But they that would not be reformed by that correction, wherein he dallied with them, shall feel a judgment worthy of God.
Read Chapter 12
Augustine of Hippo
AD 430
For the one who does good, there are two judgments referred to in the Scriptures, one secret and the other manifest. The secret one takes place now, and the apostle Peter says of it, "It is time for judgment to begin with the household of the Lord." It follows that the secret judgment is the pain by which each person is tormented now, so that he purifies himself, or by which he is admonished so that he converts or, if he has despised God"s calling and his teachings, he remains blind to damnation. The manifest judgment is rather that by which the Lord, when he comes, will judge the living and the dead, when all will know that it is he who assigns rewards to the good and torments to the wicked. But then, such a confession will not be a remedy for evils but a storing up of condemnation. It seems to me that the Lord spoke of these two judgments when he said, "The one who believes in me will pass from death to life and will not be judged," that is, in the manifest judgment. In fact, the passing from death to life by means of the various sufferings with which God chastises every child he receives is precisely the secret judgment. "The one who does not believe," rather, "is already judged," that is, in this secret judgment he has already made himself ready to undergo the manifest one. We also read of these two judgments in Wisdom, where it is written, "As to reckless young people, therefore, you sent them a judgment to mock them. But those who were not corrected by this judgment experienced the just judgment of God." Therefore, those who do not correct themselves following this secret judgment of God will be punished as they deserve in the manifest one. - "Expositions of the Psalms 9.1"
