from pag. 87. to 115. But briefly and more summarily for the discovery of such Persons that you may examine your selves whether you are in their number The sinners which Christ will condemn at his appearance may be known by these Characters They are 1. Carnal 2. Sensual 3. Earthly 4. Devilish 1. Christ will condemn such as are carnal I mean such as are in the flesh such as are in the state of nature such as never were regenerated or born again by the Word and Spirit as never have had experience of a work of grace upon their hearts such as are blind and never had their eyes opened to see their sin and their Saviour who are muffled up in the darkness and hoodwinked with the vail of ignorance and unbelief and upon whose eyes there are such thick scales that the glorious light of the Gospel hath never been discerned by them in a spiritual and saving way such who are asleep and never had their consciences awakened out of their carnal security whose consciences are seared as with a hoâ— Iron and permit them to sin with little check or controll such who are dead in sin and never were quickned by the Spirit of life such as are slaves to their lusts and under the reigning power of sin and never were delivered from this worse than Turkish bondage that never were converted and savingly changed never were humbled and emptied of themselves never truly repented and mourned for sin never were powerfully drawn unto and savingly closed with Jesus Christ that never were renewed in their minds and hearts transformed after the Image of God transplanted into the garden of the Lord and engrafted into the new stock such in whom all old things remain and are wholly carnal in the same state in which they were first born their persons will all be condemned by the Judge Iohn 3. 3. Matth. 13. 3. Rom. 8. 13. 2 Cor. 5. 17. Eph. 4. 22 23 24. 1 Cor. 15. 50. Matth. 5. 8. Heb. 12. 14. Luke 13. 3. Revel 21. 27. 2. Christ will condemn the sensual I mean such who are so far from denying themselves crucifying the flesh mortifying the deeds of the body taking up the cross walking in the narrow way of â—trict obedience striving to enter in at the strait gate which alone can bring unto eternal life and happiness and subjugating their thoughts wil affections unto the government of Christ and so living as if they were his servants indeed whose name they bear that they labour either to imprison or banish or hide themselves from the light of those truths which would reach them these things to bribe or muzzle conscience which would urge them yea to shake off the government of reason it self which would put a curb upon them and so give up themselves to licentiousness making provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof with all greediness such who are so far degenerated and fallen from that primitive holiness which nature was endued with at the first creation that they have lost the relicts of Gods Image and blotted out the characters of his law engraven upon the hearts of all men and have made themselves like beasts yea more vile than the beasts that perish such are they that are sensual and luxurious and seek for their chiefest happiness in pleasing their sensual appetites such are drunkards and gluttons and adulterers who wallow in the mire of such sins who spend their daies in such pleasures and gather as much of them as they can finde without any regard to Gods Law which doth forbid them or to those higher sweeter pleasures which they are capable of and might obtain if they did seek after them in the way which God hath appointed All these which fulfil the desires of the flesh are children of wrath Ephes. 3. 3. and they which please themselves and live deliciously here will have torment and sorrow given them by Christ at his appearance Rev. 18. 7. Luke 6. 25. 3. Christ will condemn the earthly such who lay up for themselves treasures on earth and neglect the heavenly treasure Matth. 6. 19 20. who love the world and things in the world and have no true love to the Father who is the God of love and the chief good of mankind 1 Ioh. 2. 15. All covetous worldlings will be condemned by Jesus Christ for their heart Idolatry Eph. 5. 5 6. especially unjust and unrighteous persons oppressors and extortioners earth will be all the portion of such who make choice of it no room will be found for them in the Kingdom of heaven 1 Cor. 6. 10. 4. Christ will condemn the Devilish all such as are children of the devil as bear his Image and do his work that yield themselves to be his slaves and servants and endeavour the promotion of the interest of his Kingdom all such as are under the power of Devilish pride and Devilish envy and Devilish malice all Devilish lyars and Devilish slanderers and Devilish persecutors of Gods people In a word all such persons as live in a course of sin and never brake off the trade thereof by repentance and obtained a pardon of sin through faith and yielded up themselves unto the obedience of the Gospel will be condemned by Christ at his appearance Beloved examine your selves seriously hereby and what hath been before said whether you are not in the number of these persons whether none of you are carnal in a state of nature whether none of you are sensual or earthly whether none of you are children of the Devil whether none of you are Drunkards Adulterers Liars slanderers unjust unrighteous and withall impenient persons unbelievers and children of disobedience against whom the wrath of God will be revealed when the Lord Jesus Christ shall be revealed from Heaven to Judgment 2. For the awakening of sinners Will the Lord Jesus Christ certainly and quickly appear to judgment methinks this doctrine should awaken sleepy sinners and arouze them out of their carnal â—ecurity Doth conscience accuse you
and secretly tell any of you that you are in the number of those persons whom the Lord will condemn at the last day and sentence unto Hell methinks it should make you startle and look about you methinks it should make your hair stand an end and every joynt to tremble methinks it should fill you with fear and imprint such trouble upon your spirits as would damp all your earthly comforts and delights to confider the danger which ye are in by reason of sinâ— the guilt of which doth still lie upon you Every word of this Doctrine is awakening 1 Awake sinners awake Christ will appear to judgment Christ will appear whom you have read of and heard of and have had frequent proffers of but could never be prevailed to accept of Christ will appear in his glory in whom you could see no beauty or desirableness Christ will appear as a Iudge whom you might have had for your Saviour Sinners the Judge of the whole world will appear and can you sleep under the guilt of sin He will be a most glorious powerful wise holy righteous strict furious inexorable Judge as hath been shown from p. 65. to p. 73. and yet are you secure and fearless you have heard God's terrible voice in the City and that hath not awakened you and will not Christ's appearance to Judgment awaken you neither You have been asleep under the sound of temporal judgments and can you sleep under the thoughts of the last judgment when the punishment which shall then be inflicted will be eternal 2. Awake sinners awake Christ will certainly appear to Judgment if there were only a peradventure of Christs coming to Judgment methinks it should awaken the guilty but when there is a certainty of it how should it awaken you as certainly as God is true as certainly as the Scriptures are his Word as certainly as you are creatures and sinners so certainly will the Lord Jesus Christ appear to judge the ungodly World for sin at the last day England hath of late been under the stroke of several temporal Judgments and England is in danger of further and greater calamities God may put a more bitter Cup into our hands to drink than yet we have tasted of the danger of which should awaken secure sinners because they cannot promise to themselves any shelter at such a time yet there is a possibility that the Lord may be entreated to spare and put up his Sword and prevent our ruine which we have deserved but the day of Judgment is most certain God who cannot change hath decreed it God who cannot lie hath revealed it the iniquities of the World which are great do call for it therefore it must be the day will certainly come and yet can you sleep in sin If a Thief knew after he had robbed his neighbour that he should certainly be taken and judged and condemned and punâ—shed it would affright him you may know that Christ will certainly come to judgment and that all guilty sinners shall be brought forth and condemned and should not this awaken you especially since if you sleep on your damnation and eternal punishment will be certain 3. Awake sinners awake Christ will quickly appear to Judgment The coming of the Lord draweth nigh the Judge standeth at the Door the Lord will suddenly come down when you least expect it the Lord may be here and can you sleep when the appearance of Christ is so sure and so neer too can you slumber when your judgment lingreth not and your damnation slumbreth not If the day of general Judgment should be protracted for some time longer until all the Elect be gathered and the things foretold in the â—ord be fulfilled yet your time for preparation may be almost spent you may suddenly go down into your Graves where there is no operation and can you sleep in sin when you are liable every day to the stroke of death which will cut you off from all opportunities of making your peace with God for ever and deliver you up at the last day into the hands of the Judge under the same guilt as it found you when it first laid its arrest upon you 4. Awake sinners awake when Christ doth appear yee also shall appear when Christ is descended from Heaven yee shall be raised from the Earth you shall be awakened out of the sleep of death and will not you be awakened out of the sleep of sin If there were any hopes that by getting into your Graves before this day you could hide your selves and lie buried there for ever you might be the more secure but when your death is not more certain than your resurrection will be when the appearing of Christ to judgment is not more certain than your appearance on that day to be judged you have reason to shake off sleep and bethink your selves how you are provided Death will be terrible to you if it come with the sting of sin in its mouth if it shoot its poisoned arrowes into you but your resurrection will be a thousand fold more dreadful if you awake at the last day with the guilt of sin in your consciences Sinners think what terrours will invade you when you are raised out of your Graves when you first lift up your heads and eyes to Heaven and see the Lord Jesus Christ the glorious Judge of the World come down with millions of mighty Angels cloathed with vengeance like flames of Fire and look down with a furious countenance upon you when in your rising you hear the sound of the Trumper and such a shout given in the aire as will make a louder noise than if twenty thousand great pieces of Ordnance were shot off together just before you when you have a summons given you and you are dragged with the rest of the damned crew which have lived in all ages of the World to the Tribunal Seat of Jesus Christ O how will you quiver and tremble and be filled with confusion then and yet can you sleep securely now as if you were not at all concerned 5. Awake sinners awake when Christ doth appear you shall be judged by him Then the Books will be opened where all your actions are recorded then your sins now it may be forgotten and slighted will be called to remembrance and your secret sins which now you are ashamed of will then be made manifest before the whole World your old sins will be reviewed your old uncleanness your old drunkenness your old unrighteousness and you will be made to hear of all your sins past and gone many years before in such a manner as shall make your eares to tingle your hearts to quake and tremble and when Gods justice shall arraign you and the Devil accuse you and your conscience shall bear witness against you and the Lord Jesus Christ shall pronounce the Sentence upon you Depart from me yee cursed into everlasting Fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels and the Saints it may
