( SPIRITUAL LIFE AND THE WORLD OF GOD ) - { PT. 8 }


{ PT.  8 } - The reason is that every good comes from the Lord alone, and the Lord cannot enter into man and lead him so long as these evils are not set aside as sins; for they are infernal, and in fact are hell with man, and unless hell is set aside the Lord cannot enter and open heaven. This is what is meant by the Lord's words to the rich man: Who asked Him about eternal life, and said that he had kept the commandments of the Decalogue from his youth; whom the Lord is said to have loved, and to have taught that one thing was lacking to him, that he should sell all that he had and take up the cross ( MATTHEW  xix.  16--22;  MARK  x.  17--22;  LUKE  xviii  18--23 ). To sell all that he had signifies that he should relinquish the things of his religion, which were traditions, for he was a Jew, and also should relinquish the things that were his own, which were loving self and the world more than God, and thus leading himself; and to follow the Lord signifies to acknowledge Him only and to be led by Him; therefore the Lord also said Why callest thou Me good? There is none good but God only. 

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