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the great day; until at length the discourse. drops all allusion to Jerusalem and speaks altogether of the last judgment. After mentioning many signs and warnings which are to precede its approach, our Lord goes on to a description of the proceedings of that day itself; first of all in parables, as that of the ten virgins and of the talents, which are given at the beginning of the twenty-fifth chapter of St. Matthew; and then at last dropping in great measure even the language of parables, He speaks more fully and distinctly of the great day itself, and of the good and the wicked being set on the right and left hand of the Judge. After saying that the Son of man shall come in His glory with all the holy angels, and shall sit upon the throne of His glory, and separate men from one another as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats, setting the sheep on His right hand, and the goats on His left, then He passes from all figure of speech, and tells us in a manner extremely awful in its simple and clear account, what the circumstances are on which the judgment of the great day will depend.

Now it is of this alone that I wish to speak on this occasion, of the proceedings of that awful day as they are given in this account, and of

those actions upon which we are told that our salvation will then turn; because these are not only new and particular in themselves, such as had never before been made known to the world, but they are all of them such points as are in an especial manner connected with our Lord's own cross and passion. Of a judgment after death all mankind had some sense; it was maintained among the heathen philosophers; and our Lord had Himself often spoken more or less fully of that judgment taking place on the last great day, and of an account then to be rendered by all of their past lives, of thoughts, words, and deeds; but of the precise nature of that judgment as it will be to Christians, He had never before spoken so fully as He does in this description. And it may be supposed for this reason, that these actions are all connected with the practical belief of Christ crucified. They are the result, the evidence, the fruit of that belief. So much so that every thing else, all supposed faith, or virtue, or knowledge, or works of imagined righteousness, are as nothing, are as a house built upon the sand without a foundation, not upon that Rock which is Christ. Let us examine all this account in this point of view. Clouds which preceded His coming are vanished; the Sun of righteousness is

in these revealed; parables and types are gone by; and He now speaks clearly. "Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was an hungred and ye gave Me meat: I was thirsty and ye gave Me drink: I was a stranger and ye took Me in: naked, and ye clothed Me: I was sick and ye visited Me: I was in prison and ye came unto Me."

Now all this description is of a character in a great measure new, not only in the remarkable details, but also in its general principles, and is in great measure different from any thing that had been before conceived of the judgment; and different from any thing that would have been supposed, were it not for the Incarnation,-for Jesus Christ manifest in the flesh. But all of these circumstances are parts of the great doctrine of Christ crucified. If any one were to ask of what nature these fruits are as here described, it must be answered that they are all of one Tree alone, and can be of none other; they are all the produce of the one living Vine. "He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit." They consist in an enumeration of duties, all of which partake of the cross; of that

"tree of life which beareth twelve manner of fruits; and yielded her fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." The fruits are of many kinds, yet they are all of that one tree alone, all from that one root; and the fruits they bear are not like the great actions of the world, seen once for all; but at all times and in all seasons whenever faith can work by love; and the very leaves which cover the fruit are for the healing of the sick and sad children of Adam; the hungry and thirsty; the homeless and the naked; those on the bed of sickness or in the chains of affliction.

There is nothing here said of those virtues of which the heathens thought so much; nothing of courage, of chastity, of justice, of temperance, all of which are doubtless most necessary; but only works of mercy are spoken of: those which are the peculiar fruits of the cross. Nor is any thing said of those most great and commendable graces in the saints of God; there is no mention of martyrdom, nor of a right confession of faith, nor of receiving the sacraments, nor of being united to the true Church, nor of laborious diligence in studying the truth, but all in all, through all, and in all it is the constraining love of Christ. Nor again is it said, If ye have faith in Me, then

from such a faith these works will necessarily follow; but it is said that these are the things which will be brought forward at the great day, and on their having been performed or not, the eternal sentence will depend; on the fulfilment or neglect of works of mercy in all their branches. Nor is it stated, ye must have in yourselves an assurance that ye love Me; for the very contrary to this is the case; and this circumstance is put forward in the very strongest manner, as appears from what follows, "Then shall the righteous answer Him, saying, Lord, when saw we Thee an hungred, and fed Thee? or thirsty, and gave Thee drink? when saw we Thee a stranger, and took Thee in? or naked, and clothed Thee? or when saw we Thee sick, or in prison, and came unto Thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily, I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me." And it may be further observed as the account proceeds, not only that there are no felt assurances. and high confidences in the accepted, but that these are found in the rejected. Whether the things enumerated have been done or have not been done makes up the entire difference.

It must likewise be noticed how many the