with the Mammon of Unrighteousness and ventured all his Hope in this Vessel And now he findeth the Wisdom of that Choice in a rich Return God made him so wise a Merchant as to sell all for this Pearl of greatest Price and therefore now he shall find the Gain As there is no other true Happiness but God in Glory so is there nothing more sutable and welcome to the true Believer O how welcome will the Face of that God be whom he loved sought longed and waited for How welcome will that Kingdom be which he lived in hope of which he parted with all for and suffered for in the Flesh How glad will he be to see the blessed Face of his Redeemer who by his manifold Grace hath brought him unto this I leave the believing Soul to think of it and to make it the daily matter of his delightful Meditation what an unconceivable Joy in one Moment will this Sentence of Christ will fill his Soul with Undoubtedly it is now quite past our Comprehension though our imperfect Forethoughts of it may well make our Lives a continual Feast Were it but our Justification from the Accusations of Satan who would have us condemned either as Sinners in general or as impenitent unbelieving Rebels against him that redeemed us in special it would lift up the Heads of the Saints in that Day After all the Fears of our own Hearts and the slanderous Accusations of Satan and the World That we were either impenitent Infidels or Hypocrites Christ will then justify us and pronounce us righteous So much for the Condition to which they are judged 2. The Reason or Cause of this Justification of the Saints is given us both 1. In a general Denomination and 2. In a particular Description 1. In general it is because they were righteous as is evident Mat. 25. 6. The Righteous shall go into Life everlasting And indeed it is the Business of every just Judg to justify the Righteous and condemn the Unrighteous And shall not the Judg of all the Earth judg righteously Gen. 18. 25. God makes Men righteous before he judges them so and judgeth them righteous because they are so He that abominateth that Man who saith to the Righteous Thou art wicked or to the Wicked Thou art righteous who justifieth the Wicked and condemneth the Righteous will certainly never do so himself Indeed he will justify them that are Sinners but not against the Accusation that they are Sinners but against the Accusation that they are guilty of Punishment for Sin but that is because he first made them just and so justifiable by pardoning their Sin through the Blood of Christ And it 's true also that he will justify those that were wicked but not those that are wicked but Judgment findeth them as Death leaveth them and he will not take them for wicked that are sanctified and cleansed of their former Wickedness So that Christ will first pardon them before he justify them against the Charge of being Sinners in general and he will first give Men Faith Repentance and new Obedience before he will justify them against the Charge of being Impenitent Infidels or Hypocrites and consequently â—mpardoned and doubly guilty of Damnation This twofold Righteousness he will first give Men and so constiture them just before he will declare it and sentence them just 2. The Reason of the Sentence particularly described is from their Faith and Love to Christ expressed in their Obedience Self-denial and forsaking all for him For I was hungry and ye fed me I was thirsty and ye gave me daink I was a Stranger and ye took me in naked and ye clothed me I was sick and ye visited me I was in Prison and ye came to me Verily I say unto you inasmuch as ye have done it to one of the least of these my Brethren ye have done it unto me Mat. 25. 35 to 41. Here is 1. The causal Conjuction for 2. And the Cause or Reason it self Concerning both which observe 1. How it is that Man's Obedience and Self-denial is the Reason and Cause of his Justification 2. Why it is that God will have the Reason or Cause thus declared in the Sentence For the first observe that it 's one thing to give a Reason of the Sentence and another thing to express the Cause of the Benefit given us by the Promise and judged to us by the Sentence Man's Obedience was no proper Cause why God did in this Life give Pardon of Sin to us or a Right to Glory much less of his giving Christ to die for us And therefore as to our constitutive Justification at our Conversion we must not say or think that God doth justify us for or because of any Works of our Obedience legal or evangelical But when God hath so justified us when he comes to give a Reason of his Sentence in Judgment he may and will fetch that Reason partly from our Obedience or our Performance of the Conditions of the new Covenant For as in this Life we had a Righteousness consisting in free Pardon of all Sin through the Blood of Christ and a Righteousness consisting in our personal Performance of the Conditions of the Promise which giveth that Pardon and continueth it to us so at Judgment we shall accordingly be justified And as our evangelical personal Righteousness commonly called inherent was at first only in our Faith and Repentance and Disposition to obey but afterward in our actual sincere Obedience in which Sense we are constitutively justified or made righteous here by our Works in James his sense James 2. 24. so accordingly a double Reason will be assigned of our sentential Justification one from our Pardon by Christ's Blood and Merits which will prove our Right to Impunity and to Glory the other from our own Faith and holy Obedience which will prove our Right to that Pardon through Christ and to the free Gift of a Right to Glory and To this last is to be pleaded in Subordination to the former For Christ is become the Author of eternal Salvation to all them that obey him Heb. 5. 