the Father but by me;" and, " If I wash thee not, thou hast no part in me ?" or what can be more awful than that interrogation of St. Peter, " What shall the end be of them that obey not the Gospel of God?" We may venture to put the question to the conscience of every considerate man ; If you sin against God in neglecting and despising his dear Son, what atone- ment will you offer to him ? If you make light of the sacrifice offered upon Calvary, where will you find another sacrifice for sin ? If you disregard the media- tion and intercession of Christ, where will you find another advocate ? If you sin thus against God, who shall entreat for you ?
Here then the subject wears a very serious and solemn aspect. We all are hastening to " the judg- ment-seat of Christ, where we must give account of ourselves to God." There, high and low, rich and poor, judges and criminals, must all appear to receive their sentence of condemnation or acquittal ; there will be no respect of persons with God : even the criminal who died by the hand of the executioner, provided that his disgraceful circumstances led him to reflection, and made him implore mercy through the blood of Jesus, shall stand a monument of re- deeming grace : while his superiors in morality, yea, even the judge who condemned him, if they died in impenitence and unbelief, shall hear the sentence of condemnation pronounced against them, and be doomed to that " second death in the lake that burnetii with fire and brimstone."
Let us then inquire dihgently into the state of our souls : let us " judge ourselves that we be not judged of the Lord." Let us examine what regard we have paid, and are yet daily paying, to the sacrifice of Christ ; let us inquire whether *' He be all our salva- tion and all our desire ?" And let us remember, that if we would have him to entreat for us in that day, we must now entreat him for ourselves, " desiring earnestly to be found in him, not having our own righteousness, but the righteousness of God which is by faith in him."