Sermons on Several Subjects, Sermon 4
SERMON IV. The Manner and Circumſtances of Chriſt's Appearance at the laſt Day.
MATTH. XVI. 27.
For the Son of Man ſhall come in the Glory of his Father, with his Angels; and then he ſhall reward every Man according to his Works.
THE diſpenſation of the Goſpel is admirably calculated to reclaim a ſinful world from the paths of error and deluſion; and to perſwade the children of men to conſult their duty and happineſs: Its doctrines are ſublime and excellent, worthy of their heavenly deſcent, and come recommended to our faith by the brighteſt evidences of a divine authority: Its precepts contain the nobleſt rules for our moral conduct, and are happily deſign'd to exalt and purify the nature of man, and advance the univerſal proſperity of the world.
And ſince we are at preſent in a corrupt and degenerate ſtate, diſinclin'd to our duty, and indeed filled with prejudices againſt it; therefore the wiſe Author of our Beings hath ſeen fit to enforce his laws by ſuitable ſanctions, and engage us to obedience by the moſt powerful and perſwaſive arguments. Hence in the Goſpel there every where appears the greateſt ſeverity to diſſwade us from ſin, and the higheſt condeſcention and goodneſs to allure us to holineſs.
The Eternal Majeſty of heaven is ſometimes revealed in the amazing terrors of his wrath, as a conſuming fire to the workers of iniquity; at other times he appears in the bright diſplays of his mercy, as a tender and indulgent father to thoſe that ſerve and obey him: And the great Saviour of Souls is repreſented as one who dy'd a ſacrifice for the ſins of the world, and compaſſionately invites the children of men to come to him that they may have life; but will ſhortly appear in flaming fire to take vengeance on thoſe that know not God, and obey not the Goſpel of Chriſt.
Theſe different repreſentations are wonderfully ſuited to influence the hopes and fears of men, the two great ruling paſſions of our nature, and the ſecret ſprings of our actions; and have an happy tendency to deter us from all ungodlineſs and unrighteouſneſs, which lead to deſtruction and miſery, and to engage us to a ſtedfaſt adherence to our duty, which is the way to immortality and glory. Our bleſſed Saviour having therefore urged upon his diſciples the neceſſity of denying themſelves, taking up their croſs, and following Him, their Lord and Maſter, in humility and ſuffering, enforces all with this awful conſideration, That the Son of man ſhall come in the glory of his Father, with his Angels, and then be ſhall reward every man according to his works. In ſpeaking to which words (by divine aſſiſtance) I ſhall
Firſt, Conſider the Manner of Chriſt's ſecond Appearance.
Secondly, The Work that he will then perform.
Firſt, I am to conſider the Manner of Chriſt's ſecond Appearance.—When he firſt left the manſions of glory, and deſcended into this lower world, he came in a ſtate of humility and meanneſs, and ſtoop'd to numberleſs hardſhips and difficulties, that he might anſwer the deſign of his manifeſtation in the fleſh, and accompliſh the great work of redemption. But his ſecond advent will be with ſurpriſing majeſty and glory, to execute vengeance upon the ungodly, and vindicate the cauſe of his deſpiſed Goſpel.
When God came down upon mount Sinai to proclaim the law to the children of Iſrael, the glory of the Lord appear'd like devouring fire, and the mountain was covered with darkneſs and ſmoke. So terrible was the ſight, that Moſes the friend of God exceedingly fear'd and quak'd; the whole army of Iſrael were ſtruck with amazement, and cry'd out in diſtreſs, Let not God ſpeak with us, leſt we die.—If ſuch ſurpriſing terrors attended the firſt promulgation of the law, with what awful ſolemnity will the Lawgiver appear, when he comes to avenge the quarrel of his covenant, and puniſh the profane contempt of his anthority?
The Scriptures repreſent this awful event in the moſt lofty and magnificent language. Amazing prodigies will uſher in this illuſtrious day, and proclaim the deſcent of our almighty Judge; continual tragedies will be acted on the great ſtage of nature, and this lower world will be involved in univerſal confuſion and diſorder;*Joel 2.31. Matth. 24.29. Pſal. 18.7. the Sun ſhall be turned into darkneſs, and the Moon into blood; the Stars of heaven ſhall ſtart from their exalted orbs, and the powers of the heavens ſhall be ſhaken; perpetual thunders ſhall roar from the lower regions of the air, the earth ſhall tremble and quake, and the foundations of the hills ſhall be removed.—Then ſhall appear the ſign of the Son of Man in the heavens †Matth. 24.30., and give the world a convincing evidence of the near approach of the great and terrible day of the Lord. At which amazing ſight, the inhabitants of the earth ſhall mourn, and the ſinners in Zion ſhall be horribly afraid.
