"his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven "to the other."m Hence "the coming of our Lord "Jesus Christ," and "our gathering together unto him," which is to be effected by the ministry of angels," are joined together.o 2dly, In making a separation betwixt them when assembled.-" So shall it be at the "end of the world; the angels shall come forth, and "sever the wicked from among the just." 3dly, In casting down the ungodly to the place of punishment. "The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they "shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, " and them which do iniquity, and shall cast them into "a furnace of fire." 4thly, In conveying the godly to heaven. We, who are alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet "the Lord in the air; and so shall we be ever with "the Lord." That the bringing of the godly to the welcome tribunal of Christ in order to be judged, and to heaven after the judgment is over, is to be done by the ministry of angels, we collect from this consideration, that angels convey the souls of the godly to heaven, when separated from their bodies by death. Why may we not conclude, that they perform a similar office towards their entire persons?

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XVIII. It deserves inquiry, whether holy men shall be assessors with Christ in this final judgment. Many are of opinion that they shall be so, because Paul has the following expressions: "Do ye not know that the "saints shall judge the world? Know ye not that vie "shall judge Angels ?" But we may be allowed to

question the justness of the conclusion deduced from these words. I am far from wishing to have any controversy with those who affirm, that the saints shall judge the world, in a certain improper sense of the expression. It may be admitted, that they shall judge the world, 1. In Christ their Head; to whom they are united by the spirit and by faith; and whose glory is communicated, as far as possible, to the members." 2. By their approbation of Christ's sentence. 3. By the example of their virtues ;-in which way even the less guilty are to condemn such as are more wicked than themselves. 4. By their own justification; for the acquittal of the pious will be the condemnation of the ungodly. The Scriptures, nevertheless, represent the saints, rather as persons whom Christ is to judge, than as his assessors in the judgment, or subordinate judges. It is often promised that they shall reign with Christ, but nowhere that they shall judge with him in the day of judgment.

XIX. It is not necessary to expound the passage just quoted from Paul, as referring to the last day, or the world to come. The saints judged the world, when Christians were appointed magistrates and judges during the reign of Constantine the Great, and in subsequent times. Since, at the period of the Apostle's writing, this honour was reserved for the saints, it was unworthy of them to contend about frivolous matters before unbelievers. The Apostle, too, might speak of is future judging of the saints as well known, because Daniel had prophesied long before, that after the destruction of the four empires which oppressed the

ù Comp. Ephes. ii. 6.
▾ Rev. xix. 1, 2.

Rev. ii. 26, 27.

w Mat. xii. 41, 42.

* Heb. xi. 7.

1

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Church and the world by their grievous tyranny, "the "judgment shall sit, and the dominion which is taken away from the last of the kings, with the greatness " of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High."y At what time this prediction may have been fulfilled, or is yet to be fulfilled, it is of no consequence to our present purpose to determine. It may suffice to observe, that a time is specified, in which the saints, under Christ their king and leader, are, in this world and under heaven, to judge, and to possess an extensive dominion. And most probably, the Apostle, when he wrote the passage in question, referred to this prophecy of Daniel.

But the saints judge Angels also. This they do, 1. When they demonstrate that those whom the nations had hitherto served, are neither Gods, nor good Angels; but malignant spirits, or mischievous demons. 2. When, by their testimony, and their blood, they overcome them, and restrain their power. 3. When, by their prayers, they expel them from the bodies of those whom they possessed. That this miracle continued in the Church long after the age of the Apostles, we have shown elsewhere.*

a

xx. But is not the dignity of being assessors with Christ in the last judgment to be attributed at least to the Apostles; since our Lord himself says,-" In the "regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit on the "throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, "judging the twelve tribes of Israel?"

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* See Dissert. xi. sect. 36. T.

y Dan. vii. 26, 27.

a Mark ix. 29. xvi. 17.

VOL. 11.

But even

*

here the expression seems not to refer to the general judgment, since only the tribes of Israel are mentioned. Ever since his ascension to heaven, too, our Lord has already sat on the throne of his glory at the right hand of the Father; and the time of his taking possession of the kingdom and pouring out the Spirit, is justly styled "the regeneration," as it is the beginning of a new age in which "new heavens and a new earth are created," and "all things are made new." Nor is it necessary to take the word judge in the most strict and proper sense; for by the figure termed metalepsis, it has often the same meaning with govern; because governors are generally occupied in the administration of justice: and hence, as Grotius has learnedly observed, a government is called Medinah by the Hebrews. The meaning, therefore, is, ye shall possess the honour next to me who am King. There is an allusion to the ancient state of the kingdom of Israel, in which the chiefs of the tribes were nearest in dignity to the royal majesty, and in public assemblies sat in chairs of state hard by the throne; whilst the first places were allotted to the princes of Judah and Joseph; to which Zebedee's wife very probably alluded, when she soli cited those places for her sons. Compare the parallel passage in Luke, where another circumstance is added, namely, that they are to sit at the royal tablea privilege which was usually reserved for the most distinguished nobles. The dignity of the Apostles, therefore, as surpassing all other Israelites, both in the

The noun (Medinah) is derived from the verb 17 (dun) to judge, and is often employed to signify a government or province, as in Est. iv. 3. 1 Kings xx. 14. T.

c Is. lxv. 17.

e Chap. xxii. 30.

₫ 2. Cor. v. 17.

kingdom of grace and in the kingdom of glory, is here figuratively described. See Moulin, and Hammond, who have many learned observations to this effect. If you are disposed, however, to urge the proper sense of the term judge, I will not deny that the expression denotes the powerful efficacy of the apostolical ministry, for the full conviction of the unbelieving and refractory. For as, according to the doctrine of the Apostles preached in the name of Christ, judgment was executed on the rebellious nation of the Jews, which seems here to be intended; so, according to the same Gospel, all mankind shall be judged at the last day. 8 48

XXI. Let us now pass on to the second head, which relates to THOSE THAT ARE TO BE JUDGED. Here both persons and works must be considered. The persons are rational creatures, Angels and Men. Some of the Angels being good and others of them bad, it is inquired with regard to the former, whether or not they are to be judged at the last day. Now, I dare not affirm that they are to be judged. 1. This is nowhere taught in Scripture. 2. They are every where represented as the attendants and servants of the Judge. 3. They are already judged, and confirmed in a state of consummate blessedness; which, with respect to themselves, seems incapable of increase; except in so far as they shall behold the glory of God more illustriously displayed in the works of glory, than it had previously been in the works of nature or of grace.

* Vat. Lib. ii. cap. 5.

+ Dissert. iii. quæ est de omnibus Evangelii periochis. cap. 2. Comp. Rev. iv. 4.

Comp. John xii. 48. Rom. ii. 16.

48 See NOTE XLVIII.