“open to us!” These are not infidels, but professed believers in Christ’s supreme authority.  “Lord, hast thou not taught in our streets?—­open to us!” is the plea of those who heard the truth spoken, it may be by Jesus personally; of those, at least, who had the privilege, and did not neglect it, of hearing the word preached.  “Lord, have we not eaten and drunk in thy presence?—­open to us!” appears to others sufficient evidence of friendship for the Redeemer, and such as might be urged by those who followed Him in Judea, and saw His person, heard His words, yea, sat at meat with Him as “His familiar friends.”  “Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name cast out devils, and done many wonderful works?—­open to us!” Thus could Judas have pleaded; and many a man, perhaps, who had the gift of miracles without the grace of God; or many more who have had rare gifts of talent, genius, eloquence, which have done good to others, in spite of their own selfish motives; and who, by many wonderful works, have cast out “evil possessions” of wicked principles and practices from others, while evil, nevertheless, possessed themselves.  And with as imposing claims many too may seek admittance to God’s kingdom, because they “gave their goods to feed the poor, or their bodies to be burned.”  Yet, to each and all such pleadings, Jesus represents himself as saying, “I know you not!  Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity!” But if so, we ask you, reader, what evidence of Christian life can you adduce better or more satisfactory than all this?  Nothing, be assured, will be accepted which does not prove a right spirit, or, in other words, the existence in the soul of love to Jesus Christ in some form or other.  “LOVEST THOU ME?” will be the grand question, the truthful reply to which will determine our real state on that great day.  Hence, while the evidence of doing wonderful works, or of giving our body to be burned, is rejected as worthless, inasmuch as the one proves only the existence of power, and the other of what may be but a sacrifice to self, and not to the Saviour,—­yet the gift of a cup of cold water to a disciple for the sake of the Master, will suffice to open the doors of heaven, because affording evidence of the heart which loves Jesus, and for which heaven has been prepared.  “Come, ye blessed of my Father!  Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of my disciples, ye have done it unto me!” “If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ; let him be accursed!”

We need not add that we have assumed that the persons thus judged have had full opportunities of knowing and serving Jesus as their Lord.

RESULTS OF JUDGMENT.

What shall the results be of such a searching, impartial, and conclusive investigation into the history of mankind?  Some of these we may, perhaps, be permitted to anticipate.

The proceedings of the day of judgment will answer all the accusations of Christ’s enemies.