appearing without spot before him, and having now nothing that may be offensive to his holy eye, or denote them unmeet for the relation which they stand in to him, and the blessings which they shall enjoy with him.

Moreover, it is said that he shall openly acquit them, i. edeclare publicly, that he has given satisfaction for all their offences; and therefore they are for ever pronounced clear from the guilt thereof. And, as it was before observed, it is not improbable, that their former sins shall not be so much as mentioned, being all covered; and if sought for, shall not be found: but it is certain, that if they shall be mentioned, it shall not be to their confusion or condemnation; for it shall be declared, that the justice of God has nothing to lay to their charge; and, as the consequence thereof, they shall be delivered from that fear, shame, and distress, which they had before been subject to, through the afflicting sense of the guilt and prevalency of sin: however, when they are represented as thus acquitted, this does not suppose that their sins were not fully pardoned before, or that justification in this life, is imperfect, as to what concerns their right to forgiveness, or eternal life. The debt was fully cancelled, and a discharge given into Christ's hands, in the behalf of all his elect, on his making satisfaction to the justice of God; but this was not their visible discharge; and not being a declared act, it could not be claimed by, nor was it applied to them till they believed; and then they might say, Who shall lay any thing to our charge? it is God that justifieth*: nevertheless, their justification, as it is declared to, and apprehended by faith, could not be said to be in all respects, so apparent, nor attended with those comfortable fruits and effects, which are the consequence hereof, as it is when they are pronounced justified by Christ at death; and even then the discharge is not so open and visible to the whole world, as it shall be in the day of judgment.

II. It is farther said, that they shall join with Christ in judging of reprobate angels and men: this is very often asserted by those who treat on this subject; and it seems to be taken from the sense which is commonly given of the apostle's words in 1 Cor. vi. 2, 3. Know ye not that saints shall judge the world; and, know ye not that the saints shall judge angels? However, we must take heed, if we apply that scripture to the case before us, that we do not advance any thing that tends, in the least, to derogate from the glory of Christ, who only is fit for, and appointed to perform this great work: therefore, if we suppose that the apostle is here speaking concerning the judgment of the great day, the saints are said to judge the world in a less proper sense; but whatever be the sense in which we explain it, we must not think that they shall be assessors with Christ in Or, shall God, who justifieth?

his throne of judgment: it is one thing for them to be near his throne in the capacity and station of favourites; and another thing for them to be in it: if they are in any sense said to judge the world, it must not be understood, as though the trying of the cause, or passing the sentence, were committed to them; but rather of their approving what Christ shall do this they are represented as doing, when Christ is set forth as judging the great whore, Rev. xix. 2. namely, the anti-christian powers; they so far join with him herein, as that they ascribe glory and honour to him, and say, Righteous are his judgments.

And there is another sense in which some understand this scripture, concerning the saints judging the world, as denoting that the public mention which shall be made of the graces of the saints, their faith, repentance, love to God, and universal holiness, will have a tendency to condemn those whose conversation in this world has been the reverse thereof. Their hav

ing forsaken all, and followed Christ, and accounted all things but loss, that they might win him. The choice which they have made of suffering rather than sinning, which appears to be an instance of the highest wisdom, shall condemn the wickedness and folly of those, who have exposed themselves to inevitable ruin and misery, by being otherwise-minded. Thus Noah is said to have condemned the world by his faith, Heb. xi. 7. when, in obedience to the divine command, he prepared an ark to the saving of his house, which the world then thought to be the most preposterous action that ever was performed, though they were afterwards, to their cost, convinced of the contrary. And the men of Nineveh, and the queen of the South, are said to rise up in the judgment with that generation, and condemn it, Matt. xii. 41, 42. (to wit, objectively, rather than formally.) as their respective behaviour tended to expose the impenitency and unbelief of the Jews, whom Christ there reproves. If the saints judging the world, be taken in either of these senses, it is an undoubted truth: but more than this we dare not assert.

Nevertheless, we may take occasion to enquire, whether that text, on which this doctrine is founded, may not be explained in another sense, as denoting some privilege which the saints were to enjoy in this world, when the empire should become Christian; and accordingly, magistrates and judges should be chosen out of the church, in which respect they should judge the world. This seems, to me, the most probable sense of the apostle's words, as an excellent and learned writer understands them *; and it is very agreeable to the context, in which they are dissuaded, in ver. 1. from going to law before the unjust, and not before the saints, as signifying the inexpediency of ex• Vid. Wits. in Symb. Exercit. 2. § 18-20. 3 C

VOL. III.

posing those controversies, that ought to be compromised in the church, before Heathen-magistrates, as though they thought themselves unfit to judge the smallest matters, of which he here speaks, not of capital offences, which were to be tried only by the civil magistrate; and to enforce this advice, he says, Know ye not that the saints shall judge the world.

Obj. 1. It is objected to this sense of the text; that, at the same time when the saints are said to judge the world, he speaks of them as judging angels; which comes not within the province of civil magistrates; though we suppose them to be Christians.

