about it.

leged against them to their con-that though the making known of demnation?" This," says Dr. sin that is subdued and forgiven, Ridgley, "is one of the secret tends to the advancement of Dithings which belong to God, which vine grace, yet it is sufficient to he has not so fully or clearly re-answer this end, as far as God vealed to us in his word; and designs it shall be answered, that therefore we can say little more the sins which have been subdued than what is matter of conjecture and forgiven should be known to Some have thought that themselves, and thus forgiveness the sins of the godly, though for-afford matter of praise to God. given, shall be made manifest, that Again; the expressions of scripso the glory of that grace which ture, whereby forgiveness of sin has pardoned them may appear is set forth, are such as seem to more illustrious, and their obliga-argue that those sins which were tion to God for this farther enhan-forgiven shall not be made maniced. They also think, that the jus-fest: thus they are said to be tice of the proceedings of that day blotted out, Is. xliii, 25, covered, requires it, since it is presumed Ps. xxxii, 1. subdued, and cast into and known by the whole world that the depths of the sea, Micah vii, 19, they were prone to sin, as well as and remembered no more, &c. Jer, others; and, before conversion, as xxxi, 34. Besides, Christ's being a great sinners as any, and after it judge, doth not divest him of the their sins had a peculiar aggrava-character of an advocate, whose tion. Therefore, why should not part is rather to conceal the they be made public, as a glory crimes of those whose cause he due to the justice and holiness pleads, than to divulge them: and "of God, whose nature is oppo-to this we may add, that the law site to all sin? And this they far-which requires duty, and forbids ther suppose to be necessary, that the contrary sins, is not the rule so the impartiality of Divine Jus-by which they who are in Christ tice may appear. Moreover, are to be proceeded against, for since God, by recording the sins then they could not stand in judgof his saints in scripture, has per-ment; but they are dealt with acpetuated the knowledge thereof;cording to the tenor of the gosand if it is to their honour that pel, which forgives and covers the sins there mentioned were re-all sin. And, farther, it is arpented of, as well as forgiven, gued that the public declaring of why may it not be supposed that all their sins before the whole the sins of believers shall be made world, notwithstanding their inknown in the great day? And, terest in forgiving grace, would besides, this seems agreeable to fill them with such shame as is those expressions of every word, hardly consistent with a state of and every action, as being to be perfect blessedness. And, lastbrought into judgment, whether ly, the principal argument init be good, or whether it be bad. sisted on is, that our Saviour, in "But it is supposed by others, Matt. xxv, in which he gives a

particular account of the pro-||scend from the air with Christ. ceedings of that day, makes no The place where, however, is of mention of the sins, but only com-no consequence, when compared mends the graces of his saints." with the state in which we shall As to the wicked, they shall appear. And as the scriptures rebe judged, and all their thoughts, present it as certain, Eccl. xi, 9. words, and deeds, be brought into universal, 2d Cor. v, 11. righteous, judgment, Ecc. xii, 14. The fall-Rom. ii, 5. decisive, 1st Cor. xv, en angels, also, are said to be re- 52, and eternal as to its conseserved unto the judgment of the quences, Heb. vi, 2. let us be great day, Jude 6. They shall re-concerned for the welfare of our ceive their final sentence, and be immortal interests, flee to the reshut up in the prison of hell, Rev. fuge set before us, improve our xx, 10. Matt. viii, 29. precious time, depend on the me

IV. As to the rule of judgment: rits of the Redeemer, and adhere we are informed the books will be to the dictates of the Divine word, opened, Rev. xx, 12.-1. The that we may be found of him in book of divine omniscience, Mal. peace. Bates's Works, p. 449; Biiii, 5, or remembrance, Mal. iii, shop Hopkins and Stoddard on the 16.-2. The book of conscience. Last Judgment; Gill's Body of DiRom. i, 15.-3. The book of Pro-vinity, 467, vol. ii, 8vo.; Boston's vidence, Rom. ii, 4, 5.-4. The Fourfold State; Hervey's Works, book of the scriptures, law, and new edition, p. 72, 75, vol. i; 156, gospel, John xii, 48. Rom. ii, 16. vol. iv; 82, 233, vol. iii. Rom. ii, 12.-5. The book of life, JUDGMENTS OF GOD, are Luke x, 20. Rev. iii, 5. Rev. xx, the punishments inflicted by him 12, 15. for particular crimes. The scrip-'

