and him that serveth him not Mal. 3.17 18. I confesse the wicked are sometimes punished in this world to assure us there is a God yet it is but sometimes to assure us there is a day of judgment Verily there is a reward for the righteous verily there is a God that judgeth the earth Psal 58.11 CAP. II. An Objection answered IT is certain that the soul so soon as it is separated from the body is presented to God and receives an irrevocable doome either of woe or weal. The rich man died and presently was in hell in torments the begger died and was immediately carried by Angels into Abrahams bosome Luke 16.22 23. So that it may be demanded What need is there of a general day of judgment seeing every man is judged at the day of his death Answ 1. Every man consists of a Soul and a Body The Soul is judged at the day of death the Body also at the day of judgment For as these two doe either sin together or serve God together so they shall either burn together or reign together Every man must receive the things done in his Body according to that he hath done whether it be good or bad 2 Cor. 5.10 Yet because the Soul may and often doth sin or serve God without the Body it may in the state of separation be either punished or rewarded though the Body rest in the grave Answ 2. There must be a general Judgment for the manifestation of Gods Justice God disposes of every man at the day of his death that according to the rule of Justice yet that which he did in secret he will doe in the view of the whole world that so the generall Assembly of men and Angels may give this testimony and applause of his just proceedings Righteous art thou O Lord and righteous are thy judgments Psal 119.137 Answ 3. There must be a judgment besides that at the day of death because men after they be dead may be Instruments and occasions either of vice or vertue of sin or the service of God The Patriarchs Prophets Apostles Martyrs and Fathers of the Church are dead and gone yet still they doe good in the Church of God by their godly examples and holy writings Jeroboam Machiavel Marcion all Heriticks and prophane persons die yet they poison the air with ill example wicked books divelish principles and after their death infect posterity for many generations Their word eats as doth a canker or gangrene 2 Tim. 2.17 Hence it is that as there is a particular Judgment to reward the good or punish the evil they have done themselves in their life time so there shall be a generall Judgment to reward or punish them for that which after their death they have occasioned to be done by others V.S. Basil in l. de vera virginit CAP. III. The Names given to this Day THis day is called in the Scripture The day of the Lord. Alas for the day for the day of the Lord is at hand Joel 1.15 Your selves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night 1 Thes 5.2 Looking for and hastning unto the coming of the day of GOD 2 Pet. 3.12 This life is called Our Day O Jerusalem if thou hadst known at least in this Thy day the things that belong to thy peace Luke 19.42 For we think our own thoughts speak our own words and doe our own pleasure But that shall be the Lords day for the lofty looks of man shall be humbled the haughtiness of men shal be bowed down and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day Isa 2.11 Secondly it is called a Day of Revelation or Opening Rom. 2.5 Never was there such an opening as will be at that day The heavens shall be opened and those everlasting doors shall be lift up that the King of glory may go forth with his Angels to judge the world and return back again with his Saints when he hath judged it The Earth shall be opened for the stone shall be rolled from the mouth of every Sepulchre and the graves shall give up their dead The Books shall be opened I saw the dead small and great stand before the Lord and the books were opened and another book was opened which was the book of life and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works Rev. 20.12 The secrets of all hearts shall be opened There is nothing hid that shall not be manifested neither any thing kept secret that shall not come abroad Mar. 4.22 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my Gospell Rom. 2.16 Hell shall be opened to receive those wretches to whom it shall be said Goe ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the divel and his angels Thirdly it is called a Day of refreshing Repent ye therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord Acts 3.19 What a refreshing wil it be when our rotten and worm-eaten carkasses shall rise up in honor and in incorruption as flowers after a long winter What a refreshing wil it be when these two ancient friends the soul and the body after so long a separation shall imbrace and kisse each other What a refreshing will it be to see the Divel our worst enemy and Death our last enemy cast into the lake of fire What a refreshing wil it be to see Jesus Christ the Savior of the world and the head of his Church come in his glory attended with an innumerable company of Angels What a refreshing wil it be to hear those sweet sentences of absolution Well done good and faithfull servant enter thou into thy Masters joy Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdome prepared for you Fourthly in respect of the wicked it is called a day of wrath After thy hardnesse and impenitent heart thou treasurest up for thy self wrath against the day of wrath Rom. 2.5 As also a day of darknesse and gloominesse a day of clouds and of thick darknesse Joel 2.2 The Sun is pleasing to a good eye but offensive to an eye that is ill affected The day of judgment is a bath of refreshing to the godly but a burning Oven to the wicked Behold the day cometh that shall burn as an Oven and all the proud yea and all that doe wickedly shall be stubble Mal. 4.1 Fiftly it is called a great day The Angels which kept not their first estate but left their own habitation he hath reserved in everlasting chains of darknesse unto the judgment of the Great day Jude 6. The Sun shall be turned into darknesse and the Moon into blood before that great and notable day of the Lord come Acts 2.20 It is a great day indeed sith so many great and notable things shall be done in it For the Lord himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout