A Treatise of Christian Religion, Chapter 56
CHAP. 56.
Of the Iudgement it ſelfe.
Where note,
Chriſts preparation to the iudgement, in
His glorious appearing.
The glorious effects thereof.
The parts, the
Sentence,
For the faithfull.
Againſt the wicked.
Execution thereof.
MAT. chap. 24. verſ. 29. to 31. and chap. 25. verſ. 31. to 45.
29. Immediately after the tribulation of thoſe daies, ſhall the Sunne be darkened, and the Moone ſhall not giuegive her light, and the Starres ſhall fall from heauen, and the powers of the heauens ſhall be ſhaken.
30. And then ſhall appeare the ſigne of the Sonne of man in heauen: and then ſhall all the Tribes of the earth mourne, and they ſhall ſee the Sonne of man comming in the clouds of heauen, with power and great glory.
31. And he ſhall ſend his Angels with a great ſound of a trumpet, and they ſhall gather together his Elect from the foure winds, from one end of heauen, to the other.
Chap. 25. verſ. 31. to the 45.
31. When the Sonne of man ſhall come in his glory, and all the holy Angels with him, then ſhall he ſit vponupon the throne of his glory:
32. And before him ſhall be gathered all nations, and he ſhall ſeparate them one from another, as a ſhepheard diuideth his ſheepe from the goates.
33. And he ſhall ſet the ſheepe on his right hand, but the goates on the left.
34. Then ſhall the King ſay vntounto 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 gaue me meat: I was thirſtie, and ye gaue me drinke: I was a ſtranger, and yee tooke mee in:
36. Naked, and ye clothed me: I was ſicke, and ye viſited me: I was in priſon, and ye came vntounto me.
37. Then ſhall the righteous anſwere him, ſaying, Lord, when ſaw wee thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirſtie, and gaue thee drinke?
38. When ſaw wee thee a ſtranger, and tooke thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39. Or when ſaw we thee ſicke, or in priſon, and came vntounto thee?
40. And the King ſhall anſwere, and ſay vntounto them, Verily I ſay vntounto you, In as much as ye hauehave done it vntounto one of the leaſt of theſe my brethren, ye hauehave done it vntounto me.
41. Then ſhall he ſay alſo vntounto them on the left hand, Depart from me ye curſed, into euerlaſting fire, prepared for the diuell and his angels.
42. For I was hungred, and ye gaue me no meate: I was thirſtie, and ye gaue me no drinke.
43. I was a ſtranger, and ye tooke me not in: naked, and yee clothed me not: ſicke, and in priſon, and ye viſited me not.
44. Then ſhall they alſo anſwere him, ſaying, Lord, when ſaw we thee an hungred, or a thirſt, or a ſtranger, or naked, or ſicke, or in priſon, and did not miniſter vntounto thee?
45. Then ſhall he anſwere them, ſaying, Verily, I ſay vntounto you, In as much as ye did it not to one of the leaſt of theſe, ye did it not to me.
Q. HItherto of the ſignes going before the day of Iudgement. The Iudgement itſelfe followeth; what are we to conſider therein?
A. Firſt, our Sauiours owne preparation to it. Secondly, the parts thereof.
Q. What conſider you in the preparation?
A. The glory of Chriſt, firſt, in his appearance: ſecondly, in other glorious effects going before the Iudgement.
Q. Wherein ſhall the glory of Chriſts comming appeare?
A. Partly in himſelfe, and partly in the things belonging vntounto him at his comming.
Q. What is it in himſelfe?
A. That ſuddenly breaking out of the heauens, his glory ſhall be of ſuch ſingular brightneſſe, that the Sun ſhall be darkened, and the moone ſhall looſe her light: for if whē our Sauiour Chriſt was transfigured vponupon ye Mount Thabor, being then mortall, his face did ſhine Mat. 17. ….as the Sun; then much more at his ſecond comming his Maieſty ſhall be wonderfull, ſeeing it is now both immortall and glorified.
Q. How ſhall the glory of his comming appeare in the things belonging vntounto him, at his ſecond comming?
A. Firſt of all in his Angels.
Q. How ſhall his glory appeare in them?
A. In their number, and in their excellencie.
Q. How in their number?
A. In that they are infinite thouſands; which before Mat. 5. 25. 31.hauing been ſeuered in their diuers ſeruices they hauehave been employed in, ſhall then altogether and ioyntly attend vponupon Chriſt, and the ſeruice of that day.
