yet if for lack of one thing I should fall short of it What if this covetousness and base spiritedness this worldly-mindedness and uncharitableness this passion and peevishness this stubbornness this stiffness and opposition and disobedience to my Governours this desire of revenge and heart-burning and animosity what if this or any of these should ruine all and shut me out of Heaven Lord therefore prays he let me part with every thing that thou dost hate and embrace that which thou dost love and command that I may appear before thy Tribunal with courage and comfort Thus the thoughts of Judgment strike a holy awe and dread into the hearts of God's Children and do successfully affright 'em from sin It is thus a Terrour even to good men And especially 't is a Terrour to wicked men and impenitent Sinners when under any affliction or the apprehension of approaching Death But after Death especially 't will be so when the Judgment-Day is come 't will be Terrour with a Witness 'T is suppos'd 't will be a kind of Terrour to good men which is gathered from that expression in the Thessalonians 1 Thess 1.10 To be admir'd in all them that believe Even in admiration it self there is a kind of mixture of fear and Terrour through an overplus and overslowing of expectation and ravishing exuberant wonder as some are observ'd to weep for joy But in wicked men all that 's purely dreadful shall meet together But more particularly this dread and Terrour which will fall upon wicked men the Enemies of our Lord ariseth from these four things 1. The sight of the Judge 2. The manner of his coming to Judgment 3. The Accusation of their own Consciences 4. The Nature and Characters of the Judgment Which will be 1. An Universal a General Judgment 2. An exact an accurate and critical Judgment 3. A just and righteous Judgment 4. The final Judgment 5. A Judgment that will sentence to an eternal state either of happiness or misery But perhaps some may be here dissatisfied being ready to demand Whether none shall be sentenc'd to an eternal state till the last and general Judgment What then shall become of departed Souls after Death till the General Judgment Shall they be kept in some Middle Place in some Limbus Patrum or Infantum To this I answer As there is a General Judgment at which the Body and Soul being re-united shall appear and receive Sentence together so there is a particular Judgment of the Soul by it self at its departure from the Body That the Souls of good men immediately after Death are carried to Heaven by the Angels to receive the Sentence of Absolution which shall be pronounced by Christ who will place them in the Mansions of Glory is most certain as may be gathered from the Case of Lazarus Luke 16.22 compared with 2 Cor. 5.1 And I humbly conceive with submission which is not unwarrantable by Scripture as is intimated in the Case of Dives Luke 16.23 that Christ Jesus the Judge of the World by virtue of his Regal Office which he doth now execute as he sends out his Angels which are ministring Spirits to carry holy Souls into Heaven so he commissions his Angels too to take the Souls of wicked men immediately after their separation and deliver 'em to the Devil that cruel Jaylor the Keeper of the Infernal Prison who instantly draggs 'em away to Hell there to be bound as 't is said of the evil Angels in everlasting chains under darkness to the judgment of the great day Jude 6. and in the mean time to be tormented and punished according to their capacity and that in pursuance of the ancient Sentence pronounced long ago He that believeth not is condemn'd already John 3.18 36. and the wrath of God abideth on him Thus having discours'd Doctrinally of that great Fundamental Point of Religion the certainty of Judgment to come a Day of Judgment after this Life together with the dreadfulness of it styled here The Terrour of the Lord It remains now IV. and Lastly that we make some improvement of it by Application And here first of all I hope I need not use Saint Peter's Apology to you how needful soever 't is amongst others in the World for the Lord's slackness and delay in coming to Judgment which he directs to those Scoffers of the last times 2 Pet. 3.3 Knowing this first that there shall come in the last days Scoffers walking after their own lusts and saying Where is the promise of his coming for since the Fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were from the beginning of the Creation I hope there are no such Scoffers here though with sorrow and sadness and lamentation I might speak it and observe it they abound too much in the World yea in Christendom it self and this reformed Part of it men of an Atheistical shall I say or Anti-Christian Spirit who laugh and mock at the Doctrine of a Day of Judgment as a wild Chimaera the idle Dream and fancy of a melancholy Preacher the effect of an inquisitive contemplative Head and the strength of imagination being ready to say in