ALREADY the single fact, that there is a Judge, sifts before the conscience guilt from innocence.
See, there are two, one of which has oppressed his neighbor and the other was oppressed by his neighbor, and now the oppressor boasts of what he gained, and the oppressed moans and complains and feels aggrieved by what was done to him.
And now there is mention of the Judge. The report went abroad of the committed wrong. It penetrated to the place of judgment. It came to the ears of the Judge.
So he mingles himself therein; and both persons, the oppressor and the oppressed, are summoned to the seat of judgment. But now think, with what opposite feelings, under what altogether different impression the two make their appearance there.
That there is still a judge, that this judge gives a sign of life, that this judge will pronounce judgment, is to the oppressed a cause of joy, as though his burden was already removed from his shoulders and the wrong, done him, is scarcely any more felt. But it operates upon the oppressor altogether differently. He feels troubled by it. For him it makes an end of his sinful pride. To him that judge is an evil appearance, that haunts him, and whom he so gladly would wish to be far distant.
Were there no judge, the oppressor would have remained jubilant and the oppressed a complainant in his misery. But now that there is a judge, and that that judge will do right, it is the turn of the oppressor, to be in trouble and distress, and the oppressed and sufferer of wrong gets oil of gladness for ashes.
Yea, more still, already the prospect, that the judge would concern himself in it, has given the evil oppressor anticipatory anxiety; and, on the other hand, the glorious prospect, that the judge would repair what was done amiss, has comforted the oppressed in the midst of his trouble and has held his hand back from revenge.
A judge: that is a moral power for the conscience and in life, which by the single fact already, that it exists and presently shall operate, holds back so much evil in its birth, tempers it in its execution and robs it of its malicious self-complacency; while, on the other hand, it alleviates the pain of oppression, lessons the grief of him who has been put in the wrong, offers comfort to him, that is cast down, shields from embitterment of soul and seeking of retaliation.
LET therefore the thought of the Judge of all judges remain unweakened in the conscience of our Christian nations, and above all see to it, that you do not take away the remembrance of that judge from the consciousness of our race. O, truly, if you are God’s child, He is your Father, and Love is His nature, “merciful and gracious and of great goodness” is His Name.
But still, when the Lord God proclaimed His holy, glorious Name so majestically to the ear of Moses, His servant, He immediately added thereto, as equally truly belonging to His Name: “Who will by no means clear the guilty,” even as the Our Father would have been unthinkable without the prayer to the Judge: “Forgive us our trespasses.”
Freely preach therefore the love and the riches of the mercies of the Lord as broadly, as generously, as aboundingly as lies within your power, but do not preach it falsely, do not cut the life-nerve of it, lift not out of it the animation and the energy.
Formerly every one’s conscience still knew, that that very Father in the heavens, even as every one’s father on earth, in His Fatherhood, and in virtue of His Fatherhood, is at the same time Judge.
Without that background of the Judge one could not think of the Father in the heavens.
Father in the heavens was then no term yet of emotion, no sentimental conception, no sound of weak good nature, but still entered really and truly into the ear with the full, rich, deep sense, which by nature lies in that holy name of Father.
But now this has been meddled with. The “Judge” has been left out, passed by in silence, presently antagonized. Judge, no, such the Father in the heavens is no more!
In the heavens and on the throne of glory there is no holy, separating and sifting energy carrying things through with a strong hand, but merely a weak good-heartedness, muddling everything together, to all things closing the eye.
So the evil conscience wanted it. And philosophy replied: It is quite possible. And misled by her sweet whistling a false theology also in the pulpit has fed this false representation.
And so in many churches one now almost never hears a mention of the Judge.
There are no exhalations save ever and again that impotent, pithless, creative of nothing good-heartedness or rather yet good-naturedness.
The rich, glorious Father-love of God, the fullness of His impenetrable compassion and fathomless mercifulness has been reduced to a superficial, shallow, soulless compassionateness.
Result of this is, that now the masses almost never more think of that Judge, neither concern themselves about Him, nor on His account refrain from anything.
Of which in turn the still sadder result is, that the sense of guilt grows ever more faint and haughtiness assumes ever more irremedial proportions.
And why then should one still seek the Redeemer?
O, he who is not bowed down under the weight of sin and guilt, and never was weary or heavy laden, does not thirst after the sweet of atonement.
A rough drunkard, a wicked blasphemer can still be induced to turn to Jesus, but no more the rank and file of people.
THAT dreadful evil of nerveless preaching ought to be arrested.
The Judge must be counted with again in our life. The thought of the Judge must be valid again in our consciousness. We ourselves must listen again and make our children listen to that dreadful apostolic warning: Behold, the judge standeth before the door! (James 5, 9).
The moment, you really believe this, you do no sin; as no thief would steal, if he saw the judge himself standing at the door.
For among people the sometimes still bitter experience weakens confidence, that a judge will judge righteously; or will merely do so by half measure; sometimes even directly violating right.
But with the Judge there is no such cause for weakening. That Judge does not close the all-seeing eye to any matter whatever. Nothing escapes His observation. He needs no informer and no witness. Every evil action lies naked and open before Him, with Whom we have to do.
Moreover every one’s conscience knows well, that this Judge adways doeth right and never, never violates Right.
With this Judge everything that could weaken falls away. He shines in the full majesty of the Justice, which condemns all sin and delivers every one who is oppressed.
Place therefore your own soul, place your own environment, place the church of God, place country and people again before the Judge, and an altogether different spirit will pervade our heart and the circle of our life.
The enervated conscience will become sinewy again.
God’s children in particular will be troubled again in the face of sin still cherished.
There will be trembling in souls again before the living God.
And also, there will comforting again flow out to those that are oppressed; in that prospect of coming justice courage and strength will revive again, for a time to bear wrong and injustice; and in the face of all injustice and tyranny, even as our fathers, we shall learn, gladly and ecstatically to look forward to the day of judgment and of retribution, in which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall destroy “His and our enemies.”
This now one no longer dares to do. This is deemed loveless. And one forgets, that nothing is more loveless, than to estrange our generation from the Judge and thereby from Justice; thus to deaden the sense of guilt; and by this deadening of the sense of guilt to keep souls away from the Savior of their soul.
And therefore, let the Judge stand again before the door. Not only actually. For this He doeth anyway. But clearly before our consciousness.
The fruit of it will be so glorious!
So refreshing for the tepidness of the spiritual atmosphere around us.
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