thee? Ah, in hell! Let me go there! In hell? But that is the place of all imaginable pains and torments. No matter! let me go there! Cover me with flames! Bury me in them so deeply that I cannot come out! It will be more endurable for me there than the sight of this Man who is my Judge. “Nor shall the sight of man behold me!” Let me not look at the incarnate God! I cannot bear the sight of Him, nor that He should see me. Mountains, fall upon me in pity! Hills, bury me in your mercy! “Then shall they begin to say to the mountains: fall upon us; and to the hills: cover us.”[1] Yes, miserable wretch, call out as loud as you will; bore into the bowels of the earth if you can; tear the eyes out of your head: you must stand before Me and see the Man who will put you to shame: “Then they shall see the Son of man;”[2] and then too, O Lord, shall sinners wither away with fear before Thee. “They shall perish at the rebuke of Thy countenance.”[3]
Exhortation and comfort for the good. My dear Christians, there you have our future Judge as God, our future Judge as Man; our Judge who, in whatever way you consider Him, is all-seeing, and therefore nothing can be hidden from Him; almighty, and no one can escape Him; infinitely just, without mercy, without pity, without respect for persons, who will pronounce final sentence on each one according to his deserts. This Judge, terrible in all respects, I have chosen as the subject of your meditation and mine too, that we may persevere in the way of virtue, have a greater horror of sin, and be more zealous in the performance of good works. It is indeed on the last day of the world that the sentence will be made known which decides the eternal happiness or misery of each individual; but now during this life is the time in which the trial is going on; all that we now do, think, or say, we shall then see written in the great account-book; what we now sow we shall then reap. “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels: and then will He render to every man according to his works.”[4] Ah, above all things let us do what we can to ensure a favorable termination to our suit. If we have sinned and sinned often, and grievously even, let us not despair
- ↑ Tunc incipient dicere montibus: Cadite super nos; et collibus: Operite nos.—Luke xxiii. 30.
- ↑ Tunc videbunt Filium hominis.—Ibid. xxi. 27.
- ↑ Ab increpatione vultus tui peribunt.—Ps. lxxix. 17.
- ↑ Filius enim hominis venturus est in gloria Patris sui cum angelis suis; et tunc reddet unicuique secundum opera ejus.—Matt. xvi. 27.
