BOOK 10. THE JUDGEMENT.
CHAPTER 1.
10.1.6. Of Christ and the Saints judging the rest of the World.
Of Christ and the Saints judging the rest of the World.
For Christ and his saints judging the world: no sooner shall the saints be sentenced, justified, acquitted, anointed, and crowned; but presently they must be enthronized, and sit with Jesus Christ to judge the world.
In the unfolding of this we may observe these particulars: --
1. As Christ is on a throne, so now must the elect be set on thrones, "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne," Rev.iii. 21. Thrones are for kings and judges; and in that Christ hath now lifted up his saints to this condition, he will have them sit with him as so many judges, and as so many kings; or if it be more honour to have thrones by themselves than to sit with Christ in his throne, John in his vision saw many thrones, "And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them," Rev. xx. 4. And Christ himself told his apostles, "Verily I say unto you, that ye which have followed me in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel," Matth. xix. 28. Hence some argue, That amongst all the saints, the apostles shall have their thrones seated next to Christ; howsoever the rest shall not be deprived of their thrones; for not only twelve thrones, but twelve and twelve are set about the throne of Christ, "And round about the thrones, were four and twenty thrones, (or seats) and upon the throne I saw four and twenty elders, sitting, clothed with white raiment, and they had on their heads crowns of gold," Rev. iv. 4. Only four and twenty thrones, and four and twenty elders are numbered, but thereby is represented the whole church of Christ: it is plain enough, that all the saints shall appear plainly in the glory of Christ's kingdom, having thrones with him in the air during the time of his judgment.
2. The goats on the left hand shall then be called to receive their doom; no sooner are the saints enthronized, but then shall Christ say, "Ye blessed angels, bring hither all those mine enemies, who have said, I shall not rule over them, that I may bruize them with my iron mace, and break them in pieces like a potter's vessel. O! The fear and trembling that will now seize on reprobates! do but see the case of prisoners, when the judge speaks that word, "Come, gaolers, bring hither those prisoners to the bar." But, alas! what comparison can we make to suit with the condition of these reprobates? Now, shall their hearts fail them for fear? Now shall they seek death, (Oh! how gladly would they die again?) But shall not find it; now shall they cry to rocks and mountains, "Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb," Rev. vi. 16. As a prisoner in a desperate case had rather remain in his sordid stinking dungeon, than to come into the open air for execution; so the reprobates newly raised from the earth, would fain return again to the earth, glad to return, though not on the face of it with pleasure, yet in the bowels of it with rottenness and solitude; like malefactors pressing to death, they cry out for more weight, "Hills, cover us, mountains, fall upon us, yet more weight, more rocks, more mountains; hide us, press us, cover us, dispatch us." But all in vain, the command is out, angels and devils will force them to the bar, for the Lord hath spoken it, "Those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring them hither," Luke xix. 27.
3. They shall look on Christ and his saints, now sitting on their thrones. As prisoners that stand at the bar in the face of the judge; so must these reprobates look the judge and all his assessors in the very face.
(a). For the judge, they shall look on him, "Behold he cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him." We heard before, that no sooner Christ in the clouds, but they saw him then: as the prisoners that see the judge riding to his judgment-seat; Oh! but now they shall see him in the judgment-seat, ready with sparkling eyes, and thundering voice, to speak their sentence. Prisoners at the bar must not turn their backs on the judge when he begins their sentence; no more must reprobates; "They must see him in majesty, whom they would not deign to look upon in humility; that by so much more they may feel his power, by how much more they derided his weakness." (In majestate visuri sunt, quem in humilitate videre noluerunt; ut tanto distinctius virtutem sentiant, quanto contemptius infirmitatem deriserunt.) Oh! the difference betwixt Christ's first coming the flesh, and in his second coming in the clouds; then he came in poverty, now in majesty; then in humility, now in glory; then with poor shepherds, now with mighty angels; then the contempt of nations, now the terror of the world; then crowned with thorns, now with majesty; then judged by one man, now judging all men; then as a lamb, now as a lion. Oh! horror to conceive, how will the sight of this Judge amaze the wicked! and the rather because they shall see him whom they have pierced. Is not this the aggravation of their terror? Conceive the guilty man-slayer coming to his trial, will not the red robes of his judge make his heart bleed for his bloodshed? Doth not that crimson cloth present a monstrous hue before his eyes? O then! what sight is this, when the man slain sits in the judgment-seat? The rosy wounds of our Saviour still bleeding (as it were) in. the prisoner's presence! well may they hang their heads, but they shall not shut their eyes, "They shall see him, saith the text, yea, they also which pierced him shall see him." This very sight will be as convincing, as if they heard Christ say, "Thou art the man didst murder me, thou art the man hast pierced me, this wound, this scar, and this print of the nails in my hands, and feet were thy very doings in thy sinning against me," And who can tell but Christ may speak in some such a manner as this? "Come all you on the left hand, prepare you for the sentence; I am the man whom you did crucify afresh; I am he whose person you despised, whose commands you disobeyed, whose ministers you abused, whose servants you hated, whose offers you rejected; and of whom you said, There is no beauty in him that we should desire him. Whatsoever he shall say, this believe, that Christ's sweet face will be most terrible to the wicked at that day. Oh! It will cut them to see him in the judgment-seat, whom they basely shut out of doors, preferring a lust before his presence; then will they begin, with extremest grief, and bitterness of spirit, to sigh and say, "Oh! he that I look upon, and must look upon, and cannot choose but look upon; he whom I now see sitting on yonder flaming, white, and glorious throne, is Jesus Christ, the mighty God, the Prince of Peace, that true Messiah, whose precious blood was poured out as water upon the earth, to save his people from their sins; it is he, yea, the self-same he, that many a time, whilst I lived upon earth, invited and wooed me by his faithful ministers, that besought and entreated me with tears of dearest love, to leave my lusts, and to bid the devil adieu; that knocked again and again at the door of my heart for entrance, offering himself to be my all-sufficient, and everlasting husband, telling me, That if I would but have embraced him, at this time should have been the solemnity of the marriage, and now he would have set an immortal crown of bliss and glory upon my head with his own Almighty hand; but, I alas! like a wilful desperate wretch, forsook my own mercy, judged myself unworthy of everlasting life, and wretchedly, and cruelly, against my own soul, persecuted all the means which should have sanctified me, and all the ministers which should have saved me, as instruments in the hands of Christ, and now happy I, if I were an hundred thousand millions of miles distant from this sight of Jesus Christ; Oh! that these eyes in my head were holes again, as they were but even now when I was rotting, or rotten in the grave; Oh! that I could turn any way aside from this glorious sight! Oh that I were a stone, a tree, or air, or any other thing that wanted eyes! Oh that I had no eye within, nor understanding faculty to conceive of Christ, or to know Christ Jesus as my Judge, now ready to bid me go to hell!" Certainly these will be the woeful wishes of the wicked, when they shall look on Christ as sitting on his throne of judgment.
