St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1903-02-28

oIu SoAC SlIICC eIli SAitNA ~ iAto liz
world, separating from God, God has
patiently and persistently continued
His wooing. Do you know what love
unrequited is? 1t means that the one
upon whom the hearts affections have
been centered has not responded to
takes the inspiration out of life. The
heart is breaking with its grief. HUI
man emotions may serve to help US
understand the great, infinite love
wherewith God has loved us and
longed for US. The management OF
of God from the lost world. In the
unseen realms of Heaven He had hosts
of angels to do, His good pleasure,
but all the peace and Joy and glory of
the Heavenly places could not give
His heart rest or satisfy His love.
Not even the love of Jesus Christ,
His Son, could satisfy the longing of
the Father. And Jesus Christ felt
the heart throbs of God for the world,
and He so loved God the Father and
so loved the lost world that He was
willing to leave all the glory in
Heaven in order that He might help
God in His wooing. The world was
separated forever from God because
of sin. That barrier had to be swept
away before man could be won back
to God. The wages of sin is death.
The penalty of sin must be paid as
the price of reconciliation. And
therefore Jesus, the Sinless One, Of
fered Himself as mans substitute and
became sin for us, that "we might be
made the righteousness of God in
Him.
And if we would understand the
manner ,of the wooing of God, we
must study the attributes OF the Lover
Himself. In human love affairs the
character and temperament of the
lower determines to very large de-
gree the methods which he will fol-
low in winning the object of his at
fections, and it is because of what
God is and what He longs for that
the wooing of the world back to Him.
self is so faithfully and completely &C.
complished.
God is righteous Lover, and as such
He cannot permit or countenance I'M
Righteousness in the object of His af-
fections. He hates sin with an eter-
nal hatred which has planned the
ultimate and utter destruction of the
devil and his angels in the lake of
fire. Fellowship and communion of
man with man is dependent upon sim
There can be no fellowship and COM
munion between God the Lover and
the world, the object of His affections,
while it's desires are conferred upon
the things of time and while its aspira-
tons reach not higher than the hui
cannot swerve one hairs breadth from
the eternal truth of His word. Love
with Him does not mean blindness.
1t is not the weak, devilish human sub
stitute for true love which covers up
and condones sin and wrongdoing on
the part of the object of the affections.
God is the righteous Lover who must
punish sin and Who chastens His peo-
pie, Who sends upon them pestilence
and famine, and cruel captivity when
they wander from Him and indulge in
sin. God, the righteous Lover, cannot
abide in the dwelling place of sin, and
the world cannot come to Him until
it is cleansed from all unrighteous-
ness, and for this He has marvelously
provided by the sacrifice of His Son.
God is a jealous Lover, and jealousy
along the line of His righteous will is
another kind of jealousy than that
which surges in the human heart and
so often has its full fruitage in blind
passion and black crime Gods jeal-
ousy is measured by His intense love
and He cannot be satisfied with a d.
vided affection in return. Where is
the pure-hearted lover who is willing
to share the affections of his hearts
idol with some one else? He wants all
the heart and devotion of the one
whom he loves, and her whispered con-
fession that there is none whom she
loves as she loves him sends the thrill
of joy coursing through every nerve in
his body. He is not content with just
a part of her love and devotion. He
wants it all. It is his right to ex-
pect and demand it. And is God any
the less jealous as lover? Would the
human heart dare to say that He had
less right to claim that degree of love
and devotion which human relation
ships recognize and demand? God is
the jealous Lover because He wants
and has right to ask for and expect
our best love and because He knows
that the life that dwells within the
realm of His will and His activity is
the happiest and best life, and would
the true lover ever desire less for the
object of his affections?
And God is a just and merciful
Lover. Just in that His righteousness
demands the punishment of sin, and
merciful in that the sinner is deliv-
cred from the consequences of his
sin. God could not change His judy
ment of death pronounced against
sin, but His infinite love and mercy
could work out through the ages a
marvellous plan of salvation, so that
the judgment blow fell not upon man
but upon mans willing substitute for
sin, the perfect man Christ Jesus.
The true lover always plans for his
loved one so that his gifts will not
bring trouble or reproach upon her. I
was reading the other day of young
man who had been tempted to steal
from his employer that he might be-
stow upon the object of his affections
rare and costly presents. His giving
compromised the young woman and
landed him in jail. He was not just
and merciful lover. else he would not