•

idle and unprofitable fervants. These, and a great many other things which we now scarce think of, fhall we be accountable for to the judge at that day. Then shall the wifdomand the juftice of the divine providence appear eminently to all the world, in rewarding every man according to his works. Then what the upright man has done fhall be vindicated and approved; and what he has fuffered shall be abundantly made good: every thing fhall then be perfectly laid open, and expofed in its true and proper light: plainnefs and fincerity shall then appear the moft perfect beauty; and the craftiness of men, who lie in wait to deceive, beftript of all its colours: all fpecious pretences, all the methods of deceit, fhall then be disclosed before men and angels; and no artifice, no falfe colours, to conceal the deformity of iniquity, fhall then take place. In a word, the ill-defigning men of this world fhall then with fhame be convinced, that that upright fincerity, which they despised and derided, is the trueft wisdom; and that those dishonest arts, which they fo highly esteemed, were in reality the mereft folly. And, Notwithstanding we may collect from fcripture, that Of two there is a particular judgment paffed upon all men; judgments. forafmuch as good men, when they die, pass into a ftate of happiness, and bad men into a state of mifery; yet all the declarations of our Saviour and his apoftles concerning judgment, with the parables that relate to it, plainly refer to the last and general judgment: for it is only in that day that the whole man fhall be completely happy, or completely miferable; for in that day it is that the bodies of men fhall be raised; and as they have been partakers with the foul, either in obeying or offending God, fo fhall they then share in the rewards and punishments of it; and in that day only can the degrees and measures of their happiness and mifery be adjusted; for, even after death, the effects of men's good or bad actions may add to their punishment, or increase their reward, by the good or bad examples they have given, by the foundations they have established for piety and virtue, or by the customs they have introduced to countenance immorality and vice. In that day, the reasonableness of God's providence, in relation to the fufferings of good men in this world,

put in

of the gene

Of the time

ral judg

ment.

world, will be justified, and his justice cleared, by those severe punishments that shall be eternally inflicted upon the wicked, that have forfaken the God of their falvation. And therefore this in a more efpecial manner is called the day of the Lord. The exact time of this general judgment being one of those seasons which the Father has his own power, it is not for us to know, or pry into it. Of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. One thing the scripture affures us of, that it shall come fuddenly, as a thief in the night; as the flood upon the old world; or as the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, when they were eating and drinking, and fufpected nothing. That it is very near to every one of us, is alfo very evident: because, how many ages foever the world may continue, yet to every particular person the time of his own death must determine the conditions, upon which his fentence will depend at the general judgment. Neverthelefs, whatever be the time, how near or how diftant foever, wherein the world is to end; it is (as I have faid) the fame thing to us: feeing our particular concern in the general judgment will depend intirely on the state wherein we ourfelves leave the world, which we are very fure we must speedily do.

If we confult the light of nature only, it will discover to us an effential difference between good and evil; A last judgwhence, by the common confent of mankind, re- ment reawards are affixed to the one, and punishments to Sonable. the other: and according as men govern their actions in relation to these real differences of good and evil, fo are their hopes and their fears in refpect to a future ftate. A virtuous life is attended with prefent quiet and fatisfaction, and with the comfortable hope of a future recompence; whereas the commiffion of any wicked action, though never fo fecret, fits uneafy upon the mind, and fills it full of horror: all which would be very unaccountable, without the natural apprehenfion of future punishments and rewards. This is the reason why many of the Heathens esteemed virtue and honesty dearer than life with all its advantages, and abhor

red

Of the degrees of re

wards and punishments.

