which is to us more interesting than that of bringing forth the books of life and of death, in whose dreadful pages they have been recording, as they passed, the thoughts and actions of men both small and great, rich and poor, bond and free, in all nations, and kindreds, and people. But now it is finished, their labour is at an end, they have laid aside their pens, and stand prepared to open and to read the things which have been written therein, whether they be good or whether they be bad; "and all flesh shall be judged out of the things which are written in those books, according to their works, and whosoever shall not be found written in the book of life, shall be cast into the lake of fire."

Such is the scene which we may suppose to precede the judgment of the earth; such are the pomp and solemnity of circumstance which may be presumed to accompany its acts, and assuredly, there is none other which can so well or greatly deserve the amazing grandeur of those mighty preparations. For what scene can occur to us, more terrible in its importance, than that which is to decide the destiny of the world and all its people? Or who more just, or merciful, or worthy to receive the honour of uttering the decree, than he who was slain for that world, the

Rev. xx. 12. and 15

Lamb who redeemed us to God by his blood, and hath made us unto our God, kings and priests for ever and ever.h

The sons of men are they that are to be thus awfully judged, whether they be the living or the dead-whether, with us, they still move on in the round of daily duties and of daily existence, or whether they have long since worn out their strength, and sleep in the womb of their mother; for dust they were and unto dust they have returned. In the church-yard around us, in the graves beneath our feet, they rest in the mouldering oblivion of death, and so shall rest until the latter day. Then shall the Archangel advance before the throne, and lifting up the golden trumpet to his mouth, shall sound a last, long, piercing blast, which reaching from the one end of Heaven to the other, shall be heard in the very deepest chambers of the grave. At the sound of that fearful trump, "the sea shall give up the dead that are in it, and death and hell shall deliver up the dead that are in them." "The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a mighty shout," and call upon every creature in the deep, and upon the earth, and under the earth; and every creature shall hear and obey the call, and come forth to be judged according to their works. * 1 Thess. iv. 16.

"Rev. v. 9, 10.

iRev. xx. 13.

G G

The bodies of those who perished in the days of Noah in one universal flood of ruin, shall revive; the beings that have yielded up the ghost in the mountains, and in the waters, and in the wilderness, shall once more be animated with the quickening influence of the spirit of motion; the atoms which are scattered upon the face of the earth shall again be gathered into human forms; the dry bones of those who are buried shall again be moistened with the dew of life, and shall come together, "bone to his bone, and sinews shall be laid upon them, and flesh shall be brought upon them, and breath shall be put into them, and they shall live," and live for ever; and there shall be a resurrection both of the just and of the unjust. For the dead shall be raised in incorruption, and we shall be changed. But behold," as says the Apostle St. Paul, "I shew you a mystery." We shall not all thus sleep the long, deep sleep of death, and then be re-animated and raised again. All men shall not yield to mortality and see corruption; but those inhabitants of the earth who live at the time of the general judgment shall either not taste of death at all, or at least not feel its bitterness, but passing instantaneously from a mortal and a corruptible, to an immortal and incorruptible state, shall scarce be able to say whether they have died 1 Ezek. xxxvii, 6-9.

or no.

"They which are alive," saith St. Paul," "and remain" on the earth when the Lord shall descend from Heaven, shall not return unto the dust from whence they sprung, but "shall be caught up into the clouds to meet" their Judge. Their mortal shall put on immortality, their corruptible shall put on incorruption in the twinkling of an eye, and in a moment they shall be changed and receive the things done in the body." According to that they have done, so shall their sentence be, whether it be good or bad. They that have done good shall inherit everlasting life; but they that have done evil shall go away into everlasting shame and contempt. They that have loved righteousness shall be blessed with the blessing which God hath prepared for them that love him, joy such as eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive. Theirs shall be pleasure without ceasing, and joy for evermore. But the greedy workers of unrighteousness and iniquity shall be cursed with everlasting destruction from the presence of God's glory, bound down with chains and darkness, with the worm that dieth not, and the fire that cannot be quenched. There shall be weeping for sorrow, and gnashing of teeth for despair. Wherefore let them that be holy comfort each other, and build -up their mutual faith and holiness in the prospect

1 Thess. iv. 17.

"1 Cor. xv. 51, 52.

of this eternal reward of glory, and let those that be yet in their sins, considering God's horrible wrath, and their own most dreadful danger, take heed unto themselves before the hour of their salvation be past.

I have now endeavoured to lay before you, though very imperfectly indeed, a representation of the nature of the varied events and proceedings of that interesting day which will be unto us all either the most sorrowful or the most joyful that we have ever known. In that day God Almighty will decree the end of all things, and the judg ment of all men. God's holy Host will set the throne, and God's holy Son ascend the throne. Ministering Spirits will throng round about him on his right hand and on his left, and there will be read out of the books of life and of death the things which have been faithfully recorded, the doings and the mis-doings of men. To hear the contents of those pages read, all beings will be summoned from the grave, and as they hear so pass away to receive their appointed portion in Heaven or in hell, amidst angels or devils for ever. I have pictured these things, my Brethren, as if they were already upon us. I have talked of the great day as if it were already here, and as if we were even now (as indeed we are) in the sence of our Almighty Judge; and I have thus

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