rection promised to thefe Bodies, when Jefus Chrift fhall come down from Heaven in his Glory to judge the Quick and the Dead. It seems that we have nothing more to fay,but as Mofes when he had made the Ark of Shittim-Wood, and lined it with fine Gold, he put round about a Crown of Gold upon the Top. In the fame Manner now that we have declar'd to you the Incorruption and future Glory of our Bodies, which are to be looked upon as a facred Ark, where God's Majefty fhall dwell for ever: Now that we have fhewn how, by the Almighty and Gracious Power of God, they fhall become more incorruptible than the Shittim-Wood, and more glorious than fine Gold: I will now with God's Affiftance draw about them a Crown more precious than the pureft God, and richer than all the jewels in the World. I mean, to crown this Work, and intend to end it with as perfect a Picture as I am able to draw, of the eternal Glory and Happiness which we expect to enjoy both in Soul and Body, after our Refurrection. But first, I fhall fay fomething of the entire and perfect Deftruction of all our Enemies, and reprefent to you the Overthrow and the final Conqueft over Death.

When Jefus Chrift fhall appear again to judge the World in Righteousness,he fhrall fit upon a glorious and most splendid Throne. Solomon's magnificent Throne was but itsShadow and imperfectType: He fhall then fend forth his Angels who fhall gather together theElect,with the Sound of a Trumpet from the four Parts of the World, and from one End of the Heavens to the other. The Sight of this glorious Saviour,fhall then fill us with an unfpeakable Joy,and caufe us to burst forthinto this language,If.xxv. Lo,this is ourGod,we have waited for him, and be will fave us; this is the Lord,we have waited for bim,we will be glad and rejoyce in bis Salvation. But when all the Kindreds of the Earth fhall behold this magnificentKing,in theClouds of Heaven with Power and great Glory,they fhall lament and ftrike their Breafts inDefpair,they fhall call to the Mountains andRocks,Rev.vi.

Fall

Fall upon us,and bide us from the Face of him that fittetb upon the Throne,and from theWrath of the Lamb; for the great Day of bisWrath is come,who shall be able to ftand?

Then the Lord fhall bring to light the hidden Things of Darkness, and fhall manifeft the Thoughts of the Heart, with the moft fecret Contrivances. The Books fhall be opened, not only of the guilty Confciences, where Satan's Image and Deeds fhall be engraven,but alfo the other Books where God himself hath written, with his own Finger, all our Actions, Words and our moft hidden Thoughts. All Men fhall be judged according to the Things written in the Books. St. John declares this in the xxth of the Revelations: I faw a great whiteThrone,and him that fate on it, from whofe Face the Earth and the Heaven fled away,and there was no Place for them; and I faw the Dead fmall and great ftand before God, the Books were opened, and another Book was opened, which is the Book of Life, and the Dead were judged out of thofe Things which were written in the Books, according to their Works. Unto this St. Paul agrees, We must all appear before the Judgment-Seat of Chrift, that every one may receive in bis Body according as be batb done, whether it be good or evil.

There are three Sorts of Perfons who are to stand before this glorious Tribunal: Such as never had any other Tutor but Nature,who were not acquainted with any other Works of God, but of Creation and Providence, For God hath not left himself without Witness in doing good. The fecondSort have been affifted with a divine Revelation from above,under theLaw which hath distinctly taught them what Works are pleafing to God. Thefe may have heard fomething of a Meffias from the ancient Prophets, they may have feen his Portraiture in the Types and Shadows of Mofes's Ordinances. The other Sort have had the Grace of God clearly and plainly revealed to them, to whom our Lord Jefus Chrift hath brought Life and Immortality to Light through the Gospel. There are none of thefe Perfons,if they have lived inImpiety and Debauchery,

and

and are dead in Impenitency, that shall be able to excufe themselves in this dreadful Day of Judgment. But fome are more guilty than others, therefore they shall be condemned to greater Punishments.