9. He therefore that will be saved must have a Christ to save him as the Author and an Obedience to that Christ as the Condition of that Salvation and consequently both must be declared in the Judgment The Reason why the Judg doth mention our good Works rather than our believing may be because those holy self-denying Expressions of Faith and Love to Christ do contain or certainly imply Faith in them as the Life of the Tree is in the Fruit but Faith doth contain our Works of Obedience but only as their Cause The Works also are a Part of the personal Righteousness which is to be enquired after that is we shall not be judged righteous meerly because we have believed but also because we have added to our Faith Vertue and have improved our Talents and have loved Christ to the hazard of all for his
sake For it is not only or principally for the Goodness of the Work considered in it self or the Good that is done by it to the Poor but it is as those Works did express our Faith and Love to Christ by doing him the most costly and hazardous Service that by Faith we could see Christ in a poor Beggar or a Prisoner and could love Christ in these better than our worldly Goods or Liberties which we must part with or hazard by the Works that are here mentioned 2. The Reasons why Christ will so publickly declare the personal Righteousness of Men to be the Reason or Cause of his justifying Sentence is because it is the Business of that Day not only to glorify God's meer Love and Mercy but eminently to glorify his remunerative Justice and not only to express his Love to the Elect as such but to express his Love to them as faithful and obedient and such as have denied all for Christ and loved God above all and to shew his Justice to Men and Faithfulness in fulfilling all his Promises and also his Holiness in the high Estimation of the Holiness of his People I shall express this in the Words of a Learned Divine Dr. Twiss against Mr. Cotton pag. 40. Was there no more in God's Intention when he elected some than the Manifestation of the Riches of his glorious Grace Did not God purpose also to manifest the Glory of his remunerative Justice Is it no undeniable that God will bestow Salvation on all his Elect of ripe Years by way of Reward and Crown of Righteousness which God the righteous Judg will give 2 Tim. 4. 2 Thess 1. It is great pity this is not considered as usually it is not especially for the momentous Consequence thereof in my Judgment So far he So much of the Sentence of Justification which shall be passed by Christ at Judgment upon the Righteous 2. We are next to consider of the Sentence of Condemnation which shall then by Christ be passed on the Unrighteous Which is delivered to us by Christ Mat. 25. in the same Order as the former The Sentence containeth 1. The Condemnation it self 2. The Reason or Cause of it The Condemnation expresseth the Misery which they are judged to 1. Generally in the Denomination Cursed 2. Particularly by Description of their cursed State To be cursed is to be a People destinated and adjudged to utter Unhappiness to all kind of Misery without remedy 2. Their cursed Condition is described in the next Words Depart from me into everlasting Fire prepared for the 〈◊〉 and his Angels 1. Depart From whom from the God that made them in his Image from the Redeemer that bought them by the Price of his Blood and offered to save them freely for all their Unworthiness and many a time intreated them to accept his Offer that their Souls might live From the Holy Ghost the Sanctifier and Comforter of the Faithful who strove with their Hearts till they quenched and expelled him O sad Departing who would not then choose rather to depart from all the Friends he had in the World and from any thing imaginable from his Life from himself if it were possible than from Christ Depart from what why from the Presence of the Judg from all farther Hopes of Salvation for ever from all possibility of ever being saved and living in the joyful Inheritance of the Righteous Depart Not from God's Essential Presence for that will be with them to their everlasting Misery but from the Presence of his Grace in that Measure as they enjoyed it Depart Not from your fleshly Pleasures and Honours and Profits of the World these were all gone and past already and there was no farther need to bid them depart from these Houses and Lands were gone Mirth and Recreations were gone Their sweet Morsels and Cups were gone All the Honour that Men could give them was gone before they were set at Christ's Bar to be judged But from all Expectations of ever enjoying these again or ever tasting their former Delights from these they must depart not from their Sin for that will go with them but the Liberty of committing that part of it which was sweet to them as Gluttony Drunkenness Whoredom Idleness and all Voluptuousness from these they must depart But this is consequential it is Christ and the Possibility of Salvation that they are sentenced to depart from But whither must they depart 1. Into Fire 2. Into that Fire which was prepared for the Devil and his Angels 3. Into everlasting Fire 1. Not into a purifying but a tormenting Fire Whether elementary or not whether properly or metaphorically called Fire let us not vainly trouble our selves to enquire It is enough to know that as Fire is one of the most grievous Tormentors of the Flesh so grievous will be those infernal Torments to the whole Man Soul and Body such as is most fitly represented to us under the Notion of Fire and of Burning It is easy for a secure unbelieving Soul to read and hear of it but Wo and ten thousand Woes to them that must endure it In this Life they had their good things when it went harder as to the Flesh with better Men but now they are tormented when the Godly are comforted as Luke 16. 