To be near unto God - pagina 467

86

"1

The

IN

THEM AND THOU

IN ME."

God and

our "mystical with Christ" belong together. All the apostles placed the emphasis on this; and in their writings the fathers of the Reformation, with Calvin in the lead, always referred to the mystical union with Christ as an indispensable factor in all true religion. The temptation to which, alas, so many yield, of staying on Golgotha, and of there closing off their account with Christ, kills the faith. The course of procedure is, that the conscience awakens for a moment; that the weight of sin burdens the soul; and that fear of judgment strikes the heart. In such a moment the consolatory thought of the cross arises invitingly If the atoning sacrifice is accepted, in the soul. one is saved. Nothing more is needed save only to believe. And one is readily persuaded to do this. To express this as sharply as the case allows One closes the bargain. And now he deems himHe accepts it as a fact, that he is self saved. assured of eternal life. He thinks that the atonsoul's nearness to

union

It brings perfect salvais glorious. Christ has become his Savior. But in his conversation nothing is heard of a closer, tenderer relation of the soul to Christ. In the utterances of his spiritual life nothing is perceived that refers to it. He is now saved, and that is the

ing sacrifice tion.

end

Thus

of

This,

it.

however,

is

nothing

but

self-conceit.

Nothing but spiritual egotism is at play in this. Escape is sought from eternal punishment; one wants to insure himself for eternal salvation. But 463

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