Year: 1867

not understand them, Will appear
perfectly reasonable. There are
many things which we can not now
understand, and here is the princi.
pal difference between orthodox
Christians and those whom we re-
gard as not orthodox; We are
willing to receive some doctrines
that are beyond our understand


ing, and they are disposed to reject
what can not be comprehended by
human reason. But to the ques-
tion: Why are we to be judged
by the Son9 we have an answer in
the Bible. 1t is not always that
questions are SO clearly answered
here. He is to be our Judge be.
cause he is the Son of Man. But
the question then arises, why is
this a reason for his being our
judge. The Scriptures further an
swer, because, being the Son of
Man, he is tOuched with every feel
ing Of our infrmities. He knows
what we need. That is the reason
why he is to be our judge. And l
say, with due reverence 10 God the
Father, let me be judged by the
Son of Man; because can explain
to him why l was tempted in this
way and that, for he was tempted
as we are. | can understand his
communications to me. Take away
the incarnation, and this consoling
hope of being judged by one who
can understand and feel with us is
lost.


The second inquiry in our dis
course is, who are to be the SUBJ
jects of The Judgment? The text
says the quick and dead are to be
judged. Twill explain these words,
"quick and dead,H so that you will
never forget them, for the illustra-
tion will be SO simple. Cast your
eyes around you, on this assembly,
and you see the quick-the living;
then go out to your beautiful GEM
etery, and behold the dead are
there. These words mean just ex-I
actly living and dead, and nothing
more. These, then, are the sub
jects whom our Lord Jesus Christ
shall judge. [e l4-s.sisfelI a


The dead have passed the
bounds of responsibility. Their
destinies are fixed. But before me
this morning are the quick. They,
too, must go to heaven or. to hell.
But your destinies are yet in your
own hands. You are all to go to
Judgment. That is clear. But
what your fates will be after that,
depends on your conduct while
living. Notwithstanding these
facts are made clear in the Scrip
lures, men will not give them heed.
They are slow to realize and act
upon them. ....s ..


In reference to this indisposition
on the part of men to believe such
truths, We have this remarkable
language in the Bible: "For as
in the days before the flood, they
were eating and drinking, and
marrying and giving in marriage,
until the day that Noah entered
the Ark; and know not until the
flood came and took them all away.
So shall also the coming of the Son
of Man be-" The people in the
days of Noah did not believe the
flood would come. They kept on
eating and drinking, even after the
waters began to descend. They
SAID, it will stop tomorrow. They
would not believe till the flood car
ried them away. How many i'm.
mortal souls are here this morning,
young, active, fond of pleasure, or
ardent in the pursuit of wealth,
giving no thought to Judgment I!
/ charge you, as a Minister Of
Christ, to pause, and give one SER
ious thought to that Judgment to
which we must all go. When the
day Of Judgment comes, | have no
doubt it will find Cincinnati as bu-
sy and as thoughtless as it is now.


Now let us turn our attention to
the nature and scope Of that Judg-
ment. For what are we to be
judged : In my very earliest relig-
ious life, which began at sixteen or
seventeen yeals old, nothing in my
Scriptural reading touched my
mind SO deeply as the few words,
"For, every idle word a man shall
speak, shall be given an account
to God."u These words followed
me through boyhood, info more
responsible manhood, and when
tempted into any improperexpre
sion the words have come up be-
fore me in fearful distinctness. |
could not get rid of them. and they