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448
The Great Controversy 1888
holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.” [
Hebrews 12:14
.]
“Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right
to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For
without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers,
and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.” [
Revelation
22:14, 15
.]
God has given to men a declaration of his character, and of his
method of dealing with sin. “The Lord God, merciful and gracious,
long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for
thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will
by no means clear the guilty.” [
Exodus 34:6, 7
.] “All the wicked will
he destroy.” “The transgressors shall be destroyed together; the end of
the wicked shall be cut off.” [
Psalm 145:20
;
37:38
.] The power and
authority of the divine government will be employed to put down rebel-
lion; yet all the manifestations of retributive justice will be perfectly
consistent with the character of God as a merciful, long-suffering,
benevolent being.
God does not force the will or judgment of any. He takes no
pleasure in a slavish obedience. He desires that the creatures of his
hands shall love him because he is worthy of love. He would have
them obey him because they have an intelligent appreciation of his
wisdom, justice, and benevolence. And all who have a just conception
of these qualities will love him because they are drawn toward him in
admiration of his attributes.
[542]
The principles of kindness, mercy, and love, taught and exem-
plified by our Saviour, are a transcript of the will and character of
God. Christ declared that he taught nothing except that which he had
received from his Father. The principles of the divine government are
in perfect harmony with the Saviour’s precept, “Love your enemies.”
God executes justice upon the wicked, for the good of the universe,
and even for the good of those upon whom his judgments are visited.
He would make them happy if he could do so in accordance with the
laws of his government and the justice of his character. He surrounds
them with the tokens of his love, he grants them a knowledge of his
law, and follows them with the offers of his mercy; but they despise
his love, make void his law, and reject his mercy. While constantly
receiving his gifts, they dishonor the Giver; they hate God because
they know that he abhors their sins. The Lord bears long with their