Page:Spiritual Reflections for Every Day in the Year - Vol 1.pdf/332

 noted by Potiphar's wife. If the divine truth were, by a forced union, to be conjoined to a mere earthly love, the truth would be profaned, and the bliss of heaven lost. A carnal affection, like that of Potiphar's wife, may desire to mingle itself with the spiritual truth of heaven, but the living truth flies from the unhallowed embrace, and leaves nothing in her hand or power, but the outer garment, the mere ultimate truth, which was all she could retain. A spiritual affection can alone be united to spiritual truth! this is the heavenly marriage, the pure spring of every true delight—all else is profanation, and profanation is spiritual adultery.

S holy Scripture frequently speaks of sins and transgressions, it follows that there must be a marked difference between them. Transgression appears to be a milder deviation from the law of truth and rectitude than sin, since a person may transgress a law from ignorance, from poverty, distress, or want, or from other human infirmities, without being grounded in the love of sin and vice; but he cannot commit sin in ignorance; for sin is grounded in the love of evil. This love is always seen to be wrong in thought, and in practice becomes sin. Transgression is a trespass which may be committed in ignorance, without the least desire to sin; but sin is carrying out of impure affection or unjust thought into action, when