We reply, _men_ and _fallen angels_.
"We must all stand before the judgment-seat of Christ." If the
government of Jesus Christ over men is to be revealed on that day, it
is clear that all men, without exception, must be judged. So linked,
indeed, is the history of each man with that of others,--as, for
instance, the tempter with the tempted, the oppressed with the
oppressor, the teacher with the taught, the child with the parent;--so
necessarily is each man's condition and character affected by that of
all who have gone before him, up to his first parents;--so truly do
all human beings make up _one_ race, _one_ family, from the life of
each being more or less connected with that of all, that the knowledge
of the real history of even one man, almost implies an examination
into the real history of the whole human race. And we shall possess,
for the first time, a true history of the whole world, when we truly
understand the history of each person, family, and kingdom in it; and
so also shall we possess the true history of each individual part,
only when we know its relationship to the great whole; and the history
of events, when we perceive what bearing they have had on the kingdom
of Jesus Christ, whose history is that of the world.
It has been questioned how far the sins of the people of God, which
have been for ever pardoned, are to be revealed at judgment. But we
see no reason whatever why this should not be the case, and every
reason why it should. We might, beforehand, have thought it more
likely that God would not have recorded in the Bible, and exposed in
the light of all coming ages, the sins of His most eminent servants,
as those of Abraham, Moses, David, of Peter, or of Paul. But He has
told the _whole_ truth regarding them for our warning and instruction;
and so will the whole truth be told regarding every saint at judgment,
"that no flesh may glory in His presence;" and that the reality of the
wickedness of the old man may be proven, as well as the reality of the
holiness of the "new man created in Christ Jesus unto good works." And
what saint can be unwilling to have revealed what he was, that so the
glorious love of God's Spirit may be made the more manifest, as the
sole cause of what he has become, and will continue to be for ever and
ever?
Fallen angels shall also be judged upon that day: "For God spared not
the angels that sinned, but cast them, down to hell, and delivered
them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment," "And
the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own
habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains, under darkness,
unto the judgment of the great day." Under what dispensation those
beings first sinned against God, we cannot tell. All we know from
the information given us by God is, that they have been permitted to
exercise their power in this world, on the side of evil, ever since
the creation of man. Satan, the adversary, the tempter, the enemy, who
is the head of these principalities and powers, has been a "liar and
murderer from the beginning;" and in every age and clime, he and his
wicked spirits have advanced the kingdom of darkness with indomitable
perseverance, untiring energy, ceaseless hate, and "all deceivableness
and unrighteousness in them that perish." Fallen angels having thus
taken so dreadful a part in the history of Christ's kingdom, and being
responsible for all they do, shall be tried at judgment; and what a
revelation must their trial be of the character, the hellish plots and
machinations of those enemies of Jesus Christ and His Church!
We have already alluded to the _individuality_ of the examination at
the last day,--how "every one of us must give an account of _himself_
to God;" and "receive the things done in _his_ body, according to what
_he_ hath done, whether good or evil;" and also, how each fact must
be brought to light upon _evidence_ whose truth cannot be questioned.
Upon that day, mere assertions will not be sufficient to establish the
right or the wrong condition of any one before the judgment-seat. The
universe must know the truth! Evidence must, therefore, be adduced
which will "convince all;" and that evidence, too, will be sifted.
Before sentence is passed, overwhelming proof will demonstrate the
righteous ground on which each individual must take his place among
those on the left hand or on the right. Let us see if we can discover
any sources of evidence for the detection and discrimination of
character.
"THE BOOKS SHALL BE OPENED."
1. _The Book of Providence will be opened_.--In this book has been
recorded, and from its pages can be shewn, by Jesus Christ, everything
which has been done to us, and for us, by Himself, since the hour of
our birth till that of our death. Every temporal mercy or
spiritual blessing--every advice given by ministers, relations,
or friends--every Sabbath which dawned upon us--every stirring of
conscience within us--every visitation of sickness or domestic
affliction--every item, in short, of that immense sum of things which,
in His providence or by His grace, was given us each successive hour
of life, and which was intended to mould our characters according to
the will of God;--all shall be revealed at judgment, that the universe
may know what Jesus Christ, the King, has really done for each one of
His subjects, and what each subject has been, and done, in relation to
Him.
