juft recompence of reward for all the actions done S ER M. by them in this life; that there is a particular time, CXI. appointed, wherein GOD will call all the world to a folemn account, and those who are in their graves fhall by a powerful voice be raised to life, and thofe who fhall then be found alive fhall be fuddenly changed; "when our LORD JESUS CHRIST," the eternal and only begotten Son of GOD, who once came in great humility to fave us, fhall come again "in power, and great glory," attended with his mighty angels, and "all nations fhall be gathered "before him," and all mankind fhall be feparated into two companies, the righteous and the wicked, who after a full hearing, and fair trial, fhall be fentenced according to their actions, the one" to eter"nal life and happiness," the other" to everlaft"ing mifery and torment." So that the gospel hath not only declared the thing to us, that there fhall be a future judgment; but for our farther affurance and fatisfaction in this matter, and that these things might make a deep impreffion, and ftrike a great awe upon our minds, GOD hath been pleased to reveal it to us with a great many particular circumftances, fuch as are very worthy of God, and apt to fill the minds of men with dread and astonishment, as often as they think of them. For the circumstances of this judgment revealed to us in the gospel, are very folemn and awful, not fuch as the wild fancies and imaginations of men would have been apt to have dreft it up withal, fuch as are the fictions of the heathen poets, and the extravagancies of Mahomet; which tho' they be terrible enough, yet they are withal ridiculous; but fuch as are every way becoming the majesty of the great CXI. SER M. great GOD, and the folemnity of the great day, and fuch as do not in the leaft favour of the vanity and lightness of human imagination. For what more fair and equal, than that men fhould be tried by a man like themselves, one of the fame rank and condition, that had experience of the infirmities and temptations of human nature? fo our LORD tells us, that "the FATHER hath com"mitted all judgment to the Son, because he is the "Son of man," and therefore cannot be excepted against, as not being a fit and equal judge. And this St. Paul offers as a clear proof of the equitable proceedings of that day; "GOD (fays he) hath ap"pointed a day, in which he will judge the world "in righteousness, by that man whom he hath or"dained." And then what more congruous than that the Son of God, who had taken fo much pains for the falvation of men, and came into the world for that purpofe, and had ufed all imaginable means for the reformation of mankind, I fay what more congruous, than that this very person should be honoured by GOD to fit in judgment upon the world, and to condemn those, who after all the means that had been tried for their recovery, would not repent and be faved. And what more proper, than that men, who are to be judged for " things done in the body," fhould be judged in the body, and confequently that the refurrection of the dead fhould preceed the general judgment? And what more magnificent and fuitable to this glorious folemnity, than the awful circumstances which the fcripture mentions of the appearance of this great judge; that he fhall" defcend from "heaven CXI. "heaven in great majefty and glory, attended with SER M. "his mighty angels, and that every eye fhall fee "him;" that upon his appearance, the frame of nature shall be in an agony, and the whole world in flame and confufion; that thofe great and glorious bodies of light fhall be obfcured, and by degrees extinguished ; "the fun fhall be darkened, and the "moon turned into blood, and all the powers of "heaven fhaken;" yea, "the heavens themselves "fhall pass away with a great noife, and the ele"ments diffolve with fervent heat; the earth also, "and all the works that are therein fhall be burnt ¢ up." I appeal to any man, whether this be not a reprefentation of things very proper and suitable to that great day, wherein he who made the world fhall come to judge it? and whether the wit of man ever devised any thing fo awful, and fo agreeable to the majesty of God, and the folemn judgment of the whole world? The defcription which Virgil makes of the judgment of another world, of the elyfian fields, and the infernal regions, how infinitely do they fall fhort of the majefty of the holy fcripture, and the description there made of heaven and hell, and of the great and terrible day of the LORD! fo that in comparison they are childish and trifling; and yet perhaps he had the moft regular and moft govern'd imagination of any man that ever lived, and obferved the greateft decorum in his characters and defcriptions. But who can declare "the great things of God, but he to whom GOD fhall re"veal them!" 66 Secondly, this expreffion of "the wrath of GoD B ply CXI. SER M. ply the clear discovery of the thing, but likewife fomething extraordinary in the manner of the difcovery. It is not only a natural impreffion upon the minds of men, that God will feverely punish finners; but he hath taken care that mankind fhould be inftructed in this matter in a very particular and extraordinary manner. He hath not left it to the reason of men to collect it from the confideration of his attributes and perfections, his holiness and justice, and from the confideration of the promiscuous adminiftration of his providence towards good and bad men in this world, but he hath been pleased to fend an extraordinary perfon from heaven, on purpose to declare this thing plainly to the world, "the wrath "of GOD is revealed from heaven;" that is, GoD fent his own Son from heaven, on purpose to declare his wrath against all obftinate and impenitent finners, that he might effectually awaken the drowsy world to repentance; he hath fent an extraordinary ambaffador into the world, to give warning to all those who continue in their fins, of the judgment of the great day, and to fummon them before his dreadful tribunal. So the apoftle tells the Athenians, Acts xvii. 30, 31. “Now he commandeth all men every "where to repent; because he hath appointed a day "in which he will judge the world in righteoufness, σε by that man whom he hath ordained, whereof he "hath given affurance unto all men, in that he hath "raifed him from the dead." 1 Thirdly, this expreffion implies likewife the cer tainty of this difcovery. If the wrath of God had only been declared in the difcourfes of wife men, tho' grounded upon very probable reafon, yet it might have been brought into doubt by the contrary reafon CXI. ings of fubtle and difputing men: but to put the SER M. matter out of all queftion, we have a divine teftimony for it, and GOD hath confirmed it from heaven, by figns, and wonders, and miracles, especially by the refurrection of JESUS CHRIST from the dead; for "by this he hath given affurance unto all men, "that it is he who is ordained of GOD to judge the quick and the dead." Thus you fee in what refpect" the wrath of God" is faid to be "revealed from heaven," in that the gofpel hath made a more clear, and particular, and certain discovery of the judgment of the great day, than ever was made to the world before. I proceed to the Third obfervation, which I fhall fpeak but briefly to; namely, that every wicked and vitious practice doth expofe men to this dreadful danger. The apoftle inftanceth in the two chief heads to which the fins of men may be reduced, impiety towards GoD, and unrighteoufnefs towards men; and therefore he is to be understood to denounce the wrath of GoD against every particular kind of fin, comprehended under these general heads; fo that no man that allows himself in any impiety and wickedness of life, can hope to escape the wrath of GOD. Therefore it concerns us to be intirely religious, and " to have "respect to all GOD's commandments;" and to take heed that we do not allow ourselves in the practice of any kind of fin whatsoever, because the living in any one known fin, is enough to expofe us to the dreadful wrath of GOD. Tho' a man be juft and righteous in his dealings with men, yet if he neglect the worfhip and fervice of God, this will certainly bring him under condemnation: and on the other hand, tho' a man may serve God never fo diligently and devout |