BOOK 10. THE JUDGEMENT.
CHAPTER 2.
10.2.5. Of Believing in Jesus in that Respect.
Of Believing in Jesus in that Respect.
Let us believe in Jesus as carrying on the great work of our salvation in his second coming. Now, this believing in Christ, is more than hoping in Christ: faith eyes things as present, but hope eyes things as future; and hence the apostle describes faith to be "the substance of things hoped for," Heb. xi. 1. It is the substance, foundation or prop which upholds the building; or it is the substance, essence, and existence of a thing hoped for, and consequently absent and afar off, to be a firm apprehension of the believer, as already present and real. And this is as necessary as the former; Oh, if we could but see things now, as they shall appear at that last general day of judgment! how mightily would they work upon our souls? I verily think the want of this work of faith is the cause almost of all the evil in the world; and the acting of faith on this subject, would produce fruits, even to admiration. If we could but see that glory of God in Christ, and these glorious treasures of mercies that shall then be communicated; if we could but see those dreadful evils that are now threatened, and shall then be fulfilled; would not this draw the hardest heart under heaven? Come let us act faith this day; as if this day were the last day; a thousand years are but as one day to faith, it takes hold upon eternal life, whensoever it acts; it takes present possession of the glorious things of the kingdom of God even now.
O then! let us believe in Jesus, as in reference to his second coming to judgment.
But how should we believe? What directions to act our faith on Jesus in this respect? I answer,--
1. Faith must directly go to Christ.
2. Faith must go to Christ, as God in the flesh.
3. Faith must go to Christ, as God in the flesh made under the law.
4. Faith must go to Christ, made under the directive part of the law by his life, and under the penal part of the law by his death.
5. Faith must go to Christ, as put to death in the flesh, and as quickened by the Spirit.
6. Faith must go to Christ, as going up into glory, as sitting down at God's right hand, and as sending down the Holy Ghost.
7. Faith must go to Christ, as interceding for his saints, in which work he continues till his coming again. Of all these before.
8. Faith must go to Christ, as coming again into this nether world, to judge the quick and the dead; this is the last act of faith in reference to Christ, "from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead." The coming of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, the change of the living, the last judgment, and the glory of Christ with his saints to all eternity, is that transaction which must be dispatched at the end of the world; now, this is the object of faith as well as the former, Christ's work is not fully perfected till all these be finished, nor is our work of faith fully completed, till it reach to the very last act of Christ in saving souls. Oh! what an excellent worker is Jesus Christ! he doth all his works thoroughly and perfectly: the greatest work that ever Christ undertook, was the work of our redemption: that work would have broken men and angels, and yet Jesus Christ will carry it on to the end, and then will he say, not only prophetically, but expressly, "I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do," John xvii. 4. Now, faith should eye Christ as far as he goes, if Christ will not have done till he come again, and receive us to himself, and settle us in glory; no more should faith, it should still follow after him, and take a view of all his transactions from first to last: what, will Christ come again? Will he summon all the elect to come under judgment? Will he sentence or judge them to eternal life? Will he conduct them into glory, present them to his Father, and be their all in all to all eternity? Why then, let our faith act itself upon all these promises; or, if I may instance in one for all, Christ's coming is the most comprehensive of all: and is not the coming of Christ very frequently mentioned in the promises, as the great support, and stay of his people's spirits till then? Do not the apostles usually quicken us to duty, and encourage us to waiting, by the mentioning of this glorious coming of Jesus Christ? Why then let us act our faith on this glorious object; Christians! what do we believe, and hope and wait for, but to see his coming? This was Paul's encouragement to rejoicing, and to moderation, "Rejoice in the Lord always." -- "And let your moderation be known to all men, the Lord is at hand," Phil. iv. 4, 5. To think and speak of that day with horror, doth well beseem the impenitent sinner, but doth ill beseem the believing saint; such may be the voice of an unbeliever, and it may be of a believer in desertion or temptation, but it is not the voice of faith. O! believe on Christ, as carrying on our salvation at his coming again; "for yet a little while, and he that shall come, will come, and will not tarry," Heb. x. 37.
