488

OF THE LAST AND GENERAL JUDGMENT.

Book VII,

Now the dead will be judged out of those things
which are written in the books, according to their works,
Rev. xx. 12. which must be understood of the wicked
dead, when raised and brought to stand before God
who will have sentence pronounced upon them accord-
ing to their wicked works; between which, and the
punishment adjudged to, will be a just proportion;
the wages of sin is death; eternal death is the just de-
merit of it: but as there is a difference in the sins of
the wicked; some more, others fewer; some greater,
others less; some more, and others less aggravated;
their punishment will be proportioned to them, as will
be seen in the next chapter: and so every one will be
judged according to his works, in the most just and
equitable manner. Indeed, good men also will be
.judged according to their works; but not adjudged to
eternal life according to them; for there is no propor-
tion between the best works of men and eternal life;
eternal life is the free gift of God through Christ:
but upon the judgment of them, the distribution of re-
wards, or of peculiar and distinguished fayours, more
or less, in the kingdom-state, will be according to every
man's works. This judgment out of the books, and
according to works, is designed to show with what ac-
curacy and exactness, with what justice and equity, it
will be executed, in allusion to statute-books in courts
of judicature, to be referred unto in any case of diffi-
culty.
V. The circumstances of the judgment, as to time
and place..
First, The time of it; the particular judgment of
men, or of particular persons in their souls, will be
immediately after death; according to Heb. ix.
the general judgment, or the judgment of all men, in
soul and body, will be after the resurrection; the
judgment of the righteous, after the first resurrection;
'and the judgment of the wicked, after the second re-
surrection. It is often spoken of in scripture as though
it would be quickly, particularly in Rev. xxii. 7, 12,
2O. to alarm men, and keep up a constant expectation
of it. There is a day appointed for it, as may be rea-
sonably thought; for if there is a time to every pur-
pose, a time appointed to every thing done under the
heavens, then certainly for a business of such moment,
and of so great importance, as the general judgment is;
and, indeed, this is expressly affirmed; he hath ap-
pointed a day in which he will judge the world in righte-
ousness, Acts xvii. 31. the time of it is unknown to
men, Matt. xxiv. 36. Acts i. 6, 7. hence the Judge is
represented as coming at an unawares, as a thief in the
night, at an hour unthought of; and therefore men
s'.,;ould watch and pray, and be ready to meet him.
Secondly, The place. This is also uncertain. Some,
because of some passages in Joel iii. 2, 12. have thought
of the valley of Jehoshaphat; but no valley can be sup-
posed large enough to hold all that will be judged at
the day of judgment; nor does it appear from scrip-
ture that there ever was such a valley of such a name;
nor does this seem to be the proper name of the valley,
whatever valley is intended; in v 14. it is called, the
valley of decision; it properly signifies, the judgment
of the Lord, and so is applicable to any place where
the Lord should judge the enemies of his people, and

       destruction upon them: and to me it seems to
       to the battle, at Armageddon, where will be a
great slaughter of the kings of the earth; which will
make way for the latter-day-glory. The two more
probable opinions are, that the judgment will be either
in the air or on the earth. Some think it will be in the
air, because the Judge will come in the clouds of hea-
ven, and the living saints will then be changed, and
the dead saints raised; and both will be caught up to-
gether unto the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air.
But I rather think it will be on earth; the judgment
of the saints will be on the new earth, on which they
will descend from the air with Christ; and which will
be the seat of his reign with the saints, and of theirs
with him; and which will be the time of their judg-
ing: and as for the wicked dead, who will live again
after the thousand years are ended, they will come
upon the breadth of the earth, where will be the camp
of the saints, the beloved city, and encompass that;
and being defeated in their design, they will be at once
brought to judgment, and stand before God, the Judge
of all, and receive their sentence.
   VI. The properties of this judgment, as may be
gathered from what has been said about it, and from
express passages of scripture.-----t. It is future, yet to
come: the apostle Paul reasoned before Felix, among'
other things, of judgment to come, Acts xxiv. 25. But
because it seems to be deferred, and does not imme-
diately take place, some have their hearts set in them
to do evil, and put away this evil day far from them, as
they reckon it, and put it very far away indeed, and
fancy it will never be. But, , ----2. It is certain; pur-
pose and prophecy make it so: God has, in his pur-
poses, appointed a day for it, and he will keep it; and
fis purpose is never disannulled; Enoch, the seventh
   Adam, prophesied of it, as well as others; and the
word of prophecy is a sure one, and will certainly be
fulfilled: therefore let young and old know, that for
the things they have committed God will bring them
into judgment, Eccles. xi. 9.            ..3. It will be univer-
sal, both as to persons and things. All men will be
judged, sooner or later; in the morning, or in the eve-
ning of that day; none shall escape it: and all works
will be brought into it, good or bad.            4. It will be a
righteous judgment; so it is called, Rom. it. 5. The
world will be judged in righteousness; the Judge of all
the earth will do right; Christ the Lord will be a righte-
ous Judge, and his judgment just. ----5. It will be the
last judgment: it will be when the last trumpet shall
sound, that the dead shall rise in order to be judged;
and it will be at the last day, when the word of Christ,
and Christ according to it shall judge men. 1 Cot. xv.
52. John xii. 48..    6. It is called eternal judgment,
Heb. vi. 2. not only because it will be a long time
about, as has been observed; but because it will issue
in the final state of men; either in their everlasting
destruction, or in their everlasting happiness, Matt. xxv.
46. which are next to be considered.