THE WORK OF
THE HOLY SPIRIT
BY
ABRAHAM KUYPER, D.D., LL.D.
PROFESSOR OF SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY IN THE
UNIVERSITY OF AMSTERDAM.
TRANSLATED FROM THE DUTCH WITH EXPLANATORY NOTES
BY
REVEREND HENRI DE VRIES
WITH AN INTRODUCTION
BY
PROFESSOR BENJAMIN B. WARFIELD, D.D., LL.D.
OF PRINCETON THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
FUNK & WAGNALLS COMPANY
NEW YORK AND LONDON
BT
COPYRIGHT, igoo
BY
FUNK & WAGNALLS COMPANY
{Registered at Stationers Hall, London.]
Printed in the United States of A merici
i 5 a 1M to
CONTENTS.
FACE
PREFACE, ix
EXPLANATORY NOTES TO THE AMERICAN EDITION, xv
PARTIAL LIST OF THE WORKS OF DR. KUYPER, xix
INTRODUCTION BY PROF. BENJAMIN B. WARFIELD, D.D., LL.D., . xxv
VOLUME I.
FIRST CHAPTER.
INTRODUCTION.
I. Careful Treatment Required, 3
II. Two Standpoints, 8
III. The Indwelling and Outgoing Works of God, . . . .13
IV. The Work of the Holy Spirit Distinguished, . 18
SECOND CHAPTER.
THE CREATION.
V. The Principle of Life in the Creature, 22
VI. The Host of Heaven and of Earth, 27
VII. The Creaturely Man, 32
VIII. Gifts and Talents 38
THIRD CHAPTER.
RE-CREATION.
IX. Creation and Re-Creation, 43
X. Organic and Individual, 48
XI. The Church Before and After Christ, 52
FOURTH CHAPTER.
THE HOLY SCRIPTURE OF THE OLD TESTAMENT.
XII. The Holy Scripture 56
XIII. The Scripture a Necessity, 60
iv CONTENTS
PAGE
XIV. The Revelation to Which the Scripture of the Old Testa
ment Owes Its Existence, 65
XV. The Revelation of the Old Testament in Writing, . . 70
XVI. Inspiration, 74
FIFTH CHAPTER.
THE INCARNATION OF THE WORD.
XVII. Like One of Us, 79
XVIII. Guiltless and Without Sin, 84
XIX. The Holy Spirit in the Mystery of the Incarnation, . . 88
SIXTH CHAPTER.
THE MEDIATOR.
XX. The Holy Spirit in the Mediator,
XXI. Not Like unto Us,
XXII. The Holy Spirit in the Passion of Christ,
XXIII. The Holy Spirit in the Glorified Christ,
SEVENTH CHAPTER.
THE OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
XXIV. The Outpouring of the Holy Spirit, 112
XXV. The Holy Spirit in the New Testament Other than in the
Old, 117
XXVI. Israel and the Nations, . 123
XXVII. The Signs of Pentecost, 128
XXVIII. The Miracle of Tongues, 133
EIGHTH CHAPTER.
THE APOSTOLATE.
XXIX. The Apostolate
XXX. The Apostolic Scriptures,
XXXI. Apostolic Inspiration,
XXXII. Apostles To-Day?
NINTH CHAPTER.
THE HOLY SCRIPTURES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT.
XXXIII. The Holy Scriptures in the New Testament,
XXXIV. The Need of the New-Testament Scripture,
XXXV. The Character of the New-Testament Scripture, .
CONTENTS v
TENTH CHAPTER.
THE CHURCH OF CHRIST.
PAGE
XXXVI. The Church of Christ, i?9
XXXVII. Spiritual Gifts, . 184
XXXVIII. The Ministry of the Word, 190
XXXIX. The Government of the Church 196
VOLUME II.
FIRST CHAPTER.
INTRODUCTION.
I. The Man to be Wrought upon, 203
II. The Work of Grace a Unit 208
III. Analysis Necessary 213
IV. Image and Likeness, 218
V. Original Righteousness, ....... 222
VI. Rome, Socinus, Arminius, Calvin, ..... 227
VII. The Neo-Kohlbruggians, ....... 232
VIII. After the Scriptures, 238
IX. The Image of God in Man, 242
Y Adam Not Innocent, but Holy, ...... 247
SECOND CHAPTER.
THE SINNER TO BE WROUGHT UPON.
XL Sin Not Material, ......... 252
XII. Sin Not a Mere Negation, 258
XIII. Sin a Power in Reversed Action, 263
XIV. Our Guilt, 268
XV. Our Unrighteousness, ........ 273
XVI. Our Death 278
THIRD CHAPTER.
PREPARATORY GRACE.
XVII. What It Is, 283
XVIII. What It Is Not, . 288
vi CONTENTS
FOURTH CHAPTER.
REGENERATION.
PAGE
XIX. Old and New Terminology, 293
XX. Its Course, 2 99
XXI. Regeneration the Work of God, 304
XXII. The Work of Regeneration . 3 IQ
XXIII. Regeneration and Faith, 3 T 5
XXIV. Implanting in Christ, 322
XXV. Not a Divine-Human Nature,
XXVI. The Mystical Union with Immanuel, 333
FIFTH CHAPTER.
CALLING AND REPENTANCE.
XXVII. The Calling of the Regenerate,
XXVIII. The Coming of the Called, .
XXIX. Conversion of All that Come,
SIXTH CHAPTER.
JUSTIFICATION.
XXX. Justification,
XXXI. Our Status,
XXXII. Justification from Eternity,
XXXIII. Certainty of Our Justification,
SEVENTH CHAPTER.
FAITH.
XXXIV. Faith in General, 378
XXXV. Faith and Knowledge, 384
XXXVI. Brakel and Comrie 39 o
XXXVII. Faith in the Sacred Scriptures, 39-
XXXVIII. The Faculty of Faith 40:
XXXIX. Defective Learning 407
XL. Faith in the Saved Sinner Alone, . . . . .415
XLI. Testimonies, .... ..... 420
CONTENTS vii
p
VOLUME III.
FIRST CHAPTER.
SANCTIFICATION.
PAGE
I. Sanctification, 431
II. Sanctification a Mystery 435
III. Sanctification and Justification, 440
IV. Sanctification and Justification (Continued), . . . 444
V. Holy Raiment of One s Own Weaving, .... 448
VI. Christ Our Sanctification, 452
VII. Application of Sanctification, 456
VIII. Sanctification in Fellowship with Immanuel, . . . 460
IX. Implanted Dispositions, 464
X. Perfect in Parts, Imperfect in Degrees, 468
XI. The Pietist and the Perfectionist, 474
XII., The Old Man and the New 480
XIII. The Work of God in Our Work, 485
XIV. The Person Sanctified, ........ 490
XV. Good Works 496
XVI. Self-Denial 502
SECOND CHAPTER.
LOVE.
XVII. Natural Love 508
XVIII. Love in the Triune Being of God, ...... 513
XIX. The Manifestation of Holy Love, . . . . . .517
XX. God the Holy Spirit the Love which Dwells in the Heart, . 522
XXI. The Love of the Holy Spirit in Us, ..... 527
XXII. Love and the Comforter, ....... 532
XXIII. The Greatest of These Is Love, 538
XXIV. Love in the Blessed Ones, 543
XXV. The Communion of Saints, 548
XXVI. The Communion of Goods, ....... 554
XXVII. The Communion of Gifts 560
XXVIII. The Suffering of Love, 565
XXIX. Love in the Old Covenant, 570
XXX. Organically One, 575
XXXI. The Hardening Operation of Love, 580
XXXII. The Love which Withers, 584
viii CONTENTS
PAGE
XXXIII. The Hardening in the Sacred Scripture, . . . .589
XXXIV. Temporary Hardening, ....... 594
XXXV. The Hardening of Nations, 598
XXXVI. The Apostolic Love, 603
XXXVII. The Sin Against the Holy Ghost, 6oS
XXXVIII. Christ or Satan, 613
THIRD CHAPTER.
PRAYER.
XXXIX. The Essence of Prayer, 618
XL. Prayer and the Consciousness, ...... 623
XLI. Prayer in the Unconverted, 629
XLII. The Prayer of the Regenerated, 636
XLIII. Prayer for and with Each Other, 643
PREFACE OF THE AUTHOR.
SPECIAL treatises on the Person of the Holy Spirit are compara
tively few, and systematic treatment of His Work is still more un
common. In dogmatics, it is true, this subject is introduced, devel
oped, and explained, but special treatment is exceptional.
As much as there is written on Christ, so little is there written
on the Holy Spirit. The work of John Owen on this subject is
most widely known and still unsurpassed. In fact, John Owen
wrote three works on the Holy Spirit, published in 1674, 1682, and
1693. He was naturally a prolific writer and theologian. Born
in 1616, he died at the good old age of seventy-five years, in 1691.
From 1642, when he published his first book, he continued writing
books until his death.
In 1826 Richard Baynes reissued the works of John Owen, D.D.,
edited by Thomas Russell, A.M., with memoirs of his life and wri
tings (twenty-one volumes). This edition is still in the market,
and offers a treasury of sound and thorough theology.
Besides Owen s w r orks I mention the following:
David Rungius, " Proof of the Eternity and Eternal Godhead of
the Holy Spirit," Wittenberg, 1599.
Seb. Nieman, " On the Holy Spirit," Jena, 1655.
Joannes Ernest Gerhard, " On the Person of the Holy Spirit,"
Jena, 1660.
Theod. Hackspann, " Dissertation on the Holy Spirit," Jena, 1655.
J. G. Dorsche, " On the Person of the Holy Spirit," Konings-
berg, 1690.
Fr. Deutsch, " On the Personality of the Holy Spirit," Leipsic,
1711.
Gottfr. Olearius (John F. Burgius), " On the Adoration and Wor
ship of the Holy Spirit," Jena, 1727.
J. F. Buddeuss, " On the Godhead of the Holy Spirit," Jena, 1727.
x PREFACE OF THE AUTHOR
J. C. Pfeiffer, " On the Godhead of the Holy Spirit," Jena, 1740.
G. F. Gude, " On the Martyrs as Witnesses for the Godhead of
the Holy Spirit," Leipsic, 1741.
J. C. Danhauer, " On the Procession of the Holy Spirit from the
Father and the Son," Strasburg, 1663. J. Senstius, Rostock, 1718,
and J. A. Butstett, Wolfenbiittel, 1749. John Schmid, John Meisner,
P. Havercorn, G. Wegner, and C. M. Pfaff.
The Work of the Holy Spirit has been discussed separately by
the following: Anton, " The Holy Spirit Indispensable." Carsov,
"On the Holy Spirit in Conviction." Wensdorf, "On the Holy
Spirit as a Teacher." Boerner, " The Anointing of the Holy Spirit."
Neuman, " The Anointing which Teaches All Things." Fries, " The
Office of the Holy Spirit in General." Weiss, "The Holy Spirit
Bringing into Remembrance." Foertsch, "On the Holy Spirit s
Leading of the Children of God." Hoepfner, " On the Intercession
of the Holy Spirit." Beltheim, Arnold, Gunther, Wendler, and
Dummerick, " On the Groaning of the Holy Spirit." Meen, " On
the Adoration of the Holy Spirit." Henning and Crusius, " On the
Earnest of the Holy Spirit."
The following Dutch theologians have written on the same
subject: Gysbrecht Voetiusin his" Select-Disput.," I., p. 466. Sam.
Maresius, " Theological Treatise on the Personality and Godhead
of the Holy Spirit," in his " Sylloge-Disput.," I., p. 364. Jac. Fruy-
tier, " The Ancient Doctrine Concerning God the Holy Spirit, True.
Proven, and Divine"; exposition of John xv. 26, 27. Camp. Vi-
tringa, Jr., " Duae Disputationes Academicae de Notione Spiritus
Sancti," in his Opuscula.
Works on the same subject during the present century can
scarcely be compared with the studies of John Owen. We notice
the following: Herder, " Vom Paraclet." Kachel, " Von der Laster-
ung wider den Heiligen Geist," Niirnberg, 1875. E. Guers, " Le
Saint-Esprit, Etude doctrinale et pratique sur Sa Personne et Son
CEuvre," Toulouse, 1865. A. J. Gordon, "Dispensation of the
Spirit."
This meager bibliography shows what scant systematic treatment
is accorded to the Person of the Holy Spirit. Studies of the Work
of the Holy Spirit are still more scanty. It is true there are several
dissertations on separate parts of this Work, but it has never been
treated in its organic unity. Not even by Guers, who acknowledges
that his little book is not entitled to a place among dogmatics.
PREFACE OF THE AUTHOR xi
In fact, Owen is still unsurpassed, and is therefore much sought
after by good theologians, both lay and clerical. And yet Owen s
masterpiece does not seem to make a closer study of this subject su
perfluous. Altho invincible as a champion against the Arminians
and Semi-Arminians of the latter part of the seventeenth century,
his armor is too light to meet the doctrinal errors of the present time.
For this reason the author has undertaken to offer the thinking Chris
tian public an exposition of the second part of this great subject, in
a form adapted to the claims of the age and the errors of the day.
He has not treated the first part, the Person of the Holy Spirit.
This is not a subject for controversy. The Godhead of the Holy
Spirit is indeed being confessed or denied, but the principles of which
confession or denial is the necessary result are so divergent that a
discussion between confessor and denier is impossible. If they
ever enter the arena they should cross lances on the point of first
principles, and discuss the Source of Truth. And when this is set
tled they might come to discuss a special subject like that of the
Holy Spirit. But until then such a discussion with them that deny
the Revelation would almost be sacrilegious.
But with the Work of the Holy Spirit it is different. For altho
professing Christians acknowledge this Work, and all that it includes,
and all that flows from it, yet the various groups into which they
divide represent it in very divergent ways. What differences on this
point between Calvinists and Ethicals, Reformed, Kohlbruggians,
and Perfectionists ! The representations of the practical Supernatu-
ralists, Mystics, and Antinomians can scarcely be recognized.
It seemed to me impracticable and confusing to attack these
deviating opinions on subordinate points. These differences should
never be discussed but systematically. He that has not first staked
off the entire domain in which the Holy Spirit works can not suc
cessfully measure any part of it, to the winning of a brother and to
the glory of God.
Hence leaving out polemics almost entirely, I have made an
effort to represent the Work of the Holy Spirit in its organic rela
tions, so that the reader may be enabled to survey the entire do
main. And in surveying, who is not surprised at the ever-increas
ing dimensions of the Work of the Holy Spirit in all the things that
pertain to God and man?
Even tho we honor the Father and believe on the Son, how little
do we live in the Holy Spirit! It even seems to us sometimes that
xii PREFACE OF THE AUTHOR
for our sanctification only, the Holy Spirit is added accidentally to
the great redemptive work.
This is the reason why our thoughts are so little occupied with
the Holy Spirit; why in the ministry of the Word He is so little
honored, why the people of God, when bo wed in supplication before
the Throne of Grace, make Him so little the object of their adora
tion. You feel involuntarily that of our piety, which is already
small enough, He receives a too scanty portion.
And since this is the. result of an inexcusable lack of knowledge
and appreciation of His glorious Work in the entire creation, holy
enthusiasm constrained me, in the power of God, to offer my fellow
champions for the faith once delivered by the fathers, some assist
ance in this respect.
May the Holy Spirit, whose divine Work I have uttered in hu
man words and with stammering tongue, crown this labor with such
blessing that you may feel His unseen Presence more closely, and
that He may bring to your disquieted heart more abundant conso
lation.
AMSTERDAM, April 10, 1888.
Postscript for American readers, I add one more observation.
This work contains occasional polemics against Methodism
which to the many ministers and members of the churches called
"Methodist" may appear unfair and uncalled for. Be it, there
fore, clearly stated that my controversy with Methodism is never
with these particular churches. The Methodism that I contend with
prevailed until recently in nearly all the Protestant churches as an
unhealthy fruit of the Rcveil in the beginning of this century.
Methodism as here intended is identical with what Mr. Heath, in 77/6
Contemporary Review (May, 1898), criticized as wofully inadequate to
place Protestantism again at the head of the spiritual movement.
Methodism was born out of the spiritual decline of the Episco
pal Church of England and Wales. It arose as the reaction of the
individual and of the spiritual subjective against the destructive
power of the objective in the community as manifested in the
Church of England. As such the reaction was precious and un
doubtedly a gift of God, and in its workings it would have contin
ued just as salutary if it had retained its character of a predominant
reaction.
PREFACE OF THE AUTHOR xiii
It should have supposed the Church as a community as an
objective power, and in this objective domain it should have vindi
cated the significance of the individual spiritual life and of the
subjective confessing.
But it failed to do this. From vindicating the subjective rights
of the individual it soon passed into antagonism against the objec
tive rights of the community. This resulted dogmatically in the
controversy about the objective work of God, viz., in His decree
and His election, and ecclesiastically in antagonism against the ob
jective work of the office through the confession. It gave suprem
acy to the subjective element in man s free will and to the individ
ual element in the deciding of unchurchly conflicts in the Church.
And so it retained no other aim than the conversion of individual
sinners ; and for this work it abandoned the organic, and retained
only the mechanical method.
As such it celebrated in the so-called Reveil its most glorious
triumph, and penetrated nearly all the Protestant churches, and
even the Episcopal Church under the name of Evangelicalism or
Low Churchism. As a second reaction against the second decline
of the Protestant churches of that time this triumph undoubtedly
brought a great blessing.
But when the necessity arose to reduce this new spiritual life
to a definite principle, upon this to construct a Protestant-Christian
life and world-view in opposition to the unchristian philosophies
and to the essentially pantheistic life and world-view, and to give
these position and to maintain it, then it pitiably failed. It lacked
conscious, sharply defined principles; with its individualism and
subjectivity it could not reach the social questions, and by reason
of its complete lack of organic unity it could not formulate an in
dependent life and world-view; yea, it stood everywhere as an ob
stacle to such formations.
For this reason it is absolutely necessary to teach the Protestant
churches clearly to see this dark shadow of Methodism, while at
the same time they should continue to study its precious signifi
cance as a spiritual reaction.
Hence my contending with Methodism and my persistent point
ing to the imperative necessity of vindicating over against and
alongside of the purely mechanical subjectivity the rights of the
organic social in all human life, and of satisfying the need of the
power of objectivity in presence of the extravagant statements of
xiv PREFACE OF THE AUTHOR
subjectivity. This presses all the more since in the Methodist
theology of America the modern tendency is gaining ground.
The Work of the Holy Spirit may not be displaced by the activ
ity of the human spirit.
KUYPER.
AMSTERDAM, April 21, 1899.
EXPLANATORY NOTES TO THE AMERICAN
EDITION.
DR. KUYPER S work on the Holy Spirit first appeared in the He-
raut in weekly instalments, after which it was published in book
form, Amsterdam, 1888.
This explains the object of the author in writing the book, viz.,
the instruction of the people of the Netherlands. Written in the
ordinary language of the people, it meets the need of both laity and
clergy.
However, depth of thought was not sacrificed to simplicity of
speech. On the contrary, the latter was only the instrument to
make the former lucid and transparent.
The Heraut is a religious weekly of which Dr. Kuyper has been
the editor-in-chief for more than twenty years. It is published on
Friday, and forms the Sunday reading of a large constituency.
Through its columns Dr. Kuyper has taught again the people of the
Netherlands, in city and country, the principles of the Reformed
faith, and how to give these principles a new development in ac
cordance with the modern conscience of our time.
Dr. Kuyper is not an apologist, but an earnest and conscientious
reconstructionist. He has made the people acquainted with the
symbols of the Reformed faith, and by expounding the Scriptures
to them he has maintained and defended the positions of those
symbols. His success in this respect appears conspicuously in the
reformation of the Reformed Churches in 1886, and in the subsequent
development of marvelous energy and activity in Church and State
which are products of revived and reconstructed Calvinism. With
out the patient toil and labor of this quarter of a century, that ref
ormation would have been impossible.
In his religious and political reformations, Dr. Kuyper proceed
ed from the personal conviction that the salvation of Church and
State could be found only in a return to the deserted foundations
of the national Reformed theology ; but not to reconstruct it in its
xvi NOTES TO THE AMERICAN EDITION
worn-out form. " His fresh, brave spirit is entirely free from all
conservatism" (Dr. W. Geesink). He is a man 0/his time as well
as for his time. The new superstructure which he has been rear
ing upon the carefully reuncovered foundations of the Reformed
theology he seeks to adapt to all the needs, demands, and distresses
of the present. In how far he has succeeded time only can tell.
Since 1871 he has published in the columns of the Heraut and
afterward in book form the following: " Out of the Word," Bibkj
studies, four volumes; " The Incarnate Word, " The Work of the
Holy Spirit/ three volumes, and " E Voto Dordraceno," an explana
tion of the Heidelberg Catechism, four volumes. This last work is
a rich treasury of sound and thorough theology, dogmatic and prac
tical. He has published several other treatises which have not yet
appeared in book form. Among these we notice especially " ( )n
Common Grace," which, still in process of publication, is full of
most excellent reading. The number of his works amounts already
to over one hundred and fifty, a partial list of which is to be found
following this introduction.
The following works have been translated into English : " Ency
clopaedia of Sacred Theology" (Charles Scribner s Sons, 1898);
"Calvinism and Art ; "Calvinism and Our Constitutional Lib
erties"; "Pantheism and Destruction of the Boundaries 11 ; "The
Stone Lectures."
For the better understanding of the work, the translator begs to
offer the following explanations :
" Ethical Irenical," or simply " Ethical/ is the name of a move
ment in the Netherlands that seeks to mediate between modern
Rationalism and the orthodox confession of the old Reformed
Church. It seeks to restore peace and tranquillity not by a return
to the original church order, nor by the maintenance of the old
Confession and the removal of deviating ministers through trial
and deposition (Judicial Treatment), but by making efforts to find
a common ground for both parties. It proceeds from the idea that
that which is diseased in the Church can and will return to health .
partly by letting the disease alone to run its course (Doorziekeri)-
forgetting that corruption in the Church is not a disease, but a sin ; *
partly 1 j a liberal diffusion of Bible knowledge among the people
(Medical Treatment).
* Dr. W. Geesink.
NOTES TO THE AMERICAN EDITION xvii
Dr. Chantepie de la Saussaye, a disciple of Schleierrnacher, was
the spiritual father of this Ethical theology. Born in 1818, Dr. De
la Saussaye entered the University of Leyden in 1836. Dissatis
fied with the rational supernaturalism of a former generation,
unable to adapt himself to the vagueness and ambiguousness of the
so-called Groningen school, or to find a basis for the development
of his theological science in the treasures of the Calvinistic theol
ogy, he felt himself strongly attracted to the school of Schelling,
and through him he came under the influence of Pantheism. During
the years of his pastorate in Leeuwarden (1842-48) and in Leyden
to 1872, he modified and developed the ideas of Schleierrnacher in
an independent way. The Ethical theology was the result. Its
basic thought may be comprehended as follows :
" Transcendent above nature, God is also immanent in nature.
This immanence is not merely physical, but also, on the ground of
this, ethical. This ethical immanence manifests itself in the relig
ious moral life, which is the real and true life of man. It originates
in the heathen world, and through Israel ascends to Christ, in whom
it attains completion. Among the heathen it manifests itself espe
cially in the conscience with its two elements of fear and hope ;
among Israel in Law and Prophecy ; and in Christ in His perfect
union with God and humanity. For this reason He is the Word/^r
excellence, the Central Man, in whom all that is human is realized.
However, while until Christ it proceeded from circumference to
center, after Christ it proceeds in ever-widening circles from center
to circumference. Life flows from Christ into the Church, which,
having temporarily become an institution for the education of the
nations, became through the Reformation and the French Revolu
tion what it should be, a confessing Church. Its power lies no
more in ecclesiastical organization, neither in authoritative creed
and confession, but in moral activity and influence. The divine
Word in the conscience begins to work and to govern; Christianity
is being transferred into the moral domain.
" However, the perfect ethical immanence of God is not attained
in this dispensation; being always possible, it may be realized in
the succeeding eons."*
It is not surprising that this theology, obliterating with its pan
theistic current the boundary-lines between the Creator and the
* Dr. Bavink.
XVI 11
NOTES TO THE AMERICAN EDITION
creature, should have come in hostile contact with the Reformed
theology, which most zealously guards these boundary-lines. In
fact, instead of uniting the two existing parties on one common
ground, the Ethical movement added a third, which in the subse
quent conflict was much more bitter, arbitrary, and tyrannical than
the moderns, and which has already abandoned the Holy Scriptures
in the manner of Wellhausen and Kuenen.
In 1872 Dr. Chantepie de la Saussaye was appointed professor
of theology in the University of Groningen, succeeding Hofstede
de Groot. He filled this position but thirteen months. He fell
asleep February 13, 1874.
His most excellent disciple is the highly gifted Dr. J. H. Gun
ning, till 1899 professor of theology at the University of Leyden.
The name of Dr. Kohlbrugge is frequently found in the follow
ing pages. Born a Lutheran, a graduate of the seminary of Am
sterdam, a candidate for the Lutheran ministry, Dr. Kohlbrugge
became acquainted with the Reformed theology through the study
of its earlier exponents. Known and feared as an ardent admirer
of the doctrine of predestination, the authorities first of the Luther
an then of the State Church refused him admission to the minis
try. He left Holland for Germany, where for the same reason he
was debarred from the pulpits of the German Reformed churches
At last he was called to the pulpit of a Free Reformed church at
Elberfeld, established by himself.
He was a profound theologian, a prolific writer, and one zealous
for the honor of his Master. His numerous writings, half Luther
an, half Reformed, were spread over Holland, the Rhenish prov
inces, the cantons of Switzerland, and even among some Reformed
churches of Bohemia.
Some of his disciples fell into Antinomianisrn, and occupy pul
pits in the State Church at the present time. They are called Neo-
Kohlbruggians. Professor Bohl, of Vienna, is the learned repre
sentative of the Old Kohlbruggians. Both the old and the new
school are strongly opposed to Calvinism.
The translation of "The Work of the Holy Spirit" was under
taken by appointment of the author, to whom the proof-sheets of al
most all the first volume were submitted for correction. Being
overwhelmed " with work, and being fully satisfied with the trans
lation so far as he had seen it, the author decided not to delay the
work for the reading of the remaining volumes, but to leave that to
NOTES TO THE AMERICAN EDITION xix
the discretion of the translator. A question of the omission of mat
ter referring to local conditions and to current theological discus
sions was also left to the translator s judgment.
Grateful thanks are due to Rev. Thomas Chalmers Straus, A.M.,
of Peekskill, N. Y., for valuable assistance in preparing this work
for the press.
TRANSLATOR.
PEEKSKILL, N. Y., January 27, 1900.
The following is a partial list of the works of Dr. Kuyper:
"J. Calvini et J. a Lasco : De Ecclesia Sententiarum inter S3 Compositio
Acad. Diss." 1862.
"Joarmis a Lasco: Opera turn Edita quam Inedita." Two vols., 1866.
"Wat moeten wy doen, het stemrecht aan ons zelven houden of den
Kerkeraad machtigen?" (What Are We to Do: Retain the Right of
Voting, or Authorize the Consistory ?) 1867.
"De Menschwording Gods Het Levensbeginsel der Kerk." Intreerede
te Utrecht. (The Incarnation of God the Vital Principle of the
Church. Inaugural discourse at Utrecht. ) 1867,
" Het Graf. " Leerrede aan den avond van Goede-Vrydag. (The Tomb.
Sermon on Good Friday night.) 1869.
"Zestal Leerredenen. " (Six Sermons.) 1869.
"De Kerkelyke Goederen." (Church Property.) 1869.
"Vrymaking der Kerk. (The Emancipation of the Church.) 1869.
"Het Beroep op het Volksgeweten." (An Appeal to the National Con
science.) 1869.
"Eenvormigheid de Vloek van het Moderne Leven." (Uniformity the
Curse of Modern Life.) 1869.
" De Schrift het Woord Gods. " (Scripture the Word of God. ) 1870.
"Kerkeraadsprotocollen der Hollandsche Gemeente te London." 1569-
1571. (The Consistorial Minutes of the Dutch Church in London.)
1870.
"De Hollandsche Gemeente te London." 1570-1571. (The Dutch Church
in London.) 1870.
"Conservatisme en Orthodoxie, Valsche en Ware Behoudzucht." (Conser
vatism and Orthodoxy, the True and the False Instinct of Self-Preser-
vation.) 1870.
"Gewortelden Gegrond, de Kerk als Organisme en Institute." (Rooted
and Grounded, the Church as Organism and Institute.) Inaugural at
Amsterdam. 1870.
"De Leer der Onsterfelykheid en de Staats School." (The Doctrine of
Immortality and the State School.) 1870.
xx NOTES TO THE AMERICAN EDITION
"Ben Perel in de Verkeerde Scbeip.* A Pearl in the Wrong She.l >
1871.
"Het Modernisme een Fata Morgana op Christelyk Gebied." (Modem-
ism a Fata Morgana in the Christian Domain.) 1871.
"De Zending Naar de Schrift." (Missions According to Scripture.)
1871.
" Tweede Zestal Lecrredenen." (Another Six Sermons. ) 1871 .
"O God Wees My Zondaar Genadig "* Leerredeop den Laatsten Dag van
Het Jaar, 1170. (O God be Merciful to Me a Sinner Sermon on
Old Year s night. 1870.) 1371.
"De Bartholomeusnacht." (The Bartholomew Night ) 1872
" De Sneeuw van den Lebanon." (The Snow of Lebanon.) 1872.
" Bekeert u Want bet Koningryk Gods is Naby " (Repent, for the Kingc jm
of Heaven Is at Hand) . Sermon on the last day of the year 1871 i : 72.
"Het Vergryp der Zeventien Ouderlingen ." (The Mistake of the Seven
teen Elders. Memoir of the Consistory of Amsterdam.) 1872.
M Uit bet Woord. " (Out of the Word.) Devotional Bible studies. i:}.
"Het Calvinisme, Oorsprong en Waarborg onzer Constitution eel e Yry-
heden." (Calvinism, the Origin and Surety of Our Constitutional
Liberties.) 1874.
"Uit bet Woord. " (Out of the Word ) Second volume. 1875
"De Schoolquestie. " (The School Question.) Six brochures. 1875
" Liberal isten en Joden." (Liberalists and Jews.) 1878.
" Uit het Woord." (Out of the Word.) Third volume. 1879
"Ons Program. " (Our Program.) 1879
"De Leidsche Professoren en de Executeurs der Dordtsche Nalatenschap."
(The Leyden Professors and the Executors of the Inheritance of
Dordt.) 1079.
"Revisieder Revisielegende." (Revision of the Revision Legend.) 13-9.
" De Synode der Nederlandsche Revormde Kerk uit Haar Eigen Ver-
maanbrief Geoordeeld." (The Synod of the Reformed Church in the
Netherlands Judged by Its Own Epistle of Exhortation.) 1879.
" Antirevolutionair ook in u\v Gezin." (Anti-Revolutionary Even in the
Family.) 1880.
"Bede om een Dubbel Corrigendum." (Prayer for a Double Corrigen
dum.) 1880.
"Strikt Genomen." (Taken Strictly. The Right to Found a University
Tested by Public Law and History.) 1880
"Souvereiniteitin Eigen Kring." (Sovereignty in Our Own Circle.) i8So.
"Honig uit den Rottsteen." (Honey Out of the Rock.) 1880.
" De Hedendaagsche Schriftcritiek in Hare Bedenkelyke Strekking voor de
Gemeente des Levenden Gods." (Modern Criticism and Its Danger
ous Influence upon the Church of the Living God.) Discourse. i8S2.
NOTES TO THE AMERICAN EDITION xxi
"D. Franscisci Junii : Opuscula Theoiogica. " 1882.
Alexander Connie." Translated from The Catholic Presbyterian Re
view. 1882.
"Ex Ungue Leonem.* Dr. Doedes s Method of Interpretation Tested on
One Point. 1082.
"Welke zyn de Voomitzchten TOOT de Studenten der vrye Universiteit? "
(What Are the Prospects for the Students of the Free University?;
: - -.
* Tractaat van de Reformatie der Kerken. " (Tractate of the Reformation
-.::. . ~ -:.;-::.*-.. : ;
"Honig uit den Rottsteen. " (Honey Out of the Rode. ) Second volume.
Uit bet Woord. " (Out of the Word. ) Second series, first volume . That
Grace Is Particular. 1884.
"Yzer en Leem." (Iron and Clay.) Discourses. 1885,
* Uit bet Woord. * (Out of the Word.) Second volume : The Doctrine of
the Covenants. 1885.
" Uit het Woord. " Third volume : The Practise of Godliness, 1886,
" He: Dreigend Conflict. " (The Conflict Threatening, j 1886,
M Het Conflict Gekomen. * (The Conflict Come. ) Three vols. , 1886,
"Dr. Kuyper TOOT de Synode. " (Dr. Kuyper Before the Synod. ) 1886,
| ail if n Woord tot de Conscience Tan de Leden der Synode." (Last
Word to the Conscience of the Members of Synod.) On behalf of the
persecuted members of the Consistory of Amsterdam. 1886.
Afwfrpinjv ran bet Juk der Synodale Hierarchic. " (The Throwing Off
of the Yoke of the Synodical Hierarchy. , i 86,
"Alzoozal net onder u niet zyr." (It Shall Not be So Among You.)
