MARAN-ATHA: THE SECOND ADVENT, OR, Christ's Coming to Judgement.  
A SERMON PREACHED Before the Honourable JUDGES of Assize, at Warwick: July 25. 1651.  
BY WILLIAM DURHAM, B. D. Late Preacher at the Rolls, Now Pastor of the Church at Tredington in Worcester shire.  1 COR. 4.4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Greg. Nazianz. Orat. 53. in fine. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, 
LONDON, Printed by T. Maxey, for M. M. G. Bedell, and T. Collins: and are to be sold at their Shop, at the Middle Temple Gate, Fleetstreet. 1652.   

To the Right Honourable WILLIAM LENTHALL ESQUIRE SPEAKER of the PARLIAMENT, AND Master of the Rolls.  
SIR,  
WHen importunity had prevailed with me to this service, who was never fond of such public employments, 'twas not intended that this Sermon should be made more public, by the showing it to the world: But that candid and charitable account which some persons of worth (than Auditors) gave thereof unto your Honour, made you inquisitive after it, and solemnly invite the Publication. I was never yet so far in love with any thing of mine own, as to fancy it worth the public view: but since 'tis so suitable to your desires, which must ever have with me the force of a command, I shall not decline this advantage of leaving some testimony to the world of those many favours, which I have received from your hand.  
The Argument of this Discourse is a plain, but a fundamental and a saving truth; concerning which, I may take up the language of that Pious and laborious servant of Christ in a business of the like nature; 
Mr. Carryll in Job. 7.6.  'Tis a point easy to be known, but hardly to be believed; every man assents to it, but few live it; we slight the hearing of common Principles, but common truths neglected, cause the neglect of every truth; had we more serious thoughts of Heaven and Hell, that these are, and what these are; that there is a God, and who he is; that there shall be such a judgement, and what it shall be, we should more profitably improve and trade our times and talents. Under whose grave and sober judgement, I shall secure myself from the censure and contempt of them who are taken only with new-Doctrines: It being the much unhappiness of this present age, that so many are willing to exchange old Truths for new Notions; Solid and sober truths, for strained Allegories; Practical Truths, for frothy speculations.  
For its dress and harness, that's plain too; and such as is suitable to the Country, where it was born; indeed, such is the native beauty of Divine truths, that they suffer by that paint, which humane wit would put upon them; they ever look best in their own colours; the best Character of a Sermon is, that it be honest, and tend to edification.  
That this so inconsiderable a piece, should fly under your wings for shelter (besides that you have pleased to invite it) can be no wonder to them who know with what exceeding tenderness, for many years, you have there cherished its unworthy Author. The children of our Brains, as well as those of our loins should learn that lesson of the Wiseman, Not to forget their father's friends; 'Tis the too usual consequent (I will not say effect) of great places, to swell men with thoughts of impunity; because men cannot call them to an account, they are too apt to flatter themselves, that God will not; and when once that piece of Atheism hath siezed on their heart, they easily give the reins to pride and oppression, and what not! which fault, though in the strictest scrutiny, you could never be found tainted with, who in the height and continuance of your great Employments, retain your natural and Christian Clemency, meekness, and humility: yet 'tis not amiss to fortify your heart with all possible strength against such encroaching thoughts, where Place and Employment is so apt to become a snare.  
To this purpose, I take the Confidence to recommend this ensuing discourse unto your service: which may be (like Philip of Macedon's Page,) your daily remembrancer of that which I know, is your frequent and serious meditation.  
I am not so much a stranger to your affairs, to conceive you at leisure to read large Epistles; I have only one word to you, and one for you, and I have done; that to you is,  
That as God hath been pleased to set and contitinue you so long in so eminent a place, enabled you to such incessant labour, and preserved you under such great Revolutions of State, you would make it your business more and more to advance him in the Gospel of his dear Son. And wherein (at present) can you better improve your power and interest for him, then in cherishing and preserving his Great Ordinance of the Ministry. The tender compassion which I bear to those poor souls, which sit in darkness, and the shadow of death, makes me continue to beg the utmost improvement of your power for the settling of a learned and a pious Ministry in every Congregation of the Land! That the Excellency of that calling may be preserved from those virulent and bitter tongues, which are set on fire of hell! that their Office may not be publicly invaded by those, who are not called to that, but to other employments! that oil may be preserved, and provided for burning lamps! 
1 Cor. 9.7.14.  That they who preach the Gospel may live upon the Gospel, (which in the Apostles judgement is the highest equity,) until they that go a warfare go on their own charges! That there may be a constant supply of persons fit for that weighty employment, by preserving & cherishing those Seminaries of learning, the Universities, so famous through the Christian world; without which, ignorance, error, and atheism will suddenly and unavoidably overspread the Land! In a word, that they be not justled out of their Function & maintenance, to gratify a people, who are no better friends to Magistracy, then to Ministry. And to speak what mine own experience assures to be truth, (you have vouchsafed to make me so much privy to your thoughts) I know these things you desire and endeavour; wherein, if after all your labour, you fail in the success, yet you have freed your own soul, and your reward is with your God.  
That for you, is; that that gracious God, who hath enabled you to so continued a service, would multiply all the gifts and graces of his spirit upon you and yours! that your days may be prolonged, your health & strength continued and increased, your Honours fastened on you, that your Family may flourish, & you rewarded a thousand fold for all those incoragements, and tender indeerments, whereby you have for ever obliged  
Sir, Your Honours most faithful and humble Servant, WIL DURHAM. From my Study at Tredington, May 1. 1652.   

I have perused this Sermon of Master Durham's on James 5.9. and do approve of it, as very fit to be printed.  
OBADIAH SEDGWICK. May 5. 1652.   

P. 9 l. 27. for Teutonish, r. Teutonick. p. 10. l. 13. add these words, the God of Nature; and lin. 27. for whence read when, p. 12. l. 13. blot out and, 14. l. 21. for despute, r. dispute, 17. l. 3. for teach r. reach. 17. l. 19 for bave r. have, 19 l. 18. for then r. them. 22. in the margin for Origenis r. Originis. 23. l. 6. wants it, 26. margin for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. 28. m. for torquate r. Torquate. 30.15. wants shall. 30. l. 33. for impudent r. imprudent. 32. for enite, r. inite.   

MARAN-ATHA: The second Advent: Or, Christ's coming to JUDGEMENT.  JAMES 5.9. 
Behold, the Judge standeth before the door.  
The whole Verse runs thus:  
Grudge not one against another, Brethren, lest ye be condemned, Behold, the Judge standeth before the door.  
SInce that unhappy breach between 
a Gen. 3.  Man and God, there have been perpetual differences between Man and Man; The seeds of injustice and oppression sown then in the hearts, spring forth so naturally and so plentifully in the lives of men, that they are become like 
b Hab. 1.14.  the fishes of the sea, the great ones devouring the less. As 
c Gen. 4.8.  this appears true in that horrid act of Cain against Abel, so is it visible in all those succeeding acts of injustice, so much complained of by 
d Isa. 5.7. Jer. 6.6. Ezek. 22.7, 29.  the Prophets. As this hath been too true in all ages, so especially in ours, on whom the 
e 1 Chr. 10.11  ends of the world are come. These are 
f Heb. 1.2.  the last days; and as our last days are fullest of diseases and miseries, so the world's last days are most 
g 2 Tim. 3.1  perilous, and most abounding with iniquity. The lower Time runs upon the lees and dregs, the worse ever: as Time grows older, oppression grows greater; and as oppressions increase, so will complaints increase. Sowas it here; The great and rich men trampled upon the poor, as if there were no God to punish them: they who were injured, did repine and grumble, as if there were no God to relieve them. The rich oppress the poor, the poor grumble against the rich. The Apostle being to find out a remedy against both these evils, pitches upon this Text, as the likeliest plaster to cure both sores; to prevent the outrageous insolences of the one, and remove the discontented grudge of the other; no likelier means, then by minding both of the Day of Judgement: As if he had said, You who abuse the power and greatness which God hath bestowed upon you, to the oppressing of the needy, who live in pleasure, and are wanton; who 
h Isa. 3.15.  grind the faces of the poor, and sell the 
i Amo. 2.6.  needy for a pair of shoes; who kill the just, and detain the labourer's hire; weep and howl, for the Judge standeth before the door to take vengeance of your injustice. And you whose miseries are written in letters of blood, upon whose 
k Ps. 129.3.  backs the plowers have made long furrows, grudge not, complain not, murmur not; for the Lord cometh, yea he stands before the door, to plead the cause of the oppressed, and to help them to right who suffer wrong; And indeed, nothing hath, (I am sure nothing should have) a greater influence upon the spirits of men, to keep them within the compass of their duty, than the remembrance of their last account; be their conditions, their professions, what it will.  
In which words the Apostle is quieting and cooling the minds and spirits of those whom the injuries and oppressions of others have exasperated; and in them we have, 1. A Prohibition [Grudge not.] 2. The enforcement of that prohibition; from the danger of the fact, [lest ye be condemned.] 3. The Anticipation of an objection, which they were about to make; What, may not losers have leave to speak? Shall they wrong us, and we not so much as complain? this will but harden them in their evil ways, and expose us to more and greater injuries; he that quietly and tamely bears one affront, invites a second: Oh! says he, but be patiented a while, leave revenge to him to whom it appertains, commit your cause to him who judgeth all things righteously, and is coming to do it; Behold, he standeth before the door.  
1. The Prohibition; Do not ye repine, 
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Tyrinus in loc.  or murmur or groan, either out of grief, that you cannot be revenged; or impatiency at your present sufferings; do not murmur nor grudge one against another, 
Miserorum est ut malevolentes sint. Plautus.  as poor men use to do, (who are querulous and complaining;) do not grudge against the rich, by calumniating and cursing them; much less against God, as if he were unjust, in suffering you to be afflicted; Take heed of murmuring groans, distrustful groans, revengeful groans, and envious groans; 
Manton in loc.  murmur not against God's providence, distrust not his protection, thirst not after the revenge of thine own injuries, envy not those who are exercised with fewer troubles than thyself; this is the prohibition, Grudge not.  
2. The enforcement; lest ye be condemned; as if he had said, Impatiency, discontent, distrust, envy, will expose you to greater miseries than you complain of; Your sufferings here are but for your probation, but your grudging and repining will be your condemnation: be not out of patience, your deliverance is at hand, Behold, etc.  
3. The Anticipation, (or forestall) of the objection: where are three things. 1. A Judge, 2. His posture, he standeth; 3. The place, before the door: and all these ushered in with (an Ecce) Behold.— Behold the Judge; Behold, he standeth; Behold, he standeth before the door.  
In each of which there is somewhat remarkable.  
1. Behold, 
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉.  the Judge; some eminent person sure, who is ushered in with such solemnity! 'Tis The Judge: Emphatically; not only A Judge, but the Judge, the supreme and universal Judge, who shall judge the quick and the dead. In the precedent verse he is styled the Lord; 'tis the Lord Jesus Christ, who hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, 
Rev. 19.16. His first coming was in humilitate. His second in majestate. In his first, judicandus; In his second, judicaturus. Solomon's petition. 1 King. 3.9. Tiberius' wished ut ipsi intelligentem bumani divinique juris mentem dii darent. Tacit. ann. l. 4. c. 7.  King of Kings, and Lord of Lords; whose first appearance was in humility, his second shall be in power and great glory; who was then Judged by his Creatures, but now in his second coming, shall judge his Judges— And indeed, who could be fit for the work than he who was every way qualified for a Judge?  
To make a Judge, two sorts of qualifications be re-requisite 

1 intrinsical.  
2 extrinsical.    
1 Intrinsical, and those (amongst others of less moment) are two. 1. Wisdom and judgement in the Laws, ability to find out the truth of an evidence [a knowing head.] 2. Integrity and uprightness, not to decline from the path of Justice; for fear, nor favour, [an honest heart.]  