(b). For the saints, they shall look on them. Indeed they sit so near their Saviour, that they cannot look on him, but they must look on them; the saints are on their thrones, either in the throne or about the throne of Jesus Christ; and the reprobates stand in a direct opposite line to the saints; so that their eyes cannot be off them: it is said in the parable, that the rich man being in hell, "He lifted up his eyes, and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom," Luke xvi. 23. But the distance being so great as heaven and hell, that cannot be literally understood, but only parobolically; it is otherwise here, for howsoever the separation be already made, yet neither is the sentence, nor execution past upon the reprobates; and indeed as yet, both the saints and reprobates are in the air, the one on the right hand, and the other on the left hand of Jesus Christ, and therefore they cannot but have a full view of each other. In the apocryphal book there is a plain description of this view, "Then shall the righteous man stand in great boldness before the face of such as have afflicted him, and made no account of his labours; and when they see it they shall be troubled with terrible fear, and shall be amazed at the strangeness of his salvation, so far beyond all that they looked for; and they repenting and groaning for anguish of Spirit, shall say within themselves, this is he whom we had sometimes in derision, and a proverb of reproach; we fools accounted his life madness, and his end to be without honour; how is he numbered among the children of God, and his lot is among the saints?" Wis. v. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Here is a sight that will trouble and amaze the wicked, that those who sometimes were their footstools should now be on thrones; that poor Lazarus, who lay at the gates of that certain rich man, should now shine like a star near the Son of righteousness; that they who were reproached, reviled, massacred and murdered by them, should now be their judges, joining with Jesus Christ to sentence them to hell. Oh! who can conceive the terrible thoughts of these men's hearts! now the world cannot help them, their old companions cannot help them, the saints neither can, nor will; only the Lord Jesus can, but oh! there is the soul-killing misery, he will not; "Ye men and devils (saith Christ) joint heirs of hell, fit fuel for eternal fire, look on us in our thrones? time was we could not have a look from you; Christ and Christians were an abhorrency of spirit unto you, you trode us under foot, but now we are got above you; O see the vast difference betwixt us and you: look on us, look on me and my saints; see us on our thrones, see us glittering in glory, and be confounded and amazed forever."
4. A particular strict account shall be then required and given. Of what, you will say? I answer, --
(a). Of sins. Come (will Christ say) now confess all your sins before all the world; time was that you concealed your sins, but now every sin shall be laid open before God, angels and men, and now is the black book of their consciences opened, wherein appears all their sins, original and actual, of omission and commission. For omission of duties, all those shall be discovered, "Christ hungry, and I gave him no meat; Christ thirsty, and I gave him no drink; Christ a stranger, and I lodged him not; Christ naked, and I clothed him not; Christ sick and in prison, and I visited him not." And for commissions of evils, all those shall be discovered. "These sins I committed in my childhood, youth, ripe age, and old age, these were my gross sins, blasphemy, perjury, idolatry, robbery, drunkenness, uncleanness, profaneness, etc. And these were my less sins, anger, hatred, envy, distrust, impatience, pride, presumption, contention, derision, inconstancy, hypocrisy," etc. Oh! the numberless number of evil thoughts, words and deeds that now are laid open! In the black book is not only written all sins done, but all such sins as were intended or purposed to be done; all the projects of the heart, though never acted, must now be discovered. Men little think of this: if I should tell you of such designs that died in your hearts, and never came out to light, you would now be ready to say, "Tush, I never did such a thing, I only intended it, or had some thoughts about it." And what then? Why, then those very thoughts, secrets, purposes, and projects shall come to light, or, if there be anything more hidden or secret, as the very bent and frame of your hearts; the very inclinations of your souls to this or that evil, shall then be manifest to all the world. Nay, yet more, such sins as by the sinners themselves were never taken notice of, either before, or at, or after the commission of them, shall this day come out. Conscience is such a kind of private notary or secretary, that it keeps notes or records of all acts and deeds, whither you observe them or no; conscience hath the pen of a ready writer, and takes in short hand, and in an eligible character, from your mouths as fast as you speak, and from your hearts as fast as you contrive. "Conscience-writing (saith one) is not now legible: as that which is written with the juice of a lemon is not to be read with day-light, but against the fire by night you may read it: so conscience-writing cannot now be read, but in that day when heaven and earth are set on fire, this book shall be opened, and the cypher be discovered." Oh! what a day will this be, when not a sin committed by any reprobate from the beginning of the world, but now it shall be rehearsed?
