not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy thro' their unbelief: even fo have these also now not believ'd that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. Now fuch a Converfion as this of the Jews, I think, has not been yet, and therefore must be expected before the Day of Judgment, and the end of the world, which fhews that the end of the world will not be yet; and how long it may be deferred, we cannot tell.

II. How long foever the end of the world, and the Day of Judgment be delayed, yet we have great reafon immediately to prepare for it; for indeed this Life is the only time we have to prepare for it, Death puts an end to our Account for Eternity; for we fhall be judged according to what we have done in the Body, whether it be good or bad; and the Final Sentence fhall pafs on us according to that ftate which Death finds us in; which feems to be the reason why our Saviour warns us always to be upon our watch, as not knowing at what hour our Lord will come; for whatever the intermediate State be, how long foever it be between Death and Judgment, yet our Account is the fame, and to be furprized by Death before we are provided for it, is the fame thing as to be furprized by Judgment: 24. Matth. 42, 43, 44. Watch therefore, for ye know not at what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the good man of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have fuffered his boufe to be broken up. Therefore be ye alfo ready for in such an hour as you

think

think not, the Son of man cometh. Which if it concern all Chriftians, muft relate to the hour of Death, as well as to the day of Judgment.

And therefore flatter not your felves, that Judgment is a great way off, when you know not how near Death is, which will finish your Account. The State of bad Men is very miserable, as you have already heard, as foon as they go out of these Bodies, and they are referved for the terrible Judgment of the great Day; and though the Day of Judgment is not yet, is it not a terri ble thing to be certainly referved for it? Which how long foever it be delayed,has an Eternity to follow.

III. But if the near approach of the end of the World, and the Day of Judgment be confiderable, it is certain that is not far off neither; the World has continued now fome thousand Years, and if the time of Chrift and his Apoftles were the laft Days, after Sixteen hundred Years we must be pretty near the end of the laft Days: We have a nearer profpect of Eternity, than those had who lived fome thousand Years ago, at leaft if they had known how long this World would have continued; but tho' they might not think it would have continued fo long, we know now, that it cannot continue fo much longer: there are fome Prophefies to be accomplished ftill, but how foon they may be accomplished, we know not no Man questions but that the World now grows to an end, and therefore it is time for every Man to think of Eternity.

CHAP.

CHAP. III.

Who shall be our Judge, viz. The Man CHRIST JESUS.

III.

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ET us now confider who fhall be our Judge: That man whom he bath ordained, whereof be bath given affurance unto all men, in that be bath raised him from the dead; where there are two things to be confidered: First, The Perfon who is to judge us. Secondly,. What Affurance we have, that He fhall be our Judge.

First, The Perfon who is to judge us: That man whom he bath ordained; that is, the Man CHRIST JESUS: for thus both Chrift and his Apoftles affure us, that God hath appointed him to be the Judge of the World: The Father judgeth no man; but bath committed all judgment to the Son, 5 John 22. The ·Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father,, with his Angels ; and then shall be reward every man according to his works, 16 Matthew 27., Thus St. Peter affures Cornelius concerning Chrift, He commanded us to preach unto the peo-. ple, and to testifie that it is be which was ordain ed by God to be the Judge of quick and dead, 10 Acts 42. But there is no need to multiply Texts in fo plain a Cafe, it is of more. concernment to inquire, why Christ who is the Eternal Son of God, and a God Incar

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nate, when he is fpoke of as Judge of the World, is most usually defcrib'd as a Man, or the Son of Man; thus, He is that man whom God bath ordained; and the Son of man; nay, Christ himself tells us, For this reafon God hath given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of man, 5 John 27.

Now the reason why our Saviour is defcribed as a Man, and the Son of Man, when he comes to Judgment, is, because he fhall vifibly appear in Humane Nature to judge the World; and therefore will be, and will appear as much a Man as he did when he dwelt on Earth, though he will appear alfo more like a God: Thus the Prophet Daniel describes it: He faw in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of man, came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him Dominion and Glory, and a Kingdom, that all People, Nations, and Languages fhould ferve him: bis Dominion is an everlasting Dominion, which fhall not pass away, and his Kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, 7 Dan. 13, 14. It is the Son of Man who has this Glory and Kingdom given him, and which he must administer as the Son of Man.

And this feems the true reafon why our Saviour fo often calls himself the Son of Man, not as fome imagine with respect to the mean Circumftances of his Appearance in the World, for this Phrafe, The Son of Man, no where in Scripture relates to fuch an external Meannels and Poverty as diftinguishes one Q 2

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49 Jer. 28. Man from another; but it either fignifies no 25 Job 6. more than a Man, or it refpects the com80 Pfal.17. mon Weakneffes of Humane Nature; and 146Pal3 when this Name is applied to any particular 2 Ezek. Perfons, it is never used of mean Men, but always of Princes or Prophets : But by this Title of the Son of Man, our Saviour gives us to underftand, that he is that Great and Extraordinary Perfon, known by the Name of The Son of Man in Daniel's Visions, whom God hath ordained to be the Lord and Judge of the World.

But I fhall not pafs over this Argument thus, but fhall more particularly confider the great Wisdom of this; how neceffary, congruous and fitting it is, that the Son of Man fhould judge the World; which will fuggeft a great many useful Meditations to us. Now I fhall reduce what I have to fay to thefe two Heads : 1. That it is very fitting and neceffary, that the Saviour of Mankind fhould be their Judge alfo. 2. And therefore that the Man Chrift Jefus, who is the Saviour of the World, fhould judge it.

I. That it is very fitting and neceffary that the Saviour of Mankind fhould be their Judge alfo; and that upon two Accounts.

I.

Because the Authority to judge is ef fential to the Notion and Authority of a Saviour To Save Sinners, fignifies to fave them from their Sins; which is the true Interpretation of the Name Jefus, 1 Matth. 20. And to fave them from their Sins, is to deliver them

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