: :
"^^^ ziel die zich Nederbuigt. " (A Prostrate Soul. } Opening address
of the Reformed Chtirch Congress at Amsterdam. 1 887,
De Verborgen Dingen zyn voor den Heere Onzen God." (Tne Secret
Things Belong to the Lord Our God., i "7.
M Sion Door Recht Verlost." (Zion Saved through Judgment.) i- ;.
* De \Teescbword:ng des Woords. " (The Incarnation of the Word. ) ie* 7.
* Dagen van Goede Boodscbap. " (Days of Glad Tidings. ) 1887.
"Tweederlei Vaderland." (Two Fatherlands.) 1^7.
M Het Cahrinisme en de Ktmst." (Calvinism and Art) 1888.
*Dr Gisbeni Voetii Selectantm Dispotationum Fasciculus. " In the hib-
liotheca Reformat a i***,.
net Work des tfeihgen Geestes." (Tne Work of the Holy Spirit.)
Three vols. , 1889
fHomer TOOT den Sabbath.* (Homer for the Sabbath.) Meditations on
:-.-.
xxii NOTES TO THE AMERICAN EDITION
"Niet de Vryheidsboom Maar het Kruis." (Not the Tree of Liberty, but
the Cross.) Opening address at the tenth annual meeting of the
Deputies. 1889.
"Eer is Teer." (Honor Is Tender.) 1889.
"Handenarbeid." (Manual Labor.) 1889.
"Scolastica." (The Secret of True Study.) 1889.
"Tractaat van den Sabbath." (Tractate on the Sabbath.) A historical
dogmatic study. 1890.
"Separatie en Doleantie." ("Secession and Doleantie." "Doleantie"
from doleo, to suffer pain, to mourn is in Holland the historic name
adopted by a body of Christians to designate the fact that they are
either being persecuted by the State Church or have been expelled
from its communion on account of their adherence to the orthodox
confession.) 1890.
"Zion s Roem en Sterkte." (Zion s Strength and Glory.) 1890.
"De Twaalf Patriarchen." (The Twelve Patriarchs.) A study of Bible
characters. 1890.
"Eenige Kameradviezen." (Chamber Advices.) Of the years 1874, 1875.
1890.
" Is er Aan de Publieke Universiteit ten onzent Plaats voor eene Facul-
teit der Theologie? " (Is tkere Room in Our Public Universities for a
Theological Faculty?) 1890.
"Calvinism and Confessional Revision." In The Presbyterian and Re
formed Review, July, 1891.
"Voor een Distel een Mirt." (Instead of a Brier a Myrtle-Tree.) 1891.
"Maranatha." Opening address at the meeting of Deputies. 1891.
" Gedrachtslyn by de Stembus." (Line of Conduct at the Polls. ) 1891.
" Het Sociale Vraagstuk en de Christelyke Religie. " (The Social Question
and the Christian Religion. ) Opening address at the Social Congress.
1891.
"De Verflauwing der Grenzen." (The Destruction of the Boundaries.)
Address at the transfer of the Rectorate of the Free University. 1892.
"In de Schaduwe desDoods." (In the Shadows of Death.) Meditations
for the sick-chamber and death-bed. 1893.
" Encyclopaedic der Heilige Godgeleerdheid." (Encyclopedia of Sacred
Theology.) Three vols. , 1894.
"E Voto Dordraceno " Explanation of the Heidelberg Catechism. Four
vols., 1894-95.
Levinus W. C. Keuchenius, LL.D. Biography. 1896.
" De Christus en de Sociale Nooden, en de Democratische Klippen."
(Christ and the Social Needs and Democratic Dangers.) 1895.
"Uitgave van de Statenvertaling van den Bybel." (Edition of the Au
thorized Version of the Bible.) 1895.
NOTES TO THE AMERICAN EDITION xxiii
"DeZegen des Heeren over Onze Kerken." (The Blessing of the Lord
upon Our Churches.) 1896.
"Vrouwen uit de Heilige Schrift." (Women of the Bible.) 1897.
"Le Parti Antirevolutionaire." (The Anti-Revolutionary Party.) In
Les Pay-Pas. Presented by the Dutch Society of Journalists to the
foreign journalists at the inauguration of the Queen. 1898.
"By de Gratie Gods." (By the Grace of God.) Address. 1898.
"Calvinism." Six lectures delivered at Princeton, N. J., October, 1898.
"Calvinism in History," "Calvinism and Religion," "Calvinism and
Politics," "Calvinism and Science," "Calvinism and Art," "Calvinism
and the Future." Published in Dutch, January, 1899.
"Als gy in uw Huis Zit." (When Thou Sittest in Thine House.) Medita
tions for the Family. July, 1899.
"Evolutie. " (Evolution.) Oration at the transfer of the rectorate of the
Free University, October 20, 1899.
INTRODUCTORY NOTE.
BY PROF. BENJAMIN B. WARFIELD, D.D., LL.D.,
Of Princeton Theological Seminary.
IT is fortunately no longer necessary formally to introduce Dr.
Kuyper to the American religious public. Quite a number of his
remarkable essays have appeared of late years in our periodicals.
These have borne such titles as " Calvinism in Art," " Calvinism the
Source and Pledge of Our Constitutional Liberties," " Calvinism and
Confessional Revision," "The Obliteration of Boundaries," "The
Antithesis between Symbolism and Revelation "; and have appeared
in the pages of such publications as Christian Thought, Bibliotheca
Sacra, The Presbyterian and Reformed Review not, we may be sure,
without delighting their readers with the breadth of their treatment
and the high and penetrating quality of their thought. The col
umns of The Christian Intelligencer have from time to time during
the last year been adorned with examples of Dr. Kuyper s practical
expositions of Scriptural truth ; and now and again a brief but il
luminating discussion of a topic of present interest has appeared in
the columns of The Independent. The appetite whetted by this taste
of good things has been partially gratified by the publication in
English of two extended treatises from his hand one discussing in
a singularly profound way the principles of " The Encyclopedia of
Sacred Theology" (Charles Scribner s Sons, 1898), and the other
expounding with the utmost breadth and forcefulness the funda
mental principles of " Calvinism " (The Fleming H. Revell Company,
1899). The latter volume consists of lectures delivered on " The
L. P. Stone Foundation," at Princeton Theological Seminary in the
autumn of 1898, and Dr. Kuyper s visit to America on this occasion
brought him into contact with many lovers of high ideas in Amer
ica, and has left a sense of personal acquaintance with him on the
minds of multitudes who had the good fortune to meet him or to
hear his voice at that time. It is impossible for us to look longer
upon Dr. Kuyper as a stranger, needing an introduction to our fa-
xxvi INTRODUCTORY NOTE
vorable notice, when he appears again before us ; he seems rather
now to be one of our own prophets to whose message we have a
certain right, and a new book from whose hands we welcome as
we would a new gift from our near friend charged in a sense with
care for our welfare. The book that is at present offered to the
American public does not indeed come fresh from his hands. It
has already been within the reach of his Dutch audience for more
than a decade (it was published in 1888). It is only recently, how
ever, that Dr. Kuyper has come to belong to us also, and the pub
lication of this book in English, we may hope, is only another step
in the process which will gradually make all his message ours.
Certainly no one will turn over the pages of this volume much
less will he, as our Jewish friends would say, " sink himself into the
book" without perceiving that it is a very valuable gift which
comes to us in it from our newly found teacher. It is, as will be at
once observed, a comprehensive treatise on the Work of the Holy
Ghost a theme higher than which none can occupy the attention
of the Christian man, and yet one on which really comprehensive
treatises are comparatively rare. It is easy, to be sure, to exag
gerate the significance of the latter fact. There never was a time,
of course, when Christians did not confess their faith in the Holy
Ghost; and there never was a time when they did not speak to one
another of the work of the Blessed Spirit, the Executor of the God
head not only in the creation and upholding of the worlds and in
the inspiration of the prophets and apostles, but also in the regen
erating and sanctifying of the soul. Nor has there ever been a
time when, in the prosecution of its task of realizing mentally the
treasures of truth put in its charge in the Scriptural revelation, the
Church has not busied itself also with the investigation of the mys
teries of the person and work of the Spirit; and especially has there
tiever been a time since that tremendous revival of religion which
we call the Reformation when the whole work of the Spirit in the
application of the redemption wrought out by Christ has not been
a topic of the most thorough and loving study of Christian men.
Indeed, it partly arises out of the very intensity of the study given
to the saving activities of the Spirit that so few comprehensive
treatises on the work of the Spirit have been written. The subject
has seemed so vast, the ramifications of it have appeared so far-
reaching, that few have had the courage to undertake it as a whole.
Dogmaticians have, to be sure, been compelled to present the en-
BY PROFESSOR WARFIELD xxvii
tire range of the matter in its appropriate place in their completed
systems. But when monographs came to be written, they have
tended to confine themselves to a single segment of the great cir
cle; and thus we have had treatises rather on, say, Regeneration,
or Justification, or Sanctification, on the Anointing of the Spirit, or
the Intercession of the Spirit, or the Sealing of the Spirit, than on
the work of the Spirit as a whole. It would be .a great mistake to
think of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit as neglected, merely be
cause it has been preferably presented under its several rubrics or
parts, rather than in its entirety. How easily one may fall into
such an error is fairly illustrated by certain criticisms that have
been recently passed upon the Westminster Confession of Faith
which is (as a Puritan document was sure to be) very much a treat
ise on the work of the Spirit as if it were deficient, in not having a
chapter specifically devoted to " the Holy Spirit and His Work."
The sole reason why it does not give a chapter to this subject, how
ever, is because it prefers to give nine chapters to it ; and when an
attempt was made to supply the fancied omission, it was found that
pretty much all that could be done was to present in the proposed
new chapter a meager summary of the contents of these nine chap
ters. It would have been more plausible, indeed, to say that the
Westminster Confession comparatively neglected the work of
Christ, or even the wcrk of God the Father. Similarly the lack in
our literature of a large number of comprehensive treatises on the
work of the Holy Spirit is in part due to the richness of our litera
ture in treatises on the separate portions of that work severally. The
significance of Dr. Kuyper s book is, therefore, in part due only to
the fact that he has had the courage to attack and the gifts success
fully to accomplish a task which few have possessed the breadth
either of outlook or of powers to undertake. And it is no small gain
to be able to survey the whole field of the work of the Holy Spirit
in its organic unity under the guidance of so fertile, so systematic,
and so practical a mind. If we can not look, upon it as breaking en
tirely new ground, or even say that it is the only work of its kind
since Owen, we can at least say that it brings together the material
belonging to this great topic with a systematizing genius that is
very rare, and presents it with a penetrating appreciation of its
meaning and a richness of apprehension of its relations that is ex
ceedingly illuminating.
It is to be observed that we have not said without qualification
xxviii INTRODUCTORY NOTE
that the comparative rarity of such comprehensive treatises on the
work of the Holy Spirit as Dr. Kuyper s is due simply to the great
ness and difficulty of the task. We have been careful to say that
it is only in part due to this cause. It is only in the circles to
which this English translation is presented, to say the truth, that
this remark is applicable at all. It is the happiness of the Re
formed Christians of English speech that they are the heirs of what
must in all fairness be spoken of as an immense literature upon this
great topic ; it may even be said with some justice that the pecu
liarity of their theological labor turns just on the diligence and
depth of their study of this locus. It is, it will be remembered, to
John Owen s great " Discourse Concerning the Holy Spirit "that
Dr. Kuyper points as hitherto the normative treatise on the subject.
But John Owen s book did not stand alone in his day and genera
tion, but was rather merely symptomatic of the engrossment of
the theological thought of the circle of which he was so great an
ornament in the investigation of this subject. Thomas Goodwin s
treatise on " The Work of the Holy Ghost in Our Salvation" is well
worthy of a place by its side ; and it is only the truth to say that
Puritan thought was almost entirely occupied with loving study of
the work of the Holy Spirit, and found its highest expression in dog-
matico-practical expositions of the several aspects of it of which
such treatises as those of Charnock and Swinnerton on Regeneration
are only the best-known examples among a multitude which have
fallen out of memory in the lapse of years. For a century and a
half afterward, indeed, this topic continued to form the hinge of
the theologizing of the English Nonconformists. Nor has it lost
its central position even yet in the minds of those who have the
best right to be looked upon as the successors of the Puritans.
There has been in some quarters some decay, to be sure, in sure-
ness of grasp and theological precision in the presentation of the
subject; but it is possible that a larger number of practical treat
ises on some element or other of the doctrine of the Spirit continue
to appear from the English press annually than on any other branch
of divinity. Among these, such books as Dr. A. J. Gordon s " The
Ministry of the Spirit," Dr. J. E. Cumming s " Through the Eternal
Spirit," Principal H. C. G. Moule s " Veni Creator," Dr. Redford s
"Vox Dei," Dr. Robson s "The Holy Spirit, the Paraclete," Dr.
Vaughan s "The Gifts of the Holy Spirit" to name only a few of
the most recent books attain a high level of theological clarity
BY PROFESSOR WARFIELD xxix
and spiritual power ; while, if we may be permitted to go back only
a few years, we may find in Dr. James Buchanan s " The Office and
Work of the Holy Spirit," and in Dr. George Smeaton s " The Doc
trine of the Holy Spirit," two treatises covering the whole ground
the one in a more practical, the other in a more didactic spirit
in a manner worthy of the best traditions of our Puritan fathers.
There has always been a copious stream of literature on the work of
the Holy Spirit, therefore, among the English-speaking churches;
and Dr. Kuyper s book comes to us not as something of a novelty,
but as a specially finely conceived and executed presentation of a
topic on which we are all thinking.
But the case is not the same in all parts of Christendom. If we
lift our eyes from our own special condition and view the Church at
large, it is a very different spectacle that greets them. As we
sweep them down the history of the Church, we discover that the
topic of the work of the Holy Spirit was one which only at a late
date really emerged as the explicit study of Christian men. As we
sweep them over the whole extent of the modern Church, we dis
cover that it is a topic which appeals even yet with little force to very
large sections of the Church. The poverty of Continental theology
in this locus is, indeed, after all is said and done, depressing. Note
one or two little French books, by E. Guers and G. Tophel,* and a
couple of formal studies of the New-Testament doctrine of the Spirit
by the Dutch writers Stemler and Thoden Van Velzen, called out
by The Hague Society and we have before us almost the whole
list of the older books of our century which pretend in any way
to cover the ground. Nor has very much been done more recently
to remedy the deficiency. The amazing theological activity of
latter-day Germany has, to be sure, not been able to pass so fruit
ful a theme entirely by ; and her scholars have given us a few scien
tific studies of sections of the Biblical material. The two most
significant of these appeared, indeed, in the same year with Dr.
Kuyper s book Gloel s " Der heilige Geist in des Heilsverkiindi-
gung des Paulus," and Gunkel s " Die Wirkungen des heiligen Geistes
nach d. popular. Anschauung der apostolischen Zeit und der Lehre
d. A. Paulus" (2d ed., 1899); these have been followed in the same
spirit by Weienel in a work called " Die Wirkungen des Geistes und
* Guers " Le Saint-Esprit : Etude Doctrinale et Practique " (1865); G.
Tophel s "The Work of the Holy Spirit in Man" (E. T., 1882), and also
more recently " Le Saint-Esprit ; Cinq Nouvelles Etudes Bibliques " (1899) .
xxx INTRODUCTORY NOTE
der Geister im nachapostolischen Zeitalter" (1899); while a little
earlier the Dutch theologian Beversluis issued a more comprehensive
study, " De Heilige Geest en zijne werkingen volgens de Schriften
des Nieuwen Verbonds" (1896). Their investigation of the Biblical
material, however, is not only very formal, but it is also dominated
by such imperfect theological presuppositions that it can carry the
Student scarcely a step forward. Very recently something better
in this respect has appeared in such books as Th. Meinhold s " Der
heilige Geist und sein Wirken am einzelnen Menschen, mit beson-
derer Beziehung auf Luther " (1890, 121110, pp. 228);* W. Rolling s
" Pneumatologie, oder die Lehre von der Person des heiligen Geistes "
1894, 8vo, pp. 368); Karl von Lechler s "Die biblische Lehre vom
heiligen Geiste" (1899, 8vo, pp. 307) ; and K. F. Nosgen s" Geschichte
von der Lehre vom heiligen Geiste" (1899, 8vo, pp. 376); which
it is to be hoped are the beginnings of a varied body of scholarly
works from the Lutheran side, out of which may, after a while,
grow some such comprehensive and many-sided treatment of the
whole subject as that which Dr. Kuyper has given our Dutch breth
ren, and now us in this English translation. But none of them pro
vides the desired treatise itself, and it is significant that no one
even professes to do so. Even where, as in the case of the books
of Meinholcl and von Lechler, the treatment is really topical, the
author is careful to disclaim the purpose to provide a well-compacted,
systematic view of the subject, by putting on his title-page a hint
of a historical or exegetical point of view.
In fact, only in a single instance in the whole history of German
theological literature or, we may say, prior to Dr. Kuyper in the
entire history of continental theological literature has any one had
the courage or found the impulse to face the task Dr. Kuyper has
so admirably executed. We are referring, of course, to the great
work on " Die Lehre vom heiligen Geiste," which was projected by
that theological giant, K. A. Kahnis, but the first part of which
only was published in a thin volume of three hundred and fifty -six
pages, in 1847. It was doubtless symptomatic of the state of feel
ing in Germany on the subject that Kahnis never found time or en
couragement in a long life of theological pursuits to complete his
* Meinhold s book is mainly a Lutheran polemic in behalf of funda
mental principles, against the Ritschlian rationalism on this subject. As
such its obverse is provided in the recent treatise of Rudolf Otto, " Die An-
schauung vom heiligen Geiste bei Luther" (1898).
BY PROFESSOR WARFIELD xxxi
book. And, indeed, it was greeted in theological circles at the
time with something like amused amazement that any one could
devote so much time and labor to this theme, or expect others to find
time and energy to read such a treatise. We are told that a well-
known th eologian remarked caustically of it that if things were to
be carried out on that scale, no one could expect to live long enough
to read the literature of his subject; and the similar remark made
by C. Hase in the preface to the fifth edition of his " Dogmatic," tho
it names no names, is said to have had Kahnis s book in view.*
The significance of Kahnis s unique and unsuccessful attempt to
provide for German Protestantism some worthy treatment of the
doctrine of the Holy Spirit is so great that it will repay us to fix
the facts concerning it well in our minds. And to this end we ex
tract the following account of it from the introduction of the work
of von Lechler which we have just mentioned (p. 22 sqq.~] :
"We have to indicate, in conclusion, another circumstance in the his
tory of our doctrine, which is in its way just as significant for the attitude
of present-day science toward this topic as was the silence of the first Ecu
menical Council concerning it for the end of the first theological age. It
is the extraordinary poverty of monographs on the Holy Spirit. Altho
there do exist some, and in some instances important, studies dealing
with the subject, yet their number is out of all proportion to the greatness
and the extent of the problems. We doubtless should not err in assu
ming that vital interest in a scientific question will express itself not
merely in comprehensive handbooks and encyclopedic compendiums, the
latter of which are especially forced to see to the completeness of the list
of subjects treated, but of necessity also in those separate investigations in
which especially the fresh vigor of youth is accustomed to make proof of its
fitness for higher studies. What lacuna; we should have to regret in other
branches of theological science if a rich development of monographic litera
ture did not range itself by the side of the compendiums, breaking out here
and there new paths, laying deeper foundations, supplying valuable mate
rial for the constructive or decorative completion of the scientific structure !
All this, in the present instance, however, has scarcely made a beginning.
The sole separate treatise which has been projected on a really profound
and broad basis of investigation the " Lehre vom heiligen Geiste " of K.
A. Kahnis (then at Breslau), 1847 came to a standstill with its first part.
This celebrated theologian, who had certainly in his possession in surpri
sing measure the qualities and acquisitions that fitted him to come for
ward as a preparer of the way in this uncertain and little worthily studied
subject, had set before himself the purpose of investigating this, as he him
self called it, extraordinarily neglected topic, at once on its Biblical, ec-
* See Holtzmann in the Theolog. Liter aturzeitung of 1896, xxv., p. 646.
xxxii INTRODUCTORY NOTE
clesiastical, historical, and dogmatic sides. The history of his book
is exceedingly instructive and suggestive with respect to the topic itself.
He found the subject, as he approached it more closely, in a very
special degree a difficult one, chiefly on account of the manifoldness of the
conception. At first his results became ever more and more negative. A
controversy with the friends of light of the time helped him forward.
Testium mtbes viagis jui ant, quani luciferorum viroriim importuna ln-
mina. But God, he says, led him to greater clearness ; the doctrine of the
Church approved itself to him. Nevertheless it was not his purpose to es
tablish the Scriptural doctrine in all its points, but only to exhibit the place
which the Holy Spirit occupies in the development of the Word of God m the
Old and New Testaments. There was a feeling that came to him that we
were standing upon the eve of a new outpouring of the Spirit. But the
wished-for dawn, he says, still held back. -His wide survey, beyond his
special subject, of the whole domain of science in the corporate life of the
Church, is characteristic no less of the subject than of the man. It was not
given to him, however, to see the longed-for flood poured over the parched
fields. His exegetical foundation (chaps, i.-iii.) moves in the old tracks.
Since he shared essentially the subjective point of view of Schleiermacher
and committed the final decision in the determining conceptions to philoso
phy, in spite of many remarkable flashes of insight into the Scriptures he
remained fixed in the intellectualistic and ethical mode of conceiving the
Holy Ghost, tho this was accompanied by many attempts to transcend
Schleiermacher, but without the attaining of any unitary conception and
without any effort to bring to a Scriptural solution the burning question of
the personality or impersonality of the Spirit. The fourth chapter insti
tutes a comparison between the Spirit of Christianity and that of heathen
ism. The second book deals first with the relation of the Church to the
Holy Spirit in general, and then enters upon a history of the doctrine,
which is carried, however, only through the earliest fathers, and breaks off
with a survey of the scanty harvest which the first age supplied to the suc
ceeding epochs, in which the richest development of the doctrine took
place. Here the book closes. . . . " *
Thus the only worthy attempt German theology has made to pro
duce a comprehensive treatise on the work of the Holy Ghost re
mains a neglected torso till to-day.
If we will gather up the facts to which we have thus somewhat de
sultorily called attention into a prepositional statement, we shall
find ourselves compelled to recognize that the doctrine of the Holy
Spirit was only slowly brought to the explicit consciousness of the
Church, and has even yet taken a firm hold on the mind and con
sciousness of only a small section of the Church. To be more spe
cific, we shall need to note that the early Church busied itself with
the investigation within the limits of this locus of only the doctrine
* Compare the remarks of Dr. Smeaton, op. cit., ed. 2, p. 396.
BY PROFESSOR WARFIELD xxxiii
of the person of the Holy Ghost His deity and personality and of
His one function of inspirer of the prophets and apostles, while the
whole doctrine of the work of the Spirit at large is a gift to the
Church from the Reformation ; * and we shall need to note further
that since its formulation by the Reformers this doctrine has taken
deep root and borne its full fruits only in the Reformed churches, and
among them in exact proportion to the loyalty of their adherence
to, and the richness of their development of, the fundamental prin
ciples of the Reformed theology. Stated in its sharpest form this
is as much as to say that the developed doctrine of the work of the
Holy Spirit is an exclusively Reformation doctrine, and more
particularly a Reformed doctrine, and more particularly still
a Puritan doctrine. Wherever the fundamental principles of
the Reformation have gone, it has gone ; but it has come to its
full rights only among the Reformed churches, and among them
only where what we have been accustomed to call " the Second
Reformation " has deepened the spiritual life of the churches and
cast back the Christian with special poignancy of feeling upon the
grace of God alone as his sole dependence for salvation and all
the goods of this life and the life to come. Indeed, it is possible to
be more precise still. The doctrine of the work of the Holy
spirit is a gift from John Calvin to the Church of Christ. He did
not, of course, invent it. The whole of it lay spread out on the
pages of Scripture with a clearness and fulness of utterance which
one would think would secure that even he who ran should read it ;
and doubtless he who ran did read it, and it has fed the soul of the
true believer in all ages. Accordingly hints of its apprehension are
found widely scattered in all Christian literature, and in particular
the germs of the doctrine are spread broadcast over the pages
of Augustine. Luther did not fail to lay hold upon them;
Zwingli shows time and again that he had them richly in his
mind ; they constituted, in very fact, one of the foundations of the
* For the epoch-making character of the Reformation in the history of
this doctrine cf. also Nosgen, op. cit, p. 2. "For its development, a divi
sion-line is provided simply and solely by the Reformation, and this merely
because at that time only was attention intensely directed to the right
mode of the application of salvation. Thus were the problems of the
specially saving operation of the Holy Spirit, of the manner of His work
ing in the congregation of believers cast into the foreground, and the theo
logical treatment of this doctrine made of ever-increasing importance to
the Church of Christ, " etc.
xxxiv INTRODUCTORY NOTE
Reformation movement, or rather they provided its vital breath.
But it was Calvin who first gave them anything like systematic or
adequate expression ; and it is through him and from him that they
have come to be the assured possession of the Church of Christ.
There is no phenomenon in doctrinal history more astonishing than
the commonly entertained views as to the contribution made by
John Calvin to the development of Christian doctrine. He is thought
of currently as the father of doctrines, such as that of predestination
and reprobation, of which he was the mere heir, taking them as
wholes over from the hands of his great master Augustine. Mean
while his real personal contributions to Christian doctrine are utterly
forgotten. These are of the richest kind and can not be enumer
ated here. But it is germane to our present topic to note that
at their head stand three gifts of the first value to the Church s
thought and life, which we should by no means allow to pass from
our grateful memory. It is to John Calvin that we owe that broad
conception of the work of Christ which is expressed in the doc
trine of His threefold office of Prophet, Priest, and King; he was
the first who presented the work of Christ under this schema, and
from him it was that it has passed into a Christian commonplace.
It is to John Calvin that w r e owe the whole conception of a science
of " Christian Ethics " ; he was the first to outline its idea and de
velop its principles and contents, and it remained a peculium of
his followers for a century. And it is to John Calvin that we owe
the first formulation of the doctrine of the work of the Holy Ghost;
he himself gave it a very rich statement, developing it especially
in the broad departments of "Common Grace" "Regeneration,"
and " the Witness of the Spirit"; and it is, as we have seen, among
his spiritual descendants only that it has to this day received any
adequate attention in the churches. We must guard ourselves, of
course, from exaggeration in such a matter; the bare facts, when
put forth without pausing to allow for the unimportant shadings,
sound of themselves sufficiently like an exaggeration.* But it is
simply true that these great topics received their first formulation
at the hands of John Calvin ; and it is from him that the Church has
derived them, and to him that it owes its thanks for them.
*So, for example, a careless reading of pp. 65-77 of Pannier s " Le
Temoignage du Saint-Esprit " gives the impression of exaggeration, where
as it is merely the suppression of all minor matters to emphasize the salient
facts that is responsible for this effect.
BY PROFESSOR WARFIELD xxxv
And if we pause to ask why the formulation of the doctrine of
the work of the Spirit waited for the Reformation and for Calvin,
and why the further working out of the details of this doctrine and its
enrichment by the profound study of Christian minds and medita
tion of Christian hearts has come down from Calvin only to the Puri
tans, and from the Puritans to their spiritual descendants like the
Free Church teachers of the Disruption era and the Dutch contest
ants for the treasures of the Reformed religion of our own day, the
reasons are not far to seek. There is, in the first place, a regular
order in the acquisition of doctrinal truth, inherent in the nature of
the case, which therefore the Church was bound to follow in its grad
ual realization of the deposit of truth given it in the Scriptures ; and
by virtue of this the Church could not successfully attack the task of
assimilating and formulating the doctrine of the work of the Spirit
until the foundations had been laid firmly in a clear grasp on yet
more fundamental doctrines. And there are, in the next place,
certain forms of doctrinal construction which leave no or only a
meager place for the work of the personal Holy Spirit in the heart;
and in the presence of these constructions this doctrine, even where
in part apprehended and acknowledged, languishes and falls out of
the interest of men. The operation of the former cause postponed
the development of the doctrine of the work of the Spirit until the
way was prepared for it ; and this preparation was complete only
at the Reformation. The operation of the second cause has re
tarded where it has not stifled the proper assimilation of the doctrine
in many parts of the Church until to-day.
To be more specific. The development of the doctrinal system
of Christianity in the apprehension of the Church has actually run
through as it theoretically should have run through a regular
and logical course. First, attention was absorbed in the contem
plation of the objective elements of the Christian deposit, and
only afterward were the subjective elements taken into fuller con
sideration. First of all it was the Christian doctrine of God that
forced itself on the attention of men, and it was not until the
doctrine of the Trinity had been thoroughly assimilated that at
tention was vigorously attracted to the Christian doctrine of the
God-man ; and again, it was not until the doctrine of the Person
of Christ was thoroughly assimilated that attention was poignantly
attracted to the Christian doctrine of sin man s need and helpless
ness ; and only after that had been wrought fully out again could
xxxvi INTRODUCTORY NOTE
attention turn to the objective provision to meet man s needs in
the work of Christ; and again, only after that to the subjective pro
vision to meet his needs in the work of the Spirit. This is the log
ical order of development, and it is the actual order in which the
Church has slowly and amid the throes of all sorts of conflicts
with the world and with its own slowness to believe all that the
prophets have written worked its way into the whole truth re
vealed to it in the Word. The order is, it will be observed, The
ology, Christology, Anthropology (Hamartialogy), Impetration of
Redemption, Application of Redemption ; and in the nature of the
case the topics that fall under the rubric of the application of
redemption could not be solidly investigated until the basis had
been laid for them in the assimilation of the preceding topics. We
have connected the great names of Athanasius and his worthy
successors who fought out the Christological disputes, of Augustine
and of Anselm, with the precedent stages of this development. It
was the leaders of the Reformation w T ho were called on to add the
capstone to the structure by working out the facts as to the applica
tion of redemption to the soul of man through the Holy Spirit.
Some elements of the doctrine of the Spirit are indeed implicated
in earlier discussions. For example, the deity and personality of the
Spirit the whole doctrine of His person was a part of the doctrine
of the Trinity, and this accordingly became a topic for early debate,
and patristic literature is rich in discussions of it. The authority of
Scripture was fundamental to the whole doctrinal discussion, and
the doctrine of the inspiration of the prophets and apostles by the
Spirit was therefore asserted from the beginning with great empha
sis. In the determination of man s need in the Pelagian controversy
much was necessarily determined about " Grace," its necessity, its
prevenience, its efficacy, its indefectibility, and in this much was
anticipated of what was afterward to be more orderly developed
in the doctrine of the interior work of the Spirit; and accordingly
there is much in Augustine which preadumbrates the determination
of later times. But even in Augustine there is a vagueness and
tentativeness in the treatment of these topics which advises us that
while the facts relatively to man and his needs and the methods of
God s working upon him to salvation are firmly grasped, these same
facts relatively to the personal activities of the Spirit as yet await
their full assimilation. Another step had yet to be taken: the
Church needed to wait yet for Anselm to set on foot the final de-
BY PROFESSOR WARFIELD xxxvii
termination of the doctrine of a vicarious atonement; and only
when time had been given for its assimilation, at length men s
minds were able to take the final step. Then Luther rose to pro
claim justification by faith, and Calvin to set forth with his marvel
ous balance the whole doctrine of the work of the Spirit in applying
salvation to the soul. In this matter, too, the fulness of the times
needed to be waited for; and when the fulness of the times came
the men were ready for their task and the Church was ready for
their work. And in this collocation we find a portion of the secret
of the immense upheaval of the Reformation.
Unfortunately, however, the Church was not ready in all its parts
alike for the new step in doctrinal development. This was, of
course, in the nature of the case : for the development of doctrine
takes place naturally in a matrix of old and hardened partial concep
tions, and can make its way only by means of a conflict of opinion.
All Arians did not disappear immediately after the Council of Nice;
on the contrary, for an age they seemed destined to rule the Church.
The decree of Chalcedon did not at once quiet all Christological de
bate, or do away with all Christological error. There were remain
ders of Pelagianism that outlived Augustine ; and indeed that after
the Synod of Orange began to make headway against the truth.
Anselm s construction of the atonement only slowly worked its way
into the hearts of men. And so, when Calvin had for the first time for
mulated the fuller and more precise doctrine of the work of the Spirit,
there were antagonistic forces in the world which crowded upon it
and curtailed its influence and clogged its advance in the apprehen
sion of men. In general, these may be said to be two : the sacerdotal
tendency on the one hand and the libertarian tendency on the other.
The sacerdotal tendency was entrenched in the old Church ; from
which the Reformers were extruded indeed by the very force of the
new leaven of their individualism of spiritual life. That Church was
therefore impervious to the newly formulated doctrine of the work
of the Spirit. To it the Church was the depository of grace, the sac
raments were its indispensable vehicle, and the administration of it
lay in the hands of human agents. Wherever this sacramentarian-
ism went, in however small a measure, it tended so far to distract
men s attention from the Spirit of God and to focus it on the media of
His working; and wherever it has entrenched itself, there the study
of the work of the Spirit has accordingly more or less languished.
