Psalms 101:1

Mercy and judgment I will sing to you, O Lord. Let sinners hear of mercy, those who despair of their salvation, those who are doing penance; let those who scorn hear of judgment, who say: "The Lord is merciful, let us sin, he pardons us."

Christ has come, but first to save, afterwards to judge, by pronouncing punishment for those who were unwilling to be saved and by leading those to life, who, by believing, did not spurn salvation. Thus the first dispensation of our Lord Jesus Christ is medicinal, not judicial; for if he had come first to judge, he would have found no one to whom to grant the rewards of justice. Therefore, because he saw that all were sinners and that no one at all was free from the death of sin, his mercy first had to be bestowed and his judgment shown later. For the psalm had sung about him, "Mercy and judgment I will sing to you, Lord." It does not say judgment and mercy. For if judgment were first, there would be no mercy; but mercy first, judgment afterwards.

But, inasmuch as "Christ has died for the wicked," what person has been found good by the Lord? He therefore found all trees bad, but, to those who believe in his name, "he gave the power of becoming children of God." Hence, whoever is now a good person (that is to say, a good tree) was found bad and has been made good. If the Lord had willed to root up the bad trees when he came, what tree would have been left that would not deserve to be rooted up? But he came to dispense mercy beforehand, so that he might afterwards dispense justice, for he is the Lord to whom the psalmist says, "Mercy and judgment I will sing to you, O Lord." He therefore gave remission of sins to those who believe. Of them, he would not even demand an accounting of previous decrees. He gave remission of sins; he made the trees good. He delayed the axe; he removed the threat.