The Gods, or God, punished sin;
inflicting so much pain for so much sin, very much as the heathens
are apt to punish their criminals still, and as Christian nations
used to punish theirs, namely, with shameful and horrible tortures;
before they began to find out that the end of punishment is not to
torment, but to reform, the criminal, wherever it is possible.
But then the thought would come--Why, after all, should God, if he
be just and merciful, punish my sin by pain and misery? How can it
profit God, how can it please God, to give me pain? Because it
satisfies his justice? How can it do that? It would not satisfy
mine. Suppose my child, or even my dog, disobeyed me, would it
satisfy my sense of justice to beat him? It might satisfy my
passion: but God has no passions. It would be base, blasphemous to
fancy that he takes pleasure in hurting me, as I take pleasure in
beating my dog when I lose my temper with it. God forbid! The old
prophets saw that, and cried--'Have I any pleasure in the death of
him, saith the Lord, and not rather that he should turn from his
wickedness, and live?'
Then, naturally, the thought would come into the mind of a wise and
serious man--I punish my child, or my dog, and God punishes me. May
he not punish me for the same reason that I punish them? I punish
them to correct them and make them better.
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