In the midſt of their perplexity and diſtreſs, the Son of Man ſhall deſcend in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. He will appear in the pomp and ſolemnity of an incarnate God, and aſſume a glory and magnificence ſuitable to the dignity of his office.
His perſonal glory will be inexpreſſibly great, his eyes will ſparkle like flames of fire, his countenance will ſhine with dazling beams of majeſty and beauty, and his whole body be bright and luminous beyond the Sun in its meridian ſplendor. Thus he is deſcrib'd in the Viſions of St. John, In the midſt of the ſeven candleſticks was one like the Son of Man, his head and his hair were white as wool, as white as ſnow, his eyes were as a flame of fire, and his countenance was as the Sun ſhining in its ſtrength *Rev. 1.13, 14..
He will alſo come in the glory of his heavenly Father, and be clothed with the authority of the univerſal Judge of the world. God has appointed him King upon his holy Zion, and proclaim'd an unalterable decree, that to him every knee ſhall how; not in ſcorn and deriſion, as in the days of his infirmity and ſuffering, but with the deepeſt humility and reverence; and every tongue ſhall conſeſs his royal dignity and power, not with an inſulting ſcoff, but in ſubmiſſive poſtures of adoration.
But to increaſe the glory of his appearance, he will be attended with a ſplendid and numerous equipage, becoming the dignity of his perſon, and the exalted character he ſuſtains. The innumerable hoſt of Angels ſhall leave the manſions of heaven, and attend their deſcending Lord, to obey his ſovereign orders, and adorn the triumphs of his juſtice. The general aſſenbly of the Saints, whom he hath redeem'd by his invaluable blood, and ſanctified by his all-conquering grace, ſhall forſake the celeſtial paradiſe, and accompany the great God our Saviour, in his illuſtrious progreſs through the ſkies. Thus the Patriarch Enoch propheſied of old;*Jude 14.15. Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thouſands of his Saints, to execute judgment on the ungodly. And the Prophet Daniel aſſures us,§Dan. 7.10. that thouſand thouſands ſhall miniſter unto him, and ten thouſand times ten thouſand ſhall ſtand before him. And St. Paul tells us,†2 Theſ. 1.7. that he ſhall be revealed from heaven with his mighty Angles. Thoſe ſpotleſs Spirit ſhall be clothed in their brighteſt robes of glory, and appear in viſible ſplendor to the inhabitants of the earth. And how vaſt and ſurpriſing a figure will they make? How awful and majeſtic will be the appearance of our Judge, when he ſhall aſſume his own proper greatneſs, and be attended with the ſhining inhabitants of heaven? Who may abide the day of his coming, or be able to ſtand before his awful tribunal? How will all nations fall proſtrate at his footſtool, and tremble at his preſence, who can by a word of his mouth ſentence them to the depths of miſery, or advance them to the height of glory and happineſs? Which brings me to the other thing propoſed:
Secondly, To conſider the Work that he will perform. Then ſhall he reward every Man according to his works: And this includes three things.
1. All mankind ſhall be ſummon'd before him.
2. They ſhall be called to a ſtrict account for their actions.
3. The righteous ſhall be adjudg'd to unalterable glory, but the wicked condemn'd to eternal miſery.
1. All mankind ſhall be ſummon'd before him. No ſooner ſhall the Judge deſcend to this lower world, and erect his throne in the Air, but they that are in their graves ſhall be awakned out of the ſleep of death, and all the inhabitants of the world be cited to appear before the Judgment-ſeat of Chriſt. The voice of the Archangel, the chief of the heavenly hoſt ſhall eccho through the wide creation, and penetrate into the ſecret caverns of the earth; at which mighty found the dead ſhall ſtart out of their duſty beds, and all the deſcendants of Adam ſhall be compelled to obey the call; thoſe that are alive ſhall be immediately chang'd, and prepar'd to make their perſonal appearance at the bar of their Judge. Thus the Scriptures aſſure us: We ſhall all ſtand before the judgmentſeat of Chriſt. Every one of us ſhall give an account of himſelf unto God. The univerſal Father of men without reſpect of perſons judgeth every man according to his work. He accepteth not the perſons of princes, nor regardeth the rich more than the poor, for they are all the work of his hands.*Rom. 13.10. x Pet. 1.17. Job 34.18.19.
