hat Perfect Love can consent to the wandering of the soul
with its consequent sorrow and sin? Divine Light, being also Perfect
Freedom, consents to the wandering of the soul; but Divine Love,
being also Reciprocity, may not consent to such wandering as shall
for ever preclude Reciprocity. The wandering soul must be, will be,
Redeemed.

* * *

If Divine Light, being also Perfect Freedom, consents to the
wandering of the soul, but Divine Love, being also Reciprocity, may
not consent to a perpetual wandering, how set limits in a life in
which perfect freedom must continue? A limit can be fixed by Evil,
Evil the outermost circle from God, the shore on which, continually
breaking and being broken, the soul turns herself in longing to a
long-forgotten Lord. Evil is the hedge about the vineyard of the
Parable. The soul is free to touch it, free to pass through it if she will,
but touching it she knows Pain. Pain causes the soul to pause and
consider: now is her opportunity; now she is likely to turn about and
seek the Good.

Then the purpose of Evil is fulfilled; then Evil becomes the
handmaid of Good; then we can feel and say with sincerity, Evil has
smitten me friendly, for it has caused me to turn about and seek
Good. Good, once found, is found to be stronger than Evil. In a few
years Good has so drawn us that Evil has become negligible; it lies
forgotten on a now distant misty shore. The soul is Homeward
bound.

XVIII

"If the wicked turn from his sins that he hath committed and keep
my statutes . . . all his transgressions that he hath committed, they
shall not be mentioned unto him."--Ezekiel xviii. 21, 22.

XIX

Who is so blessed as the Redeemed Sinner? Who can taste the
sweetness of God as can the repentant sinner? Who can know His
graciousness, His infinity of tenderness and courtesy, as can the
sinner? Who knows the heights and depths and lengths and breadths
of God's forgiving love as does the sinner? Who can share with God
hereafter such close experiences as will the sinner?

Can Angels share the memories of His human days with Christ?
And who but the sorely tempted sinner can be bonded to Him by the
mutual knowledge of those bitter, burning, desert days? Not the
Righteous, nor even Angels can know quite the full beauty of all the
bonds that bind the sinner to his Saviour. O marvellous love of God!
O blessed soul, O blessed Adam, blessed even in thy sins!

He desired lovers and had none: Created Angel