The Nineteenth Lord’s Day

19 The Nineteenth Lord’s Day
Matthew 25:31-39
When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. “And before him will be gathered all Nations, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. “And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 
“Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: ‘for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; ‘I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ 
“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? ‘When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? ‘Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’
In this passage, the acts or procedure of the last day are expounded. There are two parts: Christ’s coming, and the end of his coming, which is the last judgment. In this last judgment, 1. The preparation for it is described. 2. The execution of the sentence. In the preparation, Christ’s majesty and glory in which he shall then appear, is chiefly set down here: 1. From his train and attendants that will wait upon him, consisting chiefly of the glorious Angels. 2. From his glorious throne. 3. From the effect of this coming; namely, the gathering together of all mankind, and separating the good from the bad.
The sentence to be pronounced is twofold: 1. Of salvation to the good. 2. Of condemnation to the evil. The sentence of salvation is declared, 1. From its causes; 2. From its adjuncts. The principal cause is God’s good will, which is shown 1. From the effect of that grace or favour that is the cause of our salvation, which is the blessing of God; 2. From the relation that arises from it, which is that of a Father giving an inheritance, and of a Son’s receiving it; 3. From the adjunct of time, that this salvation was not then first appointed for them, but it was prepared for them from the beginning of the world. The adjunct signs by which this salvation is declared, are good works — which are intended by the works of mercy described here.1 And these are amplified by that relation which these works have to Christ himself, while they are exercised towards his members. The sentence of condemnation is quite contrary to the former, handled by the comparison and proportion of similar things. The execution of the sentence is briefly set down in the last verse of this Chapter.2
Doctrine 1. The universal or general judgment is most certainly to come to pass. This judgment is called universal, so that it may be distinguished from that particular judgment which is exercised in some way on most men even in this life, and upon every one in particular when they pass out of this life. For this comprehends all men together, and therefore it is called universal. It may also be called universal, or understood to be universal, because in this judgment, sentence shall be passed on the deeds of all men and angels, and on matters generally, without any exception. It is also called the last judgment, because no new judgment is to be expected after it — only the execution of that judgment will follow.
1 This is concluded using a Trope, or borrowed manner of speaking, called Synecdoche by the learned, where the special is put for the general.
2 Matthew 25:46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
Reason 1 . Because before that time the judgment of God towards men is not completed and fully perfected; because in this life through God’s forbearance and long patience, evil men enjoy many good things, and good men are oppressed with many evils. From this consideration, even many of the Heathens gathered that rewards and punishments were more justly and equally to be distributed, where it would be ill with evil men, and not well at all; and it would go well with good men, and not ill at all. This reason also seems to be confirmed by our Lord himself, Luke 16:15; Luke 16:1 and by the Apostle Paul, 1 Corinthians 15:19.2Now after this life, while the Soul remains separate from the body, the judgment of God is not complete, nor fully accomplished, because it has not passed on the whole man in his full being, as he was in this life while he committed the things that were to be judged. Therefore another and fuller judgment follows and is to be looked for, than that judgment which is only on the departed souls; this last judgment shall certainly come in its own time.
Reason 2 . It is most convenient and agreeable to God’s glory, that God in and by Christ, in a most glorious manner, should make manifest before all, Angels as well as men, his mercy as well as his justice; that he might have the public and solemn glory of both mercy and justice; and this is the thing that will come to pass at that time, in that universal and last judgment.
Reason 3 . This belongs also to the glory of God, the joy of the faithful, and just confusion of the unfaithful: that they may see before their faces the promises and threatenings of God almost perfectly and accurately fulfilled, not only particularly on their own persons now in the body, as before death; but universally upon all others, both men and Angels — which shall only be when this last and universal judgment is held.
Use 1 . Of Information: that we take care to have our faith and hope solidly confirmed and strongly rooted about this article, lest we be in any way troubled with profane blasphemies and mockings of Infidels and Heathens, who first cast down and trample on the profession of this article by their life and manners; and then also fight and dispute against it by words and speeches, concerning whom we are warned by the Apostle St. Peter, 2 Peter 3:3-4, etc.3
Use 2. Of Admonition: that with all fear and trembling, we watch over our ways as those who certainly mind and look for the day of this judgment, 1 Peter 1:17; 2 Peter 3:11-12.4
1 Luke 16:15 And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God. 
2 1 Corinthians 15:19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.
3 2 Peter 3:3-4 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”
4 1 Peter 1:17 And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; 2 Peter 3:11-12 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?
Doctrine 2. Our Lord Jesus Christ will be Judge in this judgment. 
Reason 1. Because it belongs to his Kingly office and power, whereby he was made Lord and King, and had all judgment committed to him.
Reason 2 . Because Christ is the one from whom and by whom the faithful have salvation adjudged to them, even in this life; and from whom also unbelievers have death adjudged to them. Now it is the same judgment that in this life both ways have begun, and in the last judgment shall be fully manifested and perfected.
Reason 3 . Because it is at that time that Christ should fully and actually triumph over all enemies and opposite power, and crown all his own servants, soldiers, and adherents. And this is most conveniently and gloriously done in the form of public and solemn judgment.