Civil diſtinctions make a mighty ſound among men, and perſons of ſuperior wealth and power are admired and applauded like ſo many Deities, by their ſervile flatterers: hence they are apt to ſwell with pride, upon the account of their elevated circumſtances, and vainly hope that they ſhall be treated with deference and reſpect at the future judgment; they flatter themſelves that God will not be ſtrict to mark iniquity in men of their dignity and ſtation, but that he will make ſome favourable allowances for the exceſſes and follies which are ſo common among men of figure and eſtate in the world.—But alas! theſe are vain imaginations: the ſovereign Ruler of the world pays no regard to earthly greatneſs, neither has he any value for thoſe diſtinctions, which are made by birth and eſtate. The great Potentates of the earth; who are cry'd up as gods by deluded mortals, are in his ſight but contemptible worms of the duſt. In that day they will be diveſted of all their ſtately ornaments, depriv'd of the enſigns of their greatneſs and power, and ſtand upon a level with the meaneſt ſlave. Death, the univerſal Conqueror, pays no complements to their quality, but arreſts them without ceremony or reſpect: and their impartial Judge will irreſiſtibly ſummon them to his tremendous bar. The mighty Coeſars and Alexander, who have depopulated the earth by their deſtructive ſwords, and ſacrificed nations to their unbounded luſts, ſhall tremble at his appearance, and curſe their ambition and madneſs. Thus this aſtoniſhing ſcene is repreſented by St. John, *Rev. 6.15, 16, 17.And the Kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, hid themſelves in the dens and rocks of the mountains, and ſaid to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that ſitteth upon the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of his wrath is come: and who ſhall be able to ſtand?
And as none are too great and mighty to be called to an account, ſo none are too mean and contemptible to be taken notice of. They that have made no figure among men, but have ſpent their days in want and obſcurity, will not be overlook'd in this vaſt aſſembly, but ſtrictly examined, whether they have ſubmitted to the wiſe diſpoſals of providence, and improv'd the talents committed to their truſt. Thoſe that are in the morning of their Youth and in the ſtrength and vigour of their age, ſhall be brought into judgment for their unmindfulneſs of their great Creator, and their criminal indulgence of ſenſual pleaſures. Ignorant uninſtructed heathens, who have inhabited the wild and deſolate corners of the earth, ſhall be called to an account, for their tranſgreſſion of the law of nature, and their abuſe of the divine goodneſs. The learned and civilized nations, who have been favour'd with the light of the Goſpel, and early inſtructed in the will of heaven, muſt anſwer for their ſuperior advantages, and their neglect of the means of grace and ſalvation. Such as will not now approach the throne of divine mercy, muſt then appear at the bar of inflexible Juſtice. Thus all mankind of every nation and language, of every quality and condition, of every age and ſex, muſt be judg'd in the great day, What a grand and ſolemn ſight will this be! To behold all the ſucceſſive generations of men ſtand together in their reſpective orders, and wait for their deciſive trial! Which leads to ſay.
2. In that day men ſhall be called to a ſtrict account for all their actions.—So the royal Preacher informs us;*Eccl. 12.14. God will bring every work into judgment, with every ſecret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil. All the actions of men are recorded in the book of God's remembrance, and ſhall be diſcloſed to the public view of the world in the great day of the revelation of all things.
Unthinking ſinner are apt to imagine themſelves ſecure, if they can conceal their crimes from the Cognizance of men, and commit their ſins in darkneſs and retirement: but alas! the ways of man are now before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth all his goings. There is no darkneſs or ſhadow of death where the workers of iniquity may hide themſelves †Prov. 5.21. Job 34.31.No ſecret impurity can eſcape the knowledge of our Judge, nor any artful hypocriſy deceive his piercing eyes: even the ſecret motions and inclinations of our hearts are expoſed to his critical obſervation; all proud and revengeful thoughts, all uncharitable and malicious intentions, all the covetous and unjuſt deſigns, that men have ſecretly harbour'd in their breaſts, ſhall then be unfolded before the grand conſiſtory of Angles and Men. For there is nothing covered, that ſhall not be revealed, nor hid that ſhall not be known.*Luk. 12.2.