It is easy indeed to say that the Spirit stands behind the sacraments
xxxviii INTRODUCTORY NOTE
and is operative in the sacraments ; as a matter of fact, the sacra
ments tend, in all such cases, to absorb the attention, and the theo
retical explanations of their efficacy as vested in the Spirit s energy
tend to pass out of the vivid interest of men. The libertarian
tendency, on the other hand, was the nerve of the old semi-Pelagi-
anism which in Thomism and Tridentinism became in a modified
form the formal doctrine of the Church of Rome ; and in various
forms it soon began to seep also into and to trouble the churches
of the Reformation first the Lutheran and after that also the Re
formed. To it, the will of man was in greater or less measure the
decisive factor in the subjective reception of salvation ; and in pro
portion as it was more or less developed or more or less fully ap
plied, interest in the doctrine of the subjective work of the Spirit
languished, and in these circles too men s minds were to that degree
distracted from the study of the doctrine of the work of the Spirit,
and tended to focus themselves on the autocracy of the human will
and its native or renewed ability to obey God and seek and find com
munion with Him. No doubt here too it is easy to point to the func
tion which is still allowed the Spirit, in most at least of the theo
logical constructions on this basis. But the practical effect has been
that just in proportion as the autocracy of the human will in salva
tion has been emphasized, the interest in the internal work of the
Spirit has declined. When we take into consideration the wide
spread influence that has been attained even in the Protestant
world by these two antagonistic tendencies, we shall cease to wonder
at the widespread neglect that has befallen the doctrine of the work of
the Spirit. And we shall have prosecuted our inquiry but a little
way before we become aware how entirely these facts account for
the phenomena before us : how completely it is true that interest in
the doctrine of the work of the Spirit has failed just in those regions
and just in those epochs in which either sacramentarian or libertarian
opinions have ruled ; and how true it is that engagement with this
doctrine has been intense only along the banks of that narrow
stream of religious life and thought the keynote of which has been
the soli Deo gloria in all its fulness of meaning. With this key
in hand the mysteries of the history of this doctrine in the Church
are at once solved for us.
One of the chief claims to our attention which Dr. Kuyper s
book makes, therefore, is rooted in the fact that it is a product of a
great religious movement in the Dutch churches. This is not the
BY PROFESSOR WARFIELD xxxix
place to give a history of that movement. We have all watched it
with the intensest interest, from the rise of the Free Churches to
the union with them of the new element from the Doleantie. We
have lacked no proof that it was a movement of exceptional spir
itual depth; but had there lacked any such proof, it would be
supplied by the appearance of this book out of its heart. Wher
ever men are busying themselves with holy and happy meditations
on the Holy Ghost and His work, it is safe to say the foundations
of a true spiritual life are laid, and the structure of a rich spiritual
life is rising. The mere fact that a book of this character offers it
self as one of the products of this movement attracts us to it ; and
the nature of the work itself its solidity of thought and its depth
of spiritual apprehension brightens our hopes for the future of
the churches in which it has had its birth. Only a spiritually
minded Church provides a soil in which a literature of the Spirit
can grow. There are some who will miss in the book what they
are accustomed to call "scientific" character;* it has no lack cer
tainly of scientific exactitude of conception, and if it seems to any
to lack " scientific" form, it assuredly has a quality which is better
than anything that even a "scientific" form could give it it is a
religious book. It is the product of a religious heart, and it leads
the reader to a religious contemplation of the great facts of the
Spirit s working. May it bring to all, into whose hands it finds its
way in this fresh vehicle of a new language, an abiding and happy
sense of rest on and in God the Holy Ghost, the Author and Lord
of all life, to whom in our heart of hearts we may pray :
" Veni, Creator Spiritus,
Spiritus recreator,
Tu deus, tu datus ccelitus,
Tu donum, tu donator."
PRINCETON THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY,
April 23, i goo.
*Thus Beversluis, op. cit, speaks of it as Dr. Kuyper s bulky book,
which "has no scientific value," tho it is full of fine passages and
treats the subject in a many-sided way.
ERRATA.
Page 20 Col. i. 7, read Col. i. 17.
" 102 Heb. ix. 4, rea Heb. ix. 14.
" 108 i Peter i. iS. read i Peter iii. 18.
" 114 Chap, xxxiv. 25, read chap, xxxvi. 25.
u 144 Rev. xxi. 24, read Rev. xxi. 14.
154 John xiv. 16, read John xiv. 26.
164 John xxix. 31, read John xx. 31.
180 Ephes. xiv. 17, read Ephes. iv. 7.
190 John xiii. 13, read John xvi. 13.
273 " OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS, " read " OUR UNRIGHTEOUSNESS.
273 Gen. iii. 6, read Gen. vi. 3.
3 2 3 John iii. 15, read John xv. 3.
" 349 2 Tim. ii. 5, read 2 Tim. ii. 25.
351 Jer. Iv. 7, read Isa. Iv. 7.
" 391 Rom. xix. 19, read Rom. x. 10.
" 392 Acts xiii. 31, read Acts xvi. 31.
4071 Peter ii. 16, read i Peter ii. 6.
408 Phil. i. 23, read Phil. i. 29.
457 Matt. vi. 10, read Matt. v. 16.
592 2 Sam. xiv. i, read 2 Sam. xxiv. i.
636 Rom. iii. 26, read Rom. viii. 26.
THE
WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
VOLUME ONE
The Work of the Holy Spirit in the Church
as a Whole
fftrst Gbapter,
INTRODUCTION.
I.
Careful Treatment Required.
" Who hath also given unto us His Holy
Spirit." i Thess. iv. 8.
THE need of divine guidance is never more deeply felt than when
one undertakes to give instruction in the work of the Holy Spirit
so unspeakably tender is the subject, touching the inmost secrets of
God and the soul s deepest mysteries.
We shield instinctively the intimacies of kindred and friends
from intrusive observation, and nothing hurts the sensitive heart
more than the rude exposure of that which should not be unveiled,
being beautiful only in the retirement of the home circle. Greater
delicacy befits our approach to the holy mystery of our soul s inti
macy with the living God. Indeed, we can scarcely find words to
express it, for it touches a domain far below the social life where
language is formed and usage determines the meaning of words.
Glimpses of this life have been revealed, but the greater part
has been withheld. It is like the life of Him who did not cry, nor
lift up nor cause His voice to be heard in the street. And that
which was heard was whispered rather than spoken a soul-breath,
soft but voiceless, or rather a radiating of the soul s own blessed
warmth. Sometimes the stillness has been broken by a cry or a
raptured shout ; but there has been mainly a silent working, a min
istering of stern rebuke or of sweet comfort by that wonderful
Being in the Holy Trinity whom with stammering tongue we adore
as the Holy Spirit.
Spiritual experience can furnish no basis for instruction; for
such experience rests on that which took place in our own soul.
4 INTRODUCTION
Certainly this has value, influence, voice in the matter. But what
guarantees correctness and fidelity in interpreting such experience?
And again, how can we distinguish its various sources from our
selves, from without, or from the Holy Spirit? The twofold ques
tion will ever hold: Is our experience shared by others, and may
it not be vitiated by what is in us sinful and spiritually abnormal :>
Altho there is no subject in whose treatment the soul inclines
more to draw upon its own experience, there is none that demands
more that our sole source of knowledge be the Word given us by
the Holy Spirit. After that, human experience may be heard, at
testing what the lips have confessed ; even affording glimpses into
the Spirit s blessed mysteries, which are unspeakable and of which
the Scripture therefore does not speak. But this can not be the
ground of instruction to others.
The Church of Christ assuredly presents abundant spiritual utter
ance in hymn and spiritual song ; in homilies hortatory and conso
ling ; in sober confession or outbursts of souls wellnigh overwhelmed
by the floods of persecution and martyrdom. But even this can not
be the foundation of knowledge concerning the work of the Holy
Spirit.
The following reasons will make this apparent :
First, The difficulty of discriminating between the men and
women whose experience we consider pure and healthy, and those
whose testimony we put aside as strained and unhealthful. Luther
frequently spoke of his experience, and so did Caspar Schwenkfeld,
the dangerous fanatic. But what is our warrant for approving the
utterances of the great Reformer and warning against those of the
Silesian nobleman? For evidently the testimony of the two men
can not be equally true. Luther condemned as a lie what Schwenk
feld commended as a highly spiritual attainment.
Second, The testimony of believers presents only the dim out
lines of the work of the Holy Spirit. Their voices are faint as com
ing from an unknown realm, and their broken speech is intelligible
only when we, initiated by the Holy Spirit, can interpret it from
our own experience. Otherwise we hear, but fail to understand ;
we listen, but receive no information. Only he that hath ears can
hear what the Spirit has spoken secretly to these children of God.
Third, Among those Christian heroes whose testimony we receive,
some speak clearly, truthfully, forcibly, others confusedly as tho
they were groping in the dark. Whence the difference? Closer
CAREFUL TREATMENT REQUIRED 5
examination shows that the former have borrowed all their speech
from the Word of God, while the others tried to add to it something
novel that promised to be great, but proved only bubbles, quickly
dissolved, leaving no trace.
Last, When, on the other hand, in this treasury of Christian testi
mony we find some truth better developed, more clearly expressed,
more aptly illustrated than in Scripture ; or, in other words, when
the ore of the Sacred Scripture has been melted in the crucible of
the mortal anguish of the Church of God, and cast into more per
manent forms, then we always discover in such forms certain fixed
types. Spiritual life expresses itself otherwise among the earnest-
souled Lapps and Finns than among the light-hearted French. The
rugged Scotchman pours out his overflowing heart in a different way
from that of the emotional German.
Yea, more striking still, some preacher has obtained a marked
influence upon the souls of men of a certain locality ; an exhorter
has got hold of the hearts of the people ; or some mother in Israel
has sent forth her word among her neighbors ; and what do we dis
cover? That in that whole region we meet no other expressions of
spiritual life than those coined by that preacher, that exhorter, that
mother in Israel. This shows that the language, the very words and
forms in which the soul expresses itself, are largely borrowed, and
spring but rarely from one s own spiritual consciousness; and so do
not insure the correctness of their interpretation of the soul s ex
perience.
And when such heroes as Augustine, Thomas, Luther, Calvin,
and others present us something strikingly original, then we en
counter difficulty in understanding their strong and vigorous testi
mony. For the individuality of these choice vessels is so marked
that, unless sifted and tested, we can not fully comprehend them.
All this shows that the supply of knowledge concerning the work
of the Holy Spirit, which, judging superficially, was to gush forth
from the deep wells of Christian experience, yields but a few drops.
Hence for the knowledge of the subject we must return to that
wondrous Word of God which as a mystery of mysteries lies still
uncomprehended in the Church, seemingly dead as a stone, but a
stone that strikes fire. Who has not seen its scintillating sparks?
Where is the child of God whose heart has not been kindled by the
fire of that Word?
6 INTRODUCTION
But Scripture sheds scant light on the work of the Holy Spirit.
For proof, see how much the Old Testament says of the Messiah
and how comparatively little of the Holy Spirit. The little circle
of saints, Mary, Simeon, Anna, John, who, standing in the vesti
bule of the New Testament, could scan the horizon of the Old
Testament revelation with a glance how much they knew of the
Person of the Promised Deliverer, and how little of the Holy
Spirit! Even including all the New Testament teachings, how
scanty is the light upon the work of the Holy Spirit compared with
that upon the work of Christ !
And this is quite natural, and could not be otherwise, for Christ
is the Word made Flesh, having visible, well-defined form, in which
we recognize our own, that of a man, whose outlines follow the di
rection of our own being. Christ can be seen and heard; once men s
hands could even handle the Word of Life. But the Holy Spirit is
entirely different. Of Him nothing appears in visible form; He
never steps out from the intangible void. Hovering, undefined,
incomprehensible, He remains a mystery. He is as the wind! We
hear its sound, but can not tell whence it cometh and whither it
goeth. Eye can not see Him, ear can not hear Him, much less the
hand handle Him. There are, indeed, symbolic signs and appear
ances: a dove, tongues of fire, the sound of a rushing, mighty
wind, a breathing from the holy lips of Jesus, a laying on of hands,
a speaking with foreign tongues. But of all this nothing remains ;
nothing lingers behind, not even the trace of a footprint. And
after the signs have disappeared, His being remains just as puz
zling, mysterious, and distant as ever. So almost all the divine in
struction concerning the Holy Spirit is likewise obscure, intelligible
only so far as He makes it clear to the eye of the favored soul.
We know that the same may be said of Christ s work, whose
real import is apprehended solely by the spiritually enlightened,
who behold the eternal wonders of the Cross. And yet what won
derful fascination is there even for a little child in the story of the
manger in Bethlehem, of the Transfiguration, of Gabbatha and
Golgotha. How easily can we interest him by telling of the
heavenly Father who numbereth the hairs of his head, arrayeth the
lilies of the field, feedeth the sparrows on the house-top. But is it
possible so to engage his attention for the Person of the Holy
Spirit? The same is true of the unregenerate : they are not unwill
ing to speak of the heavenly Father ; many speak feelingly of the
CAREFUL TREATMENT REQUIRED 7
Manger and of the Cross. But do they ever speak of the Holy
Spirit? They can not; the subject has no hold upon them. The
Spirit of God is so holily sensitive that naturally He withdraws from
the irreverent gaze of the uninitiated.
Christ has fully revealed Himself. It was the love and divine
compassion of the Son. But the Holy Spirit has not done so. It
is His saving faithfulness to meet us only in the secret place of His
love.
This causes another difficulty. Because of His unrevealed char
acter the Church has taught and studied the Spirit s work much
less than Christ s, and has attained much less clearness in its theo
logical discussion. We might say, since He gave the Word and
illuminated the Church, He spoke much more of the Father and the
Son than of Himself; not as tho it had been selfish to speak more
of Himself for sinful selfishness is inconceivable in regard to Him
but He must reveal the Father and the Son before He could lead us
into the more intimate fellowship with Himself.
This is the reason that there is so little preaching on the subject;
that text-books on Systematic Theology rarely treat it separately ;
that Pentecost (the feast of the Holy Spirit) appeals to the churches
and animates them much less than Christmas or Easter ; that un
happily many ministers, otherwise faithful, advance many erro
neous views upon this subject a fact .of which they and the
churches seem unconscious.
Hence special discussion of the theme deserves attention.
That it requires great caution and delicate treatment need not
be said. It is our prayer that the discussion may evince such great
care and caution as is required, and that our Christian readers may
receive our feeble efforts with that love which suffereth long.
n.
Two Standpoints.
" By the word of the Lord were the heavens
made ; and all the host of them by the
breath of His mouth." Psalm xxxiii. 6.
THE work of the Holy Spirit that most concerns us is the renew
ing of the elect after the image of God. And this is not all. It even
savors of selfishness and irreverence to make this so prominent, as
tho it were His only work.
The redeemed are not sanctified without Christ, who is made to
them sanctification ; hence the work of the Spirit must embrace the
Incarnation of the Word and the work of the Messiah. But the work
of Messiah involves preparatory working in the Patriarchs and
Prophets of Israel, and later activity in the Apostles, i.e., the fore
shadowing of the Eternal Word in Scripture. Likewise this revela
tion involves the conditions of man s nature and the historical de
velopment of the race ; hence the Holy Spirit is concerned in the
formation of the human mind and the unfolding of the spirit of
humanity. Lastly, man s condition depends on that of the earth ;
the influences of sun, moon, and stars; the elemental motions; and
no less on the actions of spirits, be they angels or demons from
other spheres. Wherefore the Spirit s work must touch the entire
host of heaven and earth.
To avoid a mechanical idea of His work as tho it began and
ended at random, like piece-work in a factory, it must not be deter
mined nor limited till it extends to all the influences that affect the
sanctification of the Church. The Holy Spirit is God, therefore
sovereign ; hence He can not depend on these influences, but com
pletely controls them. For this He must be able to operate them ;
so His work must be honored in all the host of heaven, in man and in
his history, in the preparation of Scripture, in the Incarnation of the
Word, in the salvation of the elect.
But this is not all. The final salvation of the elect is not the
TWO STANDPOINTS 9
last link in the chain of events. The hour that completes their re
demption will be the hour of reckoning for all creation. The Bib
lical revelation of Christ s return is not a mere pageant closing this
preliminary dispensation, but the great and notable event, the con
summation of all before, the catastrophe whereby all that is shall
receive its due.
In that great and notable day the elements with commotion and
awful change shall be combined into a new heaven and earth, i.e.,
out of these burning elements shall emerge the real beauty and
glory of God s original purpose. Then all ill, misery, plague,
every thing unholy, every demon, every spirit turned against God
shall become truly hellish ; that is, every "thing ungodly shall re
ceive its due, i.e., a world in which sin has absolute sway, For
what is hell other than a realm in which unholiness works without
restraint in body and soul? Then man s personality will recover
the unity destroyed by death, and God will grant His redeemed the
fruition of that blest hope confessed on earth amid conflict and
affliction in the words " I believe in the resurrection of the body.
Then shall Christ triumph over every power of Satan, sin, and
death, and thus receive His due as the Christ. Then wheat and
tares shall be separated ; the mingling shall cease, and the hope of
God s people become sight , the martyr shall be in rapture and his
executioner in torment. Then, too, shall the veil be drawn from
the Jerusalem that is above. The clouds shall be dispelled that
kept us from seeing that God was righteous in all His judgments;
then the wisdom and glory of all His counsels shall be vindicated
both by Satan and his own in the pit, and by Christ and His re
deemed in the city of our God, and the Lord be glorious in all His
works.
Thus radiating from the sanctification of the redeemed, we see
the work of the Spirit embracing in past ages the Incarnation, the
preparation of Scripture, the forming of man and the universe ; and,
extending into the ages, the Lord s return, the final judgment, and
that last cataclysm that shall separate heaven from hell forever.
This standpoint precludes our viewing the work of the Spirit
from that of the salvation of the redeemed. Our spiritual horizon
widens ; for the chief thing is not that the elect be fully saved, but
that God be justified in all His works and glorified through judgment.
To all who acknowledge that " He that believeth not on the Son
10 INTRODUCTION
shall not see life, but the wrath of God abiding on him," this must
be the only true standpoint.
If we subscribe this awful statement, not having lost our way in
the labyrinth of a so-called conditional immortality, which actually
annihilates man, then how can we dream of a state of perfect bliss
for the elect as long as the lost ones are being tormented by the
worm that dieth not? Is there no more love or compassion in our
hearts? Can we fancy ourselves for a single moment enjoying
heaven s bliss while the fire is not quenched and no lighted torch is
carried into the outer darkness?
To make the bliss of the elect the final end of all things while
Satan still roars in the bottomless pit is to annihilate the very
thought of such bliss. Love suffers not only when a human being
is in pain, but even when an animal is in distress; how much more
when an angel gnashes his teeth in torture, and that angel beautiful
and glorious as Satan was before his fall. And yet the very men
tion of Satan unconsciously lifts from our hearts the burden of
fellow pain, suffering, and compassion, for we feel immediately
that the knowledge of Satan s suffering in the pit does not in the
least appeal to our compassion. On the contrary, to believe that
Satan exists but not in utter misery were a wound to our profound
sense of justice.
And this is the point : to conceive of the blessedness of a soul
not in absolute union with Christ is unholy madness. No one but
Christ is blessed, and no man can be blessed but he who is vitally-
one with Christ Christ in him and he in Christ. Equally it is un
holy madness to conceive of man or angel lost in hell unless he has
identified himself with Satan, having become morally one with him.
The conception of a soul in hell not morally one with Satan is the
most appalling cruelty from which every noble heart recoils with
horror.
Every child of God is furious at Satan. Satan is simply unbear
able to him. In his inward man (however unfaithful his nature
may be) there is bitter enmity, implacable hatred against Satan.
Hence it satisfies our holiest conscience to know that Satan is in the
bottomless pit. To encourage a plea for him in the heart were
treason against God. Sharp agony may pierce his soul like a dag
ger for the unspeakable depth of his fall, yet as Satan, author of all
that is demoniac and fiendish, who has bruised the heel of the Son
of God, he can never move our hearts.
TWO STANDPOINTS n
Why? What is the sole, deep reason why as regards Satan com
passion is dead, hatred is right, and love would be blameworthy?
Is it not that we never can look upon Satan without remembering
that he is the adversary of our God, the mortal enemy of our
Christ? Were it not for that we might weep for him. But now
our allegiance to God tells us that such weeping would be treason
against our King.
Only by measuring the end of things by what belongs to God
can we stand right in this matter. We can view the matter of the
redeemed and the lost from the right standpoint only when we
subordinate both to that which is highest, i.e., the glory of God.
Measured by Him, we can conceive of the redeemed in a state of
bliss, enthroned, yet not in danger of pride ; since it was and is and
ever shall be by His sovereign grace alone. But also measured by
Him, we can think of those identified with Satan, joyless and mis
erable, without once hurting the sense of justice in the heart of the
upright ; for to be mercifully inclined toward Satan is impossible to
him who loves God with love deep and everlasting. And such is
the love of the redeemed.
Considered from this far superior standpoint, the work of the
Holy Spirit necessarily assumes a different aspect. Now we can
no more say that His work is the sanctification of the elect, with all
that precedes and follows; but we confess that it is the vindication
of the counsel of God with all that pertains thereto, from the creation
and throughout the ages, unto the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ,
and onward throughout eternity, both in heaven and in hell.
The difference between these two viewpoints can easily be ap
preciated. According to the first, the work of the Holy Spirit is
only subordinate. Unfortunately man is fallen; hence he is dis
eased. Since he is impure and unholy, even subject to death it
self, the Holy Spirit must purify and sanctify him. This implies,
first, that had man not sinned the Holy Spirit would have had no
work. Second, that when the work of sanctification is finished, His
activity will cease. According to the correct viewpoint, the work
of the Spirit is continuous and perpetual, beginning with the crea
tion, continuing throughout eternity, begun even before sin first
appeared.
It may be objected that some time ago the author emphatically
opposed the idea that Christ would have come into the world even
12 INTRODUCTION
if sin had not entered in ; and that now he affirms with equal em
phasis that the Holy Spirit would have wrought in the world and
in man if the latter had remained sinless.
The answer is very simple. If Christ had not appeared in His
capacity of Messiah, He would have had, as the Son, the Second
Person in the Godhead, His own divine sphere of action, seeing
that all things consist through Him. On the contrary, if the work
of the Holy Spirit were confined to the sanctification of the re
deemed, He would be absolutely inactive if sin had not entered
into the world. And since this would be equal to a denial of His
Godhead, it can not for a moment be tolerated.
By occupying this superior viewpoint, we apply to the work
of the Holy Spirit the fundamental principle of the Reformed
churches : " That all things must be measured by the glory of
God."
III.
The Indwelling and Outgoing Works of God.
"And all the host of them by the breath
of His mouth." Psalm xxxiii. 6.
THE thorough and clear-headed theologians of the most flourish
ing periods of the Church used to distinguish between the indwell
ing and outgoing works of God.
The same distinction exists to some extent in nature. The lion
watching his prey differs widely from the lion resting among his
whelps. See the blazing eye, the lifted head, the strained muscles
and panting breath. One can see that the crouching lion is labor
ing intensely. Yet the act is now only in contemplation. The
heat and the ferment, the nerve-tension are all within. A terrible
deed is about to be done, but it is still under restraint, until he
pounces with thundering roar upon his unsuspecting victim, bury
ing his fangs deep into the quivering flesh.
We find the same distinction in finer form among men; When a
storm has raged at sea, and the fate of the absent fishing-smacks
that are expected to return with the tide is uncertain, a fisher
man s awe-stricken wife sits on the brow of the sand-hill watching
and waiting in speechless suspense. As she waits, her heart and
soul labor in prayer ; the nerves are tense, the blood runs fast, and
breathing is almost suspended. Yet there is no outward act ; only
labor within. But on the safe return of the smacks, when she sees
her own, her burdened heart finds relief in a cry of joy.
Or, taking examples from the more ordinary walks of life, com
pare the student, the scholar, the inventor thinking out his new
invention, the architect forming his plans, the general studying his
opportunities, the sturdy sailor nimbly climbing the mast of his
ship, or yonder blacksmith raising the sledge to strike the glowing
iron upon the anvil with concentrated muscular force. Judging
superficially, one would say the blacksmith and sailor work, but
the men of learning are idle. Yet he that looks beneath the sur-
I 4 INTRODUCTION
face knows better than this. For if those men perform no apparent
manual labor, they work with brain, nerve, and blood; yet since
those organs are more delicate than hand or foot, their invisible,
indwelling work is much more exhausting. With all their labor
the blacksmith and sailor are pictures of health, while the men of
mental force, apparently idle among their folios, are pale from ex
haustion, their vitality being almost consumed by their intense
application.
Applying this distinction without its human limitations to the
works of the Lord, we find that the outgoing works of God had
their beginning when God created the heavens and the earth; and
that before that moment which marks the birth of time, nothing
existed but God working within Himself. Hence this twofold
operation : The first, externally manifest, known to us in the acts
of creating, upholding, and directing all things acts that, compared
to those of eternity, seem to have begun but yesterday ; for what are
thousands of years in the presence of the eternal ages? The second,
behind and underneath the first an operation not begun nor ended,
but eternal like Himself; deeper, richer, fuller, yet not manifested,
hidden within Him, which we therefore designate indwelling.
Altho these two operations can scarcely be separated for there
never was one manifest without which was not first completed with
in yet the difference is strongly marked and easily recognized.
The indwelling works of God are from eternity, the outgoing belong
to time. The former precede, the latter follow. The foundation of
that which becomes visible lies in that which remains invisible. The
light itself is hidden, it is the radiation only that appears.
The Scripture, speaking of the indwelling works of God, says:
" The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, and the thoughts of
His heart to all generations" (Psalm xxiii. 1 1). Since in God heart
and thought have no separate existence, but His undivided Essence
thinks, feels, and wills, we learn from this significant passage that
the Being of God works in Himself from all eternity. This answers
the oft-repeated and foolish question, " What did God do before
He created the universe?" which is as unreason-ing as to ask
what the thinker did before he expressed his thoughts, or the
architect before he built the house !
God s indwelling works, which are from everlasting to everlast
ing, are not insignificant, but surpass His outgoing works in depth
and strength as the student s thinking and the sufferer s anguish
INDWELLING AND OUTGOING WORKS OF GOD 1 5
surpass their strongest utterances in intensity. " Could I but
weep," says the afflicted one, " how much more easily could I bear
my sorrow ! " And what are tears but the outward expression of
grief, relieving the pain and strain of the heart? Or think of the
child-tearing of the mother before delivery. It is said of the de
cree that it hath " brought forth" (Zeph. ii. 2), which signifies that
the phenomenon is only the result of preparation hidden from the
eye, but more real than the production, and without which there
would be nothing to bring forth.
Thus the expression of our earlier theologians is justified, and
the difference between the indwelling and the outgoing works is
patent.
Accordingly the indwelling works of God are the activities of His
Being, without the distinction of Persons; while His outgoing
works admit and to some extent demand this distinction: e.g.,
the common and well-known distinguishing of the Father s work
as that of creation, the Son s as that of redemption, and the Holy
Spirit s as that of sanctification relates only to God s outgoing
works. While these operations creation, redemption, and sanctifi
cation are hidden in the thoughts of His heart, His counsel, and His
Being, it is Father, Son, and Holy Ghost who creates, Father, Son,
and Holy Ghost who redeems, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost who
sanctifies, without any division or distinction of activities. The
rays of light hidden in the sun are indivisible and indistinguishable
until they radiate ; so in the Being of God the indwelling working
is one and undivided ; His personal glories remain invisible until
revealed in His outgoing works. A stream is one until it falls over
the precipice and divides into many drops. So is the life of God
one and undivided while hidden within Himself; but when it is
poured out into created things its colors stand revealed. As, there
fore, the indwelling works of the Holy Spirit are common to the
three Persons of the Godhead, we do not discuss them, but treat
only those operations that bear the personal marks of His outgoing
works.
s
But we do not mean to teach that the distinction of the personal
attributes of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost did not exist in the divine
Being, but originated only in His outward activities.
The distinction of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is the divine
16 INTRODUCTION
characteristic of the Eternal Being, His mode of subsistence, His
deepest foundation ; to think of Him without that distinction would
be absurd. Indeed, in the divine and eternal economy of Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit, each of the divine Persons lives and loves and
lauds according to His own personal characteristics, so that the
Father remains Father toward the Son, and the Son remains Son
toward the Father, and the Holy Spirit proceeds from both.
It is right to ask how this agrees with the statement made above,
that the indwelling works of God belong, without distinction of
Persons, to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and are therefore the
works of the divine Being. The answer is found in the careful dis
tinction of the twofold nature of the indwelling works of God.
Some operations in the divine Being are destined to be revealed
in time ; others will remain forever unrevealed. The former con
cern the creation ; the latter, only the relations of Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit. Take, for instance, election and eternal generation.
Both are indwelling operations of God, but with marked difference.
The Father s eternal generation of the Son can never be revealed,
but must ever be the mystery of the Godhead; while election
belongs as decree to the indwelling works of God, yet is destined
in the fulness of time to become manifest in the call of the elect.
Regarding the permanently indwelling works of God that do not
relate to the creature, but flow from the mutual relation of the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the distinctive characteristics
of the three Persons must be kept in view. But with those that
are to become manifest, relating to the creature, this distinction
disappears. Here the rule applies that all indwelling works are
activities of the divine Being without distinction of Persons. To
illustrate: In the home there are two kinds of activities one flow
ing from the mutual relation of parents and children, another per
taining to the social life. In the former the distinction between
parents and children is never ignored ; in the latter, if the relation
be normal, neither the father nor the children act alone, but the
family as a whole. Even so in the holy, mysterious economy of the
divine Being, every operation of the Father upon the Son and of
both upon the Holy Spirit is distinct ; but in every outgoing act it
is always the one divine Being, the thoughts of whose heart are
for all His creatures. On that account the natural man knows no
more than that he has to do with a God.
The Unitarians, denying the Holy Trinity, have never reached
INDWELLING AND OUTGOING WORKS OF GOD 17
anything higher than that which can be seen by the light of the
darkened human understanding. We often discover that many
baptized with water but not with the Holy Spirit speak of the
Triune God because others do. For themselves they know only
that He is God. This is why the discriminating knowledge of the
Triune God can not illuminate the soul until the light of redemp
tion shines within, and the Day-star arises in man s heart. Our
Confession correctly expresses this, saying: "All this we know as
well from the testimony of Holy Writ as from their operations, and
chiefly by those we feel in ourselves" Cart. ix.).
2
IV.
The Work of the Holy Spirit Distinguished.
" And the Spirit of God moved upon thd!
face of the waters." Gen. i. 2.
WHAT, in general, is the work of the Holy Spirit as distinguished
from that of the Father and of the Son?
Not that every believer needs to know these distinctions in all^
particulars. The existence of faith does not depend upon intellec
tual distinctions. The main question is not whether we can dis
tinguish the work of the Father from that of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, but whether we have experienced their gracious opera
tions. The root of the matter, not the name, decides.
Must we then slightly value a clear understanding of sacred,
things? Shall we deem it superfluous and call its great matters
hair-splitting questions? By no means. The human mind searches
every department of life. Scientists deem it an honor to spend
their lives in analyzing the minutest plants and insects, describing
every particular, naming every member of the dissected organism.
Their work is never called "hair-splittings," but is distinguished
as " scientific research." And rightly so, for without differentiation
there can be no insight, and without insight there can be no
thorough acquaintance with the subject. Why, then, call this same
desire unprofitable when it directs the attention not to the creature,
but to the Lord God our Creator?
Can there be any worthier object of mental application than the
eternal God? Is it right and proper to insist upon correct discrimi
nation in every other sphere of knowledge, and yet regarding the
knowledge of God to be satisfied with generalities and confused
views? Has God not invited us to share the intellectual knowledge
of His Being? Has He not given us His Word? And does not the
Word illumine the mysteries of His Being, His attributes, His per
fections, His virtues, and the mode of His subsistence? If we
aspired to penetrate into things too high for us, or to unveil the
WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT DISTINGUISHED 19
unrevealed, reverence would require us to resist such audacity.
But since we aim in godly fear to listen to Scripture, and to receive
the proffered knowledge of the deep things of God, there can be
no room for objection. We would say rather to those who frown
upon such effort : " Ye can discern the face of the sky, but ye can
not discern the face of your Father in heaven."
Hence the question concerning the work of the Holy Spirit as
distinguished from that of the Father and of the Son is quite legiti
mate and necessary.
It is deplorable that many of God s children have confused con
ceptions in this respect. They can not distinguish the works of
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Even in prayer
they use the divine names indiscriminately. Altho the Holy Spirit
is explicitly called the Comforter, yet they seek comfort mostly
from the Father or the Son, unable to say why and what in sense
the Holy Spirit is especially called Comforter.
The early Church already felt the need of clear and exact dis
tinctions in this matter ; and the great thinkers and Christian phi
losophers whom God gave to the Church, especially the Eastern
Fathers, expended their best powers largely upon this subject.
They saw very clearly that unless the Church learned to distinguish
the works of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, its confession of the
Holy Trinity could be but a dead sound. Compelled not by love
of subtleties, but by the necessity of the Church, they undertook to
study these distinctions. And God let heretics vex His Church so
as to arouse the mind by conflict, and to lead it to search God s
Word.
So we are not pioneers exploring a new field. The writing of
these articles can so impress those alone who are ignorant of the
historical treasures of the Church. We propose simply to cause
the light, which for so many ages shed its clear and comforting
rays upon the Church, to reenter the windows, and thus by deeper
knowledge to increase its inward strength.
