Exposition of the Apostles Creed, Exposition · Part 2 · Section 16
From thence he ſhal come to iudge both the quicke and the deade.
Testimonies out of the Prophetes and Apostles.
DAniel 7.13. I did ſee in a viſion by night & behode one like the ſonne of man came in the cloudes of heauen, and approached vntounto the auncient of dayes, and they brought him before him, and he gaue him dominion & honour and a kingdome, that all people nations and languages, ſhoulde ſerue him: his dominion is an euerlaſting dominion, which ſhall neuer be taken away, and his kingdome ſhal neuer be deſtroyed. And in the Epiſtle of Iude, verſes 14.15. And Enoch alſo the ſeauenth frō Adam, prophecied of theſe, ſaying, beholde the Lorde commeth with thouſandes of his ſainctes, to giuegive iudgement againſt all men, and to rebuke all the vngodly among them, of all their wicked deedes, which they hauehave vngodly committed, and of all their cruell ſpeakings, which wicked ſinners hauehave ſpoken againſt him, Matth. 25. And when the ſonne of man commeth in his glorie, and all the holy Angels with him, Then ſhall he ſit vppon the throne of his glorie, and all nations ſhall bee gathered before him, and hee ſhall ſeparate them one from an other, as a ſheepehard ſeparateth the ſheepe from the goates. And he ſhal ſet his ſheepe on his right hand, and the goates on the left. Then ſhall the king ſay to them on his right hande, Come ye bleſſed of my father: take the inheritance of the kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was an hungred, and ye gaue me to eate, I thirſted, and you gaue me to drinke. &c. 2. Pet. 3. verſe 9. The Lorde is not ſlacke (as ſome men count ſlackeneſſe) of that promiſe he hath promiſed, but is patient toward vsus, and woulde hauehave no man to periſh, but all to come to repentance. But ye day of the Lord wil come as a theefe in the night, in ye which ye heauens ſhall paſſe awaye with a noiſe, and the elements ſhall melt away with heate, and the earth with the workes therein ſhall be burnt vp. Seeing therefore that all theſe thinges muſt be diſſolued, what maner of perſons ought ye to be in holy couerſation and godlineſſe, looking for and haſting vntounto that day of the Lord, by the which the heauens being on fire ſhall bee diſſolued and the elementes ſhall melt with heat?
Why this article is added vntounto the former.
THis article is added vntounto the former, for the greater confirmation of our faith. For becauſe Chriſt ſitting at ye right hand of his father, doeth ſo exerciſe his kingly power of iudging, partly by defending his that are in couenant with him, that yet in the meane while hee keepeth them vnderunder the croſſe and wronges of their enemies, to mortifie ſinne: partly ſo bridling the vngodlie, Actes 12. that in the meane ſeaſon he leaueth many thinges vnpuniſhed, to the ende his long ſufferaunce may exclude all excuſe: and therefore Chriſt our Lorde will to the ende that wee bee not troubled with any miſeries or crueltie of enemies, that we ſhoulde lift vp our heades with true confidence of minde to looke for his comming, that the greater our miſerie ſhall bee, the more certaine wee may bee, that the daye of our triumph is at hande, and of the righteous deſtruction of all the wicked enemies of God.
That the generall and laſt iudgement muſt of neceſſitie be, that we may bee armed againſt thoſe ſcorners, whome the holy Ghoſt hath foreſhewed ſhoulde be, by Peter the Apoſtle in theſe laſt times,
A ſure foundation may bee taken from the righteouſnes of God, and the ſtate of the righteous in this life, as Paul hath concluded in the 1. Theſ. 1. For it is a righteous thinge with God, to recompence tribulation to them that trouble you; and to you which are troubled, releaſe with vsus, when the Lorde Ieſus ſhall ſhewe himſelfe from heauen with his mightie Angels in flaming fire, &c. Foraſmuch therefore as that recompence is not in this life, which the righteouſnes of God requireth, and this notwithſtanding this righteouſnes remayneth firme & vnmoueable with God for euer, that the wicked may be puniſhed, the Godly may receiue that ſame promiſed releaſe, there vponupon the Apoſtle inferreth, that that is a manifeſt token of the iuſt iudgement of God to followe of the comming of the Lorde; Furthermore this foundation being laide, the deſtruction of the citie of Ieruſalem maie bee added: which Chriſt ioyned with the prophecie of the laſt iudgement, not without a great & weightie cauſe, that is to ſay, the figure with the thing ſignified: that wee might no more doubt of his wrath to come vppon the vngodly in the day of iudgemēt, then of the ſhame of the Iewes foreſhewed of Chriſt, which yet they beare before our eyes. Matth. 24. Luke 21.
