400 SERMON UPON ACTS XVII. 30, 31.
of such weight and moment, is very dangerous : Luke xii. 47,, ' That .servant which knew his Lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes ; ' James iv. 17, ' To him that knoweth to do good, and doth it not, to him it is sin.' A man in the dark may easily err and go astray ; but while we know better, and what is the express will of God concerning us, we must set ourselves to do it.
3. As universally required, ' All men everywhere ; ' not only Jews, but gentiles ; and not some sort of gentiles, but all ; you, Athenians, and all the world ; this universally bindeth. Some must turn from their idols, but all from their sinful ways, Whosoever will not repent when God calleth for repentance, they smart the more for it. Impeni- tency under the means is the worst sort of impenitency. I may say as Christ, Luke xiii. 5, ' Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish/ II. The argument or motive. Which we consider — (1.) As pro- pounded ; (2.) As confirmed.
First, As propounded. Where note — (1.) The time, * He hath appointed a day wherein he will judge the world ; ' (2.) The manner, 'In righteousness;' (3.) The person, ' By that man whom he hath ordained.' These circumstances must be opened, and then we must consider how they make an ai-gumeut. For opening the circumstances.
1. The time appointed, but not revealed, ' He hath appointed a day.' The word day is not taken strictly for such a space of time as is usually signified by that notion, but it is put for a certain fixed space of time. The work cannot well be dispatched in twenty-four hours. There is judicium discussionis, ondi judicium relribuiio7iis, a judgment of search or trial, and a judgment of retribution. Though by the absolute power of God they may be commanded into their everlasting estate in an instant, yet the causes of the whole world cannot be discussed in an instant, especially when God designeth the full revelation of his justice in all his proceedings with men. Therefore, the apostle calleth that day, the day of * the revelation of the righteous judgment of God,' Eom. ii. 5. When this time will be we cannot tell, for God hath not revealed it : Mat. xxiv. 36, ' But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels in heaven, but my Father only ; ' and therefore it is curiosity to inquire, and rashness to determine : Acts i. 7, ' It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father, hath put in his own power.' It is enough for us to believe the thing, which is not strange to reason, that God should call his creatures to an account. Natural conscience is terrified with the hearing of it : Acts xxiv. 25, 'As Paul reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled.' And the same guilty fears are incident to all man- kind : Eom. i. 32, ' Knowing the judgment of God ; ' they know also that they who have done such things as they have done are worthy of death. That we are God's subjects is evident to reason, becausewe depend upon him for life, being, and all things. That we have failed in our subjection to God, in denying the obedience due to him, is evident by the universal, daily, and sad experience of the whole world ; that error and sin will not take place to all eternity, but that there must be some time when the disorders of the world shall be rectified ; is a
SERMON UPON ACTS XYU. 30, 31. 401
truth that easily maketh its own way iato the consciences of men, but is fully determined by the gospel.
2. For the manner, * He will judge the world in righteousness ; ' that is, then the whole world shall receive the fruit of their doings, whether they be good or evil. But doth God ever judge the world otherwise than in righteousness ? I cannot say that, for ' far be it from the judge of all the earth not to do right,' Gen. xviii. 25. He never doth anything unjustly or unrighteously now, but then he will fully manifest his righteousness. He now judgeth the world in patience, but then in righteousness. There is a difference between a defect of justice and a transgression of the rules of justice. There is no injustice in God's dispensations of present providence, but yet there is a defect, or not a full measure or manifest demonstration of his justice showed now on the godly or the wicked. Therefore it is said, Eccles. viii. 14, * There be just men to whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked ; and again, there be wicked men to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous.' He doth not pass this censure upon the wise and righteous providence of God, but either speaketh according to the judgment of flesh and blood, which is apt to judge hardly of so strange a distribution, or according to the visible appearance of things, when evil things happen to good men, or good things to evil men. For outward things being not absolutely good and evil, are dispensed promiscuously, and in the day of trial God hath his end in these things, for humbling and exercising the good, and hardening the wicked : but in the day of recompense, then it shall be only ill with them that do evil, and well with them that do good, and the retributions of his justice shall be fully evidenced.