2. extrinsical, and they are likewise twofold: 1. Commission; every man that is able to discipline soldiers, may not beat up Drums, 
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, authoritatem.  raise, lead, fight soldiers without Commission; Every one that can speak well, may not take upon him the office of a preacher, unless he be 
x Rom. 15.  sent; Every person who understands the Laws, may not arraign and condemn men without commission; he must be able to answer that question, Quis te constituit judicem? who made thee a judge?  
2. 
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, portentiam.  Power of Execution; else all the rest is to little purpose: To sit in state, and to condemn prisoners, and to have no power to execute the sentence, is but to expose the Law to contempt and scorn. 
Dan. histor. in the life of Ed. 3d.  It was said of Edward the Third, that he was a Prince who knew his work, and did it: and his love to Justice is observed in this, that he made so many Laws for the Execution of Justice; Execution is the life of the Law; a knowing Head, an honest Heart, and an active vigorous Hand, make a Judge.  
But all these qualifications shine most gloriously in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the wisdom of his Father, and understands the Laws which himself hath made: who is a righteous Judge, no fear, no favour, no bribes, 
Joh. 5.22.  no hopes can turn him aside from the path of Justice: he is Commissioned to this work; The Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgement to the Son. And to conclude, that he hath power of Execution, 
Mat. 25.41.  is manifest by the very form of the sentence,— Depart ye cursed; those words are, as other of God's words, effective, which work the thing they command; they send sinners to hell without resistance: The word Cast or turned into hell, 
Psa. 9.17.  imports such an overruling power which the creature is no way able to resist. Behold, this is the Judge.  
2. Behold! he standeth; 
Psa. 82.1.  which is God's posture when he comes to execute judgement; God standeth in the congregation of Princes, he is Judge among the Gods. 
Isa. 3.13. Act. 7.55. Non quasi causam dicentem, sed quasi sententiam cito laturum. Moral. homil 29. Gataker, appeal to Prinn. in initio.  The Lord standeth up to plead, and he standeth to Judge the people; Stephen sees Christ standing at God's right hand, whom other scriptures usually represent sitting, not as an Advocate (saith Gregory,) to plead his cause, but as a Judge to take speedy vengeance on them for this bloody act: alluding (saith one of our own) to the customs of Judges, who sit to hear the cause, (which they do deliberately;) but stand up to pass sentence, (which they do resolvedly.) The Church when she would hasten God to judgement, prays. Arise O Lord and come, lift up thyself; he that stands is ready to come:— which yet is clearer in that he says,  
3 Behold! he stands at the door; as 'tis Gen. 4.7. if thou dost evil, 
a Poena peccati.  sin lies at the door; punishment is hard at hand; so, the feet of them which have buried thy husband, are at the door, 
Act. 5 9 Senibus mors in Januis: de conver si. cap. 14. 1 Pet. 4.5.  they be hard by: and Bernard when he would show the nearness of the death of old men, phrases it thus, Death is at old men's door: so here, The Judge standeth at the door, he is at hand, he hath put on his Robes, he is ascending his Tribunal; he is (in Saint Peter's language) ready to judge.  
The words are capable of a double consideration; 1. As a positive doctrine holding out the certainty and vicinity of the last judgement: Behold, the Judge standeth, etc. 2. Relatively, in reference to those things which the Apostle had treated of before; Take heed, ye rich men, of violence and oppression; Why? what's the danger? Behold, the Judge standeth at the door. Take heed ye poor oppressed people, of grumbling and repining; why? who shall relieve us? Behold, the Judge standeth, etc. I shall not engulf myself into that vast Ocean of matter, which the former proposition, concerning Christ's second coming to judgement, will afford; only I shall point at the certainty of it, so far as may make it serviceable to the second consideration of the word, which I chief intent. Nor will I trouble you with meaner witnesses than God and Nature to prove it; and when these vouchsafe to bear witness, 'tis vain curiosity to expect others, and strange infidelity to suspend our assent.  
Nor shall I multiply texts in so clear a case; one or two arrows from Jonathans' bow, may certify David of the King's pleasure, as well as a quiver full; two or three stones out of David's Budget, may fell Goliath, as well as a whole quarry; In quotations of Scripture, I would observe the weight, rather than the number. Should I cite all, I should be infinite: I shall select some few, and those such as perhaps labour with some other doubts; the first text is Rom. 14.10. We shall all stand before the judgement seat of Christ. How doth that appear? why from another Scripture; 
Isa. 45.23.  for it is written, as I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. But stay, 
Dub.  thou learned Doctor of the Gentiles, strive not to confirm our faith by false allegation of Scripture; that's the practice of the wily serpent the Devil, and of his factors at Rome, the subtle Jesuits; and suits not with the Candour and Religion of an Apostle; but the words in Isaiah, are read otherwise, I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, Solut. that unto me every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess. 
Magis expressus sensus, quàm expensa verba. Hierom. Regula videatur. Ribera in Hos. 2. Num. 14. Apostolorum ac Evangelistarum mos est, ut testimoniis Vet. Testam, referendis, crebrò non verborum ordinem sequuntur, sed sensum. Vivo ego, in forma jurandi, Deo propria.  'Tis true indeed, they are so; but though here are not all the same words, yet here is the same sense. The Evangelists, the Apostles, and Christ himself, in citing the Old Testament, look not so much at the word as at the sense; in which these two places agree. That that is the sense of the Old Testament which is given of it in the New, is without controversy, the penmen only differing, but the Spirit which dictates, being in both the same; to whom if we allow, what we deny not men, to be the best interpreter of his own meaning, we cannot but yield that he intended by Isaiah, what he expressed by Paul, and so the words make strongly for the last judgement.— As I live, saith the Lord— 'tis an oath peculiar to God himself; Have I purposed, and shall not I bring it to pass! have I sworn, and shall it not stand! Shall not I who punish perjury in others, fulfil mine own oath! doubtless I will; Every knee shall bow: Those knees which bowed to him in mockage, shall now do him homage; and those feeble sinews shall tremble before him on the throne, whom in a contumelious manner they scraped to on the Cross, Every tongue shall confess. Every reviling tongue shall confess him to be God, whom once they thought the worst of men; and upon constraint acknowledge him their Judge, whom they lately executed as a guilty Malefactor.  
The Apostle Judas in the 14 and 15 verses of his Epistle, hath another Testimony to the same purpose: And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousand of Saints, to execute judgement upon all; etc.  
'Tis hard to say, 
Vtrumque vitium est, omnibus credere, & nulli: tutiùs hoc crimen est, illud honestiùs. Sen. Rawliegh. histor. lib. 1ᵒ. part 1. cap. 5. §. 6. Vid. Bez.  which is worst, to believe every one, or no body; they are both faults, only with this difference, the former is more ingenuous, the later is more secure: That this testimony is true, there will be more will aver: And who this Enoch was, is not so hard to guess, as what was his prophecy; That it was an unwritten prophecy, calculated only for that Nation, and delivered over from hand to hand, is not improbable; we find that he prophesied, that he spoke it, but that it was written, we do not read.— Enoch, no question, was a faithful Preacher in his time, and strove by a flood of divine Rhetoric, to beat down those sins, which nothing could stop but a flood of water; and amongst other of his divine say, this might be one, by the care of the faithful, continuing to succeeding ages.  
Secondly, It might be written either by himself, or some other, yet not by divine inspiration, nor never reduced into the Canon: and such (it may be) was the Book of Jasher the upright: (if a very learned man mistake not,) 
Junius in loc.  for the word rendered Book, signifies either a Catalogue of books, or else it signifies public records, containing acts and proceed in a Court of Judicature; or Ecclesiastical, concerning Church-government; or historical, concerning events and occurrences in the State; of all which sorts there were several lodged up in the Ark, which never came to light, which might be lost without any detriment to the Canon: and of this sort, might be this of Enoch.  
Thirdly, We are not to reckon all those books lost, whose names we find mentioned in Scripture, but not the books that bear those names; as those of Nathan the Seer, and Gad the Seer, with those which Samuel himself wrote, 
Manent libri, tacentur nomina. Junius.  make up the two Books of Samuel; the books remain, though their names be suppressed or changed; so have I often seen smaller streams emptying themselves into the vaster Channel, lose their own, and assume the name of the greater current; and so this of Enoch (as others) may remain in holy Writ, though being annexed with greater works, it hath lost its name; And it moves not much, though we find not the very words, if we find that which is equivalent; which is sufficient to prove the citations out of the Old Testament true, as you saw made clear in the former quotation. Thus having proved Enoch to be (bonum & legalem hominem) a man of credit and repute in his country; let us hear his evidence, Behold, the Lord cometh, etc. where we have two things. 1 the Judge, and then 2 the Judgement itself: The Judge, set forth by his title, and his train. 1 His title, 'tis the Lord; and for his train, there's the quality or nature of them, (Saints) and the number of them, ten thousand of Saints: and for the judgement, 'tis to convince all the ungodly, of all their hard speeches, and evil works; and all this with (an ecce) Behold, ut de presenti loquitur; as if it were within his kenn; Enoch the seventh from Adam, through the perspective of faith, saw the day of judgement even at his heels: we are some thousands of years nearer than he; and can that be far from us, 
Verstegan in his tract of the ancient English tongue. p. 192.  which so nearly bordered upon him? Had Enoch been silent, his very name had proclaimed a judgement to come: In the old Teutoni●● language (the ancient speech of this Nation) E signifies Law or Equity, and Noch signifies, yet once again, or to come; so that his very name imports a time to come; where shall be the administration of justice according to right. 
2 Tim. 4.8.   
Paul when he came down from the third heaven, brought with him the certain news of a Judge that should come to crown him at that great day; and not him only, but all those that shall love his appearing; 
* Causab. in annal. Baron. exer. 2. c. 11. 1 Tim. 3. ult. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉.  Now there is a double appearance of Christ; the first called by the Ancients 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, the unridling of that great mystery, God manifested in the flesh: the second that is here mentioned by the Apostle, 
2 Thes. 1.6, 7.  When the Son of man shall come in the clouds, and every eye shall see him: or to use his own words in that most accurate and dreadful expression; When the Lord Jesus Christ shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and obey not the Gospel of Jesus Christ, etc. Not to be injurious to your patience, in a business so obvious; our Saviour, the best of preachers, hath laid down this truth in the parable of tares, and in plain terms, Matth. 25.31.  
2 Thus have you heard the testimony of Nature; 
Naturae naturantis. Naturae naturatae.  now lend an ear to nature herself. Nor is this word far from thee, that thou shouldest ask, Who will bring it unto me? only unrivet the secret Cabin of thy breast, and thou shalt find this doctrine legible; Whence else arise those secret twinges & girds of thy conscience, which like an under-officer, bind thee over to the great Assize? whence else that horror in thy dejected soul for sin committed? which anticipates thy final doom, and executes thee before thou art condemned? whence else those renting spasmes, and tearing convulsions in his breast, whose sin is so secret that none can know it; whose person is so eminent that none can punish him? Every man's secret thoughts bode and fore-speak a judgement to come, when●● conscience tells him that sin went before. 
Culpam paena premit comes. Hor. Carm. lib. 4. Od. 4.  Sin and judgement, as they are in themselves, so they are in our apprehension too, twins; yet so prodigiously are they coupled, that when we have brought forth one, we have small hopes of being delivered from the other.  