(b). As an account of all sins, so an account of all temporal gifts which God hath imparted to reprobates, must now be given. Some have the gifts of the world, as riches, honours, and places of authority; others have the gifts of the body, as health, strength, beauty, and life; others have the gifts of the mind, as understanding, wisdom, policy, and learning; now of all these gifts must they give an account. Come you that are rich, (saith Christ) "render an account of your stewardship:" how have you spent your riches? The like will he say to the honourable, and to those in places of authority; "Oh! remember you were in authority, and office, and place, But what service did you to me, or my members? You had wisdom and learning, and knowledge, and understanding conferred upon you, But what good had the church or commonwealth by it?" The like will he say to others according to the talents bestowed on them, "You excelled in strength beauty, health of body, and length of days, and now tell me, and publish it to all the world, how were these improved." I believe many a sad answer will be given to Christ of these things, riches mis-spent, and health mis-spent, and wisdom, policy, learning, gifts and parts mis-spent; O consider it! If the factor after many years spent in foreign countries, at last returns home without his reckonings, Who will not blame him for his negligence? But when his master calls him to an account, and he finds nothing but a bill of expenses, this in courting, that in feasting; who laughs not at so fond a reckoning? Thus many pass the time of their life as a time of mirth, then when they return to their Lord again, behold all their accounts are sins, their profits vanities.
(c). I shall add one thing more; not only of gifts temporal, but of all blessings spiritual, though but tendered and offered, must all give an account, O! the sad accounts that many a soul will make of these things. Methinks I hear some wicked wretch confessing this to Christ, "True, Lord, I lived at such a time when the sun of the gospel shone bright in my face, and in such a place where all was Goshen; I lived under such a ministry, who set before me life and death; many and many a powerful and searching sermon have I heard, any one passage whereof (if I had not wickedly and wilfully forsaken my own mercy) might have been unto me at the beginning of the new birth and everlasting bliss. Sometimes in the use of the means I felt stirrings or strong workings in my heart, and then I was fully purposed to have been another man, to have cleaved to Christ, and to have forsaken the world; I was almost resolved to have been wholly for God, I was almost persuaded to be a real Christian: oh! what thoughts were in my heart when such a faithful minister pressed the word home? Metliinks every sermon I heard then is now a preaching again, methinks I hear still the voice of the minister; methinks I see still his tears dropping down his cheeks. Oh! how fresh is the reproof, admonition, exhortation of such and such a preacher now in my mind? Oh! how earnestly did he entreat me? With what love and tender compassion did he beseech me? How did his bowels yearn over me? How strongly did he convince me, that all was not well with my sin-sick soul? How plainly did he rip up all my sores, and open to me all my secrets, and my whole heart? But, alas! within a while I made a jest of all, I hardened my heart against all, I stifled all his convictions, I shut my eyes against his discoveries; I cared neither for the minister, nor anything he said or did. And yet here is not all, not only the ministers of Christ, but the Spirit of Christ sometimes spake to my heart: I remember at such a time, Christ himself (as it were) condescended and bowed the heavens, and came down to entreat me for my soul's health; Oh! the strivings of the Spirit of Christ, as if he had been loath to have taken a denial! Oh Christ, I remember thy words when thou criedst to me, Open sinner, open thy heart to thy Saviour, and I will come in, and sup with thee, and thou with me. Rev. iii. 20. Why, sinner, are thy lusts better than I; Thy carnal pleasures better than I? Thy worldly commodities better than I? Why, sinner, what dost thou mean? How long shall vain thoughts lodge in thee? O take pity on thy Jesus! for here I stand, and wait at the door of thy heart, my head is filled with the dew, my locks with the drops of the night. But, alas! I resisted Christ and his Spirit; O thou Judge and Saviour of all thine elect! I dealt churlishly with thee, I tired out thy patience, I gave thee a repulse, I told thee I had entertained other lovers, and I would none of thee; I trode on counsel, I trampled thy precious blood under my feet, and now I am expecting no other but to eat the fruit of my own way. Now mayest thou accomplish thy word, because I set at nought all thy counsels, and would none of thy reproofs; therefore thou mayest laugh at my calamity, and mock now, when my fear cometh." Lo, here the confessions of sinners, every thing now comes out; for Christ will have it so, as a preparative to his doom upon them.
5. Christ and his saints proceed to sentence. First, Christ the chief Judge shall pronounce it, "Depart from me ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels," Matth. xxv. 41. Every word breathes out nothing but fire and brimstone, vengeance and woe; to depart from that glorious presence of Christ were hell enough, but they must go with a curse; not only so, but into fire, and that must be everlasting; and therein they shall have no other company or comforters but wicked devils, and they insulting over them with hellish spite, and stinging exprobations.