Q. How in their excellency?
A. In that they alſo ſhall be of great glory; for if an Angell appearing bee like vntounto lightening; then much more there muſt bee great glory and brightneſſe in the innumerable companie of Angels, that ſhall attend vponupon our Sauiour Chriſt.
Q. VVhat is further belonging to the glory of his comming?
A. His glorious throne, whereupon hee ſhall actually and really ſit, ſhadowed out by the glorious throne of Salomon, which was of pure gold; whereof howſoeuer the matter be vnknowne vntounto vsus, yet wee know it ſhall bee ſutable to the excellency of his Maieſty.
Q. What is the proper vſe hereof?
A. To be armed againſt all ſhame and feare, in the Mark. 8. 38.profeſſion of Chriſt and his truth, before whatſoeuer earthly Monarches, whoſe iudgements are (as it were) ſcar-crowes to the iudgement of Chriſt; to whom that properly belongeth, which Rabſhakeh fooliſhly bragged of his maſter, concerning the ability of the Eſay 36. 9.leaſt of his ſeruants.
Q. What are thoſe glorious effects that goe before?
A. Firſt, the world ſhall be conſumed with fire, and the heauens and the earth ſhall bee renued. Secondly, all that are dead ſhall bee raiſed againe, and ranged before him.
Q. How ſhall they be raiſed?
A. He will ſend his Angels, and they ſhall doe it by the ſound of the trumpet, which ſhall not be of braſſe, or ſuch like mertall: for the Angels hauehave ſufficient might and skil to make a ſound, like vntounto the ſound of a trumpet, without any ſuch inſtrument; in which reſpect Exod. 19. 16. 19.it is alſo ſaid, how that they ſhall ſee the ſigne of the ſonne of man, in the heauen; as the Captaines ſet vp their flag and banner to gather their ſouldiers.
Q. What gather you of this?
A. The vnſpeakeable power of Chriſt in his Angels; Iohn 5. 28.at whoſe found, not onelyonly the liuing ſhall bee changed; but the dead, euen from Adam to that time, ſhall be raiſed; who ſhall not bee preuented of the other, but all appeare together before Chriſt; it being 1. Theſſ. 4. 15.al one with his power, to gather the dead, as the quick. Yea, they ſhall be changed ſuddenly in a moment, and in the twinkling of an eye, at the laſt trump.1. Cor. 15. 52.
Q. What furtber learne you of this?
A. The infinite knowledge, wiſedome, and power of God, in coupling eueryevery bone to his proper ioynt in his owne body, with the proper fleſh and ſinewes thereof; notwithſtanding the confuſed maſſe of all things that they ſhall bee turned into; whether duſt, aire, or other element whatſoeuer: Notwithſtanding alſo, that they are ſo diuerſly diſtracted in place.
Q. What is the reaſon thereof?
A. That thoſe that hauehave glorified God in their bodies, might be alſo glorified in the ſame: and contrariwiſe, 2. Cor. 5. 10.thoſe that hauehave diſhonoured him in their bodies, might receiue diſhonour of God.
Q. How ſhall the ſound of the trumpet raiſe vp the dead?
A. No otherwiſe but by the quickening of God, through the power of his ſpirit; wherby it ſhall come to paſſe, that the dead ſhall bee raiſed out of the duſt, and of mortall ſhall be made immortall.
Q. But cannot God doe this without the ſound of a trumpet?
A. Yes verily, hee is able to doe it without any ſuch inſtrument; as hee is alſo able to ſaue men extraordinarily, without the preaching of his word; yet he hath determined to vſe this meanes, at that day, for the raiſing of his Saints from bodily death; as he vſeth his word for an ordinarie meanes to call them from the death, and out of the graue of ſinne. For the very like power of Chriſt is exerciſed in vsus whileſt wee liue here, who quickeneth vsus by the Goſpell to his obedience, that are by nature dead in ſinne; and ſo not only vnable, but alſo vnwilling and auerſe to any thing that is good: wherefore, God ioyneth power to his word, to raiſe from death to life, as well ſpiritually in the firſt, Iohn 5. 28.as corporally in the ſecond reſurrection; which firſt reſurrection, is a manifeſt pledge of the ſecond, there Reuel. 20. 6.being greater difficultie in the firſt, then in the ſecond; for in the ſecond reſurrection, though there be no will Rom. 8. 7.to riſe, yet there is no enmity or gainſaying, which in the firſt is great.
