Christ's Coming to Judgment
GOSPEL MINISTRY.
fitly be compared to a man who, having his wife and children very sick, doth utterly neglect them, and is alt(^ther careful for the curing of his hogs.
CHRIST'S COMING TO JUDGMENT.
Phil. We have somewhat digressed from the matter we had in hand: I pray you, therefore, if you have any more matter of good counsel to give unto Asunetus, that you would presently dehver it.
Theol.
I have little more to say, save only I would advise him often to remember, and much to muse, of these nine things:—The evil he hath committed—the good he hath omitted—the time he hath mis-spent—the shortness of this life—the vanity of this world—the excellency of the world to come—death, than which nothing is more terrible—the day of judgment, than which nothing is more fearful—heU-fire, than which nothing is more intolerable.
Phil. This is short and sweet indeed: you have touched some of these points before in these our conferences ; but I am very desirous to hear somewhat more of the two last, which yet have not been touched.
Theol.
Since you are desirous, I will briefly deliver unto you that which I have received from the Lord.
First, concerning the day of judgment, I find in the volume of God's book that it shall be very terrible and dreadful, for " The Son of Man shall come in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory," Matt. xxiv.
Z/»
CHRIST S COMIKG TO JUDGMENT.
" Tlie day of the Lord shall come as a thief in the night, in the which the heavens shall pass away with a 30.
St. Peter saith, 2 Epis. iii. 10, noise, the elements shall melt with heat, and the earth, with the works that are therein, shall be burnt up."
The apostle telleth us that at the comingof Christ all the whole world shall be of a light fire; and that all castles, towers, goodly buildings, gold, silver, velvet, silks, and all the glittering hue, glory, and beauty of this world shall be consumed to powder and ashes; for he " The heavens and the earth which saith plainly, are now, are reserved unto fire, against the day of judgment, and of the destruction of ungodly men," ver. 7.
Moreover, he doth strongly prove, that as the world was once destroyed by water, so the second time, in the end thereof, it shall be destroyed by fire.
The apostle Paul doth witness the same thing; for he saith,
Thess. i.
7, " Christ shall come from heaven, with all his mighty angels, in flaming fire."
And in another place, 1 Thess. iv. 16, he noteth the terror of his " He shall come with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and the trumpet of God."
We see, by expercoming to judgment, saying, ience, that the coming of mortal princes to any place, is with great pomp and glory, They have great trains and troops behind them and before them.
They are accompanied with many nobles; gallant lords and goodly ladies do attend upon them.
The sword-bearer, trumpeters, and harbingers go before; many flaunting and stately personages follow after.
Now then, if the coming of mortal princes be so pompous and glorious, how much more glorious shall the coming of the Son of Man be, in whose sight all
CHBIST's coming to JUDOiLEKT.
mortal princes are but dust ?
The scriptures do affirm that his second coming unto judgment, shall be with such resplendent and unspeakable glory, that even the most excellent creatures shall blush at it; for " The sun shall be darkened; the moon shall not give her light ; and the stars shall fall from heaven,"
Matt. xxiv.
29; meaning thereby, that the most glorious and bright-shining creatures sball be clouded and obscured by the unconceivable brightness of Christ's coming.
Moreover, is noted imto us the error of Christ's coming in this, that immediately before it the very sea shall quake and tremble, and in his kind cry out; for it is said, Luke xxi. 25, 26, "That the sea shall roar, and make a noise in most doleful and lugubrious manner, and men's hearts shall fail them for fear, and for looking after those things which shall come on the world; for the powers of heaven shall be shaken."
Oh what shallbecom eof swearers,dnmkards, whoremongers, and such like, in that day ! they shall seek to creep into an auger-hole, to hide their heads; they shall then cry woe and alas, that ever they were bom ! they shall wish that they never had been bom, or that their mother had bom them toads.
And, as it is said in the Apocalypse, " They shall say to the mountains and rocks fall on us, and hide us from the presence of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb ; for the great day of his wrath is come, and who can stand?" Rev. vi. 16, 17. We see, therefore, that the coming of Christ shall not be base and contemptible, as in his first visitation; but it shall be most terrible, princely, and glorious.
And as the scriptures do affirm that his coming shall be with great terror and dread, so also they do shew
cheist's coming to judgment. that it shall be very sudden and unlocked for; for " The day of the Lord shall come as a thief in the night," 1 Pet. iii. 10; "As the travail that cometh upon a w^oman," 1 Thess. v. 2, 3 ; " As a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the earth," Luke xxi. 35: that is, it shall suddenly catch and entangle all men, wheresoever they be in the world. As the earthquake, which was some twenty years ago, did suddenly take the world tardy, they not thinking of any such matter; so shall the coming of the Son of Man to judgment take the world tardy and unprepared; for few there be that think of any such matter.