live with him all the powers of earth and hell cannot separate you from his love and therefore cannot keep you out of heaven Rom. 8. 35 36 37 38 39. 7. Ye are justified by faith Rom. 5. 1. and therefore absolved from the guilt of sin therefore freed from the condemnation of hell Rom. 8. 1. therefore shall not perish seeing the cause thereof is removed therfore you shall have eternal life Ioh. 3. 16. whom God justifieth them he also glorifieth Rom. 8. 30. 8. Yee are the adopted children of God Gal. 3. 26. For ye are all the Children of God by faith in Iesus Christ. And if children then heirs Rom. 8. 17. and if heirs you shall be sure to have the inheritance 9. Ye are called with a Holy calling and sanctified with the holy Spirit and thereby in some measure fitted and qualified for this happiness by the work of grace consormity to the Lord in holiness grace is glory begun and is called eternal life and God hath promised to perfect it Philip. 1. 6. grace hath relation to Heaven as sin hath relation to hell and as sin will certainly bring men to hell if it be not pardoned and subdued so grace will certainly bring men to heaven because it cannot be wholly eradicated 10. You have made choice of Heaven for your portion you have laid up there your treasure and God hath set your souls a longing after it and given you hopes of it and therefore you shall not miss it your desires shall be satisfied and your hopes shall not make you ashamed Rom. 5. 5. 11. And if besides all this you have the witness and seal and earnest of the spirit giving you some first fruits and foretastes of this happiness though all believers do not obtain it then you may know without question that this is a sure happiness both in its self and unto you Therefore believers exercise your faith that you may be filled with all joy and peace in believing 3. Believers consider the neerness of the happiness of Heaven Christs appearance is not far off but your happiness may be neerer I mean the happiness of your souls in Heaven which will begin so soon as your lives come to an end the wicked walk upon the brink of Hell every day when they die thither they are carried you walk upon the borders of the Heavenly Canaan the Paradise which is above when you die thither you shall be conveyed and you may die suddenlie and as sâ—ddenlie you will be in glory Rejoice then believers rejoice you may be in Heaven before you are aware it may be to morrow God will send for you within a few daies you may be out of the body and present with â—he Lord Jesus and amongst the spirits of just Men made perfect when you break Prison from the body you will be delivered into the marvelous light of Gods glory rejoice to think how neer your happiness is 4. Believers consider the everlastingness of the happiness of Heaven there is fulness of joy and pleasures for evermore Psal. 18. 11. When you are come to Heaven there you shall abide your happiness will be constant and eternal without diminution intermixture of sin or sorrow without interruption or possibility that ever it should be brought to an end It would alleviate the torments of the damned if they had any hopes of ever being let out of Hell and it would weaken the joyes of the Saints yea fill them with unspeakable grief if there were any danger and fear of being ever thrust out of Heaven Rejoice then yee believers yee shall rejoice for evermore in the eternal vision and fruition of God labour to begin your Heavens joyes now let faith so realize and bring neer the things which you hope for and make evident the things which as yet you do not see but shall possess that you may have a sweet foretaste of this happiness and begin your Heavens work to praise the Lord for his great and undeserved love wherewith he hath loved you and for those things beyond conception which out of love he hath prepared for you CHAP. XV. LAstly to conclude I shall speak a word both to Sinners and Believers Will the Lord Jesus Christ certainly and quickly appear to judgment let me then in his name perswade you to three things 1. Believe that Christ will appear mingle the Doctrine you have heard or read with faith you have had evident proofs of it believe the thing Sinners believe that Christ will come to judge and condemn you if you be found in your sins did you believe it effectually you would quickly become Saints Believers labour for more faith in this truth did you believe it more strongly you would live at a higher rate 2. Consider that Christ will appear meditate on this thing let it dwell in your thoughts let it lie down with you at night and arise with you in the morning let it sit down with you at Table and walk with you abroad think often of the antecedents of Christs coming the judgment it self and the consequents thereof and get a deep impression of the last Judgment upon your spirits Sinners consider how the wicked will be judged think how they will be accused and condemned think of the dreadful sentence and the execution thereof in Hell and then think that you are in the number of those that are in such danger unless you speedily secure your selves by making your peace Believers consider how the Saints will be judged think how Christ will acquit them and invite them to take possession and then will give them possession of Heaven and then think that you are in the number of these blessed ones which shall be made thus happy 3. Prepare for the appearance of Christ to judgment and that you may be prepared as a conclusion to this Doctrine take these directions 1. Be diligent that yee may be found of him in peace it is the advice of the Apostle after his discourse of the coming of the Lord and the glorious things of that day Wherefore beloved seeing that yee look for such things be diligent that yee may be found of him in peace 2 Pet. 3. 14. 1. Make your peace with God sinners God is your enemy make your peace with him you have offended him by your sins and his justice must be satisfied O labour to geâ— an interest in the satisfaction of Christ that your sins may be pardoned and God may be reconciled lay hold on Christ by faith as yet you may be welcome to him hereafter it will be too late Believers make sure of a pardon you cannot be too sure in a thing of such concernment 2. Diligently endeavourâ—after peace in your consciences sinners get the wounds which fin hath made there healed with the blood of Christ Believers take heed of making any breaches there maintain peace within when you have obtained it 3. Diligently follow after peace one with another take heed of hatred variance
emulations wraths strifes seditions envyings divisions clamours evil-speakings back-bitings whisperings swellings tumults and follow after those things which make for peace as love joy humbleness of minde meekness long-suffering patience and the like that you may be found of the Lord in peace 2. Give diligence that yee may be found of the Lord without spot and blameless as the Apostle doth advise in the same 14. vers And read ver 11 Seeing all these things shall be dissolved what manneâ— of Persons ought yee to be in all holy conversatioâ— and godliness Get the spots of sin washed ofâ— not only the guilt of sin removed but also the deâ—filement labour to be holy in all manner of conâ—versation to be blameless and harmless the Chilâ—dren of God without rebuke in the midst of crooked and perverse Generation Take heed 〈◊〉 the sins of the times and places wherein you live joyn not with them in their sins least you share 〈◊〉 their Plagues at the last day Let your conversaâ—tion be as becometh the Gospel let your action be â—quâ—â—ed by the Word as those which must givâ— an account and receive a reward according 〈◊〉 your works 3. Sit loose from the World let not your hearâ— be over-charged with the cares of this life nâ— filled with the love of the World and that daâ— overtake you at unawares Luke 21. 34. Rememâ—ber that riches will not profit you in the day 〈◊〉 wrath that the fashion of this World passeth â— way and you are passing away and therefoâ— live here as strangers and soâ—journers 4. Lay up your treasure in Heaven Matth. â— 20. And get your affections set upon things abovâ— Col. 3. 2. And then the appearance of Jesus Chrâ—â— will be joyful to you because he will give 〈◊〉 poffession of Heaven 5. Be ready to do and suffer whatever the Loâ— calls you unto patiently continue in well-doinâ— for in due time yee shall reap be stedfast and 〈◊〉 movable alwaies abounding in the work of 〈◊〉 Lord because your labour shall not be in vain 〈◊〉 the Lord Gal. 6 9. I Cor. 15. 58. And what ever afflictions yee suffer for Christ they are light and momentany but the glory which Christ will give is weighty and eternal 2 Cor. 4. 17. 6. Give Christ your hearts let him have the highest room give him your whole heart let him have the choicest and chiefest of your affections and then he will give you his Kingdome and such expressions of his love will he make unto you at his appearance as now you have not thoughts to conceive 7. Maintain communion with Christ in his Ordinances prize Ordinances upon this account because Christ doth walk there and improve Ordinances for this end that you may meet with Christ â—est not in the out-side and carnal part of Ordinances but seek after Christ in them until you finde â—im and labour to grow into acquaintance with Christ and to keep fellowship with him and â—hen when he doth appear he will know you again â—nd own you and receive you to live with him â—or ever 8. Stand up for the honour of Christ in the World â—onfess him before Men and he will confess you â—efore his Father in Heaven Matth. 10. 32. Be â—ot ashamed to profess your selves his Disciples â—nd to own his waies and truths when they are â—ost contemned and despised by the ungodly â—orld because if you be he will be ashamed of â—ou when he cometh in his Glory Mark 8. 38. 9. Improve your Talents for the use of the Lord â—ho hath entrusted you with them All of you have â—alents lay them not up in a Napkin but lay â—em out in the service of the Lord whatever â—ifts or graces you have put them forth to usury â—at you may give an account with joy to your Lord when he shall come to call you to an account 10. Stand upon your Watch when our Saviour had foretold his Disciples of his coming he exhorts them and all to watch Mark 13. 37. What I say unto you I say unto all watch Watch against sin watch your senses which are the inlets of sin watch your hearts from whence are the issues of sin watch take heed of sleeping in sin least you lose your Garmâ—nts and be found naked 11. Be frequent and fervent in Prayer our Saviour joyns these duties together in his exhoâ—tation of his Disciples Luke 21. 36. Watch yee therefore and pray alwayes that yee may be counted worthy to escape all these things which shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of Man Pray without ceasing pray without fainting be often upon your knees and be earnest with the Lord that he would prepare you for this day that he would deliver you from that dreadful wrath which shall be revealed when Christ doth appear and which you have deserved for your sins and pray that he would give you those qualifications as may embolden you at the last day to hold up your heads with confidence that he would keep you without spot and blameless until the coming of the Lord. 12. And lastly Look for the appearance of the Lord look with an eye of hope labour to abound in hope by the power of the Holy Ghost and let this hope be an Anchor fastned within the Vail to stay your sinking hearts in the midst of those fierce stormes which do or may beat upon you in the World and look with an eye of desire look and long for Christs appearance dart up your wishes often to Heaven O when shall we see the Heavens opened and behold our Lord in his Glory When shall we hear the Trumpet sound and be gathered by the Angels from all the quarters of the Earth When shall we put off this dust and corruption and be cloathed with robes of immortality When will the Lord Jesus come down and show us his glory and receive us to himself that where he is there we may be also Christ hath spoken from Heaven to Earth Surely I come quickly let there be an eccho back from Earth to Heaven in your desires to this voice Amen even so come Lord Iesus come quickly I shall conclude all with the words of the Apostâ—e Iude vers 24 25. Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceedâ—ng joy To the only wise God our Saviour be glory and Majesty dominion and power now and ever Amen FINIS
from me for I am a sinful Man O Lord Luke 5. 8. And others in the Ship to worship him acknowledging of a truth thou art the Son of God Mat. 14. 33. And often filled his Disciples with fear and astonishment but he was so disguised in flesh that few knew him at all none knew much of him when he was so disrobed and so meanly attired and attended It is said the Princes of this World knew him not else surely they would have laid down their Scepters at his feet had they known him they would not have dared so disgracefully to have crucified the Lord of glory 1 Cor. 2. 8. But at his second appearance the Vail will be so drawn aside that the Deity of Christ will shine forth with amazing splendour to the view of the whole World his humane nature will be glorious beyond any other Creature but oh how glorious will his Divine nature be when the eyes of the whole World shall be opened to see God in such a way as now we are not able to conceive He will appear in the brightness of his Fathers glory so that they which see him will see the Father the Mâ—jesty Authority Dominion Power Holiness Justice and love of the Father will be like so many sparkling gems to deck the Crown of Christ at his appearance but who can conceive the royalty and surpassing excellency of Jesus Christ when he comes down out of his Fathers Pallace into the World He will come in great glory God will come down in him and with him the Throne of God will be removed the Pallace will be below Heaven will be upon the Earth where Christ is there is Heaven there is God in his greatest glory to be seen he will come in great glory never was there such glory seen upon the face of the Earth never did the eye of man behold such a sight as then it will behold we read of great and pompous showes which some Princes have made in their triumphs but never was there such pomp in the World as there will be at this appearance of Jesus Christ when he cometh triumphing over all his enemies when he cometh with the spoiles of principalities and powers making a show of them openly and decked with such excellent glory A little further to set this forth 1 He will come attended with a glorious retinue of Angels we read Mâ—tth 26. 53. Of more than twelve legions of Angels And Dan. 7. 10. Of thousand thousands yea ten thousand times ten thousands which Minister about the throne of God yea further Rev. 5. 11. Of a number of ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands of Angels and Heb. 12. 22. Of an innumerable company of Angels All these Angels will attend upon Jesus Christ at his second appearance It is said Mâ—tth 25. 31. That all the holy Angels shall come with him Now the Angels are dispersed in several places some of them are upon the Earth ministring unto the saints which shall be heires of salvation Heb. 1. 