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15 - The Great Assize, i e , The Last Judgment - Sermons on Several Occasions · Sacred Texts Archive

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The Great Assees i e. The Last judgment, We shall all stand before
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the judgment seat of Christ Romans fourteen ten. How many circumstances concur to raise
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the awfulness of the present solemnity, the general concourse of people of every age,
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sex, rank, and condition of life, willingly or unwillingly gathered together,
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not only from the neighboring, but from distant parts, Criminals speedily to
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be brought forth in having no way to escape, officers waiting in their various
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posts to execute the orders which shall be given, and the representative of our
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gracious Sovereign, whom we so highly reverence and honor. The occasion likewise of
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this assembly adds not a little to the solemnity of it. To hear and
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determine causes of every kind, some of which are of the most important nature,
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on which depends no less than life or death, death that uncovers the
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face of eternity. It was doubtless, in order to increase the serious sense
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of these things, and not in the minds of the vulgar, only that
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the wisdom of our forefathers did not disdain to appoint even several minute circumstances of
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this solemnity for these also, by means of the eye or ear, may
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more deeply affect the heart. And when viewed in this light, trumpets,
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staves, apparel are no longer trifling or insignificant, but subservient in their kind
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and degree to the most valuable ends of society. But as awful as this
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solemnity is, one far more awful is at hand for yet a little while,
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and we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For as
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I live saith the Lord, every need shall bow to me, and every
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tongue shall confess to God. And in that day every one of us shall
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give account of himself to God. Had all men a deep sense of this,
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how effectually would it secure the interests of society? For what more forcible
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motive can be conceived to the practice of genuine morality, to a steady pursuit
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of solid virtue, an uniform walking in justice, mercy and truth. What
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could strengthen our hands in all that is good and deter us from all evil
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like a strong conviction of this. The Judge standeth at the door, and
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we are shortly to stand before him. It may not therefore be improper or
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unsuitable to the design of the present Assembly to consider number one the chief circumstances
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which will precede our standing before the judgment seat of Christ. Number two the
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judgment itself, and number three a few of the circumstances which will follow it.
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Let us, in the first place, consider the chief circumstances which will
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precede our standing before the judgment seat of Christ. And first, God will
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show signs in the earth beneath Acts two nineteen. Particularly, he will arise
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to shake terribly the earth. The earth shall reel to and fro like a
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drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage Isaiah twenty four to twenty.
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There shall be earthquakes Cato Toopius, not in divers only, but in all
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places, not in one only or a few, but in every part of
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the habitable world Luke twenty one to two. Even such as were not since
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men were upon the earth, so mighty earthquakes and so great, and one
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of these every island shall flee away, and the mountains will not be found
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Revelation six ten twenty. Meantime, all the waters of the tyraqueous globe will
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feel the violence of those concussions, the sea and waves roaring Luke twenty one,
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twenty five, with such an agitation as had never been known before,
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since the hour that the fountains of the Great Deep were broken up to destroy
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the earth, which then stood out of the water. And in the water
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the air will be all storm and tempest, full of dark vapors and pillars
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of smoke Joel two thirty resounding with thunder from pole to pole, and torn
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with ten thousand lightnings. But the commotion will not stop in the region of
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the air. The powers of Heaven also shall be shaken. There shall be
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signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars Luke
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twenty one, twenty five and twenty six, those fixed as well as those
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that move round them. The Sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon
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into blood. Before the great and terrible day of the Lord Come Joel two
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thirty one. The stars shall withdraw their shining Joel three fifteen yea, and
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fall from Heaven Revelation six thirteen, being thrown out of their orbits. And
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then shall be heard the universal shout from all the companies of Heaven, followed
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by the voice of the archangel proclaiming the approach of the Son of God.
