158 SERMONS upon the. SERM. XX. (3.). The third DiftinE2ion is of Good and Bad : Both. forts (hall come to receive their Sentence ; onely the one corn% to the judgement of Condemnation, the other to the judgement of Abfolution. yoh. 5. 28, 29. They which are in the Grave [ball hear his voice, and fhall,corne forth, they that have done good unto the RefurreJion of Life, and they that have done evil to the Re /urrettion of Condemnation. The Word is clear in this Point, That both the Godly and Wicked (hall live .again, that they may re- ceive a full Recompenfè ,according to their wayes. None of the Godly will be loft, but (hall all meet in 'that general Altembly ; nor fhall any of the Wicked fhift or Chun this day of appearance, but both !hall at the Call of Chrift be brought before his Judgment Seat : The godly rejoycing to meet their Redeemer, and the wicked forced into the pretence of their Judge ! who could other wife wily, that Hills and Mountains might cover them. So Alts 24.15. 1 believe the Refurreflion of the jull and reraufl ; not .equabiliter bons : For Matth. 5. 45. For he maketh his San to rife on the evil and on the good, and fendeth his rain upon the jug and unjufl. Let us anfwer tome places for the good. 7oh. 3. t 8. He that believeth in him, t mi., is notjudged : That is, with the Judgment of Condemnation, fo we render it ; and as mint s m Frtgae. yob. 5. 24. He that believeth on him [hall not come into condemnation : Yet for Abfolu- non they come. On the other fide, Come of the Ancients denyed the wicked's en- tering into Judgement, Pfeil. t. 5. The ungodly (hall not (land in judgement, (the latter clank expounds it ) nor Sinners in the Congregation of the righteous. This is the great Bridle upon the wicked, when they are fèrious : They fear more the Refur- reaion from the Dead, than. Death it felf. (4.) The next Diftinaion of men whom Chrift fhall judge, are Believers and Un- believers. To Believers we reckon all thofe that lived net only in the clear Sun- Thine of the Gofpel, but thole alto to whom the Obief of Faith was but more ob- fcurely propounded : To thole that lived before the Flood and after the Flood, as well as thofe.that lived in Chrifts time, and after the pouring out of the Spirit. Abel, and Enoch, and Noah, are mentioned in the Chronicle and Hillary of Faith, Heb. as well as Abraham, Ileac and 7acob, and Believers of a latter Stamp and Edition. And among Unbelievers are reckoned, all thole that through their own obftinate In- credulity rejected the divine Revelation made to them ; as well thole that negle&ed the great Salvation fpoken by the Lord himfelf, as the World of 7ìngodly in Noah's time, n Pet. 3. zo. who were difobedient when Noah preached Righteoufnefs to them, or laid open the way of Life and Salvation to them. Indeed it concerneth moll thofe that have the Gofpel clearly preached to them, but others are not excufed. Itt fhort, this Diftin &ionwill bring in feveral ranks of men. t. Some that have heard of Chrifl, and of the Grace of God difpenfed by him: Thefe fhall be judged by the Gofpel tenour and Difpenfation, which clearly Pets forth all men to be Sinners, and therefore to have. deferved Eternal death ; and that there is no Name under Heaven whereby men can be Paved, but by the Name of /efue, Ails 4.12. And the great Queftion propounded to them, is, Whether they have believ- ed in Chrift, yea or no ; Mark t6. 16. They that believe not, (hall be damned. They are condemned upon a double account ; partly by the Law, and partly by the Gofpel. Partly by the Law, becaufe they being under the Wrath and Curfè of God, would not embrace the Remedy : Betides, the Sentence of the Law ftandeth in full force againft a man, if he cometh not to Chrift to get it repealed. foli. 3. 18. He that' believeth not, is condemned already ; and the Sentence is ratified in the Gofpel: Yoh. 3.36. He that believeth not the Son, (ball not fe e Life, but the Wrath of God abideth on him. To their other Sins they added Unbelief, which is an hainous Crime ; yea, the great damning Sin, r Soh. 5. to. Thole that fay they Believe, are to prove the truth of their Faith, by the Power it bath upon their Hearts and Practice : yam. 2.6,7,8. Rev. 2o.2r. If that hath drawn off their Hearts from worldly Vanities, and flelhly Lulls, and en- gaged them to live unto God, in the new and heavenly Life. 2. All that have heard of Chrift, have not the Gofpel. alike clearly made known unto them r To tome he is preached clearly, and purely, and without any mixture of Er- rors, that have any confiderable Influence .upon the main of Religion : Others are in that Communion in which thole Do&rinès are as yet taught, that are indeed ne- ceffary to Salvation ; but many things are added, which are indeed pernicious and dangerous in their. own nature : So that if a Man, Mould poft -ibly be laved in that Profelfion,' he is Paved as by Fire, t Cor. 3. r 3: And 'cis a ftrange efcape as if one had Poyfon mingled among his Meat, the goodnels of Iris Digellion, and flrength of
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