he avenger of all such, as we also have
forewarned you and testified."

My friends, people talk loosely of the Thunder of Sinai and the rigour of
Moses' law, and set them against what they call the gentle voice of the
Gospel, and the mild religion of Christ. Why, here are the Thunders of
Sinai uttered as loud as ever, from the very foot of the Cross of Christ;
and the terrible, "Thou shalt not," of Moses' law, with the curse of God
for a penalty on the sinner, uttered by the Apostle of Faith, and
Freedom, in the name of Christ and of God. St Paul is not afraid to call
Christ an Avenger. How could he be? He believed that it was Christ who
spoke to Moses on Sinai--the very same Christ who prayed for His
murderers, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." And
he knew that Christ was the eternal Son of God, the same yesterday, to-
day, and for ever; that He had not changed since Moses' time, and could
never change; that what He forbade in Moses' time, hated in Moses' time,
and avenged in Moses' time, He would forbid, and hate, and avenge for
ever. And that, therefore, he who despises the warnings of the Law
despises not man merely, but God, who has also given to us His Holy
Spirit to know what is unchangeable, the everlastingly right, from what
is everlastingly wrong. So much for that side of our Lord's character;
so much for sinners who, after their hardness and impenitent hearts,
treasure up for themselves wrath against the day of wrath and revelation
of the righteous judgment of God, in the day when God shall judge the
secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to St Paul's Gospel.

But, when we turn to the Gospel for the day, we see the other side of our
Lord's character, boundless condescension and boundless charity. We see
Him there still a Judge, as He always is and always will be, judging the
secrets of a poor woman's heart, and that woman a heathen. He judges her
openly, in public, before His disciples. But He is a Judge who judges
righteous judgment, and not according to appearances; who is no respecter
of persons; who is perfectly fair, even though the woman be a heathen:
and, instead of condemning her and driving her away, He acquits her, He
grants her prayer, He heals her daughter, even though that daughter was
also a heathen, and one who knew Him not. I say our Lord judged the
woman after He had tried her, as gold is tried in the fire. Why He did
so, w