25. 2. But why is it called a Fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels 1. What is this Devil that hath Angels 2. Who are his Angels 3. When was it prepared for them 4. Wat it not also prepared for wicked Men To these in order 1. It seems by many Passages in Scripture that there is an Order among Spirits both good and bad and that there is one Devil that is the Prince over the rest 2. It seems therefore that it 's the rest of the evil Spirits that are called his Angels And some think that the Wicked who served him in this Life shall be numbred with his Angels in the Life to come Indeed the Apostle calls him the God of this World 2 Cor. 4. 4. as is ordinarily judged by Expositors and the Prince of the Power of the Air the Spirit that now worketh in the Children of Disobedience Eph. 2. 2. And he calleth false seducing Teachers the Ministers of Satan 2 Cor. 11. 15. But that wicked Men are here meant as part of his Angels is not clear 3. If it be the Preparation of God's Purpose that is here meant then it was from Eternity but if it be any Commination of God as Ruler of the Angels then was this Fire prepared for them conditionally from the beginning of that Commination and was due to them at their Fall 4. It seems that the Reason why here is no mention of preparing Hell-fire for the Wicked but only for the Devils is not because indeed it was not prepared also for the Wicked but to note that it is the Torment which was first prepared for or assigned to the Devils thereby shewing the greatness of the Misery
neglect and abuse of this they shall be judged and not meerly for sinning against the Law that was given us in pure Innocency so that Christ as Redeemer shall judg them as well as others though they had but one Talent yet must they give an account of that to the Redeemer from whom they received it But if any be unsatisfied in this let them remember that as God hath left the State of such more dark to us and the Terms on which he will judg them so doth it much more concern us to look to the Terms of our own Judgment Obj. But how shall Insants be judged by the Gospel that were uncapable of it Answ For ought I find in Scripture they stand or fall with their Parents and on the same Terms but I leave each to their own Thoughts VII For the seventh Head What will be the Cause of the Day to be enquâ—ed after what the Accusation and what the Defence Answ This may be gathered from what was last said The great Cause of the Day will be to enquire and determine who shall die and who shall live who ought to go to Heaven and who to Hell for ever according to the Law by which they must then be judged 1. As there is a twofold Law by which they must be judged so will there then be a twofold Accusation The first will be that they were Sinners and so having violated the Law of God they deserve everlasting Death according to that Law If no Defence could be made this one Accusation would condemn all the World for it is most certain that all are Sinners and as certain that all Sin deserveth Death The only Defence against this Accusation â—ieth in this Plea confessing the Charge we must plead that Christ hath satisfied for Sins and upon that Consideration God hath forgiven us and therefore being forgiven we ought not to be punished To prove this we must shew the Pardon under God's Hand in the Gospel But because this pardoning doning Act of the Gospel doth forgive none but those that repent and believe and so return to God and to sincere Obedience for the time to come therefore the next Accusation will be that we did not perform these Conditions of Forgiveness and therefore being Vnbelievers Impenitent and Rebels against the Redeemer we have no right to Pardon but by the Sentence of the Gospel are liable to a greater Punishment for this Contempt of Christ and Grace This Accusation is either true or false where it is true God and Conscience who speak the Truth may well be said to be the Accusers Where it is false it can be only the Work of Satan the malicious Adversary who as we may see in Job's Case will not stick to bring a false Accusation If any think that the Accuser will not do so vain a Work at least they may see that potentially this is the Accusation that lieth against us and which we must be justified against For all Justification implieth an actual or potential Accusation He that is truly accused of final Impenitency or Unbelief or Rebellion hath no other Defence to make but must needs be condemned He that is falsly accused of such Non-performance of the Condition of Grace must deny the Accusation and plead his own personal Righteousness as against that Accusation and produce that Faith Repentance and sincere Obedience and Perseverance by which he fulfilled that Condition and so is Evangilically Righteous in himself and therefore hath part in the Blood of Christ which is instead of a Legal Righteousness to him in all things else as having procured him a Pardon of all his Sins and a Right to everlasting Glory And thus we must then be justified by Christ's Satisfaction only against the Accusation of being Sinners in general and of deserving God's Wrath for the Breach of the Law of Works but we must be justified by our Faith Repentance and sincere Obedience it self against the Accusation of being Impenitent Vnbelievers and Rebels against Christ and having not performed the Condition of the Promise and so having no part in Christ and his Benefits So that in