The Great Day of Judgment, Preface
Preparatory Meditations, upon THE DAY OF JUDGMENT.
S. 1. THE Great Apoſtle PAUL, according unto the Wiſdom given unto him, Writing unto the Hebrewes, hath with Good Reaſon erected Thoſe as the Two Pillars, even the Jachin and Boaz of all Religion, GOD IS, and HE IS A REWARDER; Nor are the mountainous Pillars of Heaven, more ſtable, or more laſting, than theſe two, mo… Glorious Principles. That there is a GOD, or a JEHOVAH, is a Truth more Engraven in the whole Fabric of the World, than the Name of the Artificer was of old into the Image of his Minerva. Even the Dumb and Mute Creatures do ſo loudly proclame the Being of a GOD, Preſentenque docet quaelibet Herba Deum, that I may ſay with Job, Ask now the Beaſts, and they ſhall Teach thee; and the Fowls of the Air, and they ſhall Tell thee; Or ſpeak to the Earth, and it ſhall Teach thee, and the Fiſhes of the Sea, ſhall declare unto thee. The World muſt neceſſarily have a Beginning; & that it could not have its Beginning from it ſelf, is evident, inaſmuch as Nothing would have then been the cauſe of Something. Nor dos any thing leſs than the Power of a GOD, the Wiſdom of a GOD, and the Goodneſs of a GOD; appear in the Conſtitution of the Univerſe. And as all the Creatures are ſo many Letters in the Book of Creation, from which we may ſpell the Exiſtence of a GOD, ſo …o's the Book of Providence give us a Continuation of the Demonſtration, which proves a Deity. For therein, beſides the Extraordinary Occurrents, In Prophecies, and Miracles, and Retaliations, upon the ſight which every one cryes out, The Finger of God! the Excellent Order, wherein all things … preſerved, abundantly argues a GOD, whoſe Kingdom Ruleth all. But indeed, I may ſay, What need we any further Witneſſes? Or what Need of any Coming from the Dead unto us, with ſuch Advice as the Spectre of Major Sydenham gave to Captain Dyke, a while ago, I am come to tell you, that there is a GOD; and that He is a Juſt & a Terrible God! The Notion of a GOD is imprinted ſo deeply in the Spirit of man it ſelf, that it can be aſcribed unto none but ſuch an Author, and therefore ſuch an Author there is, as, a GOD, who Forms the Spirit of man within him. Had this Idea, in the Soul of man, been a Meer Tradition of our Anceſtors, why is it not all this while detected like other Vulgar Errors of much leſs Importance? Or, Had it been a meer Policy of our Governours, whence is it that Rulers themſelves, as much as any other Mortals, are ſmitten with the Terrors of it? The Notion is as Natural, as tis Powerful; man is born with an Inclination to acknowledge a GOD, and he will have Many rather than have None; Atheiſm has not been ſo agreeable to mankind, as Polytheiſm▪ The Notion alſo is as Ge…eral as tis Natural; tis not peculiar to any one Kingdom or Kindred; they which Differ in all other things, yet Ʋnite in their ſenſe of a GOD; and the Salvage Indians themſelves in the moſt hideous and Barbarous Thickets of America, own a Koutantowit, as the Firſt Cauſe of all. Yea, I do conſidently affirm, That of all the Few Profeſſed Atheiſts, which have been known among the Brutify'd part of mankind; there has been hardly ſo much as One, which hath ſtedfaſtly Believed, That there is no God, without Vehement Suſpicions of the Contrary. Tis by ſome Remarkable Plague from our Injured and Provoked GOD, upon the more Atheistical ſore of them things which would be called, Men, That none uſe the Name of GOD, in the profane A…ſes of Swearing and Curſing, ſo much as thoſe Monſters do: and Calvin, as I Remember, mentions one of them, that upon a Blow given him, Cry'd out, O God help me! though he had juſt before been Vehemently …iſputing, that there was no God at all. …ut b…ſides, thoſe Ʋndeſigned Confeſſions of a GOD, from the Mouiks of thoſe Miſcreants, there are at ſome times uſually before they Dy, ſuch Flaſhes of Lightening from Heaven, darted into their Souls, as force 'em Deliberately to Recant, the Folly which acted them, when they ſaid, that is, wiſh'd, rather than Thought, in their Hearts, — NO GOD. Some that have in their Lives pretended unto the more than Divilliſh Bravery, of Renouncing the Belief of a GOD; yet have declared at laſt that