with the voice of the Archangel 1 Thes 4.16 And he shall send his Angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together the Elect from the four winds from one end of heaven unto the other Mat. 24.31 And then the heavens shall passe away with a great noise and the Elements shall melt with fervent heat the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burnt up 2 Pet. 3.10 How great a day must that needs be wherein the accompts and reckonings of all Days must be audited and cast up Lastly it is commonly and usually called the Day of Judgment for it is the generall Assise wherein every man must be arraigned and hold up his hand at the barre Both old men and maidens young men and children Kings of the earth and all people Princes and all Judges of the earth SECTION II. THus having seen that there shall be not only a particular but a generall judgement also let us in the next place inquire who what manner of Judg he is who shall pronounce the sentence of life or death upon us CAP. I. Christ is the Judge IT is true that the whole Trinity shall judge us for so great an action cannot passe without the consent and authority of the three Persons Yet it is ascribed to Christ in respect of immediate execution He shall appear visibly in his humane nature give the sentence The Father judgeth no man but hath committed all judgment to the Son John 5.22 He hath appointed a day wherein he will judg the world in righteousnesse by that man whom he hath ordained Acts 7.31 We shall all stand before the Judgment seat of Christ Rom. 14.10 So that where Christ sayes he came not to judg the world Joh. 12.47 understand it of his first not of his second coming Fit it is that Christ should judg the world who was judged by it that so once in this world he may shew his power and Majesty in the sight of all his creatures especially of Pontius Pilate Annas Caiaphas and the Jews who condemned and crucified him They shall look upon me whom they have pierced Zach. 12.10 Fit it is that Men should be judged by one that is a Man The comfort that we have against the terrors of this day is that we shall be judged by the Man Christ Jesus One man is a God unto another Fear not I am your brother Ioseph CAP. II. Christ a severe Judge CHrist in his first coming was a Lambe but in his second he shall be a Lion His fan is in his hand and he will throng hly purge his floor and gather his wheat into his garner but will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire Mat. 3.12 Hence it is that the very best of the Saints tremble at the apprehension of this day David was a man after Gods own heart yet My flesh trembleth for fear of thee I am afraid of thy judgments Psal 119.120 Enter not into judgment with thy servant ô Lord for in thy sight shall no man living be justified Psal 143.2 Job was a man eminent for all graces yet he stood amazed at the consideration of this Iudge Whom though I were righteous I would not answer but I would make supplication to my Iudg Iob 9.15 What shall I do when God riseth up when he visiteth what shall I answer him Iob 31.14 Paul was a chosen vessell one that knew nothing by himself yet says he I am not thereby justified for it is the Lord that judges me And the Lord judges not as a man judges 1 Cor. 4.4 S. Ierome confesseth that his whole body trembled so oft as hee thought upon this day The righteous shall scarcely be saved 1 Pet. 4.18 Many there are who passe currant in the judgment of the world who when they shal be weighed in Christs ballances will be found too light Good reason then hath every man to pray as the Church teaches him In the day of Judgement good Lord deliver me CAP. III. Christ an upright Judge HEE shall judge the world in righteousnesse he shall minister judgment to the people in uprighteness Psal 9.8 The Lord cometh to judge the earth with righteousnesse shall he judg the world and the people with equity Psal 98.9 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousnesse which the Lord the righteous Iudge shall give me at that day 2 Tim. 4.8 The Iudges of the earth may absolve the guilty and condemn the innocent being corrupted By fear Pilate for the fear of Caesar condemned Christ whom the testimony of his own conscience pronounced innocent But this judge cannot be thus corrupted for Whom shall he fear that is omnipotent or of whom shall he be afraid that shal come with great power and glory Mar. 14.26 Or they may be corrupted with their own affection of love or hatred Herod adjudges John Baptist to death for the love of Herodias daughter Josephs brethren cast him into the pit because they hated him Ge. 37.4 But this Judg cannot be thus corrupted for He is no accepter of persons Acts 10.34 He shall not judg after the sight of his eyes but with righteousnesse shall he judge his people Isa 11.3 4. He will render to every man according to his deeds whether Iew or Gentile Rom. 2.6.9 Or they may be corrupted with bribes Jethro well advised Moses to chuse such men for Judges as hated covetousnesse Exod. 18.21 Thou shalt not wrest judgment thou shalt not respect persons neither take a gift for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise and pervert the words of the righteous Deut. 16.19 Christ our Iudge cannot be so corrupted If he would take a bribe thou shalt have none to give him at that day But if thou couldest give him the Kingdoms of the world the glory of them he would refuse for he is the Lord of lords a great God a mighty and a terrible which regardeth not persons nor taketh reward Deut. 10.17 A good conscience wil doe us more good then then a full purse Riches profit not in the day of wrath but righteousnesse delivereth from death Prov. 11.4 CAP. IV. Christ an All knowing Judge AS his uprightnesse is such that he cannot be corrupted so his knowledge is such that he cannot be deceived He shall not reprove after the hearing of his ears Isa 11.3 He shall not judge us according to the report and testimony of others which is uncertain but according to his own intuitive knowledg which is infallible Come and see a man which told me all the things that ever I did Is not this the Christ John 4.29 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight but all things are naked opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do Heb 4.13 The word in the Originall imports such an openness as when the skin is pulled off the back chined down so that the very entrails
