From thence he thall come to judge the Quick and the Dead. SERMON XXXIII. THE CERTAINTY AND CIRCUMSTANCES OF ACTS x. 42. And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to teftify that it is he which was ordained by God to be Judge of quick and dead. THESE words are part of a fermon preached by St. SERM. Peter to Cornelius and his friends, wherein the Apostle XXXIII. briefly declareth unto them the chief particulars in the history of Chrift, together with some main points of Chriftian doctrine moft fit for them to know; particularly he doth in these words exprefs the point concerning the future judgment; reporting that our Lord especially did charge his Apoftles to preach unto the people and teftify, that is, first publicly to declare and explain, then by convenient proofs, especially by divine atteftations, to evince and perfuade this point; the importance whereof, and eminence among other Chriftian doctrines, doth hence plainly appear, that the author of our faith did make fo especial provifion, and gave so express charge concerning the promulgation and probation thereof: the which cir SERM. cumftance is indeed remarkable and weighty; but I shall XXXIII.not infift on it, meaning immediately to fet upon confider ing the point itself, as it is here laid down in these terms; that it is he which was ordained by God to be Judge of quick and dead: in which words are couched three particulars moft confiderable. 1. A judgment ordained by God, and to be declared to men. 2. The Judge, by whom immediately that judgment is administered; he; Jefus, our Lord and Saviour. 3. The extent of that judgment, or its adequate object; quick and dead. These particulars I fhall in order touch, inserting fome material confiderations about the nature and manner of this judgment, with some reasons why it should be thus managed; then I shall adjoin some practical applications. I. There is a judgment ordained by God, and to be declared to men; that is, concerning the perfons and actions of men performed in this life. How juft and fit it is that there should be fuch a judgment, how useful and requifite the declaration thereof is upon feveral accounts, (for engaging men upon the practice of virtue and restraining them from vice, for the preservation and maintenance of human fociety, for the support and defence of religion, for the vindication of Divine Providence, and illuftration of all God's holy attributes,) I have already endeavoured to declare; and in that regard I fhall content myself now to fay, that as upon the apparent equity and usefulness of Juft. M. p. this doctrine all nations commonly have ever embraced 1. et p. 106. the general fubftance thereof, as a fundamental principle of their religion, (all men commonly with a ready incli nation having avowed it reafonable to fuppofe that every man after this life fhall be brought unto a just and impartial bar, where his doings fhall be exactly fcanned, and his perfon answerably doomed unto a comfortable or afflictive recompenfe,) fo our religion, in a peculiar manner, doth most exprefsly affert, moft clearly describe, and most vigorously inculcate it, with all poffible advantage, both for the clearing God's dealings and attributes, and for the excitement of men to a virtuous and pious life. The na- SERM. XXXIII. ture, manner, procefs, and refult of the future judgment are in the holy Scripture most punctually fet down. 31. ii. 20. 1. It teacheth us, that God hath appointed a determinate time for this judgment. God, faith St. Paul, hath Acts xvii. appointed a day, in which he will judge the world in Jud. vi. righteousness; that which is called the day of judgment, the last day, the day of the Lord, the great and the illuftrious day; and, by fignal excellency, The day; and, That 2 Tim. i. day; intimating, befide the certainty of the thing itself, 1 Thef. v. 4. the most especial regard that men are concerned to bear Heb. x. 25. thereto. 18. iv. 8. 2. That in order to this judgment all the actions of men are with greater exactness registered in books; (the books of divine omnifcience, feeing all things prefent, and retaining all things paft, which nothing can escape;) The Job xiii. books (it is faid in the Revelation) were opened, and the 17.) dead were judged from the things written in the books, according to their works. 27. xiv. Rev. xx. 12. Dan. vii. 10. 15. 3. That, in order thereto, there fhall be (effected by divine power and command) a general refurrection of all perfons, both just and unjust: The hour, faith our Lord, is Acts xxiv. coming, in which all that are in the graves fhall hear his John v. 28. voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, to the refurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the refurrection of damnation. Rom. xiv. 4. That then all perfons fo raised fhall be prefented at the bar of our Lord, to answer and undergo their trial; I Rev. xx. 12. faw, faith St. John, the great and small flanding before 10. God's throne; and, We must all, faith St. Paul, be made Pangappear, and be fet forth at the judgment-feat of Chrift; 2 Cor. v. and, The Son of man, faith our Lord, fhall fit upon the 10. throne of his glory, and