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NATURAL CALAMITIES, DIVINE THREATS,
AND THE FOUR GATES OF HELL

Taken From 'Miscellany'

By St. Alphonsus de Liguori Doctor of the Church.

FIRST DISCOURSE

God Threatens to Chastise us
in order to deliver us from Chastisement

"Ah, I will comfort Myself over My adver­
saries: and I will be revenged of my enemies."
-Isa. 1:24.

Such is the language of God, when speaking of punishment and vengeance: He says that he is
constrained by his justice to take vengeance on his enemies. But, mark you, he begins with the word
Heu, "Ah: " this word is an exclamation of grief by which he would give us to understand, that if
he were capable of weeping when about to punish, he should
weep bitterly at being compelled to afflict us his creatures, whom he has loved so dearly as to
give up his life through love for us. " 'Alas!' " says Cornelius a Lapide, "is uttered by one who
is lamenting and not insulting; God signifies by this word that he is grieving, and that he is
unwilling to punish sinners. " No, this God, who is the Father of mercies, and so much loves us, is
not of a disposition to punish and afflict, but rather to pardon and console us. For I know the
thoughts that
I think towards you, saith the Lord, thoughts
of peace, and not of affliction. -Jer. 29:2.

But some one will say, since such is his character,
why does he now punish us? or, at least, appear as if he meant to punish us? Why so? Because he
wishes to be merciful towards us: this anger which he now displays is all mercy
and patience.

Let us then, my brethren, understand how the Lord at present appears in wrath, not with a view to
our punishment, but in order that we may cleanse ourselves of our sins, and thus enable him to
pardon us. Such is the subject of our discourse: GOD THREATENS TO CHASTISE IN ORDER TO DELIVER US
FROM CHASTISEMENT.

The threats of men ordinarily proceed from their pride and impotence; whence, if they have it in
their power to take vengeance on an object, they threaten nothing, lest they should thereby give
their enemies an opportunity of escape. It is only when they want the power to wreak their
vengeance that they betake themselves to threats, in order to gratify their passion, by awakening
at least the fears of their enemies. Not so the threats of which God makes use; on the contrary,
their nature is quite different. His threats do not arise from his inability to chastise, because
he can be avenged when he wills; but

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