78. ON THE DAY OF
JUDGMENT
He who said, "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will
give to everyone according to what he has done," will soon appear seated on
his great white throne, as the glorified God-man, the judge of the living
and the dead. How all absorbing should the consideration of this period be!
And yet, alas! how little does it interest the minds of thoughtless
millions! Occupied with ten thousand vanities, men seldom think upon, much
less prepare for death and judgment. The ever-varying concerns of life fill
up each fleeting hour, until, reaching the verge of their earthly existence,
they are hurried, in all their unpreparedness, into the presence of their
God. Oh! that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would
consider their latter end.
The day of judgment will be a day of final separation. Now, the wheat and
the tares grow together; but then, we shall discern between the righteous
and the wicked between him that serves God, and him that serves him not.
Many who were first in the estimation of men, will be found last in the
sight of God; while many who were last in the esteem of the world, will be
exalted in the presence of saints and angels. The once flaming professor of
godliness will be cast into outer darkness, when his secret thoughts shall
be revealed to an assembled world. Self-love, spiritual pride, vain-glory,
and a thousand unhallowed springs of action, will then be disclosed to his
utter confusion, and prove the worthlessness of his boasted righteousness.
What self-reproaches, what gnawings of conscience—that worm which never
dies—will tear the hearts of those who were once enlightened and tasted of
the heavenly gift, yet apostatized from the faith, through the fear of man
or love of the world; thus manifesting that their hearts were never right
with God. What dismay and anguish will be seen in the countenances of
others, who, when on earth, despised the riches of divine mercy, or trifled
away their day of grace. The man of business, whose time was engrossed in
amassing wealth as his chief good; the voluptuary, who devoted all his
powers to sinful pleasures; the man of ambition, who sacrificed his
conscience to the idol of worldly greatness; the man of science, (falsely so
called,) who disdained to bend his reason to divine revelation,—will each be
found to be a fool and a madman; while the holy, self-denying believer in
Jesus, whose life was counted madness, and his end to be without honor, will
appear most glorious when his lot is among the saints. "Remember me, Oh!
Lord, according to the favor that you bear unto your people; Oh! visit me
with your salvation, that I may see the felicity of your chosen, and rejoice
in the gladness of your people, and give thanks with your inheritance."
Would we be found among the redeemed in the day of judgment, we must be
willing to drink of their cup. Jesus was a man of sorrows arid acquainted
with grief; and his people have ever been an afflicted people. The offence
of the cross has not ceased, for, "as he that was born after the flesh
persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now." "All that
will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution." The poison of
the old serpent is as active and deadly in its nature as ever. It is only
through the restraining power of God, when its destructive effects are
checked. "If the world hates you," said our blessed Lord, "you know that it
hated me before it hated you." "The servant is not greater than his lord. If
they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you." Oh! then, you
servants of Jesus, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and, after
that, have no more that they can do. Your souls are safely guarded by your
almighty Savior; because he lives, you shall live also.
This world is designed to be a place of trial. The enemies of Jesus may, for
a season, be permitted to harass his church. But He who is in the midst of
her, is omnipotent. The very storm which threatens her destruction shall be
overruled to promote her stability and purity. The triumphing of the wicked
is short. Oh! what fearfulness will seize upon the enemies of Zion, when her
king shall be revealed from heaven in flaming fire, to take vengeance on
those who know not God, and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus
Christ; and when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be
admired in all those who believe. Then will the pilgrim's sigh be exchanged
for the song of heaven.
"The trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised." But, Oh! how awful
the thought; some shall awake to "shame and everlasting contempt." This doom
Jesus pronounced when on earth; "whoever shall be ashamed of me, and of my
words, in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son
of man be ashamed, when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy
angels." Ashamed of Jesus! Yes,—thousands of 'decent Christians', who, while
they dread to commit acts of gross immorality, lest a stain should be
affixed to their character, are not afraid to deny Christ before men. They
are ashamed to appear in the rank of his faithful followers; they shrink
from the imputation of being righteous over-much. They are willing to
conform to the duties and decencies of religion, as far as the world
approves, and common custom sanctions; but beyond this, they dare not go.
They love the praise of men, more than the praise of God.
