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ther on his left; to be judged according to their works. This is recorded in Matth. xxv. 31, 32, 33, "When the Son of man fhall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then fhall he fet upon the throne of his glory; and before him shall be gathered all nations; and he shall separate them one from another, as a fhepherd divideth his fheep from the goats; and he shall fet the fheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left." This fubject is mentioned in chap. xiii. 49, So fhall it be at the end of the world; the angels fhall come forth, and fever the wicked from among the juft." Pfalm i. "Therefore the ungodly fhall not ftand in the judgment, nor finners in the congregation of the righteous." What an awful folemnity must this caufe in every mind! when they fhall fee the judge,whofe power calls them from their graves, dividing for the last time the whole family of Adam, to be united no more forever!!

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As it is plain that all will be raised at the last day,what will they be raised for? To be judged, according to the deeds done in the body; which is to have a fentence paffed on them. We are told that the people were judged out of the books, which were opened before the judge.

These books I understand to be,-First, the works of God, and the manifeftations of God to men in his works. Second, The law given by Mofes.-Third, The gospel of Chrift.

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In all these books God has manifefted himself. he has manifested himself the fame in creation in the law of Mofes; and the fame in that law, as in the gofpel of Chrift. Many think that creation fhews us one God, the law another, and the gofpel, a God different from either; but it is not fo.

1. All creation fhews a God great in goodnefs, wif dom, and power. This Paul mentions, Acts xiv. 17, Nevertheless, he left not himfelf without witnefs, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful feafons, filling our hearts with food and gladnefs." This makes creation a plain book.

This fubject is beautifully explained in Rom. i. 18, 19, 20, 21, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven

against all ungodlinefs and unrighteoufnefs of men, who hold the truth in unrighteoufnefs; because that which may be known of God is manifeft in them; for God hata showed it unto them. For the invifible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly feen, being understood by the things that are made even his eternal power and godhead; fo that they are without excufe; becaufe that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened; profeffing themselves to be. wife, they became fools." According to this account creation is a plain open book, and in this book God daily teaches righteoufness to men, "Day unto day uttereth fpeech, and night unto night fheweth knowledge."

Those who fin against what they read in this book, are fuch as Paul fays, fin without law, and are to be judged according to the gofpel at the laft day. Rom. ii. 12, 16, "For as many as have finned without law, fhall alfo perifh without law, in the day when God shall judge the fecrets of men by Jefus Chrift according to my gofpel."

2. The law of Mofes is another book, out of which thofe will be judged who have it. This proclaims the Lord God gracious, and merciful, abundant in goodness and kindness, forgiving iniquity, tranfgreffions and sins, and will by no means clear the guilty.

3. The gofpel of Chrift, where there is a greater manfeftation of God, than in either of the other books mentioned, though not different from them. Life and immortality, one brought to light through the gospel.

All nations have and do receive a manifeftation of God in one or all these books, and they will at the laft day be judged out of them according to what their conduct has been. All, excepting thofe who had part in the first refurrection, thefe are the faints that fhall judge angels. At that day every man will give account for himself before the judge; there will be no witneffes needed, for out of their own mouths will the wicked be condemned.

I do not think that any of the wicked will ever be punished, until they fee their fentence juft, and their damnation juft. There will at that day be fuch a manifeftation of the righteous judgment of God made to the wicked, that every mouth will be ftopped, while the whole world will become guilty before God. The world is to be judged in righteoufnefs; and this is always the cafe, when any perfon is judged according to his works.

I will here illuftrate the fubject by a circumftance which ence took place in England, to prove that the wicked being juded out of the books, will acknowledge their sentence, "depart from me ye curfed," to be juft.

The following is related by Mr. Fordyee, in his Diatogues on Education, as a real occurence which happened in a neighbouring ftate, not many years ago.

