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angels, waiting upon the Son of Man: and in the same manner, with the same attendance, do we expect the coming of our Jesus, even as he himself hath taught us to expect him, saying, "For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels," Matt. xvi. 27 And thus our Jesus as the true Messias shall come againg which was our first consideration.

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The place from whence he shall come is next to be considered, and is sufficiently expressed in the Creed, by reflection upon the place whither he went when he departed from us; for he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God, and from thence he shall come that is) from, and out of the highest heaven, where he now sitteth at the right hand of God, shall Christ hereafter come to judge both the quick and the dead. For him "the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things;" and when that time is fulfilled, from that hea ven shall he come. "For the Lord himself shall descende from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archan gel, and with the trump of God." Our conversation ought to be in heaven, because "from thence we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus." Our High Priest is gone up into the holy of holies not made with hands, there to make an atonement for us; therefore as the people of Iss rael stood without the tabernacle, expecting the return of Aaron, so must we look unto the heavens, and expect Christ from thence," when the Lord Jesus shall be res vealed from heaven with his mighty angels," 2 Thes. i. 7 We do believe that Christ is set down on the right hand of God; but we must also look upon him as coming thence, as well as sitting there; and to that purpose Christ himself hath joined them together, saying, " Hereafter shall ye see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven," Matt. xxvi 64. Thus shall the Saviour of the world come from the right hand of power, in fulness of majesty, from the highest heavens, as a demonstration of his sanctity; that by an undoubted authority, and unquestionable integrity, he might appear most fit to judge both the quick and the dead: which is the end of his second coming, and leads

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me to the third consideration, the act of his judging : from whence he shall come to judge.

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For the explication of this action, as it stands in this Article, three considerations will be necessary: first, how we may be assured that there is a judgment to come, that any one shall come to judge; secondly, in case we be assured that there shall be a judgment, how it appeareth that he who is ascended into heaven, that is, that Christ shall be the judge; thirdly, in case we can be assured that we shall be judged, and that Christ shall judge us, it will be worthy our inquiry in what this judgment shall consist, how this action shall be performed and more than this cannot be necessary to make us understand that he shall come to judge.

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That there is a judgment to come after this life, will appear demonstrable, whether we consider ourselves who are to undergo it, or God who is to execute it. If we do but reflect upon the frame and temper of our own spirits, we cannot but collect and conclude from thence, that we are to give an account of our actions, and that a judg ment hereafter is to pass upon us. There is in the soul of every man alconscience, and wheresoever it is, it giveth testimony to this truth. The antecedent or directive conscience tells us what we are to do, and the subsequent or reflexive conscience warns us what we are to receive. Looking back upon the actions we have done, it either approves or condemns them: and if it did no more, it would only prove that there is a judgment in this life, and every man his own judge. But seeing it doth not only allow and approver our good actions, but also doth create a complacency, apology, and confidence in us; seeing it doth not only disprove and condemn our evil actions, but doth also constantly accuse us, and breed a fearful expectations and terror in us; and all this prescinding from all relation to any thing either to be enjoyed or suffered in this life it followeth that this conscience is not so much a judge as a witness, bound over to give testimony, for or against us, at some judgment after this life to pass upon us. For all men are "a law unto themselves," and have the work of the law written in their hearts, their

conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another; in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men," Rom.ii. 14. Again; if we consider the God who made us, and hath full dominion over us, whether we look upon him in himself or in his word, we cannot but expect a judgment from him. First; if we contemplate God in himself, we must acknowledge him to be the Judge of all mankind, so that a man shall say, "Verily he is a God that judgeth the earth." Now the same God who is our Judge is, by an attribute necessary and inseparable, just; and this justice is so essential to his Godhead, that we may as well deny him to be God, as to be just. It was a rational expostulation which Abraham made, "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" Gen. xviii. 25. We may therefore infallibly conclude that God is a most just Judge; and if he be so, we may as infallibly conclude that after this life he will judge the world in righteousness. For as the affairs of this present world are ordered, though they lie under the disposition of Providence, they show no sign of an universal justice. The wicked and disobedient persons are often so happy, as if they were rewarded for their impieties; the innocent and religious often so miserable, as if they were punished for their innocency. Nothing more certain than that in this life rewards are not correspondent to the virtues, punishments not proportionable to the sins, of men. Which considera tion will enforce one of these conclusions; either that there is no judge of the actions of mankind; or if there be a judge, he is not just, he renders no proportionate rewards or punishments; or lastly, if there be a judge, and that judge be just, then is there a judgment in another world, and the effects thereof concern another life.. Seeing then we must acknowledge that there is a Judge, which judgeth the earth; seeing we cannot deny but God is that Judge, and all must confess that God is most just; seeing the rewards and punishments of this life are no way answerable to so exact a justice as that which is divine must be; it followeth that there is a judgment yet to come, in which God will show a perfect demonstration

of his justice justice, and to which every man shall in his own bosom carry an undeniable witness of all his actions.

From hence the heathen, having always had a serious apprehension both of the power of the conscience of man, and of the exactness of the justice of God, have from thence concluded that there is a judgment to come. Insomuch that when St. Paul "reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled." The discourse of righteousness and temperance touched him who was so highly and notoriously guilty of the breach of both, and a preconception which he had of judgment after death, now heightened by the apostle's particular description, created an horror in his soul and trembling in his limbs. The same apostle discoursing to the Athenians, the great lights of the Gentile world, and teaching them this Article of our Creed, that God "hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead;" found some which mocked when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, but against the day of judgment none replied. That was a principle of their own, that was confessed by all who either believed themselves or a God, a conscience or à Deity.'

But yet, beside the consideration of the internal power of conscience in ourselves, beside the intuition of that essential attribute, the justice of God, which are sufficient arguments to move all men, we have yet a more near and enforcing persuasion grounded upon the express determination of the will of God. For the determinate counsel of the will of the Almighty actually to judge the world in righteousness, is clearly revealed in his word; "It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." There is a death appointed to follow this life, and a judgment to follow that death; the one as certain as the other. For in all ages God hath revealed his resolution to judge the world.

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Upon the first remarkable action after the fall, there is a sufficient intimation given to angry Cain; "If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest

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not well, sin lieth at the door," Gen. iv. 7; which by the most ancient interpretation signifieth a reservation of his sin unto the judgment of the world to come. Before the flood Enoch prophesied of a judgment to come, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” His words might have an aim at the waters which were to overflow the world; but the ultimate intention looked through that fire which shall consume the world preserved from water.

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The testimonies which follow in the law and the prophets, the predictions of Christ and the apostles, are so many and so known, that both the number and the plainness will excuse the prosecution. The throne hath been already seen, the Judge hath appeared sitting on it, the books have been already opened, the dead small and great have been seen standing before him; there is nothing more certain in the word of God, no doctrine more clear and fundamental, than that of eternal judgment. I shall therefore briefly conclude the first consideration from the internal testimony of the conscience of man, from the essential attribute, the justice of God, from the clear and full revelation of the will and determination of God, that after death, with a reflection on this, and in relation to another life, there is a judgment to come, there shall some person come to judge.

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Our second consideration followeth, seeing we are so well assured that there shall be a judgment, who that person is which shall come to judge, who shall sit upon that throne, before whose tribunal we shall all appear; from whose mouth we may expect our sentence. the judiciary power is the power of God, and none hath any right to judge the subjects and servants of God, but that God whose servants they are. The law by which we are to be judged was given by him, the actions which are to be discussed were due to him, the persons which are to be tried are subject to his dominion; God therefore is "the Judge of all." He "shall bring every work

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