Of the meaning of this Article.
THE meaning of this article is: I doe beleeue that Ieſus Chriſte doeth not onelyonly nowe exerciſe his kingly power of iudgeing, by his vertue from heauen by diuerſe examples aſwell in defending the godly, as repreſſing the wicked: but alſo that he ſhall ſolemnly come from heauen from the right hande of the power of God in a corporall preſence, thorowly to iudge all men, as well thoſe that are departed out of this life frō the beginning that the worlde was created, whoſe bodies ſhal riſe againe; as thoſe whome that day ſhall finde remaining yet liuing in this worlde, who ſhall ſoudenly be changed. Nowe foraſmuch as to iudge is to abſolue the innocent & to beautifie them, and to condemne the wicked, and to puniſh them: I beleeue that he ſhall ſo iudge, that hee ſhall fully deliuer the godly, and beutifie them with eternall glorie: & contrariwiſe that he ſhall fully execut the condemnation vppon the contemners of ſo great long ſuffering & patience, and ſo ſhal drowne ſathan (as Pharaoh) with all his armie in euerlaſting deſtructiō, but he ſhal bring in his confiderats fully deliuered from al tyrannie of the wicked into yt ſame true heauenly inheritance, as into the lande of promiſe: to which Paul would hauehave vsus to loke, whē he ſaith, as often as ye ſhall eat of this bread, & drinke of this cup, ye ſhal ſhew forth the Lords death vntil his comming againe.
Why the comming of Chriſt is not ſo feareful vntounto the faithful.
FIrſt ye cauſe doth cōfort ye faithful for which he ſhal come to iudge. Now ye chiefe end of ye cōming againe of Chriſt to iudgement, is the glorifying of the Church, that is to ſay, that ſinne and death being fully ouercome, and the enemies of the kingdome being adiudged by ye iuſt iudgemēt of Chriſt to euerlaſting paine, and ſo all offences and impediments remoued which did let the glory of the ſons of God, God might appeare without any let fully & perfectly glorious in his ſaints, Eph. 5.1. Cor. 15. Chriſt ſetteth this ſame cauſe or rather ende & ſcope before our eyes, whileſt he calleth that day the day of redemption. Secondly ye very perſon of the iudge doth take frō vsus al feare: For euen, for this cauſe the father hath deliuered al iudgmēt to the ſon, as he is the ſonne of man yt he might make our conſciences quiet, & take from vsus all terror of condemnation. Ioh. 5.22.27. Both becauſe yt now we beleeue yt he ſhall be iudge, and alſo becauſe we ſhal behold him with our eyes in whoſe body our ſinnes are cleanſed, and all ye curſe taken away. Heb. 9.28. Tit. 2.13.14. Laſt of al the commandement & promiſe of Chriſt doth free & deliuer vsus frō al feare. The cōmandement is plaine in Luk. 21. Whē ye ſhal ſee theſe thinges come to paſſe, be of good comfort, & lift vp your heades. Math. 24. It ſhall come to paſse, that yee ſhall heare of wars and rumors of warre, but ſee that yee he not troubled, for theſe things must be. The promiſe is plaine in third of Ioh. He that beleeueth in the ſon, is not iudged or cōdēned. And cap. 5.24 1. Theſ. 4.14.17. & cap. 5, ver. 9.10. Ioh. 17. ver. 22.24. yea & let yt promiſe be cōſidered which is in 1. Cor. 6. doe yee not knowe that the ſainctes ſhall iudge the worlde? And a little after, bee yee ignorant that it ſhall come to paſſe, that wee ſhall iudge the Angels? And ſurely ſeeing all the Articles of the faithe are deliuered for our conſolation, it muſt needes be that this article alſo of iudgement is deliuered, not to ſhake, but to confirme and eſtabliſhe our faith.
