❤fering to be salvation:" and "seeing we look for "such things, let us be diligent, that we may be found "of him in peace without spot and blameless."-We proceed therefore,

II. To consider the discoveries which will then be made." The Lord shall come, who will both bring "to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make "manifest the counsels of the hearts."

"When the Son of man shall come in his glory “and all his holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory; and before him shall "be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them "one from another, as a shepherd divideth the sheep "from the goats;" that is, with perfect ease, and infallible certainty. Then shall he be seated on "great white throne," the emblem of his awful justice and spotless purity," and the books shall be

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"the

opened." This expression, referring to the affairs of men, leads our thoughts to the discoveries of that solemn season. The book of the divine law shall be opened, as the perfect standard of good and evil; the book of Providence, stating the talents committed to the stewardship of each individual, with the advantages or disadvantages of his situation; the book of omniscience, developing all the particulars of every man's conduct, and all the motives and thoughts of his heart; and the book of conscience or memory, answering to every charge or discovery, however before buried in oblivion. But another book shall also be opened, or no flesh could be saved; even the book of life, in which all the elect of God, all true believers, are registered, with the evidences of their repentance,

faith, and love. Then, all "men will be judged out "of those things, which are written in the books, ac

cording to their works. And whosoever shall not "be found written in the book of life, shall be cast "into the lake of fire."*

We know but little of the real characters even of those with whom we are most intimately acquainted; and far less of other men's. A vast proportion of their outward conduct is concealed from us: what strangers then must we be to the dispositions and counsels of their hearts! Perhaps a tenth part of the actions of our nearest relatives or friends, do not come under our notice: we must therefore judge, as well as we can; and though caution be necessary, a measure of suspicion adequate to our uncertainty, would mar all our earthly enjoyments. David seems not to have suspected Ahithopel, nor the apostles Judas: yet they were both plausible hypocrites. Many of you, my friends, may perhaps be conscious, that if your neighbours, or relations, knew certain things in your conduct, which you carefully and successfully conceal; your characters would be injured, and yourselves covered with confusion. "But when the Lord shall "come, he will bring to light all these hidden things "of darkness." Then the dishonesty and extortion which have here escaped detection, and even suspicion; or which have been pleaded for with specious fallacy, will appear in all their full deformity before men and angels. The oppression, rapine, and cruelty, which have been gilded over with the splendour of

*Rev. xx. 12-15.

great talents and renowned achievements, will be viewed in another light, when "the earth shall disclose her "blood, and no more cover her slain." Nor will that degrading licentiousness and sensuality, which are often covertly practised by persons of decent or respectable character, any longer be concealed; though it is now a shame "to speak of those things which are done of "them in secret."

But to relieve our minds from such painful reflexions, let us take a view of the contrast. The Lord will also bring to light the good works of his believing people: " he saw them in secret, and he will re"ward them openly." Those fruits of faith and love, which the world perhaps vilified and called by some opprobrious name; and those, in which they scarcely "let the left hand know what the right hand did," will then be disclosed and approved by the righteous Judge. The self-denial of his despised disciples, in sparing from every article of expence and indulgence, to raise a little fund for the relief of the needy, and even of their calumniators and persecutors; their secret prayers and compassionate tears over the very persons, who counted them harsh and uncharitable, because they would not "speak peace when there was "no peace;"* their scrupulous care to avoid every degree of injustice, when no blame was likely to be cast upon them for it; their earnestness in secret devotion, with deep humiliation and enlarged benevolence: all these will be discovered when the Lord shall come, and will greatly tend to illustrate and distin

Jer. viii. 11.

guish the characters of men. The blemishes and misconduct of pious persons are too often visible to their neighbours, and give occasion to their scoffs and impiety: but it will then appear, that these things were lamented before God with many groans and tears; that they condemned themselves more severely than others could condemn them; that they prayed without ceasing not to be left to repeat their sin and folly; and that they vigilantly used every means, of crucifying their evil propensities, and bridling their appetites and passions.

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The discoveries of that solemn day will likewise relate to men's words. "Every idle word that men "shall speak, shall be given an account of at the day of judgment: for by thy words thou shalt "be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be "condemned."* Our words must indeed be known in some measure to others: but men are commonly very careful to whom they declare their unreserved sentiments; and would often be extremely disconcerted, if their discourse in private circles, among the select companions of their vices, should be disclosed to those with whom they desire to maintain another kind of character. But the profane, blasphemous, atheistical, infidel, and abominable speeches, which men vent in their secret cabals; with all the falsehoods, slanders, boastings, bitterness, imprecations, and horrid language, which on some occasions they utter, during the whole course of their lives, will be produced against them before the assembled

*Matt. xii. 36, 37.

world. "For the tongue is a fire, a world of ini"quity; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison; it "sets on fire the whole course of nature, and is set " on fire of hell."* The secret influence of evil conversation, corrupts men's principles and morals, and wounds their reputations: it ruins domestick and relative comfort, and disseminates impiety, infidelity, heresy, profligacy, enmity, discord, and confusion, through neighbourhoods, cities, and nations. Yet no discovery can be made of such private mischiefs, except by the omnipresent and omniscient Judge. It would be tedious to insist particularly on the flatteries, deceptions, false colourings, seductions, and other artifices, by which wicked men carry on their base designs. These, however, are hidden things of darkness, which will be brought to light when the Lord shall come. If then all our words, without exception, whether spoken openly, or among our select companions, shall be thus made known at the great decisive day; could nothing else be produced against us, we must surely feel that this alone would overwhelm us with confusion. The story is well known, of the person, who invited a company of his friends, that were accustomed to take the Lord's name in vain; and contrived to have all their discourse taken down and read to them. Now if they could not endure to hear the words repeated, which they had spoken during a few hours; how shall we bear to have all that we have uttered, through a long course of years, brought forth as evidence against us at the tribunal of God?-But the

Jam. iii. 6—10.