sum you see that the Cause of the Day will be to enquire whether being all known Sinners we have accepted of Christ upon his Terms and so have Right in him and his Benefits or not whether they have forsaken this vain World for him and loved him so faithfully that they have manifested it in parting with these things at his Command And this is the meaning of Mat. 25. where the Enquiry is made to be whether they have sed and visited him in his Members or not that is whether they have so far loved him as their Redeemer and God by him as that they have manifested this to his Members according to Opportunity though it cost them the Hazard or Loss of all seeing Danger and Labour and Cost are fitter to express Love by than empty Compliments and bare Professions Whether it be particularly enquired after or only taken for granted that Men are Sinners and have deserved Death according to the Law of Works and that Christ hath satisfied by his Death is all one as to the matter in hand seeing God's Enquiry is but the Discovery and Conviction of us But the last Question which must decide the Controversy will be whether we have performed the Condition of the Gospel I have the rather also said all this to shew you in what sense these Words are taken in the Text that every Man shall be judged according to what he hath done in the Flesh whether it be good or bad Though every Man be judged worthy of Death for sinning yet every Man shall not be judged to die for it and no Man shall be judged worthy of Life for his good Works It is therefore according to the Gospel as the Rule of Judgment that this is meant They that have repented and believed and returned to true though imperfect Obedience shall be judged to everlasting Life according to these Works not because these Works deserve it but because the free Gift in the Gospel through the Blood of Christ doth make these things the Condition of our possessing it They that have lived and died Impenitent Unbelievers and Rebels against Christ shall be judged to everlasting Punishment because they have deserved it both by their Sin in general against the the Law and by these Sins in special against the Gospel This is called the Merit of the Cause that is what is a Man's Due according to the true meaning of the Law though the Due may be by free Gift And thus you see what will be the Cause of the Day and the Matter to be enquired after and decided as to our Life or Death VIII The next Point in our Method is to shew you What will be the Evidence of the Cause Answ There is a fivefold Evidence among Men. 1. When the Fact is notorious 2. The Knowledg of an unsuspected competent Judg.
of the Wicked that the Devil and his Angels must be their Companions Though some think as is said before that the Reason why wicked Men are not mentioned tere is because they are part of the Angels of the Devil and so included And some think it is purposely to manifest God's general Love to Mankind that prepared not Hell for them but they cast themselves into the Hell prepared for the Devils But the first seems to be the true sense And how apparently Righteous are the Judgments of the Lord that those Men who would here entertain the Devil into their Hearts and daily Familiarity should be then entertained by him into his Place of Torments and there remain for ever in his Society Though few entertained him into visible Familiarity with their Bodies as Witches do who so make him their Familiar yet all wicked Men do entertain him into more full and constant Familiarity with their Souls than these Witches do with their Bodies how familiar is he in Thoughts to fill them with Vanity Lust or Revenge How familiar is he in their Hearts to fill them with Covertousness Malice Pride or the like Evils and to banish all Thoughts of returning to God and to quench every Motion that tendeth to their Recovery How familiar is he with them even when they seem to be worshipping God in the publick Assemblies stealing the Word out of their Hearts filling them with vain and wandring Thoughts blinding their Minds that they cannot understand the plainest words that we are able to speak to them and filling them with a proud Rebellion against the Direction of their Teachers and an obstinate Refusal to be ruled by them be the Matter never so necessary to their own Salvation How familiar are these evil Spirits in their Houses filling them with Ignorance Worldliness and Ungodliness and turning out God's Service so that they do not pray together once in a Day or perhaps at all How familiarly doth Satan use their Tongues in Cursing Swearing Lying Ribaldry Backbiting or Slandring And is it not just with God to make these Fiends their Familiars in Torment with whom they entertained such Familiarity in Sin As Christ with all the blessed Angels and Saints will make but one Kingdom or Family and shall live altogether in perpetual Delights so the Devil and all his hellish Angels and wicked Men shall make but one Houshold and shall live altogether in perpetual Misery O poor Sinners you are not troubled now at his Presence and Power in your Hearts but will you not then be troubled at his Presence and tormenting Power As long as you do not see him let him do what he will with you it grieves you little or nothing at all but what will you say when you must see him and abide with him for ever O Sirs his Name is easily heard but his Company will be terrible to the stoutest Heart alive He sheweth you a smiling Face when he tempteth you but he hath a grimmer Face to shew you when Temptations have conquered you and Torments must succeed As those that write of Witches say he appeareth at first to them in some comely tempting Shape till he