No. The Christians were to tell men of both sides of God's
character; for both were working every day, and all day long, about
them. They were to tell men that God had, by their mouths, revealed
from heaven his wrath against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of
men, at the same moment that he had revealed the good news that men
might be purified by the blood of Christ, and saved from wrath
through him. They were to tell men of a God who so loved the world
that he gave his only-begotten Son to die for it; but of a God who so
loved the world that he would not tolerate in it those sins which
cause the ruin of the world. Tribulation and anguish upon every soul
of man that doeth evil, and glory, honour, and peace to every man
that worketh good--that was to be their message, that was to be their
weapon, wherewith they were to strike, and did strike, through the
hearts of sinners, and convert them to repentance that they might die
to sin, and live again to righteousness.
With this armour, and that one weapon, the Word of God, the
Christians conquered the souls of the men of the old world. Often
they failed, often they were defeated, sadly and shamefully; for they
were men of like passions with ourselves. But their defeats always
happened when they tried other armour than the armour of God, and
fancied that they could fight the world, the flesh, and the devil
with the weapons which the world, the flesh, and the devil had
forged.
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