The Greatest Sinners Exhorted and Encouraged, Question 2
Quest. 2. What kind of day will the Day of Judgment be?
Answ. 1. It will be a great Day. Jude speaketh of the Judgment of the great day. ver. 6. Hence it is called that day. 2. Tim. 1. 12. There never was such a day before, and there never shall be such a day after this. It is styled the day of God. 2. Pet. 3. 10, 12. Great & eminent things are expressed by the Name of God in Scripture.
It will be a great day, 1st. In respect of the great Multitude which then shall be judged; The whole world: God hath appointed a day wherein He will judge the world. Act. 17. 31. Whole Nations, yea all Nations shall be gathered before His Judgement seat. Mat. 25. 32. Not only such as shall be found alive on the earth, when the Judge shall come down from Heaven, but such as are dead, whose souls have been Thousands of years either in Heaven or Hell, must then to Judgement. 2. Tim. 4. 1. What a great day will that be, when all the men that ever were in the world or that ever shall be, must every mothers Child of them appear before the Judgment Seat of the great GOD! All good men shall be judged tho' not condemned. Mat. 25. 34. And all wicked men, Rev. 20. The sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them, & they were iudged every man according to their works. Nay, the Angels that have sinned shall then be judged. They are reserved for everlasting Chains unto the judgement of that great day. Therefore it is that the Apostate Angels tremble at the thought of this day: When they saw the Son of God they cryed and roared and said, Art thou come to torment us before our time? Mat. 8. 29. They know that there are hotter chains reserved for them, than those which at present they are in; and the dismal thought thereof makes all the Devils in Hell to tremble. 2. The day of Judgement will be a day of great Discovery. Hence it is called a day. In the Night things ly hid, but in the day they are discovered: So in the dark night of this present world, many things are unseen and unknown-which then all the world shall see & know. Lue. 12. 2. It will be a day of great discovery in respect of the works and Dispensations of God. Hence 'tis called a day of Revelation. Rom. 2. 5. The Works of Creation and the Mystery of Redemption, and the strange Mysteries of Providence, and Wisdom, and Righteousness of God in all, will then be revealed to the Admiration of men and Angels for ever. There will also be a great Discovery of men in that day. The Spiritual and Eternal estates of all (which are now known to God onelyonly) will then be made manifest to the whole world. It will be seen who were sheep and who were goats: who were Wheat and who were Tares: who were wise and who were foolish Virgins. Many that have made a great Profession, that walked in Fellowship with the people of God, that sate down with them at the Lord's Table, will then he found standing at the left hand of Jesus Christ, and their Hypocrisie discovered. And it will be a Day of great Discovery, as to the Workes of men. Eccles. 12. 14. For God shall being every work into Judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil. Secret Thefts, secret Uuncleanesses, Secret Adultries, all will come out, and the whole World shall hear of those things at the day of Judgment. Yea; the very thoughts of men will be discovered. The secrets of all hearts will be disclosed in that day 1. Cor. 4. 5. The good Designes and gracious purposes which have been in the hearts of holy men, the Lord Jesus will then reveal them and speak of them to their praise, before all the World. And the evil purposes, and wicked thoughts which have been in the hearts of ungodly men shall then be told of, to their everlasting shame.
2. The Day of Judgement will be to the Unbeleeving world a most terrible day. Hence it is expressed in the Scripture by that of the terrour of the Lord, 2. Cor. 5. 11. There have bin terrible Types, & forerunners of this dreadful day. Those lesser days of judgment, which have been in the world, when God has called whole Nations to an account, and executed Judgment upon them, were Types and forerunners of the General Judgment; and thence are in the Scripture set forth by Expressions which are most proper to the great and last Judgement. The Terrour of this day no heart is able to conceive, nor tongue able to express. But it appears especially in 4 particulars.
1. In that it will be a Fiery day. This vivisible World is subject to a two-fold Destruction, one by Water, the other by Fire: that by water was accomplish'd on the old world in the Dayes of Noah; the other by Fire will take place at the day of Judgment. 2. Pet. 3. 7. The Heavens & the earth are reserved unto fire against the day of judgement. & ver. 12. Looking for the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, & the Elements shall melt with fervent heat. The Scriptures both of the Old and of the New Testament speak of this fire. Psal. 50. 3. Isai. 66. 15, 16. The Day of Judgment will begin with flaming fire. Dan. 7. 9, 10. 2. Thes. 1. 8. Yea, and end so too, Rev. 20. 9. Now what a terrible day will that be, when all the earth shall burn at once, and the Heavens be all on a light flame also!
2. There will be the most terrible, amazing noise that ever was heard in the world. 2. Pet. 3. 10. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise. The very noise of the fire which then shall prevail every where will be terrible to hear. If a Town be on fire, what a noise does it make! The Rattling of the Flames is terrible to hear. But what then will it be, when all the World shall be on fire! What an amazing noise will those rattling flames make all the World over! And there will be then the most terrible Thundrings and Lightnings that ever were known. If when the Lord came down to publish the Law on mount Sinai, there were Thunderings and Lightnings, so that all the people in the camp trembled; how much more when He shall come to judge the breakers of that Law. And what fearful out-cries and roaring Lamentations will amazed Sinners make in every Corner of the world! As undoubtedly they did in the Old World, when they saw that the windows from on high were opened, and there was no escaping that flood of death which was round about them. So it will be much more when Sinners shall behold a flood, a River, a Sea of FIRE and Brimstone that they cannot goe from.
