A practical discourse concerning a future judgment by William Sherlock ...

SECT. IX. ••ifth Inference: To affect our Souls with a strong, and vigorous, and constant Sence of Iudgment.

V. SInce it is certain, that GOD will Judge the World, let us endea∣vour by all means possible, to affect our Souls with a strong, and vigorous, and constant Sence of Judgment: The Belief of a Future Judgment is worth little when it ends in Speculation; the use of it is to govern our Lives, and to prepare us to give a good Account of ourselves to God, since we know that he will demand an Account of us: but a meer Belief, that we shall be judged, will not do this, un∣less we affect our Souls with a Sence of Judgment. The Experience of the World, and our own Experience of ourselves, does sufficiently prove this: we all profess to believe a Future Judgment, and most of us do heartily believe it; and yet there are too many among us, who give little rea∣son to the World to think they believe it; who commit those Sins every day, for which they know God will damn them, when they come to Judgment; which, one would think, those who believe they

shall be judged, could never do: so 〈◊〉〈◊〉 a meer Belief of a Future Judgment 〈◊〉〈◊〉 not govern Mens Lives; but then 〈◊〉〈◊〉 very Men, when they are awakened 〈◊〉〈◊〉 a Dread and Fear of Judgment, feel 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Vertue and Power of it on their Hear•• it makes them hate their Sins, and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 themselves for them; it makes them 〈◊〉〈◊〉 devout and importunate in their P••••••∣ers, very sincere and passionate in their Re∣pentance, very resolved to forsake all th•••••• Sins, and to live a new Life; and th••••••∣fore if we would have the Belief of a Fu∣ture Judgment make us good Men, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 must not only believe it, but affect o•••• Souls with a great Sence of it; which i•• true of all the other Arguments and Mo∣tives of Religion, as well as of a Futur•• Judgment.

The proper Enquiry then here is, How we shall awaken and preserve such a po••∣erful Sence of Judgment in our Minds:

Now the only general Direction, th•••• can be given is, Frequently to Thin•• and Meditate on a Future Judgment; fo•• nothing can affect our Minds but ou•• Thoughts, which make the Object pre∣sent, and give us a near View of it: 〈◊〉〈◊〉 it is in the Objects of Sence, the Eye af∣fects the Heart, and excites and move••

the Affections more than all the Argu∣ments in the World: if we look stedfast∣ly upon a terrible and frightful Object, it will strike Terrour into us; if upon a pleasant and beautiful Object, it will ex∣cite Love and Delight; if upon a misera∣ble Object, it will affect us with a tender Compassion; to see Men in great Want and Misery, will melt and open that Heart which was hardened and shut against all the Arguments and Motives to Charity: and long and frequent Consideration will have much the same effect on us, that Sight has: Judgment is a terrible thing to bad Men, and if they would but seriously think of it, it would terrifie them; if they would but imagine sometimes, that they heard that last-Trumpet sound, which will awaken all-Mankind, and raise them out of their Graves, and summon them to Iudge∣ment; that they saw the Son of Man de∣scend from Heaven, attended with his migh∣ty Angels, to execute Vengeance on all them who know not God, and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Iesus Christ; that they saw the Earth all in flames about them, and Hell opening her Mouth wide to receive them; that they saw the Books opened, and those Sins recorded which they had forgot, and the Secrets of their Hearts disclosed;

and that they heard that terrible Sentence, Go ye cursed into everlasting fire, prepared for the Devil and his Angels; do y•••• think that any Man, who believes all this, and would suffer himself seriously to think of it, could bear up against the Terrour of it? or that with these Thoughts about him, he could court a Strumpet, or spend his Time in Revels and Excess, or Bl••∣spheme God, and Ridicule Religion, or Cheat his Neighbour, or Oppress the Poor and Fatherless, or Forswear himself? No•• we see this cannot be, as often as we see •• miserable Sinner whose awakened Consci∣ence distracts him with all these Scenes and Images of Terrour.

So that serious Consideration would make a Future Judgment very effectual to govern our Lives, but the great Diffi∣culty of all is to bring Men to consider: and yet one would think it impossible, that a reasonable Creature should not consider, that he must be judged: But so it is, and there is no disputing against Experience; and yet it is so dangerous and fatal a Neg∣lect, that it concerns us to enquire into the Causes and Remedies of it; for could we Cure this, it would quickly Reform the World, give a new Resurrection to Pi∣ety and Vertue, and secure Men from the

Danger and Terrours of a Future Judge∣ment. Now there are two apparent Cau∣ses of this, 1. That the Thoughts of Judgment are very uneasie and trouble∣some, and that makes Men afraid and a∣verse to think of it. And, 2. that Judg∣ment is out of sight, and they have no∣thing to mind them of it, and their Thoughts are so taken up with other matters, that they forget it, unless they happen to hear a Sermon about it, or some accidental mention of it; which when they return to their worldly Af∣fairs and Business, they quickly forget a∣gain.