We begin with the general distinction : That in every work
effected by Father, Son, and Holy Ghost in common, the power to
bring forth proceeds from the Father; the power to arrange from
the Son ; the power to perfect from the Holy Spirit.
In i Cor. viii. 6, St. Paul teaches that : " There, is but one God
the Father, of whom are all things, and one Lord Jesus Christ by
20 INTRODUCTION
whom are all things." Here we have two prepositions: of whom,
and by whom. But in Rom. xi. 38 he adds another: " For of Him
and through Him and to Him are all things."
The operation here spoken of is threefold : first, that by which
all things are originated (of Him) ; second, that by which all things
consist (through Him) ; third, that by which all things attain their
final destiny (to Him). In connection with this clear, apostolic
distinction the great teachers of the Church, after the fifth century,
used to distinguish the operations of the Persons of the Trinity by
saying that the operation whereby all things originated proceeds
from the Father; that whereby they received consistency from the
Son; and that whereby they were led to their destiny from the
Holy Spirit.
These clear thinkers taught that this distinction was in line with
that of the Persons. Thus the Father is father. He generates the
Son. And the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.
Hence the peculiar feature of the First Person is evidently that He
is the Source and Fountain not only of the material creation, but
of its very conception ; of all that was and is and ever shall be.
The peculiarity of the Second Person lies evidently not in genera
ting, but in being generated. One is a son by being generated.
Hence since all things proceed from the Father, nothing can
proceed from the Son. The source of all things is not in the Son.
Yet He adds a work of creation to that which is coming into exist
ence; for the Holy Spirit proceeds also from Him; but not from
Him alone, but from the Father and the Son, and that in such a
way that the procession of the Son is due to His sameness of
essence with the Father.
The Scripture agrees with this in teaching that the Father cre
ated all things by the Son, and that without Him was nothing made
that was made. For the difference between " created by" and
" created from," we refer to Col. i. 7 : " By Him all things consist,"
i.e., by Him they hold together. Heb. i. 3 is even clearer, saying
that the Son upholds all things by the Word of His power. This
shows that as the essentials of the creature s existence proceed
from the Father as Fountain of all, so the forming, putting together,
and arranging of its constituents are the proper work of the Son.
If we were reverently to compare God s work to that of man we
would say : A king proposes to build a palace. This requires not
only material, labor, and plans, but also putting together and
WORK OF THE.HOLY SPIRIT DISTINGUISHED 21
arranging of the materials according to the plans. The king fur
nishes the materials and plans, the builder constructs the palace.
Who, then, built it? Neither the king nor the builder alone ; but
the builder erects it out of the royal treasure.
This expresses the relation between Father and Son in this
respect as far as human relations can illustrate the divine. In the
construction of the universe two operations appear: first, the
causative, which produces the materials, forces, and plans ; second,
the constructive, which with these forces forms and orders the mate
rials according to the plan. And as the first proceeds from the
Father, so does the second from the Son. The Father is the Royal
Source of the necessary materials and powers ; and the Son as the
Builder constructs all things with them according to the counsel
of God. If the Father and the Son existed independently, such
cooperation would be impossible. But since the Father generates
the Son, and by virtue of that generation the Son contains the
entire Being of the Father, there can be no division of Being, and
only the distinction of Persons remains. For the entire wisdom
and power whereby the Son gives consistency to all is generated in
Him by the Father; while the counsel which designed all is a
determination by the Father of that divine wisdom which He as
Father generates in the Son. For the Son is forever the effulgence
of the Father s glory, and the express image of His Person Heb.
i- 3-
This does not complete the work of creation. The creature is
made not simply to exist or to adorn some niche in the universe
like a statue. Rather was everything created with a purpose and
a destiny ; and our creation will be complete only when we have
become what God designed. Hence Gen. ii. 3 says: "God rested
from all His work which He had created to make it perfect" (Dutch
translation). Thus to lead the creature to its destiny, to cause it
to develop according to its nature, to make it perfect, is the proper
work of the Holy Spirit.
Seconb Cbapter.
THE CREATION.
V.
The Principle of Life in the Creature.
" By His Spirit He hath garnished the
heavens; His hand hath formed the
crooked serpent." Job xx vi. 13.
WE have seen that the work of the Holy Spirit consists in lead
ing all creation to its destiny, the final purpose of which is the glory
of God. However, God s glory in creation appears in various
degrees and ways. An insect and a star, the mildew on the wall
and the cedar on Lebanon, a common laborer and a man like
Augustine, are all the creatures of God; yet how dissimilar they
are, and how varied their ways and degrees of glorifying God.
Let us therefore illustrate the statement that the glory of God is
the ultimate end of every creature. Comparing the glory of God
to that of an earthly king, it is evident that nothing can be indiffer
ent to that glory. The building material of his palace, its furni
ture, even the pavement before its gate, either enhance or diminish
the royal splendor. Much more, however, is the king honored by
the persons of his household, each in his degree, from the master
of ceremonies to his prime minister. Yet his highest glory is his
family of sons and daughters, begotten of his own blood, trained
by his wisdom, animated by his ideals, one with him in the plans,
purposes, and spirit of his life. Applying this in all reverence to
the court of the King of heaven, it is evident that while every
flower and star enhance His glory, the lives of angels and men are
of much greater significance to His Kingdom; and again, while
among the latter they are most closely related to His glory whom
He has placed in positions of authority, nearest of all are the
children begotten by His Spirit, and admitted to the secret of His
THE PRINCIPLE OF LIFE IN THE CREATURE 23
pavilion. We conclude, then, that God s glory is reflected most in
His children ; and since no man can be His child unless he is begot
ten of Him, we confess that His glory is most apparent in His elect
or in His Church.
His glory is not, however, confined to these ; for they are related
to the whole race, and live among all nations and peoples with
whom they share the common lot. We neither may nor can sepa
rate their spiritual life from their national, social, and domestic life.
And since all differences of national, social, and domestic life are
caused by climate and atmosphere, meat and drink, rain and
drought, plant and insect in a word, by the whole economy of this
material world, including comet and meteor, it is evident that all
these affect the outcome of things and are related to the glory of
God. Hence as connected with the task of leading creation to its
destiny, the whole universe confronts the mind as a mighty unit
organically related to the Church as the shell to the kernel.
In the accomplishment of this task the question arises in what
way the fairest, noblest, and holiest part of the creation is to attain
its destiny ; for to this all other parts must be made subservient.
Hence the question, How are the multitude of the elect to attain
their final perfection? The answer to this will indicate what is the
Holy Spirit s action upon all other creatures.
The answer can not be doubtful. God s children can never
accomplish their glorious end unless God dwell in them as in His
temple. It is the love of God that constrains Him to live in His
children, by their love for Him to love Himself, and to see the
reflection of His glory in the consciousness of His own handiwork.
This glorious purpose will be realized only when the elect know as
they are known, behold their God face to face, and enjoy the felicity
of closest communion with the Lord.
Since all this can be wrought in them only by His indwelling in
their hearts, and since it is the Third Person in the Holy Trinity
who enters the spirits of men and of angels, it is evident that God s
highest purposes are realized when the Holy Spirit makes man s
heart His dwelling-place. Who or what ever we are by education
or position, we can not attain our highest destiny unless the Holy
Spirit dwell in us and operate upon the inward organism of our
being.
If this His highest work had no bearing upon anything else, we
24 THE CREATION
might say that it consists merely in finishing the perfection of the
creature. But this is not so. Every believer knows that there is a
most intimate connection between his life before and after conver
sion ; not as tho the former determined the latter, but in such a way
that the life in sin and the life in the beauty of holiness are both
conditioned by the same character and disposition, by similar circum
stances and influences. Wherefore, to bring about our final perfec
tion the Holy Spirit must influence the previous development, the
formation of character, and the disposition of the whole person.
And this operation, altho less marked in the natural life, must
also be traced. However, since our personal life is only a manifes
tation of human life in general, it follows that the Holy Spirit
must have been active also in the creation of man, altho in a less
marked degree. And finally, as the disposition of man as such is
connected with the host of heaven and earth, His work must touch
the formation of this also, tho to a much less extent. Hence
the Spirit s work reaches as far as the influences that affect man
in the attaining of his destiny or in the failure to attain it. And
the measure of the influence is the degree in which they affect
his perfecting. In the departure of the redeemed soul every one
acknowledges a work of the Holy Spirit ; but who can trace His
work in the star-movements? Yet the Scripture teaches not only
that we are born again by the power of the Spirit of God, but that
" by the Word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the host
of them by the breath [Spirit] of His mouth"
Wherefore the Spirit s work leading the creature to its destiny
includes an influence upon all creation from the beginning. And,
if sin had not come in, we might say that this work is done in three
successive steps : first, impregnating inanimate matter ; second,
animating the rational soul ; third, taking up His abode in the elect
child of God.
But sin entered in, i.e., a power appeared to keep man and
nature from their destiny. Hence the Holy Spirit must antagonize
sin ; His calling is to annihilate it, and despite its opposition to cause
the elect children of God and the entire creation to reach their
end. Redemption is therefore not a new work added to that of the
Holy Spirit, but it is identical with it. He undertook to bring all
things to their destiny either without the disturbance of sin or in
spite of it / first, by saving the elect, and then by restoring all things
in heaven and on earth at the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
THE PRINCIPLE OF LIFE IN THE CREATURE 25
Things incidental t,o this, such as the inspiration of Scripture,
the preparation of the Body of Christ, the extraordinary ministration
of grace to the Church, are only connecting-links, connecting the
beginning with its own predetermined end; that in spite of sin s
disturbance the destiny of the universe to glorify God might be
secured.
Condensing all into one statement, we might say: Sin having
once entered, a factor which must be taken into account, the Holy
Spirit s work shines most gloriously in gathering and saving the
elect ; prior to which are His operations in the work of redemption
and in the economy of the natural life. The same Spirit who in
the beginning moved upon the waters has in the dispensation of
grace given us the Holy Scripture, the Person of Christ, and the
Christian Church ; and it is He who, in connection with the original
creation and by these means of grace, now regenerates and sanctifies
us as the children of God.
Regarding these mighty and comprehensive operations, it is of
first importance to keep in view the fact that in each He effects
only that which is invisible and imperceptible. This marks all the
Holy Spirit s operations. Behind the visible world lies one invisi
ble and spiritual, with outer courts and inner recesses ; and under
neath the latter are the unfathomable depths of the soul, which the
Holy Spirit chooses as the scene of His labors His temple wherein
He sets up His altar.
Christ s redemptive work also has visible and invisible parts.
Reconciliation in His blood was visible. The sanctification of His
Body and the adorning of His human nature with manifold graces
were invisible. Whenever this hidden and inward work is specified
the Scripture always connects it with the Holy Spirit. Gabriel says
to Mary: "The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee." It is said of
Christ: " That He had the Spirit without measure."
We observe also in the host of heaven a life material, outward,
tangible which in thought we never associate with the Holy Spirit.
But, however weak and impalpable, the visible and tangible has
an invisible background. How intangible are the forces of nature,
how full of majesty the forces of magnetism! But life underlies
all. Even through the apparently dead trunk sighs an impercept
ible breath. From the unfathomable depths of all an inward,
hidden principle works upward and outward. It shows in nature,
much more in man and angel. And what is this quickening and
26 THE CREATION
animating principle but the Holy Spirit? " Thou sendest forth Thy
Spirit, they are created; Thou takest away Thy breath, they die."
This inward, invisible something is God s direct touch. There
is in us and in every creature a point where the living God touches
us to uphold us; for nothing exists without being upheld by Al
mighty God from moment to moment. In the elect this point is
their spiritual life ; in the rational creature his rational conscious
ness; and in all creatures, whether rational or not, their life-prin
ciple. And as the Holy Spirit is the Person in the Holy Trinity
whose office it is to effect this direct touch and fellowship with the
creature in his inmost being, it is He who dwells in the hearts of
the elect ; who animates every rational being , who sustains the
principle of life in very creature.
VI.
The Host of Heaven and of Earth.
" The Spirit of God hath made
me." yc0 xxxiii. 4.
UNDERSTANDING somewhat the characteristic note of the work of
the Holy Spirit, let us see what this work was and is and shall be.
The Father brings forth, the Son disposes and arranges, the
Holy Spirit perfects. There is one God and Father of whom are
all things, and one Lord Jesus Christ through whom are all things;
but what does the Scripture say of the special work the Holy Spirit
did in creation and is still doing?
For the sake of order we examine first the account of the crea
tion. God says in Gen. i. 2 : " The earth was without form and
void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit
of God moved upon the waters." See also Job xxvi. 13: " By His
Spirit He hath garnished the heavens ; His hand hath formed the
crooked serpent [the constellation of the Dragon, or, according to
others, the Milky Way]." And also Job xxxiii. 4: "The Spirit of
God hath made me ; and the breath of the Almighty hath given me
life." And again Psalm xxxiii. 6: " By the Word of the Lord were
the heavens made, and all the host of them by the breath of His
mouth." So also Psalm civ. 30: "Thou sendest forth Thy Spirit,
they are created, and Thou renewest the face of the earth." And
with different import, in Isa. xl. 13: "Who hath directed the Spirit
of the Lord [in creation], or being His counselor hath taught Him?"
These statements show that the Holy Spirit did a work of His
own in creation.
They show, too, that His activities are ^closely connected with
those of the Father and the Son. Psalm xxxiii. 6 presents them
as almost identical. The first clause reads : " By the Word of the
Lord were the heavens" made"; the second: "And all the host of
them by the breath [Spirit] of His mouth." It is well known that
in Hebrew poetry parallel clauses express the same thought in
28 THE CREATION
different ways ; so that from this passage it appears that the work
of the Word and that of the Spirit are the same, the latter adding
only that which is peculiarly His own.
It should be noticed that hardly any of these passages mention
the Holy Spirit by His own name. It is not the Holy Spirit, but the
" Spirit of His mouth," " His Spirit," " the Spirit of the Lord." On
account of this, many hold that these passages do not refer to the
Holy Spirit as the Third Person in the Holy Trinity, but speak of
God as One, without personal distinction ; and that the representa
tion of God as creating anything by His hand, fingers, word, breath,
or Spirit is merely a human way of speaking, signifying only that
God was thus engaged.
The Church has always opposed this interpretation, and rightly
so, on the ground that even the Old Testament, not merely in a few
places but throughout its entire economy, bears undoubted testi
mony to the three divine Persons, coequal yet of one essence. It
is true that this too has been denied, but by a wrong interpretation.
And to the reply, " But our interpretation is as good as yours," we
answer that Jesus and the apostles are our authorities; the Church
received its confession from their lips.
Secondly, we deny that " His Spirit" does not refer to the Holy
Ghost, for the reason that in the New Testament similar expres
sions occur that undoubtedly do refer to Him, e.g., God hath sent
forth the Spirit of His Son" (Gal. iv. 6); "Whom the Lord shall
consume by the Spirit of His mouth" (2 Thess. ii. 8); etc.
Thirdly, judging from the following passages, " By the Word ot
the Lord were the heavens made " (Psalm xxxiii. 6) ; " And God said,
Let there be light" (Gen. i. 3) ; and " All things were made by Him,
and without Him was not anything made that was made" (John i.
3), there can be no doubt that Psalm xxxiii. 6 refers to the Second
Person in the Godhead. Hence also the second clause of the same
verse, " And all their host by the Spirit of His mouth," must refer
to the Third Person.
Finally, to speak of a Spirit of God that is not the Holy Spirit is
to transfer to the Holy Scripture a purely Western and human idea.
We as men often speak of a wrong spirit which controls a nation, an
army, or a school, meaning a certain tendency, inclination, or per
suasion a spirit that proceeds from a man distinct horn his person
and being. But this may not and can not apply to God. Speak
ing of Christ in His humiliation, one may rightly say, " To have
THE HOST OF HEAVEN AND OF EARTH 29
the mind of Christ," or " to have the spirit of Jesus," which indi
cates His disposition. But to distinguish the divine Being from
a spirit of that Being is to conceive of the Godhead in a human
way. The divine consciousness differs wholly from the human.
While in us there is a difference between our persons and our con
sciousness, with reference to God such distinctions disappear, and
the distinction of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit takes their place.
Even in those passages where "the breath of His mouth" is
added to explain " His Spirit," the same interpretation must be
maintained. For all languages show that our breathing, even as
the " breathing of the elements "in the wind which blows before
God s face, corresponds to the being of spirit. Nearly all express
the ideas of spirit, breath, and wind by cognate terms. Blowing or
breathing is in all the Scripture the symbol of spirit-communica
tion. Jesus breathed on them and said : " Receive ye the Holy
Ghost" (John xx. 22). Thus the breath of His mouth must signify
the Holy Spirit.
The ancient interpretation of the Scripture should not be hastily
abandoned. Accept the dictum of modern theology that the dis
tinction of the three divine Persons is not found in the Old Testa
ment, and allusions to the work of the Holy Spirit in Genesis, Job,
Psalms, or Isaiah are out of the question. Consequently nothing is
more natural for the supporters of this modern theology than to
deny the Holy Spirit altogether in the passages referred to.
But if from inward conviction we still confess that the distinc
tion of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is clearly seen in the Old
Testament, then let us examine these passages concerning the
Spirit of the Lord with discrimination, and gratefully maintain the
traditional interpretation, which finds at least in many of these
statements references to the work of the Holy Spirit.
These passages show that His peculiar work in creation was :
ist, hovering over chaos; 2d, creation of the host of heaven and of
earth ; 3d, ordening the heavens ; 4th, animating the brute creation,
and calling man into existence; and last, the operation whereby
every creature is made to exist according to God s counsel concern
ing it.
Hence the material forces of the universe do not proceed from
the Holy Spirit/ nor did He deposit in matter the dormant seeds and
germs of life. His special task begins only after the creation of
matter with the germs of life in it.
30 THE CREATION
The Hebrew text shows that the work of the Holy Spirit moving
upon the face of the waters was similar to that of the parent bird
which with outspread wings hovers over its young to cherish and
cover them. The figure implies that not only the earth existed,
but also the germs of life within it ; and that the Holy Spirit im
pregnating these germs caused the life to come forth in order to
lead it to its destiny.
Not by the Holy Spirit, but by the Word were the heavens
created. And when the created heavens were to receive their
host, then only did the moment come for the exercise of the Holy
Spirit s peculiar functions. What " the host of heaven" means is
not easily decided. It may refer to sun, moon, and stars, or to the
host of angels. Perhaps the passage means not the creation of the
heavenly bodies, but their reception of heavenly glory and celestial
fire. But Psalm xxxiii. 6 refers certainly not to the creation of the
matter of which the heavenly host are composed, but to the produc
tion of their glory.
Gen. i. 2 reveals first the creation of matter and its germs,
then their quickening; so Psalm xxxiii. 6 teaches first the prepara
tion of the- being and nature of the heavens, then the bringing forth
of their host by the Holy Spirit. Job xxvi. 13 leads to a similar
conclusion. Here is the same distinction between the heavens and
their ordening, the latter being represented as the special work of
the Holy Spirit. This ordening is the same as the brooding in
Gen. i. 2, by which the formless took form, the hidden life emerged,
and the things created were led to their destiny. Psalm civ. 30 and
Job xxxiii. 4 illustrate the work of the Holy Spirit in creation still
more clearly. Job informs us that the Holy Spirit had a special
part in the making of man ; and Psalm civ. that He performed a
similar work in the creation of the animals, of the fowls and the
fishes; for the two preceding verses imply that verse 27 "Thou
sendest forth Thy Spirit, they are created " refers not to man, but
to the monsters that play in the deep.
Grant that the matter out of which God made man was already
present in the dust of the earth, that the type of his body was
largely present in the animal, and that the idea of man and the
image after which he was to be created existed already ; yet from
Job xxxiii. 4 it is evident that he did not come to be without a
special work of the Holy Spirit. So Psalm civ. 30 proves that,
altho the matter existed out of which whale and unicorn were to be
THE HOST OF HEAVEN AND OF EARTH 31
made, and the plan or model was in the divine counsel, yet a special
act of the Holy Spirit was needed to cause them to be. This is still
plainer in view of the fact that neither passage refers to ihejftrst
creation, but to a man and animals formed later. For Job speaks
not of Adam and Eve, but of himself. He says: "The spirit of
God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me
life." In- Psalm civ. David means not the monsters of the deep
created in the beginning, but those that were walking the paths of
the sea while he was singing this psalm. If, therefore, the bodies
of existing man and of mammals are not immediate creations, but
are taken from the flesh and blood, the nature and kind of existent
beings, then it is more evident that the hovering of the Holy Spirit
over the unformed is a present act ; and that therefore His creative
work was to bring out the life already hidden in chaos, i.e., in the
germs of life.
This agrees with what was said at first of the general character
of His work. " To lead to its destiny " is to bring forth the hidden
life, to cause the hidden beauty to reveal itself, to rouse into activity
the slumbering energies.
Only let us not represent it as a work performed in successive
stages first by the Father, whose finished work was taken up by
the Son, after which the Holy Spirit completed the work thus pre
pared. Such representations are unworthy of God. There is distri
bution, no division, in the divine activities ; wherefore Isaiah declares
that the Spirit of the Lord, i.e., the Holy Spirit, throughout the
entire work of creation, from the beginning yea, from before the
beginning directed all that was to come.
,t moving
*ent bird
; sh and
: sted,
VII.
The Creaturely Man.
"The Spirit of God hath made me, and
the breath of the Almighty hath
given me life." Job xxxiii. 4.
THE Eternal and Ever-blessed God comes into vital touch with
the creature by an act proceeding not from the Father nor from
the Son, but from the Holy Spirit.
Translated by sovereign grace from death unto life, God s chil
dren are conscious of this divine fellowship; they know that it con
sists not in inward agreement of disposition or inclination, but in
the mysterious touch of God upon their spiritual being. But they
also know that neither the Father nor the Son, but the Holy Spirit,
has made their hearts His temple. It is true Christ comes to us
through the Holy Spirit, and through the Son we have fellowship
with the Father, according to His word, " I and the Father will
come unto you, and make Our abode with you"; yet every intelli
gent Bible student knows that it is more especially the Holy Spirit
who enters into his person and touches his innermost being.
That the Son incarnate came into closer contact with us proves
nothing to the contrary. Christ never entered into a human person.
He took upon Himself our human nature, with which He united
Himself much more closely than the Holy Spirit does; but He did
not touch the inward man and his hidden personality. On the con
trary, He said that it was expedient for the disciples that He should
go away ; " for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto
you; but if I depart I will send Him unto you." Moreover, the In
carnation was not accomplished without the Holy Spirit, who over
shadowed Mary; and the blessings that Christ imparted to all
around Him were largely owing to the gift of the Holy Spirit,
which was given Him without measure.
Hence the principal thought remains intact: When God comes
into direct contact with the creature it is the work of the Holy
THE CREATURELY MAN 33
such contact. In the visible world this action con-
.ie kindling and fanning of the spark of life ; hence it is
ei ltural and in full harmony with the general tenor of the
e Lng of Scripture that the Spirit of God moves upon the face
of the waters, that He brings forth the host of heaven and earth,
ordened, animated, and resplendent.
Besides this visible creation there is also an invisible, which, so
far as our world is concerned, concentrates itself in the heart of man ;
hence, in the second place, we must see how far the work of the
Holy Spirit may be traced in man s creation.
Of the animal world we do not speak. Not as tho the Holy
Spirit had nothing to do with their creation. From Psalm civ. 30
we have proven the contrary. Moreover, no one can deny the
admirable traits of cunning, love, fidelity, and thankfulness in many
of the animals. Not that we would be foolish on that ground to
call the dog half human; for these higher animal properties are
evidently but instinctive preformations, sketches of the Holy
Spirit, carried to their proper destiny in man alone. And yet,
however striking these traits may be, it is not a person that meets
us in the animal. The animaj. proceeds from the world of matter,
and returns to it; in man alone appears that which is new, invisible,
and spiritual, justifying us in looking for a special work of the Holy
Spirit in his creation.
Of himself, i.e., of a man, Job declares: " The Spirit of God hath
made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life." The
Spirit of God hath made me. That which I am as a human person
ality is the work of the Holy Spirit. To Him I owe the human and
personal that constitute me the being that I am. He adds : " The
breath of the Almighty hath given me life"; which evidently
echoes the words : " The Lord God breathed into His nostrils the
breath of life."
Like Job, we ought to feel and to acknowledge that in Adam
you and I are created; when God created Adam He created us ; in
Adam s nature He called forth the nature wherein we now live.
Gen. i. and ii. is not the record of aliens, but of ourselves concern
ing the flesh and blood which we carry with us, the human nature in
which we sit down to read the Word of God.
He that reads his Bible without this personal application reads
amiss. It leaves him cold and indifferent. It may charm him in
the days of his childhood, when one is fond of tales and stories, but
3
34 THE CREATION
has no hold of him in the days of conflict, when he meets the stern
facts and realities of life. But if we accustom ourselves to see
in this record the history of our own flesh and blood, of our own
human nature and life, and acknowledge that by human generation
we spring from Adam, and therefore were in Adam when he was
created then we shall also know that when God formed Adam out
of the dust He also formed us ; that we also were in Paradise ; that
Adam s fall ^was also ours. In a word, the first page of Genesis
relates the history not of an alien, but of our own real selves. The
breath of the Almighty gave us life, when the Lord formed man of
the dust, and breathed into his nostrils and made him a living soul.
The root of our life lies in our parents ; but through and beyond
them the tender fiber of that root goes back through the long line
of generations, and received its earliest beginning when Adam first
breathed God s pure air in Paradise.
And yet, tho in Paradise we received the first inception of our
being, there is also a second beginning of our life, viz., when from
the race, by conception and birth, each of us was called into being
individually. And of this also Job testifies : " The Spirit of the Lord
hath given me life."
And again, in the life of sinful man there comes a third begin
ning, when it pleases God to convert the wicked; and of this also
the soul testifies within us ; " The Spirit of the Lord hath given me
life/
Leaving this new birth out of the question, the testimony of Job
shows us that he was conscious of the fact that he owed his exist
ence as a man, as a person, as an ego, hence his creation in Adam
as well as his personal being, to God.
And what does the Scripture teach us concerning the creation
of man? This : that the dust of the ground out of which Adam was
formed was so wrought upon that it became a living soul, which
indicates the human being. The result was not merely a moving,
creeping, eating, drinking, and sleeping creature, but a living soul
that came into existence at the moment when the breath of life was
breathed into the dust. It was not first the dust, and then human
life within the dust, and after that the soul with all its higher facul
ties in that human life ; nay, as soon as life went forth into Adam,
he was a man, and all his precious gifts were natural endowments.
Sinful man being born from above receives gifts that are above
nature. For this reason the Holy Spirit merely dwells in the quick-
THE CREATURELY MAN 35
ened sinner. But in heaven this will not be so ; for in death the
human nature is so completely changed that the impulse to sin
disappears entirely ; wherefore in heaven the Holy Spirit will work
in the human nature itself for ever and ever. In the present state
of humiliation the nature of the regenerate is still the Adam-nature.
The great mystery of the work of the Holy Spirit in him is this:
that in and by that broken and corrupt nature He works the holy works
of God. It is as light shining through our window-panes, but in no
wise identical with the glass.
In Paradise, however, man s nature was whole, intact; every
thing about him was holy. We must avoid the dangerous error
that the newly created man had an inferior degree of holiness.
God made man upright, with nothing crooked in or about him. All
his inclinations and powers with all their workings were pure and
holy. God delighted in Adam, saw that he was good, surely noth
ing more can be desired. In this respect Adam differed from the
child of. God by grace in not having eternal life; he was to attain
this as the reward for holy works. On the other hand, Abraham,
the father of the faithful, begins with eternal life, from which holy
works were to proceed.
Hence a perfect contrast. Adam must attain eternal life by
works. Abraham has eternal life through which he obtains holy
works. Hence for Adam there can be no indwelling of the Holy
Spirit. There was no antagonism between him and the Spirit. So
the Spirit could pervade him, not merely dwell in him. The nature
of sinful man repels the Holy Spirit, but Adam s nature attracted
Him, freely received Him, and let Him inspire his being.
Our faculties and inclinations are impaired, our powers are ener
vated, the passions of our hearts corrupt; hence the Holy Spirit
must come to us from without. But since Adam s faculties were all
intact, and the whole expression of his inward life undisturbed,
therefore could the Holy Spirit work through the common powers
and operations of his nature. To Adam spiritual things were not a
fjtematural, but a natural good except eternal life, which he must
earn by fulfilling the law. Scripture expresses this unity between
Adam s natural life and spiritual powers by identifying the two
expressions " To breathe into the breath of life," and " to become
a living soul."
Other passages show that this divine "inbreathing" indicates
especially the Spirit s work. Jesus breathed upon His disciples
36 THE CREATION
and said: "Receive ye the Holy Ghost." He compares the Holy
Spirit to the wind. In both the Biblical languages, Hebrew and
Greek, the word spirit means wind, breathing or blowing. And as
the Church confesses that the Son is eternally generated by the
Father, so it confesses that the Holy Spirit proceedeth from the
Father and the Son as by breathing. Hence we conclude that the
passage, "And breathed into his nostrils the breath of life" in
connection with, "The Spirit of God moved on the face of the
waters," and the word of Job, " The Spirit of God hath given me
life " points to a special work of the Holy Spirit.
Before God breathed the breath of life in the lifeless dust, there
was a conference in the economy of the divine Being : " Let Us
make man in Our image, after Our likeness." This shows-
First, that each divine Person had a distinct work in the creation
of man " Let Us make man." Before this the singular is used of
God " He spake," " He saw"; but now the plural is used, " Let Us
make man," which implies that, here specially and more clearly
than in any preceding passage, the activities of the Persons are to
be distinguished.
Secondly, that man was not created empty, afterward to be en
dowed with higher spiritual faculties and powers, but that the very
act of creation made him after God s image, without any subse
quent addition to his being. For we read : " Let Us create man in
Our image and after Our likeness" This assures us that by immediate
creation man received the impress of the divine image ; that in the
creation the divine Persons each performed a distinct work ; and,
lastly, that man s creation with reference to his higher destiny was
effected by a going forth of the breath of God.
This is the basis of our statement that the Spirit s creative work
was making all man s powers and gifts instruments for His own
use, connecting them vitally and immediately with the powers of
God. This agrees with Biblical teachings regarding the Holy
Spirit s regenerating work, which also, tho differently, brings the
power and holiness of God in immediate contact with human
powers.
We deny, therefore, the frequent assertion of ethical theolo
gians, that the Holy Spirit created \.}\o, personality of man, since this
opposes the entire economy of Scripture. For what is our person
ality but the realization of God s plan concerning us? Such as God
from eternity has thought each of us, as distinct from other men,
THE , CREATURELY MAN 37
with our own stamp, life-history, calling, and destiny as such each
must develop and show himself to become a person. Thus alone
each obtains character ; anything else so called is pride and arbi
trariness.
If our personality result directly from God s plan, then it and
what we have in common with all other creatures can not be from
the Holy Spirit, but from the Father ; like all other things, it re
ceives its disposition from the Son ; and the Holy Spirit acts upon
it as upon every other creature, by kindling the spark, imparting
the glow of life.
VIII.
Gifts and Talents.
" And the Spirit of the Lord came
upon him. Judges iii. 10.
WE now consider the Holy Spirit s work in bestowing gifts,
talents, and abilities upon artisans and professional men. Scrip
ture declares that the special animation and qualification of persons
for work assigned to them by God proceed from the Holy Spirit.
The construction of the tabernacle required capable workmen,
skilful carpenters, goldsmiths, and silversmiths, and masters in the
arts of weaving and embroidering. Who will furnish Moses with
them? The Holy Spirit. For we read in Exod. xxxi. 2, 3 : " I have
called by name Bezaleel, the son of Uri, . . . and I have filled him
with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in
knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to devise cunning
works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in cutting
of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all
manner of workmanship." Verse 6 shows that this activity of the
Holy Spirit included others : " In the hearts of all that are wise-
hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have
commanded them." And to give clearest light on this subject,
Scripture says also: " Then hath He filled with wisdom of heart, to
work all manner of work of the engraver and of the cunning work
man, and of the embroiderer in blue and in purple and in scarlet
and in fine linen of the weaver, even of them that do any work and
of these that devise cunning work."
The Spirit s working shows not only in ordinary skilled labor,
but also in the higher spheres of human knowledge and mental
activity; for military genius, legal acumen, statemanship, and
power to inspire the masses with enthusiasm are equally ascribed
to it. This is generally expressed in the words, " And the Spirit
of the Lord came upon " such a hero, judge, statesman, or tribune
of the people, especially in the days of the Judges, when it is said
GIFTS AND TALENTS
39
of Joshua, Othniel, Barak, Gideon, Samson, Samuel, and others
that the Spirit of the Lord came upon them. Also of Zerubbabel
rebuilding the temple, it is said : " Not by might nor by power, but
by My Spirit, saith the Lord." Even of the heathen king, Cyrus,
we read that Jehovah had called him to His work and anointed him
with the Spirit of the Lord Isa. xlv.
This last instance introduces another aspect of the case, viz., the
operation of the Holy Spirit in qualifying men for official functions.
