But this truth is also taught by reason. You know this therefore with an absolute certainty which precludes all possibility of rations doubt.
Again, God is so good and sinners are so wicked, He can not help being angry at them. For instance, you who are in sin know that you must die; but you have more reason to be assured that God is angry with you than you have to be sure that you must die; for it is not necessarily so certain that you will die as it is that God is angry with you for your sin. Now this is indeed a good and sufficient reason for anger, and the justification would be a good one if the anger were really excited by this cause. Sinners know this, and always assume it in their practical judgments. This is the only doctrine of either the Bible or of common sense on this subject.
VI. God is angry with the wicked--not with the abstract sin. Since in his wisdom and knowledge He knows more fully than they do, the great evil of sin; by so much the more is He under obligation to be displeased with sin and angry at the sinner. This is a common case. If the wicked turn not, God will whet his sword;--he hath bent his bow and made it ready;--not to shoot the sin however, but the sinner--the wicked man who has done the abominable thing. Although these reasons actually exist, yet when angry at sinners, it is not for these good reasons, but for some selfish reasons which are not good. For example, every sinner has good reasons for being angry with every other sinner for his wickedness against God. If He were not angry at the wicked, He would be as much worse than they as He is wiser than they. But often, although this reason exists, and is pleaded by the man as his excuse for anger, yet it is no excuse, for in fact he is not angry for this cause, but has some selfish reason for his anger. What would you think of a judge who did not hate and oppose law-breakers? Would you think him an honest man if he did not take sides against transgressors? Every body knows that this is the dictate of reason and of common sense. Not so with God. If God were not opposed to the wicked, He would be wicked Himself for not opposing them. As to the duration of God's anger against the wicked, it manifestly must continue as long as the wickedness itself continues. Every man in the exercise of his reason knows it ought to be true. But sinners are not angry against other sinners for those reasons. They know that God is angry with them, and ought to be--though they may not realize it. This is so plain that everybody must know it.
Good reasons exist for his anger, and he is angry for those reasons. As long as wicked men continue wicked, so long must God be angry at them every day. You see persons angry, and if you reprove them for their anger as sinful, they seek to justify themselves by affirming that they are angry with the man for his sins--for his wrong-doing against God. We sometimes hear men say, "God is too good to be angry at sinners." What do men mean by this language? Do they mean that God is too good to be opposed to all evil--too good to be displeased with all evil-doers? This were indeed a strange goodness! God too good to hate sin--too good to oppose sinners! What sort of goodness can this be?
So the Bible shows. It is not uncommon for persons to be angry, under circumstances too, which are good reasons for anger, but still they are not angry for those good reasons, but for other reasons which are not good. Sinners know many things which they do not realize. God is angry with the wicked not irrespective of his sins, but for his sins. If they turn not, there can be no abatement, no cessation of his anger. God may possibly translate you from this world to another without your death--as he has some others; but there never was and never can be any exception to the universal law of his anger against all the wicked.
Again, God is so good and sinners are so wicked, He can not help being angry at them. For instance, you who are in sin know that you must die; but you have more reason to be assured that God is angry with you than you have to be sure that you must die; for it is not necessarily so certain that you will die as it is that God is angry with you for your sin. Now this is indeed a good and sufficient reason for anger, and the justification would be a good one if the anger were really excited by this cause. Sinners know this, and always assume it in their practical judgments. This is the only doctrine of either the Bible or of common sense on this subject.
VI. God is angry with the wicked--not with the abstract sin. Since in his wisdom and knowledge He knows more fully than they do, the great evil of sin; by so much the more is He under obligation to be displeased with sin and angry at the sinner. This is a common case. If the wicked turn not, God will whet his sword;--he hath bent his bow and made it ready;--not to shoot the sin however, but the sinner--the wicked man who has done the abominable thing. Although these reasons actually exist, yet when angry at sinners, it is not for these good reasons, but for some selfish reasons which are not good. For example, every sinner has good reasons for being angry with every other sinner for his wickedness against God. If He were not angry at the wicked, He would be as much worse than they as He is wiser than they. But often, although this reason exists, and is pleaded by the man as his excuse for anger, yet it is no excuse, for in fact he is not angry for this cause, but has some selfish reason for his anger. What would you think of a judge who did not hate and oppose law-breakers? Would you think him an honest man if he did not take sides against transgressors? Every body knows that this is the dictate of reason and of common sense. Not so with God. If God were not opposed to the wicked, He would be wicked Himself for not opposing them. As to the duration of God's anger against the wicked, it manifestly must continue as long as the wickedness itself continues. Every man in the exercise of his reason knows it ought to be true. But sinners are not angry against other sinners for those reasons. They know that God is angry with them, and ought to be--though they may not realize it. This is so plain that everybody must know it.
Good reasons exist for his anger, and he is angry for those reasons. As long as wicked men continue wicked, so long must God be angry at them every day. You see persons angry, and if you reprove them for their anger as sinful, they seek to justify themselves by affirming that they are angry with the man for his sins--for his wrong-doing against God. We sometimes hear men say, "God is too good to be angry at sinners." What do men mean by this language? Do they mean that God is too good to be opposed to all evil--too good to be displeased with all evil-doers? This were indeed a strange goodness! God too good to hate sin--too good to oppose sinners! What sort of goodness can this be?
So the Bible shows. It is not uncommon for persons to be angry, under circumstances too, which are good reasons for anger, but still they are not angry for those good reasons, but for other reasons which are not good. Sinners know many things which they do not realize. God is angry with the wicked not irrespective of his sins, but for his sins. If they turn not, there can be no abatement, no cessation of his anger. God may possibly translate you from this world to another without your death--as he has some others; but there never was and never can be any exception to the universal law of his anger against all the wicked.
No comments:
Post a Comment