God also uses other agencies to reflect himself, his power or authority: also his Wisdom, Goodness, Justice and Mercy—angels and arch-angels, both in heaven and on earth; and in the earth prophets, apostles, teachers—all that make for up-lift, for righteousness; all that catch some ray of the Divine Spirit in poem, music, painting, sculpture, state-craft or mechanical arts—all these but reflect God and are a means of multiplying and expressing him, the Divine. And in a special way, as witness for God, and under very special conditions, the Holy Ghost, that Being accounted the Third Person of the Godhead—he reflects and stands for God, his Power, and Wisdom; his Justice, Truth and Mercy—for all that can be, or is, called God, or is God. All these means, direct and indirect, convey God into the universe, and keep him everywhere present in all his essentials of Wisdom, Power and Goodness, while his bodily presence remains at the center of it all.
LESSON XIII.
(Scripture Reading Exercise.)
THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD RELATED TO THE ATONEMENT (Continued).
| ANALYSIS. | REFERENCES. |
| III. Attributes Ascribed to God—Second Group. 1. Wisdom: 2. Holiness; 3. Truth; 4. Justice; 5. Mercy; 6. Love. | References same as in Lesson XII. Also Scriptures quoted and cited in the body of this lesson. |
| IV. The Attributes of God Constitute a Harmony—This Relates Them to the Atonement. |
SPECIAL TEXT: "God does not walk in crooked paths, neither does he turn to the right hand nor to the left, or vary from that which he has said; therefore his paths are straight, and his course is one eternal round." (Doc. & Cov., Sec. 2:2.)
DISCUSSION.
There is yet to be considered the attributes of Wisdom, Holiness, Truth, Justice, Mercy, Love; and these are the attributes referred to which are more immediately involved in the doctrine of Atonement.
1. Wisdom: Wisdom that arises from knowledge seems essentially an attribute of Deity; as well from the nature of the attribute as from the declaration of scripture. God as un-wise is unthinkable; unpossessed of this attribute, he could not appeal to the consciousness of man as God at all. Therefore it is agreeable to think with Elihu in Job, that God "is mighty in strength and wisdom."[A] Also with David: "O Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom thou hast made them all: the earth is full of thy riches."[B] And again David: "Great is our Lord, and great of power; his understanding is infinite."[C] So Paul: "To God, only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever;"[D] "The wisdom of the world is foolishness with God;"[E] He says, so high above the wisdom of men does he esteem the wisdom of God; and even "the foolishness of God is wiser than men."[F] We may fittingly close his testimony with his prayer: "Now, unto the King Eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever, and ever. Amen."[G]
[Footnote A: Job xxvi:5.]