The Heathens, who had but one eye, that of nature, and that filmed over with superstitious and carnal thoughts, 
Quaesitor Minos Vrnam movet.  saw distinctly this truth; That there was a Judge below, the Poet knew; and that the Heathen generally did he like, we have clear evidence, in that the Apostle makes that the ground of his Argument to restrain the people from sin, Because 
a Acts 17.31. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 diphil. comicus. Vide hic de re Euseb de Prepar. Evangelic. l. 11ᵒ. c. 35.36. Idem l. 12. c. 6. & 52. cap. in fine.  God had appointed a day wherein he will judge the world in Righteousness; which had not nature suggested the truth of it, might have been as easily rejected, as urged. Balthasars' sinews refuse to bear the luggage of his carcase, when the wall turned Preacher, and reproved his vanity; Felix himself, when Paul discoursed of Judgement, though in the presence of his sweetest Drusilla, could not secure his limbs from the shiverings of an Ague; It was much that a prisoner should so soon tremble his Judge, and that he should quake at the mention of Judgement from his mouth, on whose head he was ready to pass present sentence. Look back to Adam the First Man, the Second Sinner, who had no sooner sinned, but trembles, and flies from the presence of that God, with whom but now he talked face to face; Look on Cain, who when he began to be a Fratricide, left off (in this point) to be an Heretic: and by the baseness of his manners, rectified his Judgement; 
Glassius Philo. sacra. pag. 60. Gen. 4.8.  if that be true which is cited out of the Jerusalem Targum, which runs thus; Cain and Abel went out into the field to talk, and Cain said, There is no Judge, nor Judgement, nor life to come; no reward for the good, nor punishment for the wicked; for (if there were) why, I pray thee, should thy offering be accepted, mine rejected? But Abel answered, There is a Judge, and judgement, and life to come, a reward for the good and punishment for the wicked; because my works were done in integrity, they were accepted; thine in hypocrisy, and therefore rejected: And whilst they were thus wrangling about the point, Cain smote his brother Abel, and killed him: 
Flagitium & flagellum, sicut acus & filues.  But no sooner had he made a passage for his Brother's Soul, but he made a Scourge for His own; he is now forced to recant his error, and with anguish and sorrow pine under that Judgement, which even now he denied; whilst the earth greedily drinks in his brother's blood, he sees Hell wide open, gaping for his own; whilst his Butcherly hands are hiding his brother's carcase, his distracted looks manifest his own guilt.  
Thus you see, that God hath implanted in the hearts of all men, 
Haret lateri lathalis arundo.  an expectation of a future Judgement, which, thought ofttimes by riot and excess they desire to obliterate, yet it sticks deeper impressed in the soul, than letters engraven in pillars of Marble. A sinner may (I deny not) in his jovialitie, 
Prov. 14.13.  seem to smother all thoughts of future account; yet in the midst of laughter his heart is heavy; and whilst his face smiles, his heart bleeds; for do but tract the guilty person to his chamber, where while he ruminates upon his acted villainy; see how he starts and and shunts at the wagging of every feather. Each friend that visits him is suspected for a Sergeant: and he fears to be betrayed by his own members: his rolling eye, his shaking hand, and bloodless cheek, whispers his guilt; and if others were as suspicious, as he is conscious of his sin, his stammering, broken, distracted language would soon discover him.  
See him in his bed: The silent night, which befriends others with rest and sleep, affects him with nothing but horror and amazement: the gloomy darkness, that invites others to a sweet slumber, presents him only with the blackness and foulness of his fault. How oft he shifts his weary sides without rest, or ease! and if he be befriended with a small parcel of sleep (good God) what tongue can express the strange imaginations of his mind, the horror and astonishment into which a dream casts him! 
'Tis futuri judicii pra judicium Tert.  This is the distressed estate of a sinner; what said I? is this his estate? alas! this doth but point at it: Sinful man while he makes God his enemy is afraid of every thing; 
Sadeel. in 32. Psal.  their hearts are like the troubled sea, now at present they seem to enjoy a pleasant calm, not a wrinkle of sorrow sits upon their brow, and they go on in their sinful pleasures with full sails; yet by and by, the wind gins to blow, a storm ariseth, the waters rage, themselves are overwhelmed in the gulf of despair; they reel to and fro, and staggar like a drunken man, and are even at their wits end▪ It was so with Caligula, 
* Qui Deos tantopere contemneres, ad minima tonitrua conivere, & caput advolvere, ad majora proripere se electo, sub lectumque condere solebat! Sueton. Calig. §. 51.  who though in the height of his pride he durst contest with God, yet durst he by no means behold the lightning; but must stand beholding to the courtesy of a cave or an oven to secure him from the messengers of Heaven, who but now durst defy God himself: he that thought to speak as loud as the Almighty, is struck dumb, trembling and quaking at a clap of thunder. What are all these distractions of thoughts, and tortures of our spirits, but infallible symptoms of an innate principle carrying over our assent to this conclusion, That there is a judgement to come.  
That there shall be such a day of account, 'tis, I hope, made clear; that there should be such a day, let a few words show you the equity: That God's justice may be without blemish, in punishing the wicked who frolic it here, and rewarding the godly, who drink deep of distress; If the righteous had only hope in this life, 
1 Cor. 15.19.  they were of all men the most miserable: As it is with the Church, so it is with her members; she is a Lily, but yet among the thorns; these are Jewels, but trampled under foot. If you look for a Saint, small hopes of finding him couched in a bed of down: no; the Stocks, the Den, 
Psal. 105.18. Dan. 3.21. Dan. 6.16.  the Oven, is a more likely place to find a Joseph, a Daniel, or a nest of stiff kneed Jews that will not bow to an Idol; the man of this world you may find ('tis likely) with David's Image, at ease upon his pillow; 
1 Sam. 19.13 1 Sam. 24.1. Act. 7.59.  but David himself in some cave at Engedi. If you look for a Stephen, you'll hardly see him through the shower of stones, which in a horrid and detestable charity, the Jews threw to make his tomb and to bury him before dead. 
Act. 12.4. Mat. 14.3.  Look you for a Peter, a Baptist? examine the prison, the not unlikely place to find an honest downright preacher: Look you for a Paul? you may know him by the wales of his back, imprinted by the sturdy hand of some cruel Bedle. 
2 Cor. 11.23, 24. Mat. 27.31,  To conclude: Look you for a Jesus, a Saviour? no so likely place to find him as between two thiefs, numbered amongst the transgressors, groaning under the heavy pressures, and bloody agonies of the Cross. And if this be all the reward that is in God's service, 
Exod. 5.2. Job 21.15. Mat. 13.30. Mat. 25.32, 33 Luk. 16.25. Numb. 23.10. Heb. 4.9. Jer. 5.28, 29. Jer. 12.1, 3.  men would be ready to ask with Pharaoh, Who is this Lord that I should serve him? and with those contemptuous ones in Job, What profit is there in serving the Almighty? On the other side; should the tares overlook the wheat here, and hereafter be sheafed up into the barn; should the Goats enjoy their pleasure here, and hereafter feed with the Lamb; should Dives enjoy his lusts here, and rest hereafter in Abraham's bosom, men would readily invert Balaams wish, O that my life might he like the wickeds, and my latter end like his. But God hath prepared a rest for the Godly, and fitted the wicked for the day of slaughter; Dives may be their witness, they cannot have their pleasure here, and hereafter both. That God suffers wicked men to ride on the backs of the righteous, and makes them groan under their burdens, is an act of that wisdom and providence which we must admire, but not dispute: But that he disposes his kingdom to the poor in spirit, when the wicked shall be shut out with dogs and swine; complies with, and salves that Justice of his, where at Good men rejoice, and bade tremble.  
But I leave this point to be applied together with the next, and descend to the consideration of the words in their Relative sense: The Lord is ready to come to judgement:— therefore— O ye rich men, do not ye oppress the poor; O ye poor men, do not ye repine and grumble at the rich: Whence this:  
The consideration of Christ's near approach to judgement, Proposition. should awe the hearts of men; 
Demonstrated by testimony of 1. Heathen.  and mould their conversations into a dutiful obedience to all God's Commandments.  
For the evidencing of which truth,  
1. If you consult with them who saw only by the dim eye of Nature, they are able to tell you; That nothing hath a greater influence upon men's lives for their mendment, 
Nulla res magis prodcrit, quam cogitatio, mortalitatis, Sen. de Ira l. 30. cap. 42. Julius Poll. & Harpoc.  than the serious and frequent meditation of their death.  
The Athenians had a law, that no man was to be questioned during the time of his office; which law they kept sacred and inviolable: but no sooner was his office expired, but there was (as it were) a Committee of Acounts, to whom they were to be exactly answerable for all their miscarriages in the precedent year. The Romans had the like for their Consuls; and Darius, 
Polib. Histo. de cons. Rom. lib. 6. Dan. 6.2.  a custom not much unlike for the Princes of his Provinces; an excellent means (doubtless) to keep them to their duty, when they knew they were to undergo so speedy and so exact a scrutiny.  
If you look higher to those who had their eyes cleared with Spiritual eyesalve, 
2 Fathers. Sic quotidic vivamus, quasi die illa judicandi simus. Hierom in 24 Matth.  they look upon this as the most effectual means to bridle their unruly passions; It was this which St. Jerome found of good use, for the crucifying the flesh with the affections and lusts in himself, and therefore prescribes it as a special remedy to others, that whether they eat or drink, 
Sive editis, etc. Surgite mortui & venite ad judicinum. Id. ib.  or whatsoever they did, they should still conceive that they heard the last Trumpet blowing, and the Archangel crying, Arise, ye dead, and come to Judgement.  
chrysostom expounding that Text, Rom. 13.11. [Now is the high time to awake out of sleep, etc.] (i) saith he, 
Paraeus in loc.  The Resurrection is at hand, and the last Judgement is at hand, the day approaches; therefore let's awake out of sleep, and cast off the works of darkness: How genuinely the text is interpreted, let others censure; sure I am, that his sense is very apposite to our present purpose; that the sense of that day should quicken us to our duties.  
And 
* 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Hom. in Psal. 7.  Basil the Great thus: in many places of the Scripture there is mention made of the last and great Judgement, which is a consideration most necessary and most effectual for the preservation of Piety in the hearts and lives of those that believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  
The Apostles have not a more effectual argument to keep men to the embracement of the faith, 
3 Apostles.  and practice of holiness, then by minding them of Christ's coming to judgement; 
1 Thes. 5.1.6.  Let us watch, and be sober, for the day of the Lord cometh as a thief in the night: 
2 Pet. 3.10, 11.  The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the Elements shall melt with fervent heat, etc. therefore what manner of persons ought you to be in all holy conversation and godliness. Seeing, beloved, ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, 
1 Pet. 4.7.  without spot and blameless. The end of all things is at hand, 
Phil. 4.5.  be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. Let your moderation be known unto all men, the Lord is at hand; and as if there were nothing by which he could more effectually obtest them, the Apostle beseeches them by the coming of Christ, 
2 Thes. 2.1.  and by their gathering together to him. And when he is closing up his first Epistle to the Corinthians, 
Chap. 16.22.  as if he were most firmly to clench in that great duty of our love to Christ, which he had been long hammering at, he concludes,— If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema, accursed; How accursed! Why Maran-atha, The Lord cometh, and though we cannot now express how heavily he shall be accursed, yet he shall then feel it; It was the heaviest kind of all their curse and execrations, 
Pessimum Anathematis genus. Vid.— Bez. Piscat. 4. Christ himself.  when the sinner was left off, and given up as an incorrigible person to the coming of Christ.  
Nay, Our blessed Lord and Saviour hath at once sanctified and strengthened this argument by his own using it; when he forbids us to beat our fellow-servants, and not to eat, 
Matth. 24.49.  and drink with the drunken, lest the Lord of the House come in an hour that we think not of and give us our portion with hypocrites, in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone. 
Five things considerable about the last judgement.  All which will yet appear more clear, if we consider these five things, which set out the nature of this judgement so, as may render it more vigorously quickening men to the performance of their duties, and more effectually restraining them from the violation of God's sacred Laws.  
1 The Impartiality of it, as to persons; 
Rom. 14.10.  it will teach all persons; we must all stand, saith the Apostle, before the Judgement Seat of Christ; the reverend age, the blooming youth, the eloquent Orator, the blunt Peasant, rich Dives, poor Lazarus; the new fresh, varnished Lady, as well as she that sits grinding at the Mill. 
