Christ in the Clouds Coming to Judgment

Dr. Bates ON CHRIST's Coming. to Judgment.

CHRIST in the Clouds coming to Judgment; Or, the Dissolution of all things.

T HE Text gives us an account of the Day of Doom, which is the last Day of Assize where in every Man shall be tried at the bar of God's justice; and every Man shall then and there receive according to his Works, whether they be good or whether they be evil.

I will not trouble myself or you with the signs of this Day, because I have not time, but will proceed.

It is most certain that the Day of Judgment will come, and that it will be very dreadful to all the Wicked. But seeing these things must be, what manner of persons ought we to be in all manner of conversation; always looking for the coming of Christ: At whose coming the Sun shall be darkened, the Moon shall not give her Light, the Stars shall be shaken, and the Elements shall melt with fervent heat: Who can hear of all this and not be wonderfully dismayed? O! who dares eat or drink or sleep, or take a minutes rest, besure these days shall come. O wake ye Drunkards, and weep all ye drinkers of Wine, because of the new Wine, for it shall be pulled from your Mouths: Gird yourselves, and lament ye Priests, howl ye Ministers of the Altar, alas! for the day of the Lord is at hand.

The DOCTRINE shall be this,

That 'tis a Gospel-truth that Christ that came into the World in the form of a Servant, will one Day come as a Judge, attended with all his Angels.

And if this be so, then first for a Use of Exhertation.

USE. 1. Let us all be warned, and while we have time provide for that Day. Yet the Weather is fair, we may frame an Ark to save us from the Flood: yet are the Angels at the gates of Sodom, and yet is Jonch in the streets of Nineveh; yet the Prophet woo's, O Judah how should I entreat thee? Yea the Apostle prays; nay, we pray you in Christ's stead that ye be reconciled unto God. But here a question will arise, how will Christ appear.

I Answer! He will appear only as a Man to Judge us, who as a Man appeared to be Judged; Consider this ye that are going to the Bar, what a sight will this be to the Faithless Jews, Stubborn Gentiles; wicked Christians, when every Eye shall see him, and they also that receive him? This is the Man (shall they say) that was Crucified for us, and again Crucified by us; who alas! every Sin is a Cross, every Oath is a Spear; and when that Day is come, you must behold the man whom thus you do Crucify by your daily Sins? sure this will be a fearful sight: Where is the bloody Swearer that can tear his wounds and heart, and blood? At this day all thess words shall appear, the Heart be Visible, the Body and Blood be Sensible of good and bad: then shall that searful voice proceed from his Throne, Where is the blood thou spilledst? Here i • the woeful Judgment; when thou that art the Murderer shalt see the slain Man be thy Judge, what favor canst thou expect at his hands, whom thou hast so vilely used by thy daily sins? be sure the Son of Man will come as it is written of him, but woe unto that Man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed, it had been better for him that he had never been born, Mat. 26.24.

Question the second.

As Christ shall appear in the form of a Man, so this Man shall appear in a glorious Form; Oh sinners look about you, the Judge is coming, a fire devours before him, and behind him a flame burns up on every side, the People tremble and all faces gather blackness; here is a change indeed, he that was at the Ba • now sits on a throne, then Christ stood as a Lamb before. Pilate, now Pilate stands as a Malefactor before Christ, he that was made the Foot-stool of his Enemies, must now Judge till he hath made all his Enemies his Foot-stool: where shall they run, and how shall they seek the clifts of the Rocks and hollow places; the glory of his Majesty kindles a flame, while the Heavens and Earth shall fly from the presence of this Judge •

But it may be I prevent your expectation, but if here be the Judge, where is the Guard; behold him coming from above with great power and glory: would you know his habit? he is clothed with Majea • y; Would you view his 〈…〉 they are an host of Angels; nay, yet a 〈…〉 trait▪ the souls of the Saints de ••• 〈…〉 Imperial Seats; and attending the hamb with great glory; nover was any Judge Lord of such a Circuit; his Foot-stool is the Clouds, his Seat the Rain-bow, his Justices 〈◊〉 , this Officers Angels, and the Arch angels Trump proclaims a silence, whilst a 〈◊〉 Sente •• e comes front his month upon all the world. Thus you see the Affi • e begun, D • n. 7.6. the Th • outes (as Daniel saw in his vision) were set up; and the ancient of Days set down; his garments white as snow, and the hair of his Head like pu • e Wooll; his Throne like the fiery flame, and his Wheels as burning fire.

