Rev. xi.

15.

who is ordained by God to be Judge of Quick and Dead, Acts x. 42. and they shall all ftand before the Judgment-feat of 18. Chrift,both Small andGreat. Power fhall not exempt Rev. vi. the Kings of the Earth, and the great Men, neither fhall job xxxiv. Meannefs excufe the pooreft Slave; for they are all 19. the Work of bis Hands;neither will he have regard to fuch Qualities and Circumstances of Perfons, which do not at all appertain to the Merits of the Cause. Q. For what ball we be judged?

10.

42. &c.

A. For all Things we have done in the Body, whe- 2 Cor. ther they be good or bad. All our Thoughts, Words, and Actions, fhall then undergo the fevereft Scrutiny; for they being all in fome Meafure fubject to God's Laws, they thall then be examined as to the Breach or Obfervance of them. We must then give an Account how we have performed our Duty to God, our Neighbour, and ourfelves: How we have improved the Talents we have been entrusted Mat. xxv. with; particularly we shall be tried for the Omiffions of our Duty, which is the inain Enquiry recorded in the Procedure of that great Day: and not only our Actions, but every idle, that is, wicked, Word we fall speak will be brought into Judgment, and Ey our Words we shall be justified, and by our Words Mat. xii. we fall be condemned: Nay our fecret Thoughts fhall then be expofed to publick View ; all Wickednefs taketh its Rife from the Heart, and the Deiign and Intention with which a Thing is done, frequently difcriminates the Goodnefs or Evil of the Action; therefore God fhall judge the Rom. ii. Secrets of Men's Hearts by Jefus Christ.

for

Q. By what Measures ball the Sentence of the Great Day pass upon Men?

A. According to the Nature and Quality of their

36, 37.

16.

Actions. TheWicked shall go into everlasting Punish- Mat. xxv. ment, but the Righteous into Life eternal. So that the 46. Rewards and Punishments of the next Life, fhall bear a Proportion to the Good or Evil Men have done in this.

Q. But

48.

6.

16, &c.

41.

Q. But will the Degrees of their good and bad Actions be confidered, as well as the Nature and Quality of them?

A. The Scripture is plain and exprefs in this Luke xii. Matter. To whomfoever much is given, of him fall 2 Cor. ix. be much required; he that foweth fparingly, shall reap Sparingly; and be that foweth bountifully, fhall reap bountifully. And in the Parable of the Talents, our Saviour plainly teaches us, that Men are rewardLuke xix. ed according to the Improvements they make. He that had gained Ten Talents is made Ruler over Ten Cities,and he that had gained Five Talents, Ru1 Cor. xv. lerover Five Cities. St. Paul exprefsly affirms, that the Glory of the Saints fhall be different at the Refurrection. And our Saviour tells us, that in the Day of Judgment the Condition of Tyre and Sidon, of Sodom and Gomorrah, fhall be more tolerable than that of impenitent Sinners under the Gospel. And this is agreeable to the Juftice and Equity of God's Providence, and to the Reason of the Thing, nothing being a greater Incitement to Piety, than the Confideration, that the least Service shall not lofe its Reward. And the better any Man is, the greater Difpofition he hath for the Enjoyment of God; and the more hardened he is in Wickednefs, the more fufceptible he is of Torment, and treafureth up greater Measures of Wrath against the Day of Wrath.

32.

Q. What is the prefixed Time of our Saviour's coming to Judgment?

A. The Time and Seafon for that great Affize is appointed by God, and referved as a Secret to himMark xiii. felf. Of that Day and Hour knoweth no Man, no, not the Angels which are in Heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. The Angels who excel in Knowledge, and shall adminifter in all the Solemnities of the last Judgment, are ignorant of it, and fo is the Son of Man, who is himself to be the Judge, and who,

as

as God, knows all Things, yet as to his human Understanding he did not know it; which is not unreafonable to fuppofe, if we confider that the human Nature of Chrift did not neceffarily know all Things by Virtue of its Union to the divine Nature, otherwife Jefus could not have grown in Wisdom Luke ii. and Favour with God and Man.

Q. What shall be the Manner and the Circumftances of Chrift's Appearing?

52.

2 Theff. i.

7.

1

16. Luke ix.

26.

31, 32.

Cor. xv.

