of God we have the union of love and righteousness,
has been perhaps put by no one more clearly than Godet. In his
_Commentary on Romans_ iii. 25, 26, he writes:--

'The necessity of the expiatory sacrifice arises from His whole Divine
character; in other words, from His Holiness, the principle at once of
His love and righteousness, and not of His righteousness exclusively.'

'In this question we have to do not with God in His essence, but with
God in His relation to free man. Now the latter is not holy to begin
with; the use which he makes of his liberty is not yet regulated by
love. The attribute of righteousness, and the firm resolution to
maintain the Divine _holiness_, must therefore appear as a necessary
safeguard as soon as liberty comes on the stage, and with it the
possibility of disorder; and this attribute must remain in exercise as
long as the educational period of the creature lasts--that is to say,
until he has reached perfection in love. Then all these factors--right,
law, justice--will return to their latent state....

'It is common to regard _love_ as the fundamental feature of the Divine
character; in this way it is very difficult to reach the attribute of
righteousness. Most thinkers, indeed, do not reach it at all. This one
fact should show the error in which they are entangled. _Holy, holy,
holy_, say the creatures nearest to God, and not _Good, good, good_.
Holiness, such is the essence of God; and holiness is the absolute love
of the good, the absolute horror of the evil. From this it is not
difficult to deduce both love and righteousness. Love is the goodwill of
God toward all free beings who are destined to realize the good. Love
goes out to the individuals, as holiness itself to the good which they
ought to produce. Righteousness, on the other hand, is the firm purpose
of God to maintain the normal relations between all these creatures by
His blessings and punishments. It is obvious that righteousness is
included, no less than love itself, in the fundamental feature of the
Divine character, holiness. It is no offence, therefore, by God to speak
of His justice and His rights. It is, on the contrary, a glory to God,
who knows that in preserving His place He is securing the good of
others. For God, in maintaining His supreme dignity, preserves to His
creatures _their most precious treasure_, a God worthy of their respect
and love.'

And in his _Defence of the Christian Faith_ Godet writes, on