The Catechizing of Families, Chapter 16
CHAP. XVI. From thence he shall come again to judge th… Quick and … Dead.
Qu. 1. WHat is meant by the Quick and … Dead?
A. Those that are found alive at Christ's coming and those that were dead before.a1 Thes. 15, 16, 17.
Q. 2. Are not the Souls of Men judged when Men die?
A. In part they are: But as it is Soul and Body that make a Man, so it is the Judgment upon Soul and Body which is the full judgment on the Man: God's Execution is the principal part of his Judgment: And as Souls have not the fulness of Glory or Misery till the Resurrection, so they are not fully Judged till then: And Societies must be then judged, and Persons in their Sociable relations together.bMat. 25. 2 Thess. 1. 6, 7. 10, 11. Ioh. 5. 22. 25.
Q. 3. Whither is it that Christ will come, and where will he judge the World?
A. Not in Heaven, for the wicked shall not come thither: But Paul tells us, 1 Thes. 4. 16. [That the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven, with a shout, with the Voice of the Archangel, and with the Trump of God, and the Dead in Christ shall rise first, and then they that are alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the Clouds to meet the Lord in the Air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord.] By which it appeareth that the place of Judgment will be in the Air, between Heaven and Earth.
Q. 4. In what manner will Christ come to Iudgment?
A. Christ tells us, Matth. 25. 31. That the Son of Man (that is, Christ as Man,) shall come in his Glory, and all the Holy Angels with him, and shall sit on the Throne of his Glory, and before him shall be gathered all Nations, and he shall separate them one from another, as a Shepheard divideth his Sheep from the Goats.] And St. Paul saith, 2 Thess. 1. 7, 8. The Lord Iesus shall be revealed from Heaven, with his mighty Angels, in flaming Fire, taking Vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Iesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting Destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the Glory of his Power, when he shall come to be glorified in his Saints, and to be admired in all them that believe.
Q. 5. Where are the Souls of the Dead before the Day of Iudgment?
A. The Souls of the Faithful are with Christ in Heaven, and the Souls of the Wicked are with Devils in misery.
Q. 6. Where is it that the Devils and Wicked are in misery?
A. They are shut out from the Glory of God, and where ever it be that they are, it is as Gods Prison, till the Judgment of the Great Day. But the Scripture calleth the Devil, [the Prince of the Power of the Air] Eph. 2. 2. Yet is he on Earth, for he worketh in the Children of disobedience, and is ready with his Temptations with all Men: And he is said to go to and fro in the Earth, Job 1. 7. & 2. 2. And he is said to walk in dry places, seeking rest, and dwelling in the wicked, Mat. 12. 43, 44.
Q. 7. But are the Souls of the Wicked in no other Hell than the Devils are?
A. The Scripture tells us of no other: But it tells us not of their tempting and possessing Men as Devils do, but of their suffering.
Q. 8. Are Devils and Wicked Souls in the same Hell that they shall be in after the Day of Iudgment, and have they the same punishment?
A. Whether there shall be any change of the Place, it is not needful for us to know: But the punishment is of the same kind: But it will be greater after Judgment▪ were it but because the Body joyned to the Soul, and the multitude of the damned joyned in the Suffering, will make every one more receptive of it.
Q. 9. Is there no middle place between Heaven and Hell? or a middle state of Souls that are in hope of deliverance from their pain?
A. Hell it self is not all one Place, cLuke 16. 22, 9.seeing Devils are both in the Air and in the Earth, and where else we know not: And in Iob 1. 11, 12. Satan was among the Sons of God. But as for any hope of deliverance to them that die unpardoned, the Scripture tells us of none, buth saith that [the Night cometh when none can work] and that This is the accepted time: this is the Day of Salvation: And that [every Man shall be judged according to what he had done in the Body, whether it be good or evil.] It is therefore mad presumption for any one to neglect this Day of Salvation upon a hope of his own making, that they that die the Slaves of the Devil may repent and be delivered in their Airy Life, and be made the Children of God; or that any Purgatory fire shall refine them, or any Prayers of the Saints in Heaven or Earth deliver them.dMat. 5. 25, 26. Mark 9. 43, 44, 45, 46.
Q. 10. But it seems by their pleading described by Christ, Mat. 25. that they will not be past hope till the Sentence be passed on them.
A. But the same Text, tells you what Sentence certainly shall pass; and therefore that if they keep any hope it is not of Gods making, but their own, and will be all in vain: But indeed those words seem rather to express their fervent desire to escape Damnation, than their hope. The wicked may cry for Mercy when it is too late, but shall not obtain it: Dives Luke 16. may beg for a drop of Water, but not get it.
