decifion of his caufe. This fhould make all men very modeft and humble in this world, to confider how they fhall be levelled in the next.

III. How fhould the confideration of this dash all our fenfual mirth and jollity, and put a damp upon our fpirits, when they are too light and vainly transported with the pleasures and delights of this world! If a man be to prepare himself to be tried for his life after a few days, how will be look about him, with what care and ferioufness will he provide for fo folemn an occafion, and neglect nothing that may ftand him in ftead, and help to bring him off when he fhall receive his trial! The thoughts of this will fpoil all his mirth, and turn the lightness of his fpirit into fober fadnefs. Much more ought the confideration of a judgment infinitely more terrible, and in the confequence of it, of far greater concernment to us, to compofe our minds into a ferious frame. For, if we believe a future and general judgment, and that none of us can by any means poffibly efcape it, then certainly it highly concerns every one of us to be ferious, and to pass the time of his life in a perpetual awe of it. So that St. Peter argues from this confideration, 1 Pet. i. 17. And if ye call on the Father, who without refpect of perfons judgeth every man, pass the time of your fojourning here in fear. This thought fhould interpofe itself in all our mirth, that we must appear before the judgment-feat of Chrift. And therefore Solomon admonisheth young men, in the midst of their sports and pleasures, to think of a future account. Ecclef. xi. 9. Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth, and let thy heart chear thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thy beart, and in the fight of thine eyes: but know that for all thefe things God will bring thee into judgment.

IV. And lastly, From hence we learn, that the bufinefs of religion does equally concern every man. For, if we must all be judged, we are all concerned to prepare and provide for it: and a religious and virtuous life is the only preparation for it. How fhould we order our lives with a refpect to this great and general affize, when every one of us fhall be brought upon his trial, and stand at the bar of God to be judged by him! Many live as if they thought the bufinefs of religion below them, and

not

not at all appertaining to them: but if the judgment of God will equally reach all perfons, then I am fure it equally concerns all to mind religion, and a holy and virtuous life; for that alone will make us worthy, as our Saviour himself expreffeth it, to escape all these things that fhall come to pass, and to ftand before the fon of man. And this is the refult of Solomon's enquiry, and of this long difcourfe upon that argument, what is the great work and business, the great intereft and concernment of men in this life; which we find in the conclusion of his fermon, called, the book of the preacher, Eccl. xii. 13. 14. Let us, fays he, hear the conclufion of the whole matter. Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole of man. Religion is the great business and concernment of men in this world, because God will bring every man, and every work into judgment, whether it be good or evil.

SERMON

CLXXXI.

Of the actions for which men will be accountable.

2 COR. V. 10.

For we must all appear before the judgment-feat of Christ, that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good ar bad.

The fourth fermon on this text.

Proceed to the third propofition contained in these words, viz. that all the actions which men have done in this life fhall then come to account, and men fhall be judged for them. That every man may receive the things done in the body, τὰ ἴδια το σώ par, the things proper and due to the body, fo fome very good copies have it: and then the meaning will VOL. VIII.

K

be,

be, that every one may receive the reward due to him; the word body, by a frequent Hebraifm, being put for the perfon as if he had faid, the reward due to himself, according to the actions he hath done in this life, good or bad. But in moft copies it is, тa dia 78 σwμATO, the things done in, or by the body, as, our tranflation renders it, that every one may receive a reward of the actions which he hath done in this life; and then this phrase doth import what it is that shall be the matter of our account at the day of judgment, viz. The things done in the body; that is, all the actions of this life, while we are in this world, in this ftate of union of the foul and body.

