the Lord, and have raifed up moft guiltinefs to our Confciences, which will at the laft con demn us, and let us hereafter carefully fee our Covenant be kept and continued as much as in us lieth, and let us remember the words of the Prophet Efdras, in his Second Book, Ch. 7. ver. 32. The earth fhall restore those that have flept in her, and the most high shall appear upon the feat of Judgment, and miferies fhall vanish away, and long-fuffering fhall have an end, Fustice only Shall continue, the truth fhall remain, and unrigh teoufnefs fhall bear no more Rule.

Oh then, I beseech you again and again, fecing that nothing fhall go with you to Judg ment, but only your works, to lay afide all immoderate care of the World; yea, and the things of this world, for thefe muft ftay behind us, and cannot help us in the day of Judgment. Let us labour for better things, for durable Treafures, for a clear Confcience to abound in good works,in Knowledge, Faith, and Repentance. Let us take heed we are not found naked of thefe. Oh what a woeful cafe are they in, that have nothing in the world to go with them to Judgment, but an evil heart, a galled Gon. fcience full of uncleannefs. Their state is woful and miferable; it had been good for them they had never been born."

Here a Question may be asked, how this fay ing of St. John, can ftand with that of our Sa viour, John 3. 18. He that believeth on him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is con. demned already. Now if the faithful Children

of

of God fhall not come into Judgment, and the wicked unbelievers be condemned already, how faith he that all fhall be judged at the day of Judgment?

I answer, it is true, that the faithful Children of God fhall not come into Judgment, that is, of condemnation: Rom. 8. For there is no condemnation, &c. But God will pronounce that blefled Sentence, come ye bleffed, &c. As for the wicked it is true, they are condemned already Firft in the decree and counfel of God, being Reprobates and Caft-aways. Secondly, in the Word of God. Thirdly, in their own Confciences they are condemned already: But the full manifeftation of this Sentence fhall not be until the day of Judgment: and fo we are to understand that faying of Solomon, Eccl. 3. 17. God Shall judge the Just and the Unjust, the just to Salvation, the unjust to Condemnation.

Now the third point that we propounded, is the touchftone of this Tryal, whereby all mens thoughts, words and work, fhall be tryed. To this St. Paul answered, At the day of fudg ment, God fhall judge the fecrets of all mens hearts by his Gospel, Rom. 2. 26. Our Thoughts, our Words and our Works, must be tryed by the Word of God, and that Thouglit, Word, or Work, that is not according to the Commandments of God, is a very idle thought, a vile word, and a wicked work.

Seeing then that all our thoughts, words and evil works, must be tryed and examined by the facred Word of God, by the Law, and by the E ST

Gofpel,

Gospel, we have need to labour to know them and to be acquainted with them, that we may know what is fin, and what is not fin, that fo .we may leave the one and do the other. Oh what a woful cafe they are in, which are ignorant of the Word of God, ignorant men and women, without any knowledge? they know not what is good or evil. And therefore faith the Apostle Paul, 2 Theff. 1. 8. The Lord Jefu will come in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jefus Chrift. And therefore as you love your Souls, love the word of God, labour to know it, and embrace it: If thou be ignorant of it, and wilt not yield obedience unto it, it fhall stand against thee at the day of Judgment, when thou must be tryed by it, when perhaps thou wouldeft wish thou hadst but a weeks time here; nay, a days time to repent, but an hours time to pray, and to make thy peace with God. Therefore let us all labour to be inftructed in it, read it, remember it, and lead our lives by it, as long as we live, for we cannot tell how foon we fhall be called to give an account of our Stewardship; and whatfoever is done contrary to it, is fin; It must come to Judgment, and the Word and our own Confciences will con demo us.

13. And the Sea gave up the dead which were in her, and Death and Hell delivered up the dead that were in them, and they were judged every Man according to their Work. Ou have heard in the 12 verfe immediate-. ly going before, how Saint John faw the

You

Sam

dead

dead, both great and Small; ftand before God, that is, all men and women that ever lived, or fhall live until the end of the World.

Now here a question arifeth how can this be? How is it poffible that all men fhould come to Judgment? There have been many thousands drowned in the Sea, and the Fishes have devoured them; fome have been flain in the field; and the Fowls have eaten their feh; and many have been burnt, and their bones confumed to afhes.

Then it is a very high point, a matter beyond all natural reason, that all the dead fhould rife again. Men that have been drowned, and Fishes have eaten them, and men perhaps again have eaten the Fishes, and they have been burnt to afhes; their afhes have been fcattered who knoweth whether; How then is it poffible for them to rife again; Indeed Atheists, and Epicureans are not ashamed to say that there fhall be no refurrection, but when a man dies there is an end of all his joy, and all his mifery.

But that the dead fhall rife again, is an Article of our Faith; We believe the Refurrection of the dead; and we know that God will in mercy reward his poor Children, and in Juftice punish the wicked and ungodly..

a

But we fee, as Solomon faith, In this life all things happen alike, to the just and unjust Nay, oftentimes Dives is full, and. at eafe, when Lazarus is empty and in mifery. How then fhould God be juft, if he fhould fuffer his poor Children that love and fear his Name, here to

"

live in mifery, and never to reward them; Or again, how fhould God be juft, if he should fuffer the wicked and ungodly to live here at afe, if there were not a time to come, when they fhould tafte of Vengeance; therefore they must come to Judgment, they muft rife again, the Godly to be made partakers of life and joy, and the wicked of shame and confufion.

So that the inftru&tion we obferve hence is this, that the dead bodies of men, both good and bad, fhall not always be under the power of death, but fhall one day be quickned and raifed up to life again. There is not one Article of our Chriftian Faith more clearly fet down in all the Book of God, than this Article of our Refurrection. How confident is 7cb in this thing? I know that my Redeemer liveth, &c. Whom mine Eyes fhall behold. And the Lord himself faith thus by the Prophet.. Ifa. 26. 19. The dead men fhall arife, even with my body shall they arise, awake and fing ye that dwell in the dust. The Apoftle St. Paul proveth this Doctrine of the Refurrection of the dead, writing unto the Corrinthians, by many unanfwerable Arguments: 1 Cor. 15. 12. If there be no refurrection of the Dead then Chrift is not rifen. And again, If Christ be not rifen, then is our Preaching vain, and we are in our fins. And again, This Corruption must put on incorruption, and this Mortal must put on Immortality. This then we may refolve on, that the Bodies of men fhall one day rife again, whether they be good or bad, godly men or finners, to Judgment they must all come accord

ing