their Minds inwardly and frequently twitch'd 'em with direful Remonſtrances againſt their Impiety, and Read, 'em Lectures upon the Reality of a GOD, which made 'em alwayes Live uneaſily. And if ſome Wretches, by the Conſtant Practice & Lerry of their Vices, have laid the ſenſe of a GOD, in their Souls a ſleep, yet our great GOD, na's Commonly rows'd them into ſome waking Minutes, wherein they might have ſaid, When I Conſider, I am afraid of GOD; GOD makes my Heart Soft, and the Almighty Troubles me. Wicked men, that Forget God, would fain alſo Deſtroy him; and, that they may go as far as they can, they Labour to Shake Off, and Root Out that Remembrance of GOD, in their Souls, which gives 'em ſo many Vexations in their Courſes of Ungodlineſs; but it will not Off, it will not Out, the Almighty GOD makes the moſt haughty Criminals to ſtoop under this Inſtance of His Empire over them. A Certain Spark a while ſince in Company begun to brag, Well, Ill prove, for I am now able to prove, There is no God. A Gentleman (if a Beaſt may be called ſo!) then preſent, reply'd, Prethee Do! and I…l give thee a thouſand Guinnies for thy Pains! But all the Guinnies in the World, will not reſcue a man from the force of this perſwaſion, That there is a GOD; and ſuch are the Circumſtances of the perſwaſion, as that it muſt be From the GOD, OF whom it is. Now from the Faith of a GOD, we are led preſently to Conceive of a JUDGE; JEHOVAH will be ELOHIM; tis to be Concluded, that He ha's given Lawes, according whereunto Mankind is under His Moral Government; and in the Execution of this Government▪ He will diſpence Rewards unto the Children of men, according to the Rules for the Diſtribution thereof, by Himſelf Preſcribed.
S. 2. There are Various Diſpenſations of Providence, wherein the God of Heaven, diſcovers Himſelf a REWARDER, unto that People, which He has formed for Himſelf, that they may ſhow forth His Praiſe. And were there more Collections, with fit Reflections, made of Diſpenſations this way Remarkable, it would be a Work full of Service and Hon…ur into our God; They that were ſo Wiſe, as to Obſerve theſe things, would certainly Ʋnderſtand the Loving kindneſs of the Lord, even in the Remarkable Things, that would be done for themſelves. But it is not in this World, that our God has the glory of His being, A REWARDER, ſo fully and ſo clearly diſplay'd, as it ought to be; We dayly ſee Godlineſs Oppreſſed: and Wickedneſs Advanced, in this Preſent evil World; and neither the Appeals of Affl…cted Innocence, nor the Affronts of Outrageous Vallany, have a Sufficiently Senſible Notice taken of them. There is therefore an Eternal State of Bleſſedneſs and Miſery, whereinto the Righteous God will bring every one of us, according to our Behaviours here. Our Short Condition in this World, is but a Condition of Probation or of Stewardſhip; and according to our Carriage in this Condition, we ſhall in the Iſſue, as the mouth of our faithful Saviour Himſelf, has long ſince aſ…ned us, Go away into Everlaſting Puniſhment, Or, elſe, Into Life Everlaſting. But at the Threſhold of that Eternal State, it is but proper that a Diſtinct Account ſhould be taken of what every man ha's done in the Body, that ſo the Luſtre of that Juſtice, which Dooms them to their Interminable Bleſſedneſs or Miſery, may ſtrike the very Conſciences of all Beholders. Hence tis, that the Oracles of Truth have told us, God ha's appointed a Day, in which He will Judge the World, by that man whom He hath Ordained: Whereof He hath given Aſſurance unto a… men, in that He ha's Raiſed Him from the Dead. There is indeed a Particular Diſpoſal of Dragons, and our Bleſſed Redeemer ſtanding upon Mount Zion,Zech. 13 4 ſhall proclaim to all His Saints: Lift up your Heads, for the day of your final Redemption is come. Lets end with that apprecation of holy Paul.Heb. 13.20, 21. [Now the God of Peace that brought again from the Dead our Lord Jeſus, that great Shepard of the Sheep, through the blood of the everlaſting Covenant, Make you perfect in every good Work, to do his will, working in you that which is well pleaſing in his ſight, through Jeſus Chriſt, to whom be Glory for ever and ever, Amen.]
Yours in Goſpel Service, SAMƲEL LEE.