Two treatises tending to awaken secure sinners viz., 1. The terror of the day…

VII. For the seventh Head, What will be the Cause of the Day to be enqu•ed after? what the Accusation, and what the Defence?

Answ. This may be gathered from what was last said, The great Cause of the Day will be to enquire and determine who shall die and who shall live, who ought to go to Heaven, and who to Hell for ever, according to the Law by which they must then be judged.

1. As there is a twofold Law by which they must be judged, so will there then be a twofold Accusation. The first will be that they were Sinners, and so having violated the Law of God, they deserve everlasting Death according to that Law: If no Defence could be made, this one Accusation would condemn all the World; for it is most certain that all are Sinners, and as certain that all Sin deserveth Death. The only Defence against this Accusation •ieth in this Plea; confessing the Charge, we must plead that Christ hath satisfied for Sins, and upon that Consideration God hath forgiven us; and therefore being forgiven, we ought not to be punished: To prove this we must show the Pardon under God's Hand in the Gospel. But because this pardoning ⟨p. 15⟩donning Act of the Gospel doth forgive none but those that repent and believe, and so return to God, and to sincere Obedience for the time to come; therefore the next Accusation will be, that we did not perform these Conditions of Forgiveness; and therefore being Unbelievers, Impenitent and Rebels against the Redeemer, we have no right to Pardon, but by the Sentence of the Gospel are liable to a greater Punishment for this Contempt of Christ and Grace. This Accusation is either true or false: where it is true, God and Conscience, who speak the Truth, may well be said to be the Accusers: Where it is false, it can be only the Work of Satan the malicious Adversary, who, as we may see in Job's Case, will not stick to bring a false Accusation.