therefore is the Father's throne the throne of grace to us, because the throne of our Mediator Jesus Christ is beside it: he sits at his right hand, otherwise it could be nothing to us but a throne of justice, and so in regard of our guiltiness, a throne of terror and affrightment, which we would rather fly from, than draw near unto. And Lastly, as we have the comfort of such a friend, to prepare access to our prayers there, that are the messengers of our souls; so of this, that our souls themselves when they remove from these houses of clay, shall find admission there through him. this he tells his disciples again and again, and in them all his own, that their interest was so much in his ascending to his glory, I go to prepare a place for you, that where I am, there ye may be also. It will not be hard to persuade them that believe these things, and are portioners in them, to set their hearts on them, and for that end to take them off from all other things as unworthy of them, yea, it will be impossible for them to live without the frequent and sweet thoughts of that place where their Lord Jesus is. Yet it is often needful to remember them, that this cannot be enough done, and by representing these things to them, to draw them more upwards; and it is best done in the Apostle's words, If ye be risen with Christ, mind those things that are above, where he sits, &c. If ye be risen. with him, follow him on, let your hearts be where he is; they that are one with him, the blessed seed of the woman, do find that unity drawing them heaven-wards: But, alas! the most of us are liker the accursed seed of the serpent, basely grovelling on this earth, and licking the dust; the conversation of the believer is in heaven, where he hath a Saviour, and from whence he looks for him. Truly there is little of a true Christian here, (and that argues that there is little of the truth of Christianity among us, who are altogether here) his head in heaven, and his heart there, and these are the two prin ciples of life. Let us then suit the Apostle's advice. and so enjoy the comfort he subjoins, that by our affections above, we may know, That our life is hid with Christ in God, and therefore that when he, who is our life, shall appear, we likewise shall appear with him in glory. From thence he shall come to judge, &c.] We have in this to consider, 1. That there is an universal judgment. 2. That Christ is the judge. 3. Something to be added of the quality of the judgment; all the three we have together*. That it is, we know to be the frequent doctrine of the scriptures, and hath been ever the belief of the godly from the beginning, as we may perceive by that ancient prophecy of Enoch, recorded by St. Jude, and we are so to believe it as a divine truth: and yet there is so much just reason for it, that natural men by the few sparkles of light in their consciences, have had some dark notions and conjectures of it, as is evident in Plato and the Platonics, and not only the philosophers but the poets: it may be too, that they have been helped by some scattered glimmerings of light concerning this, borrowed from the Jews, and traditionally past from hand to hand among the heathen, and therefore disguised and altered after their fashion. If we be persuaded that there is a supreme ruler of the world, who is most wise, and just, and good, this will persuade us not only that there is some. other estate and being, than that we see here, appointed for man, the most excellent, the reasonable part of this visible world; but that there shall be a solemn judicial proceeding, in entering and stating him in that after being. The many miseries of this present life, and that the best of men are usually deepest sharers in them, though it hath a little staggered, not only wise heathens, but sometimes some of the prime saints of God, yet it hath never prevailed with any but brutal and debauched spirits, to conclude against divine providence, but rather to * Acts xvii. 31. resolve upon this, that of necessity there must be another kind of issue, a final catastrophe reducing all the present confusions into order, and making all odds even, as you say*. It is true that sometimes here the Lord's right hand finds out his enemies, and is known by the judgment which he executes on them; and on the other side, gives some instances of his gracious providence to his church, and to particular godly men even before the sons of men: but these are but some few preludes and pledges of that great judgment, some he gives, that we forget not his justice and goodness, but much is reserved, that we expect not all nor the most here but hereafter. And it is certainly most congruous that this be done, not only in each particular apart, but most conspicuously in all together, that the justice and mercy of God may not only be accomplished, but acknowledged and magnified, and that not only severally in the several persons of men and angels, but universally, jointly, and manifestly in the view of all, as upon one theatre, angels and men being at once, some of them the objects of that justice, others of mercy, but all of them spectators of both. ungodly man shall not only read, whether he will or no, the justice of God in himself, and his own condemnation, which most of them shall do before that time in their soul's particular judgment: but they shall then see the same justice in all the rest of the condemned world, and the rest in them, and to the great increase of their anguish, they shall see likewise the glory of that mercy, that shall then shine so bright in all the elect of God, from which they themselves are justly shut out, and delivered up to eternal misery. Each And on the other side, the godly shall with unspeakable joy behold not only a part as before, but the whole sphere both of the justice and mercy of their God, and shall with one voice admire and applaud him in both. 2. Besides, the process of many * Cum res hominum tantâ caligine volvi. CLAUD. mens' actions cannot be full at the end of their life as it shall be at that day; many have very large after-reckonings to come upon them for those sins of others to which they are accessory, though committed after their death, as the sins of ill-educated children to be laid to the charge of their parents, the sins of such as any have corrupted, either by their counsels, or opinions, or evil examples, &c. 2. He, the Lord Jesus shall be judge in that great day, the Father, and Spirit, and his authority are all one, for they are all one God and one judge; but it shall be particularly exercised and pronounced by our Saviour God-man, Jesus Christ. That eternal word by whom all things were made, by him all shall be judged, and so he shall be the word in that last act of time, as in the first; he shall judicially pronounce that great and final sentence, that shall stand unalterable in eternity: and not only as the eternal Son of God, but withal the son of man, and so sit as king, and invested with all power in heaven and earth. By that man whom he hath appointed to judge the quick and the dead". This same Jesus shall so come, in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. The powers of the world and of hell are combined against his throne, therefore they shall be his footstool sitting on that throne, and the crown. which he hath purchased for believers, he shall set it on their heads with his own hand. This shall be exceeding joy and comfort to all that have believed on him, that their Redeemer shall be their judge, he that was judged for them, shall judge them and pass sentence according to that covenant of grace that holds in him, pronouncing them free from the wrath which he himself endured for them, and heirs of that life that he bought with his dearest blood. And that gives no less accession to the misery of the wicked, that the same Jesus whom they opposed and despised, so many of them as heard any thing of him, he shall sit upon their final judgment, and pro y Acts xvii, 31. and Acts i. 11. nounce sentence against them, not partially aveng ing his own quarrel on them, no word of that, but most justly returning them the reward of their ungodliness and unbelief; that great shepherd shall thus make that great separation of his sheep from the goats. 3. Of the manner we have thus much here, that he shall come from heaven, as the scriptures teach us", he shall visibly appear in the air, he shall come in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, attended with innumerable companies of glorious angels that shall serve him, both in the congregating his elect, and separating them from the reprobate; but himself in the brightness of his own majesty, infinitely surpassing them all. His first coming was mean and obscure, suiting his errand, for then he came to be judged; but that last coming shall be glorious, for he comes to judge, and his judgment shall be in righteousness. There shall be no misalledging, or mis-proving, or mis-judging there; all the judgments of men, whether private or judicial, shall be rejudged there according to truth, such a judge before whom all things are naked; and not only shall he know and judge all aright, but all they that are judged, shall themselves be convinced that it is so; then all will see that none are condemned but most deservedly, and that the Lord's justice is pure and spotless in them that perish, as his grace, without prejudice to his justice, it being satisfied in Christ for them that are saved. The books shall be opened, those that men so willingly, the most of them, keep shut and claspt up, and are so unwilling to look into, their own accusing consciences: the Lord will proceed formally against the wicked according to the books; no wrong shall be done them, they shall have fair justice, and they shall see what they would not look upon before; when by seeing, that might have been blotted out, and a free ac a 2 Thess. i. 7. 2 Matt. xxiv. 30. |