9. Faith must principally and mainly look to the purpose, design, intent and end of Christ in his second coming to judgment Now the ends are,: --
(a). In respect of the wicked, that they may be destroyed, for "he must reign till he hath put all his enemies under his feet." He shall come with flaming fire, and then he will "take vengeance on them that know not God, and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power," 2 Thess. i. 8. O miserable men! now it is God's design to be revenged on you. This is the day when the wicked shall suddenly start out of sleep, and meet with ghastly amazedness at the mouth of their sepulchres; above them stands the judge condemning, beneath, hell gaping, on the right hand, justice threatening, on all sides, the world burning; to go forward is intolerable, and to go backward is impossible, to turn aside is unavailable; which way then? heaven's gates are shut, hell's mouth is open, where they must end their endless misery; the last torment lasteth forever. O the shrieks of the wicked at every passage of this day! when the prophet Joel was describing the formidable accidents of this day, he was not able to express it, but stammered like a child, or an amazed imperfect person, A. A. A. for the day of the Lord is at hand. We translate it, "Alas, for the day of the Lord is at hand," Joel i. 15. But, Lyra, Ribera, the vulgar Latin, and others translate it, A. A. A. in Hebrew it is indeed but one word, and sounds as Aha, which howsoever so written, yet it is pronounced without any aspiration as Aha-ron is pronounced Aaron. The best critics would have it one word, and so they wrote it, A-a-a, "for the day of the Lord is at hand;" thus they that stammer, and cannot suddenly speak, say, A-a-a, it is not sense at first, the prophet was so amazed, that he knew not what to say; the stammering tongue that is full of fear, can best speak that terror, which will make all the wicked of the world to cry, and shriek, and speak fearful accents; oh the shrieks! oh the fearful sounds, that will then be heard! sure that noise must needs be terrible, when millions of men and women, at the same instant, shall fearfully cry out, and when their cries shall mingle with the thunders of the dying and groaning heavens, and with the crack of the dissolving world, when the whole fabric of nature shall shake into dissolution and eternal ashes, "Now consider this ye that forget God, lest he tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver you," Psal. li. 22. Shall not the consideration of these things awake your spirits, and raise you from the death of sin! What, do you believe these things, or do you not? If you do not believe these things, where is your faith? If you do believe them, and sin on, where is your prudence, and where is your hope? But enough of this, it belongs to the wicked.
(b). In respect of the godly, that they may be saved. Now this contains several steps. As, --
(i). They must be regenerated. It is true, they partake of this grace before, but now is the full perfection and manifestation of it; and therefore the last day is called "the day of regeneration," Matt, xix. 28.
(ii). They must be redeemed. So they are in this life. Paul could tell his Colossians, "That Christ had delivered them from the power of darkness; and that in him they had redemption through his blood," Col. i. 13, 14. Yet the scripture calls the day of judgment, in a peculiar and eminent manner, the day of redemption, "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption," Eph. iv. 30.
(iii). They must be adopted. It is true, they are adopted in this life, "We are now the sons of God, (saith the apostle) yet it doth not appear what we shall be," 1 John iii. 2, the glory which Christ will put upon us at the last day is so far transcendent and superlative to what now we are, that we know not what we shall be; sons, and more than sons; and therefore the apostle calls the last day, "the day of adoption," Rom. viii. 23.
(iv). They must be justified. I know they were justified by faith before, and this justification was evidenced to some of their consciences : but now they shall be justified fully by the lively voice of the judge himself; now shall their justification be solemnly and publicly declared to all the world; the Syriac word to justify, is also to conquer, because, when a man is justified, he overcomes all those bills and indictments which were brought in against him, now this is manifestly done in the day of judgment, when Christ shall, before men and angels, acquit and absolve his people: Oh! what a glorious conquest will that be over sin, death and hell, when the judge of the whole world shall pronounce them free from all sin, and from all those miserable effects of sin, death, hell, and damnation?
