08. Because he is appointed to be a judge of others

The disciples of Christ do more than others, Because they are appointed to be judges of others.

If you consult the holy scriptures, you will find that both the Father, the Son, and the saints are to judge the world. The ordination is the Father's, the execution is the Son's, and the approbation is the saints'. This shall no more derogate from the honour of Christ, than the sessions of the justices derogates from the authority of the judges.

When the apostle Paul would quash the sinful suits among the believing Corinthians, he informed them that they did not so much require men of eminence to terminate their controversy, as men of godliness. Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? If you are to judge in causes between God and man, how much more in controversies between man and man? If about matters that are eternal, why not in affairs that are temporal?

Felons may be jovial in the prison, and bold at the bar; but they will tremble at the tree. When wicked men come like miserable captives out of their holes, the godly shall rise like an unclouded sun above the horizon of the grave.

There is a cloud of witnesses to prove the Christian's judicial process:—Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold the

Lord cometh with ten thousand of his saints, to execute judgement upon all. Again he saith, When the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Now the world judges the godly, but then the godly shall judge the world. The act of the head is imputed to the members, and the act of the members is acknowledged by the head.

Reader, in the great day there will be no distinction made between him who now sitteth on the bench, and him who standeth at the bar. Tell me, how will you be capable of passing a righteous sentence on others, for those evils which you have lived in the constant commission of? The true Christian can cordially subscribe to that ancient maxim, 'Because I enjoy the greatest share of religious majesty, I am therefore intitled to the least share of licentious liberty.' It was once said to Cæsar, 'Seeing all things are lawful to Cæsar, therefore it is the less lawful for Cæsar to do them.'

By faith, Noah, being warned of God, prepared an ark,—by which he condemned the world. Noah's believing set him to prosecute his building. Thus the sanctified Christian judges the world both by his faith and his practice.

Christian reader, remember, that the gospel purity of your life shows to worldlings the impurity of their's. The usual prejudice which the world has against religion, is, that it makes no man better, though it may make some men stricter.

We too frequently behold that those who exclaim against the pride of others, are as proud as others.