And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry,
Nor could the scroll contain the whole
Though stretch’d from sky to sky.”
As love is the moral nature of God, well might the great Gentile apostle exclaim, “I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other thing, shall separate us from the love of God, which is manifested in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Rom. viii. 38, 39. Can love so broad, so deep, so high, so vast, so enduring, so mighty, consign countless millions of its creations to interminable agony? Can an ocean of love be the source of an ocean of woe? Can the best tree bear the worst fruit? Can the purest fountain emit the most deadly poison? As God is love, while man exists, he must be his friend, his benefactor, his savior. All creeds say God is love. The old Pagans extolled Jupiter, called him the great, the magnificent, the glorious Jupiter, but according to their mythology, he was a beastly monster. So modern theologies say God is love, but they attribute to him passions and deeds the devil might envy. God is love, and all his purposes, and all his works perfectly harmonize with infinite love. Universal blessedness is the sequence of the proposition—God is love.
As God is love, he is just—just in all his purposes, in all his works. Would it be just to force into existence man or angel, knowing that existence would prove an endless curse? Force man into this world, force him through this world, force him into the grave, force him into the spirit-world, force him into an endless hell! That is the programme of heaven, concerning millions of mankind, according to popular creeds. Man is the victim of all this, if Mr. Lewis is right. Is there any justice in this? The whole scheme is black with crime, and reeking with vengeance, as it culminates in the ruin of the universe. Justice does no such work. Justice is universal right, and it labors to bring about right; and justice will not be satisfied till all mankind are right—right in character, in condition, in life. Universal salvation is the sequence of the proposition—God is just.
God is merciful. Mercy is only another manifestation of love, and leads to the same result. The Bible says much about the mercy of God—he is of “great mercy,” “plenteous in mercy,” “rich in mercy.” His mercy is said to be universal—“his tender mercies are over all his works.” His mercy is everlasting—“the mercy of the Lord endureth forever.” The mercy of the Lord then is great, universal and everlasting. It is by the mercy of God we are now blessed; as his mercy is universal, there is no place in the universe where his mercy will not reach us; and as it is eternal, the time will never come when he will not bless us. Universal blessedness then, is the sequence of the proposition—God is merciful.
God is holy. Holiness is a characteristic of love. Holiness delights in holiness, in purity, in happiness. Good men are holy in a finite degree, and they pray, and plan, and labor, to extend holiness. God is holy in an infinite degree, and he purposes universal holiness. Will he then ever place any of us where we cannot be holy, but must lie down in depravity, in corruption, in sin, forever and ever? Mr. Lewis affirms that he will thus dispose of millions of mankind. But that is impossible, as God is a holy being. Here is a man; and because his children are disobedient, he digs a dungeon, chains them in its darkness, feeds them on bread and water; but this is not enough; he enters that dungeon morning, noon and evening, and beats them half to death. He continues this barbarous treatment for days, weeks, months, years, yea, as long as they live. Would you call that the work of holiness? God, it is said, will deal infinitely worse than that inhuman wretch.
“Far in the deep where darkness dwells,