temptations, though they had no power over Him; and can sympathise with weakness to which He never yielded? Brethren, it is given to us, each and all, through the mercy of God, and by the help of His gracious Spirit, to decide whether this compassion, this sympathy, this brotherly love, shall have free course and be glorified in us. If we plead Not Guilty, and stand stoutly on our merits and our rights, what are they, what are we, —and what must our judgment be? We must plead Guilty, that His loving-kindness may have its way. We must plead and cry for the mercy which is our only hope. In kingdoms of this world, the sovereign entrusts the administration of justice to others, and reserves the crowning grace of mercy to himself. But on that day there is One Judgment-seat, Mercy-seat: there is One that sitteth, our Judge, our King, our merciful Lord and Saviour. He is there to condemn and execute judgment-but He is there also to pardon and receive into glory. Oh, righteous Judge! oh, merciful Saviour! give us that first grace, to seek and strive for more; to agree with our adversary quickly, while we are in the way with him; to hear the voice of tenderness uttering the message which the Prophets bore to Israel, “Why will ye die? I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord!" If we look to Him on the Cross, and see Him suffering not the bodily agonies of that precious death, the penalty of our sins, alone, but the greater and more abhorrent burden of those sins themselves, if we can repent of all that we have laid upon Him,—if we can find in our hearts to love Him according to the love wherewith He has loved us,—then that Judgment-seat will, indeed, be a Mercy-seat to us; then, in the very day of judgment, "mercy shall rejoice against judgment." Choose ye, dearly beloved brethren, whom the Christ who died for you is coming to judge! Choose, while His mercy and long-suffering wait,—while His grace is freely yours to enable you to choose the good:-that, “as it is appointed to men once to die, but after this the judgment, so Christ, who was once offered to bear your sins, may unto you, and all that look for Him, appear the second time, without sin, unto salvation!" PRINTED BY JAMES PARKER AND CO., CROWN-YARD, OXFORD. |