"--Judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both wilt
bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest
the counsels of the hearts; and then shall everyman have praise of
God."
St. Paul having professed himself a minister of Christ, and steward of
the mysteries of God, acknowledged the obligations of fidelity, and
disclaimed anxious concern respecting the opinion entertained of him
by his fellow men, because the Lord was his judge, here adds a
caution, reprehensive of the censorious spirit of the Corinthians, who
seem to have listened to his enemies, and given into their suspicions
of the apostle. _Therefore judge nothing before the time_--
In the text we observe a caution against rash judging the characters
of men--a declaration that they will be known when the Lord comes
--and that some things commendable will then be found in all--then
shall every man have praise of God. We observe--
I. A caution _against rash judging the characters of men--judge
nothing before the time, until the Lord come_.
Civil judges may give judgment according to law and evidence, on those
brought before them for trial--so may the church on those arraigned at
her tribunal. These are necessary to the subsistence of civil and
ecclesiastical communities; therefore ordered of God. It is another
species of judging which is here forbidden; judging the characters of
men, especially such as profess Godliness, and appear to act
sincerely; pretending to determine their moral state, before the
motives which actuate them are disclosed. This is judging before the
time, and without evidence on which to ground a judgment; which the
wise man observes to be folly and a shame to him who doth it.
This had been done at Corinth, by the enemies of the apostle; and hath
been done by others in every age. There have ever been people who have
dared to scatter their censorious decisions at random, according to
the prevalence of humor, caprice, or prejudice; often to the wounding
of the faithful; and rending of the body of Christ.
This occasions temporary mischief; but the day is coming when all
those disorders will be rectified. The censurer, and the censured,
will stand at the same bar, and be tried by the same Judge. Every
wrong judgment will then be reversed, and every injurious suspicion be
removed. For,
II. Every _man's character will be known when the Lord comes--who will
bring to light the hidden sufferings of darkness, and will make
manifest the counsels of the hearts_.
Many things necessary to determine the moral characters of men are
hidden from mortal eyes. We are ignorant of _the counsels_ of the
hearts--do not know their purposes and views. Without this knowledge,
right judgment cannot be formed.
Our knowledge of ourselves is imperfect. For self knowledge we have
advantages which we have not for the knowledge of others. We can turn
inward, and contemplate the motives which govern, and the views which
actuate us. But pride, passion, prejudice, or the corrupt bias,
operating in ways unperceived, often blinds the mental eye, and
renders us strangers at home. "Whoso trusteth his own heart is a
fool.--The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately
wicked, who can know it?" It requires great attention to form a just
judgment of ourselves--yea, to attain that self knowledge which is
necessary for us. With regard to the knowledge of others, the
difficulty is still greater. We can neither see the heart, nor know
the thoughts and designs.
We are often at a loss for the motives which occasion things which
fall under our observation. Other things which might cast light upon
them, are hidden from us. But when the Lord cometh, the veil spread
over secret matters will be removed. "There is nothing covered, that
shall not be revealed, or hid that shall not be known."
_The Lord will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and make
manifest the counsels of the hearts_.
How hearts will be opened to view, we know not. Perhaps when the veil
of flesh is removed, minds may possess an intuitive knowledge of each
other--be able to look into one another, as while in the body, they
look into themselves. Here, this is mercifully prevented; but may be
no longer necessary in another state of existence. It may be
requisite, to that investigation of characters which we are taught to
expect at Christ's coming. For it is the language of the text, and
other Scriptures, that every impediment to the complete knowledge of
each other, will then be done away; that no person's character will
longer remain problematical. _The hidden works of darkness will be
brought to light, and the counsels of the hearts made manifest_.
Astonishing scenes of wickedness will then, no doubt, be disclosed.
Probably each one will discover things in himself which he had not
suspected--depravity, unfairness, disingenuity, the bare suspicion of
which by others, would be resented as affrontive.
When the prophet forewarned Hazael of the cruelties which he would
exercise when he should be king of Syria, his nature seemed to revolt
--he could not suspect himself capable of such enormities. "But
what! is thy servant a dog?" But all was verified when he had ascended
the throne!
But though a world of hidden iniquity will appear when the counsels of
the hearts shall be made manifest. Good things will also be opened to
view which had till that day been concealed--yea,
III. Some _things commendable will be found in all, Then shall every
man have praise of God_.
All are sinners. "There is none good but one, that is God." Some "are
sinners exceedingly." Some will continue such till they shall have
time no longer--die as they have lived, and be sentenced to "have
their part in the lake of fire--which is the second death."
But though numbers of this description will be found when the Lord
comes, it is presumed that there will be none among them in whom there
wilt be nothing commendable--who will never have done a praise worthy
action.
When "every work is brought into judgment and every secret thing,
whether it be good or evil," every thing commendable which hath been
done by the wicked, will come into the reckoning. Nothing will be
overlooked, because done by sinners. The prejudices inherent in
mankind often render them blind to what is commendable in an enemy,
and cause them to magnify his failings; but not so the Deity. God is
perfect. "The way of man will he render unto him," whatever may be
his general character.