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And man, and the trumpet of God sounding an alarm to all that sleep
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in the dust of the earth one Thessalonians four sixteen. In consequence of this,
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all the graves shall open, and the bodies of men arise. The
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sea also shall give up the dead which are therein Revelation twenty thirteen. And
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every one shall rise with his own body, his own in substance, although
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so changed in its properties as we cannot now conceive. For this corrupt will
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then put on incorruption, and this mortal put on immortality. First Corinthians fifteen
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fifty three. Yea death and hades, the invisible world shall deliver up the
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dead that are in them Revelation twenty thirteen, so that all who ever lived
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and died since God created man shall be raised, incorruptible and immortal. At
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the same time, the Son of Man shall send forth his angels over all
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the earth, and they shall gather his elect from the four winds, from
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one end of heaven to the other Matthew twenty four thirty one. And the
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Lord himself shall come with clouds in his own glory and the glory of the
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Father, with ten thousand of his saints, even myriads of angels, and
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shall sit upon the throne of his glory. And before him shall be gathered
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all nations, and he shall separate them one from another, and shall set
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the sheep the good, on the right hand, and the goats the wicked,
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upon the left Matthew twenty five, thirty one, etc. Concerning this
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general assembly, it is that the beloved Disciple speaks, Thus, I saw
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the dead, all that had been dead, small and great, stand before
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God, and the books were opened, a figurative expression plainly referring to the
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manner of proceeding among men. And the dead were judged out of those things
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which were written in the books according to their works Revelation twenty twelve. These
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are the chief circumstances which are recorded in the oracles of God as preceding the
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general judgment. We are secondly to consider the judgment itself, so far as
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it hath pleased God to reveal it. The person by whom God will judge
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the world is his only begotten son, whose goings forth are from everlasting,
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who is God over all blessed forever, him being the outbeaming of his Father's
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glory. The express image of his person Hebrews one three. The Father hath
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committed all judgment because he is the son of Man John five, twenty two
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and twenty seven. Because though he was in the form of God and thought
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it not robbery to be equal with God, yet he emptied himself, taking
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upon him the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men.
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Philippians two six and seven. Yeay, because being found in fashion as
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a man, he humbled himself yet farther, becoming obedient unto death, even
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the death of the cross. Wherefore God hath highly exalted him, even in
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his human nature, and ordained him as man to try the children of men,
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to be the judge, both of the quick and the dead, both
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of those who shall be found alive at his coming and of those who were
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before gathered to their fathers. The time termed by the prophet the Great and
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the Terrible Day is usually in scriptured styled the Day of the Lord. The
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space from the creation of man upon the earth to the end of all things
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is the day of the sons of men. The time that is now passing
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over us is properly our day. When this is ended, the day of
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the Lord will begin. But who can say how long it will continue,
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with the Lord one day as a thousand years, and a thousand years as
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one day two Peter three eight. And from this very expression, some of
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the ancient fathers drew that inference that what is commonly called the day of judgment
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would be indeed a thousand years. And it seems they did not go beyond
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the truth. Nay, probably they did not come up to it. For
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if we consider the number of persons who are to be judged, and of
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actions which are to be inquired into, it does not appear that a thousand
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years will suffice for the transactions of that day, so that it may not
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improbably comprise several thousand years. But God shall reveal this also in its season.
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With regard to the place where mankind will be judged, we have no
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explicit account in scripture. An eminent writer, but not he alone, many
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have been of the same opinion supposes it will be on earth, where the
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works were done, according to which they shall be judged, and that God
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will, in order thereto employ the angels of his strength to smooth and lengthen
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out the boundless space and spread an area for all human race. But perhaps
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it is more agreeable to our Lord's own account of his coming in the clouds,
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to suppose it will be above the earth, if not twice a planetary
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height. And this supposition is not a little favored by what Saint Paul writes
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to the Thessalonians. The dead in Christ shall rise first, then we who
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remain alive shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet
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the Lord in the air first Thessalonians four sixteen and seventeen. So that it
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seems most probable the great white Throne will be high, exalted above the earth.