1st, Men are very apt to avoid all Thoughts of Judgment, because they are very uneasie and troublesome: they star∣tle at the mention of it; at least do not love to talk too long, nor think too se∣riously of it; for it awakens their Con∣sciences, and makes them think what a sad Account they have to give, how many things they have done, and daily do, which they can never answer to God, when he comes to Judgment; and therefore they choose to live quietly, without disturb∣ing themselves with such terrifying Re∣flections, and the amazing Thoughts of

what is to come. Now methinks it is no hard thing to convince thinking Men of the Danger and Folly of this, and to reconcile them to the Thoughts of Judg∣ment: For,

1. To drive these Thoughts out of our Minds, though it may give us present ease, yet it will not mend our Accounts, nor prevent our being judged: God will judge us, whether we will think of being judged or not: were no Men to be judg∣ed, but those who think of it, there were as much reason to stupifie our Conscien∣ces, and never to think of Judgment, as there is for sick Men to take Opiates to sleep away their Pain and their Distem∣per together; but this would be thought a very ill Remedy for their present Pain, were they to sleep away their Lives: and yet this is the Remedy these Men choose, to sleep away their Souls; to sleep away the Fears of Judgment, till Judgment a∣wakens them and their Fears, never to sleep more.

2. How frightful soever the Thoughts of Judgment are, it will be infinitely more terrible to see and feel it: And there is no way to avoid that terrible Condemnati∣on, but by thinking of it; the Fear of Judgment, if once it thoroughly possesses

our Souls, will conquer this World, dis∣arm all its Terrours, discover its Cheats and Impostures, wash off its Paint and Varnish, pluck off its Vizard and Disguise, it will teach us to fear God, which is the beginning of Wisdom, the Guide of Youth, and the Counsellour of Age; And would not any wise Man rather choose to pre∣serve himself from Danger and Misery by fearing it, then to live without Fear, and to perish by his Security? In this World Men love to know and see their Danger, that they may avoid it, how dismal soe∣ver the Prospect be; and it is very unac∣countable, that Men should choose rather to be damned, then to prevent it by a timely Foresight, and a prudent Fear and Caution.

For, 3. that Fear of Judgment which is necessary to govern our Lives, and to prevent our final Condemnation, is not so amazing and terrifying as these Men ap∣prehend it; it is not the Fear of a Man who is going to Execution, but the Fear of Prudence, Caution, and Foresight, which makes Men wise and circumspect, but don't distract them: We have as many Demon∣strations of this, as there are Men who govern their Lives under the Fear and Sence of a Future Judgment; are there a∣ny

Men in the World who live more chearfully than they, who converse more pleasantly with their Friends, and enjoy the Comforts of Life with greater inno∣cence and freedom? Do you find any Di∣sturbance in their Looks, any symptoms of an uneasie and frighted Imagination? and yet these Men all this while live un∣der the constant Awe and Fear of Judge∣ment: and therefore the Sence and Fear of Judgment is consistent with a constant Peace and Serenity of Mind.

That which distracts and terrifies Men is not the constant Awe and Sence of Judgment, but the Condemnation of their own guilty Consciences, which threaten the Judgments of God against them; and when Men apprehend themselves a falling into Hell, and fear their Case is hopeless and irrecoverable, it is no wonder if the very Pains of Hell take hold of them; and not being able to bear these Horrors, they silence or stupifie their Consciences with the Noise, and Business, and Diversi∣ons, and Pleasures of this Life, and can ne∣ver endure to entertain the least Thought of Judgment, and imagine that all who do, live a miserable life, are as melancho∣ly and disturbed as they are, when they think of Judgment: but this is a great

mistake; it is their Guilt which makes the Thoughts of Judgment so terrible, and their not thinking of Judgment betrayed them to that Guilt, and nothing but a constant Sence of Judgment can now ex∣piate their Guilt, and conquer their Fears by Repentance and a new Life: and as terrible as this is for the present, it is more desirable then to be damned. But would Men accustom themselves betimes to the Thoughts of Judgment, and govern their Lives under the sence of it, Judge∣ment would never be terrible to them, no more then the Assize is to Men who have an Awe and Reverence for the Justice of their Country, and obey its Laws.

Nay, 4. when we govern our Lives un∣der the Awe of a Future Judgment, it is so far from being terrible, that it fills us with great and joyful Hopes; for when God judges the World, he will reward good Men, as well as punish the wicked: and if the Fear of a Future Judgment makes us truly and sincerely good, we shall long for the Day of Judgment, as the Husband-man does for the Harvest; this will be our great Support and Com∣fort under all the Calamities of Life, and be a perpetual Spring of the most Sincere and Divine Joys.

