But is there any such disposition in the children of God ? Yes ; David kept silence, Ps. xxxii. 3. Moses pleadeth not the main till God toucheth his privy sore ; he pleadeth other excuses, but the fear of his life was the main thing. It is a hard thing to bring the soul to deal openly and ingenuously with God, to draw forth the sin with its circumstances, and lay it before the Lord, who knoweth it already.
3. This is folly, and a degree of atheism. We can never hide our sins nor our persons, for we must be made manifest at the last day. God cannot be resisted, nor escaped, nor entreated, nor endured, nor resisted : Isa. xxvii. 4, ' Who would set the briers and thorns against me in battle ? I would go through them, and would burn them together,' no more than briers and thorns can resist a devouring flame. Kor escaped : Jer. xxv. 35, ' And the shepherd shall have no way to flee.
72 SERMONS UPON 2 CORINTHIANS V. [SeR. XVI.
nor the principal of the flock to escape : ' so Ps. cxxxix. 7, ' Whither shall I flee from thy ])resence ? ' You flee from God as a friend, to God as an enemy. Nor entreat him : 1 Sam. ii. 25, ' If one man sin against another, the judge must judge him ; but if a man sin against God, who shall entreat for him?' Nor endured, Isa. xxxiii. 14, ' Tho sinners in Zion are afraid ; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites ; who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire, who among us shall dwell with everlasting burning?' And Ezek. xxii. 14, 'Can thine heart endure, or can thine hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with thee ? ' Well then, if men will not now draw nigh unto God, God will find them out in their sins, and bring them into judg- ment before him. Since he cannot be blinded, nor resisted, our best way is to take hold of his strength, and make our peace with him, Isa. xxvii. 5, 'Agree with thine adversary while he is in the way.' Better come in voluntarily than be dragged by force — come humbly, as Benhadad's servants, with ropes about their necks,' 1 Kings xx. 32. David found more comfort in submission to God, than in stand- ing out against him.
SEKMON XVI.
For loe must all appear hefore the judgment-seat of Clirist — 2 Cor. v. 10.
I COTiE now to the fifth circumstance in the text, and that is the cause or matter to be tried, and about which we must be judged.
1. Generally expressed, ra Slo, tov a(o/j.aTo<i — the things done in the body.
2. Distributed into their several kinds ; whether we have done good or evil.
Doct. That every man's judgment shall proceed according to what he hath done in the flesh, whether it be good or bad.
This is confirmed by other scrijitures : Mat. xvi. 27, ' The Son of man shall come in the glory of the Father, with his angels ; and men shall be rewarded every man according to his works ; ' so Rev. xx. 12, 'And they were judged out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works.'
Here T shall inquire —
1. Why works are produced.
2. How they are considered in the sentence and doom that passetb upon every man.
3. What room and place they have with respect to punishment and reward.
First, Why works are produced — and whenever the judgment is spoken of some clause is inserted which mentioneth works, or relateth to them.
I answer, this is the fittest way to glorify God, and convince the creature, which are the two ends of the judgment, and are most pro- moted by giving them the fruit of their doings, whether good or evil.
VeR. 10.] SERMONS UPON 2 CORINTHIANS V. 73
1. For the glory of God. At that day God will glorify hi.s holiness, justice and truth, yea also his free love and mercy ; the veil is to he taken away, and all this at that day is to be made matter of sense.
[1.] The holiness of God. The holy God delighteth in holiness and holy persons, and hateth sin and the workers of iniquity. Both parts of his holiness are spoken of in scripture, his delight in holy things and persons, Prov. ii. 20. The upright are his delight, and their services, Prov. X. 8. Can we imagine that God should bid the saints love one another, and count them the excellent ones upon earth. Ps. xvi. 3, how poor soever and despicable they be as to their outward condition, and that he himself should not love them the more, and delight in the reflect- tion of his own image upon them ? On the other side, his detestation of sin and sinners: Hab. i. 13, ' Thou art of purer eyes than to behold iniquity ; ' and Ps. v. 4, ' Thou art not a God that hast pleasure in wickedness.' We that have but a di-(^ of the divine nature, hate not only sin, but sinners: 2 Peter ii. 8, ' Lot, his righteous soul was vexed with their impure conversations.' Well then, can we imagine without a manifest reproach to the divine nature, that God should be indifferent to good and evil, and the saints should not be more lovely in his sight for their holiness, and the wicked hateful for their sins ? Therefore now, when all is to be discovered and made obvious to sense, it is a delight to him to reward the graces and services of his people, and to show how pleasing and acceptable they are to him ; the more holy, the more lovely objects of his sight. And on the other side, he will show his hatred against sin and sinners, in their sentence and punishment ; and so by necessary consequence, their different works must come into con- sideration, that the holy may have their due praise and commendation, and the wicked, their just reproof from the judge of the world.