SEAM. XTV 7 WERE AND HEREAFTER. 247 night, and arise in the morning, and have this hope not increased? Have I so little expectation ofmy appearing well there, and yet rest contented under it ? Do I worship now with that sincerity and devotion, as those who must hereafter come to be judged ? Could we, dare we, indulge ourselves in the neglect of any duty, ar cómmission of 'any sin, or careless performance of the religious services we owe' to God,.at the rate we now do, had this great appearance before God at judgment been often upon our thoughts? Alas ! these things vanish from our minds, many times, together with the breath and air that forms the words : Business, or cares, or the diversions of this life, turn away the soul from God and judgment. We dwell in flesh, we see not God, and we are ready, foolishly, to imagine that we shall never see him : We thrust this hour at such a distance, as though it would never come; we put it afar off as an evil day. But let us stand still here, and consider a little: This evening we are come to appear before God in worship; we see ourselves here, and see each other; we are sure it is a reality, and not a dream; yet seven years ago, this evening was at so vast a distance from us, that we scarce knew how to realize it to our thoughts, and make it, as it were, present: but now all that long distance is vanished,, and this evening is come; those days are all passed, and this hour is upon us, Thus it is in the case of death and judgment. Seven years hence, it is móst likely, some one or more of us, and perhaps every one of us, shall appear before the bar of God our Judge; that appointed hour will come, how- ever it seem afar off now ; and then it will be as real an appearance as this present hour is, bùt a much more solemn one; we shall see and feel ourselves there, and know it is not a dream, but an awful reality. Consider further, that it can be but a few *wen years more, before every one of us must certainlyappear at the judgment-seat of God ; and as long as those years seem.now, yet they will quickly fly away, and the last hour will be upon us. Think how many of your ac- quaintance, inRamon. years past, have made their ap- pearance before-God, have past their final trial, and received their everlasting sentence: And each of us may say, " Why should not I be the next? What is there in x4
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