Q. After what manner ſhall the reſurrection be?
A. Firſt, the godly ſhall ariſe to euerlaſting ſaluation; & then the wicked to eternall damnation. 1. Theſ. 4. 16.
Q. In what manner ſhall all men then be ranged and ordered?
A. That is ſet forth by a parable of the ſhepheard Mat. 25. 31.and the ſheepe: for as the ſhepheard when the euening commeth, gathereth his flocke, and ſeparateth the ſheepe from the goats: ſo in the euening of the world our Sauiour Chriſt ſhall gather all nations by the miniſterie of the Angels, and then there ſhall bee a full ſeparation, the godly being ſet on the right hand, and the wicked on the left.
Q. What learne you of this?
A. The difference betweene the iudgements of God, and the iudgements of men, where both the innocent and the guilty are confuſedly preſented at one barre; but then there ſhall be two barres, through a ſeparation of the wicked and the godly; which ſeparation the Angels can moſt eaſily make, in diſcerning betweene them, as otherwiſe, ſo euen by their cheerfull or fearfull countenances.
Q. Shall not ſome vngodly men be ſaued for the godlie's ſake, with whom they conuerſe?
A. No; for our Sauiour ſaith, that then two ſhall be in the field, one receiued, another left; two in one bed, one taken, another reiected, &c.Luk. 17. 34. 36.
Q. What learne you of this?
A. That then it ſhall not auaile a wicked man to be in the companie of the godly: for as much as they ſhall then be ſeparated: wheras in this world the wicked Ge…. 18. 32. & 19. 21. John 4. 15.are ſometimes ſpared for the godlie's ſake.
Q. What further inſtruction doe you gather from this?
A. That we ſhould ſo vſe our ſocieties here, that in the life to come wee may hauehave comfort in the continuance of them.
Q. Is not this ſeparation now in theſe daies?
A. Yes verily, here it beginneth, when the Goſpell Luk. 12. 51. 53. & 8. 13. Reuel. 21. 27. Pſal. 1. 5.and afflictions ſeuer the wicked and the godly; but then ſhall bee a full ſeparation, when neither Canaanite, Iebuſite, or Moabite ſhal be amongſt the children of God.
Q. What ſpeciall effects ſhall there bee of this glorious preparation?
A. There ſhall be ſome in the wicked, and otherſome in the godly.
Q. What are thoſe that ſhall be in the wicked?
A. Mourning and lamentation, for feare and terrour of the power and Maieſty of Chriſt and his Angels comming in the clouds, which ſhall bee a beginning of hell vntounto them, before they ſhall feele it: euen Reuel. 1. 7.as guiltie priſoners ſhall bee terrified at the ſight of the Iudges, before there bee any execution of iudgement againſt them.
Q. What gather you of it?
A. Firſt, that at the bare ſight of theſe ſignes the wicked ſhall bee ſo terrified; how much more when they hauing receiued the ſentence of damnation, the ſame ſhall bee executed? Againe, if the godly hauing Luk. 1. 12.their ſins forgiuen them, are afraid at the appearance of one Angell; much more the wicked, who hauehave their ſinnes tied faſt vponupon them, will bee afraid at the ſight of ſo many Angels. And if a ſparke of godlines, Mark. 6. 20.without any appearance of glory, in a godly man bee terrible to the wicked; much more will the Maieſty of the Sonne of God, altogether holy and glorious, ſtrike an infinite feare into them; and make them deſire that the rocks and mountaines falling vponupon them, might hide them from his ſight.Luk. 23. 30. Reuel. 6. 16.
Q. VVhat are the effects of Chriſts comming in the godly?
A. They ſhall reioyce and bee glad at this glorious comming, which they looked and prayed for; euen as a faithfull ſeruant is glad, when his maſter commeth with much honour and good ſpeed in all his affaires, the honour and glory of his maſter ſeruing to his further aduancement.
Q. How doth our Sauiour Chriſt garniſh and enlarge this doctrine?
A. By a parable of the fig-tree, which elegantly declareth the certainty and comfort of the former doctrine; Mat. 24. 32.that whē the fig-tree bringeth forth her leaues, wee know the ſummer is neare: ſo when wee ſee the ſignes aforeſaid come to paſſe, the day of the Lord is euen at the dores, and the ſummer of the Church of God is at hand.
Q. What learne you of this?
A. That as the ſummer is the moſt pleaſant ſeaſon, and moſt of all others to be deſired: ſo we ſhould long after the comming of Chriſt, when wee ſhall enioy a perpetuall ſummer, without all manner of winter, ſtormes, or troubles.