If we only go back far enough in our thought we will certainly come to a
time when divine wrath could not exist. Go back to the time before the
angels sinned. Go back to the time before there was sin of any kind in
all God's universe. But mark, no matter how far that takes you
back--there was an eternity of sinlessness before it. Yes; an eternity
of sinlessness. There was no wrath then. It could not exist. Therefore
we could not say that it was a constituent of the divine character. No;
but it was a potentiality of the divine character. It could have no
existence until sin appeared. But love is from everlasting. It is by far
the mightier attribute. It is of the very essence of God. United with
infinite wisdom and power, we would expect it to have the final victory.


STERN FOR THE MOMENT.

Even when there is divine wrath, there is infinite love blended and
mingled with it. We shall see this as in a picture if we look at that
scene in the life of Christ when He healed a certain man in the
Synagogue. It was the Sabbath day. Knowing the hardness and hypocrisy
of those present, He flung out this challenge--"Is it right to do good
on the Sabbath day?" They could make no answer without committing
themselves. Then we read that Christ "looked round about them with
indignation." Ah, but listen. It is added immediately that he "was
grieved for the hardness of their hearts." His face that was stern for
the moment was strangely softened. O yes; love was ever behind His
wrath. His indignation was never far removed from tears. And so God can
be angry with sinners, at the same time that He loves them with an
everlasting love.