demnation, who was by us condemned to die, and died that he might absolve us; to cause all the sons of men to bow before his throne, who did not disdain for their sakes to stand before the tribunal, and receive that sentence, "Let him be crucified," (Matt. xxvii. 23.)* which event as infallible, and reason as irrefragable, Christ himself did shew at the same time when he stood before the judgment-seat, saying, "Nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven." (Matt. xxvi. 64.)

Again, if we look upon ourselves which are to be judged, whom can we desire to appear before, rather than him who is of the same nature with us? If the children of Israel could not bear the presence of God as a Lawgiver, but desired to receive the Law by the hand of Moses; how should we appear before the presence of that God judging us for the breach of that Law, were it not for a better Mediator, of the same nature that Moses was and we are, who is our Judge? In this appeareth the wisdom and goodness of God, that making a general judgment, he will make a visible Judge, which all may see who shall be judged. "Without holiness no man shall ever see God;" (Heb. xii. 14.) and therefore if God, as only God, should pronounce sentence upon all men, the ungodly should never see their Judge.+ But that both the righteous and unrighteous might see and know who it is that judgeth them, Christ, who is both God and man, is appointed Judge; so as he is man, all shall see him, and as he is God, they only shall see him who by that vision shall enjoy him.

Veniet Christus ut judicet, qui stetit sub judice: veniet in ea forma, in qua judicatus est, ut videant in quem pupugerunt. Cognoscant Judæi quem negaverunt convincat eos homo ille susceptus et ab eis crucifixus.' Auctor de Symb. ad Catech. 1. ii. c. 8. Veniet ergo, fratres mei, veniet: ille qui prius venit occultus, veniet in potestate manifestus: ille qui judicatus est, veniet judicaturus: ille qui stetit ante hominem, judicaturus est omnem hominem.' Idem, l. iii. c. 8. 'Judex hic erit filius hominis; forma illa hic judicabit quæ judicata est. Audite et intelligite, jam hoc Propheta dixerat, Videbunt in quem pupugerunt. Ipsam formam videbunt quam lancea percusserunt. Sedebit Judex qui stetit sub judice. Damnabit veros reos qui factus est falsus reus. Ipse veniet, forma illa veniet.' S. August. de Verbis Domin. Serm. 64. al. 127. §. 10.

Cum boni et mali visuri sunt judicem vivorum et mortuorum, proculdubio eum videre non poterunt mali, nisi secundum formam qua filius hominis est; sed tamen in claritate in qua judicabit,

non in humilitate in qua judicatus est. Cæterum illam Dei formam, in qua æqualis est Patri, proculdubio impii non videbunt. Non enim sunt mundicordes, Beati enim mundicordes, quoniam ipsi videbunt Deum.' S. August. de Trin. lib. i. c. 13. Hoc rectum erat, ut judicandi viderent judicem. Judicandi enim erant et boni et mali. Beati autem mundo corde, quoniam ipsi Deum videbunt. Restabat ut in judicio forma servi et bonis et malis ostenderetur, forma Dei solis bonis servaretur.' Idem, de verbis Dom. Serm. 64. al. 127. §. 10. Et potestatem dedit ei judicium facere, quia filius hominis est. Puto nibil esse manifestius. Nam quia Filius Dei est æqualis Patri, non accipit hanc potestatem judicii faciendi, sed habet illam cum Patre in occulto. Accepit autem illam, ut boni et mali eum videant judicantem, quia filius hominis est. Visio quippe filii hominis exhibebitur et malis. Nam visio formæ Dei non nisi mundis corde, quia ipsi Deum videbunt, id est, solis piis exhibebitur, quorum dilectioni hoc ipsum promittit, quia seipsum ostendet illis.' Idem, de Trin. I. i. c. 13.

Christ Jesus then, the Son of God, and the Son of man, he which was born of the Virgin Mary, he which suffered under Pontius Pilate, he which was crucified, dead, and buried, and descended into hell, he which rose again from the dead, ascended into heaven, and is set down on the right hand of God: he, the same person, in the same nature, shall come to judge the quick and the dead. "For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father, with his angels, and then he shall reward every man according to his works." (Matt. xvi. 27.) He then who is to come, is the Son of man; and when he cometh, it is to judge. "The same Jesus which was taken up from the apostles into heaven, shall so come in like manner as they saw him go into heaven." (Acts i. 11.) That Son of man then, which is to judge, is our Jesus, even the same Jesus, and shall come in the same manner, by a true and local translation of the same nature out of heaven. For God will "judge the world in righteousness, by that man whom he hath ordained, whereof he hath given an assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead." (Acts xvii. 31.) He then which ascended into heaven, was the same which was raised from the dead; and by that resurrection God assured us, that the same man should judge us. "For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be the Lord both of the dead and living." (Rom. xiv. 9.) It appeareth therefore, by God's determination, by Christ's resurrection and ascension, that the man Christ Jesus is appointed Judge.