V. As to the time of judgment:tures give us many awful inthe soul will be either happy or stances of the display of Divine miserable immediately after death, Justice in the punishment of nabut the general judgment will not tions, families, and individuals, for be till after the resurrection, Heb. their iniquities. See Gen. vii. ix, 27. There is a day appointed, Gen. xix, 25. Exod. xv. Judges i, Acts xvii, 31, but it is unknown 6, 7. Acts xii, 23. Esther v, 14, with ch. vii, 10. 2d Kings xi.

to men.

VI. As to the place: this also Lev. x, 1, 2. Acts v, 1 to 10. Is. is uncertain. Some suppose it xxx, 1 to 5. 1st Sam. xv, 9. 1st will be in the air, because the Kings xii, 25, 33. It becomes us, Judge will come in the clouds of however, to be exceedingly cauheaven, and the living saints will tious how we interpret the severe then be changed, and the dead and afflictive dispensations of Prosaints raised, and both be caught vidence. Dr. Jortin justly obup to meet the Lord in the air, 1st serves, that there is usually much Thess. iv, 16, 17. Others think rashness and presumption in proit will be on the earth, on the nouncing that the calamities of sinnew earth, on which they will de-ners are particular judgments of

God; yet, saith he, if from sacred ||one hundred years the whole faand profane, from ancient and mily was extinct.

modern historians, a collection Herod Antipas, who beheaded were made of all the cruel perse- John the Baptist, and treated cuting tyrants who delighted in Christ contemptuously when he tormenting their fellow creatures, was brought before him, was deand who died not the common feated by Aretas, an Arabian death of all men, nor were king, and afterwards had his dovisited after the visitation of all minions taken from him, and was men, but whose plagues were hor- sent into banishment along with rible and strange, even a sceptic his infamous wife Herodias, by would be moved at the evidence, the emperor Caius.

and would be apt to suspect that Herod Agrippa killed James the it was vr, that the hand of brother of John, and put Peter in God was in it. As Dr. Jortin prison. As Dr. Jortin prison. The angel of the Lord was no enthusiast, and one who soon after smote him, and he would not overstrain the point, was eaten of worms, and gave we shall here principally follow up the ghost.

him in his enumeration of some Judas, that betrayed our Lord, of the most remarkable instances. died, by his own hands, the most Herod the Great was the first ignominious of all deaths. persecutor of Christianity. He Pontius Pilate, who condemnattempted to destroy Jesus Christ ed our blessed Saviour to death, himself, while he was yet but a was not long afterwards deposed child, and for that wicked pur- from his office, banished from his pose slew all the male children country, and died by his own that were in and about Beth-hands, the Divine vengeance lehem. What was the conse-overtaking him soon after his quence? Josephus hath told us: crime.

he had long and grievous suf- The high priest, Caiaphas, was ferings, a burning fever, a vo- deposed by Vitellius, three years racious appetite, a difficulty of after the death of Christ. Thus breathing, swellings in his limbs, this wicked man, who condemned loathsome ulcers within and with- Christ for fear of disobliging the out, breeding vermin, violent tor-Romans, was ignominiously turnments and convulsions, so that he ed out of his office by the Roman endeavoured to kill himself, but governor whom he had sought to was restrained by his friends. oblige. The Jews thought these evils to be Ananias, the high priest, perDivine judgments upon him for secuted St. Paul, and insolently his wickedness. And what is ordered the by-standers to smite still more remarkable in his case him on the mouth. Upon which is, he left a numerous family the apostle said, God shall smite of children and grand-children, thee, thou whited wall. Whether he though he had put some to death, spake this prophetically or not, and yet in about the space of may be difficult to say; but cer

tain it is, that sometime after he though he was only turned out of was slain, together with his bro-his office by the Romans, yet he ther, by his own son. ell into a complicated and incu

Ananus, the high priest, slew rable disease, being sorely torSt. James the Less; for which and mented both in body and mind. other outrages he was deposed by He was dreadfully terrified, and king Agrippa the younger, and continually crying out that he probably perished in the last de- was haunted by the ghosts of those struction of Jerusalem. whom he had murdered; and, not Nero, in the year sixty-four, being able to contain himself, he turned his rage upon the Chris-leaped out of his bed, as if he tians, and put to death Peter and were tortured with fire and put Paul, with many others. Four to the rack. His distemper inyears after, in his great distress, creased till his entrails were all he attempted to kill himself; but corrupted, and came out of his being as mean-spirited and das-body; and thus he perished, as tardly as he was wicked and signal an example as ever was cruel, he had not the resolution to known of the Divine justice rendo that piece of justice to the dering to the wicked according to world, and was forced to beg as-their deeds.

sistance.

