and under this accumulated weight must your souls lie to all eternity. Ah ! little do you think what your employment is : little do you think what shall be the issue of all your impenitence and obduracy. But thus it will be. That day is appointed expressly with a view to " the revealing," and displaying before the assembled universe, "the righteous judgment of God." Every sin that is committed will then be brought to light ; " and every one will be judged according to what he hath done in the body, whether it be good or evil." Then, whether ye will or not, your attention shall be fixed upon your own sins : you will have nothing to do then with the sins of others. O ! begin now, whilst time is afforded you, to search out your oivn iniquities, and to seek the remission of them through the blood of Christ.]
We will conclude this awful subject with a few words of advice —
1. Do not occupy yourselves too much about others, but rather take heed unto yourselves —
[There are situations, no doubt, wherein we are called to judge: nor are we ever so to lay aside the office of judging, as to think well of those who are guilty of all manner of sin ; or to commit ourselves to those, whom we have good reason to think treacherous and deceitful. Nor need we so forbear judging, as to be satisfied with the state of those who live in a total neglect of God and of their own souls. On the contrary, we ought to weep over them, and pray for them, and to labour by all possi- ble means for their salvation. But our chief concern must be with ourselves. Here our scrutiny cannot be too exact, or our anxiety too great. Here we should be afraid of entertaining a good opinion on insufficient grounds. We should judge our- selves, that we may not be judged of the Lord. Search then, and try your every way : and, not venturing to trust your own efforts, pray earnestly to God, and say, " Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts; and see if there be any wicked way in me ; and lead me in the way everlasting11."]
2. Above all things, seek to know your perishing
need of a Saviour —
[This is the grand scope of the Apostle's argument : he is endeavouring to convince all, both Jews and Gentiles, that they stand in need of the salvation which Christ has purchased for us by his own blood. There is in the generality a fear of seeing themselves in too humiliating a point of view : but this can never be : the more we are abased in our own eyes, the
11 Ps. cxxxix. 23, 24.
THE .RULE OF GOD's FUTURE JUDGMENT. 85
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more we shall be exalted in the sight of God. It is " the sick that need the physician :" and the more sensible we are of our disorder, the more we shall value the Lord Jesus Christ. Wei*e there indeed any doubt of his sufficiency to save us, we might well be afraid of viewing our sins in all their extent : " his blood will cleanse from all sin ;" and " he is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him." In him all ful- ness dwells : and you need not be afraid of seeing yourselves " wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked," when you hear him counselling you to come to him for " gold that shall enrich you, and clothing that shall cover you, and eye-salve that shall restore your sight '." Be nothing, yea, " less than nothing," in yourselves ; and He will be to you all that your heart can desire, " your wisdom, righteousness, sanctifica- tion, and redemption."]
1 Rev. iii. 17, 18.