The Last Judgment, Tract · Doctrine 22
Ver. 37, 38, 39. Then ſhall the Righteous anſwer him, &c.
Doct. XXII. is this, That the Elect Saints at the laſt day will wonder and admire, that their Works, that they have made ſo little reckoning of, ſhould be ſo owned and accepted by the Lord Jeſus. For ſo Interpreters make account that this queſtion is made of them, by way of wonder and admiration.
Reaſons. 1. From the Lord himſelf. 2. From the Saints. 3. From their Works.
From the Lord. 1. He needs not us, nor any of our ſervices, and therefore we may then well wonder that he does ſo accept them, Acts 17.24, 25. 2. He is above all our ſervices; that which is ſpoken of one, is true of all the reſt, Nehem. 9.5. and being ſo above them, we may well wonder that he will accept of them. 3. He was happy from all Eternity, when there was neither Man nor Angel to ſerve him, Prov. 8 30, 31. and therefore they may well admire at this. 4. He fills all in all, Epheſ. 1.23. Joh. 1.16. and is it not then a wonder that he ſhould own and accept any thing done by us? 5. He gives us that whereof we have been bountiful, 1 Chron. 29.14, 16. 6. He puts it into our hearts to be merciful; it is his own work, and therefore that he reckons of it as ours, and accepts it as coming from us, we may well wonder at it.
2. From the Saints. 1. They are unſatisfied in what they do. 2. They ſin in their beſt actions, Iſa. 64.6. 3. They take no notice of them themſelves, Mat 6.3. and therefore may woll wonder that he ſhould take notice of them, and accept them. 4. They ſee that they too often have wanted bands and hearts to give, and therefore cannot but wonder that he ſhould ſo accept of them. 5. They miſs their opportunities of Beneficence too often, Gal 6.10. when they come off to works of Mercy with delay and difficulty. 6. They want ability ſometimes to ſhew mercy, are poor, and have little to give. 7. They give very little, Luke 21.1, 2, 3, 4. 8. They do it not with ſuch in larged hearts as the Lord calls for, Iſa. 58.1….
3. From their Works of Mercy. 1. They are nothing to what we might have done according to our ability, 1 Tim. 6.18. 2. They are nothing in compariſon of the mercy be has … to us. 3. They are of no reckoning, compared with the Reward. 4. They are nothing to what others would have done, if they had our opportunities, 2 Cor. 8.1, …. 5. They are nothing to what we ſhould have done. 6. They are nothing to the mul…icude of our ſins.
Ʋſe 1. for Information: …. We ſee what cauſe we have to wonder at the Lords acceptance of what we do here for him, for at that day we ſhall wonder at his owning and accepting of the ſmalleſt kindneſſes ſhewed to his Members. 2. We ſee that holy admications here at the prace of Chriſt towards us, is the beginning of thoſe bleſſed admirings that we ſhall have at that day. 3. We ſee that we ſhall furely be filled with admiration at the riches of his grace in pardening of our ſins, and reconciling us to himſelf; for if we ſhall wonder at this here mentioned in the Text, much more at that: if at the leſs, much more at the greater, Mich 7.18. 4. We ſee how admirable the joyes of beaven will be, we ſhall be raviſhed in our ſpirits in the ſenſe of them. If this here mentioned be ſo admirable, what will they be? 5. We ſee that great will be the humility of the Elect Saints at that day, for this holy admiration is a fruit of it. 6. We ſee that the more humble we be in our holy admirings at the Lords mercies, the more we come up to that perfection that is in another world. 7. We ſee that the Saints make account that their beſt works are worthleſs things, and deſerve not to be accepted. Pſal 143.2. 8. We ſee how damnable their condition is, that truſt to the merit of their works for Salvation, Tit. 3.4, 5, 6 7. 2 Tim. 1.9. …. We ſee how free God… grace is in accepting us and our ſervices, Rom. 4 1, 2. 10. We ſee that there are many wonders in the grace of God, in accepting what we do for him.
Ʋſe 2. for Humiliation: 1. That we have ſo few of theſe holy admirings here. 2. That we are apt to have too high thoughts of our works: Alas! it is a wonder of Gods grace that they ſhould ever be accepted.
Ʋſe 3. for Exhortation: 1. To begin our wondring here, for we ſhall wonder at that day. 2. To abhor the thought of being juſtified or ſaved by them, Iſa 64.6. 3. To deſire after that day that may fill us with theſe holy admirings, Rev. 22.20. 4. To humble our ſelves for all our failings in our ſervices to him in his Saints, for we ſhall humbly admire their acceptance at that day, 1 Chron. 29.14, 16. 5. To walk …edly from all that we have done, and not to reſt in any of our duties, for it will be a wonder to us one day, that they ſhould be owned and accepted. 6. To wonder that we can no more wonder at the wonders of Gods grace towards us.
Ʋſe 4. for Conſolation: 1. Againſt our ſhortneſs in our holy admirings here, at the Lords accepting of our ſervices, we ſhall come off better at that day. 2. Againſt the praiſes that vain glorious Hypocrites have for their works; we ſhall have praiſe from God, which we ſhall wonder at.