rds.
But against what does He make war? His name tells us that. For it
is--Faithful and True; and therefore He makes war against all things and
beings who are unfaithful and false. He Himself is full of chivalry,
full of fidelity; and therefore all that is unchivalrous and treacherous
is hateful in His eyes; and that which He hates, He is both able and
willing to destroy.

Moreover, He makes war in righteousness. And therefore all men and
things which are unrighteous and unjust are on the opposite side to Him;
His enemies, which He will trample under His feet. The only hope for
them, and indeed for all mankind, is that He does make war in
righteousness, and that He Himself is faithful and true, whoever else is
not; that He is always just, always fair, always honourable and
courteous; that He always keeps His word; and governs according to fixed
and certain laws, which men may observe and calculate upon, and shape
their conduct accordingly, sure that Christ's laws will not change for
any soul on earth or in heaven. But, within those honourable and
courteous conditions, He will, as often as He sees fit, smite the
nations, and rule them with a rod of iron; and tread the winepress of the
fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

And if any say--as too many in these luxurious unbelieving days will
say--What words are these? Threatening, terrible, cruel? My answer
is,--The words are not mine. I did not put them into the Bible. I find
them there, and thousands like them, in the New Testament as well as in
the Old, in the Gospels and Epistles as well as in the Revelation of St
John. If you do not like them, your quarrel must be, not with me, but
with the whole Bible, and especially with St John the Apostle, who
said--"Little children, love one another;" and who therefore was likely
to have as much love and pity in his heart as any philanthropic, or
sentimental, or superstitious, or bigoted, personage of modern days.

And if any one say,--But you must mistake the meaning of the text. It
must be understood spiritually. The meek and gentle Jesus, who is
nothing but love and mercy, cannot be such an awful and destroying being
as you would make Him out to be. Then I must answer--That our Lord was
meek and gentle when on earth, and therefore is meek and gentle for ever
and ever, there can be no doubt. "I am meek and lowly of heart," He said
of Himself. But with that meekness and lowliness, and not in
contradiction to