This office and dignity of the Son of man was often declared by several figurative and parabolical descriptions. John the Baptist representeth him "that cometh after" him, by this delineation of a husbandman: "whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner, but will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." (Matt. iii. 12.)* The Son of man describes himself as a householder, saying to the reapers in the time of harvest, "Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn:" and this "harvest is the end of the world." (Matt. xiii. 30. 39.)+ He representeth himself under the notion of a fisherman, "casting a net into the sea, and gathering of every kind; which, when it was full, he drew to the shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away." (Matt. xiii. 47, 48.) He is the bridegroom who took the wise virgins "with him to the marriage," and shut the door upon the foolish. (Matt. xxv. 10.) He is the man, who, travelling into a far country, delivered the talents to his servants; and "after a long time cometh

* ̓Ανωτέρω μὲν τὴν κόλασιν εἶπεν· ἐνταῦθα δὲ καὶ τὸν κριτὴν δείκνυσι, καὶ τὴν τιμωρίαν àÐávarov siσáyɛ.. S. Chrysost. Hom. 11. ad

loc.

† Πάλιν ἀναμιμνήσκει αὐτοὺς τῶν Ἰωάν νου ῥημάτων τῶν κριτὴν αὐτὸν εἰσαγόντων. 5. Chrysost. Hom. 46. in Matt. iii. 30.

again, and reckoneth with them," exalting the "good and faithful," and casting "the unprofitable servant into outer darkness." (Ibid. 19. 21. 30.) Lastly, he is the shepherd, and is so expressly described in relation to his judgment. For "when the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory. And before him shall be gathered all nations; and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats. And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, and the goats on his left." (Ibid. 31-33.) Being then the Son of man is thus constantly represented as making the great decretory separation, and the last judicatory distinction between man and man; as a husbandman separating the wheat, some time from the chaff, some time from the tares; as a fisherman gathering the good fish, casting the bad away; as a bridegroom receiving the wise, excluding the foolish virgins; as a master distinguishing the servants of his family, rewarding the faithful, punishing the unprofitable; as a shepherd dividing his sheep from the goats, placing one on the right hand, the other on the left: it plentifully proveth that the Son of man is appointed the Judge of all the sons of men. And thus it appeareth that Christ is he who shall be the Judge; which is the second consideration subservient to the present explication. Thirdly, It being thus resolved that the Son of man shall be the Judge, our next consideration is, what may the nature of this judgment be; in what that judicial action doth consist; what he shall then do, when he shall come to judge. The reality of this act doth certainly consist in the final determination, and actual disposing of all persons in soul and body to their eternal condition: and in what manner this shall particularly be performed, is not so certain unto us ;* but that which is sufficient for us, it is represented under a formal judiciary process. In which first there is described a throne, a tribunal, a judgment-seat: for "in the regeneration the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory:" (Matt. xix. 28.) and that this throne is a seat not only of majesty but also of judicature, appeareth by the following words spoken to the apostles, "Ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel." (Ibid.) As in that vision in the Revelation, "I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them. And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away." (Rev. xx. 4. 11.) This throne of Christ is expressly called his judgment-seat, when the apostle tells us, "we shall all stand before the judgment-seat of Christ," (Rom. xiv. 10.) St Augustin speaking of the particulars foretold to be exhibited at the day of judgment, concludes them in this manner: Quæ omnia quidem ventura esse credendum est: sed quibus modis et quo ordine veniant, magis tunc docebit rerum experientia, quam nunc valet consequi ad perfectum hominum intelligentia.' De Civit. Dei, 1. xx. c. 30. §. 5.

and "we must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ." (2 Cor. v. 10.) In respect then of the Son of man, he shall appear in the proper form and condition of a Judge, sitting upon a throne of judicature. Secondly, there is to be a personal appearance of all men before that seat of judicature upon which Christ shall sit; for we must all appear, and we shall all stand before that judgment-seat. "I saw the dead (saith the apostle) stand before the throne of God." (Rev. xx. 12.) Thus" all nations shall be gathered before him." (Matt. xxv. 32.) "He shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." (Matt. xxiv. 31.) For the "coming of our Lord Jesus Christ is our gathering together unto him." (2 Thess. ii. 1.) Thirdly, when those which are to be judged, are brought before the judgment-seat of Christ, all their actions shall appear: "he will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts :" (1 Cor. iv. 5.) he will "bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil." (Eccles. xii. 14.) To this end, in the vision of Daniel, when " the judgment was set, and the books were opened;" (vii. 10.) and in that of St. John, "the books were opened; and the dead were judged out of those things that were written in the books, according to their works. (Rev. xx. 12.) Fourthly, after the manifestation of all their actions, there followeth a definitive sentence passed upon all their persons according to those actions, which is the fundamental and essential consideration of this judgment: the sentence of absolution, in these words expressed, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;" (Matt. xxv. 34.) the sentence of condemnation in this manner, "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." (Ibid. 41.) Lastly, after the promulgation of the sen tence, followeth the execution; as it is written, "And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal." (Ibid. 46.) Thus appeareth Christ's majesty by sitting on the throne; his authority, by convening all before him; his knowledge and wisdom, by opening all secrets, revealing all actions, discerning all inclinations; his justice, in condemning sinners; his mercy, in absolving believers; his power, in his execution of the sentence. And thus the Son of man shall come to judge, which is the last particular subservient to the third consideration of this Article.

