The Last Judgment, Tract · Doctrine 11
Ver. 34. Come ye bleſſed of my Father &c.
Doct. XI is this That the Elect Saints are the Fathers Bleſſed ones, an… ſhall be pronounced ſuch by the Lord Jeſus at the laſt and great day.
For opening of which let me ſhew, 1. Wherein they are the Fathers Bleſſed ones. 2. How they come to be his bleſſed ones. 3. Why pronounced ſo. 4. The Uſes.
For the firſt: Wherein hey are his bleſſed ones?
Anſw. 1. He Ble…th the… wi…h all Spiritual Bleſſings in Heavenly places in Chriſt Jeſus, Epheſ. 1.3.…. He Bleſſeth them with the Bleſſing of Peace. Pſal 29. ult. peace External. Pſal. 147.13, 14 Peace Internal, Rom 5.1. Peace Eternal Iſai 57.2. 3. He Bleſeth the… with his Favour, Pſal. 5.12. 4. He bleſſeth them with deliverance from their Enemies, Pſal. 3.8. Deut. 28.7. 5. He Bleſſeth them with ſucceſs in their callings, Pſal. 1.3. 6. He Bleſſeth them with fruitfulneſs in the ſeaſon of it, ibid, it's a ſeaſon to have the Soule afflicted in a Faſt; they ſhall in that ſeaſon bring forth that fruit: it's a ſeaſon to rejoice in a feaſt day, they ſhall bring forth that fruit in that ſeaſon: it's a ſeaſon to conſider in the day of adverſity, Eccleſ. 7.14. a ſeaſon to pray in an afflicted condition, Jam 5.13. it's a ſeaſon to ſing Pſalm… in an eſtate of Mirth, and to be Joyful in proſperity: they ſhall bring forth theſe fruits in their ſeaſons. 7. He Bleſſeth them in their Families, in their yoak fellowes, in their Children, in their ſervants, and ſojourners, Deut. 28.4 8. He Bleſſeth them with the great Bleſſing of Evernal Life. 9. He Bleſſeth them in their outward Eſtate, Deut. 28.4, 5, 8, 11. 10 He bleſſeth them in all places where they come, Deut. 28 3. 11. He bleſſeth them in all eſtates that they are brought into, proſperity is bleſſed to them, as to David, and Solomon, and divers others, Abraham, and Lot, with many more. Adverſity is bleſſed to them as to Job and Heman, and ſundry more: ſee Rom. 8.28. no wind blows but brings them in profit, South-wind, North-wind make their Spices flow, Cant. 4.16. 12. He bleſſeth them of what rank and ſtate ſoever they be of, and in all their relations, high and low, rich and poor, Noble and Ignoble: P…rents are related to Children, and Children to Parents, he bleſſeth both, Gen. 17.7. Pſal 15.13, 14, 15. Husbands to Wives, and Wives to Husbands, he bleſſeth both: how many bleſſed couples do we meet with in Scripture? Miniſters to People, and People to Miniſters; how many bleſſed ſocieties have there been, and are at this day? 13. He bleſſeth them in their Spirits and Souls, by being with their Spirits by ſpeaking in them, for it is the Spirit of their Father that ſpeaks in them, Mat. 10.20. by increaſing his graces in them Pſal. 92.12.13, 14. Rev 2.19 14. He bleſſeth them with his preſence in his Ordinances Pſal 84.4.
Queſt. 2. How come they to be his bleſſed ones?
Anſw. 1. He hath choſen them, Epheſ. 1.3, 4. 2. He hath Adopted them, Epheſ. 1.5. 3. He hath effectually called them, Rom 8.30. 1 Pet. 3.9. 4. He hath juſtified and pardoned them, and therefore bleſſed them Pſal. 32.1, 2. 5. He hath ſent his Son to bleſs them, Acts 3.26. 6. Me hath given his Spirit to them, Epheſ. 1.14, 20, 22. 7. He hath prepared a kingdom for them, ſo the text. 8. He hath made us meet for this eſtate, Col. 1.12.
Queſt. 3. Why ſhall they be pronounced ſuch at that day?
Anſw. 1. For the glory of the Father. Son, and Spirit, f…r theſe are glorified by this. 2. For the honour of the elect, for it will be their great honour to have this noble ſtyle put upon them at that day.
