586 Book VI. j(rol\ing unto 'jjefus~ Chap.!. SeCl:.5. Rc:v. ~o 12. ·s ECT. V. Of Chriff's fentetJcing hu Saints. s. F 0 R Chrifl fentencing of his Saints ; no fooner are they Jet on his righ; . •hand , but h~ .prepares for femence ; in the opening of which we muO: con. fider, r. The preparative. 1. . The fentence it felf. • r. The preparative before fentence will be fome eirpiorationo~ trial of the parti~ to be f~m~nced, as ---.- , I. The Book muO: be opened. .And I Jaw the dead [mall and great, ftand befm G•d, and the bo•kJ were opened, and another book_ wa<opemd which u theboukof life. It ii fpoken after the manner of men , in whofe publick Judgments ar~ produ'ced all the writings of the procefs, informations, depofitions of wlmdfes, io fhew that all adi– o~s, even the moll: fecret ones, fhall then be reh_earfed an~ made manifell; .Augufline ,A"~· I. oo•. de thmks thefe books to be the books of the Old and' New Tef\ament , wherein all cmtateDeJ, things either to be done, or omitted, are-prefcribed by God: and then fhall thefe cap. ' 4 · books be opened, becaufe according to them fhall fentence be given; In that day God Rom.t • 6 • dJhall judge the (mers of men by 7ef.u Chriff Accordir~g to my GofPel. Origen, and al– ~~~. ~~~n.a moft all with flim, think thefe books to be the books of our confciences, which now are lhut up, · and concealed from men , but then lhall be made manifeO: .to all the world : whatfoever thofe books are, we find here one book opened which is pro– per to the Saints, called the book_ of Life ; This book contains in it the names of all that are eleded from fir!< to !aft;. Thou J•hn, and thou lofcph, and thou J11dcth; and thou Mary, and thou Eliubeth, &c. you are all book'd down ; there is,the particu. larity, and there is the certainty; Your names are written in H eaven, rcjoycc in it . oh what is the joy of Saints when once they fee this book opened and tbeir names' in– rolled, ingraven there in letters of glory. This veq book clears it to me, that God from all eternity made choice of a particular and determinate number of perfons, to fave them 1 and tlm none other can be faved, but thofe who were (Q eleded, and whofoever are fo eleded, they fhall not fall a~ay. .All that worfhip the Beaft, their Rev. ' 3· 8. n4mes are not written i11 the book_ of life of the Lamb , from the fomJdation of the --•7· 8. world. On the other fide; H e that overcometh, thefame fh•ll be written 'in the book. Rev. 3. S· of lif e, and I will not blot out hh name, but I will conf efs his ""me before my Father arrd before hu .Angels. This·inhe day when that book of life lhall be opened, and Chrill: !hall read the names of every eled perfon before God and Angels; not that Chrift needs a book, or indeed reads a name, but rhat his eledion fiands fo firm, thal l1e knows every predefl:inated Saint as well, as we know their names, whom for our memories we commit unto our books; and thsn he will fo honour his Saints, that he .will publifh their names to all the world. · 1.. All the adions , demeanours , graces , duties, and ( it maybe ) fins of Saints n,all be produced, and laid open; the holy Gholl tells us, that the dead wer! judged ' out of tho(c things rvhich wert written in the book,[. It appears hence, that .not onely names, but things were written, and thefe things were produced, and accordwgly they were judged. r. As to evil things, unfruitful works of darknefs. It is aquefl:ion, and I dare not !fa. 43· 2 s· ··--· -14· 22. ,a. 17· JohnS· 24-' be too pofitive in it, viz.. Whether the fins of God's people jh.<ll be manifeff at the day of 7nd.gnunt .< fome are for the negative, bccaufe God in his promifes fpeaks fo expre!ly, of forgi'lling iniq~tities, of remembring them no more, of bk>tttng the?~' out, of throwing them into the bottom of the. Sea , of caftmg them behmd hu back._; m which refp•d fay they, the godly are fa1d. not to come m:o ! udgment. I fuppofe this !all: Text is ill urged, for by Judgment IS not meant d1fculfion, but conde~nation . and in our bell: Tranllations fo it is rendred; others are for the affirmative; ·upo~ thefe grounds. r. Becaufe many of the godly .and wicked me1~'s fins are 'mingled together, and there cannot be a Judgment of dtfculfion , prece~m.g that of condemnatiorv unlefs godly men's fins are alfo produced. z. Becau_J:f 1t ts fpokcn g•nerally i~ refped .of all forts, that ' t.he book} wey.e opened; . by wluch books moll: underftand the confctences of men, and by the !>PCntng of ·tha(t books, . they under– !land the manifeffing, cltaring, and difcovering of c011~c~ences at that general day. - - - 3. Becaufe- , k . •
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=