 
Illustration. Slaying The First-Born. "Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." Rom. 12:19. 1. What warning does Christ give concerning judging? “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” Matt. 7:1. 2. What is Satan called in the Scriptures? “The accuser of our brethren ... which accused them before our God day and night.” Rev. 12:10. Note.—Then when we judge, accuse, and condemn one another, we are doing the work of Satan. 3. If we bite and devour one another, what may we expect? “But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.” Gal. 5:15. 4. Before attempting to judge, criticize, or correct others, what should we first do? “And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye: and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.” Matt. 7:3-5. [pg 691]5. What did Christ say He did not come to do? “If any man hear My words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.” “For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 12:47; 3:17. 6. What question does Paul ask concerning judging? “Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth.” Rom. 14:4. 7. To whom are all to give account? “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” Verse 12. 8. What exhortation, therefore, does the apostle give? “Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling-block or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.” Verse 13. 9. Instead of railing on His enemies, what did Christ do? “Who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously.” 1 Peter 2:23. 10. Wherein do man's judging and God's judging differ? “For the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.” 1 Sam. 16:7. “Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.” Luke 16:15. 11. How does Christ tell us to judge? “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” John 7:24. 12. How, by whom, and in what spirit should those having committed faults be dealt with? “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” Gal. 6:1. 13. Of what are those generally guilty who judge others? “Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest [pg 692] 14. Whom are we not likely to judge and condemn? “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.” 1 Cor. 11:31. 15. What instruction does James give regarding judging? “Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.” James 4:11. See Titus 3:2. 16. Why is it safer not to judge and condemn others? “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned.” Luke 6:37. “For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.” Matt. 7:2. See Ps. 18:25, 26. 17. To what time are we exhorted to defer judgment? “Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the heart.” 1 Cor. 4:5. “Judge not;” the workings of his brain And of his heart thou canst not see. What looks to thy dim eyes a stain, In God's pure sight may only be A scar, brought from some well-won field Where thou wouldst only faint and yield. The look, the air, that frets thy sight, May be a token that, below, The soul has closed in deadly fight With some infernal, fiery foe Whose glance would scorch thy smiling grace, And cast thee shuddering on thy face. The fall thou darest to despise— Perhaps the angel's slackened hand Has suffered it, that he may rise And take a firmer, surer stand; Or, trusting less to earthly things, May henceforth learn to use his wings. And judge none lost, but wait and see, With hopeful pity, not disdain; The depth of that abyss may be The measure of the height of pain, And love, and glory, that may raise The soul to God in after-days. Adelaide A. Procter. |
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