ed in white robes, crowns of glory on your heads, and feeps tres of dominion in your hands.-What obligations, O what delightful obligations are believers under to render love, praise and thanksgiving to God and to Jefus Chrift? That fuch life glory and felicity are procured for you, that death is vanquished, fin destroyed, the grave conquered, and all heaven is yours. What, O chriftians, ought your lives to be in this world? what faith, what gratitude, zeal and holy living?

Secondly, this folemn doctrine fpeaks nothing but terror to the workers of iniquity. You will be dragged from your graves with fhame and contempt. Your cries will be to the rocks and the mountains to fall on you and hide you from the awful fcene. Your faces will gather blackacis, and what pencil can paint the reluctant horrors, and the agoniting ftruggles exerted both by foul and body against their reunion? How do they avoid and fly back from each other, yet by almighty force they are compelled into the abhorred conjunction? The foul and body hate to meet, and hatred will reign between them forever. And to close the scene, they pafs away into mifery which will never intermit or come to an end.

My dear brethren, let us all confider the folemnities of the great day before it comes; let the wicked repent and believe the gofpel, and let faints rejoice in the riches of glory fet be.

fore them.

SERMON XXXVIII.

A general and future Judgment proved.

2 Cor. v. 10. For eve muft all appear before the judgment feat of Chrift.

"We

PRECIOUS was the experience, peace and comfort, which the apoftle and many of the primitive chriftians enjoyed. They were favored with the fweet affurance of hope; they had heaven in their eye, and all their courfe tended thither. "know if that our earthly houfe of this tabernacle were diffolv"ed, we have abuilding of God, an houfe not made with hands "eternal in the heavens." For this and all other graces he gives glory to God, and afcribes every blefling to his opera. tion. "He who hath wrought us for the felf fame thing is "God, who hath alfo given unto us the earnest of the fpirit." Thefe views, expectations and confolations, had a quickening influence upon them in the exercifes, duties, and all the parts of religion. The more chriflian affurance any perfon háth, the more he is engaged in the fervice of God, and fecking the happiness of his fellow men. Some are ready to think, if they had affurance of grace, they would trouble themfelves no more

about religion. This is a certain evidence that they are both deftitute of grace and of a proper understanding of the goffet.. For the more godlinefs any perfon practifes, and the more religion any one bath, the more ardent are his defires after greater acquifitions. Hence fays our apoftle, "We labour that we may be accepted of the Lord." And the reafon why they are fo perfevering and abundant in their labours is given in "For we must all appear before the judgment feat " of Chrift." Thefe words exprefs the certainty and the univerfality of a future and general judgment, as well as the defignation of the person who fhall execute this high office.

our text.

Wherefore in attending to this folemn and important fubject, we shall endeavor to prove,

First, that there will be a future and general judgment.

Secondly, fhow the perfon who will be honored with the exalted character of being Judge-and,

Thirdly, confider the perfons, who fhall be judged.

First, we are to prove the folemn doctrine that there will be a future and general judgment. This is a truth as certain as that there is a providence, or that God has created and governs the world. Every intelligent creature, who is a fubject of moral government, affords an argument in fupport of this doctrine. For if we were created by God, and he hath given us laws for the regulation of our conduct, is it not reasonable we fhould be accountable, in refpect to our obedience or viola. tion of the fame. And is it not proper that God should marsh all our behaviour, and fee whether we have obeyed or rebelled against him? This is manifeft from the intereft the glory of his own attributes has herein, and the promises and threatenings

annexed to his laws. God is omnifcient and intimately acquainted with all our actions, there is not a hair of our heads which is not numbered, and it would be inconfiftent with his infinite justice, not to reward obedience and righteousness, and punish fin and iniquity. Therefore there will be a time in which he will display his glory in judging the world, and rewarding every man according to his works. "For God fhall bring every work into judgment."

"There are indeed many displays of God's judicial hand in the prefent difpenfations of his providence; hence he is faid To be known by the judgments he executeth." The visible tokens of his distinguishing regard to his faints in this world, as well as the public and dreadful difplays of his vengeance towards his enemies, proclaim his glory as judge of all. What flaughter of men and revolutions of the kingdoms of the earth does he make by war? He scatters nations and buildeth them up again. How have his judgments buried whole cities in ruins by horrid fhocks of the earth? How many nations whofe faces have waxed pale with diftreffing famine? What noxious and peftilential diseases are often fent abroad for the punishment of tranfgreffion? But all these dreadful calamities, were they rightly viewed, confidered and improved, might become difpenfations of mercy rather than judgment. For they are folemn warnings to us and feasonable admonitions, that we fhould prepare for the great and decifive day. But inaf much as fin demerits a much greater punishment than any inflicted here, and fince the divine dealings with the children. of men in respect to outward and visible things cannot be fatiffactorily accounted for, while we behold the righteous oppreffed and the wicked enjoying more than heart can wifh, these things plainly indicate that there is a feafon to come in which all these matters will be perfectly adjusted. Then in the language of the Pfalmift, "A man fhall fay verily there is a reward for "the righteous, verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth."

This doctrine is not only revealed in fcripture, but we find Arong evidences of its being believed among the heathen nations. Where the immortality of the foul is received, which is the cafe in most of the pagan tribes, there we find alfo accountability and a judgment after this life; we find pleasures and happiness for the fuppofed virtuous and good, and a variety of miferies and punishments for the fuppofed wicked. Whether this is a doctrine taught by the feeble light of nature, or whether it is the corrupted remains among them of a divine revelation, handed down from the first ages of the world, is not eafy to determine. However this may be, they furely have fome dark conceptions of it. Hence we read abundantly in the. heathen authors of Eacus, Minon and Radamanthus, who país judgment on every one after death. What ftrange punishments do they inform us of the wicked's fuffering in hell; Sifyphus is condemned to roll a flone up a fteep hill, which conftantly returns upon him; Prometheus is bound to a rock on whofe ever growing liver a vulture continually preys, and the furies are appointed tormentors for all kinds of wickedness, On the other hand, in what lively colours do they paint their Elyfian fields, their imaginary heaven, and fet forth the peace" ful tranquillity, rapturous enjoyments and pleasures of thofe who had received the approbation of their judges for well doing; and a thoufand fables of this kind, all which ferve to fhow they had fome notion of future retributions or of a judg ment in auother ftate of existence.

Moreover this doctrine appears to be impreffed upon the confciences of men, and they cannot extinguish their dreadful apprehenfions thereof. That fecret remorfe which finners feel in their own breafts, which make them very refilefs and uneafy, efpecially, when they conceive themfelves drawing near to the confines of another world. The diftrefs and anguish of mind which they exhibit, because they have poftponed the concerns of eternity to fo late an hour, all which are undeniable argu