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The persons to be judged, who can count any more than the drops
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of rain or the sands of the sea. I beheld, Saith Saint John,
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a great multitude which no man can number, clothed with white robes and
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palms in their hands. How immense then must be the total multitude of all
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nations and kindreds, and people and tongues of all that have sprung from the
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loins of Adam since the world began till time shall be no more. If
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we admit the common supposition, which seems no ways absurd, that the earth
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bears at any one time no less than four hundred millions of living souls,
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men, women, and children. What a congregation must all those generations make,
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who have succeeded each other other for seven thousand years, great jerries,
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world in arms, proud cannies host they all are here, and here they
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all are lost, their numbers swell to be discerned in vain, lost as
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a drop in the unbounded main. Every man, every woman, every infant
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of days, that ever breathed the vital air, will then hear the voice
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of the Son of God, and start into life and appear before him.
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And this seems to be the natural import of that expression. The dead,
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small and great, all universally, all without exception, all of every age,
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sex or degree, all that ever lived and died or underwent such a
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change as will be equivalent with death. For long before that day the phantom
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of human greatness disappears and sinks into nothing, even in the moment of death,
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that vanishes away who is rich or great in the grave. And every
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man shall there give an account of his own works, YEA, a full
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and true account of all that he ever did while in the body, whether
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it was good or evil. Oh, what a scene will then be disclosed
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in the sight of angels and men. While not the fabled Rhodamanthus, but
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the Lord God Almighty, who knoweth all things in heaven and earth, castegatque
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auditquedolos subugittque fattyri quai quis apud superos ferto l'autetusanani diestulet and seram coomisa piacui la
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mortem, or these drear realms. Stern rdamanthus reigns, detects each artful villain,
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and constrains to own the crimes long veiled from human sight in vain.
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Now all stand forth in hated light. Nor will all the actions alone of
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every child of man be then brought to open view, but all their words,
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Seeing every idle word which men shall speak, they shall give account thereof
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in the day of judgment Matthew twelve thirty six and thirty seven. So that
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by thy words as well as works, thou shalt be justified, and by
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thy words thou shalt be condemned. Will not God then bring to light every
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circumstance also that accompanied every word or action, and if not altered the nature
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yet lessened or increased the goodness or badness of them And how easy is this
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to him who is about our bed and about our path, and spieth out
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all our ways. We know the darkness is no darkness to him, but
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the night shineth as the day. Yea, he will bring to light,
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not the hidden works of darkness only, but the very thoughts and intents of
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the heart, and what marvel. For he searcheth the reins and understandeth all
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our thoughts. All things are naked and open to the eyes of Him with
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whom we have to do helen destruction. Are before him without a covering.
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How much more the hearts of the children of men, And in that day
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shall be discovered every inward working of every human soul, every appetite, passion,
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inclination, affection, with the various combinations of them, with every temper
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and disposition that constitute the whole complex character of each individual. So shall it
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be clearly and infallibly seen who was righteous and who unrighteous, and in what
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degree every action or person or character was either good or evil. Then the
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King will say to them upon his right hand, come, ye, blessed
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of my father. For I was hungry, and ye gave me meat,
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thirsty, and ye gave me drink. I was a stranger, and ye
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took me in naked, and ye clothed me in like manner. All the
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good they did upon the earth will be recited before men and angels, whatsoever
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they had done, either in word or deed, in the name or for
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the sake of the Lord Jesus. All their good desires, intentions, thoughts,
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all their holy dispositions will also be then remembered, And it will appear
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that though they were unknown or forgotten among men, yet God noted them in
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his book. All their sufferings, likewise for the name of Jesus, and
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for the testimony of a good conscience, will be displayed under their praise from
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the righteous judge, their honor before saints and angels, and the increase of
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that far more exceeding in eternal weight of glory. But will their evil deeds
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too, Since if we take in this whole life, there is not a
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man on earth who liveth and sinneth, not, will these be remembered in
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that day and mentioned in the Great congregation. Many believe they will not,
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and ask would not this imply that their sufferings were not at an end even
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when life ended, Seeing they would still have sorrow and shame and confusion of
