To be near unto God - pagina 223

and overflowing with Divine sweetbe apprehended in the clear consciousness, and be poured over as it were mto the doctrinal standards of the Church of Christ, and ever more

full

must

ness,

of course

into our personal confession. Unless this is done, mystical corruption quickly enters in as well as mania for hallucinations and weakening sentimentality. It fills one with sorrow, when in Church and out of it barren school-learning is seen in the place of Hfe, and the knowledge of God is treated as though it were a corpse rather than an inspiring, elastic hfe pervading the soul. This is not in accord with, but diametrically opposed to, Scripture. Hear the proclamation of ''He that loveth not the apostle of the Lord: knoweth not God, for God is love" (I John 4:8). that If this puts it strongly, the fact remains: by being most like God in what we do we enter into the pure knowledge of God. With this in view

consider the forgiveness of sin, and you will understand the mystery of this knowledge of God. The chief question of your life and of your future which concerns you personally is now and always This will be whether God forgives you your sin. the is not the way in which it is presented preaching of the day. For this makes the great question of life to consist in ridding ourselves of sin and in w^orking out our own sanctification.

m

It is and always will this is self-delusion. St. Paul and Luther and Calvin bound The great question of life is, it upon the soul. how shall I be just before God? Forgiveness of sin is the way to dying unto sin; not otherwise. we, who are in the midst of sin until we

And

be even as

How die,

can be called unto sonship with God, to dwell

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