Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

Sinners, and make them confefs their own Guilt and Deferts, will make the Flames of Hell fo furiously rage and devour.

So that it is neceffary that the laft Judgment fhould be executed by a vifible Judge, that it may not be thought the Effect of Chance and Accident, or Fate, but the Refult of the Divine Wisdom and Counfel; that the World may fee and know, that God is come to judge them, and to take Vengeance on all the Workers of Iniquity; and this also makes the Son of Man a very, proper Judge of Mankind, because he is a vifible God, and can appear in a visible Glory, and as visibly judge the World, as any earthly Prince or Judge when he afcends the Judgmentfeat.

This will be the Glory of that Day, to fee the visible Appearance of the Son of Man in the Clouds of Heaven, attended with Myriads of Angels to his Throne of Glory, where he fits encirculed with the Heavenly Hoft, and all Mankind ftanding before his Tribunal, expecting their final Doom from his mouth: Good Lord! How will fuch a Sight as this affect us! Could we but paint a lively Image and Representation of Judgment upon our Fancies, how would it warm our Hearts! How would it difparage all the pompous Pageantry of this World! how would it revive the Spirits of Good Men, inspire them with Courage and Refolution, with Zeal and Activity in ferving Chrift, looking for that bleffed hope and glorious appearance of the Great God," and our Saviour Jefus Chrift! What terror would

the

[ocr errors]

the Thoughts of it ftrike into Sinners! how would it cool the Heat of Luft! how would it make their Countenance change, and loofen the Joynts of their Loyns, and make their Knees knock one against another, like the Hand-writing upon the Wall, while they are caroufingin their full Bowls, and drinking away the Thoughts of God and Judgment !

Who can poffibly conceive the Joy and Exultation of that Day, when Good Men fhall fee their Lord coming in the Clouds of Heaven, clothed with a Humane Body, but bright and glorious as the Sun; a Body which ftill retains the Marks of his Sufferings, and the Tokens of his Love!

How will it tranfport us, to fee him whom our Souls loveth! to fee him whom we have fo paffionately longed, and defired to fee! to fee him whom we love, though we have not feen him! To fee him, I fay, not as the Shepherds did, a poor helpless Infant, wrapped in Swadling-Clouts, and lying in a Manger; to fee him not arraigned for a Malefactor, nor hanging in a fhameful manner upon the Crofs, but to fee him in all his Majefty and Glory, to fee him a Triumphant Conquerour and Judge, to fee him with Crowns and Laurels in his Hands, and in him to fee the Certainty of our Faith, the Completion of our Hopes, the Rewards of our Patience and Sufferings, and our finał Conqueft over Death and Hell! O joyful Day, when this Royal Bridegroom fhall come in the Glory of his Father, to meet his Spouse the Church, to conduct her to

R 4

his

his Father's House, there to fee, and there to partake in his Glory, and never to part

more.

let us

Methinks I fee holy and devout Souls in the highest Raptures and Ecftafies of Joy, embracing and comforting one another at the Appearance of their Lord: Here comes the Bleffed Jefus, it is he himself, the true Image of God, the very Brightness of his Father's Glory: This is that bleffed Day we have fo long expected and hoped for; go forth and meet him; let us haften into the Embraces of our Saviour: He is come to Judgment, but let thofe tremble at Judgment, who are afraid of the Judge: We are his, he has bought us with his Blood; he has renewed and fanctified us by his Spirit, and now he is come to own us in the prefence of Men and Angels, to beftow a Kingdom on us, to receive us to himself, that where he is, we may be alfo, and behold his Glory.

But then, on the other hand, confider, I beseech you, what a terrible Sight this will be to Bad Men, who have laughed at the Fable of a Crucified Jefus, and mocked at a Future Judgment: And is he come, will fuch a Sinner fay? and muft I be judged at laft, when I thought my felf fo fecure of Judg ment! Behold I see him, and can be an Infidel no longer: Lord, what Terror is there in his Looks! How do his Eyes flame with Vengeance! Who can abide the Day of his Wrath! How can I appear before him as my Judge, whom I would not have for my Saviour! What account

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

account can I give of my Actions, who never expected to be called to an account for them! What Plea can I make for my felf, who would never believe, who would never be perfwaded! How fhall I bear his Prefence, and yet whither can I fly from him! When he condemns me, to whom can I appeal from the Judge and the Saviour of the World! O Wretch that I am, who would never believe, never think of this Day, and now I must be condemned by the Saviour of the World!

Let these Thoughts then make a deep impreffion upon our minds, before that Day comes; let us remember that the Son of Man will be our Judge, he who laid down his Life for us, he who now invites us to Repentance, he who now promifes Pardon and Forgiveness to true Penitents; let this teach us to reverence his Laws, to imitate his Example, to put our whole Truft and Confidence in his Merits and Interceffion, That when he cometh again in his glorious Majesty to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rife with him unto life immortal; as our Church teaches us to pray.

Secondly, Let us now confider what Affurance we have, that the Man Chrift Jefus fhall be the Judge of the World: And of this St. Paul tells us, That God hath given afsurance unto all men, in that he bath raifed him from the dead.

But you'll fay, How does the Refurrection of Chrift from the dead, prove that he is made the Judge of the World? For that any Man rifes from the dead, does not prove that he is

Judge

Judge of the World! We fhall all rife again the laft Day; but not to judge, but to be judged ? This is very true, and therefore if we knew no more of Chrift, but only that he rofe again from the Dead, this would not prove him to be the Judge of the World.

But we must confider, 1. That the Refurrection of Chrift is a great and irrefiftible Proof of his Doctrine which he preached: This our Saviour himfelf appeals to, as the laft Proof of his Divine Authority, Deftroy this. Temple, and in three days will I raise it up: And thus his Refurrection from the Dead, proves that he is the Judge of the World, for this he exprelly taught his Disciples, That God had committed all judgment into his hands, that the Son of Man fhall come in the Glory of his Father, with his Angels, and then shall be reward every Man according to his Works. So that our Saviour plainly declared, That God had made him the Judge of the World; and God has confirmed his Teftimony by raising him from the Dead.

:

2. We must confider also, that the Refurrection of Chrift was his visible Advancement into his Kingdom: Then his Kingdom began, when he rofe from the Dead, then all power was committed to him both in Heaven and in Earth, 28 Matth. And that God has thus advanced him, was vifible to all Men in the Effufion of the Holy Spirit on the Apoftles, on the Day of Pentecoft, and in those wonderful Miracles which they wrought in his Name. Thus St. Peter tells the Jews, that the miraculous Effufion of the Spirit was a vifible Proof,

that

« AnteriorContinuar »