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face to endure. They ask farther, how can this be reconciled with God's
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declaration by the prophet. If the wicked will turn from all his sins that
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he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is
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lawful and right, all his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not
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be once mentioned unto him Ezekiel eighteen twenty one and twenty two. How is
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it consistent with the promise which God has made to all who accept of the
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Gospel Covenant. I will forgive their iniquities and remember their sin no more Jeremiah
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thirty one thirty four. Or as the apostle expresses it, I will be
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merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and iniquities, will I remember no
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more Hebrews eight twelve. It may be answered, it is apparently and absolutely
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necessary for the full display of the glory of God, for the clear and
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perfect manifestation of His wisdom, justice, power, and mercy toward the heirs
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of salvation, that all the circumstances of their life should be placed in open
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view, together with all their tempers and all the desires, thoughts, and
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intents of their heart. Otherwise how would it appear out of what a depth
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of sin and misery the grace of God had delivered them. And indeed,
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if the whole lies of all the children of men were not manifestly discovered,
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the whole amazing contexture of divine providence could not be manifested. Nor should we
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yet be able in a thousand instances to justify the ways of God to man
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unless our Lord's words were fulfilled in their utmost sense, without any restriction or
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limitation. There is nothing covered that shall not be revealed, or hid that
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shall not be known. Matthew ten twenty six. Abundance of God's dispensations under
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the sun would still appear without their reasons. And then only when God hath
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brought to light all the hidden things of darkness, whosoever were the actors therein
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will it be seen that wise and good were all his ways, that He
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saw through the thick cloud, and governed all things by the wise counsel of
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his own will. That nothing was left to chance or the caprice of men.
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But God disposed all strongly and sweetly, and wrought all into one connected
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chain of justice, mercy, and truth, and in the discovery of the
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divine perfections. The righteous will rejoice with joy unspeakable, from feeling any painful
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sorrow or shame for any of those past transgressions which were long since blotted out
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as a cloud washed away by the blood of the lamp. It will be
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abundantly sufficient for them that all the transgressions which they had committed shall not be
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once mentioned under them to their disadvantage. That their sins and transgressions and iniquities
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shall be remembered no more to their condemnation. This is the plain meaning of
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the promise, and this all the children of God shall find true to their
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everlasting comfort. After the righteous are judged, the King will turn to them
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upon his left hand, and they shall also be judged every man according to
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his works. But not only their outward works will be brought into the account,
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but all the evil words which they have ever spoken, yeay, all
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the evil desires, affections, tempers which have or have had a place in
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their souls, and all the evil thoughts or designs which were ever cherished in
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their hearts. The joyful sentence of acquittal will then be pronounced upon those upon
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the right hand, the dreadful sentence of condemnation upon those on the left,
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both of which must remain fixed and unmovable as the throne of God. We
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may, in the third place, consider a few of the circumstances which will
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follow the general judgment, And the first is the execution of the sentence pronounced
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on the evil and on the good. These shall go away into eternal punishment,
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and the righteous into life eternal. It should be observed it is the
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very same word which is used both in the former and the latter clause.
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It follows that either the punishment lasts forever, or the reward too will come
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to an end. No, never, unless God could come to an end,
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or his mercy and truth could fail, then shall the righteous shine forth
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as the son in the kingdom of their father, and shall drink of those
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rivers of pleasure which are at God's right hand forevermore. But here all description
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falls short, all human language fails. Only one who is caught up into
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the third heaven can have a just conception of it. But even such a
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one cannot express what he hath seen these things. It is not possible for
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man to utter the wicked meantime shall be turned into hell, even all the
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people that forget God. They will be punished with everlasting destruction. From the
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presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power. They will be
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cast into the lake of fire, burning with brimstone, originally prepared for the
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devil and his angels, where they will gnaw their tongues for anguish and pain.
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They will curse God and look upward. There the dogs of hell,
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pride, malice, revenge, rage, horror, despair continually devour them.