2. _The Book of Memory shall be opened_.--An awful volume! It seems
almost certain that anything once known to us must for ever abide in
memory, and can never be absolutely and for ever lost. Out of sight it
may be, but never really out of mind. It may appear to be dead, though
it only sleeps, ready to start into vigorous life when touched by some
hand which can reach it in the dim mysterious recess where it lies
concealed. It is thus, before returning, after a long absence, to the
home of our early life, we are unable to discover any page in the
volume of our memory inscribed with more than a few incidents which
filled up those early years of gladness. Every page seems a blank, or
its records, if not obliterated, can hardly be traced. But when we
_do_ return, what a magic influence is exercised by every tree, rock,
and stream, and by the old home itself with which these were once
inseparably associated! The history of days and years now glow with
the vividness of first impressions, where, until now, all was so
indistinct and illegible. Old familiar voices ring in our ears,
beloved faces of the old dead gaze upon us as of yore, and their forms
flit before our moist eyes. But were not these things all the while
in our memory, although unnoticed by us until called forth by fitting
circumstances? And have we not seen evidence of the same mysterious
life of the past within us, when in extreme old age a second childhood
awakens all the incidents of the first; when memory, like a flash of
lightning, irradiates the sky, otherwise dark and wintry, revealing
the scenes of early days, which were before quite forgotten? More
wonderful still--it is certain that things once known, which in
health were as lost to memory as if they had never been, are suddenly
recalled, and appear in all their former life and freshness, when
fever touches the brain with her delirious hand. The sick man, in his
ravings, speaks perhaps a language known only in his infancy, and
recalls incidents belonging to a period which was a total blank in his
recollections during days of robust health. And what does all
this prove but the momentous truth, that anything which once was
done,--anything which we have ever thought, uttered, or known, or
was ever inscribed in the book of memory,--remains there engraven in
characters more permanent than those which, cut deep in the hoary
monuments of Egypt, have outlived teeming centuries of human history?
Darkness may cover the page, but by a vivid and mysterious flash every
letter is illuminated. That flash may be only some trifle, such as a
note of music--the tone of some voice--
"The subtle smell which spring unbends,
Dread pause abrupt of midnight winds,--
An echo or a dream!"
And thus may it be at judgment; by the extension of the same _kind_ of
power, may our _whole_ life, in its minutest details, pass before our
eyes,--each minute of it delivering its own history of word or deed,
of things done or things received,--and each recognised as true by the
possessor of them all. Accordingly, every man is now, whether he
wills it or not, unconsciously writing or _daguerreotyping_ his own
biography;--his whole life forming a work of more importance, to
himself at least, than any other in the universe,--each volume a year,
each chapter a month, each day or hour a page. At judgment memory will
read the whole, and be compelled to feel that every word is true. It
is strange, too, how rapid--reasoning from analogy--such a review may
be, without diminishing from its distinctness. States of being, or
successive acts, which occupied long periods of time, may very rapidly
be recalled in all their minute features. In moments of sudden peril,
when death seemed approaching, how frequently have men told us that
they beheld, in a twinkling of an eye, the great features of their
whole life like a panorama passing before their mind's eye! And thus
at judgment, clear, yet rapid--intensely real and vivid, yet sudden as
light--may the life of the boy, and the man, and the patriarch, from,
the first till the last moment of conscious and responsible existence
upon earth, be presented to the mind with a self-evidencing power of
truth, which cannot, which dare not, be denied or resisted! Jesus
Christ will speak _to_ the man from _within_ the man, and, with
irresistible power, say to him, "_Son, remember!_"
3. _The Book of Conscience shall be opened_.--This will afford
abundant evidence, when read along with the books of memory and
providence, of the witness in every man's soul for the moral
government of God, and that ever accused or excused his life. That
tremendous power which has dogged the murderer in his flight,
following him across the seas, tracking him to his refuge in some
solitary island or savage wilderness,--that presence which, like an
evil spirit from another world, has disturbed the guilty in the midst
of his festivities, or sat heavily on his soul, brooding over him in
his slumbers as a horrible nightmare, until he has started up in the
agony of despair,--that judge which has made kings tremble on their
thrones, and ruffians shiver in their silent cells,--that awful voice
will be allowed then to speak out with the power, as well as with the
authority, that belong to it. It will pass judgment upon all the facts
in each man's life, which shall then, for the first time, be fully and
fairly submitted to its inspection; and each page in memory's book
will find a corresponding page in the book of conscience, on that "day
when God shall judge _the secrets_ of men by Jesus Christ," A thousand
excuses will be silenced by it, and false hopes crushed, and a fiery
law go forth to destroy all the coverings which the deceitful heart
now draws over its own wilful and desperate wickedness.