(a). Give me leave a little to enlarge upon these words, No sooner Christ begins the sentence. "Depart from me," but methinks I imagine the reprobates to reply. "How? Depart from thee? Why, O Christ, thou art all things; and therefore the loss of thee is the loss of all things; thou art the greatest good, and therefore to be deprived of thee is the greatest evil; thou art the very centre, and perfect rest of the soul, and therefore to be pulled from thee is the most cruel separation. We were made by thee, and for thee, O let us never be divided from thee! We were made according to thy image; O never drive us from our glorious pattern!" "Away, away, (saith Christ) ye have no part in me, or in my merits; never speak or entreat me any more, but depart from me." But secondly, They may reply again, "If we must depart, and depart from thee, at least, give us thy blessing before we go; thou hast great stores of blessings to give, and we hope thou hast one yet in store for us, we crave but a small thing, but a blessing, O it is a little one; thou art our Father, (witness our creation) and it is a chief property of a father to bless his children." "No, depart from me ye cursed, in place of a blessing take the full curse of your father; you have been most prodigal and disobedient children, you have followed him who had my first curse, and now share ye curses with him: cursed be you in your souls, and in your bodies, and in your thoughts, and in your words, and in the heinousness of your sins, and in the grievousness of your punishment." But, Thirdly, "If we must depart from thee, and depart accursed, yet appoint us some meet and convenient place to go into; create a fruitful piece of ground, and let a goodly sun daily shine upon it: let it have a sweet and wholesome air, and be stored with fruits and flowers of all forms and colours; give us the variety of creatures for our uses: O if we must go from thee, the source and fountain of heavenly sweetness, afford us some plenty of earthly pleasures, which may in some sort recompense our pain of loss, speak but the word, and such a place will presently start up and show itself." "No, depart from me ye cursed into fire; though fire naturally burns not spirits, yet I will lift and elevate this fire above its nature; you have sinned against nature, and I will punish you above nature." "Fire? Alas, that ever we were born! Who is able to rest in fire? The very thought of it already burns us." Of all the creatures appointed by God to be the instruments of revenge, fire and water have the least mercy. But, Fourthly, "If we must into fire, let the sentence stand but a very short time; quench the fire quickly, half an hour will seem a great while there." "No depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire, it was kindled by my breath, and it hath this property, among other strange qualities, that it is an unquenchable fire: as long as I am God it shall endure, and ye broil in it: and when I cease to be happy, then shall ye cease to be miserable." "O wor is us! What, to live in a fire perpetually, without all end, or hope of end?" Yet, Fifthly, "Allot us then some comforters, whose smooth and gentle words may sweeten our torments, or somewhat dull the most keen edge of our extremity: O let the angels recreate us with songs and hymns of thee, and of thy blessedness, that we may hear that sweetly delivered which others fully enjoy!" "No, no, depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels; and they shall be your comforters, they that will triumph in your miseries, they that are your daily desperate enemies: they that will tell you by what deceits and by-ways they led you from me, and that will give you every hour new names of scorn and horrible reproach." O sentence not to be endured, and yet never, never must it be reversed! O my brethren, I tremble at the very mentioning of this sentence! And O what will they do on whom it must pass! I beseech you before we pass from it, will you ask but your souls this one question, What, can you dwell with everlasting fire? If you can, you may go on in sin, but if you cannot, why then stop here, and repent of sin: O now say, "If this be the effect of sin, Lord, pardon what is past, and O give me grace that I may sin no more, as sometimes I have done." Methinks, if a temptation should come again for ordinary entertainment, you should fright it away with the remembrance of these powerful words, "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels."
(b). The saints shall judge the very self-same judgment, "Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world?" 1 Cor. vi. 2. That they, as well as Christ, shall judge the world, is without controversy, "And judgment was given to the saints of the most High," Dan. vii. 22. "Ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel," Matth. xix. 28. "Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgment upon all," Jude 14, 15. "Know ye not that we shall judge the angels?" 1 Cor. vi. 5. Not only shall we judge the world, but the god of the world; the principalities and powers that lead captive wicked men at their pleasure, even they must be judged by those whom they formerly foiled; so then there is no question but they shall judge.
Only how the saints shall judge together with Christ, Is a very deep question; for my part I am apt to think, that it shall not be directly known, ere it be seen and done. I shall only relate what others say to this point, and so leave you to your liberty of judging what is right:
(i). Some say. That the saints shall judge the world by presenting their persons and actions, by comparing their good examples with the evil examples of all the reprobates; and so they shall convince and condemn the world, "Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them," Jude 15. This I conceive to be a truth; yet surely this is not all truth.
(ii). Others say, That the saints shall judge the world by way of inditing, impleading, accusing, witnessing, etc. And I conceive it may be thus too; the saints of the law more especially accusing the breakers of the law, by the law, "Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father; there is one that accuseth you, even Moses in whom you trust," John v. 45. And the saints of the gospel more especially judging the profaners of the gospel, by the gospel, "In that day, when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel," Rom. ii. 16 . This likewise is truth; but I believe as yet we have not the whole truth.
(iii). Others say, That the saints shall judge the world after the manner of exaltation, glorying, and rejoicing to see the vengeance, "The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance, he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked," Psal. lviii. 10. But this their exulting being a constant and perpetual act, not for a time, but for eternity, methinks this present act should be yet somewhat more.
(iv). Others say, That the saints shall judge the world by way of assession, assent, vote, suffrage, comprobation, and the like subordinate and conformable acts; "And I heard another out of the altar, say, even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments," Rev. xvi. 17. "And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluja, salvation, and glory, and honour, and power unto the Lord our God! For true and righteous are his judgments," Rev. xix. 1, 2. This certainly is truth, and commonly so received; yet neither is this all truth.
