evil they have done; whether they have glorified God, and served the great and wise ends of their creation: whether they have obeyed or disobeyed the truth; whether they have lived in ungodliness and worldly lusts, or soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world. In a word, whether they have been righteous or wicked. This will be the great enquiry at that day; and according to those qualities in us, so shall our condition be determined for ever.

Another thing ought to be well considered by us, that our reward or punishment shall then be adjusted in proportion to the greater degree of good or evil we have done. There is all the reason in the world that thus it should be, that they who have done more good, should be more plentifully rewarded by the justice of GOD, than they that have done less: and that they who have been more egregiously wicked, should have their torment encreased in proportion to the greater aggravation of their sins. Our Saviour hath plainly intimated this to us, where he tells us, "That the servant who knew his LORD'S will and did it not, shall be beaten with many stripes; but he that knew it not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes." St. Luke xii. 47, 48. And greater sinners, we are assured, "shall receive a greater damnation," St. Matt. xxiii. 14.

This is a mighty argument to good men to endeavour to grow in grace, and to press forward towards perfection in goodness and holiness with all their might; since, according to the degree of their service and obedience to GOD, they are assured that such shall be the degree of their glory and happiness hereafter. For we have a good Master, who will consider every thing that we do for him, for "he is not unrighteous, to forget our work and labour of love," Heb. vi. 10. and will not let the least service pass unrewarded. Though no degree. of holiness can properly merit everlasting life and happiness, yet greater degrees of holiness will cer

11

tainly be rewarded with a larger portion of happiness, since GOD, in his infinite goodness and mercy, has promised to "reward every man according to his work."

On the other hand, it is most certain, that some sins are more heinous in themselves than others, and are attended with heavier aggravations in some persons than in others; and these do inflame hell, and heat that furnace seven times hotter. Such egregious sinners as sin above the common rate of men, with full consent and deliberation, in despite of the clearest convictions; these take hell, as it were, by violence, and shall not be punished at the common rate of sinners, but shall sink into a deeper degree of misery; for such mighty transgressors shall be mightily tormented. Oh that these things may be most seriously considered by all men!

We

And yet there is one thing more, which ought to be often thought upon, and more duly to be weighed by us Christians. Our obligations to our duty to GOD, have been far greater than those of any other men whatsoever upon the face of the earth. have, by the infinite mercy of GOD to us, been graciously distinguished from all those vast numbers of poor souls, which are still in darkness, and in the shadow of death." We have had (for our greater encouragement to holiness and virtue) life and immortality most clearly brought to light to us, by the preaching of the Gospel of our LORD and Saviour JESUS CHRIST, and the means plainly made known to us, whereby we might be saved: as well as the wrath of GOD revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, on purpose to deter us from them. And if we, to whom this glorious light has been vouchsafed, should still "love darkness rather than light," and abuse all the obligations God has been pleased to lay upon us to promote his glory, and our own interest and happiness, what condemnation can we think will be heavy enough for us, who wilfully refuse to be saved?

We have indeed great reason to hope, that at that great day of accounts, the all-merciful God will wink at the ignorance of those poor creatures who never enjoyed that light, and those advantages and opportunities which we have had: and will pass a more favourable sentence upon them. But the case is far otherwise with us. He hath shewed us most clearly in his holy Word, what is good, and what he does require of us. He now expects, and commands all men every where to repent, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world, because "he has appointed a day," and made a most public declaration of it," in which he will judge the world in righteousness," Acts xvii. 31. If we, therefore, after all the light and knowledge which we have had, in such an abundant and gracious manner, shall still be so wicked as to reject his counsels, and despise his instructions, and set at nought all his precious promises; what shall we be able to say for ourselves? or who shall be able to plead for such obstinate and perverse wretches as we have been? May it not be expected, that what our Saviour said of the impenitent and unbelieving Jews, shall be verified upon impenitent Christians, that it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon, for Sodom and Gomorrah, in the day of Judgment, than for you," Luke x. 12. 14. when the advantages we have received will inflame our account, and heighten our condemnation: and the very means of our salvation will be the saddest aggravation of our ruin?

The Conclusion.

HAVING thus gone through the several parts which I proposed to consider, in explaining this great article of a future Judgment, I come now to a conclusion of the whole. And this shall be by way of advice to all of us, to take the best care we possibly can to be prepared for it. In order to this, let us,

First, Seriously consider with ourselves that we are all equally concerned in it. All men, of what rank and condition soever they are, without any difference or exception, are liable to the Judgment of GOD. Whoever thou art, how great or rich or powerful soever, though never so mighty and considerable among men, thou shalt not escape the Judgment of GOD, but thou "must appear before the Judgment-seat of CHRIST," and give an account of all thy actions. Nothing that thou hast said, or thought, or done, has escaped his knowledge; he knows it altogether, and has kept a book of remembrance of it, though never so secretly done by thee, which shall be produced before all that great assembly of angels and saints at the last day, to thy everlasting honour, or to thy eternal shame and confusion; and thou shalt then be rewarded or punished for it, as thou shalt be found at that great inquest to have deserved.

It is very much to be feared, that the greatest part of mankind, though they do profess to believe a Judgment to come, do hardly ever think so seriously as they ought to do, that they themselves shall one day be concerned in it. For if they did, they could not so easily be guilty of such stupidity and carelessness, such malice and uncharitableness, such immorality and profaneness, such want of all true religion and godliness, as is too frequently to be seen in their behaviour and practice, almost every day of their lives, and never in the least prepare

themselves for this solemn reckoning. And what then will they be able to say for themselves, when they shall see themselves in good earnest ready to be called to a strict account for what they have done in their whole lives? O consider this, all ye that now forget GOD, and think what you must come to another day; and therefore, for God's sake, and for your own soul's sake, be wise in time, and think seriously of it, before it is too late, how you shall best be prepared for it.

Secondly, Let us all resolve, without delay, to put ourselves into that state and condition, as near as we can, in which we may not be afraid that Judgment should find us. And that will certainly best be done, by often reviewing our lives, and calling ourselves to a strict account of our actions; and then judging ourselves for whatever we find amiss in them, that we may not be judged and condemned by the LORD. It is the want of doing this, that makes men continually in a state of impenitence all their lives long. For if men would but frequently examine themselves by the rule of GoD's law, as they ought to do, this would bring them to a true sense of the errors and miscarriages of their lives, and shew them how ungrateful they have been to that good and gracious GOD, who has so long preserved them from that ruin which they have justly deserved; and that again would prompt them to a serious repentance of them; and shew them the necessity of a sincere amendment of their lives for the future; and make them ashamed to fall into the same errors and transgressions again, for which they have so lately and so severely censured and condemned themselves.

Thirdly, Let us be always employing ourselves in some good action or other, either of religion and piety towards GOD, or of righteousness and charity towards men; as instructing them in their duty, or reclaiming them from their vicious courses; or in demeaning ourselves with sobriety and diligence,