The saints are not equal in virtue and the attainments of grace.
Therefore the differences which will be made among them. When they
shall stand before the Judge, their whole probation, with all its
circumstances, will be reviewed, and every praise worthy purpose,
desire and action will be considered and rewarded. On the other hand,
every neglect of duty and every deviation from it will come into the
account and make deduction from the weight of glory reserved for them.
And among the enemies of God, some will be found greater sinners than
others--to have sinned longer--against greater lights, and to have
been guilty of more and greater crimes. To such will be reserved the
greater weight of woe. In order to these discriminations their whole
probation will be considered. And in those on whom sentence of
condemnation will pass, the righteous judge will take due notice of
every pause which they shall have made in the ways of sin--of every
instance in which they may have denied themselves, out of regard to
the divine authority, though it may have been out of fear of God's
judgments, and of every act of kindness done by them, to a fellow
creature. Every thing of this nature, will be considered, and make
some deduction from the punishment which would otherwise have been
inflicted on them. The judge will pass nothing of this kind unnoticed,
condemning the sinner to the same degree of suffering, as though it
had not been found upon him. A cup of cold water given to a disciple
of Christ, will not lose its reward. *
* Matthew x. 42.
"Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and
observed him; and when he heard him he did many things, and heard him
gladly." Herod's punishment will not be, in every respect, the same,
as though he had paid no attention to John's teaching. He will not be
punished for refusing to hear John, when he did hear him or for
refusing to do, what he did do, in compliance with his counsel: Though
he will be condemned as, eventually the murderer of that holy man. His
partial obedience might be extorted by fear; but this is preferable to
disobedience; otherwise fear would not be urged as a motive to
obedience. "Fear him who is able to destroy soul and body in hell."
If preferable to disobedience, a difference will be made between those
who obey from no higher principle, and those who disobey.
Here God certainly makes a difference between them. When Rehoboam
humbled himself in the time of his affliction, "the wrath of the Lord
turned from him that he would not destroy him: And also in Judah
things went well." But his repentance was not unto life. The character
given him at his death is that of a wicked man.
When Ahab, affrighted by the preaching of Elijah, as he was going to
take possession of the vineyard of murdered Naboth, "humbled himself
and walked softly:" God signified his approbation of his legal
repentance and partial amendment, in preference to his former course;
though he afterwards cut him off in his sins.
These are unequivocal evidences that partial obedience, though
dictated by the servile principle of fear, is preferable, in divine
estimation, to allowed disobedience. God makes a difference in his
treatment of people here, on this account: suspends his judgments, and
mitigates somewhat of their severity, where he sees this kind of
relenting in sinners. If God doth this here, is there not reason to
believe that he will do it hereafter: The rules of divine
administration are doubtless uniform in time and eternity. Where he
gives a comparative preference here, he will do the same hereafter.
So we observe our Savior noting things commendable in some who did
not belong to his kingdom. When the young ruler who came to inquire
what he should do to inherit eternal life, declared that he had kept
the commandments from his youth up, he was viewed with comparative
approbation.--"Then Jesus beholding him, loved him." It is not
conceivable that his partial conformity to the divine law had not made
him to differ from those who had allowedly disregarded it--that his
character was as bad as theirs--though he soon made it evident that
the one thing needful was not found upon him. *
* Mark x. 17, &c.
Some suppose that the unrenewed can do nothing but sin against God
_with all their might_--that every purpose of their hearts is
_necessarily_ enmity against him, and all their volitions and actions
determined opposition to his law and government: But we conceive that
neither Scripture, nor experience justify the supposition--that were
such their state, they would be in no degree, the subjects of moral
government, and would not be addressed of God as moral agents.
Were mankind wholly given up of God, and his Spirit withdrawn from
them, such might become their state; but this is not the case. The
Holy Spirit strives with them. They are empowered to resist the
Spirit, or cherish its influences. This is manifest from the divine
exhortations addressed to them, and from their conduct. Sometimes they
pause in the way to destruction--listen to counsels and warnings--do
things which God requires, and deny themselves gratifications which
are in their power, because God hath forbidden and threatened to
punish them. The person is not to be found who hath not a witness in
himself that this is the case.
Should we affirm that none, who are in a state of nature, can be
influenced by sense of duty to deny themselves, or attempt obedience
to God's law, it might give occasion to false hopes. Those, the
general course of whose lives is opposition to God, sure that they
sometimes deny themselves, and like Herod, do things enjoined from
above, might flatter themselves that they were children of God, while
belonging to another family, and that they should have peace, when
there was no peace to them. _Yet_ when _the Lord cometh, who will
bring to light the hidden things of darkness and make manifest the
counsels of the hearts, every man shall have praise of God_.
God will overlook nothing commendable which may have been done by the
vilest of the human race, while on probation; and some things
commendable will be found in the most degenerated; though in many, the
good will be found so low as to leave them on the whole, the servants
of sin, and consequently to take their portion among the workers of
iniquity.