Exposition of Romans 13-16, Exposition of Romans · Chapter 2 · Verse 12
VERSE 12. So then eueryevery one of vsus ſhall giuegive account of himſelfe to God.
IN this verſe is ſet downe the end of our ſtanding before the Iudgement ſeat of Chriſt, which is to giuegive account: and it is amplified three waies.
Firſt, from the Perſons accomptant: Second, from the matter of which account muſt bee made: and third, the perſon to whom it is to be accounted. Shall giuegive account: for this end muſt wee appeare to account for things done and receiued: The proceſſe of the laſt Iudgement being ſet downe vnderunder the ſimilitude of things Ciuill. As a Maſter deliuering money and goods to his ſeruants, afterwards exacts a reckoning; and as a Schoolemaſter calles his ſchollers to render the leſſon hee hath taken thence; ſo ſhall wee appeare to render an account of our ſtewardſhip.
EueryEvery one of vsus: of vsus men, and ſo good and bad to be included: or of vsus beleeuers, and ſo the wicked to be concluded from the leſſe.
The perſon accountant: eueryevery one, hee ſaith not all, but eueryevery one, not all ſhuffled together, and in the groſſe, Reuel. 20.12.but eueuery one ſeuerally.
EueryEvery one, without exception, both ſmall and great; Emperours, Kings, Princes, Iudges, muſt there giuegive account and be iudged, as well as others.
Here, not eueryevery man that comes to the Aſſiſes is iudged, or ſtandeth forth: but there, we ſhall all be actors our ſelues, as well as ſpectators of others.
But the Saints ſhall iudge the world, 1 Cor. 6.2. Obiect.
True: but that is as they are conſidered, Anſw. either as members vnited to their head, or in compariſon of the wicked, or in regard of comprobation and aſſent: notwithſtanding they ſhall bee iudged, not with the iudgement of Reprobation, or condemnation; but of Approbation, hauing obtained their Quietus eſt, and full diſcharge from the Iudge.
Of himſelfe: This is the matter of the account: We ſhall giuegive account for others; as fathers for the bringing vp of their children; Kings for the gouerning of their Subiects, &c. But of others onelyonly ſo far as any thing of theirs belongs to our calling; as Miniſters muſt giuegive account for the ſoules of the people, as S. Paul ſaith.
Here we may hauehave an Atturney to appeare for vsus, Heb. 13.17.and a Counſellor to pleade for vsus, but there eueryevery one of vsus ſhall giuegive account of himſelfe.
Of himſelfe: that is, of all his thoughts, words, deeds, paſſed in his whole life, and of all things which concerne his perſon, calling or actions.
But this ſeemes impoſſible, becauſe wee are not able to number, or to remember all which hath paſſed vsus in our life.
But God knowes, and remembers, though we know not nor remember: For there are books of remembrance: the booke of Gods predeſtination, wherein the perſons of men are recorded; and the bookes of conſcience, wherein eueryevery mans particular thoughts, words, and deedes, with their circumſtances are regiſtred.Reuel. 20.12. Aug. lib. de Ciu. Dei ca. 14. Orig. comment. in Rom. 14.
I ſaw the dead, ſaith Iohn, both ſmall and great ſtand before God, and the bookes were opened; of the Olde an New Teſtament, ſaith Auguſtine; of Conſcience, ſaith Origen: and another booke was opened which was of life; and the dead were iudged out of thoſe things which were written in the bookes according to their works. God will put a kinde of diuine power into the conſcience, Qua fiat vt cui que opera ſua bona, vel mala cuncta in memoriam reuocentur, & mentis intuitu mira celeritate cernantur; Aug. loco mod… citat.whereby the conſcience ſhall remember and wonderfully apprehend, and the minde diſcerne, all our works, good or bad, ſaid S. Auguſtine.
We ſhall ſee our owne, and each others faults.
Before God; This is the perſon vntounto whom the account muſt be made.
Before he ſaid Chriſt, here hee ſaith God, therefore Chriſt is God.
In the ſame humane forme and ſhape, in which Chriſt came to be iudged, Reuel. 1.7.ſhall he come to iudge: and eueryevery eye ſhall ſee him; the wicked ſhall ſee him to their confuſion, the righteous to their comfort. There ſhall bee no difference on the part of the Obiect appearing, but on the part of the Subiect ſeeing; the ſame brightneſſe of glory ſhall fill the Saints with ioy, and ſtricke the wicked with horror.
EueryEvery one muſt giuegive account of all his matters to God, Doctr. to our Lord Ieſus Chriſt. 1 Pet. 4.5. Who ſhall giuegive account to him that is ready to iudge the quicke and dead. So 2 Cor. 5.10. and in the parables, Vſe 1 Matth. 25.19. Luk. 16.2. & ſeq.
Look to thy ſelf, and to thine own matters; leaue medling with thy brother, and cenſuring him: put not thine care into another mans boat, but regard thine owne; for thou muſt giuegive account of thy ſelfe: of thy iudging thy brother, of thy breaking thy peace, and vnity of the Church: euen for theſe thou ſhalt be queſtioned at that day: Therefore be not raſh.