Since, therefore, the second appearance of Christ shall be with such suddenness, let us fear and tremble; for all sudden things are to be feared.
Phil. Well, sir, as you have shewed us the terror and suddenness of Christ's coming, so shew us the purpose and end of his coming.
Theol. The principal end of his coming shall be to keep a general audit, to call all men to an account, to have a reckoning of every man's particular actions, and to reward them according to their deeds; as it is written, Matt, " The Son of Man shall come in the xvi. 27, glory of his Father, with his angels: and then shall he give to every man according to his deeds."
Again, the apostle saith, 2 Cor. v. 10, " We must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ, that every man may receive the things which are done in his body, according to that which he hath done, whether it be good or evil."
Here we do plainly see that the end of Christ's coming shall be to judge every man according to his works; that is, as his works shall declare him, and testify of Jihn and of Ms faith.
In another
Christ's comikg to judgment.
place, the apostle saith, 2 Thess. i. 7-9, " That the end of his coming shall be to render vengeance unto them which know not God, and which obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ; which shall be punished with everlasting perdition from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power,"
Woe, then, unto two sorts of men!—the ignorant and the disobedient; for, the apostle saith flatly, they both shall be damned.
Methinketh both the ignorant and disobedient, and all other profane men, should tremble to think of this—that Christ shall come to render vengeance unto them.
If we did certainly know that the Spaniard should invade our nation, overrun it, and make a conquest of it—that he should shed our blood, destroy us, and make a massacre amongst us— yea, that we should see our wives, our children, our kindred, and dear friends slain before our faces, so as their blood should stream in the streets, what a wonderful fear and terror would it strike into us!
We would quake to think of it.
Shall we not, then, be much more afraid of the damnation of our souls ? shall we not quake to think that Christ shall come to take vengeance?
If the lion roar, all the beasts of the field tremble; and shall not we be afraid of the roaring Lion of the tribe of Judah ?
But, alas, we are so hard-hearted, and so rocked asleep in the cradle of security, that nothing can move us, nothing can awake us.
Phil, j^ow, as you have shewed us the terror and end of Christ's coming, so also declare the manner of it.
Theol. The manner of it is this, that the whole world shall be cited to appear personally
cheist's comikg to judgment. at the general assizes, before the great Judge.
No man shall be admitted to appear by his attorney, but all must appear personally.
None shall be suffered to put in sureties, but all must come in their own persons, Without bail or main
" We must prize; as it is written, 2 Cor. v. 10, all appear," high and low, rich and poor, king and beggar, one and other; as it is plainly set down in the 20th chapter of the Eevelation, where the Spirit saith, " I saw the dead, both great and small, stand before God; and the sea gave up the dead which were in her, and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them."
So, then, it is clear that all, without exception, shall make their appearance at the great and dreadful assizes.
Oh what a great day will that be when as the whole world shall appear If a king marry his son, and together at once! hid other kings, emperors, dukes, and nobles, to the marriage, with all their pomp and train, we use to say—oh what a marriage! what a meeting! what a do! what a great day will there be! but when the universal world shall be assembled together, not only all monarchs, kings, and princes, but all others that ever have been from the beginning of the world, all that are and shall be, what a day will that be!
No marvel, therefore, that the scriptures call it the day of God, and the great day of the Lord!
Now then, when all flesh is come together, to make their personal appearance, then shall the Son of God ascend unto his tribunal seat, with great majesty and glory ; for a "fiery stream shall issue, and come forth before him; thousand thousand angels shall accompany him, and minister unto him; and ten thousand thousand shall stand before him; the
Christ's comikg to judomekt.
2S3 judgment shall be set, and the books opened,"
Dan. vii. 10.
All the saints also, and true worshippers of God, shall attend him, and accompany him unto his judgment seat; and not only so but they shall sit upon the bench and throne with him, as it is written, 1 Cor, vi. 2, 3, "The saints
' shall judge the world ; they shall judge the angels;' that is the devils, the angels of darkness.
Our Lord Jesus himself doth avouch the same thing, when he said to his disciples, and in them to all true Christians, "Verily, I say unto you, that when the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of his majesty, ye which followed me in the regeneration, shall sit upon twelve thrones, and judge the twelve tribes of Israel,"
Matt. xix. 28; that is, the saints of God shall bear witness that the judgment of Christ, and sentence of condemnation which he passeth against all unbelievers, is according to justice and equity.
