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Secondly, the Gospel revelation has made known to us, that Chrift fhall be judge of the world.

Our Saviour tells us, that the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment to the Son, John v. 22. And again: The Father hath given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of man, ver. 27. And St. Peter declares, that the Apoftles had it exprefsly in their commiffion to publifh this doctrine to all the world: He commanded us to preach unto the people, and to teftify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead, Acts x. 42. Accordingly St. Paul, in his fhort difcourse to the men of Athens, fully inftructed them in this material point: God hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness, by the man whom he hath ordained, whereof he hath given affurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead, Acts xvii. 31.

I will not multiply texts to this purpose, though many more there are which speak the fame fenfe, because this doctrine is very well known to Chrif tians, and is part of the creed which we daily rehearse.

But it is material to obferve, that this authority is given to Chrift, because he is the Son of man, as he himself has affured us; and that the perfon or dained to be judge is a man, even the man whom God raifed from the dead, as St. Paul afferts. How happy is it for us to have a judge, I had almost said so partial, but I may well fay fo favourable to us, that he was content to be himself the facrifice to redeem us from the punishment due to our fins! When we confider ourselves, how wretched and weak we are,

how perpetually doing wrong either wilfully or ignorantly, and contemplate the infinite majefty, holinefs, and juftice of God, what account can we hope to give of ourselves to him, whose eyes are purer than to behold iniquity? But fee, God hath withdrawn his terrors, and has given a man to be the judge of men. So that we may fay of our judge, what the Apostle to the Hebrews fays of our High Prieft; We have not a judge, which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all things tempted like as we are, yet without fin.

You may think perhaps that this is drawing confequences upon the foot of vulgar apprehenfions, and that in reality there is no difference, whether God be judge himself, or commits the judgment to the Son of man: for, fince Chrift fhall come not only in the power, but in the wifdom and the juftice of God also to judge the world, what difference can there be in the judgment, fince in both cafes it must be guided and formed by the wisdom and juftice of God? True it is, that a mere man is not qualified to be judge of the world; the knowledge of hearts is neceffary to the right discharge of that office; a knowledge which no mere man was ever endowed with. But ftill, if the man is to be judge, the fentiments, notions, and feeling of the man, however guided and influenced by fuperior wifdom, must prefide over and govern the whole action ; otherwife the man will not be judge. And hence we may answer some difficulties, which fpeculative men have brought into the fubject of a future judgment. Some have imagined that juftice, mercy, and goodness in God are not of the

fame kind with juftice, mercy, and goodness in men; and therefore that we can never, from our notions of these qualities in man, argue confequentially to the attributes of God, or to the acts flowing from these attributes. The refult of which is, that when we talk of God's juftice or mercy in judging the world, we talk of fomething which we do not understand. But if men would confult Scripture, these difficulties would not meet them in their way for furely we know what justice, mercy, and goodness mean among men; and fince the Scripture affures us, that the man whom God raised from the dead is ordained judge of the world, we may be very certain that the justice, mercy, and goodness, to be difplayed in the future judgment, will be fuch as all men have a common fenfe and apprehenfion of; unless you can imagine that a new rule is to be introduced, to which the judge, and thofe to be judged, are equally ftrangers. Upon this foot of Scripture then we may certainly know, what the juftice, mercy, and goodness are, by which we muft finally ftand or fall; and this point being fecured, the fpeculation may be left to fhift for itself.

And thus you fee how this great and fundamental article of religion, involved in darkness in former ages, is made plain and fenfible to mankind by the light of the Gospel. That men were accountable, they always knew; that there would be a future judgment, was generally believed: but how men were to appear in judgment, or how mere unbodied spirits were to be judged, how rewarded, or how punished, they knew not. That the right of judging men was in God, was well known; but how he would exercife

it, whether by himself or another, vifibly or invifibly, they knew not. Infinite were the disputes upon this fubject instead of which the Gospel has given a plain fenfible representation, affuring us that at the judgment we shall be what we now are, men, real men; and that the man Chrift Jefus, who appeared in the world to redeem us, will appear again to judge us by that very Gospel, and those very rules, which he has left us to govern and conduct ourfelves by.

on us.

Thirdly, Let us then go one step farther, and view the confequences of this judgment; this folemn judgment, which every mortal must undergo. If we confult either Scripture or reafon, we fhall' find no evidence of any farther change to be made in our future ftate, after once judgment has paffed That we are accountable, and shall therefore' be judged, reason fays; but can fee nothing relating to us after judgment, except the reward or the punishment confequent upon it: and therefore the only conclufion to be drawn from this information is, that the condition of man will be finally determined as to happiness or mifery, and confequently that man must continue under the good or the bad effects of the last judgment.

As reason can fhew us nothing beyond judgment, but that state and condition which are the effect of it; fo the holy Scripture has given us reafon to think that nothing else there fhall be, by defcribing the rewards and punishments of another life, as having perpetual duration. Life eternal is prepared for the righteous, and everlasting punishment for the wicked. The fire prepared to receive them is never

to go out, the worm prepared to torment them will never die. These images carry great terror with them, and have led fome to a milder interpretation of the threats of Scripture than the language of it seems to import. But even the mildeft interpretation, that allows any meaning at all to thofe threats, supposes the punishment to last as long as the finner lafts. So that in this, the lowest view, our all depends upon the judgment which fhall be finally paffed on us at the fecond coming of our Lord, There is then a juftness of thought, as well as great charity to the fouls of men, in what the Apostle adds, Knowing the terror of the Lord, we perfuade men. If the Chriftian revelation has cleared our doubts, by bringing life and immortality to light through the Gofpel; if it has given us ground for hope and confidence by affuring us that we shall be judged by him, who fo loved us, that he gave himself for us, and submitted to die, that we might live; it has alfo given us ground to be watchful and careful over ourselves, and to work out our falvation with fear and trembling. For it is a fearful thing to be to answer for ourfelves before the fearcher of all hearts; to answer to him who loved us, for defpifing the love he fhewed us; to answer to him who died for us, for having crucified him afresh, and put him to open fhame; and for having accounted the blood of the covenant an unholy thing. This will be the fad cafe of every wilful finner. The view of this mifery and distress, which finners are calling upon themselves by their iniquity, moved the Apoftle, and must ever move those who fucceed to his office, to warn men to flee from the wrath that is to come.

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