3. At the Day of Judgement there will be the most terrible Destruction and Devastation that ever was. All the wicked in the world shall then be destroyed. Mal. 4. 1. For behold the day cometh that shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea and all that do wickedly shall be stubble, and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of Hosts, Therefore the day of Judgment is called the day of Perdition of ungodly men. 2. Pet. 3. 7. And there will be a terible Destruction, not only of men but of other creatures in that day, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. ver. 12. The Greek word translated Elements is stoikeia, which signifieth Hosts: All the Host of creatures which are in this lower heaven shall at the day of judgment be no more able to live than if they were (as indeed they shall be in) a furnace of fire, whose fervent heat cannot be endured. And the Apostle saith, that the earth also, and the workes which are therein shall be burnt up. There are living creatures thereon, Beasts of the field, and creeping things. There are works of Nature, Trees, Herbs &c. And there are works of Art, Houses, Towns, Cities, &c. These shall all be consumed at the last day. What a terrible day will that be when there shall not be a house left standing in all the world!
4. The Day of judgment will be concluded with the Pronunciation and Execution of a most terrible Sentence upon all Christless Sinners. The man whom God has ordained to to judge the world, (h. e. his Son Jesus Christ) will then pronounce a Sentence of eternal death upon as many as shall be found in their Sins. How will their Hearts ake, and every joint Tremble, when they shall hear that Sentence wherein every word does breathe forth Death and fire Mat. 25 41. Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. There will be no appealing from this Sentence, nor shall it ever be reversed. And the Sentence will no sooner be pronounced, but Execution will be done immediately. For the angels of Heaven will be all standing by, and see it done forthwith. The Sentence is, That sinners must be burnt to death for ever, that they must be thrown alive into the lake which burns with fire and Brimstone. The Holy Angels will see this done. They are the Reapers that shall gather the Tares together, and bind them in bundles to burn them. Mat. 13. 30.
3. The day of Judgement will be unto true Beleevers on Jesus Christ a good Day. It will be to them a day of Rejoicing Phil. 2. 16. A comfortable day, 1. Thes. 4. 18. For,
1. It will be to them a day of Salvation Heb. 9. 28 And indeed, The Salvation of believers is not consummated before that day. Its true, that their souls are in perfect Blessedness as soon as they depart out of this world. Therefore the Apostle speakes of the Spirits of just men made perfect. Heb 12. 23. But their Bodies are not glorified until the Day of Judgdment, not till the Resurrection at the last day; which is therefore called the day of Redemption, Eph. 4. 30. Rom. 8. 23. When that blessed day shall dawn upon the world, the Saints of God shall never more be subject to any misery. It will be a time of refreshing from the presence of the Lord, Act. 3. 19. A time of Rest. 2. Thes. 1. 7. And there shall be no more sorrow. Rev. 21. 4.
2. Believers shall at the Day of Judgement be publickly absolved and acquitted from the guilt of all their sins. A sentence of Absolution will be passed upon them. They will be pronounced blessed; and there are none blessed but they whose sins are forgiven. Mat. 25. 34. Hence the Scripture speaketh of Sins being forgiven in the world to come, h. e. at the Day of Judgement. Mat. 12. 32. It is Controverted amongst Divines, whether the secret sins of Believers will be at all spoken of at the day of Judgement: Some think they shall not, because that would tend to their Reproach and shame. But there is much to be said for the Affirmative, that they shall some of them be spoken of: For some of the Elect of God did commit their sins with such as are Reprobate; now if the sins of these Reprobate must be spoken of, then must the Sins of the Elect, who had Fellowship with them in their wickedness; but then they shall not be condemned, nor any reproach cast upon them for what they have done. In point of condemnation they shall be as if they had never sinned. There is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. Rom. 8. 1. There was Condemnation to them before they were in Christ, but since that, there neither is nor ever shall be any Condemnation to them. They are without fault before the Throne, before the judgement seat of God. Rev. 14. 5. The Lord will in the day of judgment, declare that their sins are blotted out, They don't remain upon record in God's book against them Act. 3. 19. The Lord Jesus will then say to the true Believer, Tho' thou wast guilty of many and great sins, yet because I dyed for thee, and thou didst believe on me, thy sins are all forgiven, and therefore do thou rejoice for ever.
3. Beleevers shall at the day of judgment be as so many Kings with Crowns on their heads. Know you not that the Saints shall judg the world? 1. Cor. 6. 2. A Sceptre shall be put into their hands Rev. 2. 26, 27. to him that overcometh will I give power over the nations, and he shall rule them with a rod of iron. i. e. with a sceptre, They shall reign on the earth then, Rev. 5. 10 There are great disputes concerning the reign of Saints on the earth: Nothing is more clearly expressed in the Scripture than that the Saints of God shall one day possess a glorious Kingdom Luk. 22. 29. And their Kingdom they shall not have in heaven only, but in this lower visible world. under the whole heaven: Dan. 7. 27. In the place where they served God and where they suffered for his Sake there they shall reign. But they must not look for a Temporal Dominion in this world: They must stay till the Resurrection, and the day of judgment, and then they shall reign. In the morning. i. e. in the morning of the day of judgment or at the resurection the upright shall have Dominion Psal. 49. 14. In the Regeneration (whereby the Resurrection is intended) they shall sit upon thrones Mat. 19. 28. Tho Christ only shall pass the Sentence of death upon the reprobate world, yet the Saints shall sit with Him upon Thrones of judgement, as Assistors and Aprobators of that judgement.