the Words of these Scoffers here mentioned by St Peter Where is the promise of his coming c. i. e. Where is the Promise or Prophecy fulfill'd that Christ shall come to judge the World for since the death of Adam and the Patriarchs and the Prophets and Christ himself who told the World of a Day of Judgment the World continues as it was no alteration appears and 't is like to continue so for ever Now this mocking and scoffing and infidelity owes it self St Peter observes partly to their Lusts partly to their wilful ignorance and inadvertency and inconsideration Which in regard there are so many in the World that are ready to join Issue with these Scoffers here I will take particular notice of both to obviate their Atheistical Objections and Anti-Christian scoffs and to antidote you against the infection of a contagious Air. 1. Then It owes it self partly to their Vices and Lusts Scoffers walking after their own lusts Some men so long abandoning themselves to Vice become Athestical and deny God for 't is their interest there should be none and upon the same Grounds they become Anti-Christian and deny Christ deny his Divinity and Authority and Veracity his Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven and his coming to Judgment For 't is their interest that he should never come whose coming will be so terrible to all his Enemies 't will be to the perdition of ungodly men 2. It owes it self partly to their wilful ignorance and inadvertency and inconsideration and that of three things First God's Power and Providence both in the Creation and destruction of the World Secondly The nature of God and his measure and account of time Thirdly His patience and long-suffering First God's Power and Providence both in the Creation and destruction of the World ver 5 6 7.
educated None of these things then could be Motives to the Apostles and Ministers of Christ to set on this Business What Motives then could prevail Would they be so mad and indiscreet to press Gospel-Piety upon the supposition of a Terrour that they should never hear of or feel and which themselves did not believe and not hope to be advantag'd by it either here or hereafter What encouragement were this nay what madness rather to press an idle and unprofitable Vertue an uncommanded Obedience with design only to terrifie and affright the World and in the mean time expose themselves to disgrace and shame and contempt and reproach and hatred and persecution With what courage or comfort could they hold out to press this impertinent unprofitable business and that with so much sweat and labour weakning their Bodies and wasting their Spirits endangering their lives and livelihood If there were no other Motive but this how soon would they have hung the Wing how soon would the Tongue have faulter'd and been silent and the Spirits faint and the Hands and Feet have been weary 'T is then certainly no less no more inseriour Motive than the certain knowledge of the Terrour of the Lord that put them with such earnestness upon this great business 'T was this brought Christ from Heaven Knowing the Terrour of the Lord he came down to perswade men knowing I say the Terrour of the Lord the displeasure of the Great God against sin and Sinners and the certainty of Divine vengeance and everlasting wrath knowing this he came into the World to perswade men This made him with so much zeal and earnestness to set upon this Business to perswade men and that both by his Doctrine and Miracles his Life and his Death by his bitter Passion and Sufferings his Tears and Bloud his Resurrection and Ascension and Mission of the Holy Ghost and still continues to perswade them by his Ministers and Ambassadors whom he commissions and commands to perswade and entreat and beseech by all the endearments and compellations of Love to flee from the wrath to come to be reconcil'd to God to embrace and improve the means of Grace and Salvation Which hath transported their Spirits with zeal and courage counting nothing dear but God's Glory and mens Souls counting I say nothing dear neither health nor strength nor reputation nor honour nor livelihood nor their dearest bloud which they were content should melt away in the Flames and be expos'd to the hands of violence rather than cease to perswade men knowing the Terrour of the Lord. And this by the way may serve as an Apology for Ministers When you hear them boldly and severely rebuking Vice and reproving sin and Sinners laying open the horrid and abominable nature and sad effects and consequents of sin and so passionately and earnestly perswading men to repentance to the practice of Vertue and Holiness and that from the consideration of rewards and punishments to be dispensed in the other World and those dress'd up in the different habit of recommending or astonishing and affrighting circumstances proper to each distant state when you hear this do not censure it as a common Lecture of Terrour to