is no difficulty with God : he who created them out of nothing by a mere act of his will, can by a similar act of volition reunite the atoms that are necessary to constitute our personal iden- tity : and he will do it " in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump :" and when the dead are raised, then, and not till then, will he change the bodies of those who are alive upon the earth, that they also, together with those who are risen, may •'' meet the Lord in the air s."]
The whole human race being come into the pre- sence of their Judge, he will proceed to,
II. The trial- There will be a strict inquiry into their respective works —
[We do not suppose that their regard to him and his salvation will be overlooked'*: but it will be ascertained by the fruits which they brought forth. If their faith was not productive of good works, it will be accounted only as the faith of devils. But what are the fruits which alone will be con- sidered as just evidences of our love to Christ ? 0 that this matter were duly weighed amongst us ! It will not be asked merely. Whether we transgressed the law by grosser acts of sin, such as uncleanness, or drunkenness, or theft, or perjury, or murder ; but whether we were active in doing good to our fellow-creatures for Christ s sake ? Whether we " fed the hungry, clothed the naked, visited the sick," and delighted our- selves in all offices of love to our fellow-creatures from a sense of love to Christ, and with a view to his glory * ? Yes, on this will the salvation or condemnation of men depend. Mark it well, my brethren. It is not for formal duties or empty pro- fessions that any will be applauded, but for active, diligent, unremitted exertions in the cause of Christ : nor is it for
SINS OF COMMISSION MERELY THAT ANY WILL PERISH, BUT FOR SINS OF omission''.]
Then will they be separated according to their true characters —
[The characters of all will then be as easily discerned as sheep are discerned from goats ; and they will be separated accordingly, " the sheep on the right hand of their Judge, and the goats on his left hand." Then will be seen two wonderful sights ; the righteous, however separated from each other by trilling forms or various sentiments on earth, all united in one
g 1 Thess. iv. 15—17. ^ Mark xvi. 16. Heb. ii. 3.
» ver. 35, 36.
^ Compare Matt. vii. 21. with ver. 25, 27, 30. and ver. 42, 43.