14. Others are in heaven beholding the face of the Father ready to execute his will some are ascending some descending but then they will all be gathered together into one company and like so many Courtiers attend upon this great King in this his glorious appearance in the World all will descend with Christ Heaven will be emptied of Angels they will all come forth and come down from their old habitation and oh how glorious will this train be he will come with all the holy Angels Angels that are holy and glorious not like those rotten Courtiers which attend upon some Earthly Kings who have no other glory upon them but what lies in their rich and splendid apparel the bodies of some of which if they were uncas'd would appear to be full of loathsome diseases but whose souls are monstrously ugly and deformed full of loathsome and noisome lusts besmeared with dung and filthiness who could their inside be turned outward and the deformity of sin be seen with bodily eyes would appear too hideously black and swarthy and more mis-shapen than those which are born with the greatest blemishes of nature who carry Hell in their bosomes and like so many bears and ugly hounds are led about by the Devil in chains such such follow many Kings on earth when they appear abroad with hearts full of lust vvith eyes full of adultery vvith mouths full of oaths and filthy ribauldry vvho are like so many spots in the faces of their Princes or like a Cloud about their brow vvhich darkneth their glory in the eyes of the serious and sober minded but Christ vvill come attended vvith millions of holy Angels arrayed in such pure and vvhite garments as shall not have the least spot or tincture of sin upon them he vvill come vvith holy Angels who vvill be like so many flames of Fire full of holy svveet burning Love and covered vvith such Light and glorious excellency as will not darken but illustrate the glory of their Lord and Prince they attend upon 2 Christ will come with a glorious Brightness and great noise such a light will shine in him and about him as will a thousand fold surpass the light of the Sun when it shineth in its full strength we read Matth. 13. 43. That the righteous shall shine like the Sun in the Kingdome of their Father how then will the Sun of righteousness shine from whom they wil receive all their brightness by reflection as the Moon and some other Stars do from the Sun in the firmament It is said Mat. 24. 29 30. That at the coming of Christ the Sun shall be darkned and the Moon shall not give her light and the Stars of the Heaven shall fall and Rev. 6. 12 13 14. That the Sun shall be black as Sackcloath of hair and the Moon shall be like blood and the Stars of the heaven shall fall to the earth even as a Fig-tree casteth her untimely Figges when she is shaken of a mighty winde and the Heavens shall depart as a scroll when it is rolled together and every Island and Mountain shall be moved out of their places At the coming of Christ there will be such a brightness as will darken the Sun and other Luminaries in the Heavens even as the Sun doth darken the lesser Stars who though shining all night with a twinkling light and like so many Candles in the Firmament yet upon the Suns first lifting up his head in a morning and casting about its beames they presently sink in their sockets and disappear so the Sun it self and other Luminaries of Heaven will disappear when this more glorious Sun doth arise in the morning of the last day they will then lose their light and what further need of them in Heaven it will be all day Rev. 2. 22. In the City of the new Ierusalem there will be no need of the Sun neither of the Moon to shine in it for the glory of
been making provision for thine and mine everlasting happiness Awake and come forth of the dust thou bewitching dirty flesh who didst lull me asleep so long in thy pleasing chains until thou didst suddenly open thy doores and thrust me out where I was awakened in torments â—efore I was aware now I must come into thy doores again that thou maist share and taste the bitter issue of sinful pleasures and delights And O how will the body be affrighted so soon as the soul is entered never did the soul taste so much of the bodies delights as the body will then feel of the souls anguish The body to the soul And hast thou found me out O my enemy Couldst not thou have let me alone to lye still at rest in this sweet sleep hast thou used me as a slave and employed all my members as servants of iniquity and unrighteousness and art thou come now to torment me and is this the fruit of all the pleasures we have taken together shouldst not thou have been more wise and provided better for thy self and me O what cries and shreeks will the tongue give forth so soon as it hath recovered its use O what fearful amazing sights will there appear before the eyes so soon as they are opened when they first peep out of the Grave and sinners see Heaven and Earth on Fire about them and Christ coming in â—laming Fire to take vengeance upon them O how dreadful will the shout and the voice of the Arch-angel and the sound of the last Trumpet summoning them to judgment be unto the eares O how will every joynt and member of the bodies of the wicked tremble when they are raised again at the last day 2. The second Antecedent to the judgment of the wicked will be their meeting with Devils the righteous will meet with Angels to welcome them out of their Graves the wicked will meet with Devils to entertain them at their resurrection and then they will not appear unto them like Angels of light as sometimes here they have done but like foul Angels of darkness as they ever were since their first fall they will not then entertain the wicked with pleasing baits and sweet alluring temptations and pretend to be their friends who consult their good and satisfaction beyond God himself the chief good of mankind as they did when their abode was in the world before but they will spit forth their venome and malice then in their faces possibly they may buffet their bodies and lay painful strokes upon them surely they will terrify their soules for those sins which they have drawn them unto the commission of O hovv vvill they mock and deride their folly and madness for opening their eares to their vvhispers for opening their heart so readily vvhen they have knockt at the door and entised them unto sin then the damned will perceive that the Devils design vvas their ruine and misery vvhen the pretence and show was consultation for their good and happiness that he laboured to please and delight them not out of love but malice that he might undo them that he lull'd them asleep that they might not perceive their misery till it was too late that poison was in his sweetest baits and that their softest pleasures were Sathans silken cords by which he was dravving them unto endless wo and bitterness then they vvill perceive hovv the Prince of Darkness hath blinded their eyes and deluded them hovv the old Serpent hath beguiled them through his subtilty and deceived them how they have been gull'd of a Crown and Kingdome they had the proffers of and vvere in a capacity to obtain then they will perceive whose slaves they have been whilst they were serving divers lusts that the Devil was their Lord and Master and led them captive at his will and now they will meet with their Masters whom they have served unto their terrour and amazement how will they be affrighted at the apparition of so many Devils about them When they shall throw into their thoughts such hideous apprehensions and lash their spirits with horrible scourges when they shall seize upon their bodies and tear them and drag them to the Judgment-seat and there is none to rescue and deliver them 3. The third Antecedent to the judgment of the wicked will be their meeting one with another as the Elect so all the reprobates will be gathered together into one company O what an innumerable company of Rebels and Traytors and Villains will then be got together how fiercely and horribly will they look one upon another and if they speak what language of Hell will there issue forth of their lips they may meet with their old companions and fellow-sinners but it will not be like such as they now call meetings of good-fellowship when they get together in a Tavern and Ale-house or some house of wickedness to drink and sing and daunce and sin and make merry in the pleasing of their flesh they shall not then have Ale and Wine and Women and Musick or any incentives to mirth and sensual pleasures the last meeting will be no merry meeting but sad and dismal the pleasing affections which they formerly had to their friends will be changed their love will be turned into hatred and the joy they have found in them will be turned into grief and anger O the angry countenances the wicked will have on that day it is said the Nations shall be angry O the angry speeches how will they rage and storm at one another especially at those who have drawn them into sin how will they curse and ban one another O the horrible noise that will be amongst the damned crew when they are got together It may be from words they fall to blows and tear one anothers â—air and spurn at one anothers bellies and bite one anothers flesh and even claw out one anothers eyes we cannot conjecture so much of the miâ—ery of the wicked as will be on that day 4. The wicked that are alive on the earth at the â—econd appearance of Christ shall see the righteous â—hat are dead arise out of their graves with marâ—ellous beauty and joy and those which are alive wonderfully changed into the likeness and fashiâ—n of Christ and all of them suddenly caught â—p together in the clouds to meet the Lord in the â—ir which â—ight will be fearful and amazing to â—hem when they perceive themselves to be left â—ehind We read Rev. 11. 11 12. When the two witnesses after they had lain dead for some time â—ad the spirit of life put into them and they stood â—pon their feet and were called up and ascended â—p into Heaven it is said their enemies beheld â—hem and great fear fell upon them so when all â—he witnesses and servants of the Lord shall have 〈◊〉 spirit of life put into them and stand upon â—â—eir feet and be called up and caught up in the â—â—ouds to meet the Lord their enemies and the
you now should I stay and preach unto you again and call and invite you to Iesus Christ and open the treasures of the Gospel and now you will open your ears and hearts to receive Alas now the mysterie of God is finished the treasures of the Gospel are shut up and sealed and the day of grace is quite spend and gone and cannot be recalled could not you have opened before when you know I knocked often and hard in my Masters name for entertainment I called but ye refused I stretched out my hand and lifted up my voice like a Trumpt but you did not regard and follow the counsels which were given unto you and now my preaching work is done for ever Should I sty and pray with you and for you that God would pardon your sins or defer your judgment but a little while if it were but for a week or a day that you might prepare your accounts and O how presently would you make your peace with God how readily would you accept of Christ on any terms do any thing suffer any thing denie self take up crâ—sse O how diligent would you be in the service of God and resist Sathan and take heed of sin Alas poor souls all these desires are too late I have prayed with you and for you and you have had warning and time ro prepare your accounts and have been called to these duties before but now the Oath is sworn by him that liveth for ever and ever that time shall be no longer now the ear of God is shut and no prayer can enter Now Christ is come down from the mercy Seat from the right hand of the Father where he made intercession and the Throne of Grace is now turned into a Iudgment Seat now there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin nothing but a fearfull looking for oâ— judgment to devour the wicked Alas why do you hang about me with teares and weeping what can I do for you now can I carry you all up with me in my armes would not the load be too great for me and if all of us together could hand and help some of you up into the aire with us and bring you into the presence of our dear and glorious Redeemer With what confidence could you stand before him With what face could you look upon him when you are so black and â—ilthy and have such guilt upon your consciences Would not your looks betray you to be none of our number Would not your black and trembling joynts speak what you are and would not Christ then frown you away from our company and then we must of necessity let you fall from on high amongst your fellow hypocrites and unbelievers Could we carry you up with us if you should lay hold on us would not the Angels snatch us out of your armes or would not Devils tear you away from us And could I rescue any of you out of Sathans hands when he comes to seize upon his own Alas what can I do fâ—r you at this time I must away and be gone and bid you now adieu for ever The Saints are all risen and have put on their glorious attire and we are called for It is your own faults that you did not help to fill up this number and when such of us as belong to Christ should be caught up in the clouds O how dreadful would it be for you and all that should be found in the number of them that are left 5. The fifth and most dreadful Antecedent to the Iudgment of the wicked will be their sight of the Lord Iesus Christ himself who will be revealed from Heaven at that day in flaming Fire to take vengeance upon them 2 Thess. 1. 7 8. The sight of their judge will affright them Rev. 1. 7. Behold he cometh with Clouds and every eye shall see him and they also that pierced him and all kindreds of the Earth shall wail because of him even so Amen Every eye shall see him not only the righteous but also the wicked and they also that pierced him that is the Jewes which crucified him as he saith Matth. 26. 