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There they have no rest day or night, but the smoke of their torment
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ascendeth forever and ever. For their worm dieth not and the fire is not
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quenched, then the heavens will be shriveled up as a parchment scroll and pass
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away with a great noise. They will flee from the face of Him that
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sitteth on the throne, and there will be found no place for them Revelation
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twenty eleven. The very manner of their passing away is disclosed to us by
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the apostle Peter. In the day of God, the heavens, being on
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fire, shall be dissolved tewond Peter three twelve. The whole beautiful fabric will
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be overthrown by that raging element, the connection of all its parts destroyed,
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and every atom torn asunder from the others. By the same the earth also,
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and the works that are therein, shall be burned up Verse ten.
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The enormous works of nature, the everlasting hills, mountains, that have defied
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the rage of time and stood unmoved so many thousand years, will sink down
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in fiery ruin. How much less will the works of art, though of
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the most durable kind, the utmost efforts of human industry, tombs, pillars,
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triumphal arches, castles, pyramids, be able to withstand the flaming conqueror
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all all will die, perish, vanish away like a dream. When one
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awaketh it has indeed been imagined by some great and good men, that as
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it requires that same almighty power to annihilate things as to create, to speak
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into nothing or out of nothing, so no part of no atom in the
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universe will be totally or finally destroyed. Rather, they suppose that as the
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last operation of fire which we have yet been able to observe, is to
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reduce into glass what by a smaller force it had reduced to ashes. So
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in the day that God hath ordained, the whole earth, if not the
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material heavens also will undergo this change, after which the fire can have no
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farther power over them. And they believe this is intimated by that expression in
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the revelation made to Saint John before the throne, there was a sea of
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glass like unto crystal Revelation four to six. We cannot now either affirm or
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deny this, but we shall know hereafter, if it be inquired by the
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scoffers the minute philosophers, How can these things be whence should come such an
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immense quantity of fire as would consume the heavens and the whole to aqueous globe,
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We would beg leave first to remind them that this difficulty is not peculiar
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to the Christian system. The same opinion almost universally obtained among the unbigoted Heathens.
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So one of these celebrated freethinkers speaks according to the generally received statement s
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e quoque in fatis remisquetur affore tempus quomare quotells correptique ragia quili ar diet at
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mundi molis operosa Labori. The following is Dryden's translation of this quotation from OVID,
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remembering in the fates a time when fire should to the battlements of heaven
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aspire, and all the blazing world above should burn, and all the inferior
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globe to Cinder's turn. But secondly, it is easy to answer, even
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from our slight and superficial acquaintance with natural things, that there are abundant magazines
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of fire ready prepared and treasured up against the day of the Lord. How
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soon may a comet commissioned by him travel down from the most distant parts of
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the universe, And were it to fix upon the Earth and its return from
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the Sun, when it is some thousand times hotter than a red hot cannon
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ball, who does not see what must be the immediate consequence, but not
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to ascend so high as the ethereal heavens, might not the same lightnings which
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give shine to the world, if commanded by the Lord of Nature, give
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ruin and utter destruction, or to go no farther than the globe itself.
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Who knows what huge reservoirs of liquid fire are, from age to age contained
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in the bowels of the earth. Etna hecla Vesuvius, and all the other
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volcanoes that belch out flames and coals of fire. What are they but so
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many proofs and mouths of those fiery furnaces, and at the same time so
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many evidences that God hath in readiness, wherewith to fulfill his word. Yea,
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were we to observe no more than the surface of the earth and the
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things that surround us on every side, it is most certain, as a
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thousand experiments prove beyond all possibility of denial, that we ourselves, our whole
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bodies, are full of fire, as well as everything round us. Is
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it not easy to make this ethereal fire visible even to the naked eye,
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and to produce thereby the very same effects on combustible matter which are produced by
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culinary fire. Needs there, then, any more than for God to unloose
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that secret chain whereby this irresistible agent is now bound down and lies quiescent in
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every particle of matter. And how soon would it tear the universal frame in
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pieces and involve all in one common ruin. There is one circumstance more,
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which will follow the judgment that deserves our serious consideration. We look says the
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apostle according to his promise for new heavens and a new Earth, wherein dwelleth
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righteousness Tewod Peter three thirteen. The promise stands in the prophecy of Isaiah.