The Knowledge that God hath bestow'd upon Man, hath been obfcur'd by the Prince of Darkness, but it hath not been totally extinct; andthat Law which God hath engraven in the Soul of Man,hath not been altogether blotted out,but there remains yet fomeRelicks. So that noMan living can affirm,that he hath done all the good Deeds which his Confcience was perfuaded that he ought to perform,and that he hath omitted all the evil Acts of which his Confcience convinc'd him. They who have liv'd and are dead without anyLaw of God revealed to them, fhall be judged without the Law. Such fhall be condemn'd for having taking Pleafure in extinguishing the remains of their naturalLight, and in fmothering the good and rational Dictates of their Confciences. They fhall be condemned becaufe they have abused Heaven's Favours, and filled themfelves with God's good Creatures without returning to him due Thanks; and because they have not meditated as they ought, upon fo many ftately and noble Works of Nature, nor learned by that Means to know God, who has left in thefe Works, fo many Impreffions of his eternal Power andGodhead,and because that knowing God,they have not glorified him asGod: This St. Paul teacheth in these Words, As many as have finned without Law, fhall alfo perish without Law; and as many as bave finned in the Law, fhall be judged by the Law. For when theGentiles which have not the Law,do by Nature the things contained in the Law,tbefe baving not the Law,are a Law unto themfelves, which Jhew the work of the Law written in their hearts, their Confcience alfo bearing witnefs,and their thoughts the mean while accufing or else excufing one another,in the day whenGod fhall judge the fecrets of Men by Jefus Chrift, according to my Gospel, Rom.ii. They that profefs to know the Law, fhall be judged by the Law; fuch as have already heard the Thunders

of

of Mount Sinai, they fhall one Day feel the Thunderbolts. They shall understand by Experience, what it is to rebel against God, and to draw upon themselves and their guilty Heads, the dreadful Curfes of God's Law, Deut.xvii. Curfed is every one that continuetb not in all things which are written in the Book of the Law to do them,Gal. ii. There is no doubt but that the Jews, upon whom Moses and the Prophets have spent fo many fruitless Exhortations to live well, fhall be punished with fharper Torments than the poor Savages to whom God never fent any Meffage, who never had any Acquaintance with the Common-wealth of Ifrael, being Strangers from the Covenant, having no Hope, and being without God in the World, Eph. ii. For that Servant who knoweth his Mafter's Will and doth it not, fhall be beaten with more Stripes than he that knoweth it not, Luke xii.

But no People upon Earth have Cause to expect and dread a more severe Sentence than wicked Christians, who make profeffion of knowing God, and believing in Jefus Chrift, who nevertheless deny him by their Works,and trample under Foot the riches of hisGrace. How can it be otherwife? For fuch as have heard the Gospel preached,who have seen JefusChrift as it were crucified before their Eyes,and yet have made no Advantage of all this, ought to be punished in another Manner than the bare Auditors of Mofes, that never faw the Meffias but afar off, and in the Shadows of the ceremonial Law. Take Notice of thefe divine Expreffions of St Paulto the Hebrews, be that defpifed Mofes's Law, died without Mercy, under two or threeWitnesses; of bow much forer Punishment, fuppofe ye, fhall be be thought wortby,who bath trodden under foot the Son of God,and bath counted the Blood of the Covenant,wherewith he was fanttified,an unholy thing, and hath done defpite to the Spirit of Grace? For we know him that bath faid,Vengeance belongetb unto me, Iwill recompence, faith the Lord; and again, the Lord fball judge bis People. It is a fearful thing to fall into the Hands of the living God. Therefore when St. Paul

Ff

speaks

fpeaks of fuch as obey not the Gofpel, he faith, That they shall be punished with eternal Punishments from the Prefence of God, and from the Glory of his Power. And our Saviour teacheth us, that fuch as reject fo great Salvation,fhall be punish'd more grievoutly than the most abominable Sinners unto whom it was never reveal'd. Therefore when he fends forth his Apoftles to preach, he tells them, Whofcever shall not receive you, and bear your words, when you depart out of that House or City, Shake off the Duft of your Feet; verily, I say unto you, it fball be more tolerable for the Land of Sodom and Gomor rah, in the Day of Judgment,than for that City. Likewife when he reproaches the Incredulity and Impenitency of the Cities that were not converted by the Preaching of his Gofpel, and the Glory of his Miracles, he tells 'em Matth.xi. Wo unto thee Chorazin, wo unto thee Bethfaida, for if the mighty works which have been done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon,they would bave repented long ago in fackcloth and afbes. But Ifay unto you, hall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the Day of Judgment than for you. And thou Capernaum,which art exalted unto Heaven, fhalt be brought down to Hell. For if the mighty works which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remain'd unto this day: but Ifay unto you, that it shall be more tolerable for the Land of Sodom in the Day of Fudgment than for thee.

it

The Great Judge of the World, fhall place at his Left Hand all wicked Souls, which have lived without any Fear of God, and without expreffing Charity to the Members of his myftical Body, and fhall pronounce to 'em this dreadful Sentence, Depart from me, ye curfed, to eternal fire, prepared for the Devil and his Angels; for I was an bungry, and ye gave me no meat; I was thirty, and ye gave me no drink I was a Stranger, } and ye took me not in; naked, and ye cloathed me not; fick, and in prison, and ye vifited me not; verily Ifay unto you, in as much as ye did it not to one of the leaft of thefe, ye did it not to me. But the Faithful, who have witneffed their Faith by a good and holy Life; and

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