This may satisfie us, that there is no reason to be afraid to think of Judgment; that to live under the constant sence of it, as it is the only way to make us truly good Men, so it will deliver us from all guilty Fears, support us under all present Troubles, and delight us with the hope and expectation of glorious Rewards.

2ly, As for those who out of meer Care∣lesness and Inconsideration, never think se∣riously about a Future Judgment, who im∣ploy all their Thoughts about present and sensible Objects, but do not concern them∣selves about what is absent and unseen, or think very seldom, and very coldly and transiently of it, it is a Wonder to me, how Men need be put in mind of a matter of such vast concernment and importance to them, as a Future Judgment is: Does not the Happiness of your immortal Souls depend on it? Is it possible to conquer the Temptations of this World, to resist the Solicitations of the Flesh, the Courtship of Riches and Honour, those gilded Vanities of this Life, without remembring, that for all these things God will call us to Judgment? Methinks Men should as soon venture themselves in a rocky and tem∣pestuous Sea, without Rudder, or Pilot,

or Compass, or Ballast, or Anchor, as to think to pass safe through this World with∣out a constant Awe and Sence of a Future Judgment. Such Men are very careless of their Souls, and they must lose them; for they will never get safe to Heaven; they can never give a good account to God when he comes to Judgment, who never think of any account they are to make.

But besides this, as one would think, that a Future Judgment is of that great moment, that no Man, who is at all con∣cerned for his future Happiness, could suf∣fer it to go out of his Mind; so there is little reason in this case, to complain of want of Monitors; for though we do not see the Judgment-Seat, and all the awful Solemnities of Judgment, and it is impos∣sible we should, for it is not yet, yet there are a thousand things to put us in mind of it; and if it be possible to us to forget a matter of such consequence without some∣thing to refresh our Memories, and to re∣new the impression of it, I shall briefly hint to you some things which occur eve∣ry day, and are very familliar Emblems of Judgment, and desire you to unite the Thoughts of a Future Judgment to them; that when you see the one, you may think

of the other; which will be a kind of ar∣tificial Memory, when you find the Notes and Characters of Judgment so frequently presented to you. As to give you three or four familliar Instances of this, which you may very easily multiply:

When you are so busie and careful in keeping your Books, and casting up your Accounts, and ballancing your Gain and your Loss, and observing how your Stock increases or decays, can you forbear think∣ing, that you have a greater and more concerning Account than this, the Account of your Life and Actions; which if you do not keep, God does, he has his Records of them, and will produce his Books at the Day of Judgment, and judge you out of them.

When you call your Servants or Stew∣ards to an Account, how they have im∣proved or embezled your Goods, whe∣ther they have hid their Talent in a Nap∣kin, or traded with it, and gained five or ten Talents; you should remember, that you also are but God's Stewards, and must give an Account of your Stewardship, and either shall be Stewards no longer, but be turned out of your Master's Service, and punished for your Negligence, or shall

receive a Reward proportionable to your Diligence and Gain.

When we correct our Children or Ser∣vants for their Idleness, Disobedience, or any other Miscarriage, or reward their Diligence and Vertue, can we forget, that we have a Father and a Master in Heaven, who curiously observes all our Actions, and will judge, will reward and punish us according to our Works.

When we see at Harvest the Wheat ga∣thered into the Barn, and the Weeds neg∣lected or burnt, should it not mind us what a difference God will make between good and bad Men at the Day of Judgment; that though they live intermixed in this World, they shall be parted then; good Men received into Heaven, where God dwells, and bad Men banished into out∣ward Darkness, where there is Weeping, and Wailing, and Gnashing of Teeth for evermore.

The awful Solemnities of Humane Ju∣dicatures, the Judge sitting on the Bench, the Malefactor arraigned at the Bar, the Jury, the Witnesses, the Tryal, Condem∣nation, Sentence, Execution, are lively Emblems of a Future Judgment, and me∣thinks should mind Judge, and Juries, and Witnesses, and Spectators of it.

I have mentioned these few Instances, because they are common and familiar, and Scripture-Representations of a Future Judgment, and so often occur, that if we would but as often think seriously of a Fu∣ture Judgment, we should soon attain an habitual Sence of it: And possibly my ap∣plying them to this purpose now, as little an Observation as it may seem, may make you think of your great Account, when you are casting up your Books, or reck∣oning with your Workmen, or taking an Account of your Stewards and Servants; and if it should, I shall have my end, and you will find the benefit of it.

But there is one thing which is natu∣rally apt to mind us of a Future Judge∣ment, and I am sure always ought to do so, and is of very near and present con∣cernment to us at this time; and that is, When the judgments of GOD are in the earth, for then as the Prophet Isaiah tells us, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness, 26 Isaiah 9.

