carried by Angels into Abraham's Bofom; and as the penitent Thief, who was crucified with Chrift, entred into Paradife on the Day of his Death; fo all the Righteous are bleffed in their Death; and as foon as they go out of this earthly Tabernacle, they are admitted into their houfe, which is from Heaven, 2 Cor. v. I, 2.

AND if the Souls of Men, upon their Separation from the Body, go immediately unto Heaven or Hell, according to their Works, then there is no middle Place appointed to receive them after Death. And confequently 'tis a groundless and fuperftitious Practice to pray for Souls departed, that they may be delivered from the imaginary Pains of Purgatory: For the State of the Dead is anfwerable to the Courfe of their Lives, and it cannot be altered by the Prayers of the Living. The Souls of the Righteous, as foon as they leave the Body, are admitted into Heaven, and do not need our Prayers. And the Souls of the Wicked, when they die, are forthwith caft into Hell, from whence 'tis impoffible by our Prayers to redeem them.

BUT befides this Particular Judgment, which is fecretly past upon the Souls of Men at their Death, there fhall be a General Judgment, when all Nations shall be gathered together before the great Tribunal of Chrift, that all Men may be publickly abfolved or condemned, and receive in Body, as well as in Soul, a juft Recompence of Reward or Punishment, according to their Deeds. For in the laft Day Chrift fhall defcend from Heaven with great Power and Majefty, with the Voice of the Arch-angel, and with the Trump of God; and as a Judge he fhall fit upon the Throne of his Glory, 1 Thef.iv. 16. Matth. xix. 28.

AND

AND when Chrift cometh to Judgment, he fhall in a Moment, by the Power of his Godhead, raise all that are dead, and change thofe that are alive: For none fhall be judged while they are dead: But all that are dead before Chrift's appearing, fhall be raised unto Life; and thofe that are then alive fhall be changed. For we shall not all fleep (faith the Apoftle, 1 Cor. xv. 51.) but we shall all be changed in a Moment; that is, they that are alive at the last Day fhall not die; but both the Dead and Living fhall be changed, and their Bodies fhall be made immortal and incorruptible, that they may be recompenced according to their Works done in this Life.

THE Perfons whom Chrift fhall judge, are the evil Angels, and all Men whofoever. The angels who finned and kept not their firft ftate, God hath caft down to hell, and referved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day, 2 Pet. ii. 4. Jud. 6. And all Men, both Quick and Dead, fhall be judged by Christ at his appearing, 2 Tim. iv. 1. I Pet. iv. 5. The Quick are all those who shall be found alive at the Time of Chrift's coming to Judgment: The Dead are all the reft which died before the laft Day. And the Dead being raised unto Life, and the Living being changed, both fhall be brought unto Judgment. For God hath appointed a day, in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained, Act. xvii. And we fball all stand before the judgment feat of Chrift. And every one of us fhall give an account of himself unto God, Rom. xiv. 10, 12.

AND the Things for which all Men fhall be judged, shall be their Works, all the Good and

Evil which they have done: For there is no re fpect of Perfons with God, but he will dea justly with all, tnd recompence them according to their Deeds. All the Actions which ever Men have done, are written in their own Confcience, and in God's Book of Remembrance. And in the Day of Judgment both these Books fhall be opened, and Men fhall be judged out of thofe things which are written in the books according to their works, Rev. xx. 12. For we must all appear before the judgment feat of Chrift, that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad, 2 Cor. v. 10.

AND as there are two kinds of Perfons to be judged, the Righteous and the Wicked: So there fhall be two kinds of Sentences paffed on them. The Righteous fhall be abfolved from their Sins, and crowned with Happiness for the Merits of Chrift according to their Works. The meer Mercy of God in Chrift, is the Caufe of our Juftification and Salvation: And Faith and fincere Obedience to the Gofpel, is the Condition on which those Benefits are promised. And in the Day of Judgment we fhall be perfectly justified and faved of God's meer Mercy in Christ according to our Deeds. And our Reward shall be anfwerable to that Improvement, which we have made of the Talents of Grace: For in Heaven there are many Mansions of Happiness. And fuch as have been more diligent and zealous in God's Service, fhall be advanced to the greater Degree of Glory.

THE Wicked fhall be condemned unto Punishment according to the defert and measure of their Sins. When the Lord Jefus fhall be revealed from heaven, he VOL. I.

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fball

fball take vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel, z Thef. i. 7, 8. For all impenitent Wretches fhall be condemned unto eternal Punishment. And their Punifhment fhall be proportionable to the Meafure of their Sins. And moft equal it is that they who refufe Mercy, when it is offered, fhould have Judgment without Mercy. For if Men chufe to walk in the way of Death, 'tis juft with God to punif them according to their own Choice.

AND after Chrift, the righteous Judge, hath paft Sentence upon all Men, he fhall forthwith execute the Judgment given. The Wicked being condemned fhall fpeedily be caft into everlafting Punishment; but the Righteous fhall be tranflated into Heaven, and reign with Chrift in Celestial Glory. And as foon as Chrift hath given Judgment on the Wicked, and is departed from the Region of the Air, while he is afcending with his Saints and Angels into Heaven, 'tis probable that this World fhall be fet on fire about the Wicked, and their Punishment fhall begin here.

AND when Chrift hath put all his Enemies under his Feet, and glorified all his Saints, then fhall be deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father, that is, he fhall ceafe to execute the Office of Mediator, because there will be no farther need thereof. But yet the Dignity of his Manhood fhall not be diminished: For he fhall reign for ever as Head and King over his Church triumphant in his Kingdom of Heaven, without external Means and Ordinances.

THE Duties arifing from the Belief of the laft Judgment, are thefe Four.

First, THE Belief of the last Judgment should move us to repent of our Sins, and to keep our Confcience void of Offence. The Expectation of a Judgment to come, is a powerful Motive to hinder us from finning, and to make us careful to ferve and please God, that we may be found of him in Peace without fpot, and blamelefs. And if we had always an Eye to our future State, and daily expected the glorious appearing of the great God, how diligent fhould we be to deny all Ungodlinefs and worldly Lufts, and to live foberly, righteously, and godly in this prefent World? For the Terrors of the Lord are enough to make us afraid to offend him, and to ftir us up to ferve him acceptably with Reverence and godly Fear. And if we really believed and feriously confidered that God will at last bring every Work into Judgment, doubtlefs we should not be fo bold to provoke him, but be very careful to work out our Salvation with Fear and Trembling.

Secondly, THE Belief of the laft Judgment fhould excite us to watch and prepare for it, while we have time: Tho' the Day of Judgment hall at laft furely come, yet when it fhall happen 'tis uncertain, and altogether unknown to us. For of that day, and of that hour, knoweth no man; no not the angels which are in heaven, Mar. xiii. 32. And the Uncertainty of our Lord's coming to Judgment fhould make us careful to put our felves in a Readiness for it. For the Day of the Lord fo cometh as a Thief in the Night. And when Men triumph in their Wickedness, and flatter themselves with Peace and Safety, then fudden Deftruction may come upon them, as travail upon a Woman with Child. For the Day of Death and Judgment will be fudden to thofe