Chap. IV. Of Eternal Judgment. Altar. And David's Murder of Vriah was imputed to the chance ofWar as a fufficient excufe, 2 Sam. r r. 2). But tho they might have decciv'd others, they could not deceive God. He is intimately prefent with the Souls of Men, that arc unfearchablc to the mort difcerning Angels of Light, and knows all their mort fecrer Dcogns and Deores, thcdeepert Seeds of their Allions. He alone has exa/1 Scales to wngh the Sptriu of Men, all the Principles, Aims and Affellions that are infeparable from their Works. The Pharifees, in whom Pride was the firft Property, and Hypocrify a fccond Nature, could not with all their Saintly !hews impofe on our Saviour; fqr he knew IVhttt 1V.U m rNan, Matth. 2~. 14. .He difcovered their Alms to be not the efre/1 of Charity but Ortemation, Matt b. 6. 2. and rh'eir fpeciousaas of Devotion to be a train to furprize fame rich Prey, frLtnb. 23. q. - 459 And this Divine Knowledg of Men and their Allions, is in order to Judgment. Thus the wife King declares, Doth not he that ponders the heart confider tt ? and he that keepeth thy Soal~ doth not he know it? and Jbali not he render to e1.1ery mvn accordmg to hzs works? Prov. 24. 12. And God himfelf tcftifies, I the Lord jearcb the heart, even to give to every man accordillg tobiJ workJ, Jer. '7· ro. For this reafon he is faid to keep aRegifter of Mens Sins. Thus he fpeaks of the impure Idolatries of the Jews; Behold, tt tJ wrzttenbifore me, I fa. 6 ) · 6. to fignify his exa/1 and allual knowledg, I will not keep jilence, b"t will recompen;e, even recompmfe into their bofomJ. And at the Day of Judgment he will declare his knowledg of their Sins before all, and the moft feCI·et fhall be madeev1denr, as if written 111 the~~0~frt~~~i~~~:efs0~-~~~ns~?~t;e&~~~et~eh:'~~et~~:;ealed by the Judg. Their rea te~ on ooLi; .oi: Ex~el1e~cies ~re invifible to the Eyes of Men : t!.lC Sanairy. of their aim_s and affe~ions, ;~cac~c~i~fi,j;;: whtch gtves Ltfe and Value to all the acts o~ Obedience; thctr fccrct Duucs, whct·c1n the re, 'l""-mpul· fincerity and ardcncy of their Souls is moft cxprefs'd, arc only known to God. And f~ch ch:Jm factc:m, is the ex~ellent humility of the S~i.nts, that the mor? they are enrich'd, and abound wt_th ~~:~~ ~n~JJ~~ the graciOUS Influences of the Spu·lt, the lefs they d1fcover ro the World; as the Cclcfhalmfic,:,, placid;~ Bodie's when in neareft corijunaion wirh the Sun, and moll 611'd wirh his Light, arc l c~fl: CJ:~i: fulge~tem in_ app~arance to the Inhabitancs of the Earth. But tl~ere is a Book of Remembrance bej~re v J crem~e~rc. lum for them that feartd the L ord, and thoflght upon lm Name .. .And thry fball be mine, _(arth tbe Lord of HojiJ, in the day when I make up my je.veh' and I wt!l !pare thtm aJ a man jpam hiJ [on that fer1mhim. Mal. J· 16, '7· . 1· The Confcience of every man fbaii then be open'd, and gwe an acmfing or exettjing tejlimony if_ all thing'; Rom. 2. r ), r6. for thcfc ails of Confciencc in the prcfent Life, have a final refpel.t to God's Tribunal. And tho the accounts arc fo vart, there01all be an exa/1 agreement between the Books of God's Omnifcience and of Confcicnce in the Day of 'Judgment. Now indeed the Confcience of Man, tho never fo inquifitive and diligent in examining and reviling his Ways, is unable to take a JUft account of his Sins. As one rhat would tell the flrfr appearing Stal's in the Evening, before he can reckon them, others appear and confound his Memory with their number: fa when Confciencc is ferioully inrenr in reflelling upon it felf, before it can reckon up the Sins committed againftone Command, innumerable others appear. This made the Pfalmirt, upon the furvey of his allions, break for th in amazement and perplexity; Mme iniqrutiu are more tiJan the haJrs upon my head, therifore my he.rt faih mt. Pfal. 40. 12. But it will be one of the Miracles of tha t Day, to enlarge the view of Confcience to all their Sins. Now the Records of Confciencc arc often obliterated, and the Sins written therein arc forgotten; but then they 01all appear in - fo clear an impreflion, that the Wicked fhall be inexcufable to themfelves, and Confcience fubfcribes their Condemnation. And 0 the formidable Spellacle, when Confciencc enlightned by a Beam from Heaven, Orall prefent to a Sinner in one view the Sins of hi• ~~~:~ ~~~c\~r~~~~~~f~~~~~eaib~~-ota~;ft:vif1~~z'si~~~~~e; ~v~~ht~~;:i~}oi~:~~v~~~ wtthapomtof adtamo»d'tugravenuponthetabluoftheheart. Jer.t7·'· But then it fhall ~e compell'd to give a full Charge •gainft the Guilty. Of this we have an infallible prefage m this World, when Confcience turns the point againft the Breart of a Sinner, and enforces the Tongue, by a fecret inftigation, to accufe the Pcrfon. And this Information of Confcience at the !aft will make the Sinner fpeechlefs : for the Book of accounts with Divine Jufiice, was always in his own keeping; and whatever is recorded there. was written with his own Hand. And how will thofe hardned Sinners that now kick againrt the pr~cks of Confcience, be able to-repel its f!rong and quick Accufations before time terrib le Tribunal? 4· Other numerous Witnelfes will appear to finifh the procefs of that Day. Not as if God that knows all things, wants Information, but for the publick Convillion of the Wicked. Satan
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