Tit. ii. 13.

d. He fhall be revealed foom Heaven with his mighty Angels. He fhall defcend with a Shout, with the Voice Theff. iv. of the Arch-Angel, with the Trump of God. He shall come in his own Glory, and in his Father's, and in that of bis boly Angels. He shall fit upon the Throne of his Mat. xxv. Glory, and all Nations fhall be gathered before him, and he fhall feparate them, the one from the other, as a Shepberd divideth his Sheep from the Goats. Thofe that fleep in the Grave fhall awake, and the Dead in Christ 1 Theff. iv. fball rife firft, and they that are alive fhall be changed and 161x caught up to meet the Lordin the Air; which fufficiently 51 fhews the glorious Appearing of the great God, and our Saviour Jefus Chrift: Glorious in refpect of the Brightness and Splendor of his celeftial Body, still made more glorious and majeftic by the Authority which his Father hath committed to him of Univerfal Judge: Glorious in his Retinue, being accompanied with Thousands of holy Angels, who fhall attend not only to make up the Pomp of his Appearance, but as Minifters of his Juftice: and Glorious, laftly, in that bright Throne of Glory, from whence he fhall difpenfe Life and Death to all the World.

Q. What may we learn from the Certainty of a future General Judgment?

A. To govern our Lives with that Care and Confideration,and with that due Regard to the Measures of our Duty, that we may be able to give up our Accounts with Joy, and not with Grief. To keep

that

that strict Watch over ourselves by frequent Examination, that our Demeanour, in this State of Probation and Trial, may obtain the Favour and Acceptance of our Judge at his dreadful Tribunal. To reftrain ourselves from committing the leaft Sin, because there is none fo inconfiderable as to be overlooked at the general Audit. Not to encourage ourfelves by the greatest Secrecy to the Breach of any of God's holy Laws, becaufe all our Actions fhall be then expofed to public View, and known by the whole World, to our eternal Infamy and Reproach. Not to be dejected by the Slanders and Calumnies of bad Men, becaufe our Integrity fhall then be cleared by him who cannot err in Judgment. To improve all thofe Talents the Providence of God hath intrufted us with, because we are but Stewards, and must give an Account of them. To be fincere in all our Words and Actions, because in that Day the Secrets of all Hearts fhall be difclofed. To avoid all rash judging of others, because he that judgeth another fhall not efcape the Judgment of God. To abound in fuch Works, as we know will particularly diftinguish Men at that Day, as feeding the Hungry, clothing the Naked, &c. because our Labour fhall not be in vain in the Lord. And yet, after the most careful and induftrious Performance of our Duty, to be humble and jealous over our own Conduct, becaufe, though we know nothing by ourselves, we are not thereby juftified, 1 Cor. iv. for he that judges us is the Lord.

Q. What should we learn from the Uncertainty of the Time when we shall be judged?

A. Immediately to reconcile ourfelves to God by a fincere and hearty Repentance, that the terrible Day of God's Wrath may not find us unprepared: To be always upon our Guard, that we may make a daily Progrefs towards Chriftian Perfection, and conftantly defend ourselves against the Attacks of

our

our spiritual Enemies: To be frequent in all Acts ́ of Piety and Devotion, that when we are fummoned to appear, we may, if poffible, be found employed in religious Exercifes: To beg God's Grace that the Day of Judgment may not overtake us unawares, but that by a patient Continuance in well-doing we may wait for Glory, Honour, and Immortality.

A

paration

Lmighty God, give me Grace, that I may caft For Pres away the Works of Darkness, and put upon for Judgme the Armour of Light, now in the Time of this ment. mortal Life (in which thy Son Jefus Chrift came to vifit us in great Humility) that in the last Day, when he fhall come again in his glorious Majefty to judge both the Quick and Dead, I may rife to the Life immortal, through him who liveth and reigneth with thee, and the Holy Ghoft, now and ever. Amen.

II.

Success of

LORD Jefus Chrift, who at thy firft Coming For the didft fend thy Meffenger to prepare thy Way God's Mibefore thee; grant that the Minifters and Stewards nifters, of thy Mysteries, may likewise so prepare and make ready thy Way, by turning the Hearts of the Dif obedient to the Wifdom of the Juft; that at thy fecond Coming to judge the World, we may be found an acceptable People in thy Sight, who livest and reigneft with the Father and the holy Spirit, ever one God, World without End. Amen.

III.

Templa

LORD, raise up, I pray thee, thy Power, and For Refa come among us, and with great Might fuc- cue from cour me, that whereas through my Sins and Wick- tion. edneffes I am fore lett and hindered in running the D

Race