This is the Judge whose coming is so fearful, Ushered by a fiery Cloud apparrelled in snowey White, carried in his Circuit on his burning Wheels, accompanied with a thousand thousand Angels; Crying, Behold the Man who was Scourg • d and Buffeted as a Malefactor, was Revil'd and Crucisy'd; Him who was (they said) stolen away by night out of his Grave Behold him in his Majesty, Mat. 28.13. He who you would not look upon in his Humility. This is he at whose Appearing the Kindreds of the Earth shall mourn: such a shot of fury so • lows the sight of this Majesty, the 〈◊〉 shall Echo, the Hills resound, the Earth shall shake, the Heavens pass away, and be turned to Confusion: Then shall the wi •• ed mourn, then shall they weep and wail, yet their tears shall not serve their turn, their sins past betray them, their present shame condemn them, and their corment to come confounds them. Thu • sh all the Wicked be wai • their miserable hap, and unfortunate birth, and their cursed end. O fearful Judge terrible as an Army with banners, the Kings of the Earth shall be astonis • t, every Eye shall see this Judge and tremble at his sight. Do but conceive the guilty Prisoner come to his Trial, will not the • ed • obes of this Judge make his heart bleed for his bad Deeds? Thus have I shown you how Christ shall appear in a glorious manner. Do but think now (O Sinner) what thou shalt think when thou shalt meet this Glorious Christ. The Adulterer for a while may flatter Beauty, Swearers grace their words with Oaths, the Drunkards kiss the Cups, and drink his Body's health till be bring his Soul to ruin; But remember for all these things God will bring thee to judgment. Sad comfort in the end; when the Adulterer shall satisfy his Lust, when he lies on a Bed of fire, all hugged and embraced with those flames: The Swearer shall have enough of Wounds and Blood, when the Devils torture his Body, and Rack his Soul in Hell; The Drunkard shall have plenty of his Cups when Scalding Lead shall be poured down his Throat, and his Breath draw Flames of Fire instead of Air; as is thy Sin so is the Nature of thy Punishment, the just Judge will give just measure in the Ballance of his Wrath.

Use. 2. For comfort to the Saints, the Judges Favorites. Now (seeing that you are GOD's Servants) Satan shall be trod under your Feet, & you with your Master Christ shall be carried into the Holy of Holys; You may Remember how all the Men of God in their greatest anguishes here below, have fetched Comfort by the Eyes of Faith. At this Moment Job rejoiced being cast on a Dunghill, that his Redeemer Lived, and that he should see him at the last Day stand on the Earth. And the Apostle John longed and cried, Come Lord Jesus come quickly. 1 John 2.28. Now therefore little Children abide in him, that when he shall appear, we may have confidence, for he shall Reward every Man according to his Works. But I proceed.

(Every Man) The persons to be judged are a world of Men, Good and Bad, Elect and Reprobate.

First, There is a Summons, and this every Man must here, and this shall be by the voice of the last Trumpet; Arise ye Dead and come to Judgment. O how terible a voice will this be to all the wicked, how will they tremble at this Voice, which makes the Earth to tremble? At this voice all th • Graves shall be opened, and God shall raise their dead Bodies, the dark Vail will be taken away, when the dreadful Soul shall leave its place of terror, and once more Reenter into her stinking Garrison 〈◊〉 receive a greater Condemnation: John 5.28▪ 29. The voice of Christ is powerful, the dead shall hear his voice, & they shall come forth, they that have done good to the Resurrection of Life, and they 〈◊〉 have done evil, to the Resurrection of Damnation.

Thus much for the Summons that you hear is given 5 and every man must appear. Death must now give back all that he hath taken on • the world. What a gashly sight shall that be to see the Graves open, to se • dead Men rise out of their Graves, and the scattoring dust fly on the wings of the Wind, till it meet together in one Body? Ezek. 37.6. The dry Bones shall Live; Behold the power of God Almighty; out of this Grave & the dust of the Earth, from these Chambers of Death and Darkness, shall • ise the body •• of the Buried, Rev. 26.22, 23. I saw th •• dead (saith John ) small and great stand before GOD 〈◊〉 the Sea gave up her Dead which were in it, and Death and Hell delivered up the dead which were in them, and they were Judged every man according to their Works. He that said to Corruption thou art my Father, and to the Worm thou art my Sister and Mother, said also, I know that my redeemer-Liveth, and mine eyes shall behold him. O good GOD, how wonderful is thy Power; Joel. 3.11, 12. Assemble yourselves and come all ye Heathens to the Valley of Johoshaphat; for there I will sit to Judge the Heathen.