awe and affright Children and the weaker sort who are easily imposed upon as words of course and so not much to be regarded as a Tryal of Skill and a cast of our Office much less as a design out of malice and hatred to your persons to expose and abuse you which will provoke you to be angry to storm and rage at the Word and the Preacher of it No but rather look upon it and receive it as Words spoken in the deepest seriousness and out of true compassion and charity to your Souls Alas Sirs were not sin so dangerous and hurtful to men were there no future Account to give at the tremendous Audit were there no such flaming wrath and fiery vengeance as you hear of from the Pulpit were there no future Rewards for good and no Punishments for bad men we would never trouble you For we come upon an unwelcome Message to many to ravish their Dalilahs out of their Arms which may turn their Stomachs and make them rage as Herod did at John the Baptist to take them off from that which they so dearly love which 't is as as hard to part with as to part with a dear Member with a right Eye or a right Hand and therefore sin is compar'd to the Members of the Body Mortifie therefore your Members which are upon the earth Col 3.5 fornication c. And no wonder now that the Sinner storms and grows angry but we must not value that The Chirurgeon would be unfaithful if he should be loth or forbear to put his Patient to grief when he sees his danger No he will cut and lance and search the Wound or Sore to the bottom though he put his Patient to pain though he cry and lament sore and grow angry he will not spare a dear Member if a Gangrene calls for amputation The Physician will deal plainly with his Patient and tell him the nature of his Disease and his danger and will make him sick with bitter Pills and loathsome Potions in order to his Cure The Lawyer will deal faithfully with his Client and critically examine and search into every Creek and Corner of his Evidences and tell him the worst and not flatter him if he finds any thing defective that he may consult a Remedy Now Sirs our Work is much like the Work of these like the Chirurgeon we are to cut and lance with the Sword of the Spirit and the Knife of Mortification and to search the Sinners Wounds and ulcerous Sores to the bottom yea and to amputate and dismember too Like the Physician we must tell men of their Sickness and their danger and dose them with bitter Pills and loathsome Potions We are Physicians in Ordinary to the King of Kings and the World is his great Hospital where do lye abundance of impotent Folk of blind and lame and sick and diseased who are our Care we are bound ex Officio to look after them and must deal faithfully and in such methods as the nature of the Disease requires Like the Lawyer we must search and examine our Peoples Evidences for the heavenly Inheritance yea like Ambassadours we must deliver our Message whether of Peace or War And would you have us flatter and deceive Now were there no need of this we would not trouble men But alas who can see his Neighbour's or his Friend's danger and not be concerned What an uncharitable man is he that sees his Neighbour's House on Fire and will not tell him of it and endeavour to save him from or pluck him out of the Burnings that sees him drowning and will not help him that sees Thieves breaking in upon him and will not cry out and assist him especially 't is the Watchman's Office so to do who will not be loth
It follows and not to me only but to all them also that love his appearing And the same Apostle does by this Argument support the Spirits of those who suffer'd for the name of Christ whose invincible patience and faith in persecution and tribulation he applauds and glories in 2 Thess 1.14 assuring them ver 6. It is a righteous thing with God to recompence tribulation to them that trouble you and to you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven c. And St James Chap. 5. ver 7 8. exhorts to patience under tribulation by this Argument Be patient therefore Brethren unto the coming of the Lord which he observes will be as sure as the joyful Harvest after Seed-time for which the Husbandman waits with patience Behold the Husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the Earth and hath long patience for it until he receive the early and latter rain Be ye also patient stablish your hearts for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh This is the great Pillar and Under-prop to support the Spirits of men both in doing and suffering the Will of God Alas It would be comfortless labour could we not look over the Burden to the Reward unpleasant Work where there is no expectation of Wages dull and heavy and discouraging Service where there is no hope of recompence or of any advantage 'T is true Vertue is in it self lovely and some say its own reward But God is not content that it should be so but propounds a real Reward as the End of Vertue