can never proceed from the Fountain of mercy, peace and goodness. The reason of its being said in the Word that Jehovah God not only turns away His face, is angry, punishes, tempts, but also kills and even curses, is that men may believe that the Lord governs and disposes all and everything in the universe, even evil itself, punishments, and temptations, and when they have received this most general idea, may afterwards learn how He governs and disposes all things by turning the evil of punishment and of temptation into good. In teaching and learning the Word, the most general truths must come first and therefore the literal sense is full of such things."
We speak of a mother's love, or of the attitude of the father of the Prodigal Son, but here is the Lord's attitude toward us:
"The Lord, from the Divine Love, or mercy, wills to have all near to Himself; so that they do not stand at the doors, that is, in the first heaven; but He wills that they should be in the third and if it were possible, not only with Himself, but in Himself. Such is the Divine Love, or the Lord's Love."
Is it not time that the world should know the truth as to the real nature of God and turn away from false concepts of Him? and thus turn away from a "Plan of Salvation" misrepresenting Him and cunningly worked out to deceive men into believing that they cannot cooperate with Him in overcoming their evils of life? Forever it is to take up the cross of self-denial of hurtful lusts, "Blessed are they that DO His commandments that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." "He that overcometh shall inherit all things, and I will be His God, and he shall be my son." "Ye shall know them by their fruits." Salvation is the life of God in the soul of man and it is obviously nothing else.