(v). They must inherit the kingdom prepared for them, so is the sentence at that day, "Come ye blessed, inherit the kingdom," Matt, xxv. 34. Not only are they freed from hell, but they must inherit heaven. Now herein is an high step of salvation, and a great part of the design of Christ's coming to bring his saints into heaven; he went thither before to prepare it for them, and now he comes again to give them the possession of it, "Come, enter into heaven." Heaven! what is heaven? Surely it is not one single palace, but a city, a metropolis, a mother city, the first city of God's creation; when the angel "carried John in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, he showed him the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God," Rev. xxi. 10, 11. But a city is too little, therefore it is more, it is a kingdom, "Fear not little flock, it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom:" and at the last day he bids his saints to "inherit the kingdom," Luke xii. 32. Or if a kingdom be too little, it is called a world: "The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage, but they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the death, neither marry, nor are given in marriage, neither can they die any more," Luke xx. 34, 35, 36. There is another world besides this, and for eminency it is called "the world to come," Heb. vi. 5. O the breadth and largeness of that world! as the greater circle must contain the less, so doth that world contain this; alas! all our dwellings here are but as caves under the earth, and holes of poor clay in comparison. In the bosom of that heaven is many a dwelling-place; "In my Father's house are many mansions" John xiv. 2. There lodge many thousands of glorious kings; O what fair fields, and mountains of roses and spices are there! surely the gardens of length and breadth above millions of miles are nothing in comparison. O the wines, the lilies, the roses, the precious trees that grow in Immanuel's land! an hundred harvests in one year are nothing there. The lowest stones in every mansion there, are precious stones; the very building of the wall about it is jasper, and the city is pure gold, like unto clear glass, Rev. xxi. 18. O glorious inheritance! tell me Christians, in what city on earth do men walk upon gold, or dwell within the walls of gold? Though none such here, yet under the feet of the inhabitants of heaven there is gold; all the streets, and fields of that city, kingdom, world, are pure gold, as it were transparent glass, Rev. xxi. 21. Rut, alas! what speak I of gold, or glass? All these are but shadows; indeed and in truth there is nothing so low as gold, or precious stones; there is nothing so base in this high and glorious kingdom, as gardens, trees, or roses; comparisons are but created shadows, that come not up to express the glory of the thing. I shall therefore leave to speak this, because unspeakable.
(vi). They must live with Christ in heaven; they must see, and enjoy Christ there to all eternity. This is a main end of Christ's coming, "I will come again, and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also," John xiv. 3. And, "Father, I will, that those whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am, that they may behold the glory which thou hast given me," John xvii. 24. O let faith eye this above all the former! What, will my Saviour come again? And shall I see his face? Oh! what a pleasant sight will this same be! if heaven, if the inheritance be such a wonder to the beholders, what a beauty is that which is in the samplar! Oh, what an happiness to stand beside that dainty precious prince in heaven! to see the King on his throne; to see the Lamb, the fair tree of life, the flower of angels, the spotless rose, the crown, the garland, the joy of heaven, the wonder of wonders for eternity! Oh, what a life to see that precious tree of life! to see a multitude, without quantity, of the apples of glory! to see love itself, and to be warmed with the heat of immediate love that comes out from the precious heart and bowels of Jesus Christ! Oh, what a dearness to see all relations meet in one! to see the Saviour, the good Shepherd, the Redeemer, the great Bishop of our souls, the Angel of the covenant, the Head of the body of the church, the King of ages, the Prince of peace, the Creator of the ends of the earth, the song of angels and glorified saints! not only must they see Christ, but they shall enjoy him whom they see; they fly with doves wings of beauty after the Lamb, and in flying after him, they lay hold upon him, and they will not leave him; they can never have enough of the chaste fruition of the glorious prince Immanuel, and they never want his inmost presence to the full; they suck the honey and the honey comb; they drink of the floods of eternal consolations, and fill all empty desires; and, as if the souls of saints were without bottom, afresh they suck again to all eternity. Now, this is salvation indeed; the soul that attains this full enjoyment, is saved to the uttermost.
(c). In respect of Christ himself, that he may be glorified. Now, in two things more especially will he be glorified at that day: 1. In his justice. 2. In his mercy, or free grace.
(i). His justice will be glorified, especially in punishing the wicked: here on earth little justice is done on most offenders, though some public crimes are sometimes punished, yet the actions of closets, and chambers, the designs and thoughts of men, the business of retirements, and of the night, escape the hand of justice; and therefore God hath so ordained it, that there shall be a day of doom, wherein all that are let alone by men, shall be questioned by God; "Shall not the Judge of all the world do right?" Gen. xviii. 25. Then all thoughts shall be examined, and secret actions viewed on each side, and the infinite number of those sins which escaped here, shall be blazoned there; all shall have justice, and the justice of the Judge shall be so exact, that he will account with men by minutes; and that justice may reign entirely, God shall open his treasure, I mean the wicked man's treasure, and tell the sums, and weigh the grains and scruples, "Is not this laid up in store with me, and sealed up among my treasures? I will restore it in the day of vengeance, saith the Lord," Deut. xxxii. 34. Oh! how will God glorify his justice at that day? Surely his justice shall shine, and be eminently glorious in every passage.
