Page:A Defence of Revealed Religion.pdf/13

Rh He being infinite in every respect—if He were capable of anger he would be infinitely angry. But infinite anger and infinite love cannot co-exist in the same mind; and since God is love and changes not, He must ever love, and love all. That sinners are separated from God, and that punishment always follows sin, we believe to be incontrovertible facts. The cause of this separation and punishment we shall endeavour to shew in our next—at present our subject only requires that we should substantiate the idea that they do not originate in the anger of God. The Psalmist tells us that "the Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works." The assertion is grandly broad, putting out of question the idea that upon sinners He pours out the vials of vengeance and wrath. Sinners are those that have taken up an attitude of enmity against God; yet what says our Saviour: "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you, that ye may be the children of the Highest, who is kind even to the unthankful and to the evil. He causes His sun to shine upon the evil and the good, and His rain to descend upon the just and the unjust." Is that a love to be destroyed and turned into anger by human sin, which is described in the tender address—"Can a woman forget her sucking child? Yea, she may forget, but I cannot forget thee." And do not all the Divine invitations to the acceptance of forgiveness and pardon, and all His earnest calls to repentance, teach