all nations fhall be gathered to-a. gether before him. 5. That then and there every thought, every word, every work of men shall be throughly disclosed and difcuffed; fo that it, together with its due quality and defert, fhall plainly appear; all the defigns and pretences of men fhall be laid bare; every cafe fhall be confidered; every Παρίσα Matt. xxv. 31, 32. SERM. plea heard and scanned; the merits of every cause weighed XXXIII. in an even balance, according to truth and equity; men's neglects and omiffions of duty fhall alfo come under confideration; an account will be exacted of all the talents entrusted to any man, (of the abilities, opportunities, and advantages he ever had of doing God fervice,) and of what improvements answerable he hath made; what men have done themselves, and what they have done by others, from the influence of their advice, their perfuafion, or 1 Cor. iv. 5. their example, shall be searched out and poised; God, faith St. Paul, will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, Rom. ii. 29. and will make manifeft the counfels of hearts; and, of Matt. xii. every idle word that men fhall Speak, they shall render an account at the day of judgment, faith our Lord; and, After a long time, faith he again, the Lord of thofe ferEcclef. xii. vants cometh, and reckoneth with them, &c. and, Every work, faith the Preacher, God fhall bring into judgment, with every fecret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. 1 Pet. 4, 5. 36. Matt. xxv. 18. 6. That upon each man, according to the true quality of his doings, thus detected, examined, and stated, a definitive sentence fhall pafs, whereby he fhall be acquitted and approved, or condemned and reprobated; Tóre o éxαivos 1 Cor. iv. 5. Yevýσetαι ixásw, Then, faith St. Paul, praise shall be to each one; praise, that is, generally, (by an evenμioμòs, or favourable manner of speech,) a due taxation and esteem, accordMatt. xxv. ing to merit: then, Well done, good and faithful fervant, and, O thou bad and flothful fervant, fhall be pronounced to one or the other fort of men, refpectively, according to their demeanour here. 721, 26. Μισθαποδο σία. Heb. xi. 26. 7. That according to the purport of this fentence a difcrimination shall be made; and to one party a gracious reward, correspondent to the quality and measure of their good works, in a blissful place; to the other, a fore punishment, in proportion to their demerits, in a place of mifery: to the one, everlasting joy and glory above in heaven; to the other, endless forrow and shame beneath in hell, shall Matt. xvi. be affigned and dispensed effectually. The Son of man fhall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then 27. he fhall reward every man according to his works; he will SERM. Separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his XXXIII. Sheep from the goats; and he shall fet his fheep on his right Matt. xxv. hand, but the goats on the left: then the King fhall fay unto 32, &c. them on his right hand, Come, ye bleffed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world :—and, Then he shall fay also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye curfed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: and, the good and faithful fervant fhall enter into his Mafter's joy; the bad and flothful Shall be caft into utter darkness, where is weep- Matt. xxv. ing and gnashing of teeth: fo our Lord himself expreffeth it: and St. Paul thus; We muft, faith he, all appear before 2 Cor. v. 10. the tribunal of God, ἵνα κομίσηται ἕκαςος, that each one may bear away the things done in the body, according to what 21, 30. he hath done, whether it be good or bad: and, God will Rom. ii. render unto every man according to his works: to them who by patient continuance in well-doing feek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: but unto them that are contentious, and obey not the truth, but obey unrighteoufnefs, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every foul of man that doeth evil: and even of old the Prophet Daniel thus briefly did express this different doom; Many of them that fleep in the duft of the Dan. xii. 2. earth fhall awake; fome to everlasting life, and fome to fhame and everlasting contempt. Hence in regard to one party is the time of judgment styled the season of refresh- Acts iii. 19. ment, the day of redemption, the time of recompenfe; in Luke xiv. reference to the other, the day of wrath, the day of de- 12. ftruction, the time of vengeance; when our Lord will, as Rom. ii. 5. St. Paul faith, take vengeance on them that know not God, 2 Pet. iii. 7. and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jefus Chrift; who fhall be punished with everlasting destruction from the prefence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power. Col. iii. 24. 2 Thef. i. 8. 8. We are also farther taught, that all this fhall be tranfacted in a regular, public, and most folemn manner, in open court, in the face and audience of all the world, before angels and men. For our Lord is defcribed com- 2 Thef. i. 7. ing to judgment with attendance of all the holy angels; Matt. xxv. K 3 Luke ix. 26. 31. xvi. 27. |