The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1871-02-16

but family expressed, and Is inferred rath-
er than clearly affirmed.
a. "The Son of man shall come In the
glory Of his Father with his holy angels
and then he shall reward every man accord
ing to his works" Matt xvi; 81.
No other idea of Judgment is expressed
here than that OF an executive one. We dc
not affirm no other Is implicd, butthc sim.
pie expression Is that Of execution.
81 That which seems more To express
an investigating Judgment is Matt. XIV
81. But II that portion OF Scripture Is
carefully examined, we shall, perhaps, sec
little cause to conclude 1t Is an account 81
anything more than an executive judg'
ment. Christ, on the throne OF his glory
proceeds ut once to ~"sepdrdte II lrop
another" the whole account OF wldch n
embraced In two verses, 81, 81; and tlLeH
he pro eels directly to the executive judo
ment, commencing with the rightcouH
v:3. The whole i. apparently. Il proel
nation of the result of II previous inveH
t~igatioD, the sentence or judgment y
which is now to be executed; the whoH
transaction, seemingly, occupying no ven
protracted period.
(3.) 1--WE must all appear before I'll
judgment seat of Christ, that every OIL
may receice the things done in his bod
according to that he hath done, whether
be good or bad" 2 Cor. v;l0.
Here is a clear statement of what md
are to stand before Christ Tor. 1t is to n
ceire the reward of their deeds. In 9th
words, that the Judgment written" mia
be executed upon them. There Is &c
tainly no clear announcement that an III
vestigating judgment then takes place.
~ Rev. Xxx: II, 10. next demands OIL
attention. as clearly affirming an invest
eating Judgment at the last day, il am
text in the Bible does. Ii that does mol
it will be difficult to lind one that doel
At first view, and coming to it with til;
prtjudices of our entire religious educ;i
ton, this text seems to teach that there \
an investigation at that time. rs well rs a
execution. But Il close examination ma
serve to lessen. our confidence in the Idle
OF an investigating Judgment on the occ;l
sion Mark THE dead, small and great
the lowly and the illustrious-''stan
before God; and the books were opened.
The expression books is, of course,
iiguratiye one. But what books are they
Not blank 0nes, now to be filled up; to
they are already "written,' or filled up
which was the case ut the time they werI
opened; so that the writing must hay
been done prior to that time. The naturiI
conclusion is, they are books of recOrd
and had been filled up with testimony Civ
Ell at some previous period. Where Their
is Il court OF investigation, in order to
decision, the testimony is written down u
recorded At the opening of such "A courl
or seat Of justice, no books of recorded ties
timony, relating to the individual to b
tried, are opened. The books OF law nal
then be opened, but it is manifest in Rev
XX IL, that, it the book OF law was incluI
ded, the books of testimony are special
noted; for 1.-THE dead were judged out Of
--ek-or, on account Of" those thing
written in the books" which judgment i
expressly said to be according to tlei
works" or according to that testimon,
written in the books" and the languagI
repeated i'll verse ID, they were Judge,
every man according to their works" car
rlcs the idea, in connection with the con
text, that this Judgment was an executiv'
judgment; that is, it was the time il
which, and transaction by which, tn
Judgment written" was executed; TO
whatsoever was not found written in til,
book of life, was cast into the lake of fire.
SO then, some names were written in tin
book of life when tine books" We're open
ed; others were not found there; which
seems conclusive evidence that the judg
ment of inycstiSation-or receiving testi
mony for and against. and deciding wha
should be the reward OF every man-wa
Il previous transaction; and the assemblin.
now before God is in order to the eXecu-
ton, or to carry out the punishment an.
bestoW the reward as found written in TIT
books.
1t cannot be denied, we think, but those
whose names were found written II the
book Of life, at the very time the looks
were opened, must have been juded a;
some period previously, and their use de-
termincd, else their names had 'ot been
loun! there on opening the book and If
they had been previously judge II ac-
quilted, 50 it is reasonable to s,ppose the
had been judged and Ondemned.
Thus it would seem the judgment (Rcv.
is not the investigating Judgment,
but the executive II or theme of eXeCu-
The several texts pw examined
might be enlarged upon an others of like
considered.
If the Judgment, at thg resurrection, or
at the last day, is executive, and not the
Judgment of investigatiAl, " hen and Where
is the investigating Judgment ?-and on
what principle is it coIlucted?
This is solemn inquiry may the Faith
err OF light shed his dime rays of truth
on our minds. that we nay be so led into
an understanding OF liS word. that we
may be sanctilied Uhrolgh the truth, and
be able to spread trutl, II the path of our
fcllow-mcn, that we ma, see how holy l.
becomes Us all tn live, whose every word,
every work. and "evcrysccrct thing" is
to come into Judgment e. be investigated
before God. or pass in hi view for his de-
cision or iudgm mt uponit.
In answer to the first part of the Dues
tiOn before us, one word-though not cX-
ncriptural in its brln. yet express
truth, and university employed in
Ihcoiogy-eXpresscs the fact we wish to
that word is 'Erobation.'' The
very idea OF the word is rial-ecamination
any proceeding designed to ascertain
truth. Webster says: 'In general, trial
for proof, or neutrality-suspicious.; or the
lime of trial"
In this definition til, idea is fully
brought out, OH which sc wish to fix at
viz: AS all theoogians maintain
present life, or II mars lifetime, is his
line OF PROBATION, tlien IL Is nOlC on trial,
Dr. the investigating judgment is i'll actual
ut thi,smoment, ard every individ-
lal during his life is on trial before God,
the righteous Judge OF all the earth =
md each II Is, day byday. not only ut
he bar of the investigating Judgment, but
IS himself the witnesS for o. againt himself,
md is every hour giving testimony on
which the Judge decides the case. Sol
49,. -.1A - H.
,ered that God will bring every work
nto judgment, with every secret thing.
Whether 1t be good or whether it be evil"
low solemn the consideration that each
me of us is, every hour, ttstifying before
.eiioyali's Court for or against ourselves
word we utter is part of our testi-
iony; every act of our lives Is but our
VII testimony in our case; every temper
t mind INDUCED or cultivated goes to
make up the chain of testimony, and all
motives in life are 50 many links in