he taketh up the hills as a little thing." "All nations before
him are as nothing, and they are counted by him less than nothing, and
vanity." "It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the
inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the
heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in;
that bringeth the princes to nothing; that maketh the judges of the
earth as vanity."--Is. 40:12-15, 17, 22, 23.
A professor in a great university has recently said that to the
"modern mind," untrained, as the Jews, to daily sacrifices, unused, as
those of ancient times, to blood-atonement,--remission of sins by
blood,--substitution does not commend itself. If he and those who
think like him do not care enough as to their eternal destiny to
strive to become acquainted with blood-atonement, to realize their
need of it, and to see that God, in love, has provided it, complete
and eternal, then there is nothing left but for them to go out into
eternity to meet the just penalty of their sins; for even then God
will be just to them. No one, barbarian or civilized, will ever be
treated unjustly by the Most High.
But it is objected that, if men are taught and believe that they have
been redeemed from the curse of the law (Gal. 3:13), that they are not
after that under the law (Rom. 6:14), that they have been adopted as
God's sons (Gal. 4:4, 5), and that they are no more servants, but sons
(Gal. 4:7), they will not serve God from love of Christ for dying for
them (2 Cor. 5:14, 15), but that they will become careless and not try
to live Christian lives. That is true with hypocrites; they will
profess to believe that they are thus redeemed, saved, and will live
careless, worldly lives. But really redeemed men _will_ love most
(Luke 7:43), and live better lives from love. The Saviour said, "If a
man love me he _will_ keep my words,"--John 14:23; "If God were your
father ye _would_ love me."--John 8:42. And John, writing to believers
only (1 John 5:13), says: "Behold what manner of love the Father hath
bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such
we are. Therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
Beloved, now are we the children of God, and it doth not yet appear
what we shall be; but we know that when he shall appear we shall be
like him, for we shall see him as he is. And _every one_ that hath
this hope on him purifieth himself, even as he is pure."--1 Joh
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