For altho this operation upon and through the office receives its
fullest significance only in the dispensation of grace, yet the case
of Cyrus shows that the Holy Spirit has originally a work to per
form in this respect which is not only a result of grace, but belongs
essentially to the nature of the work, even tho it is obvious only
in the history of God s special dealings with His own people.
It is especially noticeable in the struggle between Saul and
David. There is no reason to consider Saul one of God s elect.
After his anointing the Holy Spirit comes upon him, abides with
him, and works upon him as long as he remains the Lord s chosen
king over His people. But as soon as by wilful disobedience he
forfeits that favor, the Holy Spirit departs from him and an evil
spirit from the Lord troubles him. Evidently this work of the
Holy Spirit has nothing to do with regeneration. For a time it
may operate upon a man and then forever depart from him ; while
the Spirit s saving operation, even tho suspended for a time, can
never be wholly lost. David s touching prayer, " Take not Thy
Holy Spirit from me," must therefore refer to gifts qualifying him
for the kingly office. David had the terrible example of Saul
before him. He had seen what becomes of a man whom the Holy
Spirit leaves to himself; and his heart trembled at the possibility
of an evil spirit coming upon him, and an end as sad as Saul s.
Like Judas, Saul dies a suicide.
From the whole Scripture teaching we therefore conclude that
the Holy Spirit has a work in connection with mechanical arts and
official functions in every special talent whereby some men excel
in such art or office. This teaching is not simply that such gifts
and talents are not of man but from God Hke all other blessings,
but that they are not the work of the Father, nor of the Son, but of
the Holy Spirit.
The distinction discovered in creation may be observed here :
gifts and talents come from the Father ; are disposed for each per-
40 THE CREATION
sonality by the Son ; and kindled in each by the Holy Spirit as by
a spark from above.
Let us distinguish art itself, personal talent to practise it, and
the vocation thereto.
Art is not man s invention, but God s creation. In all nations
and ages men have pursued the arts of weaving, embroidering,
skilful dressmaking, casting and chasing noble metals, cutting and
polishing diamonds, molding iron and brass ; and in all these coun
tries and ages, without knowing of each other s efforts, have applied
the same arts to all these materials. Of course there is a difference.
Oriental work bears a stamp quite different from that of the West.
Even French and German work differ. But under the differences,
the endeavor, the art applied, the material, the ideal pursued are
the same. So, too, art did not attain perfection all at once ; among
the nations forms at first crude and awkward gradually developed
into forms chaste, refined, and beautiful. Successive generations
improved upon previous achievements, until among the various
nations comparative perfection of art and skill was attained.
Hence art is not the result of man s thought and purpose; but God
has placed in various materials certain possibilities of workman
ship, and by applying this workmanship man must make out of
each what there is in it, and not whatever he chooses.
Two things must cooperate to effect this. In the creation of
gold, silver, wood, iron, God must have placed in them certain
possibilities, and have created inventive power in man s mind, per
severance in his will, strength in his muscle, accurate vision in his
eye, delicacy of touch and action in his fingers, thus qualifying
him to evolve what is latent in the materials. Since this labor has
the same nature among all nations, the perpetual progress of the
same great work being accomplished according to the same majestic
plan, through successive generations, all artistic skill and executive
ability must be wrought in man by a higher power and according to
a higher command. Viewing the treasures of an industrial exposi
tion in the light of the revealed Word, we shall see in their gradual
development and genetic unity the downfall of human pride, and
exclaim : " What is all this art and skill but the manifestation of the
possibilities which God has placed in these materials, and of the
powers of mind and eye and finger which He has given the children
of men ! "
Consider, now, personal talent as utterly distinct from art.
GIFTS AND TALENTS 41
The goldsmith in his craft and the judge in his office enter upon
a work of God. Each labors in his divine vocation, and all the skill
and judgment that he may develop therein come from the treasures
of the Lord.
Still, workman differs from workman, general from general.
The one copies the product of the generation before him and be
queaths it without increasing the artistic skill. He began as an
apprentice, and imparts this skill to other apprentices; but the
artistic proficiency is the same. The other manifests something
akin to genius. He quickly surpasses his master; sees, touches,
discovers something new. In his hand art is enriched. It is given
him to transfer from the treasures of divine artistic skill new beau
ties into human skill.
So also of men in office and profession. Thousands of officers
trained in our military schools become good teachers of the science
of tactics as practised heretofore, but add nothing to it ; while among
these thousands there may be two or three possessed of military
genius who in the event of war will astonish the world by their
brilliant exploits.
This talent, this individual genius so intimately connected with
man s personality, is a gift. No power in the world can create it in
the man that possesses it not. The child is born with or without it
if without it, no education nor severity not even ambition can call
it forth. But as the gift of grace is freely bestowed by the sover
eign God, so is also the gift of genius. When the people pray, let
them not forget to ask the Lord to raise up among them men of
talent, heroes of art and of office.
When in 1870 Germany had victory only, and France defeat onty,
it was God s sovereignty that gave the former talented generals,
and in displeasure denied them to the latter.
Consider the vocation.
Official and mechanical men have a high call. All have not the
same ability. One is adapted for the sea, another for the plow.
One is a bungler in the foundry, but a master at wood-carving,
while another is the reverse. This depends upon the personality,
nature, and inclination. And since the Holy Spirit lights the
personality, He also determines every man s calling to trade or
profession. The same applies to the life of nations. The French
excel in taste as well as in artistic workmanship ; while the English
seem created for the sea, our masters in all the markets of the
42 THE CREATION
world. The Holy Spirit even bestows artistic skill and talent upon
a nation at one time and withdraws it at another. Three centuries
ago Holland surpassed all Europe in weaving, making porcelain,
printing, painting, and engraving. But how great the subsequent
decline in this respect altho now progress again appears.
What we find in Israel is related to this. This very thirst and
capacity for knowledge had caused man to fall. The first impetus
was given to artistic skill among Cain s descendants; the Jubals
and the Jabals and the Tubal-Cains were the first artists. And yet
this whole development, altho feeding upon the treasures of God,
departed more and more from Him, while His own people utterly
lacked it. In the days of Samuel there was no smith found in all
the land of Canaan. Hence the Spirit s coming upon Bezaleel and
Aholiab, upon Othniel and Samson, upon Saul and David, signifies
something more than a mere imparting of artistic skill and talent ;
namely, the restoration of what sin had corrupted and defiled. And
thus the illumination of a Bezaleel links the Holy Spirit s work in
the material creation and that in the dispensation of grace.
ITbfrfc Gbapter,
RE-CREATION.
IX.
Creation and Re-Creation.
" Behold, I will pour out My Spirit
unto you." Prov. i. 23.
WE approach the special work of the Holy Spirit in Re-creation.
We have seen that the Holy Spirit had a part in the creation of
all things, particularly in creating man, and most particularly in
endowing him with gifts and talents ; also that His creative work
affects the upholding of "things," of "man," and of "talents,"
through the providence of God ; and that in this double series of
threefold activity the Spirit s work is intimately connected with
that of the Father and that of the Son, so that every thing, every
man, every talent springs from the Father, is given disposition in
their respective natures and being through the Son, and receives
the spark of life by the Holy Spirit.
The old church hymn, " Veni, Creator Spiritus," and the ancient
confession of the Holy Spirit as the " Vivificans " agree with this
perfectly. For the latter signifies that Person in the Trinity who
imparts the spark of life ; and the former means, " Seeing that the
things which are to live and shall live are ready, come Holy Spirit
and quicken them."
There is always the same deep thought: the Father remains
outside of the creature; the Son touches him outwardly; by the
Holy Spirit tlje divine life touches him directly in his inward
being.
However, let us not be understood to say that God comes into
contact with the creature only in the regeneration of His children,
44 RE-CREATION
which would be untrue. To the Gentiles at Athens, St. Paul says:
"In Him we live and move and have our being." And again:
" For of His offspring we are." To say nothing of plant or ani
mal, there is on earth no life, energy, law, atom, or element but
the Almighty and Omnipresent God quickens and supports that
life from moment to moment, causes that energy to work, and
enforces that law. Suppose that for an instant God should cease to
sustain and animate this life, these forces, and that law ; in that same
instant they would cease to be. The energy that proceeds from
God must therefore touch the creature in the very center of its
being, whence, its whole existence must spring. Hence there is no
sun, moon, nor star, no material, plant, or animal, and, in much
higher sense, no man, skill, gift, or talent unless God touch and
support them all.
It is this act of coming into immediate contact with every crea
ture, animate or inanimate, organic or inorganic, rational or irra
tional, that, according to the profound conception of the Word of
God, is performed not by the Father, nor by the Son, but by the
Holy Spirit.
And this puts the work of the Holy Spirit in a light quite differ
ent from that in which for many years the Church has looked upon
it. The general impression is that His work refers to the life of
grace -only, and is confined to regeneration and sanctification. This
is due more or less to the well-known division of the Apostolic
Creed by the Heidelberg Catechism, question 29, " How are these
articles divided?" which is answered : " Into three parts of God the
Father and our creation, of God the Son and our redemption, and
of God the Holy Spirit and our sanctification." And this, too, altho
Ursinus, one of the authors of this catechism, had already declared,
in his " Thesaurus," that: " All the three Persons create and redeem
and sanctify. But in these operations they observe this order that
the Father creates of Himself by means of the Son; the Son creates
by means of the Father; and the Holy Spirit by means of both."
But since the deeper insight into the mystery of the adorable
Trinity was gradually lost, and the pulpit s touch upon it became
both rare and superficial, the Sabellian error naturally crept into
the Church again, viz., that there were three successive periods in
the activities of the divine Persons: First, that of the Father alone
creating the world and upholding the natural life of all things. This
was followed by a period of activity for the Son, when nature had
CREATION AND RE-CREATION 45
become unnatural and fallen man a subject for redemption. Lastly,
came that of the Holy Spirit regenerating and sanctifying the
redeemed on the ground of the work of Christ.
According to this view, in childhood, when eating, drinking, and
playing occupied all our time, we had to do with the Father. Later,
when the conviction of sin dawned upon us, we felt the need of the
Son. And not until the life of sanctification had begun in us did
the Holy Spirit begin to take notice of us. Hence while the Father
wrought, the Son and the Holy Spirit were inactive ; when the Son
undertook His work, the Father and the Holy Spirit were inactive ;
and now since the Holy Spirit alone performs the work, the Father
and the Son are idle. But since this view of God is wholly unten
able, Sabellius, who elaborated it philosophically, came to the con
clusion that Father, Son, and Holy Ghost were after all but one
Person; who first wrought in creation as Father, then having
become the Son wrought out our redemption, and now as the Holy
Spirit perfects our sanctification.
And yet, inadmissible as this view may be, it is more reverent
and God-fearing than the crude superficialities of the current views
that confine the Spirit s operations entirely to the elect, beginning
only at their regeneration.
True, sermons on creation referred, in passing, to the moving of
the Holy Spirit on the face of the waters, and His coming upon
Bezaleel and Aholiab is treated in the catechet^ , ; but the
two are not connected, and the hearer is never ir co understand
what the Author of our regeneration had to do with the moving
upon the waters ; they were merely isolated facts. Regeneration
was the principal work of the Holy Spirit.
Our Reformed theologians have always warned against such
representations, which are only the result of making man the start
ing-point in the contemplation of divine things. They always
made God Himself the starting-point, and were not satisfied until
the work of the Holy Spirit was clearly seen in all its stages,
throughout the ages, and in the heart of every creature. Without
this the Holy Spirit could not be God, the object of their adoration.
They felt that such superficial treatment would lead to a denial of
His personality, reducing Him to a TQS.TZ force.
Hence we have spared no pain, and omitted no detail, in order,
by the grace of God, to place before the Church two .distinct
thoughts, viz. :
46 RE-CREATION
First, The work of the Holy Spirit is not confined to the elect, and does
not begin with their regeneration ; but it touches every creature, animate
and inanimate, and begins its operations in the elect at the very moment
of their origin.
Second, The proper work of the Holy Spirit in every creature consists
in the quickening and sustaining of life with reference to his being and
talents, and, in its highest sense, with reference to eternal life, whic/i is
his salvation.
Thus we have regained the true standpoint requisite for consid
ering the work of the Holy Spirit in the re-creation. For thus it
appears :
First, that this work of re-creation is not performed in fallen
man independently of his original creation ; but that the Holy
Spirit, who in regeneration kindles the spark of eternal life, has
already kindled and sustained the spark of natural life. And,
again, that the Holy Spirit, who imparts unto man born from
above gifts necessary to sanctification and to his calling in the
new sphere of life, has in the first creation endowed him with
natural gifts and talents.
From this follows that fruitful confession of the unity of man s
life before and after the new birth which nips every form of
Methodism* in its very root, and which characterizes the doctrine
of the Reformed churches.
Second, it is evident that the work of the Holy Spirit bears the
same character in creation and re-creation. If we admit that He
quickens life in that which is created by the Father and by the Son,
what does He do in the re-creation but once more quicken life in
him that is called of the Father and redeemed by the Son? Again,
if the Spirit s work is God s touching the creature s being by Him,
what is re-creation but the Spirit entering man s heart, making it
His temple, comforting, animating, and sanctifying it?
Thus following the Sacred Scripture and the superior theolo
gians, we reach a confession that maintains the unity of the Spirit s
work, and makes it unite organically the natural and the spiritual
life, the realm of nature and that of grace.
Of course His work in the latter surpasses that in the former :
First, since it is His work to touch the inward being of the crea-
* For the sense in which the author takes Methodism, see section 5 in
the Preface.
CREATION AND RE-CREATION 47
ture, the more tender and natural the contact the more glorious the
work. Hence it appears more beautiful in man than in the animal ;
and more lustrous in the spiritual man than in the natural, since the
contact with the former is more intimate, the fellowship sweeter,
the union complete.
Secondly, since creation lies so far behind us and re-creation
touches us personally and daily, the Word of God directs more
attention to the latter, claiming for it more prominence in our con
fession. But, however different the measures of operation and of
energy, the Holy Spirit remains in creation and re-creation the one
omnipotent Worker of all life and quickening, and is therefore
worthy of all praise and adoration.
X.
Organic and Individual.
" Where is He that put His Holy Spirit
among them ? " ha. Ixiii. u.
THE subsequent activity of the Holy Spirit lies in the realm of
grace.
In nature the Spirit of God appears as creating, in grace as
re-creating. We call it recreation, because God s grace creates not
something inherently new, but a new life in an old and degraded
nature.
But this must not be understood as tho grace restored only what
sin had destroyed. For then the child of God, born anew and sancti
fied, must be as Adam was in Paradise before the fall. Many under
stand it so, and present it as follows : In Paradise Adam became
diseased; the poison of eternal corruption entered his soul and
penetrated his whole being. Now comes the Holy Spirit as the
physician, carrying the remedy of grace to heal him. He pours
the balm into his wounds, He heals his bruises and renews his
youth; and thus man, born again, healed, and renewed, is, according
to their view, precisely what the first man was in the state of recti
tude. Once more the provisions of the covenant of works are laid
upon him. By his good works he is again to inherit eternal life.
Again he may fall like Adam and become a prey of eternal death.
But this whole view is wrong. Grace does not place the ungodly
in a state of rectitude, but justifies him two very different things.
He that stands in a state of rectitude has certainly an original
righteousness, but this he may lose; he maybe tried and fail as
Adam failed. He must vindicate his righteousness. Its inward
consistency must discover itself. He who is righteous to-day may
be unrighteous to-morrow.
But when God justifies a sinner He puts Him in a totally differ
ent state. The righteousness of Christ becomes his. And what is
this righteousness? - Was Jesus in a state of rectitude only? In no
ORGANIC AND INDIVIDUAL 49
wise. His righteousness was tested, tried, and sifted; it was even
tested by the consuming fire of God s wrath. And this righteous
ness converted from " original rectitude " into " righteousness vindicated"
was imputed to the ungodly.
Therefore the ungodly, when justified by grace, has nothing to
do with Adam s state before the fall, but occupies the position of
Jesus after the resurrection. He possesses a good that can not be
lost. He works no more for wages, but the inheritance is his own.
His works, zeal, love, and praise flow not from his own poverty,
but from the overflowing fulness of the life that was obtained for
him. As it is often expressed: For Adam in Paradise there was
first work and then the Sabbath of rest; but for the ungodly justi
fied by grace the Sabbath rest comes first, and then the labor which
iows from the energies of that Sabbath. In the beginning the
week closed with the Sabbath ; for us the day of the resurrection of
hrist opens the week which feeds upon the powers of that resur-
ection.
Hence the great and glorious work of re-creation has two parts :
First, the removing of corruption, the healing of the breach, the
death to sin, the atonement for guilt.
Second, the reversing of the first order, the changing of the
entire state, the bringing in and establishing of a new order.
The last is of greatest importance. For many teach differently.
Altho they grant that a new-born child of God is not precisely what
Adam was before the fall, yet they see the difference only in the
eception of a higher nature. The state is the same, differing only
n degree. This is the current theory. This nature of higher
degree is called the "divine-human" which Christ bears in His Per
son, which being consolidated by His Passion and Resurrection is
now imparted to the new-born soul, raising the lower and degraded
nature to this higher life.
This theory directly conflicts with the Scripture, which never
speaks of conditions similar yet differing in degree and power, but
of a condition sometimes far inferior in power and degree to that of
Adam, but transferred into an entirely different order.
For this reason the Scripture and the Confession of our fathers
emphasize the doctrine of the Covenants; for the difference be
tween the Covenant of Works and of Grace shows the difference
between the two orders of spiritual things. They who teach that
the new birth merely imparts a higher nature remain under the
4
50 RE-CREATION
Covenant of Works. Theirs is the wearisome toil of rolling the
Sisyphus stone up the mountain, even tho it be with the greater
energy of the higher life. The Scriptural doctrine of Grace ends
this impossible Sisyphus task ; it transfers the Covenant of Works
from our shoulders to Christ s, and opens unto us a new order in
the Covenant of Grace in which there can be no more uncertainty
or fear, loss or forfeit of the benefits of Christ, but of which
Wisdom doth cry, "and Understanding putteth forth her voice,
standing in the top of high places," saying that all things are now
ready.
The work of re-creation has this peculiarity, that it places the
elect at once at the end of the road. They are not like the traveler
still half way from home, but like one who has finished his journey ;
the long, dreary, and dangerous road is entirely behind him. Of
course, he did not run that road ; he could never have reached the
goal. His Mediator and Daysman traveled it for him and in his
stead. And by mystic union with his Savior it is as tho he had
traveled the whole distance; not as we reckon, but as God reckons.
This will show why the work of the Holy Spirit appears more
powerful in re-creation than in creation. For what is the road
spoken of, but that which leads from the center of our degenerate
hearts to the center of the loving heart of God? All godliness aims
to bring man into communion with God ; hence to make him travel
the road between him and God. Man is the only being on earth in
whom contact with God means conscious fellowship. Since this
fellowship is broken by the alienation of sin, at the end of the road
the contact and fellowship must be perfect, so far as concerns,
man s state and principle. If fellowship is the terminus and God s
grace puts His child there at once, at least so far as his state is con
cerned, there is an obvious difference between him and the unre-
generate ; for the latter is infinitely distant from God, while the
former has sweetest fellowship with Him. Since it is the inward
operation of the Holy Spirit that accomplishes this, His hand must
appear more powerful and glorious in re-creation than in creation.
If we could see His work in re-creation all at once as an accom
plished fact, we should understand it more thoroughly, and escape
the difficulties that we now meet in comparing the Old Testament
with the New regarding it.
Re-creation brings to us that which is eternal, finished, perfected,
ORGANIC AND INDIVIDUAL 51
completed; far above the succession of moments, the course of
years, and the development of circumstances. Here lies the diffi
culty. This eternal work must be brought to a temporal world, to a
race which is in process of development; hence that work must
make history, increasing like a plant, growing, blossoming, and
bearing fruit. And this history must include a time of preparation,
revelation, and lastly of filling the earth with the streams of grace,
salvation, and blessing.
If it did not relate to man but to irrational beings, there would
be no difficulty ; but when it began its course man was already in
the world, and as the ages passed the stream of humanity broad
ened. Hence the important question: Whether the generations
that lived during the long period of preparation before Christ, in
whom the work of re-creation was finally revealed, were partakers
of its blessings?
The Scripture answers affirmatively. In the ages before Christ
God s elect shared the blessings of the work of re-creation. Abel
and Enoch, Noah and Abraham, Moses and David, Isaiah and
Daniel were saved by the same faith as Peter, Paul, Luther, and
Calvin. The Covenant of Grace, altho made with Abraham and for
a time connected with the national life of Israel, existed already in
Paradise. The theologians of the Reformed churches have clearly
unfolded the truth, that God s elect of both Dispensations entered
the same gate of righteousness and walked the same way of salva
tion which they still walk to the marriage-supper of the Lamb.
But how could Abraham, living so many years before Christ, in
whom alone grace and truth have been revealed, have his faith
accounted unto him for righteousness, so that he saw the day of
Jesus and was glad?
This difficulty has confused many minds regarding the Old and
New Dispensations, and causes many vainly to ask : How could there
be any saving operation of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament if
He were poured out only on Pentecost? The answer is found in
the almost unsearchable work of the Holy Spirit, whereby, on the
one hand, He brought into the history of our race that eternal sal
vation already finished and complete which must run through the
periods of preparation, revelation, and fruit-bearing; and whereby,
on the other hand, during the preparatory period, this very prepa
ration was made the means, through wondrous grace, of saving
souls even before the Incarnation of the Word.
XI.
The Church Before and After Christ.
"All these having obtained a good
report through faith, received not
the promise." Heb. xi. 39.
CLEARNESS requires to distinguish two operations of the Holy
Spirit in the work of re-creation before the Advent, viz., (i) pre
paring redemption for the whole Church, and (2) regenerating and
sanctifying the saints then living.
If there had been no elect before Christ, so that He had no
church until Pentecost ; and if, like Balaam and Saul, the bearers
of the Old Testament revelation had been without personal interest
in Messiah, then it is self-evident that, before the Advent, the Holy
Spirit could have had but one work of re-creation, viz. , the prepara
tion of the coming salvation. But since God had a church from the
beginning of the world, and nearly all the bearers of the revelation
were partakers of His salvation, the Spirit s re-creative work must
consist of two parts : first, of the preparation of redemption for the
whole Church ; and, secondly, of the sanctification and consolation
of the Old Testament saints.
However, these two operations are not independent, like two
separate water-courses, but are like drops of rain falling in the
same stream of revelation. They are not even like two streams of
different colors mingling in the same river-bed ; for neither did the
one contain anything for the Church of the future which had not
meaning also for the saints of the Old Covenant; nor did the latter
receive any revelation or commandment without significance also
for the Church of the New Covenant. The Holy Spirit so inter
wove and interlaced this twofold work that what was the preparing
of redemption for us, was at the same time revelation and exercise
of faith for the Old Testament saints; while, on the other hand, He
used their personal life, conflict, suffering, and hope as the canvas
upon which He embroidered the revelation of redemption for us.
THE CHURCH BEFORE AND AFTER CHRIST 53
Not that the revelation of old did not contain a large element
that had a different sense and purpose for them from what it has
for us. Before Christ, the entire service of types and shadows had
significance which it lost immediately after the Advent. To con
tinue it after the Advent would be equivalent to a denial and repu
diation of His coming. One s shadow goes before him; when he
steps into the light the shadow disappears. Hence the Holy Spirit
performed a special work for the saints of God by giving them a
temporary service of types and shadows.
That this service overshadowed all their life made its impres
sion all the stronger. This shadow lay upon Israel s entire history ;
was outlined in .all their men from Abraham to John the Baptist;
fell upon the judicial and political systems, and more heavily upon
the social and domestic life ; and in purest images lay upon the serv
ice of worship. Hence the Old Testament passages which refer to
this service have not the meaning for us which they had for them,
Every feature of it had a binding force for them. On the contrary,
we do not circumcise our boys, but baptize our children ; we do not
eat the Passover, nor observe the Feast of Tabernacles, nor sacrifice
the blood of bulls or heifers, as every discriminating reader of the
Old Testament understands. And they who in the New Testament
Dispensation seek to reintroduce tithing, or to restore the kingdom
and the judiciary of the days of the Old Testament, undertake, ac
cording to past experience, a hopeless task: their efforts show poor
success, and their whole attitude proves that they do not enjoy the
full measure of the liberty of the children of God. Actually all
Christians agree in this, acknowledging that the relation which we
sustain toward the law of Moses is altogether different from that
of ancient Israel.
The Decalogue alone is occasionally cause of contention, espe
cially the Fourth Commandment. There are still Christians who
allow no difference between that which has a passing, ceremonial
character and that which is perpetually ethical, and who seek to
substitute the last day of the week for the Day of the Lord.
However, leaving these serious differences alone, we repeat that
the Holy Spirit had a special work in the days before Christ, which
was intended for the saints of those days, but which has lost for us
all its former significance.
Not, however, that we may therefore discard this work of the
Holy Spirit, and that the books containing these things may be left
54 RE-CREATION
unread. This view has obtained currency especially in Germany,
where the Old Testament is less read than even the books of the
Apocrypha, with the exception of the Psalms and a few selected
pericopes. On the contrary, this service of shadows has even in
the smallest details a special significance to the New Testament
Church ; only the significance is different.
This service in the history of the Old Covenant witnesses to us
the wonderful deeds of God, whereby of infinite mercy He has
delivered us from the power of death and hell. In the personalities
of the Old Covenant it reveals the wonderful work of God in im
planting and preserving faith in spite of human depravity and Sa
tanic opposition. The service of ceremonies in the sanctuary shows
us the image of Christ and of His glorious redemption in the minu
test details. And finally, the service of shadows in Israel s political,
social, and domestic life reveals to us those divine, eternal, and un
changeable principles that, set free from their transient and tem
poral forms, ought to govern the political and social life of the
Christian nations throughout all ages.
And yet this does not exhaust the significance that this service
always had, and still has, for the Christian Church.
Not only does it reveal to us the outlines of the spiritual house
of God, but it actually operated in our salvation :
First, it prepared and preserved amid heathen idolatry a people
which, as bearers of the divine oracles, offered the Christ at His
coming a place for the sole of His foot and a base of operations.*
He could no more have come to Athens or Rome than to China or
India. No one there could have understood Him, or have furnished
instrument or material to build the Church of the New Covenant.
The salvation which was cast like a ripe fruit into the lap of the
Christian Church had grown upon a tree deeply rooted in this serv
ice of shadows. Hence the history of that period is part of our
own, as the life of our childhood and youth remains ours, even tho
as men we have put away childish things.
Secondly, the knowledge of this service and history, being parts
of the Word of God, were instrumental in translating God s children
from nature s darkness into His marvelous light.
However, as the Holy Spirit performed special work for the
saints of those days that has a different tho not less important
* In Dutch, " life-center. "
THE CHURCH BEFORE AND AFTER CHRIST 55
significance for us, so also He performed a work in those days that
was intended more directly for the Church of the New Testament,
which also had a different but not less important significance for
the saints of the Old Covenant This was the work of Prophecy.
As Christ declares, the purpose of prophecy is to predict future
things so that, the events predicted having come to pass, the Church
may believe and confess that it was the Lord s work. The Old Testa
ment often states this, and the Lord Jesus declared it to His disci
ples, saying : " And now I have told you, before it come to pass
that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe" (John xiv. 29).
And again : " Now I tell you before it come to pass, that when it is
come to pass ye may believe that I am He" (John xiii. 19). And
still more clearly: "But these things have I told you, that when
the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them."
These statements, compared with the words of Isa. xli. 23, xlii-
9, and xliii. 19, leave no doubt as to the design of prophecy.
Not that this exhausts prophecy, or that it has no other aims; but
its chief and final end is reached only when, on the ground of its
fulfilment, the Church believes its God and Savior and magnifies
Him in His mighty acts.
But while its center of gravity is the fulfilment, /.<?., in the
Church of the New Testament, it was equally intended for contem
porary saints. For, apart from the prophetic activities that re
ferred solely to the people of Israel living at that time, and the
prophecies fulfilled in Israel s national life, prophecy even as boldly
outlining Christ yielded precious fruit for the Old Testament saints.
Connected with theophanies it produced in their minds such a fixed
and tangible form of the Messiah that fellowship with Him, which
alone is essential to salvation, was made possible to them by antici
pation, as to us by memory. Not only did this fellowship become
possible at the end of the Dispensation, in Isaiah and Zacharias;
Christ testifies that Abraham desired to see His day, saw it, and
was glad.
jpourtb Cbapter.
THE HOLY SCRIPTURE OF THE OLD TESTA
MENT.
XII.
The Holy Scripture.
" All Scripture is given by inspiration of
God, and is profitable for doctrine, for
reproof, for correction, for instruction
in righteousness; that the man of God
may be perfect, thoroughly furnished
unto all good works." 2 Tim. iii.
16, 17.
AMONG the divine works of art produced by the Holy Spirit, the
Sacred Scripture stands first. It may seem incredible that the
printed pages of a book should excel His spiritual work in human
hearts, yet we assign to the Sacred Scripture the most conspicuous
place without hesitation.
Objectors can never have considered what this holy Book is, or
any other book, writing, or language is, or what the putting down of
a world of thought in a collection of Sacred Scripture means. We
deny that a book, especially such as the Sacred Scripture, opposes
a world of divine thought, the current of life, and spiritual experi
ence. A book is not merely paper printed in ink, but is like a
portrait a collection of lines and features in which we see the like
ness of a person. Standing near, we see not the person, but spots
and lines of paint ; but at the right distance these disappear and we
see the likeness of a person. Even now it does not speak to us, for
it is the face of a stranger; we may be able to judge the man s
character, yet he fails to interest us. But let his child look, and
instantly the image which left us cold appeals to him with warmth
THE HOLY SCRIPTURE 57
and life, which were invisible to us because our hearts lacked the
essentials. What appeals to the child is not in the picture, but in
his memory and imagination; the cooperation of the features in
the painting and the father s image in his heart makes the likeness
speak.
This comparison will explain the mysterious effect of the Scrip
ture. Guido de Bres spoke of it in his debates with the Baptists :
" That which we call Holy Scripture is not paper with black im
pressions, but that which addresses our spirits by means of those
impressions." Those letters are but tokens of recognition; those
words are only the clicks of the telegraph-key signaling thoughts
to our spirits along the lines of our visual and auditory nerves.
And the thoughts so signaled are not isolated and incoherent, but
parts of a complete system that is directly antagonistic to man s
thoughts, yet enters their sphere.
Reading the Scripture brings to our minds the sphere of divine
thoughts so far as needful for us as sinners, in order to glorify God,
love our neighbor, and save the soul. This is not a mere collection
of beautiful and glttering ideas, but the reflection of the divine life.
In God life and thought are united : there can be no life without
thought, no thought not the product of life. Not so with us.
Falsehood entered us, i.e., we can sever thought from life. Or
rather, they are always severed, unless we have voluntarily estab
lished the former unity. Hence our cold abstractions ; our speak
ing without doing; our words without power; our thoughts without
working; our books that, like plants cut off from their roots, wither
before they can blossom, much less bear fruit.
The difference between divine and human life gives Scripture
its uniqueness and precludes antagonism between its letter and its
spirit, such as a false exegesis of 2 Cor. iii. 6 might suggest. If
the Word of God were dominated. by the falsehood that has crept
into our hearts, and in the midst of our misery continues to place
word and life in opposition as well as separation, then we would
take refuge in the standpoint of our dissenting brethren, with their
exaltation of the life above the Word. But we need not do so, for
the opposition and separation are not in the Scripture. For this
reason it is the Holy Scripture ; for it was not lost in the unholy
tearing asunder of thought and life, and is therefore distinct from
writings in which yawns the gulf between the words and the reality
of life. What other writings lack is in this Book ; perfect agree-
58 HOLY SCRIPTURE OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
ment between the life reflected in the divine thought and the
thoughts which the Word begets in our minds.
The Holy Scripture is like a diamond : in the dark it is like a
piece of glass, but as soon as the light strikes it the water begins
to sparkle, and the scintillation of life greets us. So the Word
of God apart from the divine life is valueless, unworthy even of the
name of Sacred Scripture. It exists only in connection with this
divine life, from which it imparts life-giving thoughts to our minds.
It is like the fragrance of a flower-bed that refreshes us only when
the flowers and our organs of smell correspond. Hence the illus
tration of the child and his father s picture is exact.
While the Bible always flashes thoughts born of the divine life,
yet the effects are not the same in all. As a whole, it is the portrait
of Him who is the brightness of God s glory and the express image
of His Person, aiming either to show us His likeness or to serve as
its background.
Notice the difference when a child of God and an alien face that
image. Not as tho it has nothing to say to the unregenerate this
is a mistake of Methodism which should be corrected.* It addresses
itself to all men as the King s Word, and every one must receive
its impress in his own way. But while the alien sees only a strange
face, which annoys him, contradicts his world, and so repels him, the
child of God understands and recognizes it. He is in holiest sym
pathy with the life of the world from which that image greets him.
Thus reading what the stranger could not read, he feels that God
is speaking to him, whispering peace to his soul.
Not as tho the Scripture were only a system of signals to flash
thought into the soul ; rather it is the instrument of God to awaken
and increase spiritual life, not as by magic, giving a sort of attes
tation of the genuineness of our experience a fanatical view al
ways opposed and rejected by the Church but by the Holy Spirit
through the use of the Word of God.