red villainy and impiety worse than death itself. Moreover, the difpenfations of God's providence towards men in this world are not confined: good men often suffer, even for the fake of righteoufnefs; and bad men as frequently profper and flourish, and that by the means of their wicked practices. Wherefore, to refcue Gods proceedings with man from the imputation of injuftice, it seems reasonable that there should be a future judgment, for a fuitable distribution of punishments and rewards. * From whence we learn, that God will reward and punish us in the next life, in proportion to the good or evil we shall do in this our mortal state. For in that day the degrees of good and bad actions will be confidered, as well as their nature and quality. To whomfoever much is given, of him fhall be much required; he that foweth fparingly fhall reap sparingly, and he that foweth bountifully shall reap bountifully. So our Saviour plainly teaches us by the parable of the talents, that men are rewarded according to the improvement they make: He that hath gained ten talents is made ruler over ten cities; and he that hath gained five talents ruler over five cities. The apoftle of the Gentiles exprefly affirms, that the glory of the faints fhall be different at the refurrection. And we are informed from our Saviour's own mouth, that in the day of judgment the condition of Tyre and Sidon, of Sodom and Gomorrah, shall be more tolerable, than that of impenitent finners, that have heard and rejected the terms of falvation thro' Jefus Christ, By which we are inftructed to believe the juftice and equity of God's providence, and the reafon of the thing.; nothing being a greater promoter of piety than the confideration that the leaft service shall not lofe its reward; and the better any man is, the greater difpofition he hath for the enjoyment of God; and the more hardened he is in his wickedness, the more fufceptible he is of torment, and treafureth up greater measures of wrath against the day of God's vengeance; of which day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.

There

See the Care of the Soul, page 4.

What we

Therefore we fhould govern our lives with that care and confideration, and with that due regard to the measures of our duty, as that we may be able to are taught give up our accounts with joy, and not with grief: thereby. we fhould keep that strict watch over ourselves by frequent examination, as that our behaviour, in this state of probation and trial, may obtain the favour and acceptance of our judge at his dreadful judgment-feat: we should restrain ourselves from committing the leaft fin, because there is none fo inconfiderable as to be overlooked at that day of general account for all the world: nor fhould we encourage ourselves by the greatest secrecy to the breach of any of God's holy laws; because all our actions shall be then expofed to public view, and known to the whole world, to our eternal infamy: neither should we be dejected by the flanders and calumnies of bad men, because our integrity fhall then be cleared by him who cannot err in the fentence he shall pass on us. But let us improve all thofe talents the providence of God hath intrufted us with; because we are but stewards, and must give an account of them all: let us be fincere in all our words and actions; because in that day the secrets of all hearts shall be opened: let us avoid all rafh judging of others; because he that judgeth another fhall not escape the judgment of the Almighty; let us abound in fuch works as we know will particularly distinguish men at that day, as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, &c. because our labour shall not be in vain in the Lord: and let us be humble, and jealous over our own conduct: because, though we know nothing by ourselves, we are not thereby juftified; for he that judgeth us is the Lord. And alfo we should learn immediately to reconcile ourselves to God by a fincere and hearty repentance, that the terrible day of God's wrath not find us unprepared to enter into the joy of our Lord.

may

SUNDAY

SUNDAY V.

I. Of the Holy Ghost, his office, manner of working in us, our duty to him, and the fin against him. II. Of the holy catholick church, and communion of faints. III. Of the forgiveness of fins; when, and how to be obtained. IV. Of the refurrection of the body, with anfwers to objections against it; and of the folly of atheifm. V. Of the life everlafting, in which God's justice in punishing the wicked eternally is vindicated, and the inexcufableness of fin is demonftrated. VI. The doctrines of chriftianity cannot be amended; and are not affected by the wickedness of fome people's lives, nor by religious difputes. VII. That religion arofe not from fear, education, or state-policy; and the miseries of atheifin.

I.

N the eighth ARTICLE of our chriftian faith we profefs to believe in the HOLY GHOST: for Chrift beOf the Holy fore his paffion had promifed to fend to his disciGhoft. ples the Holy Ghost, to guide them into all truth, and to fhew them things to come, and to glorify him: and, when the day of Pentecoft was fully come, they were accordingly all filled with the Holy Ghost; who is the thirdperson in the most holy Trinity, distinct from the Father and the Son, and eternally proceeding from both; being called the Spirit of Chrift, and the Spirit of the Son, as well as of the Father, and of one divine fubftance with them: holy in respect of his own divine nature; for as the Son was fo begotten of the Father, as to be one God with him, in like manner the Holy Ghoft fo proceedeth from the Father and the Son, that he is of one substance, majesty, and glory with the Father and the Son, very and eternal God.* Whose pecuHis peculiar liar office, as we may understand by the title holy, office. is to fanctify and renew our corrupt nature, and to restore it to its primitive perfection and dignity; to incline us to receive thofe truths, which are only spiritually difcerned, and are foolishness to a carnal or natural man; by opening our hearts, that we attend unto those things which were

written

See the firft Article of the Creed as explained Sunday 3. Sect. 1. and alfo the 5th Article of Religion.