Sermons Preached in the African Protestant Episcopal Church of St. Thomas', Philadelphia/Sermon 6
SERMON VI
the forbearance and retributive justice of god.
"The lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked." Nahum. i. 3.
In our attempts to worship the God of heaven, it is highly important that we entertain, as far as possible, just conceptions of the divine character; lest, while we profess to worship Him with our lips, we at the same time, be open to the rebuke: "Ye worship, ye knoiv not what." We are summoned to the house of prayer at this time, under circumstances of unusual interest. It has been recommended by the Chief Magistrate, that this day be devoted by the people throughout the country to prayer and fasting. And perhaps, there is no view of the character of God more proper for the mind to be duly impressed with on an occasion like the present, than the one contained in the text—his forbearing mercy, in connexion with his power and justice.
That Jehovah, whose perfections are unlimited, should at any time, in the smallest degree imaginable, be agitated, or disturbed by any inward emotion like mortal man, is impossible. Passion is an attribute that belongs exclusively to imperfect beings, who require some moving principle to excite them to action. But no such necessity can be supposed to exist in the great I AM, without involving the most blasphemous absurdity Hence, those portions of scripture that ascribe anger, wrath, jealousy, or any other passion, to the Deity, are always to be understood in a figurative, not in a literal sense. In every case, it refers to his mode of proceeding, or acting, and not to any inward emotion. As men, when provoked to anger, generally take steps to avenge themselves upon their enemies, so, when God executes the sentence of His righteous laws upon the rebels against His government, He is said to be avenged, not that He, like man, takes a malignant pleasure in the destruction of His enemies, but He is said to be avenged, because in such a case, His mode of procedure resembles the steps that men take when they are under the influence of anger. With these preliminary remarks, we shall enter upon the consideration of the several propositions contained in the text in the order in which they are presented.
First:—"The Lord is slow to anger." That is, He is slow to execute punishment upon the transgressors of His law. We have a striking illustration of the truth of this proposition.
1. In the case of our fore-parents. That eventful period, when they perpetrated the crime that brought death into the world and all our woe, in that very hour, Jehovah could in justice have banished them from the happy bowers of Paradise, and consigned them to the region of eternal misery and despair. It was thus He dealt with Lucifer and his rebellious crew. "And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains, under darkness, unto the judgment of the great day."[1] But instead of dealing thus with our fallen progenitors, he granted them a day of grace—he gave them a firm ground of hope in that cheering and comprehensive promise: "I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."[2] That they had sufficient time granted to avail themselves, as we believe they did, of that gracious promise, is clear, from Adam's protracted term of life, which was extended beyond the limit of nine hundred years. The same penitence, faith and obedience, that marked the character of Abel, when he offered "a more excellent sacrifice than Cain," were without doubt, equally prominent in our fore-parents, when "God made coats of skins and clothed them." It is not without good reason supposed, that this clothing was the skins of beasts slain in sacrifice by divine appointment, as typical of the one great sacrifice of Christ, who, in the fulness of time, "gave himself a ransom for all."
2. Another illustration of the truth that God is slow to anger, we have in the case of the Antediluvians. They had not only multiplied greatly in point of numbers, but their sins and iniquities also had increased to an alarming extent. "The wickedness of man was great in the earth, every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."[3] Being thus corrupt at the very fountain, it followed as a natural consequence, that "the earth was filled with violence through them."[4] But what was the conduct of God towards that guilty people? He mercifully warned them of the awful consequence of their overgrown wickedness by his servant Noah, who was "a preacher of righteousness" to that devoted people. He strove with them by his Holy Spirit. He bore with their bad manners; he waited for their reformation for the space of one hundred and twenty years, before he performed "his act, his strange act."
3. The same slowness to anger marked the conduct of God towards his chosen people Israel. They were under his special guidance, government and protection: they were favored above all other nations with the means of religious instruction, temporal security and prosperity. They were "nourished and brought up as children." When they groaned under the Egyptian yoke, God delivered them with a high hand and with an outstretched arm. When they travelled through the dry and barren desert where no water was, he caused streams to flow from the flinty rock to refresh their fainting spirits. He rained down manna from heaven to relieve them from the pains of hunger. But notwithstanding they enjoyed such distinguished privileges and blessings at the hand of God, they were far from bringing forth those fruits of purity and good living which might have been reasonably expected. There were, it is true, some honorable exceptions; but the general character given them in the holy scriptures, is that of "a rebellious and stiff-necked people,"—they were bent on backsliding—ever ready to depart from their Almighty Sovereign and Friend, and to conform to the abominable practices and customs of the surrounding heathen. But did He speedily give them up to work out their own destruction with greediness? No. He bore with them for upwards of fifteen hundred years after he had delivered them out of the land of Egypt and out of the house of bondage. Moreover, when they had well nigh filled up the cup of their iniquity in rejecting the only Savior of sinful man, still, the Lord forbore to visit them according to the demerit of their crimes. The axe it is true, was lying at the root of the tree; but he did not speedily issue forth the order,—cut it down—its day of salvation was protracted a little longer. Accordingly, the blessed Savior, after his resurrection from the dead, in commissioning his Apostles to spread the glad tidings of mercy universally, instructed them, especially, to begin at Jerusalem—to give the first offer of salvation to them who had crucified the Lord of life and glory. Thus the history of that peculiar people clearly illustrates the truth that the Lord is slow to anger.