have them fast tied to him and then he beats them and affrights them and seldom appears to them but in some ugly Hew Believe it poor Sinners you do not hear or see the worst of him when you are merry about your sinful Pleasures and rejoicing in your Hopes of the Commodities or Preferments of the World he hath another kind of Voice which you must hear and another Face to shew you that will make you know a little better whom you had to do with You would be afraid now to meet him in the Dark what will you be to live with him in everlasting Darkness Then you will know who it was that you entertained and obeyed and plaid with in your Sins 3. And as the Text tells us that it is a Fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels So it telleth us that it is an everlasting Fire It had a Beginning but it shall have no End If these Wretches would have chosen the Service of God they would have met with no Difficulty or Trouble but what would have had a speedy End Poverty and Injuries would have had an End Scorns and Abuses would have had an End Fasting Humiliation Sorrow for Sin watching and fighting against our spiritual Enemies would all have had an End But to avoid these they chose that Ease that Pleasure which hath brought them to that Torment which never will have end I have said so much of these things already in my Book called the Saints Rest that I will now say but this much It is one of the Wonders of the World how Men that do believe or think they do believe this Word of Christ to be true that the Wicked shall go into everlasting Fire can yet venture on Sin so boldly and live in it so fearlesly or sleep quietly till they are out of this unspeakable Danger Only the commonness of it and the known Wickedness of Man's Heart doth make this less wonderful And were there nothing else to convince us that Sinners are mad and dead as to spiritual Things this were enough that ever the greatest Pleasures or Profits of the World or the most enticing Baits that the Devil can offer them should once prevail with them to forget these endless things and draw them to reject an everlasting Glory and cast themselves desperately into everlasting Fire Yea and all this under daily Warnings and Instructions and when it 's told them beforehand by the God of Truth himself For the Lord's sake Sirs and for your Souls sakes if you care not what Ministers say or what such as I say yet will you soberly read now and then this 25 th Chapter of Matthew and regard what is told you by him that must be your Judg and now and then bethink yourselves soberly whether these are Matters for wise Men to make light of and what it is to be everlastingly in Heaven or in Hell-fire 2. We have seen what is the Penalty contained in the Sentence against the Ungodly The next thing that the Text directs us to is the Cause or Reason of the Sentence ver 42. For I was hungry and ye gave me no Meat c. The Reason is not given expresly either for their Sin against the Law of Works that is because they were Sinners and not perfectly innocent nor yet from their Unbelief which is the great Sin against the Law of Grace But it is given from their not expressing their Faith and Love to Christ in Works of Mercy and Self-denial And why is this so 1. We must not suppose that these Words of Christ do express the whole judicial Process in every Point but the chief Parts It is supposed that all Men are convicted of being Sinners against the perfect Law of the Creator and that they are guilty of Death for that
time of Repentance for a Sermon of Mercy which once they slept under or made no account of How is the Case altered now with them Who would think that these are the same Men that made light of all this on Earth that so stoutly scorned the Reproofs of the Word that would be worldly and fleshly and drunk and proud let Preachers say what they would and perhaps hated those that did give them warning Now they are of another Mind but all too late O were there any Place for Resistance now would they draw back and lay hold of any thing before they would be dragged away into those Flames But there is no resisting Satan's Temptations might have been resisted but his Executions cannot God's Judgments might have been prevented by Faith and Prayer Repentance and a holy Life but they cannot be resisted when they are not prevented Glad would the miserable Sinner be if he might but turn to nothing and cease to be or that he might be any thing rather than a reasonable Creature but these Wishes are all in vain There is one Time and one Way of a Sinner's Deliverance if he fail in that one he perishth for ever all the World cannot help him after that 2 Cor. 6. 2. I have heard thee in a time accepted and in the Day of Salvation have I succoured thee Behold now is the accepted Time behold now is the Day of Salvation Now he saith Rev. 3. 20. Behold I stand at the Door and knock if any Man hear my Voice and open the door I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with me But for the time to come hereafter hear what he saith Prov. 1. 