Ʋſe 1. For Information, 1. We ſee of what precious eſteem the Saint ſhould be to us, for they are the Fathers bleded ones, their names ſhould be precious, their ſoules precious, their lives precious, their deaths precious, every way precious they ſhould be, for the Father highly priaeth them in making them his bleſſed ones. 2. We ſee that we can never be thankfull enough to the bleſſed Father, never bleſs him enough who thus bleſſeth us, Coloſſ. 1.12. Epheſ. 1.3, 4. Neh. 9.5. 3. We ſee that it is no matter though men curſe us, as long as we are the Fathers bleſſed ones, Pſal 109.28. David was never the worſe for Shimeſs cur…ing, 2 Sam. 16. being one that was bleſſed of the Father. 4. We ſee what reaſon Governours have to bleſs thoſe under them, 1 King 8.55. Numb 6.23-27. Kuth 2.4. Gen. 28.1, 3, 4. 5. We ſee how denrable that day ſhould be to u… wherein we ſhall be pronounced the ble…ſed of the Father, that will be a bleſſed d…y indeed, Cant. 8. ult. Apoc. 22.20. 6. We ſee what great reaſon we have to bleſs the Lords people, for they are the Fathers bleſſed ones: we ſhould bleſs them with our prayers, bleſs them with our ſalutations, bleſs them with our hearty deſires for them, every way bleſs them; for the Father hath begun to us, and led us the way in making them his bleſſed ones, Rom. 12.14. 1 Pet. 3.9. 7. We ſee where is the original and riſe of all our bleſſedneſs, and whence it comes to us, it is from the bleſſed Father, he is the fountaine of it, we ſhould never have been bleſſed had it not been for this bleſſed Spring, Acts 3.26. Iohn 3.16. 8. We ſee that the Lords Saints ſhall be bleſſed, for the Father hath bleſſed them: if Iſaac ſaid Gen 27.33. much more is it true here. 9. We ſee the vanity of thoſe that hold that the Heathens were ſaved, and are now bleſſed ones, how can this be, when they neither knew the Father nor the Son by whom they muſt bee bleſſed. 10. We ſee what reaſon we have to bleſs thoſe that curſe us, for …e are called to inherit a bleſſing and are the Lords bleſſed ones Mat. 5.44. 1 Pet. 3.9. 11. We ſee how unlike they are to the bleſſed Father, that curſe thoſe that he hath bleſſed, ſee Pſal. 109.17, 18, 19. and we ſee the trueth of that Gen. 12.3. 12. We ſee that all thoſe afflictions that we meet with here, ſhould be nothing to us, for in the midſt of all we are the Fathers bleſſed ones.
Ʋſe 2. For Terrour, 1. To thoſe that curſe them, Numb. 23.8. 2. To thoſe that pray not for them, nor bleſs them, but do all the deſpite they can againſt them, 2 Sam. 16. Mat. 5.44. 3. To thoſe that deſpiſe the Fathers bleſſing. 4. To thoſe that hate them for this bleſſing, as Gen. 27.41.
Ʋſe 3. For Exhortation, 1. To bleſs him that bleſſeth us, Epheſ. 1.3. 2. To delight in bleſſing them th…t are his bleſſed ones, Pſal. 109.17. 3. To honour the Lord Jeſus that will honour us at that day, and ſtile us his Fathers bleſſed ones, Iohn 5.22 23. 4. To ſhew that we are the Fathers bleſſed ones, by being a bleſſing in all places where we come, Gen. 12.2. 5. To bleſs our families, 2 Sam. 6.20. 6. To believe our ſelves, and ſtirre up others in temptation to believe that they are the bleſſed of the Lord, Pſal. 115.15. 7. To deteſt the very thought of curſing him who maketh us his bleſſed ones, Levit. 24 15, 16, 23. If to revile or curſe an Earthly Ruler be ſo great and dangerous an evil, Exod. 22.28. Eccleſ 10.20. what is it then to have an evil thought or word concerning the bleſſed God? 8. To beware we bleſs not with the mouth, and curſe inwardly, Pſal. 62.4. 9. To be farr from envying evil men for what they have, for we are above them in the Fathers bleſſing, Pſal. 73.3. 10. To love the Father and Son.
Ʋſe 4. For Conſolation, 1. Againſt the curſes of ſinfull men, they ſhall not take againſt us, Prov. 26.2. 2 Sam. 16.12. Neh. 13.2. 2. Againſt the dreadfulneſs of the day of Judgment, we ſhall then be pronounced the Fathers bleſſed ones. 3. Againſt our own ſinfull unbelieving thoughts. 4. Againſt the miſpriſions of men, they think evill of us, but it matters not if we be the bleſſed of the Father. 5. Againſt the foreſt afflictions and temptations, they ſhall be bleſſed to us, Rom. 8.28.