Thus you have an account of the dead being raised; They are all brought together, and now we must part them asunder, the Sheep shall be put to the right Hand, and the Goats to the lest Hand; And now you see the Parties thus summoned, raised, gathered and set apart; is not here a world of Men to be Judged all in one day? all Tongues, all Nations, all People of the Earth shall appear in one day: we shall then behold each Son of Adam, and Adam shall then see all his Posterity. Consider this high and low, rich and poor, one with another; God is no accepter of Persons, Hark▪ O Beggar, though Petitions are out of Date, yet thou needest not fear, for thou shalt have justice done thee on this day. All Cases shall be heard, and thou, though never so poor, despised in the world, thou must with the rest receive thy sentence Hark, O Farmer! Now is thy Lives & Leases together finished, this day is the new 〈◊〉 of this Judge, who gathers in his Wheat, and burns up his Chaff in fire unquenchable; no Bribe nor Prayers no Tea • 〈…〉 . But as thou hast 〈…〉 . Hark, O Landlord, where is thy purchase to thee, and to thy 〈◊〉 forever▪ This Day makes an end of old, and happy were thy Soul, if thou 〈◊〉 no better Land than a barren rock to 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 th •• from the presence of 〈◊〉 Judge. Hark, O Captain! vain now is 〈…〉 of man to be saved by the multi • of an host; Thou hast commanded 〈◊〉 the A • ies of Earth and Hell, yet canst 〈…〉 resist the Power of Heaven? Hark 〈…〉 sounds, & the Alarm summons 〈◊〉 , thou must appear, all must appear, 〈…〉 , the Farmer, the Landlord, the Captain, and Princes, and the great 〈◊〉 of the World, all shall Receive their 〈◊〉 .

Use 2. This is for terror to the Wicked; every man must appear. O that every man would but think of it. Would you know 〈◊〉 sign of man that should at this day be 〈◊〉 ; 'tis he that thinks on this day and 〈…〉 for it. O then I beseech you meditate every day that you and every m • n 〈◊〉 appear before the Judge of quick 〈…〉 receive according to your Works.

And now having brought the Prisone • to their Trial; I must tell you how this Tri • must be for your works, Faith justified, but by works we are judged: 〈◊〉 mistake me not, be shall be▪ judged actonding to his works, as being the best witness for his inward Righteousness. But the better to acquaint you with this Trial, we are to consider.

First, How all Men's Works shall be manifested to us.

Secondly, How all Men's Works shall be Examined by God.

First, Of the manifestation of every man's Works. Rev. 2.12. John saith he saw the Dead small and great stand before God, and the Books was opened, and another Bonk was opened; which is the Book of Lise, and the dead were Judged ou • of those things which were written in the Book according to their Works. Remember this, O forgetful Sinner! thou mayest commit Sin after Sin, and multiply your Sins; but be assured God keeps a just Account, land not one of thy Sins (though ne ••• so socret) shall be forgot; there is a Book of God's Memory, 'tis called a Book of Remembrance, Mal. 3.16. A Book of Remembrance was Written before GOD for them that fear the Lord and thought upon his Name. This is that which manifest • all Secrets. This is that which Reveals all doings whether good or evil: In these Records are found at large, Abel 's Sacrifice, Cain 's Murder, Absalem 's Rebellion, David 's Devotion, the Jews Cruelty, the Prophet's Innocency: Nothing shall be hid when this Book is opened; for all may run that read it. God will bring every Work into Judgment, with every secret Thing, be it good or be it evil; Eccles. 12.14. Wail ye wicked and tremble in astonishment, now your Closet sins must be disclosed, your private Faults laid open, Imprimis, for Adultery, for Envy, Blasphemy, Oaths, Drunkenness, Violence, Murder, Lying, Sabbath-breaking and every Sin from the beginning to the end, from your Birth to your Burial: the total Sum, Eternal Death and Damnation. But here is another Book that shall give a more fearful Evidence than the Former, which is the Book of every Man's Conscience, and the Secretary is the Soul of Man; no Man can commit one Sin, but his Soul that is privy to the Fact will write it in this Book. In what a woeful case will thy Heart be then; in what a strange terror and trembling must it then stand possessed, when this must be opened, and thy Sins Revealed? This Book is now perhaps shut up and sealed; but in the day of Judgment it shall be opened, and what will be the Evidence that will be brought in? There are private Sessions to be held in the Breast of every sinner; the Memory is the Recorder, Truth is the Law, Damnation the Jailors, and Conscience both Witness and Judge to pass sentence upon thee▪ what hopes can he have at the General Assize, whose Conscience hath condemned him before he appears, Consider this, O thou impenitent Sinner.

