SERMON II.

ON

OUR APPEARANCE BEFORE GOD

HERE AND HEREAFTER.

PSAL. xlii. 2.-When shall I come and appear before God.

1 By an appearance before God, in the text, we are to understand our attendance upon him in the public ordinances of worship; and the longing desire the psalmist bad to draw near unto God in his ordinances, represents to us the character of every sincere christian when he enjoys his own right frame, and heavenly temper of soul. He longs, he breathes after those seasons of divine improvement and comfort.

I shall make no further repetition of any thing before delivered; but considering that all our appear ances before God in this world, in his sanctuary, are but means to prepare us to stand before God in the world that is to come; I shall not think myself at all to wander from the text, if I spend my whole time, at present, in showing the difference that is between our appearance before God on earth here, and our appearing before him in the other world hereafter; ; and this is in order to awaken the sinner, and to encourage the true christian.

There are two great future appearances before God, the one at judgment, and the other in glory in beaven: the one belongs to all men, the other only to the saints. And now, that 1 may divide my dis

course aright, and give to every one their portion, I would beg leave chiefly to apply our general appearance before God at judgment, to those who are unconverted, and in a state of sin; for we have reason to fear that there may be some such among us. And I will apply the blessed appearance before God in heaven to converted souls, to whom only it belongs. These are the persons who have faith and love, and are in some measure prepared to appear and worship there.

First, then, let us consider our appearances before God in judgment. It is true, at the moment of death our souls immediately stand before God to be judged, as well as our souls and bodies united, shall stand together there in the great day of the resurrection; yet I shall not make any distinction of these seasons now, lest I should multiply particulars, but shall treat of them together, to awaken the secure and sinful worshipper, who appears before God here in the form of devotion: and to put him in mind he must ere long stand before God in another manner than now he does, and to set his thoughts at work to compare one with the other in these particulars:

1. The sinner now appears with some degree of willingness in the presence of God, then it is under a terrible constraint. A wicked man may be willing to come to public ordinances for many carnal ends; as to comply with his superiors, to follow the custom of the family where he dwells, to gain reputation among men, to satisfy the cries of an awakened con- . science; for his conscience, perhaps, will not be easy without the performance of some duties; and so he makes use of divine worship, and his public appearances before God, as a kind of opiate, to stupify an uneasy conscience; and therefore he has some inclination and willingness to come before God here on earth; but at death, and at the general resurrection, he must appear whether he will or not, Heb. ix. 27. "It is appointed for all men once to die, and after

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death the judgment," Rom. xiv. 10. and Cor. v. 10. "We must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ." The angels shall gather the elect from the four quarters of the world, and bring them near to the Judge with pleasure; but sinners shall be dragged toward that awful tribunal, and be forced to abide the trial.

While the believer, who walks in lively faith, says, "When shall I come into that world of spirits, and appear there before God." The sinner wishes that day may never come: "O that I might live for ever on earth! that I might for ever converse with men, and never see the face of that God who hates me, and whom I have never loved. O that death might make an utter end of me! O that the grave would cover me for ever, that I might rise no more! And when that dreadful day comes, then, Fall on us, rocks; then, mountains, press us down, and conceal us for ever from the wrath of God and the Lamb;" as in Rev. vi. 15, 16, that outery is represented. But they must stand and see the terror ; 1 they are constrained to hear the glorious and dreadful sentence. Dost thou believe this, O my soul? and canst thou be content to live unprepared for the solemnities of this day?

2. Here sinners appear as the saints of God, in disguise, but there as sinners, openly guilty, and exposed to light: here, not separated from the saints. in the place of worship; there, sufficiently distinguished and divided from all who love God, and that worship him in spirit: for when a sinful sout goes out of the body to appear before God, every angel in heaven knows him; he is naked, without a covering of disguise, as well as without a covering of a justifying righteousness; and upon this account he appears all guilty, not only before the searching eye of God, and the terror of his anger, but also before the blessed spirits who are near the throne. Here those who are in the same assembly know not (XVIII.) 4 н

whether we are the children of God or the children of the devil; but in the world of spirits, all the children of satan are as much distinguished from the children of God, as an angel of light is from a spirit of darkness.

This flesh is a disguise to the soul, a thick cloud to cover a thousand hypocrites; but at the great day, the naked soul must be known. "All nations

shall be gathered before him, and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats," Matt. xxv. 32. Jesus shall separate the one from the other: and what will the sinner say at that day?

"I have on earth appeared before God among the saints, but now I must for ever dwell with my companions in iniquity, with my partners in everlasting burnings: I am so like to the spirits of hell, now I am undressed, and divested of all disguise, that I see myself justly divided for ever from the saints, and a fit companion for none but devils." O who can tell the torment that is contained in such a self-condemning reflection as this?

3. Sinners appear now, and take no notice of God as Creator, or Christ as Mediator and Saviour; but at the appearance in judgment, it will be impossible to stand before God, and not take notice of him. He appears there as a God of terrible and incensed Majesty, and they must see him; and Jesus Christ sits there, and must be seen, not as the Saviour to secure them, but the Judge ready to condemn them to everlasting punishment. Rev. i. 7. assures us of this day, and speaks of it as already come: "Behold, he cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see him: and they also who pierced him; and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. I shall behold him (says the wretched Balaam), but not nigh; Numb. xxiv. 17. not as my God, near me, but as my enemy afar from me. "Now God speaks with the voice of mercy in the church, and I turn a deaf ear

to him, may the sinner say; but then it is the language of justice and vengeance. O that my ears and my eyes were sealed up for ever! For his looks, his words, his actions, smite my soul through with a thousand torments."

It will be impossible for the wicked to turn their eyes from God in that day, whereas now, for a whole hour or two, in his worship, their hearts are not once fixed upon him. A God of holiness will be seen on his seat of judgment; and the sinner who will not see, shall see, and be confounded at the sight. Think of this, O my soul! and when thou findest thy thoughts wandering from God in the next duty of worship, take this awful hint to recal them again.

4. Now the sinner appears before God as on á throne of grace; there on a throne of justice: now in a state of trial; there for a final sentence. He comes now to hear the general language of God to men; there to hear his own particular judgment from the same God. Now the sinner stands in the church, in a general assembly; and he stands within the reach of a general promise: "He that believes shall be saved; he that confesses, and forsakes his sin, shall find mercy:" but then the book of all the promises is for ever shut, and it is declared by the Judge, that not one of them belongs to him: he hath refused all the offers of grace, and the day of grace is gone for ever.

Now he stands, and hears the general threatening of the word: "The soul that sinneth shall die. The wages of sin is death. He that believeth not shall be damned. He that soweth to the flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption :" yet he may escape all these threatenings. But in the great and last day, he hears his own name, as it were, read together with each of these threatenings, and united to them all: Thou art the impenitent sinner, and thou must die for ever; thou hast not believed in Christ, and