64. Hereafter shall yee see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the Clouds of Heaven O how fearfull will the sight of Jesus Christ be to Iudas that betrayed them unto the Officers that took him unto the base Servant that smoâ—e him with the palm of his hand unto the people that mocked and spit upon him unto the Pharisees that accused him unto Pilate that scourged and condemned him unto Herod that scorn'd him unto the Souldiers that mocked and crucified him unto the Priests that stirred up the People and Pilate against him and in the midst of his agony and anguish railed on him though they did not see him come down from the cross yet when they see him come down from heaven they will believe that he was the Messias and O how will this sight terrify them then they will smite their breasts indeed and be filled with horrour when they perceive that the same Jesus was the Son of God and is now the Judge of the World and is come to call them before his Bar who then did stand before theirs the High Priest that rent his cloathes when Christ call'd himself the Son of God will be ready to rend himself in pieces for not acknowledging it and with what face will Iudas look his Master in the face when he sees him come in such glory and if some Souldiers that kept Christs Sepulchre did so shake and become like dead men at Christs resurrection when they saw the Angel whose countenance was like lightning and raiment white as Snow come and roll away the Stone from before the door thereof Matth. 28. 2 3 4. O how will they all that had a hand in his death quake and tremble when they see the Lord Jesus Christ himself come with such Power and Glory and all the Holy Angels with him to call them to Judgment Further it is said that all the kindreds of the Earth shall wail because of him so Matth. 24. 30. All the Tribes of the Earth shall mourn when they see the Son of Man coming in the Clouds of Heaven this we are to understand of the wicked kindreds and tribes of the Earth the sight of Christ will be matter of the greatest Joy unto his Disciples but of the greatest sorrow unto the wicked World the mourning of the wicked see how it is set forth Rev. 6. 15 16 17. And the Kings of the Earth and the great Men and the rich Men and the chief Captains and the mighty Men and every Bond-man and every free-man hid themselves in the Dens and in the Rocks and in the Mountains And said to the Rocks and to the Mountains fâ—ll on us and hide us from the face of him that sitteth upon the Throne and from the wrath of the Lawb for the great day of his wrath
The properties of this Judge are worthy here of our observation 1. Christ will be a most glorious Judge Never was there such a Judge seen on the earth It will be the greatest Judgment there will be a general Assize of the whole world and Christ will be the greatest Judge the greatest for dignity and glory that ever eye did behold Christ will be most glorious in regard of his person he will appear to be the Prince and Lord of glory and be admired not only by the Saints but also by the wicked amongst whom before they saw him he was despised The despisers shall behold the lustre of their Judge and wonder and perish as it is said in another case Act. 13. 41. Christ will be most glorious in regard of his retinue all the holy Angels those glorious Spirits who are about the Throne of God shall attend upon him Matth. 25. 31. When the Son of Man cometh in his glory and all his holy Angels with him yea all the holy Saints also shall attend upon him in the judgment of the wicked Iude 14. 15. Behold the Lord will come with ten thousand of his Saints to execure judgment upon all the ungodly c. Yea he will come with all his Saints 1 Thes. 3. 13. The whole innumerable company of Saints shall attend upon Christ in white shining garments with bodies like unto Christ more beautiful and glorious than the most splendid attire can make them and Christ then will be admired in all the Saints and believers by the wicked which shall behold them And Christ will sit upon the Throne of his glory Matth. 25. 31. I saw a great white Throne and him that sate on it from whose face the Earth and the Heaven fled away Rev. 20. 11. We read of a glorious Throne which Solomon made 1 King 10. 18 19 20. But the Throne and Tribunal seat of Christ will be far more glorious than Solomons or any Monarchs that ever lived upon the face of the earth 2. Christ will be a most powerful Judge He will have power to raise all the wicked out of their graves unto life again which requires as much power to effect as the giving them their being and life at the first he will have power to bring all the wicked to his foot to keep them in awe that they shall not stir nor lift up the hand in the least in a way of rebellion which is more than the most potent Prince that ever lived could do He will have power to execute vengeance upon all the wicked together and inflict an infinite punishment upon them and he will put forth no less power in the destruction of the wicked at the last day than was put forth in the first creation of the world herein he will make his power known Rom. 9. 22. When the wicked shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power 2 Thes. 1. 9. 3. Christ will be a most knowing Judge He will know all the persons of the wicked not one shall scape his eye he will not know them in any way of nearness and familiar acquainting himself with them but he will know them in a way of perfect cognizance of their persons he knew them when they lived and rebelled against his Law and he will know them again when they are raised he will not only have a general knowledge of them but he will know them particularly none of the ancient rebels shall be able to hide themselves either under rocks and mountains or in the crowd and throng of the wicked which shall be gathered together before him on that day Christ will finde out all his enemies and he will know all their crimes he will read them all written in the book of Gods remembrance and the book of their own consciences being then opened will present all their sins to his view the eye of the Judge will be a piercing all-seeing eye which cannot be blinded and therefore there will be no mistake and errour in the judgment through ignorance or false information as there may be in the Courts of judicature upon the earth 4. Christ will be a most holy Judge He will be without any the least stain of sin he was so when he lived amongst sinners on earth and surely he will be so when he descendeth from the Holy of Holies in Heaven some earthly Judges are guilty in the same kind with the malefactors which are brought before them so that whilst they judge others they condemn themselves but there will not be the least more of sin in the eye of Christ nor any tincture of defilement and therefore as it will be impossible to blind him because of his knowledge so it will be impossible to bribe and corrupt him in judgment because of his holiness and by consequence 5 Christ will be a most impartial and strict Judge he will be most impartial in regard of the persons whom he will judge the high degree and quality of men upon the earth will be of no account with him the rich will be no more regarded than the poor nor the highest Princes more than the meanest of their subjects Death levels all men and puts a conclusion unto all earthly dignities and in the resurrection all will stand upon even ground now some Lords and great men may murder and oppress and break Laws and through favour escape punishment which crimes if meaner persons had been found guilty of would have cost them their lives but Christ will have no more favour for a Lord or a Knight or a Gentleman no nor for a King or a Queen or the greatest Lady than for the most contemptible beggar he will not accept of the persons of any and connive at the sins of some which those that should reprove them now can wink at as if they were no faults because the faults of such persons as are high whose favour they desire and from whom they might receive damage and dis-esteem should they be plain and faithful but Christ he will neither need the favour nor fear the anger of anyl he will not court and flatter any because of their Nobility and greatness but impartially judge the highest and greatest by the same rule as he will do the lowest and meanest and Christ will be a most strict Judge in regard of crimes he will bring forth all the sins of the wicked to light not one sin which they have committed from the day of their birth to the hour of their dissolution but shall be had in remembrance and be brought unto publick view when the Lord shall enter into judgement with the ungodly world some of the wicked do now sin more secretly they have sweet morsels rolling under their tongues which are not perceived they have their Dalilahs in corners who are not known they shroud themselves under the shadow of the wings of the night that they might conceal some of their
but they shut their eares and hearts against him and now Christ will shut his eares and the door of mercy and Heaven against them He will be inexorable Thus concerning the Judge of the wicked 2. The Assessors or those which shall sit with Christ in the judgment of the wicked will be the righteous This promise the Lord makes particularly and especially to the twelve Apostles Matth. 19. 28. Verily I say unto you that yee which have followed me that have denied your selves and parted with all and taken up your Cross and followed me in the Regeneration or restitution of all things when the Day of Resurrection doth come and the Son of Man shall sit on the Throne of his Glory when I shall sit upon my judgment Seat and gather all Nations before my Bar to receive their doom Yee shall sit on twelve Thrones Iudging the twelve Tribes of Israel and though the Apostles of Christ will be especially honoured and exalted in the day of Judgment and have seates or degrees of dignity above others yet this honour also shall all the Saints have to sit with Christ in Judgment 1 Cor. 6. 2. Do yee not know that the Saints shall judge the World They judge and condemn the sins of the wicked World now by their holy conversation and they will judge and condemn the persons of the wicked at the last day by their approbation of Christs Judgment The crimes of the wicked will be scan'd before the righteous their secret sins will be ript up and made manifest unto them they will not only be brought in as accusers and witnesses against some of the wicked of which I shall speak by and by but also they will joyn with Christ in the examination of all the wicked and they will also approve of Christs justice and righteousness in the condemning of sinners for their sins and when Christ doth pronounce the sentence of condemnation upon them Depart from me yee cursed into everlasting Fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels they will joyn with him and approve of this sentence it may be they will with one voice say even so Amen or with a loud shout accompany Christs words saying Depart yee cursed into everlasting Fire A strange turn and change of things will there be at that day Felix who sate on the Judgment Seat when Paul was at the Bar will stand at the Bar when Paul shall sit amongst the Judges The Lord will bring down the mighty from their seats and all wicked Princes and Judges of the Earth shall be dis-throned when the righteous though of a low degree shall be exalted to sit as Judges upon them 3. The Malefactors which shall be judged will be 1. Devils 2 Pet. 2. 4. The Angels which fell are said to be delivered into Chains of darkness and to be reserved unto Iudgment they are punished in part now but their punishment is not yet compleat when Christ came the first time in the flesh and began to dis-lodge the Devils from their habitation in those Persons whom they had got the possession of they were afraid that he would have compleated their torment presently and therefore they cry out Art thou come hither to torment us before the time Matth. 8. 29. And let us alone art thou come to destroy us Mark 1. 24. But when Christ comes the second time in his glory then he will judge and condemn the wicked Angels and the Saints shall joyn with him herein I Cor. 6. 3. Know yee not that we shall judge Angels Then the measure of their sin will be compleated and the time of their torment will be come and their punishment shall be compleated too the way and manner of their Judgment is not spoken of in Scripture and therefore I shall not speak of it but that they shall be judged to everlasting Fire is evident from the sentence pronounced on wicked men in which it is said that everlasting Fire is prepared for the Devil and his Angels 2. All wicked Men and Women that ever lived or shall live on the Earth from the beginning of the Creation unto the dissolution of the World that have no Interest in Jesus Christ will be the malefactors which shall be judged by Christ at the last day this day is called the day of Iudgment and perdition of the ungodly 2 Pet. 3. 7. And the unjust are said to be reserved unto the day of judgment to be punished Chap. 2. Vers. 9. And the Apostle Paul tells us that the Lord Iesus shall be revealed from Heaven in flaming Fire taking vengeance on them which know not God and obey not the Gâ—spel 2 Thess. 1. 7 8. 1. By them which know not God we may understand the Heathen and Gentile Nations this being the Character given of them 1 Thess. 4. 5. Not in lusts of concupiscence as the Gentiles which know not God And the Ephesians whilst Heathens before the Gospel came amongst them were strangers to the Covenant of Promise having no hope and without God in the World Eph. 2. 12. All the Heathen Nations shall be judged by Christ but I shall not speak of their judgment in which we are not so much concerned 2. By them which obey not the Gospel we are to understand all those Nations upon whom the light of the Gospel hath shin'd and unto whom the sound of the Gospel hath come but yet have not yielded obedience therunto so as heertily to accept of Christ for their Saviour upon his own tearmes all Christless graceless Persons who have heard of Christ and enjoyed the means of grace will be the chief Malefactors in the day of Judgment I might here give a Catalogue of the sinners which shall be judged take one in 1 Cor. 6. 9 10. The unrighteous fornicators Idolaters Adulterers effeminate abusers of themselves with Mankind Thieves Covetous Drunkards Revilers Extortioners and all other unjustified unsanctified sinners But more of this when I come to speak of the conviction of the wicked 4. The Crime for which the wicked shall be judged and condemned by Christ will be sin 1. Sin against the Law and that 1. for sins of omission Matth. 25. 42. I was an hungred and ye gave me no meat I was thirsty and ye gave me no drink c. 2. for sins of commission and that 1. for sins of thought and heart 1 Cor. 4. 5. When the Lord comes he will make manifest the counsels of the heart he will condemn men for their wicked thoughts and contrivements for their sinful lusts and desires and delights 2. For sins of word Matth. 12. 36 37. But I say unto you that every idle word that Men shall speak they shall give an account thereof in the day of Iudgment For by thy words thou shalt be justified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned If for idle words men shall be judged much more for taking Gods name in vain for hideous Oaths and Blasphemies if for unprofitable speeches much more for