Q. 11. But will it not be a long work to judge all that ever lived from the beginning of the World unto the End?
A. Gods Judgment is not like Mans, by long talk and wordy Tryal, though Christ open the Reasons of it after the manner of Men; Gods Judgment consisteth of full Conviction and Execution: And he can convince all Men in a moment by his Light, shining at once into every ones Conscience: As the Sun can enlighten at once the Millions of Eyes all over the Earth. And Gods execution (casting all the wicked into utter darkness and misery) needs no long time, though it's continuance will be for ever.e2 Tim. 4. 1.
Q. 12. May we know in this life, what Iudgment Christ will then pass on us?
A. All Men, or most Men do not know it: Nor will it be known by a slight and sudden Thought; nor by blinded or self-flattering Sinners; nor by the worser sort of true Believers, that sin as much as will stand with sincerity; nor yet by such ignorant Christians who understand not well the terms of the Covenant of Grace, or have true Grace, and know it not to be true: nor yet by such timerous Christians, whose fear doth hinder Faith and Reason. But there is no doubt but we may know, and ought to use all diligence to know what Sentence Christ will pass upon us.fIo. 12. 47, 48. Rom. 2. 12, 13. Act. 17. 31. Mark 16. 16.
For, 1. The difference between Heaven and Hell is so great, that there must needs be a great difference between them that shall go to each: And therefore it may be known: Christ's Spirit is not an undiscernable Mark and Pledge to them that have it. 2. And we are commanded to search and try our selves; and many Marks of difference are told us, and the Persons plainly described that shall be Justified and Condemned: And they are already here Justified and Condemned by that Law by which they shall be judged. 3. And what comfort could we have in all the Redemption and Grace of Christ, and all the Promises of Salvation, if we could not come to know our Title by them.gMal. 3. 17. 18. Mat. 25. Mat. 13. Rom. 8. 30. Io. 17. 2, 3. Heb. 9. 27. 2 Cor. 5. 10. Heb. 6. 2.
Q. 13. Who be they that Christ will then justifie, or condemn?
A. I must not here answer that Question, because its proper place is afterward, under some of the following Articles.
Q. 14. But I find some Scriptures, saying, That we are not justified by works, but by Faith in Christ; and yet in Mat. 25. Christ passeth the Sentence upon Mens Works as the Cause; and it's said, We shall be judged according to our works.
A. By works, Paul meaneth hAct. 24. 25. Iam. 2. 13. Acts 17. 31. Rom. 3. 27. Gal. 2. 16, 17. & 3. 2. 5. 10. Eph. 2. 7. Tit. 3. 5, 6. Rom. 4. 4. & 2. 2, 3, 5. Eccl. 12. 24.All works that are conceived to make the reward to be not of Grace, but of Debt: All works which are set in competition or opposition to Justification by Faith in Christ: The Question between him and the Iews was, Whether the Divine excellency of Moses's Law was such, as that it was given to justifie the doers of it as such? Or whether it was but an Index to point them to Christ the end of the Law, by whom they must be justified? But it is not Believing in Christ, nor begging his Grace, nor thankfully accepting it, that Paul meaneth by Works in his exclusion: It is this that he sets against these works. And as we are here made Justified Persons by meer Grace, giving us Repentance and Faith in Christ (that is, making us Christians:) so this obligeth us to live and die as Christians, if we will be saved. And therefore the final justifying Sentence at Judgment doth pass on us according to such works only as are the performance of our Covenant with Christ, without which we shall not be saved, and therefore not then justified; our Justification then being the justifying of our Title to Salvation, and therefore hath the same conditions.
Q. 15. What may we further learn by this Article of Christ's coming.
A. 1. We must learn to Fear, and Obey him that must judge us: And to live as we would then hear of it, and to make it all the work of Our lives to prepare for that day and final doom. And diligently to try our Hearts and Lives, that we may be sure to be then justified.
2. We must not be discouraged that we see not Christ, but remember that we shall shortly see him in his Glory: In the Sacrament and all his worship, let us do it, as expectants of his coming.(i) Rom. 14. 10. Rev. 20. 12, 13. & 22. 14. Iam. 2. 14, &c. Mat. 12. 36, 37. 2. Pet. 3. 11, 12.
3. We have no cause to be dismayed at the Prosperity of the Wicked, nor at our Prosecutions or any sufferings, while we foresee by Faith that glorious Day.
4. We should live in the joyful Hopes of that Day, when he that died for us, and Sanctified us, shall be our Judge, and justifie us, and finally judge us to endless Life: And we must love, and long, and pray for this Glorious coming of Christ. Come Lord Iesus, come quickly, Amen.