The righteous may be comforted, Ʋſe 2 their account is ready made by Chriſt himſelfe: they ſhall be abſolued, not by the vertue of their owne innocency, but of a free pardon by the mercy of the Iudge.
Prepare carefully for the day of iudgement, Ʋſe 3 and ſee thou hauehave thy account caſt vp and ready, againſt the day of that great Audit.
The moſt part of men neglect it, ſuffering the ſcore of their ſinnes ſo to increaſe, and their debt to grow, that in the end, they will be found tardy to their condemnation.
Three things ſhould make vsus carefull: The conſideration of the Iudge; of the ſuddenneſſe of our accounting; and of the matters to be accounted for.
1 The Iudge is our Lord Chriſt: infinite in knowledge and iuſtice; who cannot be deceiued by cunning, nor corrupted by gifts; and whoſe glory it is to render in moſt ſtrict iuſtice, vntounto eueryevery man his due. Now he is infinitely mercifull; then he will be infinitely rigorous and ſeuere.
The conſideration of this Iudge made deuout Arſenius to feare, who being in his ſicknes told by his friends, that he needed not to feare, becauſe he had led a holy life: anſwered, Indeed I feare, for Gods iudgement is not as mans.
2 This iudgement, and our giuing account may be ſudden, ere we be aware: When Ieſabel had painted her face, ſhe little thought her iudgement and account had beene ſo neare. So neither thought Ammon at the feaſt; nor Abſolon being mounted on his Mule; nor Diues vponupon the view of his goods: that ſo ſoone they ſhould hauehave beene called to a reckoning.
The day of the generall iudgement ſhall not bee yet, but the time of any mans particular iudgement and account may be this very houre: How many diſeaſes are we ſubiect vntounto, which knock vsus downe on a ſudden?
EueryEvery man hath his particular iudgement in death; and as death leaues him, ſo the laſt iudgement findes him. Death is the gate of iudgement, and the iudgement the gate of heauen or hell. Spend not the reſt of this houre, before thou haſt examined thy ſelfe: looke to thy account; if thou haſt it not yet ready, conſider in what a fearfull eſtate thou wert, if God ſhould at this inſtant call thee to thy reckoning.
3 The matters to bee accounted of; Eccles. 12. vlt. Act 8.22. Rom. 2.15.16. Mat. 12.37. 2 Cor. 5.10. Mat. 5.26. Mat. 12.36.our ſelues, our thoughts, our words, deeds, committed, omitted: yea the ſmalleſt and leaſt things: farthings, idle words. How great rigour!
If a King call his Treaſurer to account for eueryevery pinne, how much more for pounds, and great ſummes of money; So if God will reckon with vsus for idle wordes, how much more for curſing, lying, common ſwearing, and blaſpeming his Name: If for the vtmoſt farthing, how much more for Couetouſneſſe, Oppreſſion, Drunkenneſſe, Whoredome, Theft, Murther, &c.
Thou ſhalt be called to account, for that which thou haſt receiued: for the gifts of nature and grace, for thy body and ſoule; for eueryevery Sermon thou haſt heard, for eueryevery good occaſion and opportunity offered of well doing.
And this; before God, before Angels and men, yea before the Diuels.
How great muſt the ſhame of the wicked bee, when all their abhominable, and ſecreteſt ſinnes ſhall be layd open. Then ſhall that bee publiſhed on the houſe top, which thou wouldeſt not now ſhould be diſcouered for the whole world. It may bee thou wouldeſt bluſh, if that which thou diddeſt the laſt night ſhould bee publiſhed at the market Croſſe, in the hearing but of a few in compariſon; how wilt thou bee confounded, when all thy damnable practices ſhall bee brought forth to light before the whole world.
Then ſhall be emptied in the view of all, that end of the wallet which we now hang at our back.
What ſhall we doe to auoide the ſhame and horror of that day?
Let vsus eueryevery day caſt vp our account: Let vsus vnfainedly repent: EueryEvery ſinne wee commit is ſcored vp; and ſo ſoone as wee repent, it is wiped and blotted out: Repent and bee conuerted, that your ſinnes may bee blotted; ſaid Peter, Act. 3.19.who had experience of the force of repentant teares, which blotted out his horrible deniall of his Maſter.
The Ieſuits report of a Student at Paris, who comming to Confeſſion, and not being able for teares and ſobbing to ſpeake, was willed by his Confeſſour to write downe his ſinnes, which hee did; and when the Confeſſour receiued it, the writing vaniſhed, and there remained nothing but the white and cleane paper: this, ſay they, was by a miracle, becauſe of his great contrition. Let the credit of this ſtorie bee vponupon the Reporters; but vponupon the credite of the word of God, if wee repent vnfainedly, all our ſinnes ſhall bee blotted out, and a booke of cleane paper (in respect of ſinne) ſhall bee preſented to the Iudge.
Repent therefore, and bring foorth good fruits, for this alſo ſhall further our reckoning at that day. So Paul telleth the Philippians, that their charitie in relieuing him, was a fruit that did abound to their account. Thy Prayers, Philip. 4.17.thine Almes deeds, thy Teares for ſinne, thy conſcionable walking in thy Calling, ſhall exceedingly further thy reckoning.