The Last Judgment, Tract
A DISCOURSE OF THE LAST JUDGEMENT, ON MATTH. 25.31. to the end.
Verſe 31. When the Son of man ſhall come in his glory, and all the holy Angels with him, then ſhall he ſit upon the throne of his glory:
32 And before him ſhall be gathered all Nations, and he ſhall ſeparate them one from another, as a ſhepherd divideth his ſheep from the goats.
33 And he ſhall ſet the ſheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 Then ſhall the King ſay unto them on his right hand, Come ye bleſſed of my Father, inherit the kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirſty, and ye gave me drink: I was a ſtranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was ſick, and ye viſited me: I was in priſon, and ye came unto me.
37 Then ſhall the righteous anſwer him, ſaying, Lord, when ſaw me thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirſty, and gave thee drink?
38 When ſaw we thee a ſtranger, and took thee in? or maked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when ſaw we thee ſick, or in priſon, and came unto thee?
40 And the King ſhall anſwer, and ſay unto them, Verily I ſay unto you, In as much as ye have done it unto one of the leaſt of theſe my brethren, ye bare done it unto me.
41 Then ſhall he alſo ſay unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye curſed, into everlaſting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.
42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirſty, and ye gave me no drink:
43 I was a ſtranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye … me not: ſick, and in priſon, and ye viſited me not.
44 Then ſhall they alſo anſwer him, ſaying, Lord, when ſaw we thee an hungred, or athirſt, or a ſtranger, or naked, or ſick, or in priſon, and did not miniſter unto thee?
45 Then ſhall be anſwer them, ſaying, Verily I ſay unto you; In as much as ye did it not to one of the leaſt of theſe, ye did it not to me.
46 And theſe ſhall go away into everlaſting puniſhment: but the righteous into life eternall.
IN theſe words we have a lively deſcription of Chriſts coming to the Laſt Judgement: Wherein we have 1. The Preparation: 2. The Sentence. The former is ſet forth 1. In the Glory of Chriſt the Judge. 2. In his Retinue. 3. In his Magnincence, He ſhall ſit upon his glorious Throne. 4. By his Power, All Nations ſhall be gathered before him. 5. By his Separation between the Elect and Reprobate. 6. By his Diſpoſing of both ſorts, the Elect to his right hand, the Reprobate to his left. In the Sentence we have 1. What he pronounceth to the Elect: 2. To the Reprobate.
In the Sentence pronounced upon the Elect, we have 1. A deſcription of them; they are his Fathers bleſſed ones. 2. His ſweet admittance of them into his fellowſhip. 3. His poſſeſſing them of their Inheritance; which Inheritance is ſet forth by the preparation of it of old. 4. The Reaſon he is pleaſed to yield of all this grace of his towards them, taken from his own work upon them, in ſhewing mercy to his Members and Brethren, which he reckons as done to himſelf. 5. Their modeſt queſtion to him, as if they could not own any thing that they had done to him. 6. His gracious anſwer to them, and teſtification of his acceptance of what they had done for him in the leaſt of his Brethren, to Ver. 41.
In the Sentence pronounced againſt the Reprobates, we have 1. A deſcription of them; they are curſed ones. 2. His Abdication of them from his Preſence, Depart from me: wherein the puniſhment of loſs is ſet fo…th. 3. The puniſh…ent of Senſe inflicted upon them, h…d out under the notion of Fire. And 4. The deration and continuance of that puniſhment; it is Everlaſting fire. 5. The preparation of it. 6. The woful Companions they muſt have in the fire, the Devil and his Anacls. 7. The Reaſon of all th…s, taken from their un nercifulneſs to Chriſt in his Brethren and Members. 8. Their bold denial …f his Ch…rge of Unmercifulneſs, in the queſtion they put, When ſaw we thee, &c. 9. Chriſts full anſwer to them, whereby he ſtops their mouthes that they ſhall not have a word to ſay againſt him. 10. The iſſue and reſult of all, both towards the Reprobate, and towards the Elect: The Reprobate go into everlaſting puniſhment, and the Righteous into life eternal.