got to
take the consequences," said Marion Kent to the strong, simple woman
to whom she came as to a second-seer, to have her spiritual
destinies revealed to her.

"Yes," said Luclarion, gravely, but very sweetly, "you have. But the
consequences wear out. Everything wears out but the Lord's love. And
these old worn-out consequences--why, He can turn them into
blessings; and He means to, as they go along, and fade, and change;
until, by and by, we may be safer and stronger, and fuller of
everlasting life, than if we hadn't had them. I was vaccinated a
while ago this summer; everybody was down here; and I had a pretty
sick time. It took--ferocious! Well, I got over it, and then I
thought about it. I'd got something out of my system forever, that
might have come upon me, to destruction, all of a sudden; but now
never will! It appears to me almost as if we were sent into this
world, like a kind of hospital, to be vaccinated against the awful
evil--in our souls; to suffer a little for it; to take it the
easiest way we can take it, and so be safe. I don't know--and if you
hadn't repented, I wouldn't put it into your head; but it's been put
into my head, after I've repented, and I guess it's mainly true. See
here!"

And she took down a big leather-bound Bible, and opened it to the
fortieth chapter of Isaiah.

"Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people, saith the Lord. Speak ye
comfortably to Jerusalem, and say unto her that her warfare is
accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she hath received
of the Lord's hand double for all her sins."

"The Old Testament is full of the New; men's wickedness,--it took
wicked men to show the way of the Lord in the earth,--and God's
forgiveness, and his leading it all round right, in spite of them
all! Only He didn't turn the right side out all at once; it wasn't
safe to let them see both sides then. But He _trusts_ us now; He
gave his whole heart in Jesus Christ; He tells us, without any
keeping back, what He means our very sins shall do for us, and He
leaves it to us, after that, to take hold and help Him!"

"If it weren't for them! If I hadn't let them suffer and die!"

"Do you think He takes all this care of you,--lets them die for you
even,--and don't take as much for them? Do you think they ain't glad
and happy now? Do you think you could have hurt them, if you had
tried,--and you didn't try, you only let them alone a little,
forgetting? It says, 'If any man sin, we have an