He regenerates us by the Word. The mode of this operation
will be discussed later on ; let it suffice here to say that the opera
tions of the Word and the Holy Spirit never oppose each other,
but, as St. Paul declares emphatically, that the Holy Scripture is
prepared by the Spirit of God and given to the Church as an instru
ment to perfect God s work in man; as he expresses it: " That the
* For the author s sense of Methodism, see section 5 in the Preface.
THE HOLY SCRIPTURE 59
man of God may be perfect" i.e., a man formerly of the world, made
a man of God^by divine act, to be perfected by the Holy Spirit ;
wherefore he is already perfect in Christ through the Word. To
this end, as St. Paul declares, the Scripture was inspired of God.
Hence this work of art was prepared by the Holy Spirit to lead the
new-born man to this high ideal. And to emphasize the thought
he adds : * That he may be thoroughly furnished unto all good
works."
Hence Scripture serves this twofold purpose :
First, as an instrument of the Holy Spirit in His work upon
man s heart.
Secondly, to qualify man perfectly and to equip him for every
good work.
Consequently the working of Scripture embraces not only the
quickening of faith, but also the exercise of faith. Therefore instead
of being a dead-letter, unspiritual, mechanically opposing the
spiritual life, it is the very fountain of living water, which, being
opened, springs up to eternal life.
Hence the Spirit s preparation and preservation of Scripture is
not subordinate, but prominent with reference to the life of the
entire Church. Or to put it more clearly: if prophecy, e.g., aims
first to benefit contemporary generations, and secondly to be part
of the Holy Scripture that is to minister comfort to the Church of
all ages, the latter is of infinitely higher importance. Hence the
chief aim of prophecy was not to benefit the people living at that
time, and through Scripture to yield fruit for us only indirectly,
but through Scripture to yield fruit for the Church of all ages, and
indirectly to benefit the Church of old.
XIII.
The Scripture a Necessity.
" For whatsoever things were written
aforetime wore written for our learn
ing, that we through patience and
comfort of the Scriptures might
have hope." Rom. xv. 4.
THAT the Bible is the product of the Chief Artist, the Holy
Spirit ; that He gave it to the Church and that in the Church He
uses it as His instrument, can not be over-emphasized.
Not as tho He had lived in the Church of all ages, and given us
in Scripture the record of that life, its origin and history, so that
the life was the real substance and the Scripture the accident;
rather the Scripture was the end of all that preceded and the in
strument of all that followed.
With the dawn of the Day of days the Sacred Volume will un
doubtedly disappear. As the New Jerusalem will need no sun,
moon, or temple, but the Lord God will be its light, so will there
be no need of Scripture, for the revelation of God shall reach His
elect directly through the unveiled Word. But so long as the
Church is on earth, face-to-face communion withheld, and our
hearts accessible only by the avenues of this imperfect existence,
Scripture must remain the indispensable instrument by which the
Triune God prepares men s souls for higher glory.
The cause of this lies in our personality. We think, we are self-
conscious, and the threefold world about and above and within us is
reflected in our thoughts. The man of confused or unformed con
sciousness or one insane can not act as a man. True, there are
depths in our hearts which the plummet of our thinking has not
sounded ; but the influence that is to affect us deeply, clearly, with
outlasting effect upon our personality, must be wrought through
our self-consciousness.
The history of sin proves it. How did sin enter the world? Did
Satan infuse its poison into man s soul while he slept? By no means.
THE SCRIPTURE A NECESSITY 61
While Eve was fully herself, Satan began to discuss the matter
with her. He wrought upon her consciousness with words and
representations, and she, allowing this, drank the poison, fell, and
dragged her husband with her. Had not God thus foretold it?
Man s fall was to be known neither by his recognized nor by his
unrecognized emotions, but by the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
The knowledge that caused his fall was not merely abstract, intel
lectual, but vital. Of course the operating cause was external, but
it wrought upon his consciousness and bore the form of knowledge.
And as his fall, so also must be his restoration. Redemption
must come from without, act upon our consciousness, and bear the
form of knowledge. To affect and win us in our personality we
must be touched in the very spot where sin first wounded us, viz.,
in our proud and haughty self-consciousness. And since our con
sciousness mirrors itself in a world of thought thoughts expressed
in words so intimately connected as to form, as it were, but one
word therefore it was of the highest necessity that a new, divine
world of thought should speak to our consciousness in a Word, i.e.,
in a Scripture. And this is the work of Holy Scripture.
Our thought-world is full of falsehood, and so is the outer world.
But one thought-world is absolutely true, and that is the world of
God s thoughts. Into this world we must be brought, and it into
us with the life that belongs to it, as brightness to light. There
fore redemption depends upon faith. To believe is to acknowledge
that the entire world of thought within and around us is false, and
that only God s world of thought is true and abiding, and as such to
accept and confess it. So it is still the Tree of knowledge. But the
fruit now taken and enjoyed grows upon the inward plant of self-
emptying and self-denial, whereby we renounce our own entire
world of thought, no longer judging between good and evil, but
faithfully repeating what God teaches, as ever little children in
His school.
But this would not avail us if God s thoughts came in unintelli
gible words, which would have been the case if the Holy Spirit had
used mere words. We know how hopeless it is to try to describe
the felicities of )ieaven. Every effort has been so far a failure.
That bliss passes our imagination. And the Scripture revelation
concerning it is couched in earthly imagery as a Paradise, a Jeru
salem, or a wedding-feast which, beautiful as it may be, leaves no
62 HOLY SCRIPTURE OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
clear impressions. We know heaven must be beautiful and en
trancing, but a concrete conception of it is out of the question.
Nor can we have clear ideas of the relation of the glorified Son of
man to the Trinity, His sitting at the right hand of God, the life of
the redeemed, and their condition when, passing from the cham
bers of death, they enter the palace of the great King.
Hence if the Holy Spirit had presented the world of divine
thoughts concerning our salvation in writing directly from heaven,
a clear conception of the subject would have been impossible. Our
conception would have been vague and figurative as that concern
ing heaven. Hence these thoughts were not directly written, but
translated into the life of this world, which gave them form and shape;
and thus they came down to us in human language, in the pages of
a book. Without this there could not even be a language to em
body such sacred and glorious realities. St. Paul had visions, i.e.,
he was freed from the limitations of consciousness and enabled to
contemplate heavenly things; but having returned to his limita
tions, could not speak of what he had seen, as he said : " They are
unspeakable."
And that the equally unspeakable things of salvation may be
rendered expressible in human words, it pleased God to bring to this
world the life which originated them ; to accustom our human con
sciousness to them, from it to draw words for them, and thus to
exhibit them to every man.
God s thoughts are inseparable from His life; hence His life
must enter the world before His thoughts, at least at first ; after
ward the thoughts became the vehicle of the life.
This appears in the creation of Adam. The first man is created;
after him men are born. At first human life appeared at once in
full stature ; from that life once introduced, new life will be born.
First, new life originated by forming Eve from Adam s rib; then,
by the union of man and woman. So also here. At first God
introduced spiritual life into the world, finished, perfect, by a mir
acle; afterward differently, since the thought introduced as life into
this world is pictured to our view. Henceforth the Holy Spirit will
use the product of this life to awaken new life.
So redemption can not begin with the gift of Holy Scripture to
the Church of the Old Covenant. Such Scripture could not be pro
duced until its content is wrought out in life, and redemption is
objectively accomplished.
THE SCRIPTURE A NECESSITY 63
But the two should not be separated. Redemption was not first
completed and then recorded in Scripture. Such conception would
be mechanical and unspiritual, directly contradicted by the nature
of Scripture, which is living and life-giving. Scripture was pro
duced spontaneously and gradually by and from redemption. The
promise in Paradise already foreshadowed it. For tho redemption
precedes Scripture, yet in the regeneration of the first men the
Word was not idle ; the Holy Spirit began with speaking to man,
acting upon his consciousness. Even in Paradise, and subsequently
when the stream of revelation proceeds, a divine Word always pre
cedes the life and is life s instrument, and a divine thought intro
duces redemptive work. And when redemption is fulfilled in
Christ He appears first as the Speaker, then as the Worker. The
Word that was from the beginning reveals Himself to Israel as the
Seal of Prophecy, saying : " This day is this Scripture fulfilled in
your ears."
Hence the work of the Holy Spirit is never purely magical nor
mechanical. Even in the preparatory period He always acted
through the Word in translating a soul from death unto life. How
ever, between then and now there is a decided difference :
First, then, the Word came to the soul directly by inspiration or
by a prophet s address. Now, both these have ceased, and in their
stead comes the Word sealed in the Sacred Scripture, interpreted
by the Holy Spirit in preaching in the Church.
Secondly, then, the bringing in of life was confined to Israel,
expressed itself in words and originated relations that strictly sepa
rated the servants of the only true God from the life of the world.
Now, this extraordinary, preparatory dispensation is closed; the
Israel of God are no more the natural descendants of Abraham, but
the spiritual ; the stream of the Church flows through all nations
and peoples; it stands no more outside the world s life and develop
ment, but rather governs them.
Thirdly, altho in the Old Dispensation redemption existed
partly already in Scripture, and the Psalmist shows everywhere his
devotion thereto, yet Scripture could be used so to a small extent
only, and needed constant supplementing by direct revelations
and prophecies. But now, Scripture reveals the whole counsel of
God, and nothing can be added to it. Wo to him who dares dimin
ish or increase this Book of Life which discloses the world of divine
thought !
64 HOLY SCRIPTURE OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
But notwithstanding differences, the fact remains that the Holy
Spirit mastered the problem of bringing to man lost in sin, by
human language intelligible to all nations and ages, the world of
divine thoughts, so as to use them as the instrument of man s
quickening.
It does not alter the case that the Holy Scripture shows so many
seams and uneven places, and looks different from what we should
expect. The chief virtue of this masterpiece was so to enfold
God s thoughts in our sinful life that out of our language they could
form a speech in which to proclaim through the ages, to all nations,
the mighty words of God. This masterpiece is finished and lies
before us in the Holy Scripture. And instead of losing itself in
criticizing these apparent defects, the Church of all ages has
received it with adoration and thanksgiving; has preserved it,
tasted it, enjoyed it, and always believed to find eternal life in it.
Not as tho critical and historical examination were prohibited.
Such endeavor for the glory of God is highly commendable. But
as the physiologist s search for the genesis of human life becomes
sinful if immodest or dangerous to unborn life, so does every criti
cism of Holy Scripture become sinful and culpable if irreverent or
seeking to destroy the life of God s Word in the consciousness of
the Church.
XIV.
The Revelation ,to Which the Scripture of the Old
Testament Owes Its Existence.
" O Lord, . . . Thou art stronger than I,
and hast prevailed." -Jer. xx. 7.
THE understanding of the Holy Spirit s work in- Scripture
requires us to distinguish the preparation, and the formation that
was the outcome of the preparation. We will discuss these two
separately.
The Holy Spirit prepared for Scripture by the operations which
from Paradise to Patmos supernaturally apprehended the sinful life
3f this world, and thus raised up believing men who formed the
developing Church.
This will seem very foolish if we consider the Scripture a mere
paper-book, a lifeless object, but not if we hear God speaking
;herein directly to the soul. Severed from the divine life, the
scripture is unprofitable, a letter that killeth. But when we real-
.ze that it radiates God s love and mercy in such form as to trans-
:orm our life and address our consciousness, we see that the super-
mtural revelation of the life of God must precede the radiation. The
evelation of God s tender mercies must precede their scintillation
n the human consciousness. First, the revelation of the mystery
)f Godliness ; then, its radiation in the Sacred Scripture, and thence
nto the heart of God s Church, is the natural and ordained way.
For this purpose the Holy Spirit first chose individuals, then a
ew families, and lastly a whole nation, to be the sphere of His
tctivities; and in each stage He began His work with the Word,
ilways following the Word of Salvation with the Facts of Salvation.
He began this work in Paradise. After the fall, death and con-
emnation reigned over the first pair, and in them entombed the
ace. Had the Spirit left them to themselves, with the germ of
eath ever developing in them, no star of hope would ever have
risen for the human race.
5
66 HOLY SCRIPTURE OF THE- OLD TESTAMEN1
Therefore the Holy Spirit introduces His work at the very begii
ning of the development of the race. The first germ of the myster
of Godliness was already implanted in Adam, and the first mothe:
word of which the Holy Scripture was to be born was whispere
into his ear.
This word was followed by the deed. God s word does nc
return void; it is not a sound, but a power. It is a plowshai
subsoiling the soul. Behind the word stands the propelling powc
of the Holy Spirit, and thus it becomes effectual, and changes th
whole condition of things. We see it in Adam and Eve ; especially i
Enoch ; and " By faith Abel obtained witness that he was righteous
After these operations in individuals the Spirit s work in th
family begins, partly in Noah, more especially in Abraham.
The judgment of the flood had completely changed former reli
tions, had caused a new generation to arise, and perhaps ha
changed the physical relations between the earth and its atmoi
phere. And then, for the first time, the Holy Spirit begins to wor
in the family. Our Ritual of Baptism points emphatically to Noa
and his eight, which has often been a stumbling-block to a though
less unspirituality. And yet needlessly, for by pointing to Noa
our fathers meant to indicate, in that sacramental prayer, that it :
not the baptism of individuals, but of the people of God, i.e., of th
Church and its seed. And since the salvation of families emerge
first in the history of Noah and his family after the flood, it wa
perfectly correct to point to the salvation of Noah and his famil
as God s first revelation of salvation for us and our seed.
But the work of the Holy Spirit in Noah s family is only pre
liminary. Noah and his sons still belong to the old world. The
formed a transition. After Noah the holy line disappears, and froi
Shem to Terah the Holy Spirit s work remains invisible. But wit
Terah it appears in clearest light; for now Abraham goes oat, nc
with sons, but alone. The promised son was still resting in th
hand of God. And he could not beget him but by faith; so thf
God could truly say, "I am the Almighty God,"/>., a God " wh
quickeneth the dead and calleth the things that are not as tho thej
were." Hence Abraham s family is almost in literal sense the prod
uct of the Holy s Spirit s work in that there is nothing in his \\\
without faith. The product of art in Abraham s history is not trj
image of a pious shepherd-king or virtuous patriarch, but the woij
REVELATION AS TO THE OLD TESTAMENT 67
derful work of the Holy Spirit operating in an old man who again
and again "kicks against the pricks," who brings forth out of his
own heart nothing but unbelief working in him a stedfast and
immovable faith, bringing that faith into direct connection with his
family life. Abraham is called " the Father of the Faithful," not in
the superficial sense of a spiritual connection between our faith and
Abraham s history, but because the faith of Abraham was inter
woven with the fact of Isaac s birth, whom he obtained by faith,
and of whom there was given him a seed as the stars of the heaven
and as the sand of the seashore.
From the individual the Holy Spirit s work passes into the
family, and thence into the nation. Thus Israel receives his being.
It was Israel, i.e., not one of the nations, but a people newly cre
ated, added to the nations, received among their number, perpetu
ally distinct from all other nations in origin and significance. And
this people is also born of faith. To this end God casts it into death :
on Moriah ; in Jacob s flight; in the distresses of Joseph, and in the
fears of Moses; alongside the fiery furnaces of Pithon and Ramses;
when the infants of the Hebrews floated on the Nile. And from this
leath it is again and again faith that saves and delivers, and there-
pore the Holy Spirit who continues His glorious work in the gene
ration and regeneration of this coming people. After this people
s born it is again thrown into death: first, in the wilderness; then,
luring the time of the Judges; finally, in the Exile. Yet it can not
lie, for it carries in its bosom the hope of the promise. However
aimed, plagued, and decimated, it multiplies again and again ; for
ie Lord s promise fails not, and in spite of shameful backslidings
nd apostasy, Israel manifests the glory of a people born, living,
nd dying by faith.
Thus the work of the Holy Spirit passes through these three
ages: Abel, Abraham, Moses; the individual, the family, the
ition. In each of these three the work of the Holy Spirit is visi-
.e, inasmuch as everything is wrought by faith. Is faith not
rought by the Holy Spirit? Very well; by faith Abel obtained
itness; by faith Abraham received the son of the promise; and
y faith Israel passed through the Red Sea.
And what is the relation between life and the word of life dur-
g these three stages? Is it, as according to current representa-
68 HOLY SCRIPTURE OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
tions, first life, and then the word springing therefrom as token o
the conscious life?
Evidently history proves the very opposite. In Paradise the
\v r ot -d precedes and the lif e follows. To Abraham in Ur of the Chal
dees, first the word ; " Get thee out from thy country, and I wil
bless thee, and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
In the case of Moses it is first the word in the burning bush anc
then the passage through the Red Sea. This is the Lord s ap
pointed way. He first speaks, then works. Or more correctly, H<
speaks, and by speaking He quickens. These two stand in closes
connection. Not as tho the word causes life ; for the Eternal anc
Triune God is the only Cause, Source, and Fountain of life. Bu
the word is the instrument with which He wills to complete Hi:
work in our hearts.
We can not stop here to consider the work of the Father and th<
Son, which either preceded or followed that of the Holy Spirit, anc
which is interwoven with it. Of the miracles we speak only be
cause we discover in them a special twofold work of the Hoi]
Spirit. The working of the miracle is of the Father and of the Son
and not so much of the Holy Spirit. But often as it pleased Goc
to use men as instruments in the performance of miracles, it is th(
Spirit s special work to qualify them by working faith in thei:
hearts. Moses smiting the rock believed not, but he imagined tha
by smiting he himself could produce water from the rock ; whicl
God alone can do. To him that believes it is the same whether ht
speaks or smites the rock. Stick nor tongue can in the least affecj
it. The power proceeds from God alone. Hence the greatness o
the sin of Moses. He thought that he was to be the worker, an<|
not God. And this is the very work of sin in God s people.
Hence we see that when Moses cast down his rod, when h|
cursed the Nile, when Elias and other men of God wrought miral
cles, they did nothing, they only believed. And by virtue of thei]
faith they became to the bystanders the interpreters of God s test*
mony, showing them the works of God and not their own. This i
what St. Peter exclaimed: " Why look ye so earnestly on us as thj
by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?"
To work this faith in the hearts of men who were to perforrj
these miracles was the Holy Spirit s first task. His second was tl
quicken faith in the hearts of those upon whom the miracle was tin
be wrought. Of Christ it is written, that in Capernaum He coull
REVELATION AS TO THE OLD TESTAMENT 69
not do many powerful works because of their unbelief; and we read
repeatedly : " Thy faith hath made thee whole."
But the miracle alone has no convincing power. The unbeliever
begins with denying it. He explains it from natural causes. He
neither will nor can see God s hand in it. And when it is so con
vincing that he can not deny it, he says : " It is of the devil." But
he will not acknowledge that it is the power of God. Therefore to
make the miracle effectual, the Holy Spirit must also open the eyes
of them that witness it to see the power of God therein. All our
reading of the miracles in our Bible is unprofitable unless the Holy
Spirit opens our eyes, and then we see them live, hear their testi
mony, experience their power, and glorify God for His mighty
works.
XV.
The Revelation of the Old Testament in Writing.
" Then I said, I will not speak any more in
His Name. But His word was in my
heart as a burning fire, shut up in my
bones : and I was weary with forbearing,
but I could not." -Jer. xx. 9.
ALTHO the miracles performed for and in the midst of Israel
created a glorious life-center in the midst of the heathen world, yet
they did not constitute a Holy Scripture ; for this can not be created
except God speak to man, even to His people Israel. " God, who at
sundry times and in divers manners spake in times past unto the
fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by
His Son."
This divine speaking is not limited to prophecy. God spoke
also to others than prophets, e.g., to Eve, Cain, Hagar, etc. To
receive a revelation or a vision does not make one a prophet, unless
it be accompanied by the command to communicate the revelation
to others. The word "nabi," the Scriptural term for prophet, does!
not indicate a person who receives something of God, but one whoj
brings something to the people. Hence it is a mistake to confine
the divine revelation to the prophetic office. In fact, it extends to]
the whole race in general ; prophecy is only one of its special f ea-J
tures. As to the divine revelation in its widest scope, it is evident!
from the Scripture that God spoke to men from Adam to the lasl
of the apostles. From Paradise to Patmos revelation runs like A
golden thread through every part of Sacred History.
As a rule, the Scripture does not treat this divine speaking meta-i
phorically. There are exceptions, e.g., "God spake to the fish 1
(Jonah ii. 10); "The heavens declare the glory of God, and dajjJ
unto day uttereth speech " (Psalm xix. 2, 3). However, it can b<|
proven, from a thousand passages against one to the contrary, thaj 1
the ordinary speaking of the Lord may not be taken in other thai
the literal sense. This is evident from the call of God to Samuel t
OLD TESTAMENT REVELATION IN WRITING 71
which the child mistook for that of Eli. It is evident also from the
names, numbers, and localities that are mentioned in this divine
speaking ; especially from the dialogues between God and man, as
in the history of Abraham in the conflict of his faith concerning the
promised seed, and in his intercession for Sodom.
And therefore we can not agree with those who would per
suade us that the Lord did not really speak; that if it reads so, it
must not be so understood; and that a clearer insight shows that " a
certain influence from God affected the inner life of the person
addressed. In connection with the person s peculiar character and
the influences of his past and present this working gave special
clearness to his consciousness, and wrought in him such a convic
tion that, without hesitation, he declared: Since I will as God
wills, I know that the Lord has thus spoken to me. " This repre
sentation we reject as exceedingly pernicious and hurtful to the life
of the Church. We call it false, since it dishonors the truth of God ;
and we refuse to tolerate a theology that starts from such premises.
It annihilates the authority of the Scripture. Altho commended by
the Ethical wing it is exceedingly -ethical, inasmuch as it directly
opposes the clearly expressed truth of the Word of God. Nay, this
divine speaking, whose record the Scripture offers, must be under
stood as real speaking.
And what is speaking ? Speaking presupposes a person who has
a thought that he wishes to transfer directly to the consciousness
of another, without the intervention of a third person or of writing
or of gesture. Hence when God speaks to man three things are
implied :
First, that God has a thought which He wills to communicate
to man.
Second, that He executes His design in a direct way.
Third, that the person addressed now possesses the divine
thought with this result, that he is conscious of the same idea which
a moment ago existed only in God.
With every explanation doing full justice to these three points
we will agree; every other we reject.
As to the question whether speech is possible without sound, we
answer: "No, not among men." Surely the Lord can speak and
has spoken at times by means of air-vibrations ; but He can speak
to man without the use of either sound or ear. As men we have
access to each other s consciousness only by means of the organs of
72 HOLY SCRIPTURE OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
sense. We can not communicate with our neighbor except he hear
or see or feel our touch. The unfortunate who is devoid of these
senses can not receive the slightest information from without.
But the Lord our God is not thus limited. He has access to man s
heart and consciousness from within. He can impart to our con
sciousness whatever He will in a direct way, without the use of ear
drum, auditory nerve, and vibration of air. Tho a man be stone-
deaf, God can make him hear, inwardly speaking to his soul.
However, to accomplish this God must condescend to our limita
tions. For the consciousness is subject to the mental conditions of
the world in which it lives. A negro, e.g., can have no other con
sciousness than that developed by his environment and acquired
by his language. Speaking to a foreigner unacquainted with our
tongue, we must adapt ourselves to his limitations and address him
in his own language. Hence in order to make Himself intelligible
to man, God must clothe His thoughts in human language and thus
convey them to the human consciousness.
To the person thus addressed it must seem therefore as tho he
had been spoken to in the ordinary way. He received the im
pression that he heard words of human language conveying to him
divine thoughts. Hence the divine speaking is always adapted to
the capacities of the person addressed. Because in condescension
the Lord adapts Himself to every man s consciousness, His speak
ing assumes the form peculiar to every man s condition. What a
difference, for instance, between God s word to Cain and that to
Ezekiel ! This explains how God could mention names, dates, and
various other details ; how He could make use of the dialect of a
certain period ; of derivation of words, as in the changing of names,
as in the case of Abraham and Sarah.
This also shows that God s speaking is not limited to godly and
susceptible persons prepared to receive a revelation. Adam was
wholly unprepared, hiding himself from the presence of God. And
so were Cain and Balaam. Even Jeremiah said: " I will not speak
any more in His Name. But His word was in my heart as a burn
ing fire, shut up in my bones : and I was weary with forbearing, but
I could not" (chap. xx. 9). Hence the divine omnipotence is un
limited. The Lord can impart the knowledge of His will to whom
soever He pleases. The question why He has not spoken for eigh
teen centuries must not be answered, " Because He has lost the
power " ; but, " Because it seemeth not good to Him." Having once
OLD TESTAMENT REVELATION IN WRITING 73
spoken and in the Scripture brought His word to our souls, He is
silent now that we may honor the Scripture.
However, it should be noticed that in this divine speaking from
Paradise to Patmos there is a certain order, unity, and regularity ;
wherefore we add :
First, the divine speaking was not confined to individuals, but,
having a message for all the people, God spoke through His chosen
prophets. That God can speak to a whole nation at once is proven
by the events of Sinai. But it pleased Him not always to do this.
On the contrary, He never spoke to them in that way afterward,
but introduced prophetism instead. Hence the peculiar mission of
prophetism is to receive the words of God and immediately to com
municate them to the people. God speaks to Abraham what is for
Abraham alone; but to Joel, Amos, etc., a message not for them
selves, but for others to whom it must be conveyed. In connection
with this we notice the fact that the prophet stands not alone, but
in relation with a class of men among whom his mind was gradually
prepared to speak to the people, and to receive the divine Oracle.
For the peculiar feature of prophecy was the condition of ecstasy,
which differed greatly from the way by which God spoke to
Moses.
Secondly, these divine revelations are mutually related and,
taken together, constitute a whole. There is first the foundation,
then the superstructure, until finally the illustrious palace of the
divine truth and knowledge is completed. Revelation as a whole
shows therefore a glorious plan, into which are dovetailed the
special revelations to individuals.
Thirdly, the speaking of the Lord, especially of the inward
word, is peculiarly the work of the Holy Spirit, which, as we have
found before, appears most strikingly when God comes into closest
contact with the creature. And the consciousness is the most inti
mate part of man s being. Wherefore, as often as the Lord our
God enters human consciousness to communicate His thoughts,
clothed in human thoughts and speech, the Scripture and the
believer honor and adore therein the comforting operation of the
Holy Spirit.
XVI.
Inspiration.
" And unto the angel of the church in Sardis
write, These things saith He that hath
the seven Spirits of God." Rev. iii. i.
WE do not speak here of the New Testament. Nothing has con
tributed more to falsify and undermine faith in the Scripture and
the orthodox view concerning it than the unhistoric and unnatural,
practise of considering the Scripture of the Old and the New Testa
ment at the same time.
The Old Testament appears first; then came the Word in the
flesh ; and only after that the Scripture of the New Testament. In
the study of the work of the Holy Spirit the same order ought to be
observed. Before we speak of His work in the Incarnation, the
inspiration of the New Testament may not even be mentioned.
And until the Incarnation, there existed no other Scripture than the
Old Testament.
The question is now : How is the work of the Holy Spirit to be
traced in the construction of that Scripture?
We have considered the question how it was prepared. By
wonderful works God created a new life in this world ; and, in order
to make men believe in these works, He spoke to man either direct
ly or indirectly, i.e., by the prophets. But this did not create a
Sacred Scripture. If nothing more had been done there would
never have been such a Scripture ; for events take place and
belong to the past; the word once spoken passes away with the
emotion in the consciousness.
Human writing is the wonderful gift which God bestowed on
man to perpetuate what otherwise would have been forgotten and
utterly lost. Tradition falsifies the report. Among holy men this
would not be so. But we are sinful men. By sin a lie can be told.
Sin is also the cause of our lack of earnestness, and the root of all
forgetfulness, carelessness, and thoughtlessness. These are the
two factors, lying and carelessness, that rob tradition of its value.
INSPIRATION 75
P or this reason God gave our race the gift of writing. Whether on
wax, on metal, on the face of the rock, on parchment, on papyrus,
or on paper, is of no importance ; but that God enabled man to find
the art of committing to posterity a thought, a promise, an event,
independent from his person, attaching it to something material,
so that it could endure and be read by others even after his death
this is of greatest importance.
For us, men, reading and writing are means of fellowship. It
begins with speaking, which is essential to fellowship. But mere
speaking confines it to narrow limits, while reading and writing
give it wider scope, extending it to persons far away and to genera
tions yet -unborn. Through writing past generations actually live
together. Even now we can meet with Moses and David, Isaiah
and John, Plato and Cicero; we can hear them speak and receive
their mental utterances. Writing is therefore no contemptible
thing as some, who are overspiritual and sneer at the written
Word, consider it. On the contrary, it is great and glorious one
of the mighty factors whereby God keeps men and generations in
living communication and exercise of love. Its discovery was a won
derful grace, God s gift to man, more than doubling his treasures.
The gift has often been abused ; yet even in its rightful use there
is ascending glory. How much more glorious appears the art of
writing when Dante, Shakespeare, and Schiller write their poetry,
than when the pedagogue compiles his spelling-books or the notary
public scribbles the lease of a house !
Since writing may be used or abused, may serve low or high
purposes, the question arises: "What is its highest end?" And
without the least hesitation we answer: "The writing of the Holy
Scripture." As human speech and language are of the Holy Spirit,
so is writing also taught us of Him. But while man uses the art to
record human thoughts, the Holy Spirit employs it to give fixed
and lasting form to the thoughts of God. Hence there is a human
employment of it and a divine. The highest and wholly unique is
that in the Holy Scripture.
Actually there is no other book which sustains communication
among men and generations as does the Sacred Scripture. To
honor His own work the Holy Spirit has caused the universal dis
tribution of this book alone, thereby putting men of all stations
and classes into communication with the oldest generations of the
race.
76 HOLY SCRIPTURE OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
From this standpoint the Holy Scripture must be considered,
being in fact " the Scripture par excellence." Hence the divine and
oft-repeated command: " Write." God did not only speak and act,
leaving it to man whether His deeds and the tenor of His words
were to be forgotten or remembered; but He also commanded that
they should be recorded in writing. And when just before the
announcement and close of the divine revelation to John on Patmos,
the Lord commanded him, " Write to the church" of Ephesus, Per-
gamos, etc., He repeated in a summary what was the design of all
preceding revelations, viz., that they should be written and in the
form of a Scripture, a gift of the Holy Spirit, and be deposited in
the Church, which for that reason is called the " pillar and ground
of the truth." Not, according to a later interpretation, as tho the
truth were concealed in the Church ; but, according to the ancient
rendering, that Holy Scripture was entrusted to the Church for
preservation.
However, we do not mean to say that with reference to every
verse and chapter the Holy Spirit commanded, " Write," as tho the
Scripture as we possess it had come into existence page after page.
Assuredly the Scripture is divinely inspired: a statement dis
torted and perverted beyond recognition by our Ethical theolo
gians, if they understand by it that " prophets and apostles were
personally animated by the Holy Spirit." This confounds illumina
tion with revelation, and revelation with inspiration. " Illumination "
is the clearing up of the spiritual consciousness which in His own
time the Holy Spirit gives more or less to every child of God.
" Revelation " is a communication of the thoughts of God given in
extraordinary manner, by a miracle, to prophets and apostles.
But " inspiration," wholly distinct from these, is that special and
unique operation of the Holy Spirit whereby He directed the minds
of the writers of the Scripture in the act of writing. " All Scripture
is given by inspiration of God"; and this has no reference to ordi
nary illumination, nor extraordinary revelation, but to an operation
that stands entirely alone and which the Church has always
confessed under the name of Inspiration. Hence inspiration is
the name of that all-comprehensive operation of the Holy Spirit
whereby He has bestowed on the Church a complete and infallible
Scripture. We call this operation all-comprehensive, for it was
organic, not mechanical.
The practise of writing dates back to remote antiquity; pre-
INSPIRATION 77
ceded, however, by the preservation of the verbal tradition by the
Holy Spirit. This is evident from the narrative of the Creation.
Noted physicists like Agassiz, Dana, Guyot, and others have openly
declared that the narrative of the Creation recorded many cen
turies ago what so far no man could know of himself, and what at
the present time is only partly revealed by the study of geology.
Hence the narrative of the Creation is not myth, but history. The
events took place as recorded in the opening chapters of Genesis.
The Creator Himself must have communicated them to man.
From Adam to the time when writing was invented the remem
brance of this communication must have been preserved correctly.
That there are two narratives of the Creation proves nothing to the
contrary. Creation is considered from the natural and from the
spiritual points of view ; hence it is perfectly proper that the image
of Creation should be completed in a twofold sketch.
If Adam did not receive the special charge, yet from the revela
tion itself he obtained the powerful impression that such informa
tion was not designed for himself alone, but for all men. Realizing
its importance and the obligation it imposed, succeeding generations
have perpetuated the remembrance of God s wonderful words and
deeds, first orally, afterward by writing. In this way there grad
ually arose a collection of documents which through Egyptian
influence were put in book form by the great men of Israel. These
documents being collected, sifted, compiled, and expanded by
Moses, formed in his day the beginning of a Holy Scripture prop
erly so called.
Whether Moses and those earlier writers were conscious of their
inspiration is immaterial ; the Holy Spirit directed them, brought
to their knowledge what they were to know, sharpened their judg
ment in the choice of documents and records, so that they should
decide aright, and gave them a superior maturity of mind that
enabled them always to choose the right word.