(vi). Others say, That the saints shall judge the world, i.e. Christ in the saints, and the saints in Christ. He in them by those infallible principles of divine justice, which are imprest in them: and they in him, by those inseparable bonds of union, whereby they wholly relate to him; or he and they together as head and members, the act of the head imputed to the members, and the act of the members acknowledged by the head; his judiciary act (especially as from his mediatorship and manhood) having a peculiar influence upon them: and their judiciary act (in a perfect conformity, though not any absolute proportion) having a peculiar reference to him. And methinks those texts of Matthew xix. 28, and Jude xiv. 15. speak there of Christ's and of the saints judgment, as of one joint act.
Oh, what terror will it be to all wicked men! when not only Christ, but all the saints shall say of them, "Away with them, away with them, let them be damned." You that are fathers, it may be your children will thus sentence you: I remember when the Jews told Christ, "That he cast out devils by Beelzebub, prince of devils;" he answered, "If I through Beelzebub, cast out devils. By whom do your children cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges," Matt, xii. 24, 27. They liked well enough of the miracles of their children who were disciples of Christ, but they could not endure them in Christ, and therefore he tells them, that their children whom God had converted, and to whom he had given power to do the same works that he did, even they should be their judges to condemn them. And so it may be with you, if any of your children be converted to the Lord, and you remain still in a natural state, your very children shall be your judges, and condemn you to hell. But of that anon.
6. In this doom which Christ and his saints shall pass on reprobates, our Saviour tells us of some reasonings betwixt him and them, "I was an hungred, (saith Christ) and ye gave me no meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink," etc. Then shall they answer, "Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?" And then shall he answer them. "Verily, I say unto you, inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me." As if Christ should have said, Time was that I was under reproach, misery, calamity, necessity; I lay at your doors like Lazarus full of sores, and as I thought nothing too much for you, so I expected also something from you, but. Oh! cruelty, to see thy Christ an hungred, and not to feed him! to see thy Christ athirst, and not to cool or quench his thirst! to see thy Christ a stranger, and not to give him a night's lodging! to see thy Christ naked, and not cover him with a garment, who would gladly have covered thee with the robe of righteousness, the garment of salvation! O monstrous inhuman heart! O prodigious wretch! who among the heathens ever dealt thus with their idols? Have any of the nations starved their gods, turned them out of doors? And must I only be slighted: Away, reprobates! you had no mercy on me, and now I laugh at your calamity;" surely, "he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath showed no mercy." They stand wondering at this, and cannot remember that ever they saw Christ in such a condition, "Why Lord, (say they) when saw we thee an hungred, or thirsty, or naked? Art not thou he that rose again from the dead, and ascended high, and ever since hast been exalted above the highest cherubims, a name being given thee above every name; at which name to this day, but especially now on this day, every knee doth bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth," Phil. ii. 9, 10. How then could we see thee in such a condition? Is not this thy second coming in glory? And were we alive at thy first coming in humility? How can this be? Oh! why shouldest thou charge us with unkindness to thyself? Sure, if we had known thee in need, we would have given thee of thy own; thou shouldest never have wanted, what things we enjoyed, but thou shouldest have commanded both us and them. To which our Saviour replies, "O deceitful, ignorant, and stupid souls! Have you no better learned Christ than so? Am not I Head of the church, and can the head be without members? Verily, if you had loved, relieved, or done good to them, you had done so to me; but in being uncharitable to them, you were no less unto me." Never say you would have been thus and thus kind to Christ, whilst you were unkind to Christians! herein lies the deceitfulness of your hearts, "O! they are deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, Who can know them? "But I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give to every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings," Jer. xvii. 10. In as much as ye did it not to one of the least of my members, ye did it not to me; and therefore get ye down to hell, get you out of my presence; take them devils, away with them angels to the devil and his angels forever.
These are the reasonings betwixt Christ and reprobates; and if so, may we not imagine the like betwixt saints and reprobates? Is there not the same reason of reasoning betwixt them and the inferior judges, as betwixt them and the supreme judge? For my part I cannot conceive, but if we admit of such disputes betwixt Christ and them, well may there be the like disputes, arguings, and reasonings betwixt saints and them; for they had on earth more familiarity, converse, and communion together. Some of them, it may be, were in near and dear relations to each other; and now that the one shall judge the other to eternal flames. Oh! what passages will be betwixt them! I shall instance in our nearest relations upon earth, as of masters and servants, parents and children, husbands and wives, ministers and people; no question but in these very relations some shall judge, and others be judged. Our Saviour tells us, "There shall be two men in one bed, the one shall be taken, the other shall be left; two women shall be grinding at one mill, the one shall be taken, and the other left; two men shall be together in one field, the one shall be taken, and the other left," Luke xvii. 34, 35, 36. Wherein the Lord seems to show, that God's election doth extend itself to all sorts of persons, and separates the most. They shall not be saved by families, as in Noah's time; but one friend shall be taken by Christ into heaven, and another left for the devil to carry into hell. Give me leave but to enlarge on those reasonings or discourses, that we may imagine will be now betwixt these several relations. As, --
(a). Betwixt master and servant. If the master be the saint, and his servant the reprobate, then shall the master say, O! thou wicked servant, how many a time did I call on thee to duty? How often have I told thee, that I would have thee to be God's servant as well as mine? How often came that word to thy ears, "Servants obey your masters in all things according to the flesh, not with eye-service, as man pleasers, but in singleness of heart fearing God?" Col. iii. 22. How often was that precious word laid close to thy conscience, "He that doth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he doth; but in doing service to me, as to the Lord, thou shouldst of the Lord receive the reward of the inheritance, for in such service thou didst serve the Lord Christ," Col. iii. 23, 24, 25. But thou wouldst not be warned, and now thou art justly condemned; I say, Amen to Christ's sentence, get thee down to hell and there serve Satan, and receive his wages in fire and brimstone forever.