Again. The character of the Gentiles, contrasted with God's conduct towards them, is a further confirmation of the first proposition of the text. A very startling, but graphic picture of their wretchedly depraved character is drawn by the Apostle Paul in the opening of his masterly epistle to the Romans. "Being filled" says he, "with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God; despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding; covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: who knowing the judgment of God, that they, which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them."[5] Here then, we have the moral portraiture of the Gentiles, as it presented itself to the mind of the inspired Apostle. Yet we find that they were not swept off the face of the earth as with a besom of destruction. The same Apostle says,—"And the times of this ignorance God winked at"[6] i. e. He bore with them in mercy, in order to give them a clear and explicit call to repentance. But we need not confine your attention to facts of ancient date, since we have a sufficient illustration of the truth under consideration, in our own day and time. See, how the Lord's day is profaned; the day consecrated to holiness and God is devoted by multitudes, young and old, to idleness, frivolity and sinful pleasures. How many acts of inhumanity, cruelty, oppression, high-handed robbery, murder, treachery, and lewdness, are every day practised amidst the blaze of moral and religious light. These things are of so frequent occurrence, that they almost cease to affect us. See the multiplied groggeries, gambling cellars and dens of infamy which are thronged, not only by the old and hardened in crime, but thronged by the young men of our city, whose downward course is blasting the best hopes of their parents and friends. Oh! were it possible for us to take a panoramic view of all the abominations committed here during the space of twenty-four hours only, we should be overwhelmed at the sight: we should be ready to regard ourselves as dwelling among incarnate demons instead of human, intelligent, and moral beings. Horror-stricken at the sight, we would tremble under the most agonizing apprehensions, lest the earth would not long sustain such a mass of guilt, pollution and crime. Now, we should bear in mind, that the Supreme Ruler of the Universe, surveys with one comprehensive glance, not only all the crimes of a single nation, but of the world at large. He has a clear and distinct view of every species of wickedness that is now, or ever has been committed. Yet we behold his sun rising upon the just, and upon the unjust, we have the regular return of the seasons: "He gives us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness." Why is this? Since the wickedness of man is still great in the earth, why do we not see the vials of unmitigated wrath, poured out upon its guilty inhabitants? Why do we not see the heavens gathering blackness and the red thunderbolt hurled down in flaming vengeance? To these inquiries unassisted reason can give no satisfactory answers. To see virtue, humanity, truth and justice lying prostrate upon the earth, while vice, cruelty and gross injustice receive honor and support, would be to us an incomprehensible mystery, were it not for the revelation of the truth contained in the text, that, the Lord is slow to anger. This truth will receive further confirmation from its application to our own individual cases. There is not one among us arriven to years of maturity, who upon a review of his life can fail to see the clearest evidences in his own case of the truth contained in the first part of our text. Let conscience speak, and she will whisper in the ears of some thus. You are now well-stricken in years; you were born in a Christian land; you have heard the sound of salvation ten thousand times, but alas! you cannot find in all your life one single day truly devoted to the service of that God in whom you live, move, and have your being, and who has made every provision for your present and everlasting happiness. To another she would say, in the spring-tide of life you sought the Lord and found him to the joy and satisfaction of your soul; but suffering yourself to be drawn aside by your giddy companions, and through the deceitfulness of your own heart, you became entangled again in the yoke of bondage; you crucified afresh the Lord of glory; put him to open shame; and now, you are ten-fold more the child of Satan than before. To us all she would bring home the charge, of having too often "done the things which we ought not to have done, and" of having "left undone those things which we ought to have done." But notwithstanding this, our lots are still among the living and not with the dead. So far from having any visible marks of divine vengeance upon us, we are still prisoners of hope, within the reach of mercy, having the privilege of partaking of the blessings of pardon, peace and holiness in this world, as preparatory for the enjoyment of eternal happiness in the world to come. Brethren, we all stand this day living witnesses that the Lord is slow to anger.
