procession, down to this lower world: the throne is set; the books are opened: the dead are judged; and that sentence is passed, from which there lies no appeal.

Is all this true? Most assuredly it is. No person who hears me at this moment dares even to think it is not. A monitor within bears a faithful testimony to what I say, and will not suffer infidelity or doubt to intrude.

And are we-you and I-concerned in it all? As certainly as we are now met together in this place : no man or woman who has ever been, or ever will be born, can claim exemption-"We must all appear "before the judgement-seat of Christ."

Some little degree of curiosity, I should therefore hope, may have been excited, to inquire into the grounds upon which will be passed an irreversible sentence, either to everlasting happiness or everlasting misery for there is no middle condition; of one or the other we must inevitably partake. The Scripture from whence my text is taken, will afford us considerable assistance in the inquiry, and enable us to form some sort of opinion beforehand, where our lot is likely to fall.

Our Lord, according to St. Matthew's account, being at the eve of his sufferings, the history of which commences at the next (the 26th) chapter, closes his divine instructions to his disciples with a representation of his future proceedings on the great and awful day. "When the son of man," says he, "shall "come in his glory, and all the holy angels with "him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory;

"and before him shall be gathered all nations; and "he shall separate them one from another, as a

shepherd (in the evening) divideth his sheep from "the goats. And he shall set the sheep on his right "hand, but the goats on the left." To the foriner he first addresses that inexpressibly sweet invitation, mercy to the last rejoicing against judgement, and delighting to give the inheritance which it had spared no pains to purchase-"Come, ye blessed of my Father, "inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the "foundation of the world." Now be pleased to observe the reason upon which this invitation is founded. "For," saith Christ, "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." The righteous, very few of whom, out of the innumerable multitudes that are to be then assembled, ever saw their Lord in the days of his humiliation, wondering what this should mean, reply, with all the submissive earnestness of affection, Lord, when

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saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee; or thirsty, "and gave thee drink ;" or relieved thee in any of the other circumstances of which thou art pleased thus to speak? The words of the text contain his most gracious answer" 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."

Let us consider the works to be done, the principle on which they are to be done, and the acceptance they will be sure to find.

I. The works to be done-" Inasmuch as ye "have done it." By a Christian there is always something to be done. It was never intended that he, of all men, should be idle. Providence has given him powers and opportunities, and will require an account of the use that has been made of them. In the Gospel we are told of a servant, styled the unprofitable servant. Instead of improving the talent committed to his trust, he had hidden his Lord's money in the earth; he had buried his faculties in sloth and sensuality; they had produced nothing. Dreadful was his punishment, and it was in kind; he was bound hand and foot, and cast into outer darkness: as he would do nothing when he had the power, that power was taken from him, and he now could do nothing, but reflect for ever on his own misery, and the happiness he had lost.

Respecting the men of the world, it cannot be said that they are always idle: they are often busily employed; they are doing something; they are doing much; but it is mischief; mischief to themselves, mischief to others. And to very few of those whose exploits fill the volumes of history, and engage the attention of ages, can it be truly said, "Well done, "good and faithful servant." The unprofitable and the workers of iniquity will be bound with the same chain.

Of doing evil we frequently think-if we think at all-with abhorrence, and, it is to be hoped, labour to keep ourselves from it. But the crime of doing nothing, with the penalty annexed to it, is not recollected. That we have often, notwithstanding all our

care, "done those things which we ought not to have "done," we must be sensible; but who is he that duly considers how often he has "left undone those things "which he ought to have done." They are the sins of omission, that will crowd the account at the last day, more in number than the hairs of our heads. The thought would cause our hearts to fail us, should God be extreme to mark them.

The character of the Christian religion is most exactly portrayed in those few words, which describe the life of its Founder-" He went about doing good :" active in beneficence, always in motion for some salutary purpose, to relieve the distresses and comfort the sorrows of poor mankind. He expects that they who profess to be his followers, should be such more especially in this respect. Of the disciple Tabitha it is testified by the Holy Spirit, in the Acts of the Apostles, that she was full of good works and "alms-deeds which she did." The garments wrought by her own hands for the poor, were produced before the apostle, to prove that she had not been idle; that she had been employed; that she had been well employed. She obtained the peculiar favour of a resurrection to this life, to show, I suppose, that all like her will obtain one to a better.-What a sad reverse have we in the case of the rich glutton! He appropriated to his own luxury the means put into his hands to do good to others. And where is he now? You hear his voice, requesting of the wretched object that had lain neglected at his gate "a drop of water to cool his tongue."-Wretched man that he was! so to lose the opportunities which shall never

return!--But why should I multiply instances, or say any more upon this part of the subject, when our Lord, in the Scripture before us, has declared, that his gracious invitation, "Come ye blessed," will be made only to such as have performed these works of charity? How can it be made to us, if we have not performed them? From the necessity of performing them, pass we, therefore,

II. To the principle upon which they must be performed.

By faith we are saved: but faith without works is dead; it is no more faith, effectual to salvation, than a dead corpse is a man; it is a tree without fruit; notwithstanding all its professions, it will be sentenced to the axe and to the fire. The proper fruit of faith is love; love of God who hath done so much for man; love of man for whom God hath done so much. Love can work no ill to its neighbour; its nature is to work him all the good in its power; it branches forth into every office of charity mentioned by our Lord; it feeds the hungry; gives drink to the thirsty; clothes the naked; lodges the stranger; visits and comforts the sick, and those that are in prison. It may not be able literally and personally to do all this; but it provides for this being done, by freely and liberally contributing that money which answers every thing. And these acts of beneficence and kindness are performed, not out of interest or party, or to serve a turn; not out of vanity or ostentation, or because others perform them, and we shall be reflected on and lose the esteem of men if we neglect to perform them; but they are performed through