Thus then, we see how Christ shall be accompanied to his throne; and with what glory and majesty he shall ascend unto it.
Experience teacheth, that when mortal judges hold their sessions and general assizes, they are brought unto the bench and judgment seat with pomp and terror; for the sheriff of the shire, and holbard-men, with many justices of peace, and ti-ains of others, do accompany them unto the bench.
Then, with how much more glory and majesty shall the Son of God be brought mito his royal throne !
Thus, then, Christ being set upon his judgment seat, all the ungodly shall be convent^ before him, and he shall stand over them with a naked sword in his hand.
The devil shall stand by them on the one side, to acciise them; and their own conscience, on the other side; and the gaping gulf of hell,
Christ's coming to judgment, underneath them, re&dy to devour them.
Then shall the books be opened; not any books of paper and parchment, but the books of men's consciences.
For every man's sins are written and recorded in his conscience, as it were in a register book.
Then will God bring every work to judgment, with every secret thought, and set them in order before all the reprobates.
Then " will God lighten the things that are hid in darkness, and make the counsels of the heart manifest," 1 Cor. iv. 5.
Then shall all the ungodly be arraigned, convicted, and hold, up their hands at the bar of Christ's tribunal seat, and shall cry^ guilty.
Then shall that most dreadful sentence of death and condemnation be pronounced against them by the most righteous Judge, Matt. xxv.
41, "Go, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, which is prepared for the devil and his angels."
Oh doleful sentence! oh heavy hearing!
Whose heart doth not tremble at these things? whose hair doth not stand upon his head? for then shall thousands, which in this world have flourished as the cedars of Libanus, be cast down for evermore; and shall drink, as a just recompense for their iniquity, of the bitter cup of God's eternal wrath and indignation, in the kingdom of darkness, and in the fearful presence of Satan, and all the cursed enemies of God's grace.
Phil. Well, now, as you have declared unto us the terror, the suddenness, the end, and the manner of Christ's coming to judgment; so lastly, shew unto us the right use of all these things.
TJieol.
St. Peter telleth and teacheth us the right use of all; for, saith he, 2 Peter iii.
11, "Seeing all these things must be dissolved, what manner of persons ought we to be, in all holy
cheist's coming to judgment.
I onversation and godliness?" as if he should tsay, since the heavens shall pass away with a noise, the elements shall melt with heat, and the earth, with the works that are therein, shall be burnt up; since also the coming of Christ shall be with great terror, to a fearful end, and in fearful manner, oh how ought we to excel in goodness!
So then, St. Peter telleth us, that the true use of all is this, that hereby we be brought nearer unto God, even to be more obedient to his will, and to walk in all his commandments, making conscience of all our ways, and studying to please God in all things, and to be fruitful in all good works, Uving soberly, justly, and holily in this present evil world, and shewing forth the virtues of him which hath called us out of darkness to this marvellous light; so that we may be prepared against the day of his appearing, that it may not take us tardy ; for our life ought to be a continual meditation of death; we should always Hve as if we should die, or that our bed should be our grave; we must live continually as if Christ should come to judgment presently; as it is reported of a godly man in the primitive church, that whether he ate or drank, or whatsoever he did, he thought always he heard the trumpet of the Lord, with these words, "Arise, ye dead, and come unto judgment."
Put case— it were certainly known that Christ would come to judgment the next midsummerday ; oh what an alteration would it make in the world! how men would change their minds and affections! who would care for this world ? who would set his heart unto riches ? who would regard brave apparel ? who durst deceive or oppress ? who durst be drunk? who durst swear, lie,
Christ's coming to judgment. and commit adultery ?
Nay, would not all men give up themselves to the obedience of God? would not all serve him diligently? would not all men and women flock to hear sermons? would they not give themselves to prayer and reading? would they not repent them of their sins ? would they not cry for mercy and forgiveness?
See then, what the knowledge of a certain day approaching would effect; and ought we not to do all these things with as great a care and zeal seeing the day is uncertain? for who knoweth whether Christ will come this month or the next, this year or next?
He himself saith. Matt. xxiv.
44, ' Be ready; watch; for in the hour that ye think not of, will the Son of man come."
We think he will not come this year, nor next year, nor this hundred years.
It may be, therefore, that he will come suddenly upon us; we knoio not how soon.
For in an hour that we little think of, will he come.
Therefore, our Saviour saith, in the 13th chapter of Mark, ver. 33, " Take heed, watch and pray; for you know not when the time is;" and in the gospel of St. Luke, xxi.