bitterness in it than your other Cups have had sweetness Come forth all yee Adulterers you that have neighed like full fed Horses after your neighbours Wives and assembled by troopes into Harlots houses or if not so have committed this sin in secret corners was there no shame in you to keep you from this nasty filthy sin could you delight so much to wallow in mire and dung was there no fear in you to restrain you did not conscience check and rebuke you when this lust first conceived in you did you never hear that Whoremâ—ngers and Adulterers God would judge and did you not think you should be called to an account for this sin Could you melt in filthy sinful pleasures of the flesh and not consider how you should consume in torments were your short pleasures comparable to an eternity of pain and misery were there not pleasures of a higher nature and sweeter relish attainable in life if you had forgone and denied your selves unlawful pleasures have you not lâ—st them and the unspeakable eternal joyes of Heaven by your intemperance Take them Devils binde them hand and foot 9. Come forth all ye covetous persons whose treâ—sure and heart and hope and confidence hath been in earthly things who have made the world your God desiring and loving and delighting and trusting in your wealth and riches as if they could yield the most contentment and be the best defence unto you whose greatest thoughts and care and labâ—ur have been spent about getting and keeping an estate and portion in the world with little heart to use it for your selves much less for the good of others and glory of God that gave it Did you not know that câ—vetousness was Idolatry and that no Idolater shall have any admittance into the new Jerusalem Did you not know that the love of the world was inconsistent with the love of the Father had you such mean thoughts of God that you chose the world before him were the riches of grace of so small esteem that you preferred earthly riches had the treasures in heaven no more worth in your account that you should neglect and disregard them and make choice rather of treasures on earth When you had tried the world and found it vain and empty would you still set your heart upon it when you felt such thorny cares and piercing sorrows in your eager prosecution of this world could not this damp and deaden your affection to it when your own and other riches sometimes suddenly took flight as upon an Eagles wing and left you could not you forbear but must fly upon the wing of desire after them did you not foresee how naked and bare death would strip you of all and yet would nothing wean your whorish heart from the love of the world were you never told that riches could not profit you in the day of wrath is not all your wealth consumed now treasures there are indeed prepared for you but they are treasures of wrath which your sins have deserved Take them Devils binde them hand and foot 10. Come forth all ye unmerciful persons whose bowels have been shut up against the poor and needy who have spoken churlishly to the poor and looked upon them a far off or if you have spoken to them fair and said to the naked and destitute of daily food Depart in peace be ye warmed and be ye filled yet have not given unto them things needful for the body whatever abundance you had by you who have had no pitty on my distressed members so as to contribute any relief to their necessities I was hungry and ye gave me no meat I was thirsty and ye gave me no drink I was naked and ye cloathed me not I was a stranger and ye took me not in I was sick and you visited me not I was in prison and ye did not administer unto me ' Did you not understand it was your duty to relieve the poor had you not your rickes given to you for this end was not this the best use you could put them unto would not works of mercy have brought into you the best returns at last might you not hereby have laid up for your selves a good foundation against this day if you had laid out your estates according to my prescriptions might not you now have laid hold on eternal life were you never forewarned that such should have judgment without mercy that did not shew mercy And you that have had no mercy â— forgive that knew not how to pass by real or conjectural injuries which you have received thâ—â— were ready to take your brother by the throat for â—hundred pence when you might have been forgiven your ten thousand talents which you owed unto God were ye never told that the King of Heaven woulâ— deliver you to the tormentors if you were unmercifull Take them Devils bind them hand and foot 11. Come forth all ye unrighteous persons who have wronged Widdows and Orphans who howover-reached your Neighbours in your dealings who have heaped an estate together by unrighteous practices who have squeezed and oppressed the poor which have had no helper was not the Law of right written upon your heart did you not read it more plainly in the Word did not men condemn you did not your own consciences secretly condemn you for your unrighteousness and did not you think that the righteous God would condemn you much more did you not know that no unrighteous person should inherit the Kingdome of Heaven that the Lord would avenge himself upon you for this sin did you wrong others so much as you have hereby wronged your selves is the gain of the world comparable to the loss of your souls is a little Silver or Gold now taken away from you comparable to the loss of Heaven and eternal glory did you think such faults would be winked at did you not expect to hear of them again at the day of Iudgment is it an unrighteous thing to punish you for your unrighteousness Take them Devils binde them hand and foot 12. Come forth ye Liars you who have taught and accustomed your selves to this sin who have not only reported lies but also made them whose words have been feigned and deceitful Did you not know that God who made you and to whom you owed all subjection and obedience was a God of truth and that he required truth that every man should speak truth to his neighbour that he abbâ—rred lying lips that he threatned to punish liars with the second death and give them their portion in the lake of fire and had you no fear of God no fear of future judgment to restrain you might you not as easily have spoken truth as uttered falshood would not you hereby have gained more credit in the world would not you have been more fit for society would not you have had more peace in your consciences did you excuse faults by your lies but was it not a greater aggravation of
Hell 3. Concerning the aggravations or vexing considerations which Gospel sinners will have in their going away as the sin of those is more hainous who sin against the light of the Gospel than of those who sin only against the light of nature so their punishment will be more severe all shall be beaten but these persons with many stripes as there will be degrees in glory though all will be filled with glory yet some will have a larger capacity so there will be degrees of torment and misery all shall be filled with torment but some will have a larger capacity especially Gospel sinners will have stings beyond what heathens will be capable of in their punishment of loss when 1. They shall have a clear discovery of the glory and happiness which they have missed now they hear of heaven and the happiness which the Saintâ— shall have in the vision and fruition of God but there is a vail of unbelief upon their minds that they do not apprehend such a happiness as is spoken of they have mean thoughts of God and of Heaven they think there is no heaven like the earth and no happiness like the fruition of the creatures no glory like the glory of the world no treasures like earthly treasures and no delights like those which they finde in the objects of their sense but when their portioâ— in this life shall be spent and the good things which they enjoyed shall be taken away from them when their honours shall vanish like smoke or a thin vapour their riches shall flie away like an Eagle or sail like a ship out of their â—ight when their sensual delights and pleasures shall fail them and die like sweet flowers in their hands when the bright cloud of earthly things which shadowed the glory of heavenly things from their view shall be blown away and the vail shall be torn in pieces which was before them and hindred them from looking into the Holy of Holies and the scales shall fall off from their eyes In a word when the heavens shalâ— pass away with a great noise and the elements shall melt with fervent heat and the earth with the works thereof shall be burnt up and they shall be awakened out of their long sleep in their graves and shall be summoned before the tribunal seat of Christ and stand there stripped and quite naked of all their enjoyments in the world which they had set their hearts upon and they shall be examined and condemned for their sins then then their eyes will be opened and they will clearly see their mistake of happiness then they will perceive and be fully perswaded of the fulness of joy and unspeakable pleasures at the right hand of God the least taste of which would ravish their hearts ten thousand times more than all the full draughts which they have taken in the sweetest of all their sinful delights I say they shall see this happiness and that which will vex them to the heart will be that they shall only see it not injoy the least share in it O what high apprehensions will they then have of the glory of Heaven they will see the Crown which will be put upon the head of the righteous which will have more worth then in their esteem than all the Crowns and Scepters of the greatest Kings upon the earth then they will be clearly convinced that the choicest treasures were in Heaven and the sweetest delights were to come and the thoughts of missing this Crown and glory such treasures and sweetness will tear their very hearts they must go away from heaven and happiness 2. In going away they shall remember the capacity which they had once of obtaining this happiness if they had been bruits indeed and had capacity for a sensitive life only and grace and glory had been removed so far beyond their reach that it had been impossible for them to attain it it would not much trouble them to lose it whatever other miseries they should endure but they were capable of the beginnings of Heaven in the life of grace and the compleating of their happiness in glory they will remember that they had souls endued with reason and hereby advanced to a higher capacity than beasts that they had minds capable of divine contemplation and hearts capable of divine affection that they had wils which might have chosen God for their portion and Heaven for their heritance that they had desires and loves and hopes and joyes which if they had wrought-god-ward and Christ-ward as they did toward the creature if they had wrought upward and heaven-ward as they did downward and towards the earth and earthly things they might have been happy for ever they will see that others who had the same natures as they had and were guilty at first of as great sins as they had committed yet repented and turned believed and reformed were changed and saved and with unexpressible vexation they will think that thus it might have been with them if they had not been fools if they had seriously endevoured to fill up the capacity which God hath given them 3. In gâ—ing away they will remember the proffers which they had of this happiness that they lived in places where the light did shine and the Gospel did sound and Christ was preached and tendered with all the benefits of his purchase they will remember how often they were called to repent how earnestly they were entreated to be reconciled they will remember the discoveries which were made to them of future glory and the invitations which they had to come unto Christ that they might have pardon and life and partake of the inheritance of the Saints in light all which was little regarded by them they will remember how long and how loud Christ knocked at the door of their hearts for entertainment that he knocked by such a Sermon such a motion of the Spirit by such a judgment such an affliction such a deliverance and yet that they barred the door deafned the ear and if they did not fully resolve to keep him out yet they put him off with such redious delayes untill on a sudden death knocked at their door and broke it open and drag'd them away to Hell before they had given entertainment unto Jesus Christ and had provided an eternal habitation for their souls they will then remember the opportunities and seasons of grace which once they enjoyed that once they had a Day a Day of grace and that with some of them it was a long Summers day and that they had calls at the first hour and the third hour and the ninth hour and at the eleventh hour and that all the day long God stretched forth his hand unto them but they did not know the day of their visitation they were more foolish than the Crane and the Stork and the Swallow they did not understand their appointed time they did not mind the things which belonged to their peace untill
