These thoughts lead to the further consideration that there will be no arbitrary or despotic power exercised in "the judgment to come." "My words shall judge you in the last day" is given by our Lord as the standard of judgment. Is there one here who desires to know how he will bear the searching ordeal of that day? If there is, let me say to such a one, you can decide that question here in this world for yourself. You have the Lord's word for this. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth him that sent me, hath eternal life, and cometh not into judgment, but hath passed out of death into life." To hear is to hearken, and to hearken is to obey, from a right faith in God. If you believe that this book which I hold in my hand, called the Bible, is the revealed truth of God, and from the heart are willing to obey its precepts under a sense of love and duty to do the will of your Father in heaven therein revealed, and continue faithful unto death, you have the assurance therein given that the judgment to come will be a day of triumphant joy to your soul. But if you come short of this you can have no such assurance: and I am compelled to repeat in your ears these terrific words of an apostle: "If we sin willfully, after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins; but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversary." To sin willfully is to refuse to do what we know to be the will of God our Father in heaven.
I said awhile ago that judgment and reward will be according to works. Let us now turn to some of the proofs in confirmation of this assertion. They drop from the lips of our Lord without the least show of any design in him to establish a great principle. The principle had been established as an element of divine order before the Son of man came into the world. It is a truth so simple that even little children comprehend it. If a little child that has been taught any correct ideas about salvation and heaven be asked a question like this: "Who go to heaven?" it will at once answer with childlike simplicity: "Good people go to heaven." If further interrogated as to who good people are, it will say: "People who love one another and do good." It is a truth intuitively known that good people are saved and happy, and bad people lost and miserable.
"This is the judgment, that light is come into the world, but men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. Every one that doeth evil hateth the light ... lest his deeds should be reproved. But he who doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, because they are wrought in God. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. He that hath my commandments and doeth them, he it is that loveth me ... and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him; ... and will come to him, and make my abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my words. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.... I have chosen you, ... that ye should bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain." I must drop a word of comment upon this last quotation. By fruit remaining it is to be understood that it goes with the child of God through the judgment into heaven, and remains to eternity. In Revelation we read these words: "Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow with them. A book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged according to those things which were written in the book, every one according to their works."
I might continue this multiplication of scripture passages to a much greater number, but time forbids. Every passage I have quoted bears either directly or indirectly upon the judgment to come. It remains a thing of choice with every intelligent human being, whether he will be prepared to face the shining judgment throne with joy, or quail before it in terror. The Lord says to all: "Seek ye my face." What a blessed response it would be for each one to answer as did the young Prophet Samuel: "Thy face, Lord, will I seek."
Tuesday, August 18. Brother Kline and Jacob Wine have night meeting at Nimrod Judy's, in Hardy County. The conversion of Saul is their subject. Acts 9.
Wednesday, August 19. They have meeting at John Judy's on South Mill Creek. Text.—"God is a Spirit." John 4:24. They speak on the spiritual nature of true worship, and prove that ordinances in connection with all the externals of worship, to be acceptable to God, must be but the outward evidences of internal realities. They stay all night at John Judy's.
Thursday, August 20. This day they have two meetings: forenoon at Isaac Judy's; afternoon at Michael Mallow's. Stay at Adam Mallow's.
Friday, August 21. Two meetings to-day. Forenoon at Bethel church—dine at Peter Warnstaff's; afternoon at Warnstaff's tanyard. Stay at John Davis's in Hardy.
Saturday, August 22. Meeting at Zion church on the South Fork. In the afternoon cross the Shenandoah mountain into Brock's Gap.
Sunday, August 23. Meeting at Keplinger's chapel, where they meet Benjamin Bowman and Solomon Garber. A joyful surprise. Brother Benjamin Bowman speaks from Luke 8. He speaks mostly from these words of the eighteenth verse: "Take heed how ye hear." From the outlines I gather that he followed very closely the lines of thought here briefly expressed.