To be near unto God - pagina 263

even then conversion is effected by the work of Divine grace in the soul, and suffering in connection with this is merely an accidental means of

As Job sat among the ashes his wife did not hesitate to say to him; "Curse God, and die," And it is only the soul, which like that of the Psalmist, is a subject of heavenly grace, that is aid.

able, after deliverance from trouble, to confess before God: "Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now, being instructed, I keep thy word" (Ps. 119:67). In joyous and prosperous times conditions are As a rule they who live at ease still worse. are farther estranged from God, than they who The sharply have to work for daily bread. drawn antithesis betw^een the rich man and poor Lazarus has been verified in all ages and among Radiant beauty, abounding health, all peoples. unbroken prosperity in one's career or business, great happiness at home, abundance of material wealth, so that care and trouble were unknown, have almost never seemed able to foster true godliness. They rather fortified a man in his selfsufficiency, in the high estimate of his own self, and drew the soul away from God, rather than that by them the soul felt itself drawn toward him. Such has been the case with individual persons, with whole families and nations. When there was peace, and national power grew so that the people revelled in wealth, they went with equal

pace almost always spiritually backwards. When the Dutch had to fight hard and long for spiritual liberty, religion and public morals stood high. But when in the 18th century gold streamed in from every side, and wealth became the law of 259

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