Whether there be any peculiar emphafis in this phrafe, Tada T8 oduar, the things done by, or in the body, as if it did exclude those things which fhall be done after death, in the state of feparation of our fouls from our bodies, from being accounted for at the refurrection in the day of judgment; I fay, whether there be any fuch emphasis in those words, the things done in the body, I cannot certainly affirm; though, according to the nature and reason of the thing it feems very probable, as the Schoolmen have generally determined in this cafe, that meritum eft viatoris, " merit and demerit are 66 proper to this ftate of trial;" and that wicked men when they are in termino, and their state is finally concluded, and the trial of their obedience is at an end, do not demerit by their fins, nor increase their punishment. For although that hatred and enmity of God which is in the damned fpirits, be a monftrous irregularity in a creature, yet it cannot well in reafon be otherwife, but that a creature which is extremely miserable, and withal desperate, and past all hopes of remedy and recovery out of that difmal state; I fay, it cannot well in reafon be otherwise expected, but that a creature in fuch a condition fhould rage against the author of its torment and punishment, and do all the despite to him that he can, and wifh that he were not, though it be in vain to wish fo; and it feems probable that God will not bring this to a new account, because it seems fo natural and neceffary a confequent of a miferable and defperate ftate: but though all this be probable, I am far from being

perem

peremptory in it, much lefs am I confident that it is the meaning of this phrase here in the text; and I do not love to build an opinion upon a fingle and doubtful phrase of fcripture. I only mention it by the by, not intending to infift upon it, being much of his mind, who faid, Non amo nimis argutam theologiam, "I am no lover of "great fubtilty and nicety in divinity."

It is fufficient to my purpose, that this phrase of e very man's receiving the things done in the body, does at leaft import thus much, that we fhall be accountable at the day of judgment, for all the actions that we have done in this life, and receive the due recompence and reward of them; which is the propofition I intend as briefly as I can to illuftate and confirm. And,

First, For the illuftration of this point, I fhall inftance in the feveral heads of action, as they take their difference and variety from the principle, or matter, or object, or other circumftances of them. We must render an account to this great Judge for our inward as well as outward actions; for the acts of our minds, and every thought fpringing up there, efpecially if it be cherished and entertained by us; for all our fecret defigns, purposes and intentions, as well as for the words which we fpeak, and the outward actions which we do: Whatever we have thought and defigned, spoken and declar ed, accomplished and done, will then be confidered and examined, and we fhall be judged for it. We must likewife give an account of all our civil as well as religi ous actions, of our behaviour toward men in all our dealing and intercourse with them, as well as of our demean our toward God in the duties of his more immediate worship and fervice. The neglects and omiffions of our duty in any kind will alfo come under confideration, as well as our commiffions of evil. A ftrict account likewife will be exacted of all the talents which God hath entrusted us with, of all the abilities, opportunities and advantages we ever had of doing fervice to God, and good to men, and whether we have made answerable improvements of them, for the glory of God, and the benefit and advantage of men.

We must be accountable likewife for words and actions of lefs moment and confequence, as well as for those

of greater weight and concernment; for thofe which were done in fecret, and in the greatest darkness and privacy, as well as for those which were done in publick, and in the open view and light of the world; for the good and evil which hath been done by ourselves, and in our own perfons, and for what hath been done by others by our command and countenance, and from the influence of our counfel and perfuafion, or example, or which we have been any ways acceffary to hinder or promote; and laftly, for the manner and circumstances of our actions, as well as for the matter and substance of them; all these will be furveyed and strictly fearched into, and weighed in an exact balance, that we may receive a reward or punishment proportionable to them. Secondly, For the confirmation of this I fhall make it evident both from fcripture and reafon.

I. From fcripture; which in general tells us, that God will bring every work into judgment; and that in order thereto, God ftrictly obferves and takes notice of what we do; that his eyes are upon the ways of man, and that he feeth all his goings; that there is no darkness or shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themfelves, Job xxxiv. 21. 22. That the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth all his goings, Prov. v. 21. That he knoweth our paths and our lying down, and is acquainted with all our ways. That there is not a word in our tongue, but he knoweth it altogether, and that he understands even our thoughts afar off, Pfal. cxxxix. 2. 3. 4. That all the actions of men are recorded in books, which fhall be produced and opened at the great day, and the dead, both small and great, fhall be judged from those things which shall be written in thofe books, Rev. xx. 12.

And more particularly the fcripture tells us, that thofe words and actions of men which feem molt inconfiderable, and are most likely to be exempted, shall be ac counted for, and feverely scanned, and weighed. Matth. xii. 36. 37. fays our Lord there, I say unto you, that every idle word, by which if our Saviour do not mean every unprofitable, to be fure every wicked word, that men fhall fpeak, they fhall give an account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and

by