24 25 26. Because I have called and ye refused I have stretched out my hand and no Man regarded but ye have set at nought all my Counsels and would none of my Reproof I also will laugh at your Calamity I will mock when your fear cometh when your fear cometh as a Desolation and your Dâ—struction comueth as a Whirlwind when Distress and Anguish cometh upon you then shall they call upon me but I will not answer they shall seek me early but they shall not find me for that they hated Knowledg and did not choose the Fear of the Lord they would none of my Counsels they despised all my Reproofs therefore shall they eat of the Fruit of their own way and be filled with their own Devices for the turning away of the Simple shall slay them and the Prosperity of Fools shall destroy them but whoso hearkneth to me shall dwell safth and shall be quiet from fear of Evil. I have recited all these Words that you may see and consider whether I have spoke any other thing than God himself had plainly told you of Having said this much of the Certainty of the Execution I should next have spoke somewhat of the Manner and the Instruments and have shewed how God will be for ever the principal Cause and Satan and their own Consciences the Instruments in part and in what manner Conscience will do its part and how impossible it will be to quiet or resist it But having spoke so much of all this already elsewhere as is said before I will forbear here to repeat it leaving the Reader that desireth it there to peruse it The Vses Vse 1. Beloved Hearers it was not to fill your Fancies with News that God sent me hither this Day nor to tell you of Matters that nothing concern you nor by some terrible Words to bring you to an Hour's Amazement and no more But it is to tell you of things that your Eyes shall see and to foretel you of your Danger while it may be prevented that your precious Souls may be saved at the last and you may stand before God with Comfort at that Day But because this will not be every Man's Case no nor the Case of most I must in the Name of Christ desire you to make this day an Enquiry into your own Souls and as in the Presence of God let your Hearts make answer to these few Questions which I shall propound and deâ—te with you Qu. 1. Do you soundly believe this Doctrine which I have â—ached to you What say you Sirs Do you verily beâ—ve it as a most certain Truth that you and I and 〈◊〉 the World must stand at God's Bar and be judged to everlasting Joy or Torment I hope you do all in some 〈◊〉 believe this but blame me not if I be jealous whether you soundly believe it while we see in the World so little of the Effect of such a Belief I confess I am forced to think that there is more Infidelity than â—ith among us when I see more Ungodliness than Godâ—ess among us And I can hardly believe that Man â—at will say or swear that he believeth these things â—d yet liveth as carelesly and carnally as an Infidel I â—ow that no Man can love to be damned yea I â—ow that every Man that hath a reasonable Soul hath â—turally some love to himself and a fear of a Danger â—hich he verily apprehendeth he therefore that liveth â—thout all fear I must think liveth without all appreâ—nsion of his Danger Custom hath taught Men to hold these things as the Opinion of the Country but if Men soundly believed them surely we should see strangeâ— Effects of such a Faith than in the most we do see Doth the sleepy Soul that liveth in Security aâ— followeth this World as eagerly as if he had no greater Matters to mind that never once trembled at the Thoughts of this great Day nor once asked his own Soul in good Sadness My Soul How dost thou think then to escape I say doth this Man believe that he is going to this Judgment Well Sirs whether you believe it or not you will find it true and believe it you must before you can be safe For if you do not believe it you will never make ready Let me therefore perswade you in the Fear of God to consider that it is a Matter of undoubted Truth 1. Consider that it is the express Word of the God of Truth revealed in Scripture as plainly as you can desire So that you cannot be unbelieving without denying God's Word or giving him the Lie Mat. 13. 38 39 40 41 42 43 49 50. Mat. 25. throughout Rom. 2. 5 6 7 9 10 16. and 1. 32. John 5. 28 29. The Hour is coming in which all that are in the Graves shall hear his Voice and shall come forth they that have done good unto the Resurrection of Life and they that have done evil unto the Resurrection of Damnation Heb. 9. 27. It is appointed to all Men once to die and after this the Judgment Rom. 14. 9 12. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God Rev. 20. 12. And I saw the dead small and great stand before God and the Books were opened and another Book was opened which
and he that is foun unrighteous as having not fulfilled them shall perish at that Day Qu. Who are those Answ I will tell you them in a few Words lest you should forget because it is a Matter that your Salvation or Damnation dependeth upon 1. The Soul that unfeignedly repenteth of his former sinful Course and turneth from it in Heart and Life and loveth the Way of godliness which he hated and hateth the Way of Sin which he loved and is become throughly a new Creature being born again and sanctified by the Spirit of Christ shall be justified but all others shall certainly be condemned Good News to repenting converted Sinners but sad to impenitent and him that knows not what this means 2. That Soul that feeling his Misery under Sin and the Power of Satan and the Wrath of God doth believe what Christ hath done and suffered for Man's Resâ—auration and Salvation and thankfully accepteth him as his only Saviour and Lord on the Terms that he is offered in the Gospel and to those Ends event to justify him and sanctify and guide him and bring him at last to everlasting Glory that Soul shall be justified at Judgment and he that doth not shall be condemned Or in short in Scripture-phrase He that believeth shall be saved and he that believeth not shall be condemmd Mar. 16. 16. 