Or, if the servant be the saint, and his master the reprobate, then shall the servant say, O my 'quondam,' master, how many a time hast thou tyrannized it over me? How didst thou use me, or abuse me, to serve thy own lusts and corruptions? Many a time I have had strong desires to wait upon God in the use of public and private ordinances; this morning, and that evening, I would have served my master the Lord Jesus Christ, but thou wouldst net spare me one hour's time for prayer, reading, meditation, etc. I was ever faithful in thy service, going to bed late, and rising early; "The drought consumed me by day, and the frost by night, and my sleep many a time departed from mine eyes; surely God hath seen my affliction, and the labour of my hands, and now he hath rebuked thee," Gen xxxi. 40, 42. Dost thou not observe that admirable justice and righteousness of Christ in the sentences past on us both? Remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and I received evil things; but now I am comforted, and thou must be tormented. I now serve a better master, after my week's work with thee, I shall keep a perpetual sabbath with God; but go thou with thy old companions from thy glorious mansion, to a loathsome dungeon; from thy table of surfeit, to a table of vengeance; from thy faithful servants, to afflicted spirits; from thy bed of down, to a bed of fire; from soft linen and silken coverings, to wish a rock for thy pillow, and a mountain for thy coverlet.
(b). Betwixt parent and child. If the parent be the saint, and the child the reprobate; then shall the parent say, O thou wicked rebellious son! or, O! thou wicked, rebellious, and disobedient daughter, it is I that begot thee, or that brought thee forth; that during thy infancy laid thee in my bosom, and dandled thee on my knee, and carried thee in my arms, and set thee as a seal upon my heart; that during thy minority fed thee, and apparelled thee, and trained thee up in manners, learning, a particular calling, and especially in the nurture and admonition of the Lord; and then, when I saw thy untowardness of spirit, and thy breakings out into things forbidden bv God and man, O the admonitions! reprehensions, corrections! O the many thousands of warnings that I gave thee of this day! and of the wrath to come! and yet thou wentest on in thy stubbornness, till thou becamest many and many a time a grief of mind, a bitterness of spirit unto me: and then, how often did I mind thee of thy duty? "Children obey your parents in all things. Col. iii. 20. "Honour thy father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise," Eph. ii. 6. "The eye that mocketh his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it," Prov. xxx. 17. But alas! all these expressions made no saving impression on thy hardened heart, thy brow was brass, and thy sinews of iron, thou wast very stiff-necked, and now thou art justly damned; I cannot but approve of Christ's judgment upon thee, though thou earnest out of my bowels, yet now I have no pity, no bowels of compassion towards thee; the glory of God hath so swallowed up all my natural affections, that I cannot but laugh at thy calamity, and joy in thy damnation; I gave thee a body, and God himself gave thee a soul; but now let devils have both, and torment them in hell: begone, I shall never see thee again.
Or, if the child be the saint, and the parent the reprobate; then shall the child say, O unworthy parent! unworthy of eternal life! I had my natural being from thee, but my spiritual being was from the Lord; if I had followed thy steps, I had been everlastingly damned; did not I know thy ignorance, thy unbelief, thy worldliness, thy covetousness, thy pride, thy malice, thy lust, thy lukewarmness, thy impatience, thy discontentment, thy vain-glory, thy self-love? Didst thou not often check me for my forwardness, and zeal, and holiness, and religion? Didst thou not ask me, What art thou wiser than the rest of the neighbourhood? Are there not many grey hairs amongst us, whose wisdom and experience thou hast not yet attained? And canst not thou walk on soberly towards heaven, and either do as the most, or keep pace with the wisest? What, have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on Christ? Oh I shall ever remember to the praise and glory of Christ, what discouragements I had, and yet how the Lord plucked me as a fire-brand out of the fire; and now hath the Lord set me on the throne, to judge thee according to thy demerits; and therefore I join with him, who is the Father of spirits, against the father of my flesh; depart, go to the gods whom thou hast served, and see if they will help thee in the day of thy calamity.
(c). Betwixt husband and wife. Now if the husband be the saint, and the wife the reprobate, then shall the husband say, Thou art she whom I knew in the flesh, whom I dearly affected with my heart and soul; whom I nourished and cherished as my own body; thou art she that was the wife of my bosom, as near and dear to me as my heart in my bosom; thou wast my companion, my yoke-fellow, and my very delight; but Oh! I could never rule thee, lead thee, guide thee, in the way of life, in that path that is called holy. Many a time have I wooed, sued, and sought to gain thy soul to that blessed bridegroom, the Lord Jesus Christ; many a time have I prayed with thee, and for thee; many a time have I stirred thee up to hear the word, to wait upon God in the use of all means public and private; and instead of embraces, or yieldings to these blessed motions, I have met with contentions and jars, "As a continual dropping in a very rainy day," Prov. xix. 13; xxvii. 15. But death hath dissolved that knot, so that now I am no more thy husband. This is the day of separation, and I shall no more consort with thee; "At the resurrection there is no use of marriage, but now I am to live as an angel in heaven," Mark xii. 25. And because thou wouldst not draw with me in Christ's yoke, now therefore adieu forever and ever. We shall never more lie in one bed, or sit at one board, or walk in one field, or grind at one mill: thou hast lost me, and thou hast lost Jesus Christ, two husbands in one day: go now and take thy choice in hell! thou art free from us, but thou shalt be bound there with indissolvable bonds to the devil and his angels.