34, he " Take heed that your hearts be not overcome with surfeiting and drunkenness, and the saith, cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares; for as a snare shall it come upon all them that dwell upon the face of the earth."
We hear, therefore, how many watch-words and caveats our Saviour giveth us, when he saith, Be in readiness, awake, take heed, watch and pray, and look about you, lest that day come suddenly upon you, and take you napping.
It standeth us all therefore upon, to be at an hour's warning, upon pain of death, and as we will answer it at our uttermost peril.
cheist's coming to judgment.
Fhil. Proceed to speak of the torments of hell.
Theol. Concerning the torments of hell, I do iiote three things, which I will briefly speak of, and they be these: the extremity, perpetuity, and remedUessness thereof.
First, touching the extremity thereof, it standeth specially in these three things: first, that it is a separation from all joy and comfort of the presence of God; secondly, that it is an eternal fellowship with the devil and his angels; thirdly, it is a feeling of the horrible wrath of God, which shall seize upon body and soul, and shall feed on them, as fire doth upon pitch and brimstone, for ever.
The scriptirres do note the extremity of it, in calling it " a lake, that bumeth with fire and brimstone for ever;" in saying "there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth;" in affirming that "their worm dieth not," meaning the worm that gnaweth their conscience, or their torment of conscience; "and the fire never goeth out," in terming it "
Tophet, which is deep and large, and the burning thereof is fire and much wood," and that " the breath of the Lord, as a river of brimstone, doth kindle it."
All these things be terrible to our senses, and yet can they not fully express the thing as it is indeed.
For no heart can conceive, or tongue express, the greatness and extremity of the torments of hell.
As the joys of heaven never entered into the heart of man, no more did the torments of hell.
All the torments and troubles that fall upon men in this life are but as sparkles of the furnace of God's total wrath.
All fires are but, as it were, pictures of fire in " hellcomparison of hell-fire; for, as one writeth, fire is so extremely hot that it will bum up a man seven mile before he come at it;" yet the
chbist's coming to judgment. reprobates, being always in it, shall never be consumed of it.
As the salamander is always in the fire, and never consumeth ; so the wicked shall be always in the fire of hell, and never consume; for hell is a death always living, and an end always beginning.
It is a grievous thing to a man that is very sick to lie upon a feather-bed— how much more upon a hot gridiron! but how, most of all, to burn always in hell-fire, and never be consumed r Another extremity of it consisteth in this, that the torments of hell are universal, that is, in every member at once; head, eyes, tongue, teeth, throat, stomach, back, belly, heart, sides, &c.
All punishments of this life are particular: for some are pained in their head, some in their back, some in their stomachs, &c.; yet some particular pains are such as a man would not suffer to gain all the world; but for a man to be tormented in all parts at once, what sight more lamentable! who could but take pity of a dog in the street in that case!
Thus, then, we see that the extremity of hell-torments is greater than can be conceived or uttered ; for who can utter that which is incomprehensible? we can go no further in comprehending that which is incomprehensible than to know it to be incomprehensible.
PMl. As you have shewn us the extremity of hell-torments, so now proceed to the perpetuity.
Theol. The scriptures do set forth the perpetuity of hell torments in saying they are for ever: the wicked shall be cast into the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone for ever.
The fire never goeth out.
When as many hundred thousand years are expired as there be stones by the sea-side, yet still there be so many
Christ's coutsq to judgment.
more to come; for that which hath no end can never come to an end.
If all the arithmeticians in the world were set to work to do nothing but number all the days of their life, even the greatest numbers that they could possibly set down, and should in the end add all their numbers together; yet could they never come anything near to that length of time wherein the wicked shall be tormented.
If the whole circumference of the heavens were written about with figures of arithmetic, from the east to the west, and from the west to the east again; yet could it not contain that infinite time and innumerable years, wherein all unbelievers shall suffer eternal torture; for, in things infinite, time hath no place; for time is the measure of those things which are subject to measure.
Therefore, because hell torments are infinite, they cannot be measured by any time, neither can that which is infinite be diminished; for if you subtract from that which is infinite, ten thousand thousand millions of millions, yet it is hereby nothing diminished or made less.
Put this case—a man should once in an hundred thousand years, take a spoonful of water out of the great ocean sea, how long would it be ere he had so emptied it?
Yet shall a man sooner empty the sea, by taking out a spoonful once in a hundred thousand years, than the damned soul shall have any ease; therefore, a certain writer saith, "If a damned soul might be tormented in hell but a thousand years, and then have ease, there were some comfort in it, for then there would be hope it would come to an; end;" but, saith he, this word "ever" killeth the heart.