"A Jeweler, a man of good character and confiderable wealth, having occafion in the way of his bufiness, to travel at fome diftance from the place of his abode, took along with him a fervant, in order to take care of his portmanteau. He had with him fome of his best Jewels, and a large fum of money, to which the fervant was likewife privy. The mafter having occafion to difmount on the road, the fervant watching his opportunity, took a pistol from his mafter's faddle, and fhot him dead upon the fpot; then riffled him of his Jewels and money, and hanging a large ftone to his neck, he threw him into the neareft canal.

With this booty he made off to a diftant part of the country, where he had reason to believe that neither he nor his mafter were known. There he begun to trade in a very low way at firft, that his obfcurity might fereen him from obfervation; and in the courfe of a good many years he feemed to rife, by the natural progrefs of bu finefs, into wealth and confideration, fo that his good fortune appeared at once the effect, and reward of industry and virtue. Of thefe he counterfeited the appearance fo well, that he grew into great credit, married into a good family, and by laying out his hidden ftore difcretely, as he faw occafion, and joining to all an univerfal affability, he was admitted to a fare of the

government of the town, and rofe from one poft to another, till at length he was chofen chief magistrate. In this office he maintained a fair character, and continued to fill it with no fmall applause, both as a governor and a judge; till one day as he fat on the bench with fome of his brethren, a criminal was brought before him who was accufed of murdering his master. The evidence came out full, the Jewry brought in their verdict that the prifoner was guilty, and the whole affembly waited the fentence of the prefident of the court, (which happened to be that day,) with great fufpence. Meanwhile he appeared to be in unufual diforder and agitation of mind, and his colour changed often; at length he arose from his feat, and coming down from the bench, placed himself juft by the unfortunate man at the bar. "You fee before you, (faid he addref fing himself to thofe who had fat on the bench with him) a ftriking inftance of the juft rewards of heaven, which this day, after 30 years concealment, prefents to you a greater criminal than the man just now found guilty." Then he made an ample confeffion of his guilt, and of all its aggravations. Nor can I feel (faid he) any relief from the agonies of an awakened confcience, but by requiring that juftice be forthwith done againft me in the most public and folemn manner.

We may easily fuppofe the amazement of all the af fembly, and especially of his fellow judges. However, they proceeded, upon this confeffion, to pafs fentence upon him, and he died, with all the marks of a peni

tent.

If a perfon, having a fenfe of his crime, would voluntarily confefs a fecret when he knew death would be the confequence of his confeffion, how much more likely it is that the wicked will voluntarily confefs when they ftand before the judge of all the earth !

All nations being gathered before Chrift, and judged out of the books according to the deeds done in the body; those whofe works prove that they were pardoned, and received into the family of Chrift, and who by their good works proved their obedience to the king, will be

received into life eternal, and thofe whofe works proved them enemies to the King, will go away into everlasting punishment, called the fecond death.

All this was declared by the judge himself when on earth before, and is left on long record for us to read, and believe, that the day may not come upon us at

awares.

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See Matth. xxv. 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, “ When the Son of man fhall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then fhall he fet upon the throne of his glory; and before him wall be gathered all nations; and he fhall feparate them one from another, as a fhepherd divideth his fheep form the goats. And he fhall fet the fheep on his right hand; but the goats on the left. Then thall the king fay unto them on his right hand, come, ye blef fed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat; I was thirty, and ye gave me drink; I was a ftranger, and ye took me in; naked, and ye clothed me; I was fick, and vifited me; ye I was in prifon, and ye came unto me.

Then fhall the righteous anfwer him, faying, Lord, when faw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When faw we thee a stranger, and

took thee in? or naked and clothed thee.? Or when faw we thee fick, or in prifon, and came unto thee? And the King fhall answer, and fay unto them, verily I fay unto you, in as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Then fhall the King fay alfo unto them on the left hand, depart from me, ye curfed unto everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was an hun gered, and ye gave me no meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink; I was a ftranger, and ye took me not in; naked and ye clothed me not; fick and in prifon, and ye vifited me not.

Then shall they also answer him, faying, Lord, when faw we thee an hungered,or athirft, or a stranger, or nak ed, or fick, or in prison, and did not minifter unto thee?

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