sions of
God's wrath. Possibly the apostle omitted the phrase to avoid giving
the idea that only the final wrath of God is meant--his anger at the
last day, when he will inflict punishment without instrumentality.
Paul would include here all wrath, whether temporal or eternal, to
which God gives expression in his chastisements. This is an Old
Testament way of speaking. Phinehas says (Jos 22, 18), "To-morrow he
will be wroth with ... Israel." And Moses in several places speaks of
God's anger being kindled. See Numbers 11: 1, 10, 33. I mention these
things by way of teaching that when the political government wields
the sword of punishment against its enemies, it should be regarded as
an expression of God's wrath; and that the statement in Deuteronomy
32, 35, "Vengeance is mine," does not refer solely to punishment
inflicted of God direct, without instrumentality.

"But if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him to drink;
for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head."

70. This teaching endorses what I have already stated--that the
Christian's enemies are to be pitied in that they are subjected to the
wrath of God. Consequently it is not Christian-like to injure them;
rather, we should extend favors. Paul here introduces a quotation from
Solomon. Prov 25, 21-22. Heaping coals of fire on the head, to my
thought, implies conferring favors upon the enemy. Being enkindled by
our kindness, he ultimately becomes displeased with himself and more
kindly disposed to us. Coals here are benefits, or favors. Coals in
the censer likewise stand for the favors, or blessings, of God; they
are a type of our prayers, which should rise with fervor. Some say
that coals represent the Law and judgments of God (see Psalm 18, 8,
"Coals were kindled by it"), reasoning that in consequence of the
Christian's favors, his enemy is constrained to censure himself and to
feel the weight of God's Law and his judgments. I do not think a
Christian should desire punishment to fall upon his enemy, though such
explanation of the sentence is not inapt. In fact, it rather accords
with the injunction, "Give place unto wrath"; that is, do good and
then wrath--the coals--will readily fall upon the enemy.

"Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good."

71. With this concluding counsel, it strikes me, Paul himself explains
the phrase "coals of fire" in harmony with the first idea--that the
malice of an enemy is to be overcom