Men frequently imagine, that their tongues are their own, that their words vaniſh into air, and ſhall not be brought to any future account. But our Saviour tells us,†Matth. 12.36, 37. that Men ſhall give an account for every idle word that they ſpeak. You therefore delude your ſelves to your eternal ruin, if you think that your vain and filthy communication, your profane and irreligious diſcourſe, your horrid oaths and imprecations, your impious jeſts upon our holy Religion, your malicious ſlanders of good men, ſhall paſs unobſerved in that day; for by thy words thou ſhalt be juſtified, and by thy words thou ſhalt he condemned. When our Lord ſhall come to execute judgment upon all, he will convince the wicked not only of their ungodly deeds, which they have impiouſly committed, but alſo of all their hard and grievous ſpeeches which they have ſpoken againſt him.‖Jude. 15.
But ſinners ſhall not only be called to an account for their tranſgreſſions of the law of God, but alſo for their omiſſions of duty, and neglecting to improve the various and happy advantages they have enjoy'd: Their Power and eſtates, their health of body and abilities of mind, their opportunities and capacities of glorifying God and promoting the welfare of mankind; theſe Things ſhall then be produc'd againſt them, and be a heavy article in their indictment.— Thus we find the ſlothful ſervant, who traded not with his Lord's talent, but buried it in the earth, is ſentenced into outer darkneſs, where there is perpetual weeping and guaſhing of teeth§Matth. 25.32.
All the aggravations of men's ſins ſhall then be enumerated, and their guilt ſhall-appear in its crimſon-colours. If the Gentile-world ſhall be condemned for reſiſting the glimmering light of nature, and rebelling againſt the law of God ſo obſcurely written on their hearts; how inexcuſable will be their guilt, how vaſt their condemnation, who have ſhut their eyes againſt the marvellous light of the Goſpel, and ſtifled the powerful convictions of the Spirit of Grace!
Finally, while the wicked ſhall be expoſed in all their guilt and deformity, and be publickly charged with their numberleſs tranſgreſſions; God will not be regardleſs of the Saints, nor forget their labour of love. Their heavenly Father knows their works, and with pleaſure obſerves their zeal and fidelity in his ſervice: Their ſecret prayers and tears, their diffuſive charity and beneficence, are ſet down in the ſacred records of heaven, and will be mentioned to their immortal honour in the day of the Lord; their patient ſufferings in the ways of their duty will be carefully remembred, and their ſmalleſt ſervices to the Kingdom of Chriſt will meet with a vaſt and unſpeakable reward.— Thus I am come to the laſt thing to be conſidered.
3. The Righteous ſhall be adjudg'd to unalterable glory, but the Wicked condemn'd to eternal miſery.
Thoſe who have accepted the compaſſionate offers of a Saviour, and complied with the gracious demands of the Goſpel; who have devoted themſelves to God without exception or reſerve, and made it the great ſtudy of their lives to approve themſelves to their allſeeing Judge; who have lamented their innumerable defects and infirmities, and ſincerely endeavour'd to mortify their moſt beloved luſts; who have improv'd the means of Grace with fidelity and diligence, and abounded in acts of charity and benevolence; theſe ſhall be openly acknowledg'd by Chriſt in that day, and rank'd among the number of his ſervants and followers. Their Maſter and Judge, whoſe authority they have reverenc'd, whoſe laws they have obſerv'd, and in whoſe merits they have confided; the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, with indulgent ſmiles in his countenance, and the tendereſt accents in his voice, will pronounce that happy ſentence upon them; Come, ye bleſſed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom, prepar'd for you from the foundation of the world *Matth. 25.34..
But the Wicked, who have deſpis'd his ſacred authority, trampled under foot his invaluable blood, and obſtinately perſiſted in ſin, in contempt of all the condeſcending offers of his grace, ſhall receive that awful doom from the mouth of their ſlighted and injur'd Saviour, Depart from me, ye curſed, into everlaſting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels †Verſe 41..