Altho the Holy Spirit spoke directly to men, human speech and
language being no human inventions, yet in writing He employed
human agencies. But whether He dictates directly, as in the
Revelation of St. John, or governs the writing indirectly, as with
historians and. evangelists, the result is the same : the product is
such in form and content as the Holy Spirit designed, an infallible
document for the Church of God.
Hence the confession of inspiration does not exclude ordinary
;8 HOLY SCRIPTURE OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
numbering, collecting of documents, sifting, recording, etc. It
recognizes all these matters which are plainly discernible in Scrip
ture. Style, diction, repetitions, all retain their value. But it must
be insisted that the Scripture as a whole, as finally presented to
the Church, as to content, selection, and arrangement of docu
ments, structure, and even words, owes its existence to the Holy
Spirit, i.e., that the men employed in this work were consciously or
unconsciously so controlled and directed by the Spirit, in all their
thinking, selecting, sifting, choice of words, and writing, that their
final product, delivered to posterity, possessed a perfect warrant of
divine and absolute authority.
That the Scriptures themselves present a number of objections
and in many aspects do not make the impression of absolute inspi
ration does not militate against the other fact that all this spiritual
labor was controlled and directed by the Holy Spirit. For the
Scripture had to be constructed so as to leave room for the exercise
tot faith. It was not intended to be approved by the critical judg
ment and accepted on this ground. This would eliminate faith.
Faith takes hold directly with the fulness of our personality. To
have faith in the Word, Scripture must not grasp us in our critical
thought, but in the life of the soul. To believe in the Scripture is
an act of life of which thou, O lifeless man ! art not capable, except
the Quickener, the Holy Ghost, enable thee. He that caused Holy
Scripture to be written is the same that must teach thee to read it.
Without Him this product of divine art can not affect thee. Hence
we believe :
First, that the Holy Spirit chose this human construction of the
Scripture purposely, that we as men might more readily live in it.
Secondly, that these stumbling-blocks were introduced. that it
might be impossible for us to lay hold of its content with mere
intellectual grasp, without the exercise of faith.
jf iftb Cbapter.
THE INCARNATION OF THE WORD.*
XVII.
Like One of Us.
" But a body Thou hast prepared
UQ."Ifet>. x. 5.
THE completion of the Old Testament did not finish the work
that the Holy Spirit undertook for the whole Church. The Scrip
ture may be the instrument whereby to act upon the consciousness
of the sinner and to open his eyes to the beauty of the divine life,
but it can not impart that life to the Church. Hence it is followed
by another work of the Holy Spirit, viz., the preparation of the body
of Christ.
The well-known words of Psalm xl. 6, 7 : " Sacrifice and offering
Thou didst not desire ; mine ears Thou hast pierced ; burnt-offering
and sin-offering hast Thou not required. Then said I, Lo, I come:
in the volume of the book it is written of me," are rendered by St.
Paul : " Sacrifice and offering Thou wouldst not, but a body Thou
hast prepared me ; in burnt-offerings and sin-offerings Thou hast no
pleasure : lo, I come, in the volume of the book it is written of me."
We do not discuss how the words, " Mine ears hast Thou pierced,"
can mean also, " A body Thou hast prepared me." For our present
purpose it is immaterial whether one says with Junius: " The ear is
a member of the body; by the piercing of the ear hearing becomes
possible ; and only by the hearing does the body become an instru
ment of obedience"; or with another: " As the body of the slave
became an instrument of obedience by the piercing of the ear, so
* Owing to the recent publication of the author s work, "The Incarna
tion of the Word," this subject is presented here in an abbreviated form.
8o THE INCARNATION OF THE WORD
did the body of Christ become an instrument of obedience by the
conception of the Holy Spirit " ; or finally : " As the Israelite became
a servant by having his ear pierced, so has the Eternal Son adopted
the form of a servant by becoming partaker of our flesh and blood."
St. Paul s infallible exposition of Psalm xl. 7 does not raise any seri
ous objection to any of these renderings. It suffices our present
purpose if it be only acknowledged that, according to Heb. x. 5,
the Church must confess that there was a preparation of the body of
Christ.
This being conceded and taken in connection with what the
Gospel relates concerning the conception, it can not be denied that
in the preparing of the body of the Lord there is a peculiar work of
the Holy Spirit. For the angel said to Mary : " The Holy Ghost
shall come upon thee and the power of the Highest shall over
shadow thee ; therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of
thee shall be called the Son of God" (Luke i. 35). And again:
"Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy
wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost" (Matt,
i. 20). Both passages, apart from their proper meanings, evidently
seek to produce the impression that the conception and birth of
Jesus are extraordinary ; that they did not occur after the will of
man, but result from an operation of the Holy Spirit.
Like all other outgoing works of God, the preparation of the
body of Christ is a divine work common to the three Persons.
It is erroneous to say that the Holy Spirit is the Creator of the
body of Jesus, or, as some have expressed it, " That the Holy Spirit
was the Father of Christ, according to His human nature." Such
representations must be rejected, since they destroy the confession
of the Holy Trinity. This confession can not be maintained when
any of the outgoing works of God are represented as not common
to the three Persons.
We wish to emphasize, therefore, that not the Holy Spirit alone,
but the Triune God, prepared the body of the Mediator. The
Father and even the Son cooperated in this divine act.
However, as we have seen in Creation and Providence, in this
cooperation the work of each Person bears its own distinctive mark.
From the Father, of whom are all things, proceeded the material
of the body of Christ, the creation of the human soul, and of all His
gifts and powers, together with the whole plan of the Incarnation.
From the Son, who is the wisdom of the Father, disposing ancl
LIKE ONE OF US 81
arranging all things in Creation, proceeded the holy disposition and
arrangement with reference to the Incarnation. And as the corre
lated acts of the Father and the Son in Creation and Providence
receive animation and perfection through the Holy Spirit, so there
is in the Incarnation a peculiar act of the Holy Spirit through which
the acts of Father and Son in this mystery receive completion and
manifestation. Therefore it is said in Heb. x. 7 of the Triune God :
"A body Thou hast prepared Me"; while it is also declared that
: that which is conceived in Mary is of the Holy Ghost.
This, however, may not be explained in the ordinary sense. It
might be said that there is nothing wonderful in this, for Job
i declares (chap, xxxiii. 4), " The Spirit of the Lord hath given me
I life," and of Christ we read that He was born of Mary, being con
ceived by the Holy Ghost. These two cover the same ground.
! Both instances connect the birth of a child with an act of the Holy
| Spirit. While, as regards the birth of Christ, we do not deny this
ordinary act of the Holy Spirit, which is essential to the quickening
of all life, especially that of a human being, yet we do deny that the
conception by the Holy Spirit was the ordinary act. The ancient
confession, " I believe in Jesus Christ, His Only-Begotton Son our
ord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost" refers to a divine miracle
and a deep mystery, in which the work of the Holy Spirit must be
glorified.
Accordingly a complete analysis of this work is impossible. If
not, it would cease to be a miracle. Wherefore let us look into
this matter only with deepest reverence, and not advance theories
contrary to the Word of God. What God has been pleased to
reveal we know; what His Word only hints we can know only in
:aint outlines; and what is advanced outside of the Word is only
the effort of a meddlesome spirit or unhallowed curiosity.
In this work of the Holy Spirit two things must be distinguished:
First, the creation of the human nature of Jesus.
Secondly, His separation from sinners.
On the first point, the Scripture teaches that no man ever could
claim paternal connection with Jesus. Joseph appears and acts as
the stepfather of Christ; but of a fellowship of life and origin
between him and Jesus the Scripture never speaks. Indeed, Jo
seph s neighbors regarded Jesus as the Son of the carpenter, but the
Scripture always treats this as an error. St. John, declaring that
6
82 THE INCARNATION OF THE WORD
the children of God are born not of the will of man, nor of the wil
of the flesh, but of God, undoubtedly borrowed this glorious descrip
tion of our higher birth from the extraordinary act of God whicl
scintillates in the conception and birth of Christ. The fact tha
Mary was called a virgin ; that Joseph was troubled at the discover]
of his bride s condition; that he intended secretly to leave her, an<
that an angel appeared to him in a dream in a word, the wliol<
Gospel narrative, as well as the unbroken tradition of the Church
allows no other confession than that the conception and birth o
Christ were of Mary the virgin, but not of Joseph her betrothec
husband.
Excluding the man, the Scripture thrice puts the Holy Spirit ii
the foreground as the Author of the conception. St. Matthew say:
(chap. i. 1 8): "When Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, befor<
they came together, she was found with child by the Holy Ghost/
And again, in ver. 20: " For that which is conceived in her is of the
Holy Ghost." Lastly, Luke says (chap. i. 35): "The Holy Ghos
shall come upon thee and the power of the Highest shall over
shadow thee ; therefore also that holy thing which shall be born o:
thee shall be called the Son of God." These clear statements d(
not receive full recognition unless it be plainly confessed that the
conception of the germ of a human nature in the womb of the vir
gin was an act of the Holy Spirit.
It is not expedient nor lawful to enter more deeply into this
matter. How human life originates after conception, whether the
embryo immediately contains a human person or whether he ii
created therein afterward, and other similar questions, must remair
unanswered, perhaps forever. We may advance theories, but the
Omnipotent God allows no man to discover His workings in the
hidden laboratories of His creative power. Wherefore all thai
may be said according to Scripture is contained in the following
four particulars :
First, in the conception of Christ not a new being was called
into life as in all other cases, but One who had existed from eter
nity, and who then entered into vital relation with the human nature.
The Scripture clearly reveals this. Christ existed from before the
foundation of the world. His goings forth were of old, from the days
of eternity. He took upon Himself the form of a servant. Even the
the biologist should discover the mystery of the human birth, it
could not reveal anything regarding the conception of the Mediator,
LIKE ONE OF US 83
Second, it is not the conception of a human person, but of a
human nature. Where a new being is conceived, a human person
comes into existence. But when the Person of the Son, who was
with the Father from eternity, partakes of our flesh and blood, He
adopts our human nature in the unity of His Person, thus becoming
a true man; but it is not the creation of a new person. The Scrip
ture clearly shows this. In Christ appears but one ego, being in
the same Person at once the Son of God and the Son of man.
Third, from this it follows not that a new flesh was created in
Mary as the Mennonites used to teach, but that the fruit in Mary s
womb, from which Jesus was born, was taken from and nourished
with her own blood the very blood which through her parents she
had received from fallen Adam.
Last, the Mediator born of Mary not only partook of our flesh
and blood, such as it existed in Adam and as we have inherited it
from Adam, but He was born a true man, thinking, willing, and
feeling like other men, susceptible to all the human emotions and
sensations that cause the countless thrills and throbs of Tiuman life.
And yet He was separate from sinners. Of this we speak in the
next article.
Let this suffice for the fact of the conception, from which fact
we derive the precious comfort: " That it coiners in the sight of God
my sin and guilt wherein 1 was conceived and brought forth" (Heidel
berg Catechism, quest. 36).
XVIII.
Guiltless and Without Sin.
" For such an High Priest became us, who
is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate
from sinners, and made higher than the
heavens." Heb. vii. 26.
THROUGHOUT the ages the Church has confessed that Christ took
upon Himself real human nature from the virgin Mary, not as it
was before the fall, but such as it had become by and after the fall.
This is clearly stated in Heb. ii. 14, 17 : " Forasmuch as the chil
dren are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself took part of
the same. . . . Wherefore in all things it behooved Him to be
made like unto His brethren, to make reconciliation for the sins of
the people." It was even such a partaking of our nature as would
make Him feel Satan s goad, for there follows: " In that He Him
self hath suffered, being tempted, He is able to succor them that are
tempted." Upon the authority of the divine Word we can not
doubt then that the Son of God became man in our fallen nature.
It is our misery, by virtue of the inherited guilt of Adam, that we
can not live and act but as partakers of the flesh and blood corrupted
by the fall. And since we as children are partakers of flesh and
blood, so is He also become partaker of the same. Hence it can
not be too strongly emphasized that the Son of God, walking among
men, bore the same nature in which we spend our lives ; that His
flesh had the same origin as our flesh ; that the blood which ran
through His veins is the same as our blood, and came to Him as
well as to us from the same fountain in Adam. We must feel, and
dare confess, that in Gethsemane our Savior agonized in our flesh
and blood ; that it was our flesh and blood that were nailed to the
cross. The " blood of reconciliation " is taken from the very blood
which thirsts after reconciliation.
With equal assurance, however, bowing to the authority of the
Scripture, we confess that this intimate union of the Son of God
with the fallen human nature does not imply the least participation
GUILTLESS AND WITHOUT SIN 85
of our sin and guilt. In the same epistle in which the apostle sets
forth distinctly the fellowship of Jesus with the human flesh and
blood, he bears equally clear testimony to the fact of His sinless-
ness, so that every misunderstanding may be obviated. As by vir
tue of our conception and birth we are unholy, guilty, and defiled,
one with sinners, and therefore burdened with the condemnation of
hell, so is the Mediator conceived and born holy, harmless, undefiled,
separate from sinners, made higher than the heavens. And with equal
emphasis the apostle declares that sin did not enter into His temp
tations, for, altho tempted in all things, like as we are, yet He was
ever without sin.
Therefore the mystery of the Incarnation lies in the apparent
contradiction of Christ s union with our fallen nature, which on the
one hand is so intimate as to make Him susceptible to its tempta
tions, while on the other hand He is completely cut off from all
fellowship with its sin. The confession which weakens or elimi
nates either of these factors must, when logically developed, de
generate into serious heresy. By saying, " The Mediator is con
ceived and born in our nature, as it was before the fall," we sever
the fellowship between Him and us ; and by allowing that He had
the least personal part of our guilt and sin, we sever His fellowship
with the divine nature.
Does the Scripture not teach then that the Mediator was made
sin and bore the curse for us, and " as a worm and no man " suffered
deepest distress?
We answer: Yea, verily, without this we could have no redemp
tion. But in all this He acted as our Substitute. His own person
ality was not in the least affected by it. His burdening Himself
with our sins was a High- Priestly act, performed vicariously. He
was made sin, but never a sinner. Sinner means one who is person
ally affected by sin ; Christ s person never was. He never had any
fellowship with sin other than that of love and compassion, to bear
it as our High Priest and Substitute. Yet, tho He was exceedingly
sorrowful even unto death, tho He was sorely tempted so that He
cried out, " Let this cup pass from Me," in the center of His personal
being He remained absolutely free from the least contact with sin.
A close examination of the way by which we become partakers
of sin will shed more light on this subject.
Every individual sin is not of our own begetting only, but a par
ticipation in the common sin, the one mighty sin of the whole
86 THE INCARNATION OF THE WORD
race against which the anger of God is kindled. Not only do we
partake of this sin by an act of the will as we grow up ; it was ours
already in the cradle, in our mother s womb yea, even in our con
ception. " Conceived and born in sin " is the awful confession which
the Church of God s redeemed can never deny.
For this reason the Church has always laid such stress upon the
doctrine of inherited guilt, as declared by St. Paul in Rom. v. Our
inherited guilt does not spring from inherited sin ; on the contrary,
we are conceived and born in sin because we stand in inherited guilt.
Adam s guilt is imputed to all that were in his loins. Adam lived
and fell as our natural and federal head. Our moral life stands in
root-relation to his moral life. We were in him. He carried us in
himself. His state determined our state. Hence by the righteous
judgment of God his guilt was imputed to all his posterity, for as
much as, by the will of man, they should successively be born of
his loins. By virtue of this inherited guilt we are conceived in sin
and born in the participation of sin.
God is our Creator, and from His hands we came forth pure and
undefiled. To teach otherwise is to make Him the Author of indi
vidual sin, and to destroy the sense of guilt in the soul. Hence sin,
especially original sin, does not originate in our creation by the
hand of God, but by our vital relation with the sinful race. Our
person does not proceed from our parents. This is in direct con
flict with the indivisibility of spirit, with the Word of God, and its
confession that God is our Creator, " who has also made ;;/<?."
However, all creation is not the same. There is mediate and
immediate creation. God created light by immediate creation, but
grass and herbs mediately, for they spring from the ground. The
same difference exists between the creation of Adam and that of
his posterity. The creation of Adam was immediate : not of his
body, which was taken from the dust, but of his person, the human
being called Adam. His posterity, however, is a mediate creation,
for every conception is made to depend upon the will of man.
Hence while we come from the hand of God pure and undefiled,
we become at the same time partakers of the inherited and imputed
guilt of Adam ; and by virtue of this inherited guilt, through our
conception and birth, God brings us into fellowship with the sin of
the race. How this is brought about is an unfathomable mystery;
but this is a fact, that we become partakers of the sin of the race by
generation, which begins with conception and ends with birth.
GUILTLESS AND WITHOUT SIN 87
And now, with reference to the Person of Christ, everything
depends upon the question whether the original guilt of Adam
"was imputed also to the man Jesus Christ.
If so, then, like all other men, Christ was conceived and born in
sin by virtue of this original guilt. Where imputed original guilt
is, there must be sinful defilement. But, on the other hand, where
it is not, sinful defilement can not be ; hence He that is called holy
and harmless must be undefiled. Adam s guilt was not imputed to
the man Jesus Christ. If it were, then He was also conceived and
born in sin; then He did not suffer vicariously, but for Himself
personally; then there can be no blood of reconciliation. If the
original guilt of Adam was imputed to the man Jesus Christ, then
by virtue of His sinful conception and birth He was also subject to
death and condemnation, and He could not have received life but
by regeneration. Then it also follows that either this Man is Him
self in need of a Mediator, or that we, like Him, can enter into life
without a Go-between.
But this whole representation is without foundation, and is to be
rejected without qualification. The whole Scripture opposes it.
Adam s guilt is imputed to his posterity. But Christ is not a
descendant of Adam. He existed before Adam. He was not born
passively as we, but Himself took upon Him the human flesh. He
does not stand under Adam as His head, but is Himself a new
Head, having others under Him, of whom He saith : " Behold Me
and the children whom Thou hast given Me" (Heb. ii. 13). True,
Luke iii. 23, 28 contains the genealogy of Joseph, which closes
with the words, "The son of Adam, the son of God"; but the
Evangelist adds emphatically, " as was supposed " ; hence Jesus
was not the son of Joseph. And in Matthew His genealogy stops
at Abraham. Altho on Pentecost St. Peter says that David knew
that God would raise up Christ out of the fruit of his loins, yet he
adds this limitation, "according to the flesh." Moreover, realizing
that the Son did not assume a human person, but the human nature,
so that His Ego is that of the Person of the Son of God, it neces
sarily follows that Jesus can not be a descendant of Adam ; hence
the imputation of Adam s guilt to Christ would annihilate the
divine Person/ Such imputation is utterly out of the question.
To Him nothing is imputed. The sins He bore He took upon Him
self voluntarily, vicariously, as our High Priest and Mediator.
XIX.
The Holy Spirit in the Mystery of the Incarnation.
"The Word was made flesh and
dwelt among us, and we beheld
His glory." -John i. 14.
THERE is one more question in the treatment of this subject:
What was the extraordinary operation of the Holy Spirit that
enabled the Son of God to assume our fallen nature without being
defiled by sin?
Altho we concede it to be unlawful to pry into that behind the
veil which God does not freely open to us, yet we may seek the
meaning of the words that embody the mystery ; and this we intend
to do in the discussion of this question.
The Incarnation of Christ, with reference to His sinlessness, is
connected with the being of sin, the character of original sin, the
relation between body and soul, regeneration, and the working of
the Holy Spirit in believers. Hence it is necessary for a clear
understanding to have a correct view of the relation of Christ s
human nature to these important matters.
Sin is not a spiritual bacillus hiding in the blood of the mother
and received into the veins of the child. Sin is not material and
tangible ; its nature is moral and spiritual, belonging to the invisi
ble things whose results we can perceive but whose real being
escapes detection. Wherefore in opposition to Manicheism and
kindred heresies, the Church has always confessed that sin is not a
material substance in our flesh and blood, but that it consists in the
loss of the original righteousness in which Adam and Eve bloomed
and prospered in Paradise. Nor do believers differ on this point,
for all acknowledge that sin is the loss of original righteousness.
However, tracing the next step in the course of sin, we meet a
serious difference between the Church of Rome and our own. The
former teaches that Adam came forth perfect from the hand of his
Maker, even before he was endowed with original righteousness.
HOLY SPIRIT IN MYSTERY OF INCARNATION 89
This implies that the human nature is finished without original
righteousness, which is put on him like a robe or ornament. As
our present nature is complete without dress or ornament, which
are needed only to appear respectable in the world, so was the
human nature, according to Rome, complete and perfect in itself
without righteousness, which serves only as dress and jewel. But
the Reformed churches have always opposed this view, maintain
ing that original righteousness is an essential part of the human
: nature ; hence that the human nature in Adam was not complete
; without it; that it was not merely added to Adam s nature, but that
i Adam was created in the possession of it as the direct manifestation
\ of his life.
If Adam s nature was perfect before he possessed original right
eousness, it follows that it remains perfect after the loss of it; in
which case we describe sin simply as " carentia justitia3 originalis,"
i.e., the want of original righteousness. This used to be expressed
thus : Is original righteousness a natural or supernatural good? If
natural, then its loss caused the human nature to be wholly cor
rupt ; if supernatural, then its loss might take away the glory and
honor of that nature, but as a human nature it retained nearly all
of its original power.
Bellarniinus said that desire, disease, conflict, etc., naturally be
long to human nature; and original righteousness was a golden
bridle laid upon this nature, to check and control this desire, dis
ease, conflict, etc. Hence when the golden bridle was lost, disease,
desire, conflict, and death broke loose from restraint (torn, iv.,
chap, v., col. 15, 17, 1 8). Thomas Aquinas, to whom Calvin was
greatly indebted, and whom the present Pope has earnestly com
mended to his priests, had a more correct view. This is evident
from his definition of sin. If disease, desire, etc., existed in man
when he came from the hand of God, and only supernatural grace
can restrain them, then sin is merely the loss of original righteous
ness, hence purely negative. But if original righteousness belongs
to human nature and was not simply added to it supernaturally,
then sin is twofold: first, the loss of original righteousness;
second, the ruin and corruption of human nature itself, disorganizing
and disjointing it. Thomas Aquinas acknowledges this last aspect,
for he teaches (" Summa Theologiae," prima secundae, ix., sect.
2, art. i) that sin is not only deprivation and loss, but also a state of
corruption, wherein must be distinguished the lack of what ought
9 o THE INCARNATION OF THE WORD
to be present, i.e., original righteousness, and the presence of what
ought to be absent, viz., an abnormal derangement of the parts and
powers of the soul.
Our fathers held almost the same view. They judged that sin
is not material, but the loss of original righteousness. But since
original righteousness belongs to the sound human nature, the loss
did not leave that nature intact, but damaged, disjointed, and cor
rupted it.
To illustrate: A beautiful geranium that adorned the window
was killed by the frost. Leaves and flowers withered, leaving only
a mass of mildew and decay. What was the cause? Merely the
loss of the sun s light and heat. But that was enough; for these
belong to the nature of the plant, and are essential to its life and
beauty. Deprived of them it remains not what it is, but its nature
loses its soundness, and this causes decay, mildew, and poisonous
gases, which soon destroy it. So of human nature : In Paradise
Adam was like the blooming plant, flourishing in the warmth and
brightness of the Lord s presence. By sin he fled from that pres
ence. The result was not merely the loss of light and heat, but
since these were essential to his nature, that nature languished,
drooped, and withered. The mildew of corruption formed upon it;
and the positive process of dissolution was begun, to end only in
eternal death.
Facts and history prove even now that the human body hasj
weakened since the days of the Reformation ; that bad habits of aj
certain character sometimes pass from father to child even wherel
the early death of the former precludes propagation by education
and example. Hence the difference between Adam, body and soul,
before the fall and his descendants after the fall is not merely the 1
loss of the Sun of Righteousness, which by nature shines no longerj
upon them, but the damage caused by this loss to the human nature,
in body and soul, which thereby are weakened, diseased, corrupted,
and thrown out of balance.
This corrupt nature passes from the father to the child, as th
Confession of Faith expresses it in article xv. : " That original sin is|
a corruption of the whole nature, and an hereditary disease, where-)
with infants themselves are infected in their mother s womb, and)
which produces in man all sorts of sin, being in him as a roolj
thereof."
However, the relation between a person and his ego must be
HOLY SPIRIT IN MYSTERY OF INCARNATION 91
taken into account. The disordered condition of our flesh and
blood inclines and incites to sin, a fact that has been observed in
the victims of certain terrible diseases as their effect. But this
could not result in sin if there were no personal ego to allow itself
to be excited. Again, tho the unbalanced powers of the soul which
cause the darkening of the understanding, the blunting of the sensi
bilities, and the weakening of the will arouse the passions, yet
even this could not result in sin if no personal ego were affected
by this working. Hence sin puts its own mark upon this corrup
tion only when the personal ego turns away from God, and in that
disordered soul and diseased body stands condemned before Him.
If according to established law the unclean brings forth the
unclean, and if God has made our birth to depend upon generation
by sinful men, it must follow that by nature we are born first,
without original righteousness; secondly, with an impaired body;
thirdly, with a soul out of harmony with itself, lastly, with a
personal ego which is turned away from God.
All of which would apply to the Person of the Mediator if, like
one of us, He had been born a human person by the will of man
and not of God. But since He was not born a human person, but
took our human nature upon Himself, and was conceived not by the
will of man, but by an operation of the Holy Spirit, there could not
be in Him an ego turned away from God, nor could the weakness
of His human nature for a moment be a sinful weakness. Or to
put it in the concrete : Altho there was in that fallen nature some
thing to incite Him to desire, yet it never became desire. There
is a difference between the temptations and conflicts of Jesus and
those of ourselves ; while our ego and nature desire against God,
His holy Ego opposed the incitement of His adopted nature and
was never overcome.
Hence the proper work of the Holy Spirit consisted in this :
First, the creation not of a new person, but of a human nature,
which the Son assumed into union with His divine nature in one
Person.
Second, that the divine-human Ego of the Mediator, who,
according to His human nature, also possessed spiritual life, was
kept from the inward defilement which by virtue of our birth
affected our ego and personality.
Hence regeneration, which affects not our nature but our person,
is out of the question with reference to Christ. But what Christ
92 THE INCARNATION OF THE WORD
needed was the gifts of the Holy Ghost to enable His weakened
nature, in increasing measure, to be His instrument in the working!
out of His holy design; and finally to transform His weakened
nature not by regeneration, but by resurrection into a glorious
nature, divested of the last trace of weakness and prepared to!
unfold its highest glory.
Gbapter,
THE MEDIATOR.
XX.
The Holy Spirit in the Mediator.
" Who through the Eternal Spirit
offered Himself without spot to
God." Heb. ix. 14.
THE work of the Holy Spirit in the Person of Christ is not
exhausted in the Incarnation, but appears conspicuously in the
work of the Mediator. We consider this work in the development of
His human nature ; in the consecration to His office ; in His humiliation
unto death j in His resurrection, exaltation, and return in glory.
First The work of the Holy Spirit in the development of the human
nature in Jesus.
We have said before, and now repeat, that we consider the effort
to write the " Life of Jesus " either unlawful or its title a misnomer :
a misnomer when, pretending to write a biography of Jesus, the
writer simply omits to explain the psychological facts of His life ;
unlawful when he explains these facts from the human nature of
Jesus.
There never was a life of Jesus in the sense of a human, personal
existence ; and the tendency to substitute the various biographies
of Jesus of Nazareth for the simple Gospel narratives aims really at
nothing else than to place the unique Person of the God-man on the
same level with the geniuses and great men of the world , to hu
manize Him, and thus to annihilate the Messiah in Him in other
words, to secularize Him. And against this we solemnly protest with
all the power that is in us.
The God-human Person of the Lord Jesus did not live a life, but
94 THE MEDIATOR
rendered one mighty act of obedience by humbling Himself untcj
death; and out of that humbling He ascended not by powera
developed from His human nature, but by a mighty and extraordij
nary act of the power of God. Any one who successfully under]
took to write the life of Christ could do no more than draw thJ
picture of His human nature. For the divine nature has no history!
does not run through a process of time, but remains the same for!
evermore.
However, this does not prevent us from inquiring, according tc
the need of our limitations, in what manner the human nattire o.
Christ was developed. And then the Scripture teaches us thai
there was indeed growth in His human nature. St. Luke relates
that Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God
and men. Hence there was in His human nature a growth anc
development from the less unto the greater. This would have beei
impossible if in the Messiah the divine nature had taken the plac<
of the human ego; for then the majesty of the Godhead would
always and completely have filled the human nature. But this wa:|
not the case. The human nature in the Mediator was real, i.e., iif
body and soul it existed as it exists in us, and all inworking o|
divine life, light, and power could manifest itself only by adapting
itself to the peculiarities and limitations of the human nature.
When maintaining the mistaken view that the development ol
sinless Adam would have been accomplished without the aid of th<
Holy Spirit, it is natural to suppose that the sinless nature of Chrisl
did equally develop itself without the assistance of the Spirit o
God. But knowing from the Scripture that not only man s gifts
powers, and faculties, but also their working and exercise are ;
result of the work of the Holy Spirit, we see the development o]
the human nature of Jesus in a different light and understand th<
meaning of the words that He received the Holy Spirit withem
measure. For this indicates that His human nature also receivec
the Holy Ghost; and not this only after He had lived for year
without Him, but every moment of His existence according to thj
measure of His capacities. Even in His conception and birth thJ
Holy Spirit effected not only a separation from sin, but He alJ
endowed His human nature with the glorious gifts, powers, an<i
faculties of which that nature is susceptible. Hence His humaif
nature received these gifts, powers, and faculties not from the So>\
by communication from the divine nature, but from the Holy Ghos\
THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE MEDIATOR 95
by communication to the human nature; and this should be
thoroughly understood.
However, His human nature did not receive these gifts, powers,
and faculties in full operation, but wholly inoperative. As there
are in every infant powers and faculties that will remain dormant,
some of them for many years, so there were in the human nature of
Christ powers and faculties which for a time remained slumbering.
The Holy Spirit imparted these endowments to His human nature
without measure John iii. 34. This has reference to a contrast
between others, whom the Holy Spirit endowed not without measure,
but in limited degree according to their individual calling or des
tiny ; and Christ, in whom there is no such distinction or individual
ity to whom, therefore, gifts, powers, and faculties are imparted in
such a measure that He never could feel the lack of any gift of the
Holy Spirit. He lacked nothing, possessed all; not by virtue of
His divine nature, which can not receive anything, being the eternal
fulness itself, but by virtue of His human nature, which was endowed
with such glorious gifts by the Holy Spirit.
However, this was not all. Not only did the Holy Spirit adorn
the human nature of Christ with these endowments, but He also
caused them to be exercised, gradually to enter into full activity.
This depended upon the succession of the days and years of the
time of His humiliation. Altho His heart contained the germ of
all wisdom, yet as a child of one year, e.g., He could not know the
Scripture by means of His human understanding. As the Eternal
Son He knew it, for He Himself had given it to His Church. But
His human knowledge had no free access to His divine knowledge.
On the contrary, while the latter never increased, knowing all
things from eternity, the former was to learn everything; it had
nothing of itself. This is the increase in wisdom of which St. Luke
speaks an increase not of the faculty, but of its exercise. And
this affords us a glimpse into the extent of His humiliation. He
that knew all things by virtue of His divine nature began as man
with knowing nothing ; and that which He knew as a man He
acquired by learning it under the influence of the Holy Spirit.
And the same applies to His increase in stature and in favor
with God and men. Stature refers to His physical growth, inclu
ding all that in the human nature depends upon it. Not created an
adult like Adam, but born a child like each of us, Jesus had to grow
and develop physically; not by magic, but in reality. When He
9 6 THE MEDIATOR
lay in Mary s lap, or as a boy looked around in his stepfather s
shop, He was a child not only in appearance with the wisdom of a
venerable, hoary head, but a real child, whose impressions, feelings,
sensations, and thoughts kept step with His years. No doubt His
development was quick and beautiful, surpassing anything ever
seen in other children, so that the aged rabbis in the Temple were
astonished when they looked upon the Boy only twelve years old;
yet it always remained the development of a child that first lay
upon His mother s lap, then learned to walk, gradually became a
boy and youth, until He attained the fulness of man s stature.
And as the Holy Spirit with every increase of His human nature
enlarged the exercise of its powers and faculties, so He did also
with reference to the relation of the human nature to God and men,
for He increased in favor with God and men. Favor has reference
to the unfolding and development of the inward life, and may
manifest itself in a twofold way, either pleasing or displeasing to
God and men. Of Jesus it is said that in His development such
gifts and faculties, dispositions and attributes, powers and qualifi
cations manifested themselves from the inward life of His human
nature that God s favor rested upon them, while they affected those
around Him in a refreshing and helpful way.
Even apart from His Messiahship Jesus stood, with reference to
His human nature, during all the days of His humiliation, under the
constant and penetrating operation of the Holy Spirit. The Son,
who lacked nothing, but as God in union with the Father and the
Holy Spirit possessed all things, compassionately adopted our
human nature. And inasmuch as it is the peculiarity of that nature
to derive its gifts, powers, and faculties not from itself, but from the
Holy Spirit, by whose constant operation alone they can be exer
cised, so did the Son not violate this peculiarity, but, altho He was
the Son, He did not take its preparation, enriching, and operation
into His own hand, but was willing to receive them from the hand
of the Holy Spirit.
