The Judge will not only declare justice, but he will do justice between ministers and their people. He will declare what is right between them, approving him that has been just and faithful, and condemning the unjust; and perfect truth and equity shall take place in the sentence which he passes, in the rewards he bestows and the punishments which he inflicts. There shall be a glorious reward to faithful ministers: to those who have been successful: Dan. xii. 3, “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever;” and also to those who have been faithful, and yet not successful: Isa. xlix. 4, “Then I said, I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for naught: yet surely my judgment is with the Lord, and my reward with my God.” And those who have well received and entertained them shall be gloriously rewarded: Matt. x. 40, 41, “He that received you received me, and he that received me received him that sent me. He that received a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward, and he that received a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.” Such people, and their faithful ministers, shall be each other’s crown of rejoicing: 1 Thess. ii. 19, 20, “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing?
Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For ye are our glory and joy.” And in the text, We are your rejoicing, as ye also are ours, in the day of the Lord Jesus. But they that evil entreat Christ’s faithful ministers, especially in that wherein they are faithful, shall be severely punished: Matt. x. 14, 15, “And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.
Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the sinners of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city.” Deut. xxxiii. 8-11, “And of Levi he said, Let thy Urim and thy Thummim be with thy holy one.... They shall teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy law.... Bless, Lord, his substance, and accept the work of his hands: smite through the loins of them that rise against him, and of them that hate him, that they rise not again.” On the other hand, those ministers who are found to have been unfaithful shall have a most terrible punishment. See Ezek. xxxiii. 6; Matt. xxiii. 1-33.
Thus justice shall be administered at the great day to ministers and their people. And to that end they shall meet together, that they may not only receive justice to themselves, but see justice done to the other party: for this is the end of that great day, to reveal or declare the righteous judgment of God, Rom. ii. 5. Ministers shall have justice done them, and they shall see justice done to their people: and the people shall receive justice and see justice done to their minister. And so all things will be adjusted and settled forever between them; everyone being sentenced and recompensed according to his works, either in receiving and wearing a crown of eternal joy and glory or in suffering everlasting shame and pain.
I come now to the next thing proposed, viz.,
III. To give some reasons why we may suppose God has so ordered it, that ministers, and the people that have been under their care, shall meet together at the day of judgment, in such a manner and for such purposes.
There are two things that I would now observe:
1. The mutual concerns of ministers and their people are of the greatest importance.
The
Scripture declares, that God will bring every work into judgment with every
secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil. ’Tis fit that all the
concerns and all the behavior of mankind, both public and private, should be
brought at last before God’s tribunal, and finally determined by an infallible
Judge: but it is especially requisite that it should be thus, as to affairs of
very great importance.
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