Second. This attribute of God is no evidence of his want of ability to execute upon transgressors the sentence of his violated law, for the prophet further adds that
He is 'great in power.' Men may be sometimes slow in effecting their purposes, because they are unable to accomplish their ends with despatch. No such inability belongs to Jehovah. What can stay his hand, who, "in the beginning created the heaven and the earth—who spake and it was done; who commanded, and it stood fast." Indeed, his slowness to anger, or long-forbearance, is perhaps, the greatest proof of his power that we can have any conception of. In contemplating the magnitude, the number and velocity of the planets, we are justly struck with amazement at the great power that upholds and sustains them. But what comparison can there be between the power that is put forth in the material system, and that which is manifested in his long-forbearance towards sinners. The former is power over matter, the latter is power over his own uncreated Being. The exhibition of monstrosity in wickedness, arouses at once the indignation of men, and nothing but the want of authority and power prevent them in such cases, from visiting it with summary punishment. But this is an evidence of our weakness. God "is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity—Heaven is impure in his sight." Yet he is cognizant of the great mass of human crime, but strikes not. His own inflexible justice and truth call for vengeance against the transgressors; but his long-forbearance, holds back the bolt. Here lies the "thunder of his power" which is beyond human comprehension.
Again, nor does his slowness to anger afford any security to the finally impenitent; for it is further added that
He "will not at all acquit the wicked" Though he bear long with sinners, yet retributive justice will overtake them at last. The fate of several nations as well as individuals may be adduced as illustrative of this. The ante-diluvians, the Sodomites, the Egyptians, the Ninevites, the Jews, all stand upon the historian's page, as indisputable evidences of the truth that He will not at all acquit the finally impenitent. Now, as nations can exist as such in this world only, and as God is unchangeably the same, when they become involved in national guilt, nothing but a timely repentance can avert a national punishment. Avarice, pride and ambition might be expatiated upon as sins of which this nation stands guilty before Godj but the great master sin of the nation is, that of sanctioning that svstem of outrage, which allows man to hold property in his fellow-man, the system, that blots out the moral image traced upon the soul by the hand of God, and writes thereupon— 'it is a thing.' It requires no labored attempt to show that the nation is verily guilty in this matter. In whatever department we look, whether legislative, literary, civil or religious, we find in the general spirit and conduct of each, a determined opposition to the universal rights of man. And what marks do we observe of true repentance? Is there a general concern upon the subject? Are the people awakened to a sense of their awful guilt? Are they bringing forth fruit meet for repentance? Are they like ZaCcheus restoring four-fold to their wronged neighbors? Far from it, far from it. The great absorbing theme dwelt upon from one end of the country to the other is gam. The obligation "to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God," is not taken into the account. Here a general apathy prevails. It is certainly a very imposing sight to behold an entire people, as at this day, presenting themselves before God in the attitude of humble suppliants. Prayer and fasting are some of the signs of penitence, and when accompanied with the other marks, viz., the forsaking of evil, and the practising of good works, they are well-pleasing to God; otherwise they are of no avail. When the Ninevites under a dread of God's judgments clothed themselves in sack-cloth, and cried mightily to God, it is said; that, "God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil that he had said that he would do unto them, and he did it not."[7] But what does the Lord say to his people when they had given up themselves to unrighteousness, and still offered to Him a formal worship. "To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord: When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand to tread my courts? Bring no more vain oblations: incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with: it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. And when ye spread forth your hands I will hide mine eyes from you; yea, when ye make many prayers I will not hear;" and the reason he assigns is: "your hands are full of blood." Hence the exhortation; "Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do well, seek judgment; relieve the oppressed; judge the fatherless; plead for the widow."[8] The point upon which their happiness or misery depended is thus stated. "If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land. But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured by the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it."[9] This threatening was signally executed upon the Jewish nation in the terrible slaughter which took place when their proud city was besieged by the Roman army under Titus. And it awfully exemplified the inspired declaration: "Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people."[10] With regard to the impenitent, as individuals, though in this world they find by experience that "the way of transgressors is hard" yet the full measure of their punishment will not be meted out to them until the final judgment. Then God "will render to every man according to his deeds."[11] "Unto them that are contentious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness; indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doeth evil."[12] Be awakened then, my impenitent bearers, to a sense of your danger. Let God's patience with you lead to a timely repentance. This is the gracious design Heaven has in view, in bearing with your bad manners from day to day and from year to year. He is slow to anger under all your provocations, in order that you may be suitably affected, and so be led to repentance and salvation. Abuse not his mercy by hardening your hearts and stiffening your necks. Think not that because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, you will therefore escape punishment. The arm of Divine Justice may be long delayed, yet it will fall at last upon your guilty head with accumulated vengeance. And who can endure the idea of falling into the prunitive. hands of Him who is omnipotent in power! May you avert this, by a timely repentance, by an unreserved dedication of yourselves to His service. Then, his power, justice and mercy will combine to ensure your present and everlasting happiness.