they were hid from their eyes they slept in the harvest they loitered away and sinned away their time and wasted their day in which they should have made provision for their souls O how will they be then ready to tear themselves in pieces that they should neglect so great salvation in the day when salvation was attainable yea that they should refuse the proffers of grace and pardon and peace and life and happiness which in that day were so frequently and earnestly made unto them then they will wish that they had opened their ear and heart that they had regarded and accepted such gracious proffers whatever they had neglected or parted withall then they will wish they had imbraced and improved the opportunities which once they had for prayer and hearing and attendance upon Gods Ordinances that they had been in the Church when they were in the Ale-house that they had associated themselves with Gods people when they frequented the company of the leud and ungodly that they had been upon their knees with grief confessing sin when they took so much delight in the commission of it that they had taken time from their sports to make their peace with God that they had worshipped God in their Closets and worshipped God in their Families and laid up for themselves treasures in Heaven and horrible will their vexation be that they did not so 4. In going away they will remember for what it was that they refused this happiness that it was only for the satisfaction of some foolish and unprofitable lust If two Kingdomes of equal worth and glory were proposed to a Mans choice it would not trouble him that he had refused the one to obtain the other but if a Man were to chuse whether he would be a King or a slave if he should refuse the former and chuse the later when he came to feel the misery of his bondage this would trouble him more than the bondage that he might have avoided it that he hath chose this thraldome and parted with a Kingdome for it they will then perceive that they have chosen to be slavesunto sin and Sathan rather than to be Heires unto the Kingdome of Glory I know that though now they are slaves and serve divers lusts and though their bondage is a thousand fold worse than if they were Vassals to the cruellest Tirant upon Earth yet they are not sensible neither are they weary of their bondage because their wills are in thraldome and their affections are captivated and though heirdome to the glory of Heaven be the choicest priviledge upon Earth and most desirable yet they do not desire it but prefer their slavery before it because they are blinde unbelieving besorted sinners and judge of things according to sense yet on the day of Christs appearance all things will appear with a new face and they will look upon things with a new eye they will then perceive that they were slaves all their dayes and that there was no such drudgery as that which they were employed in and that there was no such glory and happiness as that which they refused and foolishly cast away then it will sting them indeed to remember that they have chosen rather to do the work of the Devil and yield obedience to the basest lusts for which they must now be repayed with the wages of death and eternal misery than to do the work of the Lord who would have rewarded them with eternal life and a Crown of glory and immortality Then they will say What profit have we got by those things whereof we are now ashamed What fruit doth all our labour and toile in the World now yield unto us What are we the better for our riches and great estate on Earth for our honour and high esteem amongst men for our luscious pleasures and delights now vanished and gone which we bought at so dear a rate as the loss of our precious and immortal souls and the forfeiture of an Inheritance in the kingdome of Heaven Then they will cry out O bewitching World O deluding Devil O deceitfull hearts and lusts O what fools and mad-men have we been that we should trample Iewels under our feet like Swine and in stead of them put dross and dung into our Cabinet that we should so greedily drink the sweet poison of sin to the bane and ruine of our souls and refuse to taste of the Cup of salvation which all our dayes was held forth unto us Then they will cry out of their voluptuousness their covetousness their pride and haughtiness and the like lusts which have kept Christ out of their hearts and kept them out of the Kingdome of Heaven 5. In going away some of them shall remember how neerly they missed of this happiness that they were almost perswaded to be Christians in deed as well as in name and to accept of Christ upon his own termes that they were not far from the Kingdome of Heaven that they were come even within fight of the Heavenly Canaan and yet died in the Wilderness that they were come even to the Gate of the new Ierusalem but finding it too strait for them and the luggish of their sins together there they stuck and could not enter in that they climbed up a great way of the Hill to Zion but did not reach the top and tumbling down their fall was the greater they will remember the means of grace which they enjoyed the Ordinances which they sate under and the treaties which the Lord did make with them by his word and spirit about their life and salvation and the carriage of their hearts towards the Lord in those treaties some of them will remember what convictions the Lord wrought in them of sin and what tremblings of conscience for fear of Hell and wrath to come and if they had followed that preparative work they might have quickly been acquainted with Christ and escaped the misery which they feared but they â—tifled convictions and shook off their troubles they shut their eies against the light and stilled the noise of their consciences and calmed their spirits with the delights and pleasures of the World and so grew more hardned in sin than before and gave such repulses to the spirit that the spirit quite departed from them Others will remember that they were perswaded to ascend some steps higher under the Ministry of the Word when they were reproved for such and such gross sins which they lived in the practise of that they could have no ease in their consciences until they had broken off that wicked course that they left off their drunkenness and their swearing their uncleanness and unrighteous dealing and were in a great measure reformed in their lives but there were some lusts in their hearts which they hugged secretly and delighted in and could not be perswaded to leave which were their undoing pride revenge uncharitableness covetousness or the like remained in their reigning power which were inconsistent with
the power of godliness others will remember what profession they made and that they went with some kinde of gladness in the company of Gods people unto his House and Ordinances and heard the Word and received some impressions thereof yea obtained some kinde of graces under its influence that they had a kinde of righteousness repentance faith desires love joy hope that they had some tastes of the heavenly gift and the powers of the World to come and thought themselves as fair for Heaven as the best and who ever missed that they should not miss of glory but O the confusion and vexation which will be upon the spirits of these Persons when the Lord Jesus shall disown them and shut them out of his Kingdomâ— O what tearings of heart will they have when they perceive that they were mistaken and finde themselves disappointed of the happiness which they had such hopes of and confident expectations to obtain when they finde that their silver was but dross and their graces were counterfeit and not of the right stamp that they had not the Image and superscription of Christ upon them when they remember that they had a righteousness but it was like the morning Cloud which the wind of affliction or temptation had driven away that they had some repentance but it was legâ—l not Evangelical that the teares they had sometimes shed for sin were like the early dew which the bright Sun of prosperity did quickly dry up that they had a faith but it was a temporary faith which wanted deep rooting in the heart and what ever flourishing fruit it quickly sent forth yet the hot Sun of persecution did wither it that iâ— came to nothing when they were put upon the Trial that they had desires after Christ and the favour of God and spiritual things but they weâ—â— but faint velleities they were like the untimely birth of a Woman which never came to any perfection that they had love to God in show or it may be at some time a passionate glow of heart under an Ordinance which was not enkindled by a spark falling down from Heaven upon them blown up by the spirit of God but a false or more inferiour Fire which arose from a sympathy with Ministers or other Christians in the more inferiour workings and expressions of their love which in the sincere arose from the right principle that they had some kinde of hope but it was like a spiders web broken quickly to pieces or swept down by the beesome of destruction with them into Hell that they had some joyes but they were flashy and ungrounded some tastes arising from misapprehensions of Gospel-priviledges and misapplication of Gospel-promises all which did quickly vanish and come to nothing They will finde if not before be sure at that day that they were mistaken and have lost all their pains and labour for want of a thorow work of grace for want of soundness at the root for want of hearty sorrow deep humiliation good-grounded and deepâ—rooted faith supream love well-bottom'd hope universall reformation and mortification of the deeds of the body that none of their actions were accepted by the heart-searching God for want of a right principle and end now when these Persons are sentenced to Hell and are going away from Christ and the glory which once they had hopes of and were so near unto and had they gone but a step or two further they might have attained O with what unconceivable grief and curtings of heart will it be they will remember then that they did seek to enter in at the strait Gate and they will wish with all their hearts that they had striven that they had taken more pains that they might not have missed and fallen short of salvation possibly then with unutterable anguish they may say There is a glorious Inheritance in Heaven which we are now departing from we often prayed for it when we were upon the Earth and if we had been sincere and fervent if we had resolved to take the place by storme and would not have been denyed we might have got it we have read of it in the Word and heard of it in Sermons and it hath been proffered to us freely and if we had renounced the World and forsaken sin and chosen it for our portion we might have had it we parted with some sins if we had left all it should have been ours once we had some hopes of it when we had some taste of it and had done some things to obtain it and if we had gone a little further we might have indeed obtained it if we had taken pains with our hearts before God to get them raised to things above if we had denyed our selves and mortified our members upon the Earth if we had cast away all our transgressions and câ—st away our own righteousness and rowled our selves wholly upon Iesus Christ and acted faith upon him and the promises of this Kingdome and walked in the narrow way which we seemed to walk in we might now have been made passessours hereof and shined amongst yonder glorious Saints some of whom were our companions and hoped for our company and wonder to see us separated from them But alas we were sloathfull and careless we were unwatchfull and idle our pains was more to appear religious than be religious we had some lusts which lay nearer our heart than Iesus Christ we did some things with seeming vigour but carnal motives were the chief incentives to our duties and how ever lifeless faithless and empty of true grace they were yet we trusted in them and made them our Saviour and never were brought clear off from our own bottome unto a closure with Iesus Christ and we have fool'd away our salvation and made our selves unworthy of eternal life Deservedly deservedly do we lose this crown for our folly O that we had been sincere and thorough Christians 6. In going away it will sting the wicked to think that now this happiness of Heaven is irrecoverable once they might have obtained it and that upon easie tearmes yea after some refusals of it they had fresh proffers and invitations the door of mercy and gate of salvation and glory stood open a long time but now the door is lookt upon them and will never be opened more they must go away without any hopes of ever entering into the new Ierusalem or obtaining the least degree of the happiness of the Saints they must bid adieu unto joy and comfort for ever These considerations will sting Gospel-sinners in their going away Thus concerning the first particular in the execution of the sentence on the wicked they shall go away 2. They shall go into punishment and here I shall speak 1. Of the punishment which they shall go into 2. Of their entring into this punishment 1. Concerning the punishment which the wicked shall go into Take two or three places of Scripture which set forth this punishment Matth. 25. 41.