Or, if the wife be the saint, and the husband the reprobate, then shall the wife say, Thou art he, whom I looked upon as my second self, my head, my governor, my helper, my husband; for whom I was willing to forsake my native home, father's house, dear relations of father, mother, brother, sister, and many comforts in that kind; and I expected to have found new matter, and a continued influence of comfort, and delight in a marriage-state: but oh the vexations of spirit! hadst thou not almost drawn me away from Jesus Christ? Was I not forced, through many provocations, sometimes to break out and say, "Surely a bloody husband art thou to me?" Exod. iv. 25. Many a time I cried out, O my husband when wilt thou set up the rich and royal trade of grace in thy family! When wilt thou exercise prayer, reading, catechising, conference, days of humiliation, and other household holy duties! Oh, for doing something to assure our souls of meeting together hereafter in heaven! but alas! it would not be; and now see the effect; here I stand like a queen, decked and adorned with cloth of gold, with raiment of needle-work, with the white robe of Christ's righteousness, so that the King of heaven greatly desires my beauty, and my soul is this day married to Christ; I acknowledge him, and no other husband in the world; and for thee who refused to join with me in the worship of God, now God hath refused thee. Farewell or fare ill forever.
(d). Betwixt a minister and some of his people at least: if the people be as so many saints, and the minister the reprobate, then shall the people say, O! thou art the man that undertookest that high and mighty calling of feeding souls with the word of life; but now are thy sins written in thy forehead, for either thou runnest before thou wast sent, or being sent, thou hast been exceeding negligent in the gift that was in thee. Didst thou not prophesy to Baal, and cause God's people to err? Didst thou not studiously and mainly seek for the fleece, not regarding respectively the flock? Didst thou not strengthen the hands of evil doers, in preaching peace, peace to wicked men? Wast thou not profane, and wicked, and loose in thy life, and by that means leadest many thousands to hell? O thou bloody butcher of souls! hadst thou been faithful in thy ministry, well might those damned companions about thee have escaped the flames! but they are doomed to death, and now thou mayest hear their cries, and grievous groans and complaints against thee; this was the man set over us to give us the bread of life, but, Oh Christ! did he not fail us? Did he not feed us with unprofitable matter, fables, conceits, airy sentences, rather than with anything tending to godly edifying, which is in faith? Did not our tongues, and the tongues of our children stick to the roof of our mouths, in calling and crying for bread, for the bread of life, and he would not pity us? We gave him the tenths which thou appointed, but he gave not us thy truth which thou didst command him; why, Lord Christ, thou Judge of all the world, didst thou not bid him feed, feed, feed? Didst thou not bid him feed the flock committed to his charge? Didst thou not bid him preach the word, "Be instant in season, and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering?" And notwithstanding all thy commands, did he not miserably starve us? Instead of feeding us to salvation, hath he not starved many thousands of us to our destruction? O Christ! thou that art the Judge of nations, and the revenger of blood, reward thou this man, as he hath rewarded us; he led us in the ways of wickedness, and (if it must be so) let him be our ringleader to hell; and upon his soul once buried in hell, let this be the epitaph, "The price of blood, the price of blood." If thou didst hear the blood of Abel, being but one man, forget not the blood of many, now thou art judging the earth. Why, thus do the damned cry about thine ears; and as for us (say the saints) who were once thy people, but now thy judges, we consent to their cry, and to our Saviour's doom, "Go, thou cursed, into everlasting fire."
Men, brethren, and fathers, I begin thus with the minister's doom, that you may see I would deal impartially; and verily I believe it, if our case come to this, we of the ministry shall be in a thousand times worse condition than any of you, for besides the horror due to the guilt of our own souls, all the blood of those souls who have perished under our ministry, through our default, will be laid to our charge; little do you know or consider the burden that lies upon us, a burden able to make the shoulders of the most mighty angel in heaven to shrink under it. Chrysostom was a glorious saint, yet casting his eye upon one only text in the Bible, (Hujus comminationis terror animum mihi concutit. Chrysost.) "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves, for they watch for your souls as they that must give an account," Heb. xiii. 17. He professeth, That the terror of this text made his heart tremble. Surely it is enough to make our hearts tremble, if we seriously weigh our terrible doom, in case that we should miscarry.
But now on the other side, if the minister be the elect, and sentenced to salvation, and many of his people prove no better than reprobates; then shall the minister say, O miserable souls! now you feel the truth of those comminutions and curses which we opened and unfolded, and discovered to you out of God's word! we dealt plainly with you. That the unrighteous should not inherit the kingdom of God," 1 Cor. vi. 9. We advised you again and again, "Be not deceived neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God," verse 10, 11. And such were you, and notwithstanding all our threats, warnings, entreatings, beseechings, thus ye lived, and thus ye died; and here is the issue, Christ hath now doomed you to hell, and here am I set on a throne to judge your souls; for the saints shall judge the world as well as Christ himself. Oh! what shall I do? O my bowels, my bowels! here is a case beyond all the former, each of them according to their relations judge another; but here is a multitude, not one, or two, or ten, or an hundred, but many hundreds or thousands, according to the number of such and such congregations where I have preached.
