342 The Judge fitting down on the Tribunal. State IV. and burying multitudes at once; the dead would still enjoy a perfect repose, and fleep foundly in the duft; though their own duft should be thrown out of its place But at the found of this trumpet they shall all awake. The morning is come, they can fleep no longer; the time of the dead, that they must be judged: they muft get out of their graves, and appear before the Judge."

Fourthly, The Judge fhall fit down on the tribunal; he fhall fit on the throne of his glory. Sometime he flood before a tribunal on earth, and was condemned as a malefac tor: then shall he fit on his own tribunal, and judge the world. Sometime, he hung upon the cross, covered with fhame then he fhall fit on a throne of glory. What this throne fhall be, whether a bright cloud, or what else, I thall not inquire. Our eyes will give an answer to that queftion at length. John faw a great white throne, Rev. XX. 11. His throne (fays Daniel) was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.' chap vii. 9. Whatever it be, doubtless it fhall be a throne glorious beyond expreffion; and, in comparison with which, the most glorious throne on the earth is but a feat on a dunghill; and the fight of it will equally furprife kings, who fit on thrones in this life, and beggars, who fat in dunghills It will be a throne, for ftatelinefs and glory, suited to the quality of him who fhall fit on it. Never had a judge fuch a throne, and never had a throne fuch a judge on it.

Leaving the discovery of the nature of the throne until that day, it concerns us more nearly to confider what a Judge will fit upon it; a point in which we are not left to uncertain conjectures. The Judge on the throne will be (1.) A vifible Judge, vifible to our bodily eyes Rev. i. 7. Every eye fhall fee him. When God gave the law on mount Sinai, the people faw no fimilitude, only they heard a voice: but when he calls the world to an account, how they have obferved his law; the man Chrift being Judge, we fhall see our Judge with our eyes, either to our eternal comfort or confufion; according to the entertainments we give him now. That very body which was crucified without the gates of Jerufalem, betwixt two thieves, fhall then be feen on the throne, fhining in glory. We now fee him fymbollically in the facrament of his fupper: the faints fee him by the eye

of

of faith: then, all shall fee him with thefe eyes now in their heads. (2.) A Judge having full authority and power, to render unto every one according to his works. Chrift, as God, hath authority of himself; and as Mediator, he hath a judicial power and authority, which his Father has invested him with, according to the covenant betwixt the Father and the Son, for the redemption of finners. And his divine glory will be a light, by which all men fhall fee clearly to read his commiffion for this great and honourable employment. All power is given unto him in heaven and in earth,' Matth. xxviii. 18. He hath the keys of hell and of death,' Rev. i. 18. There can be no appeal from his tribunal: fentence once paft there, muft ftand for ever; there is no reverfing of it. All appeals are from an inferior court to a fuperior one; but when God gives fentence against a man, where can he find a higher court to bring his procefs to? This judgment is the Mediator's judgment; and the refore the last judgment. If the Interceffor be against us, who can be for us? If Chrift condemn us, who will abfolve us? (3.) A Judge of infinite wifdom. His eyes will pierce into and clearly difcern, the most intricate cafes. His omnifcience qualifies him for judging of the moft retired thoughts, as well as of words and works. The most fubtle finner, fhall not be able to outwit him, nor, by any artful manage. ment, to palliate the crime. He is the fearcher of hearts, to whom nothing can be hid or perplexed, but all things are naked and open unto his eyes. Heb. iv. 13. (4.) A molt juft Judge; a Judge of perfect integrity. He is the rigl.teous Judge, (2 Tim. iv. 8) and his throne, a great white throne (Rev. xx. 11.) from whence no judgment fhall proceed, but what is most pure and fpotlefs. The Thebans painted juice blind, and without hands for judges ought not to refpect perfons, nor take bribes. The Areopagites judged in the dark; that they might not regard who fpoke, but what was fpoken. With the Judge on this throne, there will be no refpect of perfons; he will neither regaru the perfons of the rich, nor of the poor; but juft judgment fhall go forth in every one's caufe. Lastly, An omnipotent Judge, able to put his fentence in execution. The united force of devils and wicked men will be altogether unable to withstand him. They cannot retard the execution of the

Y 4

fepten

State IV. fentence again them, one moment; far lefs can they flop it altogether. Thousand thousands (of angels) minifter unta him. Dan. vii. 10. And. by the breath of his mouth, he can drive the curfed herd whither he pleafeth.