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Behold, I create new heavens and a new Earth, and the former shall
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not be remembered, Isaiah sixty five seventeen. So great shall the glory of
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the latter be these Saint John did behold in the visions of God, I
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saw saith he a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven
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and the first earth were passed away Revelation twenty one to one, and only
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righteousness dwelt therein. Accordingly, he adds, and I heard a great voice
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from the third heaven, saying, behold, the Tabernacle of God is with
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men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people.
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And God himself sh will be with them and be their God twenty one
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to three. Of necessity. Therefore they will all be happy. God shall
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wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death,
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neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain. Twenty
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one four. There shall be no more curse, but they shall see His
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face twenty one, three and four, shall have the nearest access to and
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hence the highest resemblance of Him. This is the strongest expression in the language
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of Scripture to denote the most perfect happiness. And His name shall be on
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their foreheads. They shall be openly acknowledged as God's own property, and His
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glorious nature shall most visibly shine forth in them. And there shall be no
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night there, and they need no candle, neither light of the sun,
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for the Lord God giveth them light, and they shall reign forever and ever.
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It remains only to apply the preceding considerations to all who are here before
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God, And are we not directly led so to do by the present solemnity
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which so naturally points us to that day when the Lord will judge the world
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in righteousness. This, therefore, by reminding us of that more awful season,
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may furnish many lessons of instruction. A few of these I may be
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permitted just to touch on. May God write them on all our hearts.
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And First, how beautiful are the feet of those who are sent by the
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wise and gracious providence of God to execute justice on earth, to defend the
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injured, and punish the wrong doer. Are they not the ministers of God
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to us for good, the grand supporters of the public tranquility, the patrons
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of innocence and virtue, the great security of all our temporal blessings. And
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does not every one of these represent not only an earthly prince, but the
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judge of the earth, him whose name is written upon his thigh, King
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of kings, and Lord of lords. Oh, that all these sons of
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the right hand of the most Time may be as holy as He is,
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holy, wise with the wisdom that sitteth by his throne, like him,
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who is the eternal wisdom of the Father, no respector of persons, as
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he is none, but rendering to every man according to his works, like
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him, inflexibly, inoxerably just, though pitiful, and of tender mercy,
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So shall they be terrible. Indeed to them that do evil, as not
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bearing the sword in vain. So shall the laws of our land have their
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full use and due honor, and the throne of our King be still established
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in righteousness. He truly honorable. Men whom God and the King have commissioned
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in a lower degree to administer justice, may not ye be compared to those
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ministering spirits who will attend the Judge coming in the clouds. May you,
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like them, burn with the love of God and Man. May you love
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righteousness and hate iniquity. May ye all minister in your several spheres such honor
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hath God given you also to them that shall be heirs of salvation and to
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the glory of your Great Sovereign. May ye remain the establishers of peace,
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the blessing and ornaments of your country, the protectors of a guilty land,
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the guardian angels of all that are round about you, you whose office it
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is to execute what is given you in charge by Him before whom you stand.
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How nearly are you concerned to resemble those that stand before the face of
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the Son of Man, those servants of His that do his pleasure and hearken
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to the voice of his words. Does it not highly import you to be
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as uncorrupt as them? To approve yourselves the servants of God, to do
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justly and love mercy, to do all as ye would they should do to
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you. So shall that great Judge, under whose eye you continually stand,
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say to you also, well done, good and faithful servants, Enter ye
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into the joy of your Lord. Suffer me to add a few words to
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all of you who are at this day present before the Lord. Should not
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you bear it in your minds all the day long, that a more awful
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day is coming a large assembly this But what is it to that which every
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eye will then behold, the general assembly of all the children of men that
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ever lived on the face of the whole earth. A few will stand that
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the judgment seat this day to be judged, touching what shall be laid to
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their charge. And they are now reserved in prison, perhaps in chains,
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till they are brought forth to be tried and sentenced. But we shall all
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I that speak, and you that here stand at the judgment seat of Christ.
