separating, on the right hand, and on the left hand, to meet their everlasting doom. With thoughts all open, and hearts all naked, behold some exulting in triumph, and some shuddering in despair; before the all-searching eye of Him, who sitteth upon the throne, and the witnessing of the holy angels. Behold, on the left hand of the Judge, endeavouring to hide from the face of divine justice murderous Cain, and haughty Haman. See there, rich Dives, who had his good things on earth; and see there, traitorous Judas, who sold his Lord for thirty pieces of silver. Look on the right hand of the Judge, up near to the throne - there behold, in that bright cloud of glory, the first youthful martyr Abel; and Noah, the father of the second world. There walks faithful Mordecai, who wept at the king's gate; and there reclines humble Lazarus, who ate the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table. In this vast multitude, we shall meet the 'neighbours of our dwelling, the relatives of our house, the sharer of our joys, and yesterday's bride, and the newborn heir, the priest of the family, and the honour of our kindred.' There stand aghast, the lukewarm lip-professor, and the procrastinating almost Christian. There, those who thought religion want of spirit, and reproof the minister's craft. There, will the sinner see perishing soul, whom he has tempted to lewdness, or drunkenness, or perjury, by his loose discourse or deep dissembling, by scandal or a snare, by evil example or pernicious counsel, by malice or unwariness.' Here stand in hope, those who mourned over their sins, who made it their zealous, uniform endeavour to live soberly, and to warn sinners from the errors of their ways. shunned human vanities, and inhuman practices. Here, those whose generous projects were crushed in embryo, for want of power to execute them;' or whose noble actions were shaded under modesty; and whose characters never beamed in full beauty to mortal eyes. that poor Who 3. The Books of God's Remembrance are opened the Book of Life, and the Book of Death. On the one Roll, see the long black columns of sins, and underneath written He that is unjust, let him be unjust still. On the other Roll, see the sins crossed out by the red lines of pardon, and underneath written - He that is holy, let him be holy still. For God shall bring every work into judgment, every idle word which men shall speak, with every secret thing; whether it be good, or whether it be evil. The Judge's eye is fixed on each one in particular; it pierces through the naked breast into the heart shrinking with fearful tremblings. His voice is unlimited by the circles of air;' and his countenance bespeaks him inexorable.' The mild, mediatorial hour is past. Justice must strike, and Mercy cannot withhold his hands. Sinners will have three sorts of accusers; the Judge himself, whom they have rejected; their own consciences, which they have injured; and the devil, whom they have served. O then, when the sinner's heart is turned inside out, what hidden works of shame, dishonesty, treachery, and hypocrisy, will appear. Then will be produced, the disguise of lust, 'the malice of envy, the groans of the oppressed, the persecution of the saints, the cares of covetousness, the troubles of ambition, the insolences of traitors, the violences of rebels, the rage of anger, the uneasiness of impatience, and the restlessness of unlawful desires.' And then, will even the Christian's heart have to lament its follies and infirmities, the sins of youth and weakness of age, the imperfect grace and long omissions of duty, its scruples and fears, diffidences and pusillanimity, its evil intentions and little plots, its carnal confidences and too fond adherences to the world, its wilder joys and freer meals, its loss of time and too apt compliances, and little peevishnesses, its mixture of the world with things of the spirit, its breaches of promises, and breaking resolutions.' Then will it appear, who has feared God, and kept his commandments, which was the whole duty of Then shall be tried the thoughts and intents of the heart. Then will it be demanded, how we have heard? and how we have believed? Then will the pride of man be bowed down, and the haughtiness of man be laid low. For the Great Day of his Wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand? Then will it be seen, who are clothed upon with the whole armour of God; having their loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness, and their feet shod with the preparation of man. the Gospel of peace. Above all, having the shield of faith, and the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God. Then will the raptures of the Redeemed, mingled with the songs of the first-born, echo to heaven O Death! where is thy sting? O Grave! where is thy victory? The sting of Death is sin, and the strength of sin is the Law; but, thanks be to God, who hath given us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ! To these, the Judge will say, Come, ye blessed of my Father! But, O the reverse ! on the left hand. What a solemn, heart-rending separation of families. Of those, who on earth were confederate in the same fortunes, and interests, and actions. Of those, who walked arm in arm, with heart knit to heart. Of those, who were born twins of the same birth, one is taken, and the other left. What an eternal farewell, of father and mother, of sister and brother, of wives and children, of loving and beloved. There stand, with faces turned into paleness, in speechless, agonizing horror, those who on earth followed after the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. They have leaned on a broken reed, whereon if a man lean, it will pierce his soul. They have sown the wind, and must reap the whirlwind. The Lord will sweep them with the besom of destruction. "Their conscience re-echoes to the voice of the Judge, guilty guilty! Who shall acquit them, when self-condemned? If they are condemned by the Mediator, the Saviour, the Friend of Sinners, their condemnation must be just. Immortality is now a curse. No change, no gradation, but from wo to wo. On earth they cried, Crucify Him! Crucify Him! Now they cry in despair, Lord! Lord! To these, the Judge will say - O tremendous sound!