The Durham daily globe. (Durham, N.C.) 1889-1894, 1892-11-19
THE SWORD OF DIVINE JUSTICE
rs work Is Not So Apparent as the
tNilenCes of Divine Love,

ENilences of Divine Love.
Awake. d sword. against nv SheD-
nerd. and against the man that is nv
fellow s5.!th the Lord Of hosts" This is
a prophecy Of the sword Of divine JUS
nee Unaheathed against him who bore
u =I..s IN his own body upon the tree"
Though the sword had seemed TO sleep,
II was not averted: the penalty due to
tranSgression must fall either upon the
actual transSressor or a competent sub
S'ltUte. Justice must nave its course as
. well a' mercy.
IN reading the moral history Of the
world the evidences Of divine justice do
not lie upon the surface, as do the evil
dences Of divine love. There are reasons
for THIS. First, TINS life Of probation is
eminent for gracious remedial agencies.
lue 1--we of God occupies the fore
ground; the air Is sweet with the in
cense Of salvation: the armament is IL
luInined with the bright beams of the
sun of righteousness; the harmonies Of
the Gospel are chanted in inspired songs;
the notes Of welcome, welcome TO Jesus.
resOund through all the earth.
Whenever the eye surveys the world
OF matter or Of mind the love of God is
visible; II where you will, go where
you may. conspicuous over all are the
evidences that God is love. Then in
this world crime but seldom meets with
its immediate retribution. After its
commission there follows a gracious
series Of provisions, promises and APP
peals. While for these and other rea-
r,,,, 4l1 l;,i-n 1,-r%;., =, .-%
as his mercy, yet many events in the
! moral history Of the universe prove that
1t is inevitable.
From incidental illusions in the Scrip
ture we learn how it fell upon the angels
who kept not their first estate, who left
their w habitatiOn, and whom he hath
reserved in chains under darkness unto
the judgment Of the great day"
1t was shown toward the disobedience
IF tn. first man and woman in Eden.
They had Toasted upon the beauties of
Gods creation; his smile greeted them
continually: every creature bowed before
them IN willing submission. But they
yielded to sin, and at nee the holy God
looked upon them with displeasure, and
his justice pronounced sentence for
their quit.
God looked down from heaven and
saw that the wickedness Of man was
great III the earth, and the voice of JUS
tiCe called from deep unto deep until
the mighty waters swept over mountain
and plain, destroying every living thing
save those within the ark. AS we gaze
upon that bow of matches beauty after
the sUlnmer rain, what is its testimony
Of God? Is it Of his love only? No. 1t
speaks forever of his hatred of sin and
his wrath against it. What hallOWed
associations were woven with the his
tory Of Jerusalem, city Of God! There
David touched his sacred Tyre; there
was the gorgeous temple; there were
! he rich treasures Of centuries. Yet be-
cause Of its rebellion and sin it must be
said even Of the city Of his love, Behold,
| your house is left unto you desolate."
But all these instances are as nothing
when we approach the deep, tender, over
whelming mystery Of the cross Of Jesus.
The Lord hath laid upon him the
iniQuitv Of us all" Can we ever again
treat lightly or count as matter of little
! consequence that toward which the dis
pleasure of God is so just, so deep, that
it could only be atoned for by such stu
pendous sacrifice? Eternal are the dis
tinctions between right and wrong.
God has pledged his throne to the right.
! Never will he suffer evil to triumph.
This. this is the God we ADORE. whose
uaule was revealed III majesty and glory
III the days Of old as the Lord, the
,,I - ,,,,-,iFrl on1 rroniN,,C ln,,r
suffering and abundant in goodness and
truth. keeping mercy for thousands, for
giving iniquity and transgression and
sin. and that will by no means clear the
guilty; visiting the iniquity Of the IA
theirs upon the children, and upon the
childrcn's children, unto the third and
to the fourth OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
Advocate.