I have already observed to you, that the Examples of a just and righteous Pro∣vidence, which governs this World, are a good Proof of a Future Judgment; for it is an argument, that God does take no∣tice of the Actions of Men, and concerns

himself in the Government of the World; and then we have no reason to question, whether he will judge the World.

And when God is actually executing Judgments on the World, when he is a judging Kingdoms and Nations, when he has unsheathed the Sword, and made it drunk with Blood, when the Desolations of flourishing Countries, the Burning of Towns and Cities, the lamentable Slaugh∣ter of infinite numbers of People, do so loudly proclaim the Wrath and Displea∣sure of God, those who han't a great, and awful, and terrible Sence of Judgment, will never be awakened, but by the sound∣ing of the last Trumpet.

It is this, that makes the Judgments of God so effectual to Reform the World, not meerly the Fears of present Sufferings, of those Temporal Evils and Calamities, wherewith God punishes Sinners, but that by these visible Tokens of God's Anger, by the present sensible Effects of his Ju∣stice and Power, Men are rouzed and a∣larm'd into a Consideration of future Ven∣geance.

We extreamly weaken the Argument from present and sensible Judgments, when we urge it no further, then to perswade Men to reform their Lives to remove those

Judgments which are upon them; this is an additional Argument, to reform our Sins to save our Country from Ruin; but those who will not reform their Sins to save their Souls, will never part with them to save a Nation: and therefore the true force of the Argument, resolves itself into a Future Judgment: God has begun to punish us already in this World for our Sins, and unless we repent, we must not hope to escape so; these Temporal Suf∣ferings are but a Summons to Judgment, and it may be are intended to remove us presently into the other World, to receive our Reward: The Axe is now visibly laid to the root of the Tree; and every Tree which bringeth not forth good Fruit, is hewen down, and cast into the Fire.

And the visible Execution of GOD's Judgments upon the World, will certainly mind us of a Future Judgment, and give us a feeling sence of it; as it gives us a present and sensible View of God's Justice and Power, and a nearer Prospect of it.

1. It gives us a present and sensible View of God's Justice and Power: And that though he be very good and merci∣ful, he is very righteous too, and very se∣vere in his Judgments; that though he be gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and

of great kindness; yet he will not always spare, but will awake to visit the hea∣then, and will not be merciful to any wick∣ed transgressors, 59 Psal. 5.

When we see what Desolations God makes in the Earth, how his Judgments like a sudden and mighty Torrent over∣flow a secure and happy Country, sweep away the Inhabitants of it, or transplant them into foreign Nations, to beg their Bread among Strangers; when we see how he sounds an Alarum to War, and sets Kingdom against Kingdom, and every Man's Sword against his Brother; when we observe with what an impartial Hand he strikes, that there is no Country, no People, no Religion escapes; that he makes Ambition and Covetuousness correct Su∣perstition, and Superstition chastise the Coldness and Formality, the loose and li∣centious Lives of more Orthodox Christi∣ans; I say, when we see such things as these in the World, shall we not fear and tremble before that just and righteous Judge? Can we forget that GOD will judge the World in Righteousness, when we see already such terrible Executions, which are onely Preludiums to a Final Judgment.

2. These present and visible Judgmen•• give us a nearer Prospect of a Futur•• Judgment, and Judgment will more se••∣sibly affect us, the nearer we see it: Not that such Judgments as these prove, that the Final Judgment is near at hand; fo•• the Records and Histories of former Ag•• give us an account of very terrible Judg••∣ments which God then executed upon the World; and yet we see the Final Judge¦ment is deferred, and we know not ho•• long it may be deferred still: but though the general Judgment may be a great way off, yet our particular Judgment may be very near; God may quickly cut us off, and put an end to our Account, and when the Judgments of God are in the World we have reason to expect it, at least so far, as to be prepared for it: Proxi••••••¦ardet Vcalagon; when we see the Judge∣ments of God sweep away so many Thou∣sands round about us, who not long since, lived as secure and unconcerned for Dan∣ger as we do; when we see the Clouds hover and rowl about the Heavens, charg∣ed with Thunder and Tempest, Who knows where the Storm will break next, and who shall feel the Violence of it? And therefore the Judgments of GOD, which are in the Earth, will give all con∣sidering

Men, such a present Sence of a Future Judgment, as a threatning Sick∣ness will do: Present Judgments may sud∣denly cut us off, and send us into the o∣ther World unprepared for a Final Judge∣ment; and there is no preparing for it there, and then these present Judgments may prove Final to us. So that those, who live in such an Age as this, will be utterly inexcusable if they forget their Ac∣count, which they have such terrible Ad∣monitions of: let us make this use of pre∣sent Judgments, to awaken a more lively and vigorous Sence of a Future Judgment in us; and that will make us good Men, and secure our Eternal Happiness; and is the best way to prevent any Publick Ca∣lamities of our Country, which we may fear, or to preserve ourselves from being involved in them.