Heb. 9.27.  As 'tis appointed for all men once to die, so for all that die to come to judgement; no prerogative can procure exemption from his jurisdiction, who is to be Judge of quick and dead; and that is good Logic with Saint Peter, 
Acts 10.24.  Because that without respect of persons, he judgeth every man according to his works, therefore we should pass the time of our our sojourning here in fear.  
2 The Exactness of it, as to all manner of offences: 
Matth. 5.25.  1 Of Omission; where Christ gives us a pattern of the last judgement; the Sentence is passed only for negatives, for omitting the duties they should have done. Thou hast not clothed, not visited, not fed, therefore Go ye cursed; If he who gives not  to the naked, nor food to the hungry, nor lodging to them that want, be punished with such whips, what scorpions shall be provided for them who strip the poor of their clothes, turn them out of their own houses, pull the bread out of their throats! if not to visit and comfort those that are imprisoned for Christ's cause, be a sin; what is it to cast the innocent into prison? to feed them with the bread and water of affliction? 2. Of Commission; 
1 King. 22.27.  Whether they be open and notorious, or private and secret; for God shall bring every man's work to judgement, 
Eccles. 12.14. 1 Tim. 5.24.  with every secret thing.— Some men's sins are open beforehand, going before to judgement: and some men they follow after. Open profaneness runs to the Bar of Justice beforehand, and waits for the sinner. Sly Hypocrisy and dissembled sins, these follow after. The murders, thefts, rapes, burglaries of the prisoner at the bar, they go before to judgement; the passion, injustice, bribery of a Judge, the partiality of a Juror, the perjury of a witness, these follow after unto judgement. We must be brought to an account, not only for the outward acts and grosser commitments of sin, but for the first rise of the heart, & it's secreter tendencies, & inclinations to sin; for that sin which is conceived in the heart, though never produced, nor acted by the hand. 
Matth. 5.22.  I need not trouble you for this further, than that one Text, But I say unto you, whosoever is angry with his brother without cause, shall be in danger of judgement; and whosoever shall say unto his brother, Racha, shall be in danger of the Council; and whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire: where we may see, that if we go no further than the Pharisees, we shall come to judgement for actual murder and adultery; we must give an account of all our works; thus far the divinity of a Pharisee will lead us: But is this all? no; not only he that kills his brother, but he who is angry with him rashly, unadvisedly, shall be liable to a future account, and brought to judgement in another world for it.  
Not that all anger binds over to judgement, 
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ad textum pertinere ex eo comprobatum dari potest; quod iram, quae à Christo prohibetur, pulchrè determinat, & limitat, ne omni, justâ etiam, irâ, ac zelo interdictum sibi esse Christiani existimant. Sol. Glass. Philo. sac. lib. 1. tract. 2.  but this rash, unadvised anger. Over and above the usual interpretation which the Pharisees put upon this text, our Saviour shows, there be three other things, (beside actual murder) whereby this commandment is violated, to each of which he affixes a several punishment, proportionable to the nature and quality of the offence. The first way by which the sixth commandment is broken, even by him who doth not actually kill his brother, is by rash and unadvised anger: which is then rash and unadvised, when it hath no good cause nor ground to warrant it, and when it exceeds its bounds either in the degrees or continuance of it; And to this rash andunadvised anger, though it never went further than the breast which bred it, he assigns a suitable punishment; it makes a man guilty of judgement. 2 But he that says, Racha, (which is a second way whereby this commandment may be broken without actual murder,) 
1. Either from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vacuum, ment, optbus, ingenio. 2. Or from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 conspuere making it an interjection of disdaining and abhorring. Linwood provincial Constit.  and suffers the anger conceived in his heart to break forth at his mouth, though with some moderation; that shall give any contumelious language, in calling his brother a vain and empty fellow, a fool, idiot, or beggar; or shall by any significant gestures or carriages express the disdain rancour and indignation of his heart, shall be in danger of the council.  
But he that shall say, Thou fool (which is the third way that is, whose anger breaks out by some special and remarkable kind of reproach; and vents his passion, not only in contumelious language, but in virulent and bitter raylings; shall be guilty of hell fire. You have seen the three several sorts of sin, whereby the sixth Commandment is broken, as well, as by the actual shedding of the blood of man; now cast your eyes upon the three sorts of punishment which are here threatened to these three degrees of sin, and you will find then rise in degrees as the sins do in guilt.  
The first, to wit, rash anger, shall be in danger of judgement; where by judgement is meant that Court of Judgement which sat almost in every Town, 
Dr Reynolds praelect. in Apoc. Practical catech.  and in matters criminal of inferior nature, had power of life and death, who punished the offender with beheading. But he that saith Racha, shall be in danger of the Council, which means the great Council, the Sanhedrim, consisting of seventy one persons, who had cognizance of the greater and more notorious crimes, and punished the offender with stoning, a death more grievous than that of bebeading.— But he that saith, Thou fool, shall be in danger of Hell fire, ignis Gehennae; a Metaphor taken from the fire in the place called the valley of Gehinnom, which was a place near Jerusalem, where the Idolatrous in an accursed imitation of the barbarous practice of some of their neighbour nations, were wont to sacrifice their children unto Moloch, which was (say some) by making them pass through the fire, till they were dead: Others, That they were put into the belly of a brazen Image, shaped proportionally to the limbs of a man, in which, being heated extremely hot, they were burnt and scorched to death; which way soever it was, the torment was most exquisite, and their lamentations most intolerable; wherewith lest their parents, the sacrificers should be moved and affected, the Trumpets did continually sound (and they made otherwise a piteous din) that the skreeks and groans of the tortured children might not be be heard; whence the place was called Tophet from a wordt hat signifies a Timbrel, or a Trumpet; and the torments that these poor creatures suffered were chosen out as the fittest resemblance to set out the pains of hell by. The sum of all is: that as he who actually murders a man, is subject here to be punished by the laws of men; so shall he that sins against the law of God in any of these forementioned ways, be subject to the judgement of God, at that great day; he that is angry with his brother unadvisedly, shall be, without repentance, cast into hell: he that expresseth that rancour of his mind by some disdainful gesture, or contemptuous speech, 
Regula peccatis quae poenas irroget aquas. Hor. scr. l. 1. sat. 3. Dr Reynolds praelect in Apoc. p. 269.  shall be cast into hell, into greater torments; but he that shall add any special kind of reproach, or bitter railing, shall be cast into torments inexpressable, such as were the torments of those who were sacrificed unto Moloch. All our sins (you see) must come to judgement, thoughts and words, as well as actions; they shall be all (the evil ones) rewarded with stripes, though the last with more.  
But what? must we then give an account for our words also? 
Mat, 12.36.  Yes, for every idle word we must give an account. But (by the way) by idle word, we are not to understand every jesting, pleasant speech; for all such is not idle, no more than all that is serious, is profitable. Nor are we to think every witty jeer, 
1 King. 18.27  or biting sarcasm an idle word; Elijah jeered the priests of Baal, and Solomon the riotous young person; 
Eccles. 11.9.  but those are idle words, which neither savour of wisdom or holiness, be they spoken in jest and earnest. 
Verbum oticsum est quod infructuosum est Greg. de Cur. pastor. par. 3. adm. 15. otiosum verbum est quod ratione justae necessitatis, et intentione piae utilitatis caret. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Basil. in Ps. 7. De peccatis cogitationum nemo poenam putitur. Ulpian in digest. Bishop of Carlile's speech in Parliament. 1 Hen. 4. Trussell. Conatus, consilia, cogitationes justissimè castigat vindicta divina Polib. Non decet solùm manus innocentes, sed & oculos, animosque puros habere.  That's an idle word (saith Tertullian) which tends neither to the instruction or edification of the hearer; And another, that's an idle word, which is needless and unprofitable; and if we must give so strict and solemn account for every idle word, how much more for every false and deceitful word? for every scurrilous and rotten word? for every envious and malicious word? for every slandering and disgraceful word? for every heretical and blasphemous word?  
But is this all? shall our works and words alone be weighed in the strict balance of divine Justice? Shall the Proverb bear us out that Thought is free; the Lawyer lays it down as a ruled case. That no man is punished for thinking; But the Lawyer saw only with his own spectacles, and looked not beyond his own consistory; in humans judicatories ('tis true) we punish not thoughts; till backed with consent, some outward expression, or execution: But in God's judgement, 'tis otherwise; He who is the seacher of the hearts and tryer of the reins, may justly punish the inward motions and wayward Counsels of the same; As the Oracle answered Glaucus in another case, idem est tentare Deum & facere, in God's account, it is all one to intent and act, a villainy; Christ the best expositor of the Law himself made, mightily convinceth the Pharisees of misinterpreting the Law, and proves, that not only the outward Act but the inward rise of the heart are sinful; not he only who kills, but he that is angry with his Brother unadvisedly; breaketh the Commandments; not only he that lies with a woman, but he that lusts after her, is liable to judgement: The pure and holy Law of God requireth truth and holiness in the inward parts, as well as a bare forbearance of the outward act; 'Tis not enough that our hand be clear from blood (unless our hearts be free from malice, and our tongues from reproach.  
There may be a guilty eye, a guilty hand, us well as unlawful embraces: For Christ in that place blames not the Law as too narrow, 
Non legem culpat, sed interpretandi modum.  as not reaching to forbid evil words or thoughts: but quarrels at the false interpretation of the Pharisees, who corruptly straitened, and so marred the text.  
The Commandments of God, as they are sincerely pure, 
Psa. 19  so are they also exceeding broad, reaching to the dividing between the marrow and the bones, betwixt the intentions and secret thoughts of the heart; The Law is compared to the Sun, from the lustre of whose rays the most secret closerts lie not hid, 'tis therefore called a spiritual Law, 
Lex Dei dicitur spiritualis, ratione 

1 Originis.  
2 Impletionis.  
3 Finis.  
4 Obligationis.    by the Apostle, and so 'tis in four respects; first in regard of its Original, proceeding from a spirit. 2. In regard of the power of fulfilling of it; all the strength of Nature cannot fulfil it, it must be from the renewing of the spirit: 3. In regard of its end, which is to bring us to God the Father of spirits. 4. (Which belongs hither) in regard of its obliging power, because it doth not only restrain the outward act of wickedness, but the first motions of the heart, the first tendencies and inclinations of the thoughts to evil; God even in his Law set bounds to our thoughts, the transgression of that law implies guilt, and guilt doth but pave the way to judgement, which Christ the righteous judge will execute, as well for hard thoughts, 
Judas ver. 14.  as for ungodly deeds. Will you hear the conclusion of the whole matter. God shall bring every work, 
Eccles. 12. ult.  to judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil. What the design of some men is, 
Catech. Racou.  in charging the moral Law with imperfections and vacuities, which were filled up (as they pretend) by these Additions of our Saviour, is sufficiently evident; and that the consequences of this position (with them) are no less than the utter evacuating and nulling the meritorious passion of our blessed Lord. For others who solemnly profess to abhor such impious conclusions, and aim at nothing, in the use of such language, but the bringing men up to a higher degree of holiness and perfection than the Pharisees pressed upon the Jews. I wish they would consider, whether the same end might not be as well attained, by charging the Pharisees with misinterpretation of the Law, as by charging the Law itself with imperfections, and vacuities? And if so, whether were not more suitable to Christian charity (to say no more) to forbear those expressions, 
Master Jean's Treatise, of the appearance of evil, in expressions. p. 28.  which smell so strongly of the Polonian-infected air, rather than to grieve, and give just occasion of offence to such who are, as conscientiously solicitous to preserve the truth, so exemplarily zealous, 

Antequam nasceretur Arius, innocenter quaedam, & minus cautè locuti sunt Patres: & quae non possunt perversorum hominum calumniam declinare. Hierom. Apol. 2. cont. Ruff.  