Fifthly. The parties fhall compear. These are men and devils. Although thefe laft. the fallen angels were, from the first moment of their finning fubjected to the wrath of God, and were caft down to hell; and wherefoever they go, they carry their hell about with them: yet, it is evident, that they are reserved unto judgment, (2 Pet. ii. 14) namely, unto the judgment of the great day, Judge 6 And then they fhall be folemnly and publickly judged, Cor. vi. 34 Know ye not that we ball judge angels? At that day they fhall answer for their trade of finning and tempting to fin, which they have been carrying on from the beginning. Then many a hellish brat, which Satan had laid down at the faints door, but not adopted by them, fhall be laid at the door of the true father of it, that is, the devil. And he shall receive the due reward of all the dishonour he has done toGod, and of all the mischief he hath done to men. Those wicked fpirits now in chains (though not in fuch strait cuftody, but that they go about, like roaring lions, feekingwhorathey may devour) fhall then receive their final fentence, and be faut up in their den, namely, in the prison of hell; where they fhall be held in extreme and unfpeakable torment through all eternity. Rev.xx.10. And the devil that deceived them, was caft into the lake of fire and brimftone, where the beaft and the false prophet are, and fhall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.' In profpect of which, the devils faid to Chrift, Art thou come hither to torment us before the time? Matth. viii. 29.

But what we are chiefly concerned to take notice of, is the cafe of men at that day. All men must compear before this tribunal. All of each fex, and of every age, quality and condition; the great and small, role and ignoble; none are excepted. Adam and Eve, with all their fons and daughters; every one who has had, or, to the end of the world, fhall have, a living foul united to a body; will make up this great congregation. Even thofe, who refused to come to the throne of grace, fhall be forced to the bar of justice: for there can be no hiding from the all feeing Judge, no fly.

.

ing from him who is prefent every where, no refifting of him who is armed with almighty power. We muft all fland before the judgment feat of Chrift, a Cor. v. 10. Before him Shall be gathered all nations, fays the text. This is to be. done by the miniftry of angels. By them shall the elect be gathered, Mark xiii, 27. · Then shall be fend his angels, and fhall gather together his elect from the four winds.' And they also shall gather the reprobate, Matth. xiii. 40. 41. So fhall it be in the end of this world, The Son of man * fhall fend forth his angels, and they fhall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity." From all corners of the world shall the inhabitants thereof be gathered into the place where he shall fet his throne for jddgment,

Sixthly, There shall be a separation made betwixt the righteous and the wicked; the fair company of the elect fheep being fet on Chrift's right hand, and the reprobate goats on his left. There is no neceffity to wait for this feparation, till the trial be over; fince the parties do rife out of their graves, with plain outward marks of diftinction, as was cleared before. The feparation feems to be effected by that double gathering before mentioned; the one of the elect, Mark xiii. 27. the other of them that do iniquity, Matth. xiii. 41. The elect, being caught up together in the clouds, meet the Lord in the air, (1 Theff. iv. 17.) and fo are fet on his right hand; and the reprobate left on the earth (Matth. xxv. 40.) upon the Judge's left hand. Here is now a total feparation of two parties, who were always oppofite to each other, in their principles aims, and manner of life; who, when together, were a burden the one to the other, under which the one groaned, and the other raged : but now they are freely parted, never to come together any more. The iron and clay (allude to Daniel ii, 41, 43.) which could never mix, are quite feparated: the one being drawn up into the air, by the attractive virtue of the ftone cut out of the mountain, namely, Jefus Chrift: the other left upon its earth, to be trod under foot.

Now let us look to the right hand, and there we will fee a glorious company of faints, fhining as fo many stars in their orbs and with a chearful countenance beholding him who fitteth upon the throne. Here will be two wonderful

State IV fights, which the world used not to fee. (1.) A great congregation of faints, in which not fo much as one hypocrite, There was a bloody Cain in Adam's family, a curfed Ham in Noah's family, in the ark: a treacherous Judas, in Chrift's own family but in that company fhall be none but fealed ones, members of Chrift, having all one Father. And this is a fight reserved for that day. (2.) All the godly upon one fide. Seldom or never do the faints on earth make such a harmony, but their are fome jarring strings among them. It is not to be expected, that men who fee but in part, tho' they be all going to that city, will agree as to every step in the way: no, we need not look for it in this ftate of imperfection. But at that day Paul and Barnabus shall meet in peace and unity, though once the contention was fo sharp between them, that they departed asunder, the one from the other, Acts xv. 39. There shall be no more divifions, no more separate standing, amongst those who belong to Chrift. All the godly of the different parties fhall then be upon one fide; feeing, whatever were their differences in leffer things, while in the world, yet, even then, they met and concentred all in one Lord Jefus Chrift, by a true and lively faith, and in the one way of holiness or practical godlinefs. And the naughty hypocrites, of whatfoever party, fhall be led forth with the workers of iniquity.

Look to the left hand, and there you will fee the curfed goats (all the wicked ones from Cain to the last ungodly perfon, who fhall be in the world) gathered together into one moft miferable congregation. There are many affemblies of the wicked now; then there fhall be but one. But all of them shall be prefent there, brought together as one herd for the flaughter, bellowing and roaring, weeping and howling for the miferies come, and that are coming on them. (And remember thou shalt not be a mere fpectator, to look at these two fo different companies; but must thy. felf take thy place in one of the two, and fhalt fhare with the company, whatever hand it be upon.) Thefe who now abhor no fociety fo much, as that of the faints, would then be glad to be allowed to get in among them, though it were but to ly among their feet. But then not one tare hall be found with the wheat; he will throughly purge his for. Many of the right hand men of this world, will be

left