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And we are now reserved on this earth, which is not our home,
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in this prison of flesh and blood, perhaps many of us in chains
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of darkness too, till we are ordered to be brought forth. Here a
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man is questioned concerning one or two facts which he is supposed to have committed.
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There we are to give an account of all our works from the cradle
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to the grave, of all our words, of all our desires and tempers,
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all the thoughts and intents of our hearts, of all the use we
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have made of our various talents, whether of mind, body, or fortune,
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till God said, give an account of thy stewardship, for thou mayest
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be no longer steward in this court. It is possible some who are guilty
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may escape for want of evidence, But there is no want of evidence in
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that court. All men with whom you had the most secret intercourse, who
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were privy to all your designs and actions, are ready before your face.
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So are all the spirits of darkness, who inspired evil designs and assisted in
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the execution of them. So are all the angels of God, those eyes
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of the Lord that run to and fro over all the earth, who watched
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over your soul and labored for your good so far as you would permit.
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So is your own conscience a thousand witnesses in one now, no more capable
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of being either blinded or silenced, but constrained to know and to speak the
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naked truth, touching all your thoughts and words and actions. And is conscience
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as a thousand witnesses, yea. But God is as a thousand consciences.
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Oh, who can stand before the face of the Great God, even our
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Savior Jesus Christ. See see he cometh, He maketh the clouds his chariots.
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He writeth upon the wings of the wind. A devouring fire goeth before
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him, and after him a flame burneth. See he sitteth upon his throne,
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clothed with light, as with a garment, arrayed with majesty and honor.
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Behold, his eyes are as a flame of fire, his voice as
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the sound of many waters. How will ye escape? Will ye call to
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the mountains to fall on you, the rocks to cover you, alas the
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mountains themselves, the rocks, the earth, the heavens are just ready to
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flee away. Can ye prevent the sentence? Wherewith with all the substance of
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thy house, with thousands of gold and silver, blind wretch, thou camest
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naked from thy mother's womb, and more naked into eternity. Hear the Lord,
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the Judge, Come ye, blessed of my father inherit the kingdom prepared
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for you from the foundation of the world. Joyful sound, how widely different
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from that voice which echoes through the expanse of heaven. Depart ye cursed into
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everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels, And who is he
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that can prevent or retard the full execution of either sentence? Vain hope lo
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Hell is moved from beneath to receive those who are ripe for destruction, and
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the everlasting doors lift up their heads, that the airs of glory may come
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in what manner of persons that ought we to be in all holy conversation and
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godliness. We know it cannot be long before the Lord will descend with the
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voice of the archangel and the trumpet of God, when every one of us
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shall appear before him and give account of our works. Wherefore beloved, seeing
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ye look for these things, seeing ye know he will come and will not
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tarry, be diligent, that ye may be found of Him in peace with
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the others out spot and blameless. Why should ye not, why should one
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of you be found on the left hand at his appearing. He willeth not
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that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance, by repentance
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to faith in a bleeding Lord, by faith to spotless love, to the
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full image of God renewed in the heart, and producing all holiness of conversation.
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Can you doubt of this, when you remember the Judge of all is
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likewise the savior of all. Hath he not bought you with his own blood
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that ye might not perish but have everlasting life. Oh, make proof of
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his mercy rather than his justice, of his love, rather than the thunder
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of his power. He is not far from every one of us, and
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he has now come not to condemn, but to save the world. He
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standeth in the midst Sinner. Doth he not now even now knock at the
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door of thy heart? Oh, that thou mayest know at least in this
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thy day the things that belong unto thy peace? O, that ye may
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now give yourselves to Him who gave himself for you in humble faith, in
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holy, active, patient love. So shall ye rejoice with exceeding joy in
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his day when he cometh in the clouds of heaven. End of Section fifteen.