a planke they passed over them that if they had slipped but a little aside they had fallen into the lake from whence they could never have got out when they shall remember how neer they were to Hell and how narrowly they have escaped such horrible torments â—urely they will be struck with such admiration and joy which now they could not bear but would over-whelm their spirits and bring immediate death upon them but then their nature will be strengthned to bear this joy which might be enough to sweeten an eternity if they had no other happiness than the consideration of the misery from which they have been so wonderfully delivered Thus concerning the going away of the righteous from the wicked and the miseries which they shall enduâ—e 2. Concerning their going into eternal life and here I shall speak 1. Of the eternal life they shall go into 2. Of their going into eternal life 1. Concerning the eternal life which the righteous shall go into Eternal life is taken in Scripture frequently for the life of grace but chiefly and so here for the life of glory by eternal life we are to understand the glory and happiness which the righteous shall have in Heaven of which happiness in Heaven I shall speak 1. Subjectively 2. Objectively 3. Formally 1. Subjectively The subject of the happiness in Heaven will be both the bodies and the souls of the righteous 1. The bodies of the righteous will be subjects of the happiness of Heaven 1. They shall be most glorious bodies 1 Cor. 15. 43. They are sown in dishonour when they die they shall be raised in glory at the resurrection some glory and Majesty is put upon the bodies of men now in comparison with the bodies of inferiour creatures but the bodies of the righteous shall then be made a thousand-fold more glorious there is not so great a difference between celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies between the body of the glorious Sun and the body of the meanest fly or worm as then there will be between the bodies of the righteous on earth and in heaven they will be celestial bodies they will shine like Stars Dan. 12. 3. Yea like the Sun in the Kingdom of their father Matth. 13. 43. their bodies will be transformed whereby their dirty hue will be changed more than if all the stones in the street were turned into Diamonds Phil. 3. 21. Their vile bodies will be fashiâ—ed like unto the glorious body of Christ Now their bodies are vile being so frail especially as they are the instruments of sin they are earthy as they bear the image of the earthy Adam then they shall be glorious because they shall bear the Image of the Heavenly Adam the bodies of some doe now shine with Gold and Pearls and costly Apparrel which are about them and yet under all their bodies remain vile bodies but hereafter the bodies of the righteous shall shine with a mâ—rvellous brightness and glory through the qualities which shall be in them beyond what the richest attire can give 2. And by consequence the bodies of the righteous shall be most beautiful bodies they shall have a perfect beauty beyond whatever eye did behold in the fairest women that ever lived upon the face of the earth Their bodies will have the most exact symetrie of parts those which were mis-shapen here shall then be healed of that imperfection in their bodies the crooked back shall then be made straight the members which now are wanting shall be supplied and the parts which now are dissolved shall be put into the right place and all joined so exactly together especially the lineaments of the face shall have such a figure and composition as shall render their feature most lovely and graceful beyond what the greatest observers and admirers of beauty can conceive in their fancy Moreover the bodies of the righteous shall have a most sweet mixture of colours there will be no black skin no swarthy complexion no pale face no wan look their colour will be most lovely without change or fading there will be no wrinkles of old age but they will be alwaies young fresh and blooming if the composition of these elements which are so dreggish doth give forth in some such loveliness of colour what wil the more refined composition of the bodies of the righteous do and when the Lord will fashion their bodies after the pattern of his Sons body and therefore I conceive further that the bodies of the righteous shall have a most comely stature not dwarfish not gigantick but according to the measure of the stature of Christ And lastly to compleat their beauty I doubt not but they wil have most graceful gestures and sparkling motions in their countenances they wil have no grief to deaden their beauty no anger or envy or the like to change and transform their visage but love and joy wil continually look out at their eyes which will marvellously add to the lustre and sweetness of their beauty they shall have most beautiful bodies 3. The bodies of the righteous shall be most strong that they may be sutable to their great soul and fit for such works as in heaven they must be employed in were they weak as now they are they would never endure such works and motions they would tire and faint their spirits would quickly be spent but in Heaven there will be no lassitude and weariness no fainting or failure of spirits all their motions though never so great and continual will be sweet and delightful and therefore their bodies must be strong that they may be sutable hereunto Moreover the glory of Heaven which they shall have in their eye would sinke a weak body and the ravishing joyes and love the transports of their souls in the visions which they shall have would crack a weak vessel to pieces they must be strong to bear the glory of the place and when besides they must endure unto all eternity and all this without reparation by meat or drink or sleep I conceive that no bodies visible to us are made so strong as the bodies of the righteous will be made at the last day 4. Hence it follows that their bodies will be most healthfull bodies they will be free from all pain and disease which may in the least weaken them the temperature of their bodies will be so exact that there will be no fighting of contrary qualities within them no flowing of ill humours In Heaven there will be no plague nor ague not feaver nor gout not stone nor strangury nor any distemper no need of food to preserve health nor physick to recover it 5. The bodies of the righteous will be spiritual bodies I Cor. 15. 44. not absolutely spiritual for then they would cease to be bodies but comparatively to what they are now they will be spiritual that is I conceive they will be quick and nimble in their motions like spirits now they are dull and slow and heavy and a
c. So that it is of ancient revelation The first coming of Christ was foretold to Adam in the promise that the seed of the woman should break the Serpents head and the second coming of Christ was foretold to Enâ—ch It is foretold by the Angels Acts 1. 10 11. Whilst the Disciples looked stedfastly upon our Saviour in his Ascension two Angels say unto them Ye men of Gâ—lilee why stand ye gazing up into Heaven this same Iesus which is taken up from you into Heaven shall so come down in like manner as â—e have seen him go into Heaven however Devils are Lyars and the Fathers of Lyes and Lyars yet the good Angels are true and Ministers of truth and this is a true restimony further this is foretold by the Apâ—stles who were employed to be the Pen-men of part of the holy Scripture and were guided by an infallible spirit the Apostle Paul speaks often of it especially see his testimony I Thes. 4. 15 16 17. For this we say unto you by the Word of the Lord that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep For the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout with the voice of the Arch-angel and with the Trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord Thus he sets forth Christs coming in a comfortable manner unto his people therefore exhorteth Christians to comfort one another with those words and hopes of Christs glorious appearance when they should be caught up to meet with him and be with him for ever and he sets it forth in a dreadful manner in regard of the wicked 2 Thes. I 7 8 9. The Lord Iesus shall be revealed from Heaven with his Mighty Angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on them which know not God and obey not the Gospel who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power Moreover this coming of Christ is spoken of by the Apostle in every Chapter of both of these Epistles I Epist Chap. 1. 10 And to wait for his Son from Heaven Chap. 2. 19. What is our hope or joy or crown of rejoycing are not ye in the presence of the Lord Iesus at his coming Chap. 3. 13. To the end he may establish you unblameable in holiness at the coming of our Lord Iesus Christ. Chap. 4. 16. The Lord himself will descend from Heaven with a shout Chap. 5. 23. I pray that your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Iesus Christ. 2. Epist. Chap. 1. 10. He shall come to â—e glorified in his Saints Chap. 2. 1 3. Now I beseech you brethren by the coming of our Lord Iesus Christ and by our gathering together unto him that ye be not soon shaken in minde c. Chap. 3. 5. And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and patient waiting for Christ. I might turn you to further testimonies of his Tit. 2 13. Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearance of the great God and our Saviour Heb. 9. 28. Unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time unto salvation We have also the testimony of the Apostle Iames Chap. 5. 7. Be patient therefore brethren unto the coming of the Lord. Of the Apostle Peter 1 Epist Chap. 5. 4. When the chief Shepherd shall appear ye shall receive a Crown of glory which fadeth not away 2 Epist. Chap. 3. 10. The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night Of the Apostle Iohn 1 Epist. Chap. 3. 2. When he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is And in his Revelation frequently Rev. 1. 7. Behold he cometh with clouds and every eye shall see him and they also that pierced him and all the kindreds of the earth shall waile because of him Even so Amen To conclude we have the testimony of our Saviour himself whilst on earth to his Disciples Mat. 16. 27. The Son of man shall come in the glory of the Father with his Angels and then he shall reward every man according to his works Matth. 24. 27. As lightning so shall the coming of the Son of Man be V. 30. They shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of Heaven V. 31. And he shall send his Angels with a great sound of a Trumpet to gather the Elect from the four Winds Mat. 25. especially from the 31. to the end where his judicial proceedings are set forth and our Saviour doth testifie to his enemies that he would come again Matth. 26. 64. Hereafter ye shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power coming in the clouds of Heaven And our Saviour testified by his Angel to Iohn his beloved Disciple after his ascension into Heaven that he would come again especially Rev. 22. where we have three promises of the same thing V. 7. Behold I come quickly Blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of this Book V. 12. Behold I come quickly and my reward is with me to give to every man according as his work shall be V. 20. Surely I come quickly Amen Even so Come Lord Iesus If any one word in the whole Book of God may be believed this concerning Christ's second coming and appearance may be believed of which we have such frequent and evident testimonies in the Word as surely as he came the first time in the flesh according to the predictions hereof in the Old Testament so surely will he come the second time in glory according to the predictions in the New Testament God can as soon cease to be God as this Word concerning Christs second coming fail when the Sun goes down in the evening we believe it will return and arise at such a time in the morning accordingly it comes to pass So now Christ the Sun of righteousness is gone into Heaven whilst the night of this world doth last though we cannot know the certain time yet we may believe that he will certainly return and come down from Heaven in the morning of the resurrection it is more possible that the Sun when it is set should abide for ever in the other parts of the world and never arise any more in our Horison than that Christ should abide for ever in Heaven and not return to judge the World when the thing is evidently revealed and frequently promised in the Scripture 2. That the Scriptures are true is evident because they are the Word of God who is a God of truth and cannot lie who can as soon cease to be God as cease to be true untruth in God would argue weakness and imperfection in God which cannot be since to be
hath raised him from the dead And Rom. 14. 10. We shall all stand before the Iudgment Seat of Christ. And 2 Cor. 5. 10. For we must all appear before the Iudgment Seat of Christ that every one may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done whether it be good or bad And Christs judicial proceedings is set forth at large Matth. 25. Hence then it follows that the Lord Jesus Christ shall certainly appear to Judgment I might add other Arguments drawn from the faith and hope and expectation of the righteous and Christs faithfulness love and the engagement of his honour to appear again but so much concerning the certainty of Christs second appearance CHAP. XII 3. THe third thing proved is to shew that the Lord Iesus Christ will quickly appear that is 1. He will come within a short time 2. He will come suddenly and unexpectedly when he doth appear 1. Christ will come quickly that is within a short time Heb. 10. 37. Yet a little while and he that shall come will come and will not tarry He that shall come will come there is the certainty of his coming and yet a little while he will come and will not tarry there is the speediness of his coming The Lord is at hand Philip. 4. 5. The coming of the Lord draweth nigh Iames 5. 8. The Iudge standeth at the door vers 9. The end of all things is at hand 1 Pet. 4. 7. Therefore out dayes are called the last dayes 2 Tim. 3. 1. And upon us the ends of the world are come 1 Cor. 10. 11. We live in the end of the World in the last dayes in the old age thereof The World hath as it were three ages the youth the middle age and the old age the Youth of the World was from the creation to the Flood the middle age from the Flood to the first coming of Christ the old Age from the first coming of Christ to the second coming the old age and last dayes of the World began in the Apostles time now many of them are spent and we are come not only to the declining years but also to the decrepit age of the World and if the Lord Jesus Christ were to come shortly in the dayes of the Apostle much more shortly will he come now when so many years are past since the Scripture was writ and these things foretold If any should doubt of the certainty of Christs appearance because the Scripture speaks of the speediness thereof as if Christ had been in those dayes presently to come and yet above sixteen hundred yeares are past since the promise was made I answer that the Apostle Paul who in his first Epistle to the Thessalenians spake of Christs coming as if it might be in his time 1 Thess. 4. 16 17. The Lord himself will descend from Heaven with a shoâ—t c. And the dead in Christ shall rise first then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up in the Clouds c. The same Apostle tells the Thessalonians in his second Epistle Chap. 2. 