IO TOHU-VA-VOHU
‘Trees of righteousness: the planting of the Lord.’
When the Lord visits man, He plants His ‘ memorial-
trees’ everywhere. These are His Saints.
Man’s forgiveness 18 quantitative (‘ how often shall
my brother sin against me?’). God’s forgiveness is
qualitative. Man forgives sins ; God forgives sin.
Gcod’s forgiveness both cleans and cleanses ; man’s
can do neither.
God reckons with us when He sets before us
the demands of the Law: This do and thou shalt live !
But He does not reckon with us when He sets before
us the provision of the Gospel. He has reckoned with
Christ.
To the grand Humanitarianism and Utilitarianism
that looks down upon evangelical doctrine with the
question: ‘ Why all this waste?’ we reply: ‘ Friends,
your prototype is Judas Iscariot, from whom you have
learned the question. But I greatly doubt whether,
if they handed you over the bag, you would do more
good to the poor than he did when he carried it. The
truth is: ‘‘ He was a thief,’’ that is, he wanted it all for