evil deeds of the saints, but only of the good works which they have performed. 2dly, The promise of God that he "will remember our sins no more,' "a and will" cast them behind his back," and "cast them "into the depths of the sea." Now if he has removed them out of his own sight, how is it possible that he can choose to expose them to the view of angels and men, of friends and enemies? Or, after having once been pleased to bury them under all the waters of the ocean, with what appearance of propriety can he draw them up thence, and proclaim them to all in a most numerous and solemn assembly of the whole universe? 3dly, The office of Christ. He is the "propitiation,"d the mercy-seat or covering; he will not then expose their sins. He is their "Advocate ;"e and doth not unveil the crimes of his clients. He is the "Friend" of his people; and it is the office of love to cover sins.f 4thly, The rule of judgment will not be the Law, which discovers sins; but the Gospel, which covers them. 5thly, It can hardly be conceived, how such a publication of their sins, should not overwhelm the saints with shame; or in what way it can suit that glorious state of the Church, in which she shall be presented to God, holy, and without blemish, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing.s XXVII. Thus the reasoning on both sides is ingenious and plausible. Yet, as considerations are not wanting to diminish the force of the arguments of each, it a Is. xliii. 25. Jer. xxxi. 34. b Is. xxxviii. 17. d e Mic. vii. 19. "Longior, Rom. iii. 25, which corresponds to the Hebrew word .a covering כפורת 1 John ii. 1. * Ephes. v. 27. f Prov. x. 12. appears safest and most consistent with Christian humility and modesty, to defer the determination of this question, till that day which will make all things manifest. XXVIII. We proposed, in the third place, to speak of the SENTENCE. In relation to this, three things fall to be considered. First, The examination of the cause. Secondly, The pronouncing of the sentence. Thirdly, Its execution. XXIX. The examination of the cause will not be difficult or laborious; owing, 1st, To the omniscience of the Judge.h 2dly, To the light of conscience, which will suffer nothing to be hid from men. By these means, "God will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the "hearts."i 66 XXX. The pronouncing of the sentence is two-fold, including the sentence of absolution, and that of condemnation. The former is mentioned as that which is to be first in order. 1st, To show that the Judge is more inclined to acquit than to condemn. 2dly, To heighten the joy of the elect, who, after having been themselves absolved, will behold the remaining transactions with the greater security and pleasure. 3dly, To sharpen the anguish of the wicked.-Each sentence will contain a public commemoration of the works, whether good or bad, as well as an assignation of the reward or the punishment. XXXI. The sentence of absolution will be entirely gracious according to the Gospel strictly so called. "The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of h Mal. iii. 5. John ii. 25. Heb. iv. 13. i 1 Cor. iv. 5. "the Lord in that day." This is manifest, 1st, From the consideration of the works,-which, though stained by numerous blemishes, will receive so high a commendation from the Judge, that the saints themselves will not hear it without being astonished, that God should put so great a value on services which to themselves appeared so very inconsiderable. 2dly, From the consideration of the reward,—which is not founded on any worthiness either of the works or the persons, but on election, the love of the Father, and adoption, which are all gratuitous. 3dly, From the consideration of the connexion betwixt the good works of believers and the reward. Their good works will be mentioned, 1. As proofs of the faith of believers, their union to Christ, their adoption, their friendship with God, and of that holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. 2. As evidences of that activity and earnestness with which, undervaluing the advantages of this world, and despising the pleasures of the flesh, they have sought the kingdom of God and his righteousness. A pursuit so worthy of God, it is not worthy of God to disappoint. 3. As effects of Divine grace, with which, according to a proportion most wisely adjusted, the communication of Divine glory will correspond, when he shall come to crown his own gifts. XXXII. The sentence of condemnation will be prcnounced in conformity to the exact justice of the law. "For as many as have sinned without law, shall also perish without law; and as many as have sinned in "the law shall be judged by the law."k XXXIII. It is inquired, and not without reason, why J2 Tim. i. 18. k Rom. ii. 12. 31. VOL. II. 2 P no works are mentioned here but those of compassion towards Christ, whilst many thousands of men have never heard any thing of Christ, and never had opportunity of doing offices of kindness to him in his members; to whom, consequently, it seems impossible that either the performance of such works can be ascribed to their honour, or the neglect of them imputed to their shame. To several, both of the ancients and moderns, this difficulty has appeared so great, that they have thought proper to deny that this discourse of Christ contains a delineation of the general judgment. Our opinion is as follows. The express words of the thirty-second verse evince, that the general judgment is here described: "And before him shall be gathered "all nations." The Scripture, besides, mentions only one judgment to be transacted at the last coming of Christ; and that this judgment will be completely universal, we have proved above by incontrovertible evidence. We are no where taught, that one tribunal is to be erected for those to whom the Gospel was preached, and another for those to whom it was not preached. On the same day of the revelation of the righteous judgment of God, a recompence will be rendered to every one according to his works,-to those that have sinned without law, as well as to those that have sinned in the law. Yet every thing relative to the general judgment cannot be learned from this single discourse of Christ. Other testimonies of Scripture must be compared with it, and from all of them taken together, we are to collect the whole of that information which the Spirit of God has been pleased to give us regarding this topic. The things noticed by our 1 Rom. ii. 5, 6, 12. Lord in this passage are probably specified merely for the sake of example. For who can suppose that in the general judgment nothing is to be inquired into even amongst those to whom the Gospel was preached, except the performance or neglect of offices of charity towards afflicted saints? Christ's giving so prominent a place to duties and omissions of that sort, appears to take its rise from the forms of instruction which were in use amongst the ancient Hebrews; of which some traces remain in the Chaldee Paraphrase on Ecclesiastes, chap. ix. verse 7th. "It shall come to pass," said Solomon, by the Spirit of prophecy from the presence of the Lord," that the Sovereign of the universe "will say to each of the righteous before an assembled "world; Go thy way, eat with joy thy bread which is "reserved for thee, for thy bread that thou gavest to "the poor and afflicted who were hungry; and drink "with a merry heart thy wine which is reserved for "thee in paradise, in place of thy wine that thou didst 66 mingle for the poor and afflicted who were thirsty." Our Lord delighted, as learned men have proved by a copious induction of instances,-to make use in his discourses of those formularies which the lovers of piety had long before received from the lips of their wise men. 49 66 XXXIV. The Execution will immediately follow the pronouncing of the sentence. "And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous "into life eternal."m According to the order of the words of Christ, the execution of the sentence will begin with the ungodly; the pronouncing, with the godly. m Mat. xxv. 46. |