Oh consider this ye that forget God !
Oh ye carnal worldlings, think on this in time!
For if you will not now u
cheist's coming to judgment. be moved in hearing, you shall be then crushed in pieces in feeling.
What availeth it to live in all possible pleasures, and carnal delights here, for some sixty years, and then to suffer this eternal torment?
What shall it profit a man to win the whole world, and lose his own soul?
They be more than mad which will hazard their souls for a little profit and a few stinking pleasures.
But this is the nature of men: they will have the present sweet, come of it what will, though they pay never so dear it, though they go to the highest price, though they lose their souls for it.
Oh the unspeakable blindness and madness of the men of this world !
The devil hath put out their eyes, and therefore leadeth them whither he list ; for who cannot lead a blind man whither he list?
Nahash, the Ammonite, would make no covenant with the Israelites, but upon condition that he might put out all their right eyes,
1 Sam. xi.
2; so the devil doth covenant with all the wicked to put out both their eyes, that he may lead them directly into hell.
Phil. Now sir, a word or two more of the remedilessness of hell-fire.
TJieol. The scriptures do affirm that as the torments of hell are extreme, so they are without all
" A man can by no means redeem his brother; he hope of remedy; as it is written, Ps. xlix. 8, cannot give his ransom unto God; so precious is the redemption of the soul and the continuance for ever."
To this purpose Abraham said to the rich man, being in hell torments, Luke xvi, 26, " Betwixt you and us there is a great gulf set, so that they which would go from hence to you cannot, neither can they come from thence to us."
Our Lord Jesus also saith, " What shall a man
Christ's coHiKa to judgment.
give for the recompense of his soul?" where our Saviour doth plainly aflBrm that there is no ransom or recompense, though never so great, to be given for a damned soul.
For the soul being in hell can never be released: it is past remedy.
No means whatsoever can do any good.
No gold, no silver, no firiends, no riches, no power, no policy, no flattery, no bribery, no reach, no fetch or device whatsoever can prevail one jot.
For a man being once in hell hath no remedy.
He is in close prison, he is shut up under the hatches for ever; there is no getting out again: he must suffer perpetual imprisonment. He cannot bring a writ of false imprisonment, because he is laid in by the most righteous and just Judge, who cannot possibly do any wrong but he must he by it.
For being there once he is there for ever.
If all the angels in heaven should entreat for a damned soul; if Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob should make great suit; if all the prophets, apostles, and martyrs should be continual solicitors of Christ for release; if the father should make request for his son, or the mother for her daughter; yet can none of these be heard, they must all have the repulse.
For the sentence of Christ cannot be reserved; his decree is unrepealable.
The due consideration of these things may make all hearts to quake, and aU knees to tremble.
In the troubles and afflictions of this life, though a man come in never so great dangers, yet he may wind out again, by one means or another, by money or friendship, or rewards, or such Uke means: but in hell-fire this is it that gripes, and maketh the heart d^pair, that there is no remedy at all to be used.
If we should ask of a damned soul, or an ajBBicted conscience, what they would give for the ease and
chbist's coming to judgment. redemption of their souls, they would answer, the whole world: howsoever, secure worldlings and wicked atheists (which see nothing, nor feel nothing) make nothing of it.
Here, by the way, let us consider the greatness of the loss of a man's soul, which we shall the better perceive and see into if we can aright value and prize the soul.
If therefore it be demanded what is the price of the soul? or what is it worth? our Lord Jesus answereth, that it is more worth than all the world; for, saith he. Matt. xvi. 26, " What shall it profit a man to win all the world and lose his soul?"
Therefore the soul of the poorest beggar is worth more than all the world.
Then I reason thus, if the soul be more worth than all the world, than the loss of it is greater than the loss of the whole world; for indeed it is a loss of all losses, an unrecoverable loss.
If a man should have his house burnt over his head, and all that he hath consumed in one night, it were a great loss—if a merchant-venturer should lose twenty thousand pounds in one venture, in one ship, or as they say, in one bottom, it were a very great loss
—if a king should lose his crown and kingdom, it were an exceeding great loss—but the loss of the soul is a thousand times more than all these; it is a matter of infinite importance.
If a tenant be cast out of the favour of his landlord, it is a matter of grief—if a nobleman's secretary be cast out of favour with his lord, so that he taketh a pitch* against him, it is a matter of great sorrow—if a nobleman himself be discountenanced, and cast out of all favour with his prince, that was in great favour, it is a corsey.t a heart smart,
* An offence. t A burning plaster of painful grievance.