we labor, that whether present or absent we may be accepted of him. 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. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men."* To the same judgment day does St. Peter point us, as an event to take place at the destruction of the world by fire :"But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment, and perdition of ungodly men." In the Epistle of Jude, we are informed that Enoch, the holy man of old who walked with God and was not, for God took him, was inspired to preach of this judgment day. The record of his preaching we have not, but the fact that he did announce a judgment day is divinely asserted. "And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds, which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him." In the book of Ecclesiastes, the wise preacher concludes his discourse thus, "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or

* 2 Cor. v. 9, 10.

† 2 Peter iii. 7. † Jude 14, 15.

whether it be evil."* St. John had a vision of this judgment, and he thus describes it :-" And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works."+

Important facts respecting this judgment must be deferred to the next chapter. In the meantime be it settled in our minds, as a revealed doctrine, that this world is to pass through the trying ordeal of a great judgment day. However strange, awful, or even incredible it may seem, still it is divinely taught, and will surely come. Our own ears are to hear the piercing blast of the trumpet-call, our own eyes to see the splendors of that flaming morning, and of that great white throne, from which the heavens and earth will flee away. Our own feet must stand before the enthroned Judge, our own hearts palpitate, as we wait in breathless suspense the decision of Him on whose lips hang our everlasting destiny. To prepare for that event, is the great end of life. Any aim below this, is below our duty, and will lead to disappointment and sorrow. A sentence of approval in the judgment day, God has set before us, as the goal to which we should all run the great and commanding object of our pur

suit;-to fail of this, is to lose our probation, forfeit the divine favor, and sink into the woes of a ruined eternity. Be it then our great absorbing thought, through our whole life, that we are bound to a righteous judgment, and are moving swift as time towards it. Even while I write, preparation for it is making— our characters are forming, the holy moments of our probation are numbering on, the recording angel is preparing the books to be opened.

O how solemn, how precious, reader, are these hours of your probation! How amazing the interests staked upon them! Seize them as they pass ;-and from this time be it your great aim in life to prepare to meet your God in judgment.

CHAPTER XVII.

FACTS OF THE JUDGMENT.

In the previous chapter we have considered the evidence of a coming judgment. We have seen that our own moral constitution, the moral government under which we exist, and the explicit teachings of the Scriptures, all conspire to announce it. Some important inquiries concerning it remain to be noticed.

I an

1. When is this judgment to take place? swer, immediately upon the conflagration of the world. As the preparation for the judgment will not have been fully made till the last inch of time has run out, and all human probation is at an end, so any delay beyond that period would be uncalled for and inconsistent with “The Lord is not slack concernThere will not be a moment's delay after all is ready. The judgment will therefore come at the end of time. At the instant time shall cease to be, will the judgment of souls for eternity commence. The dead will first be raised; the right

the divine promise.

ing his promise."

*2 Peter iii. 9.

eous with shining forms, and the wicked clothed with shame, as in anticipation of their respective dooms. The consuming fires will then be let loose upon the earth, and will wrap it in the flames of a devouring furnace. The earth and all the works therein will be burned up. Then will the judgment set, and the Judge will be seen in glorious majesty on his throne of luminous cloud. I announce the time and order of these events as they are revealed in the word of God. St. Peter informs us that "the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up."* He had just said, "The heavens and the earth which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment." But before the judgment sets the dead must be raised. "I saw the dead, small and great," says the revelator, "stand before God." The order of events will therefore be, first the resurrection of the dead, then the dissolution of the world by fire, and then the judgment. All this gross materialism will be swept out of the way, to give place to the majestic throne and the judicial proceedings of that day. "I saw a great white throne," says the revelator," and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them." Nothing will remain to engage the eye, or occupy the mind; every eye must look

* 2 Peter iii. 10.

† Rev. xx. 12.

+ Rev. xx. 11.