Ante errorum & ●eres●●n originem, nondum satis illustratâ & patefactâ rei veritate, quaedam scriptis suis asperserint Patres, quae cum orthodoxae fidei regulâ minimè consemiant.  
Dion Petau. in Epiphan. Daille. treatise of the right use of the Fathers. p. 80.   to carry men up to the highest degrees of holiness, in conscience and conversation?  
An honest and grave Matron would blush to be found in the dress and harness of an harlot; and those who would be accounted orthodox, should not contend for such expressions as carry with them (but) an appearance of evil: for though they may be used by us perhaps in a good sense, (and so used by the Ancients) yet being abused by wicked men to broach their heresies under, they carry a shrewd show of evil, and render others jealous and suspicious of our soundness; In points not controverted the Fathers speak oftentimes more uncircumspectly than they would in a business that is under dispute; and I am apt to believe, that if those Fathers, who are pretended to have maintained this doctrine of the vacuities of Moses Law, and the additions thereunto by Christ, (how fare, and how fully they do it, let others judge, but) if they had but fore-seen those sad and dismal conclusions, which some desperate wretches have deduced thence, in derogation to the satisfaction made by Christ, they themselves would have done execution upon those papers, which are pretended to have conveyed it to the Christian World: But I have been too long in this point.  
3. The un-appealablenesse from this judgement: he is the supreme Judge; to him all appeals are made, but none from him; 
Acts 25.10.  Paul made his appeal from Festus Court to Caesar's Throne; 'tis the privilege of this Nation, that we have a Chancery to appeal to, by such who are cast by the Rigour of the Common-Law. The Countess of Arundel made her bold appeal against King Richard the third, 
Life of Richard the 3 d.  to the Tribunal of him that was above. The woman in the story who appealed from King Philip sleeping, to King Philip waking, had some ground for what she did; but we have none such for our appeal. 
Non temere è triclinio abscessit, nisi distentus & madens, interdiu in juredicendo nonnunquam obdormisceret, vixque ab advocatis de industrian vocem augentibus exitaretur. Sueton. in vita Claud. 33.  'Tis not with him as it was wont to be with Claudius the Emperor, who never used to rise from dinner but with a full paunch, and well whittled, and was wont to sleep so sound on the Bench, that the Lawyers who pleaded before him, though they purposely strained their voices, and bawled, could hardly awake him; a posture very much mis-becoming a Judge; But the Judge of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps; he is unlimited in power, and untainted in point of Judicature; he admits of no superior, 'tis at his Judgement Seat that that we must stand or fall.  
4 The un-repealablenesse of this judgement, it can never be reversed; It is appointed for all men once to die, and after death to judgement; 
* Qualem te invenit Deus cum vocat, talempariter & judicat. Cypr. de mort.  after death, comes judgement; and after judgement nothing but the continuation of happiness or misery; as death leaves us, judgement finds us; and as judgement leaves us, we must remain for ever. This present age is the 
† 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Greg. Nazianzen. Oratio. 15  season of mercy, that to come is the time of justice; when the Sentence is past, and the door is shut, thou mayest cry and call, and plead thine ancient acquaintance, but thou shalt hear nothing but that comfortless language, I know you not, Go ye cursed; God's Sentence is firmer than the decrees of the Medes and Persians, which can never be reversed.  
5. And beyond all this which ye have heard, The nearness of this judgement, 'tis at hand; Behold! the Judge standeth at the door; 'tis a desperate degree of boldness to be cutting of purses, while the Judge is on the bench. this is to sin in defiance of Justice; next to him who sins as Ahaz did, when he was under judgement, those who sin while judgement is at their heels, are most desperately guilty; 'tis a strange boldness in a Scholar to set himself to play when his Master is taking out the rod; and for a sinner to go on in his evil ways, when God hath bend his bow, and fitted his arrows upon the string, and prepared the instruments of death, is either blockish stupidity, or daring presumption.  
Oh, but say the scoffers in Peter, 
2 Epist. 3.4.  where is the promise of his coming? This hath been long talked of, but 'tis not yet come, nor is there any likelihood of it, for all things remain as they were: but what says the Apostle to this Objection? God is not slack as men count slackness; a thousand years is with him but as one day; though it be much to us, yet 'tis nothing to his eternity, 'tis but a day; Behold he'll come quickly, he'll come suddenly, as a whirlwind, as lightning, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, in an hour we little dream of. What if he should rend the heavens and come down, draw the curtains, and do execution, when thou art in the heat of thy lust, as in Zimri and Cosbies' case? what if that day overtake thee when thy heart is overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness? the light shines from heaven, but thou hast not an eye to see it; the Trumpet sounds, but thou hast no ears to hear it; the Angel cries, Awake ye that sleep and stand upright, but thou hast not a foot to stand on; Christ calls for an account, but thou hast not a tongue to answer. O then ● since there is such a Judge, at the very door, 
2 Pet. 3.11.14.  who is ready to pass such an irreversible and unchangeable sentence upon all persons, for all sins, what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and godliness? How diligent should we be to be found of him in peace, without spot and blameless!  
This speaks terror to all ungodly persons, whom, Use 1 no not the near approach of such a Judge can take off from their beloved sins; to whom let me speak in the language of Solomon, 
Eccles. 11.9.  and resume his sacred Irony; Rejoice O young man in thy youth, and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: 
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, etc. Greg. Nazian. oratio. 53.  But know thou, that for all these things, God will bring thee to judgement. Let the covetous wretch hug himself in the company of his good Angels, let him say to his gold, Thou art my hope, and to his fine gold, Thou art my confidence: Let the Ambitious cheer up himself with those Honours, which cost him the price of a conscience; and the Lascivious court his Paramour in beds of roses; yet let them know, that for all this God will bring them to Judgement. Let the Murderer multiply his slaughters as the sand, and swill his soul with the blood of the slain: Let the Thief embrace the opportunity of the night, and glut himself with the sweetness of the waters he hath stolen: Let the Amorous idolise a piece of Damasked flesh, and bow down to a lump of gilded clay; but withal let them know, that the Judge is at the door, and for all this etc. Let the Swearer belch out as many oaths as words: Let the Profane contemn the Sabbaths of the Lord: Let the Judge's hand be so filled with bribes, that he cannot handle the cause of the poor: Let the Council sell the cause for a double fee, and the Witness his conscience for a morsel of bread; yet let them know, that the Judge is at the door, and for all these things, etc. Let the Tradesman help away his braided wares, by the smoothness of his tongue, and the darkness of his shop: let him enrich himself by his unequal scales, and wrap up his conscience in each penny worth of ware: In a word, Let every man enjoy his dearest wish, and hug his darling sin; but withal let them know, that the Judge stands before the door, and that for all these things he will bring them to judgement: for all this; as well for thy secret and most retired sin, as for that which was done in the sight of the Sun; what skils it how secretly thou contrivest this man's death; with what privacy thou defilest another man's wife? thy midnight embraces shall be as manifest as the day, and thy curtain discourses proclaimed upon the house top: Those thoughts, those loathsome thoughts, adulterous thoughts, malicious, envious, murderous, blasphemous, black thoughts, which thou durst not impart to thy friend in thy bosom, shall be writ in characters legible by every eye; and thy heart, that polluted, hypocritical, deceitful heart, made transparent as the Crystal, shall give way to the scrutiny of each prying beholder, who shall greedily gaze upon that seminary of villainy, which thou wouldst have trembled here to have been thought guilty of; when the secrets of thy heart shall be laid open, and the inside of thy ghastly soul discovered, and that loathsomeness laid naked, which was varnished over with guilded hypocrisy. Conceive thyself conveyed into the most secret chambers of the earth, and there invellopt in the most gloomy darkness, it were in vain to think thy sins would lie hid, unless thou couldst flee from thyself, or escape his view, to whom the darkness is as clear as the day; There is no darkness, nor the shadow of death, 
Job. 34.22. Credis hoc posse effici, inter videntes omnia ut lateas Deos?  where the workers of iniquity can hid themselves from him; In thy secretest sin thou hast a Devil to accuse, a conscience to bear witness, and a God to condemn. Admit thy sin to be as secret as the night, yet canst thou think to cheat him that seethe the first rise of the heart? or that a trick of leger-demain can juggle him out of sight, whose eyes are ten thousand times brighter than the Sun? No, he shall surely see, and as certainly condemn; for who shall dare to speak for thee when thy Mediator must be thy Judge; and shall smilingly condemn, whom (hadst not thou rejected him) he would willingly have interceded for? Who shall dare to speak for thee, when thou hast contemned thine Advocate, and counted his blood an unholy thing? who shall umpire thy cause before that Judge, who himself hath suffered in all thy misdoings? when thou murderest thy brother, thou woundest thy Judge; when thou tumblest out oaths, thou tearest (as it were) thy Judge limmeale; when thou grindest the poor, thou oppressest thy Judge; when thou takest his raiment, thou starvest thy Judge; when thou detainest his wages, thou defraudest thy Judge; when thou withholdest thy grain, thou famishest thy Judge; for in as much as thou dost it to one of those little ones, in whom his soul delighteth, 
Mat. 25.  thou dost it to thy Judge. Now if one man sin against another (saith Ely) the Judge shall judge him; 
1 Sam. 2.  but if a man sin against God, against his Judge, who shall plead for him? when thy poor naked soul shall be dragged forth in the midst of so many Angels, men, and devils, to give up a strict account before this just and impartial Judge; what strains of Rhetoric shall be able to move; 
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, etc. Greg. Nazian. orat. 15.  or what Mines of gold shall be sufficient to bribe thy Judge? what prevalent Courtier shall be solicitous in thy cause? what adulterous Mistress shall dare to beg thee? the sweetness of thy person shall move no pity; the greatness of thy place shall draw no reverence; the eloquence of thy tongue shall captivate no heart; the nobleness of thy birth, the excellency of thy parts, shall not draw a sigh, a tear, a groan from any that behold thy ruin; though thou wert clothed with the treasures of the east, and thy garments bespangled with the pearls of heaven, yet no eye shall pity, nor at thy destruction say, Ah! my brother, 
Non, Torquate, genus, non te facundia, non te restituet pietas. Horat.  ah! my Lord, or ah! his glory. Sinned thou hast; condemned thou art, down thou must; none, none, none will, none can, none dare speak for thee.  
2. In particular, the text lays down woe at some particular men's doors; for to grudge here (saith Hensius) is to be quarrelsome and litigious, 
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the same with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 clamorem edere & contentionem.  and denotes such a contentious spirit, as will be ever drawing others into courts, ever comencing fresh and vexatious suits; and these are either 1. Rich men, who if they cannot have their wills of their poor neighbours, molest them with groundless and vexatious suits; Do not rich men draw you before the judgement seat (saith our Apostle? 
2 cap. ) not that they have cause of just complaint, but upon trivial, pretended occasion, commence suit after suit, till either they have ruined them, by corrupting judgement, and obtaining unrighteous decrees; or by forcing them to yield to their unjust desires, for the purchase of their peace; such as Ahab, who coveted Naboths Vineyard, and because he might not have it upon his own terms, accused, arraigned, 
1 King. 21.14.  condemned Naboth as a Traitor, that he might gain the possession. Such as these in this chapter, who employ poor men in their service, and make them go to Law for their wages, and undo them ere they can recover their own; if there be any such here, weep and howl, for the miseries which shall come upon you; the cries of the oppressed people are entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabbath. The pale cheeks, the thin fides, the naked backs, the hungry bellies of the wives and children, whose soul fainteth in them, for want of what you wrongfully withhold, cries to heaven, (as once the stones did out of the wall) for vengeance against you; and this Judge, 
2 Hab. 11.12.  who is at the door, is the severe avenger of all such injustice and oppression; you have made them mourn and weep for want of bread: and you shall weep and howl for a drop of water, and not obtain it.  