Answ. To this it may be replied, that when the apostle speaks of the saints judging angels; this is brought in occasionally, the former sense of judging being more agreeable to the context. But since he is insisting on an honour that should be conferred on the church, he farther enlarges on that subject, and so speaks of their judging angels, as denoting that the consequence and success of the gospel would be an evident conviction to the world, that the Devil's empire was weakened, that he had no right to reign over the children of disobedience, as he before had done. Thus our Saviour speaks of Satan's kingdom being destroyed by the preaching and success of the gospel, when he says, Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the prince of this world be cast out,' John xii. 31. And elsewhere it is said, 'Now is come salvation and strength, ⚫ and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ; ' for the accuser of our brethren is cast down,' Rev. xii. 10. Moreover, the apostle may have a particular reference to their power of casting out devils, not only in that, but in some folJowing ages, as our Saviour, promised they should have, before he left the world, Mark xvi. 17. which is known to have continued in the church till the third century *.

Obj. 2. There is another scripture which seems to favour this opinion, namely, that the saints shall judge the world in the last day, viz. our Saviour's words, in Matt. xix. 28, 'Ye 'which have followed me in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit on the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel;' and that which makes this sense more probable, is what he speaks of in the following verse, as a reward which they, who had • forsaken all for his name's sake,' should enjoy, namely, 'ye 'shall receive an hundred fold, and shall inherit everlasting 'life.'

Answ. To this it may be replied, that our Saviour, in one of these verses, may, without any strain on the sense of the words, be understood as giving them to expect some honours • See Vol. I. Page 286.

that should be conferred on them here, and in the other, those which they should receive in another world: As to the honours which were to be conferred on them here, namely, their sitting on thrones, &c. This is said to be in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit on the throne of his glory,' that is, not when the Son of man shall come to judgment; but when he shall enter into his state of exaltation, and sit at God's righthand. And inasmuch as this was to be done for them in the regeneration, it seems most applicable to the gospel-state; in which, as the apostle says, "Old things are past away; behold, 'all things are become new,' 2 Cor. v. 17. agreeable to what is foretold by the prophet, Behold I create new heavens and ' a new earth,' Isa. lxv. 17. which may well be called the regeneration. And, as for the apostles sitting on thrones, that may signify the spiritual honours that should be conferred upon them; so that however they might be despised by the world, they should be reckoned, by all that entertain just notions of things, the chief and most honourable men of the earth. And, as to what respects their judging the twelve tribes of Israel, that may be understood of their convicting the Jews, and condemning them for their unbelief in crucifying Christ, and rejecting and persecuting the gospel. This they might be said to do, partly in the exercise of their ministry, and partly in the success thereof, and, indeed, the gospel may be said to judge men when it convicts and reproves them. If this be the sense of the text, then it does not respect any honours which the apostles should be advanced to in the day of judgment; and consequently it does not appear from hence, that they, any more than other saints, shall bear a part in judging the world, either of angels or men.

III. The saints shall be received into heaven. This includes in it their being brought into a glorious place, and state. Thus the apostle calls it, An house not made with hands, 2 Cor. v. 1. which, doubtless, far exceeds all the other parts of the creation: For, as the earthly paradise far exceeded all other places in this world, being planted immediately by God, and furnished with every thing which might be delightful and entertaining for man, for whom it was designed: so this must be supposed to be the most glorious part of the frame of nature, as being designed to be the place of the eternal abode of the best of creatures; and indeed, whatever is called heaven in scripture, comes short of it, this being styled, the heaven of heavens, Psal. cxlviii. 4. it is also particularly described as God's throne, Isa. lxvi. 1. the place of his immediate residence, where he displays his glory in an extraordinary manner. As for that particular part of the universe, in which it is situate, it is neither possible, nor of any advantage for us to determine, any

otherwise than as it is described, as being above this lower world. But the principal thing to be considered, is, the glory of the state, into which the saints shall there be brought; which is set forth in this answer, by variety of expressions.

1. Herein they shall be fully, and for ever, freed from all sin and misery; which being inseparably connected, they are delivered from both at once. As to what respects the guilt of sin, this includes in it not only their being for ever discharged from the guilt of past sins, which is contained in their being openly acquitted, as was before observed, but their not contracting guilt for the future; accordingly they are put into such a state as that they shall be disposed, and enabled to yield sinless obedience; and as they are presented without spot and blemish before God, they shall never contract the least defilement, or do any thing which shall render them unineet for that glory, to which they are advanced, afford matter of reproach to them, or provoke God to cast them out of that place which cannot entertain any but sinless creatures. Therefore it differs not only from that sinless state in which man was created at first, but that in which the angels were created, who were not all confirmed in their state of holiness, so as to render it impossible for any of them to fall; but this is the happiness of glorified saints.

And we may also infer from hence, that there shall be no temptations to sin; none arising from themselves, since there are no lusts, or remainders of corruption, to draw them aside from God; and no temptations from others, since they are all made perfectly holy. The soul meets with no temptations from the body, as it often did, while it was subject to the infirmities of nature, in this imperfect state. It shall never be liable to any weakness, weariness, stupidity, nor any of those diseases with which it is now oppressed; so that the soul shall never meet with any temptations arising from thence, inasmuch as the happiness of the body consists in its subserviency to it, in all those things that may tend to promote its compleat blessedness, Moreover, they are also considered as delivered from all misery, whether personal, or relative. The afflictions of believers are confined to this present state; therefore in heaven God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are pass'ed away,' Rev. xxi. 4. and nothing remains that may tend to abate their happiness, or render the state in which they are, imperfect.

2. They shall be filled with inconceivable joys. Thus our Saviour says to the man in the parable, who had improved the talents he had been entrusted with; Enter thou into the joy of