Oh! all you Christians of this highly-favored age, who refuse to deny
yourselves, to take up the cross, and to follow Christ through evil report
and good report, how overwhelming will be your condemnation! When standing
before his judgment-seat, methinks the glorified Savior will say—Behold, you
cowardly professors, that noble army of martyrs, now standing at my right
hand, who lived in the days when PAGAN ROME bathed its sword in the blood of
my saints. In the view of racks and tortures, of savage beasts, of flames
and crosses, they confessed me, their God and Savior. When the awful crisis
came—deny or die—they freely yielded up their lives to death, for my sake
and the Gospel's. See also this glorious company of the faithful, who lived
in the days when PAPAL ROME issued its bloody mandates against my chosen
flock. These also chose to die, rather than bear the mark of the beast, and
worship his image. But you, double-minded professors, denied me in the midst
of outward peace and personal security, when my Gospel was faithfully
preached, and my followers were protected by the laws of your country. What,
then, deterred you from confessing me before men? Was it something more
dreadful than racks and flames? Hear, Oh heavens, and be astonished! These
wretched souls denied me, only lest they should encounter the shyness of
friends, the cold looks and unkind speeches of carnal relatives, the
raillery of unbelievers, the sacrifice of some temporal gain, or the
crucifixion of some beloved lust. They preferred sin and the world to my
favor and heaven; therefore, they shall have their part in the lake which
burns with fire and brimstone.
Such will be the doom of all faint-hearted and false-hearted professors of
the Gospel, who shrink from suffering, who dread to sustain the consecrated
cross. The word of God, which cannot be broken, expressly declares that "the
fearful and unbelieving, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake
which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."
The day of judgment, so full of horrors to the wicked, will be a day of
blessedness to the righteous. The voice of the archangel, and the trumpet of
God, will announce the joyful hour of deliverance. Their sleeping dust shall
be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. They shall be made like
unto Christ's glorious body, and dwell forever with the Lord. Oh blissful
state, when sin shall no longer defile nor sorrow distress; when Satan shall
never again be permitted to tempt or terrify the sheep of Christ.
The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night. When men are saying
peace and safety, then sudden destruction comes upon them, and they shall
not escape. As it was in the days of Noah, so shall the coming of the Son of
man be. How important, then, is a spirit of watchfulness and prayer! Blessed
are they, who, with their loins girded, and their lamps burning, are waiting
for the coming of their Lord; yes, looking for and hastening unto the coming
of the day of God. But let us remember the foolish virgins. Have we oil in
our vessels with our lamps? Without the indwelling Spirit, an outward
profession will avail us nothing. Oh! how awful was the cry when the
approach of the Bridegroom was announced, "Our lamps are gone out." They
slept in carnal security, and awoke to endless horrors. Then would they have
entered the heavenly mansion, but "the door was shut;" and, being once
closed, was closed forever.
Nothing will stand the test of death and judgment but the religion of the
heart, a real union to Christ by faith. Every earthly thing, when weighed in
the balance of eternity, is less than nothing, and vanity. Yet, strange to
tell, the smallest trifle can drive futurity from our minds, until taught
the value of the soul at the cross of Christ. Have we experienced the
converting grace of God? How wonderful is the power of the Spirit in the
regeneration of a sinner! He turns the wilderness into a fruitful field, and
makes all things new. Do we loathe our once beloved sins, and love the once
neglected Savior? Are our affections tending heavenward, which before were
buried in the earth?
How happy is the believer in Jesus! He is filled with joy and peace. Knowing
in whom he has believed, he can repose with calm reliance on the
faithfulness of his Redeemer. While journeying through the wilderness, he
feeds upon the heavenly manna, and is refreshed by living water from the
smitten Rock. The pillar of fire, and the cloud, guide and protect him.
Underneath and around him are the everlasting arms. He realizes the
sweetness of the promise, "The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by
him, and the Lord shall cover him all the day long." And as he approaches
the banks of Jordan—the cold stream of death which rolls between him and his
promised rest—he hears a voice from heaven proclaiming, "Blessed are the
dead which die in the Lord from henceforth; yes, says the Spirit, that they
may rest from their labors, and their works do follow them." Full of faith
and hope, he falls asleep in Jesus, and enters into the joy of his Lord.
Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright, for the end of that man is
peace.