2. Poor men; There is a sort of poor people (poverty is usually querulous) who will ever be at law; a vexatious sort of men, who are enemies to peace, whose meat and drink 'tis to be in law; they'll far hard, work hard, go bare, pinch themselves and their families, and all to provide fees against the next Term, or against the next Assizes; who verify that part of the proverb, which says, the Jews spend at Easter, the Moors at marriages, and the Christians in suits; these Salamanders, who delight to live in the fire of contention, when as in an hundred els of contention, there is not an inch of love; whom every petty trivial business draws into suits, against the advice of the wise, who tell us, We must not go to the Physician for every grief, nor to the pot for every thirst, nor to the Lawyer for every quarrel: O ye perverse people, when will ye be wise! ye besotted wretches, when will ye understand! 
Gal. 15.5.  Know ye not yet that while ye devour one another, ye are devoured one of another! Know you not that you raise others by your own ruin; for Lawyer's houses are built on the heads of fools: As these men should be looked upon, and discountenanced by the Judges here, as the Bote-feux and firebrand of a Commonwealth, so shall they be sure to have their share of judgement, 
Satia te sanguine quem sitisti. Justin.  when he is come, who now stands at the door. As it was said to Cyrus, when his head was cast into a vessel of blood, Thou delightedst in blood, take thy fill of blood; so shall it be done to those who delight to be before the judgement-seat, they have their fill on't, when Christ comes to judgement.  
Once more, it reaches such whose spirits are more imbitterred against their Christian Brethren, because they come not quite up to their opinion in every circumstantial thing, than they are against the common enemies of Religion; so some conceive the ground of their groaning and grumbling here, was some small difference between Christians themselves in the matter of Circumcision, which was carried up by the heat of their passion, to a higher pitch of enmity, than they bore against the Heathens, or the Jews; A fault it were to be wished, were not so rise in our age; wherein some petty differences in matters of opinion, and that in points not fundamental too, have been fanned up by the policy of Satan for the serving of civil interest, so fare, that those who have been as dear to each other as brethren, do prosecute one another with the deadliest hatred, and by their impudent and unchristian dealing one against another, make way for the common enemy to dance in the ashes of them all; 
Pendant que les chiens sentregrondent, le loup devour la brebis. Proverb.  The Frenchmen say, while the dog's art snarling and grumbling one at another, the wolf devours the sheep: I am sure the application of the proverb is too true, that the divisions of those who are of the same Religion, especially of those who undertake to be guides to others, is the Devil's harvest.  
It is said of the Civil wars of France, 
Herbert's Jacula Prudentum.  that they made thirty thousand witches, and a Million of Atheists: and of the civil wars of England, that they and the division of the Princes of the West, which followed thereupon, 
Habington hist. of Edw 4. pag. 228.  brought the greatest damage to the Christians, and gave the greatest advantage to the Infidels: and 'tis more sadly true in the business before us, 
Principum Christianorum inanis discordia, intestinis odiis aucta summum in modum latissimam evertendae religionis januam laxat Barbaro. Supplement. Annal. Baron. ad annum. 1635.  that the private animosities and heart burn (between those that agree in the same fundamental truths of Religion) concerning the Fringe and Trimming of that garment, and things of lower concernment, have reduced many precious souls to downright Atheism, and given more advantage to that man of sin, to enlarge his territories, than ever he could get here since the time of Reformation. I would not speak this in Gath, nor publish it in Ascalon, but that the daughters of the uncircumcised rejoice, and the daughters of the Philistims triumph at it already.  
O that the grave and sober Counsel of old Father Abraham to his Nephew Lot, 
Gen. 13.8. Gen. 45.24.  were written on all our hearts, Let there be no difference between us (for such trivial matters) for we are brethren; and since we are all travelling to the same Canaan; let Joseph's cantion to his brethren be for our instruction, See that ye fall not out by the way: I remember what was said by that learned and excellent Orator of our Nation, 
D ● Hall. Quid nobis cum infami illo Remonstrantium, & contra-Remonstr. titulo Christiani sumus, simus, & 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉.  who preached the Sermon at the first sitting of the Council of Dort: What have we to do (saith he) with those prodigious and odious nicknames of Remonstrant and Anti-remonstrant? etc. We be all Christians, all of one body; let's be all of one mind, and one way: So may I say of those names which are cast upon one another by way of scorn, and reproach amongst us; What have we to do with such odious titles, and reproachful names, which serve only to heighten our differences, and set our spirits at a more irreconcilable distance! Now, 
Per tremendum Dei nomen; per dulcissima matris gremium; per sanctissima Christi Servatoris viscera, etc. enite pacem, &c Vid. Concil. Dodr.  (by the blessing of God) our Arms are laid down, let not our mouths be spears and arrows, and our tongues sharp swords: let me beseech you, as he did there his Auditors, by the dreadful name of God the Father; by the teeming womb, and fruitful breasts of the Church our Mother; by the tender bowels of Jesus Christ our elder Brother; by the sweet and cheering influences of the Dovelike Spirit! that you will study peace, and quietness, and meekness, and gentleness, not provoking to wrath, but forbearing one another in love.  
Here's the balm of Gilead for the fainting soul, Use 2 and abundant consolation for him that is oppressed; 
Mr. Manton, in loc.  'tis (doubtless) a great assuagement to a Christians' misery, to think that Christ is ready to come to judgement. Lift up your heads, O ye dejected spirits, for the day of your redemption draweth nigh; though thou be as disconso late as grief can make thee, either with sorrow, because thou art, or persecution, because thou wilt not be sinful; yet have patience a while, and see the salvation of God; he that shall come, will come, and will not tarry; the Sun of Righteousness with healing in his wings to redeem thee from thine own misery, and thine enemy's cruelty. When God brought Israel out of Egypt, he went up before them in a fire, and a cloud: And when Christ shall come to judgement, 
Exod. 13.21. 2 Thes. 1.8. Luke 21.27. Nubes refrigerium indicat. Aquin. Isai. 32.2: Dies refrigerii. Acts 3.19.  he shall come in a fire, & a cloud; in a fire to the bad, in a cloud to the good; in a fire to consume, but not to light; in a cloud to refresh, in a cloud to cover: A cloud imports refreshment, and is as the shadow of a rock in a weary land; the day of judgement, is called the day of refreshing; Christ is therefore said to come in a cloud, because he comes to comfort and refresh the drooping and the fainting soul; we are here in a wilderness, the dust of opposition, contradiction, persecution, ever blowing in our eyes; but there's a Canaan we expect will make amends for all. We are here in a sea, whose surging waves, and swelling billows put us every moment in danger; but behold, (secundam post naufragium tabulam,) Here's one will preserve us from sinking, and will bring us to the Haven where we would be.  
This is the proper year of Jubilee, 
Fuller. Miscel. lib. 4. cap. 8. Levit. 25.9.10 Buxtorf. Lexicon, in verb.  the true day of rejoicing to a gracious spirit; whether we derive the word Jubilee, as some do from (〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, which signifies a Ram) because the Jubilee was proclaimed with a trumpet made of a Rams-horn; in this sense the day of judgement shall be a day of Jubilee; For the trumpet shall blow, and the dead shall arise, 
1 Cor. 15.42.  and all shall be changed: Or whether ye derive the word Jubilee from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, in other significations, 
Jubilaus Annus est annus, 1. Restitutionis. Levit. 25.13.24.28. 2. Remissionis.  yet the day of judgement is still a day of Jubilee. The year of Jubilee is sometimes rendered the year of Restitution; Had a man forfeited his estate, or mortgaged his lands, yet he entered again upon his inheritance at the year of Jubilee. 2 'Tis sometimes rendered the year of remission, or forgiveness; if the  had fled to the cities of refuge, and there abode till the year of Jubilee; he was to be acquitted. 3. 'Tis sometimes rendered the year of freedom; 
3 Emancipationis. Levit. 25.54.  when those, whom nature or indigence had made slaves, had leave to go forth free: In all these senses, the day of judgement is a day of Jubilee; then we shall be restored to the full and quiet enjoyment of that possession, which we lost in Adam, whereof the earthly Paradise was but a type; 
Jubilatio, is by the Greek gloss rendered 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, which is, fausta ac lata acclamatio, quae à victoribus, adversus victos excitatur. Greg.. Nyss. orat. de sancto feste Pasch. in fine.  then shall we receive a full discharge from all our sins; then they who have been here unwillingly held under the power of the world, and the Devil, shall utterly break those bonds, and cast away those cords from them, singing Haleluiahs to him that sits upon the Throne: Since than there is such a day at hand, when our forfeited estates shall be restored, our sins blotted out of the book of remembrance, and our inveterate enemies, who have holden us captives, trampled under foot, we may well rejoice, seeing that than we shall keep a true day of Jubilee.  
2. In particular; this is improveable to enlarge both the patience and the comfort of two sorts of people: 1. Such as are over-matched with too too potent Adversaries, who are overcome by might, and purse, and friends, that they can get no justice in an honest cause; Possess your souls with patience; the coming of the Lord draweth nigh: if we have our houses broken, our goods stolen, our dearest friends murdered, yet we expect with patience till the Assizes come, to have justice against our adversaries; so do you, grudge not, grumble not, vex not your souls with impatience: Behold, the Judge standeth at the door.  
2 Of the Ministers of the Gospel; It was with this that Luther supports the drooping spirits of Melancthon, and others, 
Nolite timere, fortes estote, Dominus propè adest. Agant quicquid possunt Henrici, Episcopi, Turca, Diabolus, consputum & occisum Servatorem colimus & expectamus.  under the greatest oppositions and discouragements; Fear not (saith he) be cheerful, the Lord is at hand. Let Kings, and Bishops, and Turks, and Devils, do their worst, we own and worship that Christ who was spit upon and crucified, whom we expect from heaven to our encouragement and reward. And with this may the Ministers of the Gospel support their spirits against all the prejudices, and calumnies, and injuries, which the world casts upon them, Dominus propè adest, the Judge standeth before the door. Let the covetous earthworm, the debauched sinner, the Atheistical Politician, raise and foment what slanders their wits and malice can invent; yet here's your comfort, (Brethren) the Judge is at the door, the righteous Judge, who will clear up your innocence, and vindicate you from their aspersions, who laid to your charge things that ye knew not. 
Ephes. 4.11.  The Ministry (which is Gods own Ordinance) never lay so low in the eyes of men, as at this day, yet 'tis as a candle in a Lantern (still) on the top of a hill, all the winds blowing against it, with this Motto, Frustrà: Papists, Atheist, Libertine, and Sectary, would all extinguish it, but all their endeavours will be in vain. 
2 Cor. 5.20.  The Ministers, who are Christ's Ambassadors, never lay under more reproach, and scorn, and contempt, then at this day; 
Micah 6.9.  God give them grace to hear the rod, and who hath sent it; to see for what sins this befalls them, and be humbled for them! And now we have casually made mention of the Ministers, give me leave for their sakes, 
Luke 10.34.  to make a short-digression; what was commendable in the Samaritan, may at least be pardonable in me, to step a little out of the way to pour wine and oil into their wounds, who lie gasping for their last breath.  
You have probably heard in your Circuit (my Lords) complaints enough against Ministers, these are the common Butts now, against which most men shoot their poisoned arrows; and it may be, the bottom of most of those complaints, if well looked into, will be found only this, that they look for a little of that which is their own, and desire rather to live upon their own propriety, then upon (which I woos is wondrous cold) the people's charity. If they be forced to fly for succour to your justice, which should run a like to all, 
Deut. 16.19.  let not their Callings be their erime, nor they far the worse for their functions sake. 
Homo bonus, sed ideo malus quia Christianus.  It was once the impiety of some former ages, that a man in all other points without exception, was accused and condemned, only because he was a Christian: Let it not be (by your fault) the reproach and scandal of this age, that a man, learned, religious, sober, orthodox, should far the worse, because he is a Minister.  
