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if it were said, the period is now arrived when those who have rebelled against God would be visited with everlasting destruction. This comprehends all enemies, both mortal and satanicpagan and papal, Rome do I say? Yes; it has never been Christian, but ever has opposed, and still continues to fight against "the truth as it is in Jesus." This Psalm was penned by the Prophet, foreseeing, through the teaching of the Holy Spirit of God, the destruction of the enemies of the Church of God: "But the Lord shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment: and he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness."

I propose to consider, in these words,

I. THE PERSON AND CHARACTER OF JUDGE.

THE

II. THE PERSON AND CHARACTER OF THOSE WHO ARE JUDGED; and,

III. THE JUST AND EQUITABLE PROCEED

INGS OF THE DAY OF JUDGMENT.

I. THE PERSON AND CHARACTER OF THE JUDGE. If we carefully examine Scripture, we shall find that the same God is addressed in the Old, as in the New Testament; we shall discover the Lord Jesus Christ, the Angel of

the Covenant, primarily addressed, and the Father in and through him. This truth pervades the whole Bible; whether we consider the economy, or the precepts, or the promises of revealed religion, we shall find Jesus is to be worshipped, and God through him. The same truth flows from the language of the thief on the cross, "Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom." It was so with the proto-martyr, Stephen, who," being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said, behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God." It would, in truth, be inconsistent with the perfections of God, to make himself otherwise known, than through Christ. We have only to compare a few passages of Scripture in the Old and New Testaments. "But the Lord shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment. And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness" and Job says, nineteenth chapter, twenty-fifth verse, "I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and though after my skin,

1 Psalm ix. 7, 8.

worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another." "The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe." Speaking of himself, Christ foretells his second advent," The Son of Man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born:"2 and so do all those, who in Scripture have written of him, foretell his second advent.

When we consider Christ in his personal character, he is infinitely and eternally God; and connected with this, it is peculiarly interesting to the believer, to consider him as Godman so indeed it would be delightful to be always contemplating this glorious union, but for the lethargy of sin. When the soul is in a state of vigorous faith, it will look forward to the second coming of its Lord, and will be

12 Thess. i. 7-10.

2 Matt. xxvi. 24.

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willing, as it were, to meet him half way. Omniscience is absolutely necessary to the Being who is to fulfil the office of Judge. The Father and the Spirit will not be excluded from judgment; how can they, being also omniscient and one with the Son? But the glorified manhood of Christ will appear in judgment, and participate in all the honors and in all the triumphs of that day, and that, in justice to his grace. We hear some blasphemous persons arraigning the character of Deity, when some of the truths of scripture are presented to them; they are carrying on war against him, and seem determined to do so throughout all eternity. Here we see one, who, as God, became man,-one who is to be a judge, and who was once himself a criminal by imputation. He was not only before the tribunal of man, but before the tribunal of Jehovah also; and he suffered the sentence of the law of God and man, and he will be fully able to enter into the feelings of those who will stand before him. felt the horrors of that hell poured into his own bosom, which will be inflicted upon his enemies. Oh, my brethren, how will you meet him on that day? But he has not only

He has himself

1 Mr. Howell here related an anecdote of a poor man, ignorant of prophecy, who, the first thing in the morning, was in the habit of opening his window and looking towards the east, to see if Jesus were coming.

felt the terrors of the condemned, but he knows also the joys of those who will be honourably acquitted. He knows the justice of God to its fullest extent, and he also knows the riches of God's mercy to its fullest extent; when he passes sentence he will remember the sentence once passed on himself. There will, in his sentence, be nothing like cruelty, but it will be the steady march of justice. In human judgments, when the judge passes sentence, there is no violence, he merely pronounces the voice of justice.

II. I go on to consider, THE PERSON AND

CHARACTER OF THOSE WHO ARE JUDged.

All

mankind shall then appear before his judgment seat, and devils shall also appear there to be judged. "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." 1 "Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?" 2 Some have asked, why is it necessary that there should be a day of judgment, since God can remunerate all as he pleases. On that day, doubtless, we shall know many

1 2 Cor. v. 10.

2

1 Cor. vi. 3.

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