Entertainment would here be, only to fee all Mankind together; all the Men of Name and Renown, whofe Fame is recorded in Story, who have fignalized themselves in their feveral Ages by their Piety and Virtue, and Wisdom and Valour; or it may be by their Vices; but this will be no time to gratifie our Curiofity, when we all meet to receive our Final Doom.

It more concerns us at prefent to draw another Scene of Things, and to imagine how differently men will appear at the Day of Judgment, from what they do in this World. We fhall fee all Mankind together rife with their own Bodies, juft the fame Men that they were, but yet quantum mutatus ab illo, they won't look altogether as they did; there will be fome change in their Countenances, which will betray very different Paffions, and give a very different Air and Afpect

to them.

We may eafily imagine that Atheists and Infidels, who have difputed very Subtilly and Philofophically against a God and Religion, and broke many a Witty Jeft upon Heaven and Hell, wil be not a little amazed, when they fhall fee all their Philofophy confuted, and their Jefts quite spoiled by the Appearance of their Judge.

What Surprize and Aftonishment will then be feen in the Looks of fecure Sinners, who never thought of Judgment, but reckoned themselves very fafe, by banifhing the Thoughts of it! As if God would not judge them, unless they thought of being judged,

The

The brave and the bold Sinners, who mocked at Fear, especially at the Fear of God, as a base and unmanly Paffion, will not be able to conceal their Fears then; but even thofe mighty Hectors, the great Difturbers of Mankind, who carry'd Fear and Terror in their Looks, and made the World tremble before them, will then ftand trembling before their Judge, and call to the rocks and mountains to fall on them, and hide them from the wrath of the Lamb.

On the other hand, with what Triumph will Good Men lift up their heads; the poor, the defpifed, the perfecuted, the reproached, the vilified Worfhippers of the Crucified Jefus, and the Disciples of the Crofs? Their Sorrows will then fly away like the Shades of Night at the approach of the Sun, their Tears will be dried up, and we fhall fee nothing but fecure Joy give Luftre and Brightness to their Looks.

We are extremely impofed on by the prefent appearance of things; Vice looks gay and bold, and fearless in this world, and Virtue many times as mean and contemptible as Injuftice and Oppreffion can make it, that it would be of great ufe to us fometimes to remove the Scene from thisWorld to the Day of Judgment, when all Mankind fhall appear together; the greateft Appearance that ever was; and therefore it is much more confiderable how we shall appear then, than how we appear in this world.

But

But the Enquiry here is, Why GOD judges all the world at once, and fummons all Mankind together to receive their Final Sentence? Now that God will do fo is very plain; why he does it, he has not told us; but whoever wisely confiders this Matter, will discover great and excellent ends which may be ferved by fuch a publick Judgment; and that may fatisfy us that there is great reafon why God fhould do it; and these may be referred to two General Head. 1. With refpect to God himself. 2. With respect to Men, both Good and Bad Men.

I. With refpect to God; And this Univerfal Judgment greatly tends to advance the Divine Name and Glory.

I. As I hinted to you before, this will justify the Divine Providence, and difplay all the various Wifdom and expound and unriddle all the fecret Myfteries of it: When God comes to judge the World, it is to justify himself, as well as to judge men; for what St. Paul fays, is moft properly applicable to the Laft Judgment, Let God be true, and every man a liar as it is written, That thou mighteft be justified in thy Sayings, and mighteft overcome when thou art judged, 3. Rom 4. And St. Jude makes this one great end of the laft Judgment, The Lord shall come with ten thousand of his Saints, to execute judgment upon all, to convince all that are ungodly among them • of all their ungodly deeds which they bave ungodly committed and of all their hard Speeches which ungodly Sinners have Spoken

against him, Jude 14, 15. How many fuch hard Speeches do we daily hear against the Divine Providence? and how hard are Good men,who know but little of the matter, put to it to answer the Cavils and Reproaches of Atheists and Infidels? We can indeed fay enough in general to vindicate the Divine Wisdom, and Justice, and Goodness; but there are a thousand particular Cafes which feem very hard, which we can fay nothing to, becaufe we know nothing of

them.

But when all the World fhall be fummoned - before God's Tribunal, all the Ages and Generations of men, we shall then have a perfect Hiftory of Providence, and that will expound the Reafons of Things, which are now obfcure. When we fhall hear how every particular man, every Age and Generation of Men, every Countrey and Nation have behaved themfelves, and how God dealt with them; what Talents they were entrusted with, and what account they give; then all Mouths will be stopped, and the whole World will become guilty before, God, 3. Rom. 19. Then we fhall fee an entire Chain of Providences, and all the various and intricate Turnings of the Divine Wisdom in its different Forms and Adminiftrations, but ftill within the Sphere and Circle of Juftice and Goodness. How fhall we then admire GOD, when we fhall fee all these wonderful and curious Scenes unfolded! when we fhall obferve the gradual and regular Advances of Goodness in the feveral Ages of the World, proportioned to the Wants and Capacities of

men

Men, till it came to the full Maturity and Perfection of Gofpel-Grace! What a delightful Profpect will this be to good Men! how will it enlarge their Knowledge! increase their Wonder! inflame their Devotions! How will it confound bad Men, efpecially all the Prophane Scoffers at God and his Providence! How will this aggravate and increase their Torments that they will be forced to admire and juftify God in their own Damnation, which must turn all their Rage and Fury upon themselves!

This is Reafon enough why God fhould judge the World all together, to justify himfelf to all his Creatures, and to make a glorious Discovery of all the Wonders and Myfteries of his Grace and Providence: Good Men fee enough at prefent to admire and praife God: But now, as St. Paul tells us, We know in part? and we prophesy in part: But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a Child, I Spake as a Child, I understood as Child, I thought as a Child: But when I became a Man, I put away childish things. For now we fee through a Glass darkly; but then Face to Face: Now I know in part; but then shall I know even as alfo I am known, I Cor. 13. 9, 10, II, 12. The Divine Wifdom will never appear fo Glorious as at the Day of Judgment, because it will never be fo perfectly known, as then when he fhall come to be glorified in his Saints, and admired in all them that believe, 2. Thef. 1. 10. What good Man would not long to fee that Bleffed Day,