The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 626

LOVE

586

But they only rehearse it. They know not how to use it. It leaves them cold they are not in touch with it. While they never neglect to give it a place in their inventory, they do not work with it. And ;

this is the serious part of their position, for

who

it

is

inconsistent.

He

and sincerely must consider that

treats holy things honestly

the acceptance or rejection of this doctrine necessarily affects his

The

representation of the divine Being.

representation of our

From

heart naturally excludes the hardening.

own

this it follows that

God of Scripture who effects the hardening, and from whom it can not be separated, does not agree with our heart's representation of Himself, and therefore requires that we adopt another. the

And

this is the difficulty

with these practical doubters.

While

they record the doctrine as a memorial in their books, they never apply it partly because they never consider the fearfulness of the :

thought, and therefore speak of

deserves special attention

it

—because

unfeelingly; partly

— and this

they never consider

how

the

earnest confession of the doctrine necessarily affects their representation of the divine Being.

This last point

is of

greatest importance.

resentation of our natural heart, is

really

and essentially

He

if

it is

only loves us,

to such extent as ever to restore

Himself

is

of

Man

no account.

highest aim of divine love highest enjoyment of

is

According to the repwho or what God whatever we are, and

immaterial

what we destroy. is

Hence God

the principal thing; and the

to bring

man

sooner or later to the

whatever his conduct, even tho to his last breath he should kick against the pricks. Such a God would exactly suit us a God without a character who in matters great and small counts for nothing; who by reason of His ill-proportioned love is insensible to any insult that we may offer Him. Hence, however wicked a man may be, however insolent his treatment of the Holy One, the good and benevolent Father will find a way bliss,

:

;

eventually to lead him to eternal bliss; the

life

to come.

decreases, in that

From

if

not in this

life,

then in

that follows that in proportion as

God

His love will be Himself becomes nothing

proportion His love increases.

perfect and all-excelling only

when He

and utterly discounts Himself. Such representation of God is the result of a natural process. To man, love means self-denial and self-sacrifice. He is egotistic; and love can not have full sway within and around him unless he first deny himself, count himself nothing, mindful only of the

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