Congregabuntur ante eum omnes Gentes.
All Nations shall be gathered before him. It is as true, as it is fearefull, That all men shall meet together in one,* 1.1 all that did enioy the light of this world; for so many Kindreds, nay, thousands of Ages, whither they perished in the element of Fire, and so turned to ashes; or whither they were deuoured by the Fowles of the aire, or the Beasts of the field; or whither they became the food of fishes in the Sea; or whither that their bodies remaine in their graues; or whither like rubbish they lie buried vnder ruinous buildings; or howsoeuer they haue pas∣sed through diuers and sundrie transmutations; yet notwithstanding in the end all shall come and present themselues vpon this publique Stage; all those Nati∣ons that are so differing in their manners and behauiour, in their Idiomes & their Languages, in their Rights and Ceremonies, in their Laws and their Customes, whither remaining in the maine Continent, or in the Islands enuironed with the Sea: And what wonder can be greater, or what sight so strange, as to see all the men in the world to appeare body and soule, before his diuine Maiestie, at the voyce of an Angell, when he shall trumpet forth this short summons vnto them, Surgite mortui, &c. But two other wonders more fearefull than this (I feare me) will be seene: The one, That all mens hearts shall be opened, & euerie man both inwardly and outwardly shall appeare so plaine and so cleere to our sight, that there shall not be any thought, though neuer so closely hid, nor any fault, though neuer so deepely buried, that shall not bee made open and manifest: According to that of Saint Paul to the Corinthians, Omnes manifestari oportet ante Tribunal Christi,* 1.2 We must all bee manifested before the Iudgement Seat of Christ. Whereupon Saint Theodoret weighing the word Manifestari, which in the originall is the same with Perlucidos esse, Transparent, and cleere as Chrystall; wherein those blacke spots and ••oule staines that are in our Soules, will appeare the more vgly and loathsome, ô! How strange a spectacle will this be? How sole and singular in the world? ô! what a great feare will it strike into vs, not onely in regard of the innumerable number of such various and vncouth things, things heretofore neuer presumed, or once thought vpon; but also in respect of the heart of man, which being so inscrutable a thing, and for so many yeares of mans life, past sear∣ching out, and not to bee discouered and set forth in it's true life and colours; that this heart, I say, of Man shall in an instant bee laid so open, that all maskes shall be vnpin'd, all disguises taken off, whose hollownesse and hypocrisie shall now appeare to God and the World. Immagine that God should shew this mi∣racle in open Court, and that the hearts of all should lie open to the eyes of all, (as he did discouer to Ezechiel euerie forme of creeping things,* 1.3 and abhomina∣ble Beasts, and all the Idolls of the House of Israell portrayed vpon the wall of the Temple) How ashamed will the verie best of Gods children bee of their actions, but much more the wicked, to see their sinnes laid open to others view, and their owne confusion? Nor shall these our sinnes bee conspicuous onely to others, but euerie offendor shall see and plainely perceiue his owne particular sinnes: For there is no man that fully knowes his owne sinnes while hee liue•• here in this world. And so doth Saint Basil interpret that place of the Psalmist, Arguam te, & statuam contra te faciem tuam; Euerie man shall then behold him∣selfe as in a glasse. In a word, This day will be the summing vp of all those o••••