It is storied of that wretched, that Apostate King John, that when the Sheriff's officers had brought a thief bound, who had rob and killed a Priest, and desired to know what should be done with him; he replied, Lose him, let him go, he hath killed our enemy: Indeed, Princes do most fear, and least love, 
Vid. Zanch. i● Hos. 1. ver. 1. Verbum Dei factum est.  those whose gravity and judgement keep them most in awe: Let it not be the crime of any in authority amongst us, to account Ministers their enemies, because they tell them the truth. The Magistracy and Ministry are alike God's Ordinances, which like those twins, smile and weep together; when it goes well with one, 'tis not amiss with either; when bad with one, 'tis well with neither: these are like the two Pillars against which Samson leaned, 
Jud. 16.25, 26. Cartwright. in Prov. 29.4.  they stand and fall together, Pietas & justitia, columnae reipublicae: Piety and justice be those two pillars, which mutually support each other, and the Commonwealth: if piety be destroyed, in (the rule of) the ruin of the Ministry; justice will not long remain in the practice of the law.  
The Ministers (such as are conscientious and peaceable, and for such only I would be understood to plead) have generally no enemies, but such whose detestable vices, have made even God himself their enemy. The covetous worldling, who measures the goodness of his Minister, not by the excellence of his parts, nor his painfulness in his calling, nor the unblamablenesse of his conversation, but by the cheapness of his tithes; the profane wretch, who would enjoy his sin uncontrolled; 
Matth. 13.25.  and that envious person, who would be sowing the tares of error and heresies, but is hindered by these watchmen: If the Ministers were but rooted up, these miscreants might enjoy their errors and their lusts at more quiet. 
Monsieur Daille, of the right use of the Fathers. lib. 2. cap. ult.  But as one proposes the question in a case not much different; what wonder is it if a whore, or a Bawd cry down that discipline which condemns those vices, to everlasting fire? What wonder is it, that he who drowns himself all the day, and at night vomits up his soul in wine, should hate that religion which forbiddeth drunkenness under the pain of damnation? What greater wonder is it that he who is resolved to keep and cocker up his basest lusts, should hate that Ministry, which ploughs up his soul, and suffers them not to root nor grow at quiet? to take any notice of what such wretched things as these say, is all one, as if you should take the opinion of common strumpets, to judge of the equity or injustice of those laws, which enjoin people to live honest: this is the very case, and whatsoever is the pretence, this is the true ground of the quarrel. And as David said to the woman in another case, 
2 Sam. 14.19, 20.  Is not Joabs' hand in all this? so may we demand, what hath set all these wheels and engines on work? 
Judges 14.5.  who tied these foxces together, with firebrands in their tails? who twists these several disagreeing conditions of men, into this united enmity against the Ministers of the Gospel? Is not the 
* Vid. Preface to the Annotations of the Bible, by divers learned Divines, (of the Assembly) Edict. the 2d.  Jesuits hand in all this? who hope thus to ruin those whom they cannot confute: that when they have destroyed the watchmen, they may make a prey of the souls of the poor people at their pleasure? When Philip of Macedon had laid siege against Athens, he sends a Trumpeter to tell them, that if they would deliver up to him ten of their Orators, whom he should choose, he would instantly raise his siege, and departed. The Athenians, by the advice of Demosthenes, return him their answer in this Apologue; There had been a long quarrel between the wolves, and the Shepherds; at the last the wolves sent the Shepherds this message; That they, (the wolves) had no quarrel against the Shepherds, nor their flocks, but only against their dogs, who were ever barking at them, molestiug, and troubling them; if the Shepherds would but hang up their dogs, there would be an end of all differences, the Shepherds, and they should live together like neighbours and friends; the credulous Shepherds incline to the proposition, and dispatch their dogs; which was no sooner done, but the wolves fall upon the sheep, worry them, and tore out their throats without resistance, and without remedy. The evidence of the fable, and the suitableness of it to the case in hand, spare me the application.  
The next and last shall be a word of caution, Use 3 and that first generally, to all; Let the consideration of this approaching day, repress thy exorbitant thoughts, and crush those brats, which issue from thy corrupted nature: if a filial fear bridle them not, this slavish, must, and will be a good needle to introduce the other. When thoughts of malice and murder spring up in thee, as in 
a Gen. 4.8.  Cain; of oppression, as in 
b 1 King. 21.  Ahab; of rebellion, as in 
c Num. 16.2.3.  Corah; of idolatry, as in the 
d Exod. 32.2.  Israelites; of hypocrisy, as in 
e Acts 5.6.  Ananias; when any speaking eye would ensnare thy heart, any lascivious gesture kindle thy blood, or when 
f Gen. 39.7.  Potiphars wife, putting off woman and modesty together, shall in plain terms, say, Come, lie with me; answer them all, as Joseph did that strumpet; 
g Verse 9  How shall I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? How shall I provoke that Majesty, who is all eye, and must needs see? who is all hand, and must needs strike? who shall intercede for me at the day of judgement, or wipe away that stain which this sin will contract? this sin, though it be sweet in the mouth, will prove gall in the stomach; For the Lord cometh in flaming fire, 
Ribera in 2d of Amos 3. Exoritur clamorque virum, clangorque tubarum. Virg.  to render to every man according to his works; the Judge is at the very door, and comes ushered with the sound of the trumpet; & tuba signum belli; the trumpet strikes horror and amazement into every ear: and who shall free me from his anger, who comes to take vengeance of my sin? who shall free me from that scorching fire, which hath heat to burn, but not light to discover a way to escape?  
2. This may caution those particular ranks of men who are to be employed in the public administration of justice; which is the proper work of this day; and first, to begin with the stars of the greatest magnitude, that move in this Orb.  
My Lords, and Gentlemen! I shall not take upon me the confidence of chalking out your several duties to you, whom I presume every way fitted for those employments, which your Commissions empower you to execute; only let me (to use the 
a 2 Pet. 3.1.  Apostles words) stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance, that you may be mindful of the words spoken by the holy Prophets; and because I would not clog your Lordship's memories, which have such variety and weight of affairs upon them, I shall mind you of only two texts; which I would have not written only on your 
b Matth. 23.5.  Phylacteries, (as the Pharisees were wont to do) but in your memories, and that you would constantly repeat them every night when you lie down, and every morning when you rise; the first is, 2 Chronicl. 19.6, 7. And he said to the Judges, Take heed what ye do; for ye judge not for man, but for the Lord, who is with you in the judgement; wherefore, now let the fear of the Lord be upon you, take heed, and do it, for there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, nor taking of gifts. You are God's Judges, you must judge with suitable integrity: his you are, and he is with you in the judgement; God is in a more special manner with you on the Bench: 
Psal. 82.1.  he sitteth and judgeth among the Gods: he is there to be a witness of what you do, and as a Judge to reward your righteous service, and to avenge your misdoings. When you go to the Bench, look well into your hearts, if there be any thing of fear, or favour, or spleen, or prejudice, or profit, that may turn you from the path of justice; take heed what you do, Deus videt; That God sees, who must be your Judge. And as he is there to awe you from false and corrupt judgement, so to encourage you in upright and just judgement; when you judge advisedly and justly, you may do it boldly and severely too. God is with you in the judgement, he will bear you out against the proudest offender; An act of indemnity is already drawn up in heaven for you; and when you yourselves shall be brought before this Judge in the Text, your entertainment shall be, Euge, bone serve! Well done, 
Matth. 25.21.  thou good and faithful servant, thou hast been faithful in a few things; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. The next Scripture is that Micah 6.8. which though in general terms, it reaches all, yet in a more peculiar manner belongs to you. He hath showed thee, O man, what is good, and what the Lord requires of thee; to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God. Some of the Rabbins say, that this ver. is the abridgement of the whole Law. If I mistake not, 'tis the sum of your Commissious, wherein are contained your duties to man, in the works of the second, and your duties to God in the works of the first Table: your duty to man in two things: 1. Do justice. 2. Love mercy. 1. Do justice. Justice is the life blood that quickens and actuates the whole Body of the Commonwealth. There is a twofold Injustice, whereby this holy Command of God is broken: 1. Negative, not relieving the poor, not righting the widow, and the fatherless, when they justly complain; 
Petit disner longuement attendu, n' pas donnee, mais cheremens vendu.  not to do them right, is to do them wrong; to delay justice, is a breach of Magna Charta, as well as to deny it. What the Frenchman says, of a little dinner for which we wait long, that 'tis not given, but dearly bought; that we may truly say of justice. He that did justice at the last, because it was so long first, and then he did it merely upon importunity, lies under the black character of an unjust Judge still. 
Luke 18.2.  A good work impiously managed, merits no more than an evil one; not to do justice to the oppressed, or to do it only for your own sakes, credit, quiet, profit, are both sins which you must answer for to the Judge, who stands before the door. 
Micah 7.3.  2. Positive Injustice; where evil is done with both hands greedily; the Prince asketh, and the Judge asketh for a reward; and the great man utters his mischievous desires, and so they wrap it up; when through fear or favour of men, the poor is turned from his right in the gate; when the Judge's favour is cast into one scale, and makes it sink too fast. If not to do justice be a sin, what a crime is it to do wrong? If not to relieve the distressed in their cause be injustice, what is it to grind their faces? if you prove not a shield to protect them, which is your duty, but a spear and sword to wound them; if you prove not a bush to shelter them from the storm, which is your duty; but briers and thorns to tear and spile them; how great is such injustice! Men account themselves less injuriously rifled in a wood, 
Dan. histor. in the life of King John.  then in a place where they presume of safety: and grieve not so much when they are cheated by a Shark, as when they are injured by a Judge. An unjust Judge is the greatest plague a Commonwealth is capable of; he turns justice into gall, 
Amos 6.12.  and righteousness into hemlock; he makes a man's physic, his poison; and what then can cure him? 
Master of the Hospital of Jerusalem, to King John.  But he that is an unjust Judge to others, is just against, and doth execution upon himself; he puts himself out of commission, and cancels that authority by which he sits: for as he said once to the King, So long as you will observe justice, you may be a King: 
Dan. bist. p. 168.  but when you once violate it, you cease to be a King. So say I, so long as you do justice, you are a Judge; when you pervert judgement, you cease to be a Judge.  
The second Branch of your duty to men, is, Love mercy: You must do justice, when necessity calls for it; but you must love mercy. Mercy is the choice attribute which God delights to exercise; when he comes to judgement, he comes slowly, but cheerfully to show mercy; when God is coming to punish Israel, 
Isai. 7.20.  'tis said, that he will shave with a razor that is hired, as if it were a work which he came so unwillingly to, that he kept no tools by him to work withal, but was feign to hire them; God strikes but with his finger; 
Non debet dispensator crudelis esse, ubi pater-familias misericors est.  but he saves with his arm. He gives his wrath by weight; but without weight his mercy: Be ye therefore merciful as your heavenly Father is merciful: you may possibly meet with some, whose youth, or ignorance, or hopefulness of amendment, may render them the objects of your mercy, without prejudice to the Commonwealth; in such cases, be tender of drawing blood; 
Chap. 2.13.  'tis a precious thing: Let mercy rejoice against judgement; and remember that of our Apostle, that he shall have judgement without mercy, who will show no mercy.  
2. As to God-ward; 
Ribera in locum.  your duty is to walk humbly with your God; Solicitum esse ad ambulandum, to make it your business and your care to walk humbly with your God, in your own persons, in your families, in your places & offices.  