And according to theſe different ſentences will the final ſtate of the children of men be unchangeably determined. The Wicked ſhall be immediately ſeiz'd upon by devils, and convey'd to the dark abodes of horror and deſpair; the heavens from above ſhall ſhower down torrents of flaming fire upon their guilty heads, and hell from below ſhall open its mouth to receive them, where they ſhall be tormented day and night, without any poſſibility of eſcape, or hope of deliverance. While the Righteous ſhall aſcend to their enthroned Lord and Saviour, and with crowns upon their heads, and palms of victory in their hands, make their triumphant entrance into the new Jeruſalem, the city of the living God; a place of unſpeakable joy and refreſhment, where all ſorrow ſhall be baniſh'd from their breaſts, all tears ſhall be wiped from their eyes, their hopes ſhall be ſatisfy'd, their deſires accompliſh'd, and their whole man filled with thoſe divine and tranſporting pleaſures, that flow at the right hand of God. Then ſhall they ſhine like the Sun in the kingdom of their Father, and be immoveably fix'd in the firmament of immortal glory. They ſhall no longer complain, that they ſojourn in Meſhec, and are vex'd with the filthy converſation of the wicked: But ſhall be aſſociated with the glorious company of the Apoſtles, the goodly fellowſhip of the Prophets and Martyrs, and the general aſſembly of the Church throughout the world; together with theſe they ſhall encompaſs the throne of God with proſtration and praiſe, and tune their voices to the ſacred anthems of heaven, ſaying, To him that hath loved us, and waſhed us from our ſins in his own blood, and hath made us Kings and Prieſts unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever. Amen.
I paſs now to the IMPROVEMENT of my Subject.
1. What we have heard ſhould be improv'd as a powerful reſtraint from the practice of ſecret ſins. For what can be an higher abſurdity, than for men to encourage themſelves in ſin when they have the advantage of privacy and retirement, and to imagine that they are ſafe from puniſhment, if the curtains of night, or any artful diſguiſes hide their wicked actions from the view and obſervation of men? Alas! what will it avail you to conceal your wickedneſs from the eyes of men, when your moſt ſecret actions are viſible to the God with whom you have to do? What little advantage will you receive by avoiding worldly ſhame and puniſhment, when your ſecret enormities will ſhortly be brought upon the public ſtage, and diſplay'd in their moſt odious colours, to your eternal confuſion? Tho' now you cover your tranſgreſſions as Adam, and hide your iniquities in your boſom; yet there is nothing ſo ſecretly committed, but it ſhall then be brought to light, and expos'd before the vaſt and numerous aſſembly of Angels and Men.
The firm belief of this awful truth would break the force of many temptations, and be an happy preſervation from defiling ſins; it would make us reject with abhorrence the inſinuating charms of vice, and ſay with holy Joſeph; How can I do this great wickedneſs and ſin againſt God!
2. This ſhew us the vanity of bypocriſy. For the eyes of our Judge are as flaming fire, and penetrate into the hidden corners of our ſouls. In the day of Judgment every maſk ſhall be pull'd off, every flattering diſguiſe ſhall be remov'd, and the ſecrets of all hearts ſhall be diſcloſed. Why then will you put on a form of Godlineſs, and engage in external acts of devotion, only to be ſeen of men, and gain the empty applauſe of your fellow creatures; when your eternal ſtate will be decided, not by the charitable opinion of ſhort-ſighted mortals, but by the unerring Sentence of an all-ſeeing God! Be not deceived; Chriſt is not to be mock'd. He ſees the pride and hypocriſy of the painted phariſee, under the moſt amiable and goodly appearance. He beholds the ſordid flattery of falſe and noiſy profeſſors, who bow the knee before him with ſeeming humility and devotion, while their affections are wedded to the world, and their lives are ſtain'd with abominable impurities. This therefore ſhould excite us all to the greateſt ſincerity in our profeſſion, to be faithful to our ſolemn vows and engagements, that we may be found the diſciples of Chriſt, not only in outward appearance, but in the inward temper and diſpoſition of our minds: ſo we ſhall have this for our rejoicing, even the teſtimony of our conſcience, that in ſimplicity and godly ſincerity we have had our converſation in the world.
3. How much does it concern us to hold faſt the profeſſion of our faith, in the midſt of the greateſt difficulties and diſcouragements? We live in a dark day of error and apoſtacy; in which the diſtinguiſhing glories of the Goſpel are publickly reviled and inſulted, by men of corrupt principles and licentious morals. Weak and unſtable minds are in danger of being carried away, by the prevailing torrent of infidelity. It is therefore our indiſpenſable duty to maintain our ſacred profeſſion, in this dangerous hour of temptation, and vigorouſly to defend the faith once delivered to the Saints, even in the face of its boldeſt oppoſers. For our bleſſed Saviour has made thoſe declarations;*Matth. 10.32. Mark 8.38. Whoſoever ſhall confeſs me before men, him will I confeſs before my Father which is in heaven. But whoſoever ſhall be aſham'd of me, or of my words, of him alſo ſhall the Son of man be aſham'd, when he comes in the glory of his Father, with his holy Angels.