4. "Another book will be opened, which is _the Book of Life_"--In
that book are inscribed the characters of all God's people, and the
evidence of the reality of their faith in Christ and obedience to Him.
"Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord: Yea, saith the Spirit, that
they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them!"
These works, which are the evidence, results, and rewards of faith,
are recorded by that same Spirit through whose power alone the soul
has lived, believed, and been enabled to bring forth such fruit to the
praise of the glory of God by Jesus Christ. In the book of life will
be found recorded by the omniscient Holy Spirit of Truth, that secret
life of every saint which was "hid with Christ in God." Then shall be
revealed the reality of their repentance and inward renewal of soul;
the sincerity of their love to God and to His people; their secret
prayers, thanksgivings, confessions, intercessions, and holy communion
with God; their plans, longings, and sacrifices for the spread of the
gospel, and for the glory of God upon earth; their deeds of charity
for Christ,--every prison they entered, every naked one they clothed;
the hungry they fed, or the offences forgiven by them from love to
Him who forgave them;--that whole _character_, in short, which is the
result of union with Christ, will be evidenced to the universe from
what is recorded of it in the Lamb's Book of Life.
And is there not another book, even "_the_ Book," which may also be
opened at judgment as a witness for the Triune God in His dealings
with mankind? How many millions of men have possessed the Bible, and
acknowledged it as the word of God! Who, therefore, among them, will
be able to plead ignorance of any truth--any duty--any danger--any
promise--the knowledge of which could essentially affect their eternal
salvation? True, they may never have opened the Bible, or have refused
to believe it, or have despised and rejected its warnings, counsels,
and reproofs; but the Bible was nevertheless given them, and their
very ignorance may be their crime. Or, if not ignorant, but only
"hating knowledge," and "not choosing the fear of the Lord,"--their
condemnation is, that they preferred the darkness to the light,
because their deeds were evil? Oh, what a witness will that Book be
against the slothful, the wilfully ignorant and unbelieving!
Are these sources of evidence not sufficient wherewith to determine,
to the conviction of the universe, each man's character at the
judgment of the great day? Should more be required, many other
witnesses may be summoned, if necessary, before the white throne.
Satan and wicked spirits are ready to accuse the sinner, and to prove
how he yielded to temptation, became habit and repute in sin, and a
willing and active instrument for destroying others. True, Satan is a
liar; but is _this_ testimony a lie? Can these accusations, if false,
be disproved? Can Christ be appealed to either as to their falsehood,
or for exculpatory evidences of genuine repentance or new life? And
holy angels, too, are there, who will be able to testify as to whether
this man ever gave them joy as a true penitent, was the object of
their ministrations as an heir of salvation, or known to them as a
fellow-worker in Christ's kingdom upon earth. Relations, friends,
neighbours, church-members, are also there to tell, at Christ's
bidding, what was the manner of his life in the family, in society, or
in the "household of God." What has this man as a father, husband, or
child, done? What example did he set? What temper and conduct did he
manifest at home? What was his influence as a companion? Did he
lead to hell or heaven? What did Christians find him to be as a
fellow-Christian? Was he cruel and covetous, slothful and indifferent,
uncharitable and censorious; or loving, zealous, and self-denying,
the author of peace and lover of concord, a friend and brother? Oh!