3. The Soul that hath had so much Knowledg of the Goodness of God and his Love to Man in Creation Redemption and the following Mercies and hath had so much Conviction of the Vanity of all Creatures as thereupon to love God more than all things below so that he haththe chiefest room in the Hearts and is preferred before all Creatures ordinarily in a time of trial that Soul shall be justified at Judgment and all others shall be condemned 4. That Soul that is so apprehensive of the absolute Soveraignty of God as Creator and Redeemer and of the Righteousness of his Law and the Goodness of his holy Way as that he is firmly resolved to obey him before all others and doth accordingly give up himself to study his Will of purpose that he may obey it and doth walk in these holy Ways and hath so far mortified the Flesh and subdued the World and the Devil that the Authority and Word of God can do more with him than any other and doth ordinarily prevail against all the Perwasion and Interest of the Flesh so that the main Scope and Bent of the Heart and Life is still for God and when he sinneth he riseth again by true Repentance I say that Soul and the only shall be justified in Judgment and be saved 5. That Soul that hath such believing Thoughts of the life to come that he taketh the promised Blessedness for his Portion and is resolved to venture all else upon it and in hope of this Glory doth set light comparatively by all things in this World and waiteth for it as the End of the Life choosing any suffering that God shall call him to rather than to lose his hopes of the Felicity and tus perservereth to the End I say that Soul and none but that shall be justified in Judgand escape Damnation In these five Marks I have told you truly and briefly who shall be justified and saved and who shall be condemned at the Day of Judgment And if you would have them all in five Words they are but the Description of these five Graces Repentance Faith Love Obedience Hope But though I have laid these close together for your use you left you should think that in so weighty a Case I am too short in the Proof of what I so determine of I will tell you in the express Words of many Scripture-Texts who shall be justified and who shall be condemned John 3. 3. Except a Man be born again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God Heb. 12. 14. Without Holiness none shall see God Luke 13. 3 5. Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish Acts 26. 18. I send thee to open their Eyes and turn them from Darkness to Light and from the Power of Satan unto God that they may receive forgiveness of Sins and an Inheritance among the sanctified by Faith that is in me John 3. 15 16 17 18 19. Whoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting Life he that believeth on him is not condemned he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the Name of the only begotten Son of God and this is the Condemnation that Light is come into the World and Men loved Darkness rather than Light because their deeds were evil John 5. 28 29. The Hout is coming in which that are in the Graves shall hear his Voice and shall come forth they that have done good to the Resurrection of Life and they that have done evil to the Resurrection of Damnation Mar. 25. 30. Cast the unprofitable Servant into outer Darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of Teeth Luke 19. 27. But those mine Enemies which would not that I should reign over them bring hither and slay them before me Mat. 22. 12 13. Friend how camest thou in hither not having on a Wedding-Garâ—ent And he was speechless Then said the King to the Seâ—â—ants bind him Hand and Foot and take him away and cast him into outer Darkness c. Mat. 5. 20. For I say unto you that except your Righteousness exceed the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees ye shall in no wise enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Mat. 7. 21. Not every one that saith Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doth the Will of my Father which is in Heaven Heb. 5. 6. He is become the Author of eternal Salvation to all them that obey him Rev. 22. 14. Blessed are they that do his Commandments that they may have right to the Tree of Life and may enter in by the Gate into the City Rom. 8. 1 13. There is then no Condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus that walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit For if ye live after the Flesh ye shall die but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the Deeds of the Body ye shall live Rom. 8. 9. If any Man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his Gal. 5. 18. But if ye be led of the Spirit ye are not under the Law Gal. 6. 7 8. Be not deceived God is not mocked for whatsoever a Man soweth that shall he also reap for he that soweth to the Flesh shall of the Flesh reap Corruption but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap Life Everlasting Mat. 6. 21. For where your Treasure is there will your Heart be also Read Psal 1. and many other Texts to this purpose of which some are cited in my Directions for Peace of Conscience Dir. 11. p. 115 116. And thus I have told you from God's Word how you may
