Meditation for Thursday

This day thou shalt think upon the Last Judgment, that, with this consideration, there may be stirred up in thy soul those two great affections, viz., the fear of God, and the hatred of sin.

Think then, first, how terrible will be that day, in which the causes of all the sons of Adam shall be searched out ; all the proceedings of our lives come to an end; and positive sentence be given on what shall be our lot for ever !

That day shall gather up into itself all the days of ages past, present, and to come; for, in it, the world shall render account of all; and that day shall pour forth all the anger and fury heaped up in those ages. Then shall burst forth the torrent of Divine indignation till then restrained ; then shall there be manifestations of anger and fury aM according to the number of sins committed k since the beginning of the world. Think, then, of the awful signs to be seen before E that day; for ‘ ‘before that day shall come,’ the Saviour saith, “ there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and among all creatures in heaven and earth. Further, all shall feel the end “ that is coming, and shall tremble and begin ‘to fall before the end is come. “ Then,” saith our Lord, “shall men’s hearts” be “ failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth.” And then will all be so fully occupied with fears on their own “account that they will think of no other than themselves, of neither parents nor children. Think of that universal deluge of fire which shall precede the coming of the Judge, and of that awful sound of the 1 S. Luke xxi. 25, 26, A.V.

Archangel’s trumpet, calling all generations — of the world into one place for judgment ;

and, above all, think of the dreadful Maes of the coming Judge. After this, consider how exact shall be the account which shall be required of each one. “ How,” saith Job, “should man be just with God? If he will contend with Him, he cannot answer Him one of a thousand.’ What, then, will each one of the wicked feel, when God shall enter into judgment with him, and shall say thus to him in his conscience: Come hither, wicked man, and say, what didst thou see in Me, that thou hast despised Me thus, and hast joined thyself with my enemy ? I created thee in My Image and Likeness. I bestowed upon thee the Light of F aith, and journeyed, watched, laboured; for thee did sweat drops of Blood. For thee I endured persecutions, scourging, blasphemies, mockings, buffetings, insults, torments and Cross. This Cross, these nails, these wounds in My feet and hands and side bear witness to Me. Heaven and earth bear witness Who He was Who suffered. THO ee ‘Then, what hast thou done with that soul of thine, which with My Blood I made My own ; in what, in whose, service hast thou laboured with that soul which I bought at so great cost. O! foolish and adulterous generation, why hast thou chosen to serve thy enemy, with sorrow, rather than Me, thy Creator and Redeemer, with joy? Often have I called thee, and thou wouldst not answer ; often knocked at thy door, and thou wouldst not 4 open; stretched forth My hands upon the Cross, and thou regardedst not. Thou 5 hast despised My counsels, promises, warnings ; declare then, angels, “judge ye betwixt Me and My vineyard. What could have been done more to My vineyard, that I have not done in it ?” What will those wicked ones answer, those mockers of Divine things, those scoffers of virtue, those despisers of simplicity, those who have given heed to the laws of the world more than to the laws of God, those who have been deaf to all His calls insensible to all His inspirations, rebellious against His Commandments, ungrateful and hardened against warnings and benefits alike ? What will they answer who have lived as if they thought ‘there was no God; they who have cared for nothing else than their own pleasure? ‘What will ye do,” saith Isaiah “in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far >? — To whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory ? ” Consider, fifthly, the terrible sentence after this, which the Judge shall pronounce upon the wicked awful words which shall ring -in the ears of all who hear them ! Isaiah saith, “His lips are full of indignation, and His tongue as a devouring fire.” ” What fire will burn as those words will burn, “ Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels? ”3 Each one of these words, the curse, the fire, the companionship, and above all the banishment for all eternity, is full of thought for meditation.