Use . Of Consolation: chiefly to the faithful, because they shall have for their Judge the one whom they received as their Redeemer, Justifier, Sanctifier, and Intercessor or Advocate; and from whom therefore they may with all confidence expect all good.
Doctrine 3. Christ’s glory at that time shall be incomparable.
It appears from the Text that if the Angels that are so glorious shall then be his Ministers of State and attendants; and that his Throne with all the rest of that procedure shall be so glorious, then it must be that Christ himself is excellent in glory above all that we can think of.
Reason 1. Because the exercise of this judgment belongs to the manifestation of Christ’s highest exaltation.
Reason 2. Because the very end of his coming was to give glory to those who sought God in him. It is fitting then that Christ appears in greatest glory.
Reason 3 . The majesty of the supreme Judge of the world, and the terror and confusion of his enemies that they must be put to, require that he should come clothed in the greatest glory.
Use . Of Consolation: to the faithful, against the crosses and contempts to which they are liable in this world together with Christ; because just as now they are partakers of the cross of Christ, so then they shall be partakers of his glory.
Doctrine 4. In this judgment, the condition of the godly and ungodly shall be quite unlike and opposite to one another. 
This is taught in the Text by the separation of the sheep from the goats; by the right hand and the left; by come you blessed, and go you cursed. 
Reason 1. Because there is a great unlikeness and opposition in the lives and ways of the godly and ungodly while they are in this world.
Reason 2. Because there is a great dissimilitude or opposition between the promises that belong to the godly, and the threatenings that belong to the ungodly. 
Reason 3. Because there is great disparity and opposition between the manifestation of greatest mercy, and of the greatest execution of justice.
Use . Of Admonition: that we separate ourselves from ungodly men as much, and in such a manner as we can; that is, if we cannot separate ourselves in places, and yet we separate ourselves in our internal affections as well as our external conversation, then we should be as unlike them as can be in those things in which they are ungodly.
Doctrine 5. The cause of any blessing to the godly, is the mercy of God; but the cause of any curse to the ungodly, is their own fault.
This is clear in the Text when the godly are called blessed of the Father; but the ungodly are merely called you cursed, not of the Father, nor from the Father, nor from God; because though it is God that curses them, yet the first cause of this curse is in their sins.
Reason 1 . Because all good is from God who is the greatest good, and chiefly good in himself. But all evil of punishment arises from evil of fault; and this evil of fault is from the creature itself, breaking the Law and Order that God has set to it.
Reason 2. Because the blessing of life is the mere free gift of God; but the curse of death is the reward or wages of sin, Romans 6:23.
Reason 3 . Preservation from the curse, which is by God’s favour, is necessary for our blessing; but to incur the curse, nothing more is necessary than to neglect or contemn1 that way which leads to the blessing.
Use. Of Direction: that we may always give God the glory in every good thing that we either have, or seek, or look for; and always blame ourselves for any evil that befalls us.
Doctrine 6 . The blessing of the godly consists in the communion that they shall have with God in Christ; and the curse of the ungodly consists in the separation of them from such communion.
This is plain in the words, come you blessed, and go you cursed.
Reason 1 . Because this is the end to which all the godly look, desiring nothing more than to approach still nearer and nearer to God. The ungodly, on the contrary, shun nothing more than God, and such things in which God has appointed to show and impart his gracious and singular presence.
Reason 2 . Because man’s happiness not coming from man himself, is therefore to be sought from outside himself, and that is from his union or conjunction with the greatest good, and that is the cause and fountain of all good. Therefore of necessity it consists in communion with God; and from deprivation of this communion, the greatest misery must follow.
Reason 3 . Because the most perfect act of our life is that which is most closely and intimately carried towards God, as all that we do well consists in this: that in so doing, we live to God; and all misery must accompany the privation of such acting — its lack and absence.
Use. Of Direction: that even in this life we may wholly be taken up with this, to seek communion with God, and shun and take heed of all separation from him.
Doctrine 7. The certain signs and tokens of this blessing are good works; and the signs and tokens of this curse are evil works.
1 Look down on with disdain. This is largely and clearly laid open in the Text.
Reason 1 . Because good works came from the same grace or favour of God, from which the blessing itself comes upon them; and evil works, joined with obstinacy and impenitency, come from the same malice and malignancy which God has cursed and adjudged.
Reason 2. Because God, of his free grace, has promised the blessing for good works, and of his unspotted justice, he has appointed the curse for evil works.
Reason 3 . Because in good works there is a certain disposal and preparation of the way to obtain the blessing; and in evil works there is not only the preparation of a way, but of a deserving, or a meritorious cause even unto the curse.
Use . Of Admonition: that we take great care as to our actions through every part of our life, because according to their actions, men are either condemned or saved.1 For such as the life is, such is the end.
1 Ames is not saying that we are saved by our works, but as Doctrine 7 says, our works are the signs or tokens of our salvation, which is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Martin Luther — ‘We are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone.’ “Faith without works is dead,” James 2:2.