quires no less person for the discharge of it, than the Son of God.

1. Upon the account of its superlative dignity. No mere creature is capable of such a glorious commission: to pass a sovereign sentence upon angels and men, is a royalty reserved for God himself. We read, that no man in heaven or earth was able to open the sealed book of his eternal counsels, as unsearchable as deep, Rev. 5. only Jesus Christ, who was in the bosom of the father, the seat of his counsels and compassions, and was acquainted with all his glorious secrets, could unfold the order of the Divine decrees about the church. And if no creature was worthy to be admitted into God's counsel, much less to be taken into his throne: the eternal Son, "the express image of his person," is alone fit to be his authorized representative in judgment. Our Saviour declares, that the Father invested the Son with this regal power, that all men should honor the Son, John 5. 23. with the same religious reverence, and supreme adoration, as they honor the Father.

2. Upon the account of the immense difficulty, no mere creature is able to discharge it. To judge the world, includes two things: 1. To pass a righteous and irrevocable judgment upon men for all things done in this life. 2. The actual execution of the sentence And for this no less than infinite wisdom and infinite power are necessary. If a select number of angels of the highest order were deputed, yet they could not manage the judicial trial of one man: for besides the innumerable acts and omissions in one life, the secrets of the heart, from whence the guilt or goodness of moral actions is principally derived, are not open to them. He alone that discerns all things, can require an account of all.

3. The son of man is invested with this high office, as the reward of his sufferings. We must distinguish between the essential and economical power of Christ. The Son of God, considered in his divine nature, has an original power of judgment equal with the Father; but considered as Mediator, has a power of delegation. In the quality of the Son of Man, he is inferior in dignity to the Father. The Apostle declares this in that scale of subordination of the creatures to believers, and of believers to Christ, and of Christ to God; "all things are yours, and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's." And observing the beautiful order that arises from the superiority and dependance between things, he saith, the "head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God." Now this power by commission was conferred upon him, as the reward of his sufferings. The Apostle expressly declares it, that Christ being in the form of God, and without any usurpation truly equal to him in divine perfections and majesty, "humbled himself, and became obedient to the death of the cross.

Wherefore God hath highly exalted him, and given him a name above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." His victorious sufferings are the titles to his triumphs; his being so ignominiously depressed and condemned by men, is the just reason of his advancement to judge the world.

[5.] There is a day appointed wherein the Son of man will appear in sensible_glory, and exercise his judicial power upon angels and men. He is now "seated at the right hand of the Majesty on High," and the celestial spheres are under his feet: universal nature feels the power of his sceptre: he reigns in the hearts of the saints by his Word and Spirit, and restrains the fury of his enemies in what degrees he pleases: but still his servants are in distress, and his rebellious enemies insolently break his laws; and the curtains of heaven conceal his glory from us therefore a time is prefixed when in the face of the world he will make an eternal difference by rewards and punishments, between the righteous and the wicked, and his government shall have its complete and glorious issue. This is styled the "Judgment of the great day."

1. With respect to the appearance of the judge. When the law was given from mount Sinai, the mountain was covered with fire, and the voice of God as loud as thunder proclaimed it from the midst of the flames, so that the whole army of the Israelites was prostrate on the plain, struck with the sacred horror, and almost dead at the amazing sights and sounds. From hence it is said, that "in his right hand was a fiery law." And if the lawgiver appeared in such terrible majesty at the proclaiming the law, how much more when he shall come to revenge the transgressions of it? It is set forth in Scripture in the most lofty and magnificent expressions: he shall come in his Father's glory, and his own glory, and the glory of the angels, Luke 9. 26. A devouring fire shall go before him, to consume all the works of the universe. He shall descend from the highest heavens, glorious in the attendance of innumerable angels, but more in his own majesty, and sit on a radiant throne high above all.

2. It is great with respect to the appearance of those who are to be judged: all the apostate angels, and the universal progeny of Adam. The bowels of the earth, and the bottom of the sea, and all the elements shall give up the dead. The mighty angels, the winged ministers of justice, shall fly to all parts, and attack the wicked to bring them as miserable prisoners before that high tribunal. And those blessed powerful spirits shall congregate the righteous, to present them at his right hand.

3. It is great with respect to what shall be then done he shall perform the most glorious and consummate act of his regal

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office; after a righteous trial, pronounce judgment, upon which the eternal destiny of the world depends. And immediately the saints shall ascend with him to the everlasting mansions of glory, and the wicked shall be swallowed up in the fiery gulf forever.

ven.