Howe we ought to make our ſelues readie to iudgement.
WE muſt prepare our ſelues to the iudgement of Chriſt, by faith and a good conſcience: that is to ſay, by a faith which leaneth vppon a faſt and ſure foundation: and by the fruites of faith which doe beare witneſſe of it, and with which it is exerciſed: Nowe the foundation of faith is not our merite, neither in whole, nor in part: but of Chriſt alone, who deliuereth vsus from the wrath to come. 1. Theſſ. 1. For no man can lay any other foundation, then that which is laide alreadie, to wit, Ieſus Chriſt. 1. Cor. 3. The which alſo is manifeſtly vnderſtood by the wordes of the iudge himſelfe: For firſt he ſaith, Come ye bleſsed of my heauenly father: Nowe wee are not bleſſed by, or in our ſelues, but by Chriſt, by whome we are both deliuered from the curſſe, and alſo adopted to be ſonnes of the meere good will, and free purpoſe of God. Galat. 3. Epheſi. 1.2. The iudge further addeth, Poſseſse for an inheritance the kingdome prepared for you from the beginning of the worlde. If an inheritance; then no merite: If prepared from the beginning of the worlde; then not gotten by vsus which yet were not. And theſe things concerning the foundation wherevppon our faith leaneth. Nowe after that I am aſſured through faith, that I am one of the ſheepe of Chriſt, which he hath redeemed not with golde and ſiluer, but with his owne blood: I muſt endeuour that I may hauehave thoſe ſame markes where with by his ſpirite hee is wont to marke his ſheepe, to wit, fruits worthie repentance: which are, that I feede Chriſt being hungrie, and giuegive drinke vntounto him being thirſtie in his mēbers: that I receiue Chriſt by hoſpitalitie in ſtrangers, &c. But the faithfull reſt not vppon theſe workes of thankefulneſſe, like as alſo they ſhall ſay in the iudgement, Lord, when ſaw we thee, hungrie and thirſtie, and gaue meate & drinke vntounto thee? But they ſhall onelyonly reſte vppon Chriſt, who is made vntounto them of God, wiſedome, righteouſnes, ſanctification and redemption. 1. Cor. 1. To theſe fruites and exerciſes of faith, belong ſobrietie, calling vponupon the name of God, and watchfulneſſe. For it is a precious deceit of ſathan, whileſt he perſuadeth men that that ſame iudgement is yet farre off: or that there is no neede euerie houre or moment to looke for it: when as notwithſtanding the comaundement of Chriſte, and the doctrine of the Apoſtles require ſpeciall watchfulneſſe, Luke 21. Matth. 24. verſe 44.45. 1. Theſſa. 4. verſ. 15.17. and chapter 5. verſe. 1.2. 1. Pet. 3. Beſides theſe, the looking for iudgement, doeth admoniſh the faithful, that aboue all thinges they take heede vntounto themſelues, leaſt they defile their bodies or their ſoules with the idolatrie of Antichriſt or with the like, & that they vnderprop their mindes with patience, concerning which matter there are extant graue admonitions Mat. 24. ver. 24.25. & Apo. 14. ver. 7.7.11.12. & chap. 18. ver. 4. To conclude, wee muſt keepe a good conſcience in al things, euen vntil the Lord ſhal come, who ſhall make manifeſt ye ſecretes of darkenes, & ſhal lay open the coūſels of the hart. 1. Cor. 4.5. So Paul ſaith, Act. 24. In this therefore I exerciſe my ſelfe that alwayes I may hauehave a conſcience without offence before God and men.