Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

the highest Heavens, to the immediate Throne and Prefence of God.

Thus though Hell is a Place of the most perTorment and Mifery, for it is the Fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels; and therefore it is much more formidable for Sinners to drop immediately into Hell when they dye, than to fuffer any other State of Punishment between Death and Judgment; yet he is a very unreasonable man, who does not think the Day of Judgment time enough to be condemned to Hell, and who does not think it mifery enough to fall under the Power of Evil Spirits in the mean time: If God think this Punishment enough, methinks Sinners fhould; and thofe who cannot fear Hell at the distance of the Day of Judgment, will not fear Hell though it were no farther off than Death. Those who are not afraid of being tormented as Dives was, when they go out of thefe Bodies, will not fear Hell, though we allow Hell to be a ftate of more perfect Mifery. I am fure Dives thought thofe Torments fo great, that they were fufficient to have made his Brethren True Penitents, had they known what they muft fuffer for their Sins as foon as they dye: And thofe who will not allow that Bad Men are immediately condemned to Hell as foon as they dye, yet muft allow that they may be tormented as Dives was. In fhort, if Wicked Men do not drop into Hell as foon as they dye, yet they fhall be condemned to Hell at the Day of Judgment; and in the Intermediate State between Death and Judgment, fhall fuffer all thofe un

known

known Miseries which are prepared for wicked Souls till the Day of Judgment; and those who will not be perfuaded by this, will live and die in their Sins, tho you could convince them that they fhall drop into Hell as foon as they dye.

SECT. II,

That the Day of Judgment is appointed.

HAV

AVING thus confidered the State be tween Death and Judgment, let us now more ftrictly confider the Time of Judgment: And here are feveral things to be obferved and explain'd,

I. That the Day of Judgment is appointed:
He bath appointed a Day wherein be will judge the
World.

II. That this is a General Day for the Judgment of the whole World.

III. That this Day of Judgment will be at the
End of the World.

I. That the Day of Judgment is appointed:
He bath appointed a Day wherein he will judge the
World.

and

This is a Matter of pure Revelation can be known no other way; for though we have great Evidence from Reason, that

God

[merged small][ocr errors]

God will judge the World, yet to appoint a Day is a free Act of God's Wifdom and Counfel; and this must be learnt from Revelation; and we cannot have a more exprefs Revelation for any thing, than we have for this; for St.Paul tells us in plain Words, That God hath appointed a Day to judge the World: And our Saviour in exprefs Words feveral times refers to this Day, as appointed and determined by God: In that day many fhall fay unto me, Lord, Lord, have we not prophefied in thy name? which refers to fome certain Day, 7. Matth. 22. And the hour is coming, in the which all that are in their graves fhall bear his voice, 5 John 28. And of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the Angels of Heaven, but my Father only, 24.Matth. 36. which plainly fignifies that the Day is determined and fixed, becaufe God knows when it fhall be; that is, he knows when he has appoint ed it: And if it were not appointed, it had been no great wonder that neither Men nor Angels know it.

Now this Confideration, that God hath appointed a Day wherein he will judge the World, is not without its ufe: For,

Ift. This proves the certainty of a Future Judgment, that the Day of Judgment is appointed: For we cannot think that God would appoint a Day to judge the World, unless he abfolutely refolved to judge it.

Edly..

4

2dly. This anfwers the Objection against a Future Judgment, from the long delays of it. This St. Peter tells us would be a great Objection in the Laft Days, or towards the End of the World, 2 Pet: 3.3, 4. Knowing this firft, that there fhall come in the last days, fcoffers, walking after their own lusts, and faying, Where is the promife of bis coming? for fince the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation : That is, confider how old the World now is, and how long Mankind have been frighten'd with the Fears of Judgment: Many Ages and fucceffive Generations have lived in expectation of it, but itís not yet, nor any more figns of it, than when the World was first made; and fince it has been fo long expected to no purpofe, it is time to defpife fuch vain and groundlefs Fears.

This ought to be plainly and fully ftated; for we live in the last Days, and have many of these Scof fers already among us.

1. But if GOD have appointed the Day of Judgment, it is a very foolish Argument, to fay, That he will not Judge the World, because he has not done it yet, unless we could prove that the Day appointed for Judgment is already paft. God cannot be faid to delay to judge the World, when the Time he has appointed for Judgment is not yet come; for to delay doing any thing, is, not to do it in its proper season, when it is time to do it; or when we refolved and determined

determined to do it: And therefore no man can fay that God delays to judge the World, unless he could tell what Day God in his own Infinite Wisdom appointed for Judgment. For,

2. That God appoints a long Day for Judg ment, is no Argument that he will not judge

[ocr errors]

Thus it was in the Deftruction of the Old World a great while before God brought that Univerfal Deluge on them, but it came at laft, and fwept them all away as St. Peter obferves, For this they willingly were ignorant of, that by the word of God the Heavens were of old, and the Earth? Pet. 3. Standing out of the Water, and in the Water: where- 5, 6. by the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perifbed This General Deftruction of the Old World by Water, is reafon enough to believe God when he threatens to deftroy it again! by Fire For the Heavens and the Earth which are FireFo now, by the fame word are kept in ftore, referved unto fire against the Day of Judgment, and Perdition of ungodly men, 5, 6, 7. It was a great while before God deftroyed the Old World; and thought this fecond Deftruction by Fire is deferred) much longer, it will come in its appointed time.

3. For what feems a very long time to us, is not fo to God, as the fame Apoftle tells us, One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thoufand years as one day. God is not affected with the Succeffion of Time, nor its lingring delays;

and

« AnteriorContinuar »