In Christ's reasonings with the wicked, we have heard of his sayings, and their answers, and of his replications to their answers, much said on both sides to and again; I may suppose the like here. Oh! what shall I do, (says the minister) what doom shall I pass on this assembly of reprobates? Can I absolve them whom the righteous God hath condemned? Can I say, Come along with me to heaven, now Christ hath said, Go ye cursed into hell? And Oh! now shall I turn my speech from my wonted wooing, beseeching, entreating, exhorting, to a direct dooming, damning, condemning these souls to the pit of hell? Sometimes indeed I opened to these souls all the armoury of God's wrath. I thundered and lightened in their congregations, but my desgn was to fright them out of hell fire, and knowing the terrors of the Lord, to have persuaded them towards heaven, and heavenly things; but now if I speak of condemnation, no sooner shall I speak, but their souls will sink down to hell; O miserable souls! What shall I say, or what can you say for yourselves? Then shall they answer; Oh, Sir, do not you aggravate the torment by your condemnation; the weight of Christ's doom is already insupportable, but will you add more weight? Why, remember, we are, some of us (it may be) of your flesh and blood; many a time you told us that you unfeignedly loved us, and that we were dearer to you than all worldly enjoyments, many a time you told us that you were willing to spend yourself for us, as the candle that burns itself to give others light; you were pleased to bestow your prayers, tears, sighs and groans for our souls; your very books and writings were high expressions, and abiding monuments of your dear love to us; you weighed not your strength and spirits in comparison of our souls; And shall this fair comical scene end in a dismal, doleful, bloody tragedy? Would you do, or suffer anything to save us, and will you now condemn us? Oh forbear!
Ah no (saith the minister) I cannot forbear, all is true that you say, I loved you dearly, and I was willing to spend, or to be spent for you, but this aggravates the more; ah! my travail, pains, books, writings, words, tears, sighs and groans, are in one volume together, and this volume has been opened this day, and now is the question put, What have ye profited by all my words, prayers, tears, sighs, and groans? Is not all lost? And are not your souls lost? And now, do you tell me of love? What did I ever love you more than Christ loved you? Were the drops of my tears to be compared with the showers of his blood? Were my pains for you equal to the pains of his cross? And hath not he condemned you to hell? And shall not I be like-minded to Jesus Christ? Surely the Lord's will must be my will; he hath already judged you, and he will make me to judge you; so far am I from pitying you, that if he that formed you will show you no mercy, if he that saves me, and all the elect people of God, will not save you; can I pity you, or save you, or dissent from Jesus in his sentence upon you? Speak no more of flesh and blood, of labours of love, Christ's sentence must stand, and as I am a member of Christ, and a minister of Christ, I cannot but approve of it, and so judge you to hell.
Why then (say reprobates) we will curse thee, and blaspheme Jesus Christ in hell forever; cursed be the time that ever we heard of Jesus, or that ever we knew thee, or thy ministry. Do not thy sermons send us deeper into hell? Had it not been easier for us at this day of judgment, if we had lived in Tyre and Sidon, where the gospel never was preached? Didst thou not harden our hearts in such and such sermons, when the word came home? Didst thou not deny us the seals which might have been for confirmation of our soul's salvation? Didst thou not estrange thyself from us in respect of any inward, intimate and familiar society which thou affordest to others? Doth not the event plainly show, that all thy tears, prayers, words, and works, as in reference to us, were hypocrisy, flattery, deceit and dissimulation? Oh! cursed be the day that ever we lived under such a ministry, or that ever we heard of Jesus Christ.
Nay, then (saith the minister), it is time for us to part, such were your invectives on earth, and now they are, and will be your language in hell; but have not I answered these cavils many a time? Have not I told you that the word would harden some and soften others, the fault being in yourselves? Have not I cleared it that the seals are not to be set upon blanks, and that confirmation could not be without a work of conversion to lead it? And were we not commanded in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to withdraw ourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly? 2 Thess. iii. 16. Did not the wise-man tell us, "He that toucheth pitch shall be defiled therewith, and he that hath fellowship with a proud man shall be like unto him? Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burnt? Can a man go upon hot coals and his feet not be burnt?" Prov. vi. 27, 28. As for other cavils, the Lord be judge between you and us; nay, the Lord hath been Judge between you and us: lo, here we stand on the right hand of Christ: lo, here we sit on our thrones to judge you, and that world of wicked men and angels; let Christ be glorious, and let his sentence stand, and let that word of judgment never be reversed, "he that loveth cursing, let it come upon him; and he that clotheth himself with cursing, as with a garment, let it come into his bowels like water, and like oil into his bones," Psal. cix. 17, 18. No more, but adieu souls, adieu reprobates, adieu forever; you must descend, but we must ascend. Go you to hell, whilst we mount upwards into heaven and glory.
7. At this last word, down they go; the evil angels falling like lightning, and evil men hauled and pulled down with them from the presence of God, and Christ, and angels, and all the blessed ones; even from their fathers, mothers, wives, husbands, children, ministers, servants, lovers, friends, acquaintance; who shall then justly and deservedly abandon them with all detestation and derision; and forgetting all nearness, and dearest obligations of nature, neighbourhood, alliance, anything, will rejoice in the execution of divine justice. Oh the shrieks, and horrid cries that now they make, filling the air as they go! Oh the wailings and wringing of hands! Oh the desperate roarings! Oh the hideous yellings, filling heaven, and earth, and hell! but I shall follow them no farther; no sooner do they fall into the bottomless pit, but presently it shuts her mouth upon them, and there I must leave them.