[2.] His royal attendance. The angels shall attend him, both to honour him and to be employed by him.
[3.] His royal posture, he shall ' sit upon the throne of his glory.' A glorious throne, beseeming the Son of God and the judge of the quick and the dead, shall be erected for him in the clouds, such as none can imagine how glorious it shall be till they see it.
Secondly, The next thing that is ofi'ered in these words is the pre- senting the parties to be j udged ; and there you may take notice —
1. Of their congregation, and before him shall he gathered all nations.
2. Their segregation, and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats. In the segregation we have —
[1.] The ordering them into two several ranks and companies, sheep and goats, ver. 32.
[2.] As to posture and place, ver. 33, ' And he shall set his sheep on the right hand and the goats on his left.' Not only a separation as to Christ's knowledge and discerning them, but a separation in place.
16 SERMONS UrON MATTHEW XXV. [SeR. XVIII.
I begin with the first branch, the appearance and sitting down of the judge.
Two points I shall observe: —
Doct. 1. That the judge of this world is Jesus Christ.
Doct. 2. That Christ's appearance for the judgment of the world shall be glorious and full of majesty.
For the first point, that Jesus Christ is the world's judge —
1. Here I shall inquire why he is judge.
2. In what nature he doth act or exercise this judgment, whether as God or man, or both.
First, Let us inquire how Christ cometh to be the world's judge, and with what conveniency and agreeableness to reason this honour is put upon him ? To a judge there belongeth these four things — (1.) Wisdom; (2.) Justice; (3.) Power; and (4.) Authority.
1. Wisdom and understanding, by which he is able to judge all persons and causes that come before him, according to the rules and laws by which that judgment is to proceed ; for no man can give sen- tence in a cause wherein he hath not skill, both as to matter of right and wrong, and sufficient evidence and knowledge as to matter of fact. Therefore, in ordinary judicatures, a prudent and discerning person is chosen.
2. Justice is required, or a constant and unbiassed will to determine and pass sentence, ex cequo, et bono, as right and truth shall require. He that giveth wrong judgment because he doth not accurately under- stand a thing is imprudent, which in this business is a great fiiult ; but he that doth rightly understand a matter, and yet is biassed by perverse affections and aims, and giveth wrong judgment in the cause iDrought before him, that is highly impious and flagitious ; therefore, the judge must be just and incorrupt.
3. Power is necessary that he may compel the parties judged to stand to his judgment, and the offenders may receive their due punish- ment ; for otherwise all is but precarious and arbitrary, and the judg- ment given will be but a vain and solemn pageantry.
4. There is required authority ; for otherwise, if a man should obtrude himself of his own accord, they may say to him, ' Who made thee a judge over us?' Or if he by mere force should assume this power to himself, the parties impleaded have a pretence of right to decline his tribunal, and appeal from him. Certainly he that rewards must be superior, and much more he that punisheth ; for he that punisheth another bringeth some notable evil and damage upon him ; but for one to bring evil upon another, unless he hath right to do it, is unjust ; therefore good authority is required in him that acts the part of a judge. These tilings, as they stand upon evident reason, and are necessary in all judicial proceedings between man and man, so much more in this great and solemn transaction of the last judgment ; for this will be the greatest court that ever was kept both in respect, of the persons to be judged, which shall be all men and evil angels, high and low, small and great, rich and poor, princes and subjects ; and in respect of the causes that shall be produced, tlie whole business of the world for six thousand years, or thereabouts ; or the retributions made, which shall be punishments and rewards of the highest nature
YeUS. 31-33. j SERMONS UPON" MATTHEW XXV. 17
and degree, because everlasting. And therefore there must be a judge sought out that is exactly knowing not only of laws, but of all persons and causes : ' That all things should be naked, and open to him with whom we have to do,' Heb. iv. 12, 13, and 1 John iii. 20. Again, exceeding just, without the least spot and blemish of wrong dealing : Gen. xviii, 25, ' Shall not the judge of all the earth do right ? ' and Rom. iii. 5, 6, 'Is God unrighteous, that taketh vengeance ? God forbid : for then how shall God judge the world?' It cannot be that the universal and final judgment of all the world should be committed to him that hath or can do anything wrongful and amiss. And then, that power is necessary both to summon offenders, and make thetu appear, and stand to the judgment which he shall award, without any hope of escaping or resisting, will as easily appear ; because the offen- ders are many, and they would fain hide their guilty heads, and shun this tribunnl, if it were possible : Rev. vi. 16, ' Say to the mountains and rocks. Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth upon the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.' But that must not, cannot be : Ps. xc. 11, ' Who knoweth the power of thine anger ? According to thy fear, so is thy Avrath.' Authority is necessary also, or a right to govern and to dispose of the jjersons judged into their everlasting estate ; which being all the world, belongeth only to the universal king, who hath made all things, and preserveth all things, and governeth and disposeth all tilings for his own glory. Legislation and execution both belong to the same power. Judgment is a part of government. Laws are but shadows if no execution follow. Now, let us particularly see how all this belongeth to Christ.