surely, even now we can easily see how there can be no want of means
at the great day of judgment, by which, without any revelation from
the unerring and all-seeing Judge himself, each man's character may be
searched and known to its inmost depths, and in all its minute details
be revealed.
And now, reader, before we proceed, let us here entreat of you to
examine your present life. We ask, whether you think it possible that
it can afford any evidence upon that day of sincere love to Jesus
Christ?--anything which can warrant the Judge to say to _you_, "Well
done, good and faithful servant?"--anything in your aims, wishes,
purposes, pursuits, endeavours, which evidence the existence in the
least degree of that _kind_ of life which is the result of being born
and sanctified by God's Spirit, and cannot otherwise be accounted for?
How many shrink from that examination _now_, which must take place
_then!_ But is it not wiser to know your sins, and see your danger
now, when the one can be pardoned, and the other averted, than, for
the first time, to awake to a sense of both, when your sins can never
more, as far as man can discover, be removed, and your danger, if
real, must end in ruin? We have many foreshadowings of judgment
revealed to us by Christ; and we have the unavailing pleadings of
those who desire to be recognised as among His friends. "Lord,
Lord!" cry some, "open to us!" These are not infidels, but professed
believers in Christ's supreme authority. "Lord, hast thou not taught
in our streets?--open to us!" is the plea of those who heard the truth
spoken, it may be by Jesus personally; of those, at least, who had
the privilege, and did not neglect it, of hearing the word preached.
"Lord, have we not eaten and drunk in thy presence?--open to us!"
appears to others sufficient evidence of friendship for the Redeemer,
and such as might be urged by those who followed Him in Judea, and
saw His person, heard His words, yea, sat at meat with Him as "His
familiar friends." "Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in
thy name cast out devils, and done many wonderful works?--open to us!"
Thus could Judas have pleaded; and many a man, perhaps, who had the
gift of miracles without the grace of God; or many more who have had
rare gifts of talent, genius, eloquence, which have done good to
others, in spite of their own selfish motives; and who, by many
wonderful works, have cast out "evil possessions" of wicked principles
and practices from others, while evil, nevertheless, possessed
themselves. And with as imposing claims many too may seek admittance
to God's kingdom, because they "gave their goods to feed the poor, or
their bodies to be burned." Yet, to each and all such pleadings, Jesus
represents himself as saying, "I know you not! Depart from me, all ye
workers of iniquity!" But if so, we ask you, reader, what evidence of
Christian life can you adduce better or more satisfactory than all
this? Nothing, be assured, will be accepted which does not prove a
right spirit, or, in other words, the existence in the soul of _love
to Jesus Christ_ in some form or other. "LOVEST THOU ME?" will be the
grand question, the truthful reply to which will determine our real
state on that great day. Hence, while the evidence of doing wonderful
works, or of giving our body to be burned, is rejected as worthless,
inasmuch as the one proves only the existence of power, and the other
of what may be but a sacrifice to self, and not to the Saviour,--yet
the gift of a cup of cold water to a disciple for the sake of the
Master, will suffice to open the doors of heaven, because affording
evidence of the heart which loves Jesus, and for which heaven has been
prepared. "Come, ye blessed of my Father! Inasmuch as ye have done it
unto the least of my disciples, ye have done it unto me!" "If any man
love not the Lord Jesus Christ; let him be accursed!"
We need not add that we have assumed that the persons thus judged have
had full opportunities of knowing and serving Jesus as their Lord.