02.16. Knowledge of God Gives Peace

16. KNOWLEDGE OF GOD GIVES PEACE.

Job says: "Acquaint yourself with God and be at peace" (Job 22:21). If he were the being the creeds describe, the better we knew him the more we would be tormented. Ignorance of his character would be the soul’s bliss. But the better he is known the more peace the soul enjoys. Hence he must be incapable of torturing the soul forever, or punishing it more than its good demands. It is ignorance of God that makes the soul unhappy, while knowledge of him renders the soul peaceful. Hence it follows that God has no attribute that would harm or injure. To know his purposes, to understand his disposition, to see him as he is, gives joy.