The fourth and last consideration is, what is the object of this action; who are the persons which shall appear before

Dominus non accepta persona judicat mundum; unusquisque secundum quæ fecit accipiet. Si fuerit bonus, bonitas eum antecedit; si nequam, merces nequitiæ eum sequitur.' Ep. Barnab, c. 4.

that Judge, and receive their sentence from him; what is the latitude of that expression, the quick and the dead. The phrase itself is delivered several times in the Scriptures, and that upon the same occasion: for Christ was "ordained of God to be the judge of quick and dead," (Acts x. 42.) and so his commission extendeth to both; he "is ready to judge the quick and the dead," (1 Pet. iv. 5.) his resolution reacheth to each; and as he is ordained and ready, so "shall he judge the quick and the dead," (2 Tim. iv. 1.) the execution excludeth neither. But although it be the Scripture language, and therefore certainly true; yet there is some ambiguity in the phrase, and therefore the intended sense not evident.

The Holy Ghost speaketh of death in several notions, which makes the quick and the dead capable of several interpretations. Because after death the soul doth live, and the body only remaineth dead; therefore some have understood the souls of men by the quick, and their bodies by the dead:* and then the meaning will be this, that Christ shall come to judge immediately upon the resurrection, when the souls which were preserved alive, shall be joined to the bodies which were once dead; and so men shall be judged entirely, both in body and soul, for all those actions which the soul committed in the body. Now though this be a truth, that men shall be judged when their souls and bodies are united; though they shall be judged according to those works, which their souls have acted in their bodies; yet this is not to be acknowledged as the interpretation of this Article, for two reasons: first, Because it is not certain that all men shall die, at least a proper death, so that their bodies shall be left at any time without their souls: secondly, Because this is not a distinction of the parts of man, but of the persons of men.

Again, Because the Scripture often mentioneth a death in trespasses and sins, and a living unto righteousness, others have conceived by the quick to be understood the just,† and by the dead the unjust so that Christ shall judge the quick, that is, the. just, by a sentence of absolution; and the dead, that is, the unjust, by a sentence of condemnation. But though the dead be sometimes taken for sinners, and the living for the righteous, though it be true that Christ shall judge them both; yet it is not probable that in this particular they should be taken in a figurative or metaphorical sense, because

So Theophylact testifieth: Tès dè καὶ ψυχὰς καὶ σώματα ἐνόησαν. Comment. in 2 Tim. iv. 1. Indeed Isidorus Pelusiota giveth this as the first interpretation: Tò κρίνεσθαι ζῶντας καὶ νεκροὺς, τοῦτό ἐστι, τὸ καὶ ψυχὴν καὶ σῶμα εἰς κρίσιν ἐλεύσεσθαι, καὶ οὔτε ἓν θατέρου κεχωρισμένον· ἀλλ ̓ ὥσπερ κοινὴν τὴν ἐνταῦθα συνάφειαν ἐποιήσαντο, οὕτω καὶ τὴν ἐκεῖθεν δίκην ἡνωμένως ὑφέξουσιν. Epist. 222. 1. i.

This is the second exposition delivered by Isidorus Pelusiota to such as are not satisfied with the first : Εἰ δὲ καὶ ἄλλως ζητεῖς, οὕτω διάκριναι, ζῶντας, τοὺς ἀείζωον βίον καὶ Θεοφιλῆ μετελθόντας, καὶ ἀποδοῦναι αὐτοῖς ἀτελευτήτους ἀμοιβὰς, κρῖναι τοὺς νεκρο θέντας τοῖς ἁμαρτήμασι, καὶ τὸ δοθὲν αὐτοῖς τάλαντον ὡς ἐν τάφῳ τῇ ἑαυτῶν καταχώσαντας ῥαθυμίᾳ, καὶ ἀμύνασθαι αὐτούς. Εpist. 222. 1. i.