which he allows us to regard and look to as our great encouragement to all vertuous Actions 'T is recorded as an Act of Moses's Faith and a Point of his Praise that he had an eye to the recompence of reward Heb. 11.26 'T is not unworthy of a Christian as if he were to be thought a Mercenary to do this 'T is true indeed a Christian must not have amorem mercenarium but he may have amorem mercedis though not a mercenary love yet a love of the reward Though he may not ultimately eye his own reward yet he may in a secondary and subservient manner God's Glory must be our chief and ultimate but our own interest may be our secondary and subservient End God will have none of his Servants to serve him for nought they shall in no wise lose their reward which he allows us to look to with Moses here who had respect unto the recompence of reward which supported him under doing and suffering for God v. 25 26. chusing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt the reason of which eminent acts of self-denial and resignation is assign'd in the following Words For he had respect unto the recompence of reward And as it supported him so it has and does others too This supported St Paul in the mouth of the roaring Roman Lyon * Nero. This supported St Stephen under the Showre of Stones He lookt to the recompence of reward and saw it in his Redeemer's hand Acts 7.55 56. the Heavens were open'd to him and he saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God This supported the Martyrs under their Fiery Tryals whilst their Bodies were melting at the Stake their Souls were inflam'd with holy ardours and fortified with invincible courage their Faith giving 'em a prospect of Jesus standing at the right hand of God not with fading Garlands but immarcessible Crowns of Glory in his hand to set upon their triumphant heads Indeed without this how soon would the Spirits faint in the best Christian In all the Instances of Mortification and Self-denial and Suffering and Persecution for Religion could he not look to the recompence of reward what discouragement would he labour under He might thus argue with himself What do I do I am a Lover of Religion and am hated for it I deny my self in point of the profits and pleasures of the World which others wallow in to satiety I do good and receive evil am vexed and troubled and persecuted in this World whilst others are at rest And to what end is all this What! that I should live like a Fool and dye like a Beast And surely so it would be were there no future reward for him to eye and have respect to St Paul's Hypothesis is a Great Truth and the Consequence natural 1 Cor. 15.19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ we are of ll men most miserable Only there is a comfortable But which turns the Scales converts the Hypothetick into a Categorical Proposition in the next Words But now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first-fruits of them that slept who shall rise with him too and appear at Judgment the Judgment-Seat of Christ The thoughts of which as it strikes unspeakable Terrour into ill men perhaps here as well as hereafter so it comforts and refresheth strangely enlivens and animates invigorates and encourages good men to and in all the Instances of their Duty both in doing and suffering What will they stick at What difficulties dare they not encounter with What Obstacles can they not remove or break through What Lyon in the way shall discourage them or turn them back What shall divert them from pursuing such great and sure rewards which are before their eyes which they shall one day certainly receive What shall turn them out of the way of the Lord whose eyes are fixed on this Glorious Object Shall the Enchantments or bewitching Charms of sinful Pleasures allure or the thundering Peals of Persecution fright 'em thence May not such make St Paul's triumphant Challenge Rom. 8.35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword or any other Creature whatsoever Nay in all these things we are more than Conquerours through him that loved us Go on then Christian with courage and comfort and let thine eye be ever fixed on this Glorious Object look to the recompence of reward have an eye to the Glories that are within the Veil act Faith upon the things unseen keep a constant eye upon the Judge of the World and the great Tribunal and let thy Meditations on it be frequent and deep and serious and then leave the way of the Lord if thou canst then let the pleasures of sin bewitch thee and turn thee aside if they can like a broken Bow then leave the narrow and walk in the broad way that leads to destruction then turn thy face which now looks Heaven-ward to the Regions of darkness if thou canst then apostatize from thy Religion and renounce Christianity bid adieu to the Communion of Saints and associate with the blacker Spirits and the Cabal of Hell if thou canst then let the World the Flesh and the Devil