coming of Jesus in which He shall appear in the midst of all men on the last day of general judgment. Although, as we have seen, many terrible signs are to precede His coming, His advent as Judge shall be quite sadden and unexpected. And for what purpose? No longer to comfort and convert men, but to judge the wicked strictly and condemn them to the fire of hell. Oh, what a terrible coming! With reason does the Church sing: How men shall shudder at the coming of the Judge! Arid who is that Judge? This I shall partly explain to-day.
Plan of Discourse.
He will be an exceedingly terrible Judge, especially to those who have a bad conscience. Such is the whole subject of this sermon. A terrible Judge, because He is God: the first part. A terrible Judge, because He shall then be a God without mercy: the second part.
To the end that we may all be inspired with a greater horror of sin, and a greater zeal in the divine service. Grant us this by Thy powerful grace, O God, who art still merciful, before the time comes when Thou wilt judge the living and the dead without mercy: we beg this of Thee through the Mother of mercy and our holy guardian angels.
We have no great reason to fear earthly judges. Although God is infinite goodness in His substance and essence; although He is an infinite Good, worthy of all honor and love; although He is the only Good that a creature can long for and desire for perfect happiness, yet His very name is enough to fill the good with reverence and the wicked with fear. When Adam had lost his innocence, the voice of God in paradise filled him with such awe that he hid himself among the trees of the garden: I heard Thy voice; I was afraid and I hid myself.”[1] “O Lord,” says the Prophet Habacuc, a holy friend of God “I have heard Thy hearing and was afraid.”[2] I was filled with awe and consternation. Although the Israelites in the Old Law were the chosen people and were called the people of God, yet when they heard His voice from afar coming out of the dark cloud, “being terrified and struck with fear they stood afar off, saying to Moses: Speak thou to us and we will hear: let not the Lord speak to us, lest we die”[3] through ex-