Caius, the Roman emperor, was Domitian persecuted the Chris-a great persecutor of the Jews and tians also. It is said he threw St. Christians, and a blasphemer of John into a caldron of boiling oil, the God of Heaven. Soon after and afterwards banished him into his atrocities, however, he was the isle of Patmos. In the fol-murdered by one of his own lowing year this monster of wick-people. edness was murdered by his own Severus, emperor of Rome, was people. a violent and cruel persecutor of

The Jewish nation persecuted, the followers of Christ. He, also, rejected, and crucified the Lord of and all his family, perished miser. glory. Within a few years after,||ably, about the year two hundred their nation was destroyed, and after our Saviour. the Lord made their plagues wonderful.

About the same time, Saturnius, governor of Afric, persecuted the Christians, and put se veral of them to death. Soon after, he went blind.

Flaccus was governor of Egypt, near the time of our Saviour's death, and a violent persecutor of the Jews. The wrath of God, Heliogabalus, the emperor, however, ere long overtook him, brought a new god to Rome, and and he died by the hands of would needs compel all his subviolence. jects to worship him. Catullus was governor of Lybia sure to have ended in about the year seventy-three. Hetion of the Christians. was also a cruel persecutor of the after, this vile monster was slain Jews, and he died miserably. For by his own soldiers, about the

This was a persecu But, soon

year two hundred and twenty-two.||perors, which should have the doClaudius Herminianus was acru- minion. These illustrious wretchel persecutor of the Christians ines seemed determined to blot out the second century; and he was the Christian race and name from eaten of worms while he lived. under heaven. The persecution

Decius persecuted the church was far more fierce and brutal than about the year two hundred and it had ever been. It was time, fifty: he was soon after killed in therefore, for the Lord Jesus battle. Christ, the great head of the church, Gullus succeeded, and continued to arise and plead his own cause: the persecution. He, too, was kil- and so, indeed, he did. The exled the year following. amples we have mentioned are Valerian, the emperor, had many dreadful these that follow are not good qualities; but yet he was an less astonishing, and they are all implacable enemy to the Lord Je-delivered upon the best authorities. sus Christ and his gospel. Some Dioclesian persecuted the church time after he came to the throne, in three hundred and three. After he was taken prisoner by Sapor, this nothing ever prospered with king of Persia, and used like a him. He underwent many trouslave and a dog; for the Persian bles: his senses became impaired; monarch, from time to time, ob- and he quitted the empire. liged this unhappy emperor to bow Severus, another persecuting emhimself down, and offer him his peror, was overthrown and put back, on which to set his foot, in to death in the year three hundred order to mount his chariot or his and seven. horse. He died in this miserable About the same time, Urbanus, state of captivity. governor of Palestine, who had Emilian, governor of Egypt, signalized himself by tormenting about two hundred and sixty-three, and destroying the disciples of Jewas a virulent persecutor of the sus, met with his due reward; for church of Christ. He was soon almost immediately after the cruafter strangled by order of the em-elties committed, the Divine venperor. geance overtook him. He was unAurelian, the emperor, just in-expectedly degraded and deprived tending to begin a persecution of all his honours; and dejected, against the followers of Christ, was dispirited, and meanly begging for killed in the year two hundred and seventy-four.

Maximinus was a persecutor of the church. He reigned only three years, and then fell under the hands of violence.

About the year three hundred was the greatest possible contest between Christ and the Roman em

mercy, was put to death by the same hand that raised him.

Firmilianus, another persecuting governor, met with the same fate. Maximianus Herculius, another of the wretched persecuting emperors, was compelled to hang himself in the year three hundred and ten.

Maximianus Gelerius, of all the