him—­and the good desires of this creature would be equal to the good desires of the countless millions of men and angels in all worlds; and could have no other intentions only those, which goodness and mercy dictate—­and goodness itself can do nothing contrary to its own nature, any more than ice can burn or fire freeze.  This creature would desire the happiness of all; and yet even he is but a small rivulet flowing from the crystal fountain of life and being!  This creature would institute a government perfectly merciful; and mercy would, of course, require, that the disobedient should be punished to bring them to obedience, and perfect them in the same state of glorification and love with that being itself.

“God is love,” and it, therefore, follows that he is love to every creature he has made, and it is utterly impossible that he can do any thing contrary to his own nature.  “He cannot deny himself.”  He will, therefore, do all that love dictates.  It is consistent with parental love to punish for the good of its offspring, but not to punish unmercifully.  But inquires the objector, does God punish for the good of his creatures?  We will let Paul settle this question—­Heb.  Xii.  Chap.  “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.  But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards and not sons.  Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence; shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits and live?  For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure, but he for our profit that we might be partakers of his holiness.  Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous; nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceably fruit of righteousness unto them that are exercised thereby.”  Now show us, if you can, any punishment which God inflicts, that contradicts his paternal goodness.  It cannot be done.  He has threatened and inflicted everlasting punishment upon nations, as such, but not a solitary passage can be produced from Genesis to Revelations, where he has threatened any individual with everlasting punishment.

God is the adorable fountain of all tenderness, love, and compassion, and no mother’s son was imbued in the fount of mercy like his, who was “the brightness of his glory and the express image of his perfections.”  True, her yearnings over the babe of her bosom are great; still they bear but little comparison to him who breathed those feelings there.  God compares himself to the mother.  “Can a woman forget her sucking child”?  Woman, being of a more delicate formation than man, possesses a mind susceptible of more fine, deep, and lasting impressions than his.  The affections of her soul, when fully roused into action, and fixed upon their object, are deeper than those of man, extend far beyond