XX.

The End of the Wicked.

"The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous hath hope in his death."-PROV. xiv. 32.

H

ERE are two classes, the wicked and the righteous. And they divide all mankind between them. There may be degrees, and there are, in both classes; but the Scriptures of truth never confound or amalgamate them. Not one of those whom God calls wicked is reckoned among the righteous; and not one of the righteous is reckoned among the wicked. Their nature, their birth, their character, their destiny, are diametrically opposite the one to the other. And let me remind you that this same distinction will hold good to the very end. As we read (St. Matt. xiii. 49-51), “So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things?" Oh! say it to us now, Blessed Lord! Then, and not eternal separation.

till then, shall be the

Now, attend to God's estimate of those two classes,

widely differing as it does from the world's estimate of them. We all know well enough the class the world understands by the wicked; those who are guilty of crimes, dishonest men, men who lie, and curse, and swear; so far they are right, these are undoubtedly wicked. But God und rstands the character of the wicked in another light. He goes to the root of the matter, and regards all those cr mes as but fruits emanating from, and issuing from, a poisonous root. The gre t God understands by the wicked such as we are told of in Psa. ix. 17: "The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God." God regards the man who forgets Him as the wicked man. Ignorance and forgetfulness of God are the roots of all that the world calls wickedness. In Psa. 1. 16, we have again God's estimate of the wicked: "Unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare My statutes, or that thou shouldest take My covenant in thy mouth ?" Observe, the men God calls wicked are oftentimes very religious; they take His covenant in their mouth: "Seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest My words behind thee. When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with him, and hast been partaker with adulterers. Thou givest thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frameth deceit. Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother; thou slanderest thine own mother's son."

In St. Matt. xviii. 32, we find the unmerciful called the wicked; and, in Rev. xxi. 8, "the fearful and unbelievers" at the head of the list of the wicked.

Now, the world's estimate of the righteous man also differs much from God's estimate of him. The world's estimate embraces a generous man, one who gives

abundantly, a hospitable man, an industrious man, an inoffensive, amiable, excellent character-so far all is right. But God's estimate of the righteous man goes to the root. He accounts that man righteous in whom Christ dwells: "We are made the righteousness of God in Him." There is no other righteousness under Heaven; the righteousness of Christ is the only righteousness God will acknowledge, both now in the day of grace, and in the day of judgment. His name is "The Lord our Righteousness"; if we have Christ we have the righteousness of God, and in that righteousness we are "justified from all things."

The passage that of all others most fully sets forth God's estimate of these two classes is Mal. iii., where we have God's description of the wicked and the righteous. See if we can classify ourselves now; it will be too late in the day of judgment. In verse 7 the Lord, addressing the wicked, says, "Even from the days of your fathers have ye gone away from Mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto Me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord." How do they treat that most gracious invitation ? They say, "Wherein shall we return ?" And again, in verse 8, hear God's charge

against the wicked: "Will a man have robbed me." And yet you say,

rob God? Yet ye "Wherein have we "In tithes and

robbed Thee?" They deny it all! offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse; for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation." And, in verse 13, God brings another charge: "Your words have been stout against me, said the Lord. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against Thee?"

Now, the Lord does not leave them in ignorance.

(Verses 14, 15.) "Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept His ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of Hosts? And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered." Thus the Lord describes the wicked, and most distinctly delineates their character. And now, in contrast, we have the righteous. (Verses 16, 17.) "Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another and the Lord hearkened, and heard." Oh, blessed fear! the Lord was their theme; His love, His promises, His mercy, His faithfulness, and His truth were their theme; and the Lord loved to listen. Ah! brethren, think of our conversation during the past week; have we spoken much that the Lord delighted to listen to? The Lord "hearkened, and heard, and a book of remembrance was written." Would you like to have your conversation written? His children love to speak of Him, and to have their thoughts of Him remembered, "And a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon His name." Beautiful characteristics of the children of God! "And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of Hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him." And the Spirit of God adds, "Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth Him not": that is the period to which the words of our text refer. "It is appointed unto men once to die, and after that the judgment.” "Oh! that we were wise, that we understood this, that

we would consider our latter end." "What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?" or "what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"

"The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous hath hope in his death." There are three things implied here as to the death of the wicked. Oh! give them your attention, and ask God, for Christ's sake, to make these things mighty to your conviction and conversion.

(1) There is implied here a most solemn and awful change passing over the wicked: "he is driven away"; whence? from all existing happiness. Ah! you that are finding your enjoyment in the world, in eating, drinking, and making merry, what will you do in the

day when you are "driven away"? Oh! men of

profession, sportsmen, men of business, "driven away from all your engagements, all your means of improvement. You are now surrounded with opportunities; the Lord is wooing you with His love; but, when you are driven away," there will be no voice then for evermore calling you to Christ. "He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses : of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of Grace?" (Heb. x. 28, 29.) The wicked are "driven away " from all hope of salvation, for there is no repentance in the grave. The Spirit of God here warns us, there remaineth to those