Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/d_400.lzh/D_482.TXT

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482                                 OF THE LAST AND GENERAL JUDGMENT.                                                       Book VII.

writers sometimes speak of righteous judges in the
infernal regions; as yEacus, Rhadamanthus, and Minos.
who judge the souls of the departed brought before
them {}. Sometimes they represent them as sitting in
a meadow, where more ways than one meet, two of
which lead, the one to tartarus, or hell, and the other
to the island of the blessed {2}, or the Elysian fields;
which, though but fables, have some truth couched in
them. So it is storied of Er. Pamphilius, what he re-
lated after he was restored to life, having been twelve
days dead; that he saw two chasms above, and two be-
low, answering one another, between which the judges
sat and judged men; and when they had judged them,
the righteous on the right-hand they ordered to go up-
wards to heaven, and the wicked on the left-hand to
go downwarda: which is somewhat similar to the ac-
count in Matt. xxv. and it may be, thae some of those
things said by them, are only some broken remains of
a tradition received from their ancestors; or what some
got by travelling into the eastern countries, from the
Jews, and their writings: and pretty remarkable is that
expression of Plato {4}; " We ought always to believe
the ancient and sacred words which declare unto us,
that the soul is immortal, and has its judges, and will
undergo very great judgments, or punishments, when
any one is separated fi'om the body."              2. That there
is a judgment to come, appears from the accusations
of a natural conscience for sin, and from the fears and
terrors men are possessed of, and cannot free them-
selves from; as witness the consternation and dread
Belshazzar was thrown into on sight of the hand-writ-
ing upon the wall; which could not arise from the
fear of any temporal evil coming upon him from men,
but from a guilty conscience, and the apprehension he
had of being called to an account by the divine being,
for his impiety and wickedness; so Felix trembled
when he heard the apostle Paul discourse of judgment
to come: for 'the doctrine met with the light and con-
viction .of his own conscience, which caused distress
and terror.------3. The truth of a future judgment,
may be argued froin the justice of God, which requires
it; for it is easy to observe, that the justice of God is
not clearly displayed in the dispensation of things in
the present state. Good men are afflicted, and evil
men prosper; which has been a stumbling of saints,
and an hardening of sinners: it seems reasonable to
believe, that there will be a future state, when justice
will take place, and the tables will be turned; and such
who have had their evil things now, will have their
good things; and such who have had their good things
here, will have their evil ones hereafter; for it is a
righteous thing, with God, to render tribulation to
them that trouble his people, and to reward his saints
according to his gracious promises.------4. This may
be concluded from the relation men stand in to God,
as creatures to a Creator. As God is their Creator, he
has a right to give them a law; which he has, either
written or unwritten; for the breach of which they are
accountable to him: so that whether they have sinned

Homer. Odyss. 4. v. 563, 564. et. 11. v. 567, 568. Apollodorus de
Deor, Orig. 1.3. p. 130, 184. Plato in Axiocho, p. 1308.
Plato in Gorgias, p. 357.

without the written law, or in it, they will be judged
accordingly; for every one must give an account of
himself to God.          5. This may be reasoned from the
judgments of God in this present life; and especially
from the chastisements of good men, sometimes called
a judging them, 1 Cor. xi. 32. trom whence an argu-
ment may be fi'amed in the words of the apostle; If
judgment begin at the house of God, &c. 1 Pet. iv. 17.
if the one are judged, most certainly the other will be.
6. The desires of the saints after it, implanted in
their hearts by the Spirit of Gotl, furnish out an argu-
ment in favour of it; for however dreadful the thought
of it is to Christless sinners, saints can look upon it,
and for it, with pleasure; it is now their privilege, that
they can come to God the judge of all, in the righteous-
ness of Christ; as he is, through that, the justifier of
him that believes in Jesus; and they know that the
Lord, the righteous Judge, when he comes, will be
their advocate and friend, and give them the crown of
righteousness laid up for them; and therefore, in the
view of this, most earnestly desire his coming to judg-
ment; and importunately pray, saying, Come, Lord
Jesus, come quickl2/! Now such desires are not implant-
ed in vain.
Secondly, The truth of this doctrine will more fully
appear from divine revelation. In Gen. iv. 8. in the
Hebrew text, after these words, And Cain talketh with
Abel his brother; there is a mark for a pause, as if
something was wanting, and to be supplied; and
which some ancient versions have supplied thus, Let
us go into the field; but the Chaldee paraphrases add
more, and give us an account of the conversation that
passed between them in the field; how that Cain said
to his brother, "There is no judgment, and there is
no Judge, nor another world, &c." but Abel said,
"There is a judgment, and there is a Judge, and
another world, &c." upon which, Cain rose up and
slew him. Now though this is not to be depended
on, nor do I lay any stress upon it; and only observe
it, to shew the sense of the ancient synagogue con-
cerning this article; we have a more sure word of
prophecy to take heed unto, for our direction in this
matter; and where this doctrine clearly appears; as,
1. In the prophecy of Enoch, the seventh from Adam,
recorded in Jude, v 14, 15, which, asit is to be under-
stood of the second coming of Christ, since it will be
with all his saints; so of his coming to judgment,
which will be general; for he will then execute judg-
ment upon all; and will judge men, both for their
ungodly deeds, and for their hard speeches.- -2. The
character Abraham gives of Jehovah, as the Judge of
all the earth, who will do right, Gen. xviii. 25. shews
that there is a Judge, and that there will be a righteous
judgment; and which is committed to the Son of God,
who at this time appeared to Abraham in an human
form, and was known by him.                 .3. It may be con-
 cluded from the faith of Job, in his living Redeemer,
 who believed he would stand on the earth in the latter-
 day, and raise the dead, and himself among the rest;

Plato de Republica, 1. 10. p. 761.
Epist. 7. p. 1283. Ed. Ficin.