Bates - HP BX5200 B3 1700

RE V. xxii. I~. And he faid, behold, I come quickly, and my Reward i6 with me, to give every Man according ao bih Work /hall be. . T:ele words were fj>oke by the Lord Jefus Chril'c, the fupream Judge of the World, upon his fini!hing the Revelation to St.]oh11. In them we ri:tay obfcrve, r. An Excitation, Behold. 2. The Celeflial Ob jell:, I come quickly. 3· The End of his Coming, my Rewttrd iJ witb me, to render to every one accordi11g to hiJ Works. Tis obfervable that the Prophetical Notice of the Lord's coming to Judgment is n!hered in with great Solemnity : Thus Enoch the feventh from Adam, foretelling his !~~},~:rfu~J,~:::~{~~~'lli~!d~n~e:h~dci:~~r!fi:~~=~fth~~:J;;:;~~":r ~shgos~'::;: ~: ufed as a powerful Motive to awaken our drowfy Spirits, and fix our fcatter'd Minds ~~:\~~; B~h~7~s [?.e e]'!J;:'}&~d?bl,[C::, ~2~ ~~~r ~~~~;etz·;~fs ~i~~at";e~;~~!.A~nd St. ]oh11 breaks forth in an Extafy at this admirable Spectacle, Behold, he coniC; with Cloud;, a11d every Eye JhaU fee him, a11d they which pierced him: And the everlaO:ing Judge bimfelf affures us of his fpeedy Coming with this Preface, Behold, I come quickly. The words contain this Propolition : Ti.r our high Wifdom tmd Duty, to reprefint by afluttl tt1rd folemn tho~tghts the certain and f}eedy Coming ofChrijl to the righteoM Judgment of the World. I will illuflrate and prove this Doctrine in this order. Firft; Confider what is revealed in the Scripture of his certain coming to Judgment. SecMdly ; The circumO:ance of Time, his coming quickly. Thirdly; The Rewards he will then immediately diO:ribute. Fourthly; The refpell:ive difference of ·the Rewards, according to the All:ions of Men in this Life. And then apply it. Fhjl; In the managing the firO: Point, I lhall not infiO: upon the Proofs of a future Judgment, bot only direct to the Fountains of Arguments that are demonfirative to attentive and unperverted Minds. 'Tis a Doctrine of Natural Reafon and Divine Faith : if we confider the effential and neceffary Perfections of God, or the Frame of Man, we muO: O:rongly infer his accountablenefs for his All:ions. There is an cffential Subordination between Man and his Divine Maker, and being endowed with UnderO:anding and free Faculties, ~~d blru~~~~ *hi;vi~rd~~ ~u~~t~Jlfir~~~ i~~~ ~rt~~~,'~i:~u~ef;la~ic~:s a~~o:~~~ Holinefs, JuO:ice, and Coodnefs of God are infallible affurances to us, that there will be Recompences according to the divcrfity of Mens Actions, either conforming ~~~~drl~~e~nffi~~r~frv~f t~~fi;::~tr:~;h~3~oh:tci~~c~~t~r,•~a~n}~~~~~b~t,F~j~~~ci~} the rcafonable Soul, has. a directing and reflecting Light, to n1ew us our Duty, to examine our Atl:ions, and accordingly to excufe and comfort, or to accufe and terri- ~~r~~~~~1 o1~srv:ec~~:r~;:"f~Y~r1~~t ;~sit~et~~~dT~hit~~n~0b~fu~ {~~¥rib~~~~ This Proof is the more convincing and palpable, in that thofe Perfons who are exempted from humane Judgment by their Power and Dignity, thofe who are above Reproof, and by a fatal Priviledge damn themfelves with lefs contraction than others, f:!1f~~ ~"! t~~f:~~~~~eat~dt\~ ~~~fes,~~oc~;;~if~clarbn~;itfi~dn~o~fc~=n~e~0tlJ~;'?t~~ either lilent, or fpeaks with a low Voice, yet when they are in diO:rels, efpecially in the approaches ofDeath, Confcience recovers Life and Vigor, fets their Sins in order before them, :md flail1es the Terrors of future Judgment in their Faces; an ev ident prefage that altho Confcience be not firong enough to controul their li centious Appetites here, it will be O:rong enough for their Conviction and Torment hereafter. Now Divine Revelation renews the decayed Notions of the fmure Judgmimt that arc natural to the Minds of Men, and confirms them aga inft the oppoficion of the Carnal Faculties, it regulates and enlarges them, with refpea to the Certainty and Circumfbnces of it, who fhall be Judge, and the manner of his coming, and tranlaCling the Affairs of the great Day. I will

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