1 In your own persons; 
Gen. 30.39. Vita Judicis est censura, eaque perpetua, ad hanc convertimur, ad hanc dirigimur; rectè facere, faciendo docent. Plus exemplo, quam peccato nocent.  Inferiors live more by the eye, then by the ear, and are guided by example, much rather then by command; they are like Jacob's sheep, which produce fruit like to that they look upon, speckled and ring-straked; The people look upon the life of the Judge, as the best commentary upon the Law; they will hardly believe the meaning of the Law is to punish swearing, or Sabbath-breaking, or the like sins, whilst they see the Judge practice that himself, which he forbids in others. Every good Judge, (and 'tis true too, of every good Minister, Magistrate, Father, Master,) must be exemplary in goodness: 
Judges 7.17.  and be able to say in reference to good things, as Gideon did in another case, As you see me do, so do ye. They should teach those who are under their power to do good, by doing it themselves first: let it not be in the reformation of manners, 
Drant. on Eccles. 11.1.  as 'tis in the flaying of a beast, where the matter sticks most, when it comes to the head: let not that proverb be made good in you, that they who hold the best farms, pay the least rent; that they who are the greatest men, should be the worst Christians; that they whom Gods special favours engage to be more eminently good, should be below others in piety and holiness.  
2. 
Josh. 24.15.  In your Families; It becomes you to say as Josuah did, 
Psal. 101.6, 7.  I, and my house will serve the Lord: and as David did; He that worketh deceit, shall not dwell in my house: He that telleth lies, shall not tarry in my sight; But mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the Land, that he may dwell with me; he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me. A riotous and disorderly servant causeth, if not his Master's piety, yet his prudence to be called in question.  
And this your pious care should reach, not only to those menial servants which attend your persons, but also to those Ministers, and Under-officers, whose service you use in the dispatch of public business. As it hath been said, that they who work the greatest mischiefs, are oftentimes the men that can best repair them: so it may not seldom be seen, that those who come to redress the grievances of the Country, are the men that work them. I have heard some men complain, that the fees and bribes, wherewith Mistress Expedition hath been courted, have amounted to more, than the whole portion which the Lady Justice hath brought along with her.  
3. In your places and offices; improving all your power to the encouragement of virtue, the suppressing of vice, and the advancement of the interest of Jesus Christ, from whom you have received your power, and to whom you must give up an account of the discharge of your office. The rivers which receive their rise from the sea, they return their waters back again into the lap of the Ocean: Your power and authority is derived to you from Christ; and should be employed by you, and improved to all possible advancement of the glory of Christ.  
My Lords! We willingly pay your Lordships all that respect and reverence, which is due to your Persons, and places: we acknowledge you, and submit to you, as Gods; but withal, we beseech you remember too, that you are but men, and must die like other men; and after death, 
Psal. 82.6, 7.  you must come to judgement as well as others; there is a Judge coming, even at the very door, whose Person, whose Power, whose Train, is greater than yours; where the Judge, and the poorest prisoner at the Bar, must stand upon even terms, and receive according to their work.  
2. Next to you, the Gentlemen of the long robe, whose Persons and profession, I am obliged to honour; as one who in the blackest and darkest times of England's trouble, have found not only shelter and protection, but warmth and life, under the wings of your profession. The Law of England, is the happiness of the People of England, against which, no man hath yet spurned, but to his own prejudice; The profession of the Law of England is ancient, and honourable, and necessary; against which, no man opens his mouth, but such who would have their own wills a law. Yet remember, I beseech you, that there be them who have an aching tooth against your profession, as well as others; take heed lest by your neglect, delays, betraying of your Clients, and mal-practice of the Law, you give none occasion to those, who are already apt to speak against the Law.  

a Epistol. l. 1. Epist. 3.  Cyprian conceiving he could read Dives sin in his punishment; because he suffered in his tongue, conjectured that he had mightily offended with his tongue; 
b Luke 16.24.  whence some others have been willing to persuade themselves, that Dives was a Lawyer, because men of that profession many times offend with their tongues; but they are not the only men who offend with that member; Whosoever offends not in his tongue, 
James 3.2.  he is a perfect man: yet it were to be wished, that they would be more careful how they used it; not to put a fair gloss upon a foul cause, nor to varnish over an ill business with gilded rhetoric. Let there be no Tertullus amongst you, 
Acts 24.1. etc.  to abuse good parts, and a voluble tongue, to plead against God, and the truth. God hath given you those parts, improved by the excellence of your education, to defend the oppressed, not to wrong them: to assert the truth, not to stifle, or destroy it. Take heed of being false to your Client's cause, lest it be said of the Council of both sides, as it was of the Pope, and Henry the third, 
In the life of Henry the 3d.  that they were like the Shepherd and the wolf, combined to macerate the flock.  
Be not like the Crow, which at first seems to bewail the dying sheep, and then picks out his eyes: Do not at first compassionate your Client's case, and then yourselves devour him: let that of the Apostle be written upon all, your studies? 
2 Cor. 13.8.  nay, your hearts; I can do nothing against the truth, 
Dan. histor. in the life of Edw. the first.  but for the truth. Bruce of Scotland, refused the Crown of that Kingdom, because he could not enjoy it, without infringing the Liberties of his Country: take you heed of receiving that fee which you cannot keep, but by doing prejudice to your conscience. As 'tis easy for Princes who will break their faith, to find evasions to fly from the strictest treaties: so 'tis not hard for a subtle Advocate to find plausible pretences to elude justice: But what though thou couldst baffle a puny-Lawyer, or impose upon a Judge, or Jury, to obtain an unrighteous decree; if by this means thou withhold the poor from his desire, 
Job 31.16.21.  and causest the eyes of the widow to fail; what wilt thou do when God arises? 
Bolton, Instructions for comforting an afflicted conscience. pag. 18  and when he comes to visit, what wilt thou answer him? Cast but your eyes upon the sad acknowledgement of Francis Spira, who became a spectacle of such woe and misery to the whole world, that there is not any thing left unto the memory of man more remarkable. I was (says he) excessively covetous of money, and accordingly I applied myself to get it, by injustice, corrupting judgement by deceit, inventing tricks to delude justice: Good causes I either defended deceitfully, or sold them to the adversary perfidiously. Ill causes I maintained with all my might; I willingly opposed the known truth; and the trust committed to me, I either betrayed, or perverted; But what was the issue of this practice, when God let conscience lose upon him? Hear some rueful expressions of his desperate state, out of his own mouth▪ Oh! (saith he) that I were gone hence, that some body would let out this weary soul! I tell you, never was there such a monster as I am, never was man alive spectacle of such exceeding misery. I now feel Gods heavy wrath, that burns like the torments of hell within me, and afflicts my soul with pangs unutterable: the gnawing worm of unquenchable fire, horror, confusion, and which is worst, desperation itself, continually tortures me. My state is worse than that of Cain, and Judas, and the very damned in hell endure not such misery as I do. It would even break an heart of flint to hear him go on, and to see him tugging with the very pangs of despair. But I forbear; only I beseech you, among all your cases, forget not Spira's Case.  
3. To the Jury: Oh, that the Bailiff who attends them, could shut out relations, as well as persons; and keep them as well from partiality, and passions, as from fire and candle! 'Twas not sure without a mystery, that the makers of our Law, forbade the Jury, fire and candle. There must be no fire amongst them; no heat, no passion, no love, no malice, but all must be done coolly and sedatly, without reflection upon any parties.  
There must be no Candle; they must have no light but that of the Sun; they must be guided only by clear and manifest evidence, and not destroy men's persons or their estates, upon uncertain, unclear, and glimmering grounds. You are (especially you Gentlemen of the Grand-Inquest) the Judge's eyes and ears, and the Country's mouth. My Lords the Judges know nothing but what you present: and the Country (whose representatives you are) rely upon you for the discovery of their grievances. If mischiefs be not redressed, 'tis much your fault; and if you would have your diseases cured, discover them. And among your Presentments forget not (what God hath enjoined should be remembered) his Day, 
Stultorum incurata pudor, malus ulcera celat. Horat.  which is yet desperately profaned, notwithstanding all the good laws made by the former, and our present Governors: and forget not (which make men so much and often forget themselves) the Alehouses, in order to their suppression, which are the Nurseries for the Gaol, the seminary for the Gallows, and the Suburbs of Hell.  
4 To the Witnesses: 'Tis much in you that Justice be done; 'tis your evidence which must guide both Judge and Jury; False witness is an error in the first concoction, which is not mended in the second, but made worse; it produceth a wrong verdict and an unjust sentence. Let me use the words of the Prophet Zachary, 
Chap. 8.17.  Let none of you imagine evil in his heart, and love no false oath; for all these things the Lord hates. Perjury is a sin which like a sword with two edges, strikes both against Humane and Divine faith. Among the seven things which the Lord hates, 
Prov. 6.19.  one is a witness that speaks lies. He that fears not a false oath is master of thy good name, thy estate, thy life, thy all: therefore God in a more peculiar way undertakes to be the avenger of this sin. This is an iniquity to be punished by the Judges (saith Solomon) who are to be strictly inquisitive, 
Prov. 19.5, 9  and severe in punishing this offence. We have an excellent Pattern to proceed against false witnesses by, where the law enjoins them legem talionis, that they be mulcted so far forth, 
Deut. 19.16.  as their false witness would have prejudiced their neighbour. But if the Judge cannot find it out, yet God will; you call God to be a witness, that you speak truth, and to be an Avenger if you speak falsely; God is both a witness and a Judge: Behold, 
Mal. 3.5.  I will be a swift witness against the false swearer, whereby the hireling, the widow and the fatherless are oppressed, and the stranger turned from his right. And he will be a swift Judge too; it will not be long before he rip up all your combinations, concealments of truth, your equivocations, reservations, falsehoods, perjuries, in the face of all the world; he stands at the door, and sees all; Take heed what you do.  
5. To All (in one word) that shall be employed in this business, whether Judges, Sheriffs, Justices, Jurors, Witnesses, and all inferior Officers; and I shall wind up all with a short story out of Damascene, which runs thus: There was a mighty and Puissant King, 
In Historiâ, versus principium.  who being clothed in his Royal Apparel, riding in his golden Chariot, attended with all his Nobles, met (upon the way) with two poor threadbare Ministers of Jesus Christ; and presently leaping from his Chariot, runs and falls down at their feet, and kisses them. Which act of his, his Nobles disdaining, but not daring to reprove, acquainted the Kings own brother with what had passed, and desired him to rebuke his brother the King, for thus debasing his power and greatness: which accordingly he undertook to do, and performed his task with sufficient tartness; which yet the King bore with much patience, and made him no answer at all. It was the custom of that place, that when the King (whose will was the only law) was resolved to take away any man's life, he sent one, whose office it was, to sound a Trumpet before that man's door, whereby he and all his neighbours knew, that such a man must die. At night the King sends this Trumpeter to blow before his brother's door: who no sooner heard that fatal sound, but giving up himself for dead, spent the night in weeping and wring of his hands, settling his estate, condoling his wife and children; and in the morning comes to the King's gate, all in mourning, trembling & every minute expecting execution. The King being informed that his brother was thus at the gate, sends for him into his presence, and seeing him in such a miserable pickle, prostrate at his feet, bespeaks him thus; O thou foolish and unwise man! if thou thus fear and tremble at the sound of the Trumpet of thine own natural, brother against whom thou hast done no hurt; how dost thou find fault with me for humbling myself before these living Trumpets, who proclaim the coming of the Great God to Judgement, against whom I have most grievously offended!  
My Lords and Gentlemen! I hope you have prevented me in the application of this story; and that when (by and by) you shall see the faces of poor prisoners grow pale, their hands shake, their knees beat together, at the sound of that Trumpet, which summons them to your Tribunal: You will then be pleased with an awful Reverence, and a trembling fear, 
Judex quisque judicii sui sempiternum sustinebit judicium. Chrysol. ser. 26  to consider that there is another Assizes, another Trumpet, another Tribunal, where you yourselves must (every one) give up an account, as of all other things, so, of this day's work, before this Just and Impartial Judge, who standeth at the door. The Lord touch your hearts with his fear, and direct you in your work!  
FINIS.