is slow to anger Psal 103.8 A God that delighteth not in the death of a sinner His own nature inclines him to save us our sins urge and provoke him to damne us Therefore if he must punish he comes as it were unwillingly to it and reserves it for the last place CAP. III. The sentence of condemnation THe sentence of Condemnation shal be denounced in these words Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Divel his angels Mat. 25.41 Not a word in this sentence but is a wound not a syllable but is a sword piercing the heart not a letter but is as loud and terrible as a clap of thunder How shall the loyns of the wicked tremble and their joynts be loosed their knees knock together to hear Christ pronounce them cursed Cursed because of the punishment of losse Depart ye There is their banishment exclusion from him who is the fountain of life the light of glory and in whose presence there is fulnesse of joy Cursed because of the punishment of Sense Depart ye into fire there is the extremity Into fire everlasting there is the eternity Prepared for the Divel and his Angels there is their Company Immediately after these sentences are pronounced shall follow execution The wicked shall goe away into everlasting punishment but the righteous into life eternall Mat. 25.46 SECTION V. IT remains now in the last place to view the use and influence which the consideratiō of this great day of the Lord ought to have upon our affections It is matter of terrour to some of comfort to others but of instruction to all CAP. I. Terrour to the wicked AS Paul reasoned of righteousnesse temperance and judgment to come Felix trembled Acts 24.25 The Jews fell backward when they came to apprehend Christ in the days of his humility how then shal they stand before him when he shal come in glory and majesty How terrible must this day needs be when The mountaines shall quake at him and the hills melt and the earth bee burnt up at his presence yea the world and all that dwell therein Who can stand before his indignation and who can abide the fiercenesse of his anger his fury is poured out like fire and the rocks are throwne down by him Nah. 1.5 6. What a hard distresse shall the wicked be in when they shall have On one side their sins accusing On the other the justice of God terrifying The gulf of hell gaping under them An angry Judge frowning over them Within them a conscience stinging Without them the world burning Anselme Surely the Kings of the earth and the great men and the rich men and the chief Captains and the mighty men and every bondman and every free man shall hide themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains and shall say to the mountains and rocks fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of his wrath is come and who shall be able to stand Rev. 6.15 16 17. Rejoyce ô young man in thy youth and let thy heart chear thee in the days of thy youth and walk in the ways of thine own heart in the sight of thine eyes but know thou that for all these things God will bring thee to judgment Eccles 11.9 O consider this you that forget God lest he tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver you Psal 50.22 Knowing the terrors of the Lord we perswade men 2 Cor. 5.11 CAP. II. Comfort to the godly THen shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory And when these things begin to come to passe then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh Luke 21.27 28. The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of the Archangell and with the trump of God c. Wherfore comfort ye one another with these words 1 Thes 4.16 17. When Christ ascended the Angels comforted the Disciples in this manner This same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven Acts 1.11 Hence it is that the righteous are said to love the day of his appearing for then they shall receive a crown of righteousness 2 Tim. 4.8 The Lord is good a strong hold in the day of trouble and he knoweth them that trust in him Nahum 1.7 But of this we have heard before where this day in respect of the godly is called a day of refreshing redemption CAP. III. Instruction to all IF it be thus what manner of men ought we to be in all holy conversation on and godliness 2 Pet. 3.11 That which raised up the soul of S. Jerome to such a pitch of devotion was the continuall meditation of this day Whether I eat or drink or whatsoever I do me thinks I hear the last trump sounding in my ears Arise ye dead and come to judgment We must give an account not only for our presumptuous sins but for our smallest sins I say unto you That of every idle word that men shal speak they shall give account thereof at the day of judgment Mat. 12.36 We shall reckon not only for our own sins but for the sins of others which we have occasioned by our command company counsell or ill example We shall reckon for the talents of grace and nature and for the precious time afforded to us Hear the end of all fear God and keep his Commandments for God will bring every work into Judgment Eccles 12.13 14. Abound in the works of mercy and charity for according to them wee shall be judged Mat. 25. Judge your selves here you shall not be judged hereafter 1 Cor. 11.31 As for the time when or the place where the Judgment seat of Christ shall be erected O my soul enter not into these secrets Such knowledg is too wonderfull for thee Secret things belong to the Lord our God and revealed things to us and our children A short Prayer for the day of Judgment O Most blessed Lord Jesus who now sittest at the right hand of God the Father and from thence shalt come to judg both the quick and the dead in power and great glory I confess and acknowledge that such is the hainousnesse of my sins the guiltinesse of my Conscience and the dreadfulness of that day that my very flesh trembleth and my heart melteth within me when I consider that I must appear before the tribunall of thy just Judgment to give an account of whatsoever I have done in the flesh whether good or evil I know ô Lord that if thou shalt enter into Judgment with me I cannot be justified in thy sight and if thou shalt be extreme to mark what amisse hath passed from me I shall not be able to answer thee one for a thousand I appeal