that he should give eternal life to as many as thou haft given him. And ver. 4, 5. I have glorified thee on earth : I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And then he claims the reward of it. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own felf And the Apostle to the Hebrews, chap. xii. 2, tell us, that the hopes o this did encourage and bear u our Lord under his fufferings, Who, for the joy that was fet before him, endured the cross, deSpifing the fhame, and is fet down at the right hand of the throne of God. And St Peter tells us, 1 Pet. i 11. that the prophets of old teftified before-hand the fufferings of Chrift, and the glory that should follow. And St Paul tells us what this glory is, Eph. i. 20, 21, viz. that God bath fet him at his own right hand in heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but in that which is to come. But most exprefly, Phil. ii. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. the fame Apoftle tells us, that in confideration of the great humiliation and fufferings of Chrift, God hath highly exalted him. He made himself of no reputation, (he emptied himfelf,) and took upon him the form of a fervant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fafhion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the crofs. Wherefore God alfo hath highly exalted hims and given him a name, which is above every name : that at the name of Jefus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things in earth, and things under the earth: and that every tongue should confess, that Jefus Chrift is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. And that the giv ing of this name and authority to Chrift, upon account whereof all creatures fhould be fubject to him, doth princi pally import that power of judging the world, which was committed to him, is evident from the explication of these phrafes, of bowing the knee to Chrift, and of confeffing to him with the tongue, which the fame Apoftle tells us elsewhere do fignify our being judged by him. Rom. xiv, 10, 11, 12. We shall all stand before the judgment-feat of Chrift: For it is written, As I live, faith the Lord, every knee fhall bow to me, and every tongue fhall confefs to God.

Se

So then every one of us fhall give an account of himself to God.

So that you fee, that the glorious reward of Chrift's felf-denial and fuffering, doth principally confift in having the judgment of the world committed to him, which therefore is called his kingdom, Mat. xvi. 28. where our Saviour expreffeth it, by the Son of Man's coming in his kingdom. 2 Tim. iv. 1. I charge thee, therefore, (faith St Paul to Timothy) before God and the Lord Jefus Chrift, who fhall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing, and his kingdom. And it is with relation to this power and authority, that the title of King is given to him, Matth. XXV. 34. Then shall the King fay unto them on his right band, &c. And the fcripture almoft every where, when it fpeaks of Chrift's coming, calls it his glorious appearance, Matth. xvi. 27. They fhall fee the Son of Man com ing in the glory of his Father. Matth. xxiv. 30. They fhall fee the Son of Man coming with power and great glory. And Mat. xxv. 31. When the Son of Man fhall come in his glory. And Tit. ii. 13. it is called, the glorious appearance of the great God, and our Saviour Jefus Chrift.

And this is a very fuitable reward of his great fubmiffion and fufferings, that he who lived in fo mean and obfcure a condition, fhould come in great glory; that he who was rejected and despised of men, fhould be attended on by mighty angels; that he who was arraigned and condemned by the powers of the world, fhould have authority given him to fummon all, both small and great, the kings and great men, and judges of the earth, to appear at his bar, and to receive sentence at his mouth.

And this fhall be the laft act of his mediatorship, to fit in judgment upon the world, to diftribute rewards, to his faithful fervants, and to punish his obftinate and implacable enemies. And when this work is finished, then this autho rity fhall expire, and the office and kingdom of the Mediator fhall ceafe; for when he shall have fubdued all things to himself, as the Apoftle exprefly tells us, 1 Cor. xv. 24, &c. then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father, when he hall have put down all rule, and all authority and power. For be muft reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet.

And

And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then fhall the Son alfo himself be subject unto him that hath put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

