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great and small, all mult appear We fhall at the day of our Refairection appear in full beauty and ftrength, the old not be above thirty, nor their infants under the fame years: fay we fhall all appear before God in a perfect Age, as Adam was created at, which was a perfect man about thirty years old, or at the Age of our Saviour, when he died upon the Crofs, which was about thirty three years, as our Ancients affirm. And for the place where it hall be, it is imagined by divers good Di vines, and likewife by Thomas Aquinas, and all the School men, except Peter Lombard, and A lexander Hales, that it fhall be over the valley of Jehofaphat, by Mount Olives, which is near unto Jerufalem, eastward from the Temple, and as our Cofmographers defcribe it to be in the midft of the fuperficies of the Earth; and is very likely for four reasons.

Firft, To confirm this, the Scripture doth intimate fo much in plain words, I will gather together all Nations into the valley of Ichofaphat, and plead with them there, Joel 3. 1, 2. Caufe thy mighty one to come down, O Lord, let the Heathen be awaked, and come up to the valley of Jehofaphat, for there will I fit and judge all the Heatben round about, Joel 3. 11,

12.

Secondly, B caufe that as our Saviour was thereabouts crucified and put to open fhame, fo over this place his glorious Throne fhall be erected in the Air, when he fhall appear in Judgment to manifeft his power and glory; for it is meet that Chrift fhould in that place judge

judge the World with righteous Judgment, where he himself was ujftly Judged and Condemned: Likewife that car unto this valley was Mount Morta, where Abraham would have facrificed his Son Ifeac, as you may read Gen. 22. Alfa that Jacob faw the Angels afcending and defcending on a Ladder, Gen. 28. Alfo the Angel.,put up his Sword, and fire from Heaven barur the Sacrifice in Araunah's floor, 2 Sam. 24. Alfo near this place Solomon built the Temple, 2 Chron. 3. 1. Likewife this was near the place where he preached the Gofpel, fuffered his Paffion. and after entred into glory.

Thirdly, Becaufe feeing the Angels fhall be fent to gather together all the Elect from the 4 winds, from one end of the Heavens to the other; it is most probable that the place whither they fhall be gathered, is to be near to Jerufalem in the valley of Jehofaphat; and this valley was fo called at firft, from the great victory which the Lord gave Jehofaphat and his people over the Amorites, Moabites, and thofe of Mount Seir, which victory is a type of the final victory which the fupream Judge fhall give his Elect over all their Enemies in that place at the laft day.

Fourthly and Laftly, Because the Angels told the Difciples that as they faw Chrift afcend from Mount Olivet, which is over the valley of Jehofaphat, fo he fhall in like manner come down from Heaven; and this is the opinion as I have faid before, of the afore-mentioned School-Men and Authors.

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Now follows in the third place, the most efpecial and principal manner of all; namely, after what manner all Men fhall be judged in thefe words. And the Books shall be opened, &c. We know that earthly Judges are brought to the Affizes with great attendance. They be ing placed, the Prisoners are brought forth, they are called over one by one, and their In dictments are read, and Witneffes produced, and fo according to their offences they receive judgment: Even fo is the great day of the Lord. Chrift Jefus fhall come with ten thoufand of Angels, and before him fhall stand all Men and Women, both great and finall, then fhall the Books be brought forth. Indeed we fe, when an earthly Judge fits on the Bench, it holds a long time to try caufes: Such wit neffes and fuch evidences fhall be produced: But it shall not be fo at the last day: For when all Men fland at the Bar of Chrift's Judgment, they fhall be judged according to the written Record, even according to the Books, for they fhall then be opened.

Books, what is meant by them, Every Man's Confcience.

Now, if you would know what thefe Books be; it is cafy to know, for they be even the particular Confcience of every Man and Woman: Thy Confcience is the Book that shall be opened, and that fhall be as good as ten thoufand witneffes either to excufe or accufe thee before God: for there fhall need no more Witness; no other evidence against us at the last day, but our own Confcience. For as God hath his Book

of

of infinite knowledge, whereby he knoweth the fins and offences of all Men, as certainly as if they were written in a Book: So likewife he hath given unto every Man and Woman a Bock, their own Confcience, wherein are fully written all our thoughts, words, and deeds, to as non ? fhall efcape: David faith, Thou, O Lord, knoweft the Thoughts of my Heart long before I utter them. And then fhall be open'd trit, the Book of the Law, and then the Book of the Conference, by which all our Actions must be try'd and examin'd, for God keeps a Dook of all our particular Thoughts, tho' they were never to fwift, and it is call'd God's Book of Remembrance; ⚫ then the Book of our own Confcience shall be open'd, which is now fo clofed up in our Breafs, that no Eye on Earth but our own knows and perceives; thefe Books being opened, we fhall find then our Sins do agree in every Tile. Then there is a Book of Judgment, which this Sentence fhall be pronounced by: Then laft of all there is a Book of Life, in which all our Names are written, and that was the Book which Mofes's Z al did ecfire that his Namc might be blotted out, rather than his Matter's Name fhould be blafphemed. God's Book is unalterable, and cannot be changed or defaced by Time. Mark I pray you, before the Sentence is denounced the Books thall be opened, first the Book of the Law, and then the Book of our Confciences: the one hewing a Man what he fhould do, the other what he hath done. Against the Book of the Law none fall

to except; Pfal. 16. For the Commandments of the Lord are pure and righteous altogether: And as for the Book of Confcience, who can deny it, or except against it, feeing the Lord will then judge a mah not by another man's Con fcience, but by his own, which he hath always had in his own keeping, even in his bofom? Doct. 1. All our thoughts, words and works

must come to judgment.

Now feeing here what is meant by these Books, namely, every man's particular Confci ence: Let us come to fearch what are be things written in this Book; and fit what ufe we are to make unto our felves from this. Every Man's Book shall be opened, &c. First, in thefe Books are written the very thoughts of our hearts; none fo fecret, or fo clofe, but it is here recorded. Secondly, every ungodly speech, every idle word of our Mouth. Thirdly, every Act that men do, tho' never fo clofely done.

Thou haft fealed up all our fins in a bag, faith Jib, to fhew the exact kind of keeping them against that day of account. Surely if there be any thing in a man to be marvelled at, I muft needs confefs that this is a wonderful work of God, that he hath given to every man and woman a Confcience which is like unto a Book, in which are recorded all our thoughts, words, and works. A wicked man and an unchaft woman, how many thoufand vile and filthy thoughts have they in their minds night and day? their hearts burn in luft and uncleannefs; now they pass away, from them, they regard

them

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