If then we betray the ſacred depoſitum committed to our truſt, through covetouſneſs or cowardiſe; if we corrupt the purity of the Goſpel, through a ſinful compliance with the humours of the age: What can we expect, but that our Maſter and Judge will treat us with contempt and abhorrence, and herd us among his abandon'd enemies! This thought ſhould inſpire us with undaunted courage in the cauſe of Chriſt, and arm us with a noble reſolution to ſubmit to the greateſt hardſhips and difficulties, rather than make ſhipwreck of our faith and a good conſcience.
4. We ſhould conſtantly bear in mind the ſtrictneſs of our future account, and live as thoſe that expect to be judged. If the actions of our lives were tranſient, and there were no remembrance of them hereafter; if death put a final period to our being, and we were never to be called to an account for the things done in the body; we might then give a looſe to our ſenſual inclinations, and eat and drink without thought or concern, for to morrow we die. But ſince we are candidates for immortality, and our final ſtate will be determined according to our preſent behaviour, it infinitely concerns us, if we have any true love to our ſelves, any regard to our great and everlaſting intereſt, to keep a future judgement perpetually in our view; to conſider, that every action of life will be ſcann'd with an impartial ſeverity, and an unalterable ſentence will paſs, according to our works.
It is for want of this, that … children of men are embolden'd in …, and live oftentimes in an allowed … and profaneneſs, of rioting and exceſs, in … habitual neglect of the ſervice of God, and the …fare of their immortal ſouls.
Did men ſeriouſly conſider the important conſequences of their actions, that they are now ſowing the ſeeds of endleſs and inconceivable joy, or laying the foundation of unutterable horror and deſpair; it would powerfully excite them to cleanſe themſelves from all filthineſs of fleſh and ſpirit, and to be perfecting holineſs in the fear of the Lord. This Argument is made uſe of by the wiſe man; Fear God, and keep his commandments; for God ſhall bring every work into judgment, with every ſecret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil. Eccl. 12.14.
Let us therefore keep our thoughts fix'd upon this great and important day, when the Son of Man ſhall come in the glory of his Father, with his Angles, and ſhall reward every man according to his works.
This indeed is an harſh and ungrateful ſubject, to the greateſt part of mankind; they are ſo involv'd in ſecular buſineſs, ſo ſolicitous to increaſe their eſtates and raiſe their families, that they have no time to regard the one thing needful, and prepare for an eternal judgment: therefore they baniſh the thought of it out of their minds, leſt it ſhould give a check to their ambitious views, and interrupt their worldly enjoyments. But conſider, I beſeech you; thoſe things which you now ſo paſſionately doat on, and for which you ſacrifice your eternal All, will not profit you in the day of wrath; they will not appeaſe a ſtormy conſcience, nor bribe your impartial Judge.—What confort or ſatisfaction will it then afford you, to reflect, that you have had a diſtinguiſh'd name among flattering mortals, that you have been rank'd among the great men of the earth, and have been honour'd with a ſplendid paſſage to the grave?—Will any of theſe ſerve to procure you a favourable ſentence at the tribunal of heaven, or ſcreen you from the avenging wrath of an offended God, or even abate your puniſhment and ſorrow in the day of perdition of ungodly men?—No verily! nothing will then ſupport and ſolace you, but the teſtimony of an unreproaching conſcience, and the ſmiles of your almighty Saviour, a title to his invaluable merits, and to the great and precious promiſes of his everlaſting Goſpel.
Let us then be ſo wiſe as to foreſee the evil, and flee from the wrath to come: Let us now ſeek and ſecure the favour of Chriſt, our ſupreme Lord and Judge, that when we come to ſtand at his awful bar, we may receive a gracious ſentence from his mouth; and may appear before him with Joy and Confidence in the day, when he ſhall come to be glorified in his Saints, and admir'd in all them that believe.
To Him, &c.Preach'd Jan. 8.1737, 8.
AMEN.