(ii). His mercy, or free grace, will be glorified in rewarding the saints. And this is the main, the supreme end of his coming to judgment, "He shall come (saith the apostle) to be glorified in his saints," 2 Thess. i. 10. Not but that the angels shall glorify the riches of his grace, as well as saints: but because the angels never sinned, ('They have now kept their robes of innocency, their cloth of gold above five thousand years, without one spark of dirt, or change of colour;') therefore the glory of his grace is more especially fastened on saints, that sometimes were sinners. Oh! what stories will be told at this day of grace's acts? "I was a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and an injurious person (said Paul) but I obtained mercy," 1 Tim. i. 13. ('All eleethen,'), "but I was be-mercied," as if he had been dipped in a river, in a sea of mercy; it may be he will make the same acknowledgment at the day of judgment, "I was a sinner, but the grace of the Lord Jesus to me was abundant, super-abundant; I obtained as much grace as would have saved a world." Certainly free grace shall, then be discovered to some purpose: then it shall be known, "that where sin abounded, grace far more; it over-abounded, or more than over-abounded," Rom. v. 20. ('hupereperisseusen'), it is a word borrowed from fountains and rivers, which have overflowed with waters ever since the creation: then all the saints shall exalt, and magnify, and with loud voices praise the glory of his grace; they shall look on their debts written in grace's book, and then shall they sing and say, "O the mystery of grace! O the gold mines and depths of Christ's free love!" why, this was the great design of our salvation; at the first, when God was willing to communicate himself out of his aloneness everlasting, he laid this plot, that all he would do, should be "to the praise of the glory of his grace," Eph. i. 6. And now at his second coming, having done all he will do, the saints, for whom he hath done all, admire, esteem, honour, and sound forth the praises of his grace. Is not this their everlasting song which they begin at this day, "Glory to the Lamb, and glory to his grace, that sitteth on the throne forevermore?" Not but that they glorify him in his wisdom, power, holiness, and his other attributes, aye, but especially in this: it is his grace in which he most delighteth, even as virtuous kings affect, above all their other virtues, to be had in honour for their clemency and bounty; so Jesus Christ the King of kings, affects above all, the glory of his grace. And to this purpose, heaven itself is an house full of broken men, who have borrowed millions from Christ, but can never repay, more than to read and sing the praises of free grace; "Glory to the Lamb, and glory to the riches of his grace forevermore."
Use. Thus for directions: one word of application, or a few motives to work faith in you in this respect.
1. Christ in his word invites you to believe, these are his letters from heaven, "Come all to the marriage supper of the Lamb; ho, every one that thirsts come in;" heaven's gate is open to all that knock, but fools, foolish virgins, foolish souls, which have no faith, nor will have any, to render them fit for heaven. This meets with some that scruple, "What, will Christ come again to receive me to himself? Shall I enter with him into glory? Alas! no unclean thing shall enter into that holy city, and shall such a sinner as I am be admitted?" Oh believe! believe thy part in this coming of Christ, to receive thee to himself; and no sin that thou feelest a burden, shall keep thee out of heaven. There is Rahab the harlot, and Manasseh the murderer, and Mary that had so many devils; a man that hath many devils, may come where there is not one, "lame, and blind, and halt, may enter into heaven, and yet still there is room," Luke xiv. 22. There is a great variety of guests above, and yet one table large enough for ail; no crowding, and yet thousands, and thousands of thousands sitting together. Ah poor soul! why dost thou make exceptions, where God makes none? Why shouldst thou exclude thyself out of these golden gates, when God doth not! Believe, only "believe in the Lord Jesus," and the promise is sure, and without all controversy, "thou shalt be saved."
