To be near unto God - pagina 485

Our

fathers used to say, that this

oneself in the place of the

Word

of

is

putting

God. Not

from any saint whatever, from God's Word the standmust be derived which determines geniune childship, and the true gold of our godliness. These censors did not deny this; only they tried to show that God's Word posits the claims and marks of true grace, which they themselves imposed upon you, and which they sternly applied in their own circle. But one thing they forgot, and this became the cause of all from but ard

oneself,

nor

exclusively

injurious spiritual unnaturalness ; they did not see, that God's word, as in every thing else allows play-room in the spiritual life for very great diversity, and in this very diversity seeks

this

strength.

This does not mean to say, that the Scripture acknowledges two classes of spiritual children. There is but one class, but in this one true class the Scripture aims at an almost endless diversity, an ever new variegation, an ever surprising individuality, change and modification in all sorts of ways; not only in the groups, but in each separate child of God. It is with this as in the world of flowers. The rose constitutes a class of its own. No one will mistake a rose for a lily, To be a real or take a field violet for a rose.

must exhibit certain characteristics, or not a rose. But what endless variety there is between the monthly rose and the swamp-rose, the tea-rose and the Alpine-rose.

rose, else

it

it

is

477

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