To define the particular time when this shall be accomplished, is beyond the knowledge of the angels of highest dignity, it is inter arcana imperii, among the secrets of the kingdom of heaIt is observable, that God has revealed the times precisely wherein some great events should come to pass; after how many years the Israelites should be freed from Egyptian bondage; after what space of time they should be restored from the captivity of Babylon; when the Messiah should die for the expiation of sin; but there is no designation by certain characters of the particular day, nor year, nor age in any prophecy, of our Saviour's coming to judgment. And of this an account may be given. The special end of those predictions was, that those who lived to see their accomplishment, notwithstanding the seeming impossibilities, might believe the truth and power of God to fulfil the revelation of his purposes for the time to come. But at the last day, all the promises and threatenings will be fulfilled, nothing will remain to be the object of faith; and consequently it was superfluous to declare the certain time, since the exact accomplishment of it according to the prediction, will neither be useful to confirm believers, or convert infidels.

Lastly, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most convincing and commanding evidence of this doctrine, that he shall judge the world. For he was charged with blasphemy deserving of death for this testimony: I say unto you, hereafter shall you see the son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven, Matth. 26. 64. He dedicated martyrdom in his own sufferings. Now God in raising him from the dead, confirmed the truth of his testimony by that visible miracle, and the belief of it converted the world to Christianity.

CHAPTER II.

God will righteously judge the world by Jesus Christ. The righteousness of God's judicial proceedings will appear by considering the equity of the law, the rule of judgment: the law of nature considered in its precepts and penalties. The precepts are such as becomes the creator to give, and the reasonable creature to receive. An answer to the objection, that the law being pure and perfect, and man in a frail state, it seems hard to require perfect obedience from him, and condemn him for failings. The law of faith considered. Our innocence being lost, repentance is allowed. Sincere obedience is accepted, where perfection is wanting. Unfeigned faith in the redeemer is the condition of our justification and glorification. The not complying with the gospel terms of salvation, proceeds from the perverse wills of men.

I will now proceed to illustrate and prove the main point, which is this.

That God will judge the world in righteousness by Jesus Christ.

The Mediator, who shall be judge in the union of both natures, considered as the Son of God, is essentially holy and righteous; and considered as the Son of man, was "holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners." In him all virtues shined in their absolute purity and who is so worthy and qualified to reward holiness and punish wickedness as "the holy one of God?" It is said of him, thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity, therefore thy God hath anointed thee with oil of gladness above thy fellows, Heb. 1. 9. consecrated him to the regal office, and enriched his human nature with endowments suitable to it. It was prophesied of him the spirit of the lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; and shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears; but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity, Isa. 11. 2. 3, 4. Human judgments are often unrighteous, from vicious respects and affections that pervert the will, or fair appearances that deceive the understanding: by gifts or guile, innocence is cast, and guilt acquitted; but the judge of the world is inflexible to partiality, and all things" are entirely open to his sight." In the act of judgment he is represented sitting on a white throne, Rev. 20. 11. the emblem of unspotted holiness.

The righteousness of God's judicial proceedings will appear, by considering three things.

I. The equity of his law, the rule of the great and final judg

ment.

II. The evidence of the facts and matter, which shall be produced as the reason of the judgment.

III. The impartiality of the sentence.

I. The equity of the law which shall be the rule of the last judgment. This will appear by considering the law of nature, and the law of faith, in their precepts and penalties, annexed to enforce the observation of them.

[I.] The law of nature, which is the rule of man's duty, will be the rule of judgment: for without the law there is no transgression; and consequently a person is unaccountable for his actions. This law is composed of such rules as are most becoming the wise and gracious Creator to give, and the reasonable creature to receive and obey: for they entirely agree and concentre in his glory, and the good of his subjects. The Apostle adorns the law with the most excellent eulogy; it is holy, just, and good, Rom. 7. 12. Holy, as it enjoins all acts of piety to God: the adoration of his majesty resulting from his inexpressible divine perfections, the imitation of his purity, a reliance on his goodness, a resignation to his most wise providence, and a dutiful obedience to his will. Such a sense of our dependance and subjection to God, is the proper character of the reasonable creature, as dignified above inanimate and mere sensitive beings. "The law is just," as it directs us how to demean ourselves in our various relations. Justice is the cement of societies, without which they disband and fall into confusion. And the sum of the law is virtually comprised in one rule, "to do to others as we would they should do to us," than which nothing is more equal. It is good to man that keeps it, commanding nothing but what is influential upon his well-being here and forever. It does not infringe his true freedom, but allows him unstained delights, and enjoins what is proper to advance and secure his dignity, felicity and perfection. It forbids every thing that defiles and debases him, and causes a degeneration from his native excellency. If we prescind in our thoughts the sacred authority of the lawgiver, all the precepts of the law for their moral goodness deserve our esteem and choice, and entire observation. The sanctified mind approves them universally. I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right, saith holy David, Psal. 119. 128. Nay, in the wicked there is an intellectual assent to the goodness of the law, though the corrupt will doth not embrace it: there are some inclinations and wishes to obey it, but controlled by vicious desires. It is said of the convinced sinner, Thou knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, Rom. 2. 18.

It may be objected, that the law being pure, and man in a frail state, surrounded with innumerable temptations, to require perfect obedience from him, and condemn him for his failings, seems