to his deeds. A man is judged according to his--not
_belief_--but according to his _faith_. But he is judged according also
to--not his _work_--but according to his _character_.

And I wish, dear friends, to lay this upon your hearts, because many of
us are too apt to forget it, that whilst unquestionably the beginning of
salvation, and the condition of forgiveness here, and of acceptance
hereafter, are laid in trust in Jesus Christ, that trust is sure to work
out a character which is in conformity with His requirements and moulded
after the likeness of Himself. 'The judgment of God is according to
truth,' and what a man is determines where a man shall be, and what he
shall receive through all eternity. Remember Christ's own teaching.
Remember the teaching of that other apostle than John, according to
which the 'wood, hay, stubble,' built by a man upon the foundation shall
be burned up, and the builder himself be saved, yet so as by fire. And
lay this to heart, that it is only when faith works in us, through love
and communion, characters like Jesus Christ's, that we shall be able to
stand--though even then we shall have to trust to divine and infinite
mercy, and to the sprinkling of His blood--before the Throne of God. Lay
up in store for yourselves a good foundation unto eternal life. And take
this as the preaching of my text; character, and character alone, will
stand the judgment of that great day.

There is no real antagonism between such truths and the widest preaching
of salvation by faith. It is the same man who, in his gospel, says, as
from the lips of the Lord Himself, 'He that believeth is not judged,'
and in his letter says, 'We may have boldness in that day, because, as
He is, so are we in this world.'

III. One word about the last point; the process by which this likeness
is secured.

That is contained, as I tried to show in my introductory remarks, in the
earlier part of the verse. Our love is made perfect by dwelling in God,
and God in us; in order that we may be thus conformed to Christ's
likeness, and so have boldness in that great day. To be like Jesus
Christ, what is needed is that we love Him, and that we keep in touch
with Him. What is it to 'abide' in Him?--to direct the continual flow of
mind and love and will and practical obedience to Him, to bear Him ever
in the secret place of my heart whilst my hands are occupied with daily
business, and my feet are running the sometimes rough race that