But yet there is another Book we read of, and that is the Book of Life; herein are written all the Names of God's Elect, from the beginning of the World, to the end thereof. This is the precious Book of Heaven, wherein if we be registered not all • the Powers of Darkness, Death or Devils, 〈◊〉 blot us out again. And to make some Use.

Use 1. Confider O Sinner! what Books one Day must be set before thee. A time will come when every thought of thy Heart, every word of thy Mouth, every glance of thine Eye, every moment of thy Time, every Sermon thou hast heard, every Duty thou hast left undone; all shall be seen and laid open before Men and Angels, and Devils, thou shalt then and there be horribly and everlastingly ashamed, never go about then to commit Sin, though never so secretly, though at Midnight and the Doors all Locked about thee, yet at this great Day it shall be brought to Light.

Use 2. As you mean the good of your Souls, amend your Lives; call yourselves to an Account while it is called today, search and examine all your thoughts, words and deeds, and prostrating yourselves before God with broken and bleeding Affections, pray that your Names may be written in the Book of Life: and if you do so, God is not unrighteous to forget your labor of Love, & all your good Works, for at this day the Book shall be opened, our Works manifested, and as we have done so we must be Rewarded, for then shall he Reward every Man according to his Works. But a little to Recal ourselves,

The Prisoners are tried, the Verdict is brought in, the Indictments are found, & the Judge now sits upon life & death, even ready with sparkling Eyes to pronounce his Sentence. The Lord grant that when this Day is come, that the Sentence may be for us, & we be saved to our endless Comfort and everlasting Happiness: who shall be able to unfold this Reward; there lies in it a Doom and Execution, Oh now hold up your heads all the Saints of the most high God, for this will be a blessed Day to you, for you shall hear the sweet Voice of Christ, saying, Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you: I cannot express what boy this will be to the Righteous, when they shall hear Christ say Come ye blessed Souls, who have been b • thed in repenting Tears Here is a Sentence able to revive the Dead, much more the Afflicted. Are ye now sorrowing for your Sins? leave it for a while and meditate with me on this ensuing Melody here Yonder is a Choir of Angels sounding to the Judge, whilst he is pronouncing of thy Sentence; now is the day of your Coronation, now you shall be made perfectly happy forever. Come (saith Christ) you that have suffered for me, now you shall have your Reward, you shall have your Souls filled up to the Brim with Joy, such as is unspeakable and full of Glory.

But I must return to the left Hand, and show you another Crew prepared for another Sentence, and O what a terrible Sentence will that be, which will make all Ears glow and tingle. His Lips saith the Prophet, are full of Indignation, and his Tongue like a consuming Fire, Isa. 20.2 • What Fire is so hot as that fiery Sentence, Depart ye Cursed into everlasting Fire p • pared for the Devil and his Angels.

First, they must depart. This seems nothing to the wicked now; they are Contented to be gone, they have much more delight in Sin than in God's Service, but whither must they go, from me? and if from me, then from all that is mine, my Mercy, my Glory, my Salvation; But whether, O Lord, shall the •• sed go that depart from thee, into what Heaven shall they arrive? What Master shall they serve? It is thought a great Punishment to be banished from our native boils, what then i • it to be banished from Almighty God! But whether must they go, into everlasting Fire? O what a Bed is this, no Feathers but Fire: no Friends but Furies, no ease but Fetters; no Light but Smoak, no Clocks to pass away the time, but timeless Eternity; Fire intellerable, a Fire burning and never dying; what can endure everlasting Flames, it shall not be quenched night nor day, the smoke thereof shall go up for evermore; the wicked shall be crowded together like brick in a fiery Furnace. But for whom was this Prepared, for the Devil and his Angels, these must be your companions; the last sentence is now pronouncing, What, Go, Who? Ye Cursed into everlasting Fire, to a crew of Devils: O take heed that you live in God's fear, lest that leaving his service, he give you this Reward; Depart ye Cursed.