2. Christ by his ministry entreats you to believe; come, say they, we beseech you believe in your judge; it may be you startle at this, what, to believe in him who is a coming to be your judge? But if your judge be Jesus, if the same person who died for you shall come to judge you, why should you fear? Indeed if your judge were your enemy, you might fear: but if he who is your Lord, and who loves your souls, shall judge you, there is no such cause: will a man fear to be judged by his dearest friends, a brother by a brother, a child by a father, or a wife by her husband? Consider! is not he your judge who came down from heaven, and who being on earth was judged, condemned, and executed in your stead? And yet are ye fearful, "O ye of little faith?" Oh what an unreasonable sin is unbelief! Nay, say the scrupulous, if I were assured of this, if I knew that my judge were my friend, I should not fear; but is he not mine enemy? Have not I provoked him to enmity against my soul? Do I not stand it out in arms against my judge? Am not I daily sinning against him, who justly may condemn me for my sin? Give this for granted, that this and no other, no better is my case, and what say you then? If it be so, hearken then to the voice of our ministry. We poor ministers that love your souls, (say what you will of us) would fain have all this enmity against God, and against Christ done away; and to this purpose, we not only appear many and many a time upon our knees to God for you, but (maugre all your opposition against us) we could be content to come upon our knees from God, to you, to beseech you not to provoke your judge against your souls: what, is Christ and you at odds? Is the difference wide betwixt your judge and you; I do now in my Master's name, in the name of God, and in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, beseech you to believe, "I beseech you in Christ's name, in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled unto God." Is not this the apostle's word? "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ's stead," 2 Cor. v. 20. Christ's ministers are not only God's legates, but Christ's surrogates: to make this plain to you, when a prince sends a messenger to another prince, that messenger is only an ambassador, the prince being not bound to carry the message himself in person; but now Jesus Christ, he is the Father's ambassador, and Christ is thereby bound to bring the message of peace himself; but being necessarily employed elsewhere, (in the same design of grace) he constituted us his officers, so that we do not come only in the name of God, but in the place of Christ, to do that work which is primarily his, "As the Father hath sent me, even so send I you," John xx. 21. And this was the commendation of the Galatians, "That they received the apostle Paul even as Jesus Christ," Gal. iv. 14. Now weigh your desire we beseech you to believe; we beseech you to sign the articles of agreement betwixt Christ and you: what, shall some base inconsiderable lust stand in competition with Jesus Christ? Will you not make your peace with your judge whilst you are in the way, and before he sit on his throne? Behold we give you a warning, "The judge is at the door, now believe, and be saved." Oh! how fain would we tempt you (as it were) with glory? We tender Christ, and we offer peace, we come in the judge's name to beseech you to make ready for him, and for heaven; we bring salvation to your very doors, to your very ears? and there we are sounding, knocking, "Will you go to heaven, sinners? Will ye go to heaven; Oh! believe in him that will judge you, and he will save you."
3. Christ by his Spirit, moves, excites and provokes you to believe. Sometimes in reading, and sometimes in hearing, and sometimes in meditating, you may feel him stir; have you felt no gale of the Spirit all this while; it is the Spirit that convinceth the world of sin, John xvi. 8, especially of that great sin of unbelief; and then of righteousness, which Christ procureth by going to his Father. Observe here, it is the work of the Spirit thus to convince, so that all moral philosophy, and the wisest directions of the most civil men, will leave you in a wilderness; yea, ten thousands of sermons may be preached to you to believe, and yet you never shall, till you are overpowered by God's Spirit; it is the Spirit that enlightens and directs you, as occasion is, saying, "This is the way, walk ye in it," Isa. xxx. 21. It is the Spirit that rouseth and awakeneth you by effectual motion, "Arise my love, my fair one, and come away," Cant. ii. 10. "He stands at the door and knocks;" he stretches out his hand with heaven in it, and he doth so all the day long. "All the day long have I stretched out my hand," Rom. x. 21. And that you may find his yoke easy, and his burden light, it is the Spirit that draws the yoke with you, and by secret animations, and sweet inspirations, heartens and enables you to do the work with ease; and, in this respect, the saints are said "to be led by the Spirit," Rom. viii. 14. Even as a mother leads her child that is weak, and enables it to go the better, so the Spirit leads the saints (as it were) by the hand, and strengthens them to believe yet more and more. I speak now to saints, if whilst I press you to believe in Jesus, you feel the Spirit in his stirrings and impetuous acts, surely it concerns you to believe, it concerns you to be obsequious and yielding to the breathings of God's Spirit, it concerns you to co-operate with the Spirit, and to answer his wind blowing. As you are to take Christ at his word, so you are to take Christ's Spirit at his work: if now he knocks, do you knock with him; if now his fingers make a stirring upon the handles of the bar, let your hearts make a stirring with his fingers also; O! reach in your hearts under the stirrings of free grace; obey dispositions of grace as God himself. If now you feel your hearts as hot iron, it is good then to smite with the hammer; if now you feel your spirits docile, say then with him in the gospel, I believe. Lord help my unbelief; I believe, what? I believe when Jesus comes again, he will receive me to himself, and that I shall be forever with the Lord. Amen, Amen.