with that which would hinder them from Christ and they will not do it They are called but to give God his own and to resign all to his Will and let go the Profits and Pleasures of this World when they must let go either Christ or them and they will not They think this too dear a Bargain and say they cannot spare these things they must hold their Credit with Men they must look to their Estates how shall they live else they must have their Pleasure whatsoever becomes of Christ and Salvation As if they could live without Christ better than without these as if they were afraid of being Losers by Christ or could make a saving Match by losing their Souls to gain the World Christ hath told us over and over that if we will not forsake all for him we cannot be his Disciples Luke 14. 33. Far are these Men from forsaking all and yet will needs think that they are his Disciples indeed 7. That which Men highly esteem they would help their Friend 's to as well as themselves Do not those Men make light of Christ and Salvation that can take so much care to leave their Children Portions in the World and do so little to help them to Heaven that provide outward Necessaries so carefully for their Families but do so little to the saving of their Souls Their neglected Children and Friends will witness that either Christ or their Childrens Souls or both were made light of 8. That which Men highly esteem they will so diligently seek after that you may see it in the success if it be a Matter within their reach You may see how many make light of Christ by the little Knowledg they have of him and the little Communion with him and Communication from him and the little yea none of his special Graces in them Alas how many Ministers can speak it to the Sorrow of their Hearts that many of their People know almost nothing of Christ though they hear of him daily nor know they what they must do to be saved If we ask them an account of these things they answer as if they understood not what we say to them and tell us they are no Scholars and therefore think they are excusable for their Ignorance O if these Men had not made light of Christ and their Salvation but had bestowed but half so much Pains to know and enjoy him as they have done to understand the Matters of their Trades and Callings in the World they would not have been so ignorant as they are they make light of these things and therefore will not be at the Pains to study or learn them When Men that can learn the hardest Trade in a few Years have not learned a Catechism nor how to understand their Creed under twenty or thirty Years Preaching nor cannot abide to be questioned about such things doth not this shew that they have slighted them in their Hearts How will these Despisers of Christ and Salvation be able one Day to look him in the Face and to give an account of these Neglects Thus much I have spoken in order to your Conviction Do not some of your Consciences by this time smite you and say I am the Man that have made light of my Salvation If they do not it is because you make light of it still for all that is said to you But because if it be the Will of the Lord I would fain have this damning Distemper cured and am loth to leave you in such a desperate Condition if I knew how to remedy â—it I will give you some Considerations which may â—â—move you if you be Men of Reason and Understanding to look better about you and I beseech you weigh them and make use of them as we go and lay open your Hearts to the Work of Grace and sadly bethink you what a Case you are in if you prove such as make light of Christ Consider 1. Thou makest light of him that made not light of thee who didst deserve it Thou wasâ— worthy of nothing but Contempt As a Man what art thou but a Worm to God As a Sinner thou art far viler than a Toad yet Christ was so far from making light of thee and thâ— Happiness that he came down into the Flesh and lived a â—ife of Suffering and offered himself a Sacrifice to the Justice which thou hadst provoked that thy miserable Soul might have a Remedy It is no less than Miracles of Love and Mercy that he hath shewed to us and yet shall we slight them after all Angels admire them whom they less concern 1 Pet. 1. 12. and shall redeemed Sinners make light of them What barbarous yea devilish yea worse than devilish Ingratitude is this the Devils never had a Saviour offered them but thou hast and dost thou yet make light of him 2. Consider the Work of Man's Salvation by Jesus Christ is the Master-piece of all the Works of God wherein he would have his Love and Mercy to be magnified As the Creation declareth his Goodness and Power so doth Redemption his Goodness and Mercy he hath contrived the very Frame of his Worship so that it shall much consist in the magnifying of this Work and after all this will you make light of it His Name is Wonderful Isa 9. 6. He did the Work that none could do John 15. 24. Greater Love could none shew than this John 15. 13. How great was the Evil and Misery that he delivered us from the Good procured for us all are Wonders from his Birth to his Ascension from our new Birth to our Glorification all are Wonders of matchless Mercy And yet do you make light of them 3 You make light of Matters of greatest Excellency and Moment in the World you know not what it is that you slight had you well known you could not have done it As Christ said to the Woman of Samaria John 4. 10. hadst thou known who it is that speaketh to thee thou wouldst have asked of him the Waters of Life had they known they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory 1 Cor. 2. 8. So had you known what Christ is you would not have made light of him Had you been one Day in Heaven and but seen what they possess and seen also what miserable Souls must endure that are shut out you would never sure have made so light of Christ again O Sirs it is no Trifles or jesting Matters that the Gospel speaks of I must needs profess to you that when I have the most serious Thoughts of these things my self I am ready to marvel that such amazing Matters do not overwhelm the Souls of Men that the Greatness of the Subject doth not so overmatch our Understandings and Affections as even to drive Men beside themselves but that God hath always somewhat allayed it by the distance much more that Men should be so blockish as to make light of them O Lord that Men did but know what