25. Let us dread then, brethren, lest God
condemn us; who needs not examination or proofs, to condemn. Say
not, In the night I committed fornication, or wrought sorcery, or did
any other thing, and there was no man by. Out of thine own
conscience shalt thou be judged, thy thoughts the meanwhile accusing
or else excusing, in the day when God shall judge the secrets of
men Rom. ii. 15, 16.. The
terrible countenance of the Judge will force thee to speak the truth;
or rather, even though thou speak not, it will convict thee. For
thou shalt rise clothed with thine own sins, or else with thy righteous
deeds. And this has the Judge Himself declared—for it is
Christ who judges—for neither doth the Father judge any man,
but he hath given all judgment unto the Son John v. 22.,
not divesting Himself of His power, but judging through the Son; the
Son therefore judgeth by the will νεύματι. Cat.
xi. 22. of the Father;
for the wills of the Father and of the Son are not different, but one
and the same. What then says the Judge, as to whether thou shalt
bear thy works, or no? And before Him shall they gather all
nations Matt. xxv. 32.: (for in the
presence of Christ every knee must bow, of things in heaven, and
things in earth, and things under the earth Phil. ii. 10.:) and He shall separate them one
from another, as the shepherd divideth his sheep from the
goats. How does the shepherd make the separation? Does
he examine out of a book which is a sheep and which a goat? or does he
distinguish by their evident marks? Does not the wool show the
sheep, and the hairy and rough skin the goat? In like manner, if
thou hast been just now cleansed from thy sins, thy deeds shall be
henceforth as pure wool; and thy robe shall remain unstained, and thou
shalt ever say, I have put off my coat, how shall I put it
on Cant. V.
3. Compare Cat. iii. 7;
xx. (Mystag. ii.) 2.? By thy
vesture shalt thou be known for a sheep. But if thou be found
hairy, like Esau, who was rough with hair, and wicked in mind, who for
food lost his birthright and sold his privilege, thou shalt be one of
those on the left hand. But God forbid that any here present
should be cast out from grace, or for evil deeds be found among the
ranks of the sinners on the left hand!