-- I know you not. Depart, ye cursed ! Then the shouts of the holy orders of angels, and archangels, who have also been judged, echo, and re-echo, to heaven, and to hell. - Hell trembles ! Heaven rejoices! When the Judgment is ended, Fire shall come down from the throne of God; the lower heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll, and pass away with a great noise; the elements shall melt with fervent heat; the earth also, and the works that are therein, shall be burnt up. They shall flee away from the face of Him, that sitteth on the throne, and there shall be found no place for them any more. O what a scene! The World on Fire! Conflagration! and desolation! and wo! What ailest thou, O thou Sea, that thou fleest? thou Jordan, that thou art driven back? The everlasting mountains, Lebanon and Ararat, totter on their bases! The modern Babylon is fallen! is fallen! that great city! And I saw another Angel stand in the Sun. The stars fall from their orbits. How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning. Planet rushes against planet. System against system. Piercing shrieks mingle with the trumpet of the Archangel, and with the thunders of the groaning heavens.' The flames catch the air, and the visible chaos above; and the whole vast lower Universe crashes into one horrible Monument of Ruins! While this World of Matter is on Fire, those, on the left hand of the Judgment-seat, will be conducted, by the Prince of the power of the air, with weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth, down, through the devouring flames, to dwell forever with the Man of Perdition, and his accursed legions, in the World of Wo unutterable, where Hope can never enter. Ye blasting horrors, crush not on my soul ! Meanwhile, those, on the right hand of the Judgmentseat, will ascend with the Son of Man, with songs of praises, and triumphings, to be presented to the Father; there forever to dwell with Holy Angels, and beatified spirits, in bliss unspeakable, which will never end, in the New Heavens and the New Earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. 'Visions of glory, spare my aching sight!' Between these Two Worlds; the World of Saints, and the World of Sinners - will be a Great Gulf fixed! WARNING INFERENCES. Is it not the extreme of amazement, that such truths do not make all our bones to shake, and the hair of our flesh to stand up? That they do not arouse our sluggish hearts from the death of sin, and the grave of inaction, to live watchfully and obediently, chastely and justly, humbly and devoutly, like persons who believe them? For, those ears, that now hear my voice, shall hear the trump of the Archangel; those eyes, which now see my face, shall behold the face of the Son of God. Though, after our death, worms destroy this body, yet in our flesh shall we see God; whom we shall see for ourselves, and these eyes shall behold him, and not another. Why doth not this subject affect us more? Why doth it not elate the righteous with joy unspeakable, and full of glory? And why doth not fearfulness surprise the hypocrite? Wherever the Gospel publishes the doctrine of a future judgment, there it requires all men to repent.' God now commandeth all men to repent, because he hath appointed a day for judging all men. Providence, reason, conscience, common-sense, and self-interest, all command, and implore you, to prepare to make your peace with God, and your own souls. For, repent we must, in time, or through eternity. Delaying reformation does not remove the necessity; but renders it more severe, and difficult. That which will excuse, or palliate the guilt of an African, or an Indian, in the great Day of Account, will not excuse us; for to whom much is given, of them will much be required. To the Sinner, the Day of Judgment should be a thought of awful alarm. 'If there be need of much mercy to the servants and friends of the Judge, then his enemies shall not be able to stand upright in judgment.' The sinner need not wonder that God, who so loves mankind, should exact justice above mercy from him, when he has despised that, which God most loves, his Son; whose body he has crucified, whose purposes he has destroyed, whose honour he has disparaged, whose joys he has diminished, whose passion he has made ineffectual, and whose love he has trampled under impious feet. Let the sinner remember, that his impenitent life will bring him to an insufferable shame, in that Day of fearful scrutiny; and that his doom must be, pain above patience, sorrows without ease, amazement without resolution, sad remembrances, envy and confusion, and despair without hope, forever and ever. |