3. Thaâ— the day of the Lord should not come till there was â— falling away and the Man of sin should be revealed c. And vers 7. That there was then a lett to the Revelation of the Man of sin which was thâ— Heathenish Romane Empire which lett was not likely in haste neither was removed till some hundred of years after and therefore it is evidenâ— from that place that the coming of the Lord was not to be until several ages after the writing of the Scriptures This may be sufficient to give satisfaction concerning the length of time since the Scripture tells us that the Lord Jesus would quickly appear If any profane Mockers shall scoff at this answer and say where is the Promise of his coming Do not all things remain as they were since the Creation Do not the Sun and Moon and Stars keep their constant course And what likelihood of the darkning of the Sun and falling of the Stars and the passing away of the Heavens with a great noise Is not the Earth established upon sure foundations and what likelihood of moving it and burning it with the works which are upon it and if Christ would have come so quickly would not he have been here before now I answer 1. That the Apostle Peter foretels that in the last days such scoffers should arise 2 Pet. 3. 3 4. 2. That all things are not as they were from the Creation for the World in the time of Noah was drowned with the Flood Noah only excepted and those which were with him in the Ark surely there was a great transformation of things in that age vers 5 6. 3. That by the same word of command whereby the old World was drowned with Water by the same Word the World that now is shall be burned with Fire at the day of Iudgment and perdition of the ungodly vers 7. 4. That though many hundred years be pâ—st since the promise that the Lord would come quickly yet there is not a failure in regard of God for though the time be long in regard of our account who are of so short continuance and time seems tedious to us because of the miseries of our short life yet in regard of the eternal God the time is but short for in his sight a thousand years is but as one day and by that account there are not yet two dayes past since the promise vers 8. 5. The reason of Gods protracting this appearance of Jesus Christ to Judgment is for our sakes it is from his long-suffering to us-ward that hereby he might lead us unto repentance vers 9. The Lord hath a number to be called some of which may be unborn others not yet new-born but scattered amongst the wicked but when the Elect are all called and perswaded to repent and believe and are gathered into Gods Family I doubt not but the Lord Jesus Christ will be here immediately The Lord Jesus surely now will come within a short time the certain time of his appearance is unknown Matth. 24. 36. But of that day and hour knoweth no Man no not the Angels but the Father only this is a secret which God hath locked up in his own breast it is written in the Book of this Decree and however other things are revealed and unfolded to Men yet the leaf where this is written is folded up and sealed so that none can read it yet surely it cannot be long before the mystery be finished and Christ be revealed from Heaven yet a little while and he will be here he stands at the Door and the Door will quickly be opened and then he will make his appearance 2. The Lord Jesus Christ will come quickly that is suddenly and unexpectedly especially in regard of the ungodly World The day of the Lord will come as a sâ—â—re upon all them that dwell on the face of the whole
righteous Lot dwelt amongst them it is likely â—here was not one righteous person besides what was in Lots family and though they were so wicked and the cry of their sins was gone up â—o Heaven and the Lord was provoked unto so great displeasure by them yet they are jovial and secure they did not think in the midst of â—heir peace that sudden destruction was so near Abraham with his servants had not long before delivered them out of the hand of Chedorlaomer against whom they had rebelled and Amraphel and the other Kings which had conquered them and sackt the place they did not think of a more â—urious enemy who was arming himself against them even the King of Heaven against whom they had worse rebelled and out of whose hands none could deliver them They ate and they â—rank they did not think that their flesh and all â—he provisions thereof should so soon be devoured by flames they bought and they sold they did little expect that both money and merchandize should be consumed so suddenly they planted and they builded they did not in the least imagine that instead of showers of Rain from Heaven to water their Plants to make them grow they should have showers of Fire and Brimstone to burn up their plants and burn down their houses to the ground The Sodomites did not in the least look for such a Judgment as this it is said Gen. 19. 14. That Lot went out and spake to his sons in law which had married his daughters and said Up get you out â—f this place for the Lord will destroy this City but â—e seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law His words were unto them like idle tales which they did not believe otherwaies they would not have remained in the place until they had been consumed and if Lot's sons in Law who in likelihood were some of the best of the place did not believe nor expect the judgment though they were forewarned by their Father much less did the rest of the Sodomites expect it that had not before heard of it This Fire from Heaven was altogether unexpected in Sodom But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained Fire and Brimstone upon them and destroyed them all The morning was clear when Lot went forth and the Sun did shine with a glorious brightness when he got into Zoar but then we may imagine that a strange darkness did quickly fill the Heavens when the Lord came down clothed with vengeance as with a garment and wrapped in thick clouds of the sky when the Lord thundered in the Heavens and the highest gave hiâ— voice Hail-stones and coals of fire when the Lord rained Fire and Brimstone upon the place Whâ— can utter the horrible perpexity of the Sodomiteâ— on that day under this unthought of unexpected sudden and so dreadful un-heard-of Judgment when they opened their windows and doors of their houses in the morning and perceived the fashion of the heavens to be altered and the tempest of Fire and Brimstone to beat 〈◊〉 upon them so sorely and suddenly when the 〈◊〉 was strangely converted into fire and such scalding sulphurious matter enkindled by the breaâ—â— of God did fall upon them when the wholâ— place was put into flames together and ever house was set on Fire by this Fire from Heaven when they saw if theâ— went forth of doors they should be burnt by the fire of Heaven if they stayed within they should be burnt by the fire of their houses when there was such a dreadful burning heat by the Fire accompanied with such a stinking noisome suffocating smoke by the brimstone when there was a little kinde of Hell in that place both for torment and sin O the Dread of the Sodomites at that time then those beasts which would have forced themselves into Lots doors to commit leudness and were strucken by the Angels with blindness when they began to feel the violence of this Fire and their pampered flesh began to be rosted by these flames how did they howle like Dogs how did they roar and yell with anguish and horrour Then all the sinners of the place whose sins before went up with such a loud cry into the ears of God what a loud cry did they send forth out of every house under the sense of their torments then the sons in law of Lot who were forewarned I believe were above others perplexed and filled with unspeakable vexation that they did not hearken to the voice of their Father and remove with him from that place before the Fire came then they knew he did not mock them but was in good earnest and that his words were not idle tales but the truth of Gods intention which he was sent to give them notice of Sodom is now made a fiery Furnace and all the wicked of the place are consumed together suddenly and unexpectedly Even thus will it be in the day when the Son of Man shall be revealed when the Lord Jesus Christ shall come to Judgment The world is very wicked and the longer it doth continue the worse it grows the sins of the wicked world like the sins of Sodom have gone up with a loud Cry to God and the Lord hath exercised his patience a long time to lead them unto repentance and if there had not been some righteous persons on the Earth the day of Judgment would have been long ago if there had not been some Lots in Sodom I mean some Elect Persons in their sins that are yet to be called and some as yet un-born that must be gathered the World would ere this have been consumed for the wickedness thereof there is a measure appointed for the Worlds sins which will be filled up and there is a number appointed of chosen Persons who ere long will be brought in and so soon as Lot is got into Zoar God rains Fire and Brimstone on Sodom and I conceive that so soon as all the Elect Persons are got into Christ that then Christ will appear to Judgment and as it was in the dayes of Lot so will it be on the day of Christs appearance the wicked of the World will be secure eating and drinking buying and selling planting and building The day before Christ cometh will be a merry day with some ungodly sinners they will be eating and drinking feasting and carouzing singing and rejoycing and putting the evil day far from them even when it is so very neer but how will their chear be changed the next morning how will their singing be turned into howling and their joy into heaviness and dreadful terrour The day before will be a gainfull day it may be with many in their buying and selling possibly they may have got a good bargain in their buying and got good profit in their selling and it may be a busie day with others in their planting and building which may fill their time and thoughts with Worldly care and contrivements for many years to
will be durable and unsearchable Rejoice then believers rejoice what though you are poor in the world you are rich in saith and hope what though you have no inheritance on earth yet you are heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven you shall have an inheritance which is incorruptible and undefiled what though you indure some hardship in your journey through the world when you come home to your Fathers house you shall be freed from all want and have such treasures to spend upon which can never be exhausted 6. Think what Honours you shall have the meanest of you will be exalted unto higher dignity than the greatest Monarch that ever lived you will be crowned with immortal glory you will be honoured by God and the Angels and you will not only have honour but you will be made most honourable Rejoice then believers and take comfort though you are scorned by some and accounted as the off-scouring of the earth you are reproached and vilified by men here but all your reproaches especially those which you have born for the sake of Jesus Christ shall be wreathed into a Crown and make you the more glorious in Heaven there you shall not have the least disgrace cast upon you any more and you shall be kept from doing any unbecoming action to blot and sullie you in the least but you shall shine like so many Stars or glorious Suns in the Kingdom of your Father 7. Think what Peace and Rest you shall have you shall have a most sweet peace and tranquilitie of mind no enemie without to disturb and molest you no devil to tempt and assault you no lusts within or distempered passion to disquiet you then you shall have perfect peace and then you shall rest from all wearisome imploiments and take up your repose in God for ever Rejoice then believers and set this chear your hearts in your passage through the tempestuous sea of this world ere long you will come to the haven where there will be no waves nor winds sometimes now you are troubled on every side and have no rest in your spirits without are fightings within are fears but in Heaven you shall be freed perfectlie from all disturbance and molestation 8. Think what Ioyes and Pleasures you shall have you shall have fulness of Joy Psal. 16. 11. you shall drink of the rivers of pleasures Psal. 36. 8. O the delights which you shall have in the immediate views of Gods face in the sense of Gods love in the high actings of your love in the fruition of the chiefest good and the high emploiment which you shall have in Heaven Rejoice then believers rejoice in hope of these joyes now you mourn and weep for your sin and because of the eclipses of the light of Gods countenance it troubles your hearts that you can see and enjoy so little of God that your love is so low and inconstant that your highest services are but mean and diverted many times by little trifling businesses in the world from converse with God in heaven all tears will be wiped away from your eyes and all sorrow with all the grounds thereof will be removed you will come with singing into the new Ierusalem you will enter and live in the vision and fruition in the love and joy and spend an eternity in the praise of the Lord. 2. Believers consider the sureness of the happiness of Heaven as surely as you are believers so surely shall you obtain this happiness you cannot be sure of any thing in the world but you may be sure of the glory of heaven and though there be not the certitudo subjecti and many of you be not assured of it but are full of doubts and fears that you shall fall short yet there is certitudo objecti the thing is sure to you Rejoice then believers rejoice your names are written in the book of life our of which they shall never be blotted labour to answer your doubts and to get your hearts wrought up to a full assurance of this happiness by such arguments as these which will evidently prove that if you be true believers you shall not you cannot miss of Heaven I. God hath chosen you to glory he hath elected you to salvation before the world was Act. 13. 48. As many as were ordained to eternal life believed Hence it follows that all believers were ordained to eternal life and I Thes. 2. 13. God hath chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the spirit and beliefe of the truth All true believers are elected persons and Gods decree of election cannot be frustrated because God is unchangeable because God changeth not therefore you are not consumed because God changeth not therefore you shall be saved 2. God hath promised this happiness to you I Iohn 2. 24. This is the promise which he hath promised even eternal life And Tit. 1. 2. In hope of eternal life which God who cannot lie hath promised If God hath promised this happiness and your faith doth give you interest in the promises and God be faithful to fulfil to them it being impossible for God to lie then as certainly as God is true you that are believers shall obtain 3. The Lord Jesus Christ hath purchased this happiness for you it is called the purchased posfession Eph. 1. 14. as certain as the purchase so certain will be the possession 4. The Lord Jesus hath taken possession of Heaven for you The fore-runner is for us entred Heb. 6. 20. He is preparing these mansions in the fathers house for you Ioh. 14. 2. and as certain as Christ is in Heaven so certainly shall those that are believers be received thither in time 5. Christ praied that you might have this happiness whilst he was on the earth Iah 17. 24. Father I will that those which thou host given me be with me where I am that they may behold the glory which thou host given me Which prayer was made for you if believers as well as for his present Disciples v. 20. Neither pray I for these alone but for them also which shall believe on me through their word And for this thing Chirst intercedes above and whatever he praies and intercedes for he will prevail for you and therefore you will obtain 6. Ye are Christs as ye are believers and therefore all things are yours saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 3. 22 23. amongst which things to come are enumerated ye are Christs servants and do his work and he will give you your wages You honour him in the world and therefore you shall be honoured by him You follow your Master in a way of self-denial and suffering and if you suffer with him you shall reign with him 2 Tim. 2. 12. and be glorified together Rom. 8. 17. and where Christ is there shall his servants be Ioh. 12. 26. Ye are Christs members and where the head is there shall the members be Ye are Christs Sponse you are joined married to him and therefore shall