Use 1. Consider that fearful trembling will seize on their Souls that have their Sentence for eternal Flames! O which way will they turn, or how will they escape Almighty's wrath? To go backwards is impossible, to go forwards, 'tis intolerable, whose help will they crave? God is their Judge, Heaven their Foe, the Saints deride them, Angels hate them; Good Lord, what a world of miseries hath seized on these miserable Souls; Their Executioners are Devils, the Dungeon Hell, the Earth stands open, and the cruel Furnace ready boiling to Receive them; Oh! how will these poor Souls quake and tremble? every part of his body will bear a part in this Punishment; Eyes weep, Hands wring, Breast beat, Heart ache, Voices cry now, O Man of Earth, What will all thy wealth avail thee? what can all thy Pleasures profit thee? One drop of water to cool thy tongue in these flames is worth more than all the Pleasures in the World, Luk. 16.24.

Thus you have heard the Sentence of the Just and Wicked; and now is the Judge arising from his glorious Seat; the Saints guard him along, and the Sentenced Prisoners are delivered to the Jailors; What a screech of horror will be heard. What Woes and Lamentations will be uttered, when Devils and Reprobates and all the damned crew of Hell shall be driven into Hell, never to return again; down they go howling and screeching 〈◊〉 gnashing their Teeth; as the World leaves them, the Earth forsakes them, Hell entertains them, there they must live and die, and yet not live nor die, but dying live, and living die. O how miserable are these; if the drowning in the old World and swallowing up of Korah, and burning up Sodom with Brimstone, were attended with such terrors and hideous outcries, how Infinitely to all possibility of conceit, or expressions, or belief, will the confusion and trembling of that fiery Day be! In a word, that wailing, weeping, roaring, yelling, filling Heaven and Earth and Hell; O miserable wretches. Mat. 22.23. Take them away cast them into utter Darkness, where shall be weeping and gnashing of Teeth; A darkness indeed; they must be ever debarred from the sight of Heaven, no Sun-shine ever peeps within these walls, nothing is there but thick smoke and darkness, and such is the portion of Sinners and reward of the Wicked.

To wind up all in one word of Comfort to the Saints of God, look upwards, and you may see your blessed Company.

After the wicked are cast down into Hell, Christ and the blessed Saints ascended into Heaven from the Tribunal Seat of Judgment, Christ shall arise with all the glorious Angels of Heaven marthing towards the Heaven of Heavens with Songs of Triumph, Isa 52.8. The voice of the watchmen shall be heard, they shall life up their voices and shout together, for they shall see Eye to Eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion. Here is a Victory indeed. The Soldiers in arrayed order, both marching and triumphing. Christ leads the way; The Chrubims attend, the Seraphims burn in Love, Angels, Arch-angels, Principalities, Powers, Patriarchs, Prophets, Priests, Evangelists, Martyrs; All attending the Judge and King of Glory; singing with melody as never Ear hath heard, shining with Majesty as never Eye hath seen, rejoicing without measure, as never heart hath conceived.

O blessed train, each one doth bear a palm of Victory in his hand, each one must wear a Crown of Glory on his head; the Church Militant is now triumphant; With a final overthrow have they conquered Devils, and now they must enjoy God and Life, and Heaven. And thus as they march along. Heaven opens unto them; O infinite Joys! tell me O Soul, what a happy hour will this be, when thou shalt first enter into the Gates of Heaven, then the blessed Trinity shall gladly entertain thee, and with a well done good and faithful Servant enter into thy Master's Joy. Now all these Angels and Saints shall rejoice at thy arrival at the port of Heaven. Here is the end of the Godly, the fruition of this end, the reward itself. What can I say, but Live in God's fear, and the Lord reward you, nay he will so, if you Live so, for then shall he reward every Man according to his Works.