2. God hath committed the administration of this judgment to Chrift, that he might hereby declare the righteoufnefs and equity of it, in that mankind is judged by one in their own nature, a man like themselves: And therefore we find that the fcripture, when it speaks of Chrift, as Judge of the world, doth almoft conftantly call him Man, and the Son of. Man. In the places I have mentioned before, Matth. xiii. 41. The Son of Man fhall fend forth his angels. And Matth. xvi. 27. The Son of Man fhall come in the glory of his Father. Matth. xxiv. 30. Then shall appear the fign of the Son of Man in heaven, and they fhall fee the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. Matth. XXV. 31. When the Son of Man fhall come in his glory. Acts. xvii. 31. He hath appointed a day, in which he will judge the world in righteousness, by that Man whom he hath ordained. By the conftant ufe of which expreffion, the fcripture doth give us plainly to underftand, that this great honour of being Judge of the world, was conferred upon the human nature of Christ. For as he is God, he is over all, and Judge of the world, and could not derive this power from any, it being originally inherent in the Deity. Which likewife appears in thofe expreffions, of his being ordained a Judge, and having all authority and judgment committed and given to him. Acts xvit. 31. He fail judge the world in righteousness, by that Max whom be hath ordained. And John v. 22. The Father bath committed all judgment to the Son. And ver. 27. He bath given him authority to execute judgment. Now, this cannot be faid of Chrift as God, but in refpect of his hu man nature. And this is clear beyond all exception, by what our Saviour adds, as a reason why this authority is committed to him; He hath given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man; that is, because, in that refpect, and no other, he is capable of having this authority derived to him; for, as he is the Son of God, he hath it in himself. And perhaps for this reafon

likewife, because in refpect of his human nature, he is vifible; and man being part of the visible creation of God, and the judgment of the great day being to be adminiftered in a visible manner, and to that end the bodies of men to be raised and united to their fouls, in order to their vifible appearance at this judgment; it feems very congruous that the Son of Man, clothed in our nature, and invefted with a human body, fhould fit in judgment upon mankind.

In

But principally, becaufe nothing can more effectually declare the equity of this judgment, and that it fhall be adminiftered in righteoufnefs, than that God hath ordained a man like ourfelves to fit in judgment upon us. human judgments, it is reckoned a great piece of equity, for men to be tried by their peers, to be acquitted or condemned by thofe, who are as near as may be to them, and in the fame circumftances of rank and condition with themselves; becaufe fuch are like to understand their cafe beft, and to have a fair and equitable confideration of all the circumstances belonging to it. Now Chrift, as he is the Son of Man, is near to us, Bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh, made in all things like unto us, only without fin; which was neceffary to qualify him to be our judge; he dwelt among us, and understands all our circumftances, and whatever may have influence upon our cafe, to extenuate or aggravate our guilt. What the Apostle to the Hebrews fays of Chrift as an High-priest, may be applied to him as a Judge, Heb. iv. 15. We have not a Judge, which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without fin.

4

That which now remains, is to draw fome inferences from what I have difcourfed to you upon this argument. I. If the Lord Jefus Chrift 'fhall judge the world, and we must all appeat before his judgment-feat, then it greatly concerns every one of us fo to demean ourselves in this world, that we may be accepted of him in the next. If a man be to be tried for his life, how will he court the favour of the Judge, that when he comes to ftand at his bar, he may receive a gracious fentence from his mouth? Why there is a day certainly coming

when

when every one of us must appear before the tribunal of the great Judge of the world; and therefore we should, with all poffible care and diligence, endeavour to approve our confciences, and all the actions of our lives to him. Wherefore we labour, (faith the Apoftle immediately before my text) that whether prefent or abfent we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the judgment-feat of Chrift. This is that which makes his acceptance and approbation fo valuable and confiderable, that he is to be our Judge, to him we must stand or fall, by his fentence we fhall be caft or cleared for ever.

We are very apt to court the favour of great men, of the princes and judges of this world, that when we come to ftand in need of it, we may have the benefit and comfort of it. But this is not our great intereft; for the fentence that men can pafs upon us, doth but operate for a little while, the effect and confequences of it do not reach beyond this world; it is not final and conclufive as to our eternal ftate. To allude to that faying of Solomon's, Many feek the prince's favour; but every man's judgment is of the Lord. We feek the favour of the great men of this world; but there is a greater man than any of these, whom we are apt to despise and neglect, The Prince of the Kings of the earth, the Man who is ordained of God, to be Judge both of quick and dead.

Every man's judgment shall be from him, it is his fentence, which above all other we have most reason to de fire or dread. Therefore we should have regard to him, and by fubmitting to his fcepter, and yielding a willing o bedience to the laws of his holy gofpel, feek his favour, left he break us with a rod of iron, and dash us in pieces like a potter's veel. This advice we find given to the kings and rulers of the earth, Pfal. ii. 10, 11, 12. Be wife now therefore, Oye kings; and be inftructed, ye jud ges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kifs the Son left be be angry, and ye perifh from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little : Bleed are all they that put their trust in him.

2. This is inatter of great comfort to all fincere Chriftians, that Chrift fhall judge the world; as it likewife is

of