PART il. SERMON XIV. 201 he appears all guilty, not only befere the searching eye of God, and the terror of his anger, but also before the blessed spirits who are near the throne. Here those whoare in the same assem- tbly, know not whether we are the Childrenof God, or the chil- dren of the devil; but in the world of spirits, all the children of Satan are as much distinguished from the children of God as an angel of light is from a spirit of darkness. This flesh is a disguise to the soul, a thick cloud to cover a thousand hypocrisies; but at the great day the naked soul must he known` All nations shall be gathered before him, and he shall separate them one f róm another, as a shepherd divideth the sheep fì'oeh thegoats; Mat_ xxv. 32. .Jesus shall separate the onefrom theother; andwhatwill the sinner say at that day ? " I have on earth appearedbefore God among the saints, but now 1 must for ever dwell with my companions in iniquity, with my partners in everlasting burnings ; I am so like to the spirits of hell, now Jr am undressed, and divested of all disguise, that I see myself justly dividedfor ever from the saints, and a fit companion for none but devils." O who can tell the torment that iscontained in such a self condemning rsflectionas this? 3. Sinners appear now, and take no notice of God as Crea- tor, or Christ as Mediator and Saviour; but at the appearance in judgment it will be impossible to stand before God, and not take notice of him. He appears there as a God of terrible and incensed majesty, and they must see him ; and Jesus Christ sits there, and must be seen, not as the Saviour to secure them, but the judge ready to condemn them to everlasting punishment; .Rev. i. 7. assures of thisday, and'speaks of it as already come : Behold, he conzeth with clouds, and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him ; and all hindreds of the earth shall wail because ofhim, I shallbehold him, says the wretched Balaam, but not nigh; Num. xviv. 17. not as my God, near me, but as my enemy, afar fromme. as Now God speaks with the voice of mercy in the church, and I turn adeaf ear to him, may the sinner say, but then it is the language of justice and vengeance : O that my ears andmy eyes were sealed up for ever : for his looks, his words, his actions, smite my soul through With a thousand tor- ments." It is impossible for the wicked to turn their eyes fromGod in that day, whereas now for a wholehour or two, inhis worship, their hearts are not once fixed upon him. ,A God of holiness will be seen onhis seat of judgment ; and the sinner who will not sect shall see, and be confoundedat the sight. Think of this, O my soul ! and when thou findest thy thoughts wandering from God in the next duty of worship, take this awful hint to recal them again.
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