The fact that the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus at His Bap
tism, altho He had received Him without measure at His concep
tion, can only be explained by keeping in view the difference
between \he personal and official life of Jesus,
XXI.
Not Like unto Us.
"Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit
into the wilderness." Matt. iv. i.
THE representation that Christ s human nature received anima
ting and qualifying influences and impulses directly from His divine
nature, altho on the whole incorrect, contains also some truth.
We often distinguish between our ego and nature. We say : " I
have my nature against me, "or " My nature is in my favor"; hence
it follows that our person animates and actuates our nature. Ap
plying this to the Person of the Mediator, we must distinguish
between His human nature and His Person. The latter existed
from eternity, the former He adopted in time. And since in the
Son the divine Person and the divine nature are nearly one, it must
be acknowledged that the Godhead of our Lord directly controlled
His human nature. This is the meaning of the confession of God s
children that His Godhead supported His human nature.
But it is wrong to suppose that the divine Person accomplished
in His human nature what in us is effected by the Holy Spirit.
This would endanger His true and real humanity. The Scripture
positively denies it.
Second The work of the Holy Spirit in the consecration of
Jesus to His office (see " First," on p. 93).
This ought to be carefully noticed, especially since the Church
has never sufficiently confessed the influence of the Holy Spirit
exerted upon the work of Christ. The general impression is that
the work of the Holy Spirit begins when the work of the Mediator
on earth is finished, as tho until that time the Holy Spirit cele
brated His divine day of rest. Yet the Scripture teaches us again
and again that Christ performed His mediatorial work controlled
and impelled by the Holy Spirit. We consider this influence now
with reference to His consecration to His office.
By the spirit of the prophets already Christ testified of this say-
7
9 8 THE MEDIATOR
ing by the mouth of Isaiah : " The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is
upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good til,
dings unto the meek." But the great fact which could not be learned
from prophecy is that of the descent of the Holy Spirit at Jordan!
Surely Isaiah referred partly to this event, but principally to the!
anointing in the counsel of peace. However, when Jesus went upl
out of Jordan, and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him like a dove,
and a voice was heard from heaven saying, " This is My beloved!
Son," then only the anointing became actual.
In regard to the event itself, only a few words. That Christ s)
Baptism was not a mere form, but the fulfilling of all righteousness
proves that He descended into the water burdened with our sinsJ
Hence St. John makes the words, " Behold the Lamb of God," pre
cede the account of His Baptism. Wherefore it is incorrect to say
that Christ was installed into His Messianic office only at His BapJ
tism. On the contrary, He was anointed from eternity. Wliere-j
fore He may not be represented as being for a moment unconscious,]
according to the measure of His development, of the Messiah task
that rested upon Him. This lay in His holy Person ; it was not!
added to Him at a later period, but was His before Adam fell.
And as in His human consciousness His Person gradually attained!
stature, it was always the stature of the Messiah. This is evident
from His answer when, at the age of twelve, He spoke of the things
of His Father which were to occupy Him ; and still more clearly
from His words to John the Baptist commandingly saying : " Suffer
it to be so now, for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness."
And yet it is only at His Baptism that Jesus receives the actual!
consecration to His office. This is proven from the fact that imme
diately after this He entered publicly upon His office as a Teacher;!
and also from the event itself, and the voice from heaven pointing}
to Him as the Messiah ; and especially from the descent of the Holy
Spirit, which can not be interpreted in any other way than as His;
consecration to His holy office.
What we have said with reference to the communication of the
Holy Spirit qualifying one for office, as in the case of Saul, David,!
and others, is of direct application here. Altho in His human
nature Jesus was personally in constant fellowship with the Holy
Spirit, yet the official communication was established only at the!
time of His Baptism. Yet with this difference, that while in others]
the person and his office are separated at death, in the Messiah the|
NOT LIKE UNTO US 99
.
two remain united even in and after death, to continue so until the
moment that He shall deliver the Kingdom unto God the Father,
gj j that God may be all in all. Hence the descriptive remark of John :
"I saw the Spirit descending from heaven, and it abode on Him "
j, (John i. 32).
And finally, to the question why the Person of the Mediator
1 needed this remarkable event and the three signs that accompany
i it, we answer :
First, Christ must be a true man even in His office, wherefore
He must be installed according to the human custom. He enters
; upon His public ministry at thirty ; He is publicly installed ; and
1 He is anointed with the Holy Spirit.
Second, for His human consciousness this striking revelation
from heaven was of the utmost necessity. The conflict of the
temptation was to be absolute, i.e., indescribable ; hence the impres
sion of His consecration must be indestructible.
Third, for the apostles and the Church it was necessary to dis
tinguish unmistakably the true Messiah from all the pseudo-mes-
siahs and antichrists. This is the reason of St. John s strong
appeal to this event.
If the work of the Holy Spirit with reference to the consecration
is conspicuous and clearly indicated, the fact that the official influ
ence of the Holy Spirit accompanied the Mediator throughout the
entire administration of His office is not less clearly set forth in the
Holy Scripture. This appears from the events immediately follow
ing the Baptism. St. Luke relates that Jesus being full of the Holy
Spirit, was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. St. Matthew
adds: " To be tempted of the devil." Of Elias, Ezekiel, and others
it is said that the Spirit took them up and transferred them to some
other place. This stands in evident connection with what we read
here concerning Jesus. With this difference, however, that while
the propelling power came to them from without, Jesus, being full
of the Holy Spirit, felt its pressure in the very depths of His soul.
And yet, altho operating in His soul, this action of the Holy Spirit
was not identical with the impulses of Christ s human nature. Of
Himself Jesus would not have gone into the desert; His going
there was the result of the Holy Spirit s leading. Only in this way
this passage receives its full explanation.
That this leading of the Holy Spirit was not limited to this one
act appears from St. Luke, who relates (chap. iv. 14) that after the
I00 THE MEDIATOR
temptation He returned in the power of the Holy Spirit into GaliJ
lee, thus entering upon the public ministry of His prophetic office.
It is evidently the purpose of the Scripture to emphasize the fact!
of the inability of the human nature which Christ had adopted, to
accomplish the work of the Messiah without the constant opera
tion and powerful leading of the Holy Spirit, whereby it was so
strengthened that it could be the instrument of the Son of God forj
the performance of His wonderful work.
Jesus was conscious of this, and at the beginning of His ministry
expressly indicated it. In their synagogue He turned to Isa. Ixi. I
i, and read to them: " The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because!
the Lord hath anointed me"; then added: " This day is this Scrip-!
ture fulfilled in your ears."
The Holy Spirit did not support His human nature in the temp
tation and in the opening ministry only, but in all His mighty deeds,
as Christ Himself testified: "If I cast out devils by the Spirit ot
God, then the Kingdom of God is come unto you" (Matt. xii. 28).
Moreover, St. Paul teaches that the gifts of healing and miracles:
proceed from the Holy Spirit, and this, in connection with the state
ment that these powers worked in Jesus (Mark vi. 14), convinces us
that these were the very powers of the Holy Spirit. Again, it is
frequently said He rejoiced in the Spirit or was troubled in the
Spirit, which may be interpreted as a rejoicing or being troubled in
His own spirit; but this is not a complete explanation. When it
refers to His own spirit it reads: " And He sighed deeply in His
spirit" (Mark viii. 12). But in the other cases we interpret the ex-l
pressions as pointing to those deeper and more glorious emotions
of which our human nature is susceptible only when abiding in the!
Holy Spirit. For altho St. John states that Jesus groaned in Him
self (chap. xi. 38), this is not contradictory, especially with refer
ence to Jesus. If the Holy Spirit always abode in Him, the same
emotion may be attributed both to Him and to the Holy Spirit.
Apart, however, from these passages and their interpretations,
we have said enough to prove that that part of Christ s work of
mediation, beginning with His Baptism and closing in the upper
chamber, was marked by the operation, influence, and support of
the Holy Spirit.
According to the divine counsel, human nature is adapted in
creation to the inworking of the Holy Spirit, without which it can
not unfold itself any more than the rosebud without the light and
NOT LIKE UNTO US 101
influence of the sun. As the ear can not hear without sound, and
the eye can not see without light, so is our human nature incom-
| plete without the light and indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Where-
fore, when the Son assumed human nature He took it just as it
is, i.e., incapable of any holy action without the power of the
Holy Spirit. Hence He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, that
i from the beginning His human nature should be richly endowed
i with powers. The Holy Spirit developed these powers; and He
was consecrated to His office by the communication to His human
nature of the Messianic gifts by which He still intercedes for us as
; our High Priest, and rules us as our King. And for this reason He
j was guided, impelled, animated, and supported by the Holy Spirit
at every step of His Messianic ministry.
There are three differences between this communication of the
Holy Spirit to the human nature of Jesus and that in us :
First, the Holy Spirit always meets with the resistance of evil
in our hearts. Jesus s heart was without sin and unrighteousness.
Hence in His human nature the Holy Spirit met no resistance.
Secondly, the Holy Spirit s operation, influence, support, and
guidance in our human nature is always individual, i.e., in part,
imperfect; in the human nature of Jesus it was central, perfect,
leaving no void.
Thirdly, in our nature the Holy Spirit meets with an ego which
in union with that nature opposes God; while the Person which He
met in the human nature of Christ, partaking of the divine nature,
was absolutely holy. For the Son having adopted the human
nature in union with His Person, was cooperating with the Holy
Spirit.
XXII.
The Holy Spirit in the Passion of Christ.
"Who through the Eternal Spirit;
offered Himself." Heb. ix. 4.
THIRDLY Let us now trace the work of the Holy Spirit in the
suffering, death, resurrection, and exaltation of Christ (see "First"!
and " Second," pp. 93 and 97).
In the Epistle to the Hebrews the apostle asks: " If the blood ofj
goats and calves and the ashes of the heifer sprinkling the unclean,!
sanctifieth to the purification of the flesh, how much more shall!
the blood of Christ purge your conscience from dead works?" add-j
ing the words : " Who through the Eternal Spirit offered Himself!
without spot to God." The meaning of these words has been much!
disputed. Beza and Gomarus understood the Eternal Spirit tcj
signify Christ s divine nature. Calvin and the majority of reformers
made it to refer to the Holy Spirit. Expositors of the present dayj
especially those of rationalistic tendencies, understand by it merel>i
the tension of Christ s human nature.
With the majority of orthodox expositors we adopt the view o:|
Calvin. The difference between Beza and Calvin is that already"
referred to. The question is, whether as regards His human nature
Christ substituted the inworking of the Son for that of the Hoi}!
Spirit; or did He have the ordinary operation of the Holy Spirit? j
At the present time many have adopted the former view withou 1
clearly understanding the difference. They reason thus: " Are the
two natures not united in the Person of Jesus? Why, then, shouki
the Holy Spirit be added to qualify the human nature? Could tin
Son Himself not do this?" And so they reach the conclusion tha
since the Mediator is God, there could be no need of a work of the
Holy Spirit in the human nature of Christ. And yet this view mus
be rejected, for
First, God has so created human nature that without the Holj,
Spirit it can not have any virtue or holiness. Adam s origina
i
HOLY SPIRIT IN THE PASSION OF CHRIST 103
righteousness was the work and fruit of the Holy Spirit as truly as
the new life in the regenerate is to-day. The shining-in of the
j Holy Spirit is as essential to holiness as the shining of light into
i the eye is essential to seeing.
Second, the work of the Son according to the distinction of
: three divine Persons is other than the work of the Holy Spirit with
I reference to the human nature. The Holy Spirit could not become
i flesh; this the Son alone could do. The Father has not delivered
I all things to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit works from the Son ;
I but the Son depends upon the Holy Spirit for the application of
redemption to individuals. The Son adopts our nature, thus rela
ting Himself with the whole race ; but the Holy Spirit alone can so
enter into individual souls as to glorify the Son in the children
of God.
Applying these two principles to the Person of Christ, we see
that His human nature could not dispense with the constant in-
shining of the Holy Spirit. For which reason Scripture declares :
" He gave Him the Spirit without measure." Nor could the Son ac
cording to His own nature take the place of the Holy Spirit; but in
the divine economy, by virtue of His union with the human nature,
ever depended upon the Holy Spirit.
As to the question, whether the Godhead of Christ did not sup
port His humanity, we answer : Undoubtedly ; but never independ
ently of the Holy Spirit. We faint because we resist, grieve, and
repel the Holy Spirit. Christ was always victorious because His
divinity never relaxed His hold upon the Holy Spirit in His hu
manity, but embraced Him and clave unto Him with all the love
and energy of the Son of God.
Human nature is limited. It is susceptible of receiving the Holy
Spirit so as to be His temple. But that susceptibility has its limits.
Opposed by eternal death, it loses its tension and falls away from
the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Hence we have no unlosable
good in ourselves, but only as members of the body of Christ.
Apart from Him, eternal death would have power over us, would
separate us from the Holy Spirit and destroy us. Wherefore all
our salvation lies in Christ. He is our anchor cast within the veil.
As to the human nature of Christ, it encountered and passed through
eternal death. This could not be otherwise. If He had passed only
through temporal death, eternal death would still be unvanquished.
To the question how His human nature could pass through
104 THE MEDIATOR
eternal death and not perish, having no Mediator to support it, we
answer: The human nature of Christ would have been overwhelmed
by it, the in-shining of the Holy Spirit would have ceased if His
divine nature, i.e., the infinite might of His Godhead, had not been
underneath it. Hence the apostle declares : " Who through the
Eternal Spirit offered Himself"; not through the Holy Spirit. The
two expressions are not identical. There is a difference between
the Holy Spirit, the third Person in the Godhead, apart from me,
and the Holy Spirit working within me.
The word of Scripture, " He was full of the Holy Ghost," refers
not only to the Person of the Holy Spirit, but also to His work in
man s soul. So with reference to Christ, there is a difference
between: "He was conceived by the Holy Ghost," "The Holy
Ghost descended upon Him," " Being full of the Holy Spirit," " Who
offered Himself by the Eternal Spirit." The last two passages indi
cate the fact that the spirit of Jesus had taken in the Holy Spirit
and identified itself with Him, in almost the same sense as Acts xv.
28: "It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us" The term
" Eternal Spirit " was chosen to indicate that the divine-human Per
son of Christ entered into such indissoluble fellowship with the
Holy Spirit as even eternal death could not break.
A closer examination of the sufferings of Christ will make this
clear.
Christ did not redeem us by His sufferings alone, being spit
upon, scourged, crowned w r ith thorns, crucified, and slain ; but this
passion was made effectual to our redemption by His love and volun
tary obedience. These are generally called His passive and active
satisfaction. By the first we understand His actual bearing of pain,
anguish, and death; by the second, His zeal for the honor of God,
the love, faithfulness, and divine pity by which He became obedient
even unto death yea, the death of the cross. And these two are
essentially distinct. Satan, e.g., bears punishment also and shall
bear it forever; but he lacks the willingness. This, however, does
not affect the validity of the punishment. A murderer on the gal
lows may curse God and men to the end ; but this does not invali
date his punishment. Whether he curses or prays, it is equally
valid.
Hence there was in Christ s sufferings much more than mere
passive, penal satisfaction. Nobody compelled Jesus. He, par
taker of the divine nature, could not be compelled, but offered
HOLY SPIRIT IN THE PASSION OF CHRIST 105
Himself quite voluntarily: " Lo, I come to do Thy will, O God; in
the volume of the book it is written of Me." To render that volun
tary sacrifice He had with equal willingness adopted the prepared
body : " Who being in the form of God thought it no robbery to be
equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation and being
found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself and became obe
dient unto death, even the death of the cross"; "Who, tho He
were a Son, yet learned He obedience." And to give highest proof
of this obedience unto death, He inwardly consecrated Himself to
death, as He Himself testified: " I sanctify Myself for them."
This leads to the important question, whether Jesus rendered
this obedience and consecration outside of His human nature, or in
it, so that it manifested itself in His human nature. Undoubtedly
the latter. The divine nature can not learn, or be tempted; the
Son could not love the Father with other than eternal love. In the
divine nature there is no more or less. To suppose this is to anni
hilate the divine nature. The statement that, " tho He were the
Son, yet learned He obedience," does not mean that as God He
learned obedience ; for God can not obey. God rules, governs,
commands, but never obeys. As King He can serve us only in
the form of a slave, hiding His princely majesty, having emptied
Himself, standing before us as one despised among men. " Tho He
were the Son "means, therefore: altho in His inward Being He is
God the Son, yet He stood before us in such lowliness that noth
ing betrayed His divinity; yea, so lowly that He even learned
obedience.
Wherefore if the Mediator as man showed in His human nature
such zeal for God and such pity for sinners that He willingly gave
Himself in self-sacrifice unto death, then it is evident that His human
nature could not exercise such consecration without the inworking
of the Holy Spirit; and again that the Holy Spirit could not have
effected such inworking unless the Son willed and desired it. The
cry of the Messiah is heard in the words of the psalmist : " I delight
to do Thy will, O God." The Son was willing so to empty Him
self that it would be possible for His human nature to pass through
eternal death; and to this end He let it be filled with all the mighti
ness of the Spirit of God. Thus the Son offered Himself " through
the Eternal Spirit that we might serve the living God."
Hence the work of the Holy Spirit in the work of redemption
did not begin only at Pentecost, but the same Holy Spirit who in
I0 6 THE MEDIATOR
creation animates all life, upholds and qualifies our human nature,
and in Israel and the prophets wrought the work of revelation, also
prepared the body of Christ, adorned His human nature withj
gracious gifts, put these gifts into operation, installed Him into
His office, led Him into temptation, qualified Him to cast out
devils, and finally enabled Him to finish that eternal work of satis
faction whereby our souls are redeemed.
This explains why Beza and Gomarus could not be fully satisfied
with Calvin s exposition. Calvin said that it was the working- of
the Holy Spirit apart from the divinity of the Son. And they felt
that there was something lacking. For the Son made Himself of
no reputation and became obedient; but if all this is the work of
the Holy Spirit, then nothing is left of the work of the Son. And
to escape from this, they adopted the other extreme, and declared ;
that the Eternal Spirit had reference only to the Son according to
His divine nature an exposition that can not be accepted, for the I
divine nature is never designated as spirit.
Yet they were not altogether wrong. The reconciliation of
these contrary views must be looked for in the difference between
the existence of the Holy Spirit without us, and His working within
us as received by our nature and identified with its own working. And
inasmuch as the Son, by His Godhead, enabled His human nature, !
in the awful conflict with eternal death, to effect this union, there-
fore the apostle confesses that the sacrifice of the Mediator was !
rendered by the working of the Eternal Spirit.
XXIII.
The Holy Spirit in the Glorified Christ.
" Declared to be the Son of God with
power, according to the Spirit of
holiness, by the resurrection from
the dead." Rom. i. 4.
FROM the foregoing studies it appears that the Holy Spirit per
formed a work in the human nature of Christ as He descended the
several steps of His humiliation to the death of the cross.
The question now arises, whether He had also a work in the
several steps of Christ s exaltation to the excellent glory, i.e., in
His resurrection, ascension, royal dignity, and second coming.
Before we answer this question, let us first consider the nature
of this work in the exaltation. For it is evident that it must greatly
differ from that in His humiliation. In the latter His human nature
suffered violence. His sufferings antagonized not only His divine
nature, but also His human nature. To suffer pain, insult, and
mockery, to be scourged and crucified, goes against human nature.
The effort to resist such sufferings and to escape from them is per
fectly natural. Christ s groaning in Gethsemane is the natural
utterance of the human feeling. He was burdened with the curse
and wrath of God against the sin of the race. Then human nature
struggled against the burden, and the cry, " Father, let this cup
pass from Me," was the sincere and natural cry of horror which
human nature could not repress.
And not in Gethsemane alone ; through His whole humiliation
He experienced the same, tho in less degree. His self-emptying
was not a single loss or bereavement, but a growing poorer and
poorer, until at last nothing was left Him but a piece of ground
where He could weep and a cross whereon He could die. He
renounced all that heart and flesh hold dear, until, without friend
or brother, without one tone of love, amid the mocking laughter
of His slanderers, He gave up the ghost. Surely He trod the wine
press alone.
io8 THE MEDIATOR
His humiliation being so deep and real, it is not surprising that
the Holy Spirit succored and comforted His human nature so that
it was not overwhelmed. For it is the proper work of the Holy
Spirit by gifts of grace to enable human nature, tempted by sor
row to sin, to stand firm and overcome. He animated Adam before
the fall; He comforts and supports all the children of God to-day;
and He did the same in the human nature of Jesus. What air is to
man s physical nature, the Holy Spirit is to his spiritual nature.
Without air there is death in our bodies; without the Holy Spirit
there is death in our souls. And as Jesus had to die, tho He was
the Son, when breath failed Him, so He could not live according to
His human nature, tho He was the Son, except the Holy Spirit
dwelt in that nature. Since, according to the spiritual side of His
human nature, He was not dead as we are, but was born possessed
of the life of God, so it was impossible for His human nature for a
single moment to be without the Holy Spirit.
But how different in the state of His exaltation ! Honor and
glory are not against human nature, but satisfy it. It covets them
and longs for them with all its energy of desire. Hence this exal
tation created no conflict in the soul of Jesus. His human nature
needed no support to bear it. Hence the question: What, then,
could the Holy Spirit do for the human nature in the state of glory?
Regarding the resurrection, the Scripture teaches more than
once that it was connected with a work of the Holy Spirit. St.
Paul says (Rom. i. 4) that Jesus was " declared to be the Son of God,
by the Spirit of holiness with power, by the resurrection from the
dead." And St. Peter says (i Peter i. 18) that Christ " being put to
death in the flesh, was quickened by the Spirit," which evidently
refers to the resurrection, as the context shows: " For Christ once
suffered for our sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring
us to God." His death points to the crucifixion, and His quicken
ing, being the opposite of the latter, undoubtedly refers to His
resurrection.
In Rom. viii. n, speaking of our resurrection, St. Paul explains
these more or less puzzling utterances, affirming that " if the Spirit
of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that
raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal
bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you." This passage tells
three things concerning our resurrection :
First, that the Triune God shall raise us up.
HOLY SPIRIT IN THE GLORIFIED CHRIST 109
Second, that this shall be wrought by a special work of the
Holy Spirit.
Third, that it shall be effected by the Spirit that dwelleth in us.
St. Paul induces us to apply these three to Christ; for He com
pares our resurrection with His, not only as regards the fact, but
also as regards the working whereby it was effected. Hence with
reference to the latter it must be confessed :
First, that the Triune God raised Him from the dead. St. Peter
stated this clearly on the day of Pentecost : " Whom God has raised
up, having loosed the pains of death"; St. Paul repeated it in
Ephes. i. 20, where he speaks of "His mighty power" which He
wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead.
Second, that God the Holy Spirit performed a peculiar work in
the resurrection.
Third, that He wrought this work in Christ from within, dwell
ing in Him : " Which dwelleth in you."
The nature of this work is apparent from the Holy Spirit s part
in Adam s creation and in our birth. If the Spirit kindles and
brings forth all life, especially in man, then it was He who re
kindled the spark quenched by sin and death. He did so in Jesus;
He will do so in- us.
The only remaining difficulty is on the third point : " Which
dwelleth in you." The work of the Holy Spirit in our creation, and
therefore in that of Christ s human nature, came from without ; in
the resurrection it works from within. Of course persons dying
without being temples of the Holy Spirit are excluded. St. Paul
speaks exclusively of men whose hearts are His temples. Hence
representing Him as dwelling in them, he speaks of Him as the
Spirit of holiness, and Peter as the " Spirit" indicating that they do
not refer to a work of the Holy Spirit in opposition to the spirit of
Jesus, but in which His spirit agreed and cooperated. And this
harmonizes with Christ s own words, that in the resurrection He
would not be passive, but active : " I have power to lay down life
and I have power to take it again. This commandment I have
received of My Father." The apostles declare again and again not
only that Jesus was raised from the dead, but that He has risen.
He had thus foretold it, and the angels said: " Behold, He is risen."
Hence we reach this conclusion, that the work of the Holy Spirit
in the resurrection was different from that in the humiliation ; was
similar to that in the creation ; and was performed from within by
no THE MEDIATOR
the Spirit who dwelt in Him without measure, who continued with
Him through His death, and in whose work His own spirit fully
concurred.
The work of the Holy Spirit in the exaltation of Christ is not so
easily denned. The Scripture never speaks of it in connection with
His ascension, His sitting at the right hand of the Father, nor with
the Lord s second coming. Its connection with the descent at
Pentecost will be treated in its proper place. Light upon these
points can be obtained only from the scattered statements concern
ing the work of the Holy Spirit upon human nature in general.
According to Scripture, the Holy Spirit belongs to our nature as the
light to the eye ; not only in its sinful condition, but also in the sin
less state. From this we infer that Adam before he fell was not
without His inworking; hence that in the heavenly Jerusalem our
human nature will possess Him in richer, fuller, more glorious
measure. For our sanctified nature is a habitation of God through
the Spirit Ephes. ii. 22.
If, therefore, our blessedness in heaven consists in the enjoy
ment of the pleasures of God, and it is the Holy Spirit who comes
into contact with our innermost being, it follows that in heaven He
can not leave us. And upon this ground we confess, that not only
the elect, but the glorified Christ also, who continues to be a true
man in heaven, must therefore forever continue to be filled with the
Holy Spirit. This our churches have always confessed in the Lit
urgy : " The same Spirit which dwelleth in Christ as the Head and
in us as His members."
The same Holy Spirit who performed His work in the concep
tion of our Lord, who attended the unfolding of His human nature,
who brought into activity every gift and power in Him, who conse
crated Him to His office as the Messiah, who qualified Him for
every conflict and temptation, who enabled Him to cast out devils,
and who supported Him in His humiliation, passion, and bitter
death, was the same Spirit who performed His work in His resur
rection, so that Jesus was justified in the Spirit (i Tim. iii. 16), and
who dwells now in the glorified human nature of the Redeemer in
the heavenly Jerusalem.
In this connection it should be noticed that Jesus said of His
body: "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."
The Temple was God s habitation on Zion ; hence it was a symbol
of that habitation of God that was to be set up in our hearts.
HOLY SPIRIT IN THE GLORIFIED CHRIST in
Hence this saying refers not to the indwelling of the Son in our
flesh, but to that of the Holy Spirit in the human nature of Jesus.
Wherefore St. Paul writes to the Corinthians : " Know ye not that
your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you?" If
the apostle calls our bodies temples of the Holy Ghost, why should
we take it in another sense with reference to Jesus?
If Christ dwelt in our flesh, i.e., in our human nature, body and
soul, and if the Holy Ghost dwells, on the contrary, in the temple of
our body, we see that Jesus Himself considered His death and resur
rection an awful process of suffering through which He must enter
into glory, but without being for a single moment separated from
the Holy Spirit.
Seventb Cbapter.
THE OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
XXIV.
The Outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
"The Holy Spirit was not yet j^iven
because that Jesus was not yet
glorified." -John vii. 39.
WE have come to the most difficult part in the discussion of the
work of the Holy Spirit, viz., the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on
the tenth day after the ascension.
In the treatment of this subject it is not our aim to create a new
interest in the celebration of Pentecost. We consider this almost
impossible. Man s nature is too unspiritual for this. But we shall
reverently endeavor to give a clearer insight into this event to
those in whose hearts the Holy Spirit has already begun His work.
For, however simple the account of the second chapter of the
Acts may seem, it is very intricate and hard to explain; and he
who earnestly tries to understand and explain the event will meet
more and more serious difficulties as he penetrates more deeply
into the inward connection of the Holy Scripture. For this reason
we claim not that our exposition will entirely solve this mystery.
We shall endeavor only to fix the sanctified mind of the people of
God more earnestly upon it, and convince them that on the vrhole
this subject is treated too superficially.
Four difficulties meet us in the examination of this event :
First, How shall we explain the fact that while the Holy Spirit
was poured out only on Pentecost, the saints of the Old Covenant
were already partakers of His gifts?
Second, How shall we distinguish the outpouring of the Holy
Spirit nineteen centuries ago from His entering into the soul of the
unconverted to-day?
THE OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT 113
Third, How could the apostles having already confessed the
good confession, forsaking all, following Jesus, and upon whom He
had breathed, saying, " Receive ye the Holy Ghost " receive the
Holy Spirit only on the tenth day after the ascension?
Fourth, How are we to explain the mysterious signs that accom
pany the outpouring? There are no angels praising God, but a
sound is heard like that of a rushing, mighty wind; the glory of the
{Lord does not appear, but tongues of fire hover over their heads;
there is no theophany, but a speaking in peculiar and uncommon
| sounds, understood, however, by those present.
With reference to the first difficulty : How to explain the fact that,
while the Holy Spirit was poured out only on Pentecost, the saints
of the Old Covenant were already partakers of His gifts. Let us
put this in the concrete : How are the following passages to be
reconciled? " I am with you, saith the Lord of Hosts, and My Spirit
jremaineth among you, fear ye not" (Hag. ii. 4, 5) ; and " This spake
He of the Holy Spirit which they that believe should receive , for
the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because that Jesus was not yet
glorified" (John vii. 39).
Scripture evidently seeks to impress us with the two facts, that
the Holy Spirit came only on the day of Pentecost, and that the
same Spirit had wrought already for centuries in the Church of
the Old Covenant. Not only does St. John declare definitely that the
Holy Spirit was not yet given, but the predictions of the prophets
and of Jesus and the whole attitude of the apostles show that this
fact may not in the least be weakened.
Let us first examine the prophecies. Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Joel
Dear undeniable witness to the fact that this was the expectation of
the prophets.
Isaiah says : " The palaces shall be forsaken, the multitudes of
the city shall be left until the Spirit shall be poured upon us from on
high ; then the wilderness shall be a fruitful field, and the fruitful
field shall be counted for a forest; then judgment shall dwell in the
wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field." This
prophecy evidently refers to an outpouring of the Holy Spirit
that shall effect a work of salvation on a large scale, for it closes
with the promise :, " And the work of righteousness shall be peace,
and the effect of righteousness, quietness, and assurance forever"
(Isa. xxxii. 14-17).
In like manner did Ezekiel prophesy : " Then will I sprinkle
8
n 4 THE OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean ; a new heart also will
I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you ; and I will put My
Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes ; and ye
shall keep My judgments, and do them ; and I will save you from all
youruncleanness. Not for yourselves will I do this, saiththe Lord,
be it known unto you" (chap, xxxiv. 25). Ezek. xi. 19 gives the
prelude of this prophecy : " Thus saith the Lord -God, I will give
them one heart, and I will give a new Spirit within them ; and I will
take the stony heart out of their flesh, that they may walk in My
statutes."
Joel uttered his well-known prophecy : " And it shall come to
pass afterward that I will pour My Spirit upon all flesh, and your
sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream
dreams, your young men shall see visions ; and also upon thy serv
ants and upon thy handmaidens i*i those days will I pour out My
Spirit" (Joel ii. 30, 31) ; a prophecy which, according to the author
itative exposition of St. Peter, refers directly to the day of Pentecost.
Zechariah adds a beautiful prophecy (xii. 10) : " I will pour out
the Spirit of grace and of supplication."
It is true that these prophecies were given to Israel during its
later period, when the vigorous spiritual life of the nation had
already departed. But Moses expressed the same thought in his
prophetic prayer: "Would God that all the Lord s people were
prophets, and that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them " (Num.
xi. 29). But these prophecies are evidence of the Old Testament
prophetic conviction that the dispensation of the Holy Spirit in
those days was exceedingly imperfect; that the real dispensation
of the Holy Spirit was still tarrying; and that only in the days of
the Messiah was it to come in all its fulness and glory.
Regarding the second difficulty, our Lord repeatedly put the stamp
of His divine authority upon this prophetic conviction, announcing
to His disciples the still future coming of the Holy Spirit : " I will
pray the Father and He shall give you another Comforter, that He
may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of truth, whom the
world can not receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth
Him, for He dwelleth with you and shall be in you" (John xiv. 16,
17); "When the Comforter is come whom I will send from the
Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father,
He shall testify of Me " (John xv. 26) ; " Behold, I send the promise
of the Father upon you, and ye shall be endued with power from
THE OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT 115
on high" (Luke xxiv. 49) ; " It is expedient for you that I go away;
for if I go not away the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I
depart, I will send Him unto you. And when He is come, He will
reprove the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment " (John
xvi. 7, 8). And lastly: He commanded them not to depart from
Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, " which, saith
He, ye have heard of Me ; for John truly baptized with water, but
ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
And ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon
you" (Acts i. 4, 5, 8).
The third difficulty is met by the fact that the communications
of the apostles agree with the teaching of Scripture. They actually
tarried in Jerusalem, without even attempting to preach during the
days between the ascension and Pentecost. And they explain the
Pentecost miracle as the fulfilment of the prophecies of Joel and
Jesus. They see in it something new and extraordinary ; and show
us clearly that in their day it was considered that a man who stood
outside the Pentecost miracle knew nothing of the Holy Ghost.
For the disciples of Ephesus being asked, " Have ye received the
Holy Ghost?" answered naively: "We have not so much as heard
whether there be any Holy Ghost."
Wherefore it can not be doubted that the Holy Scripture means
to teach and convince us that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on
Pentecost was His first and real coming into the Church.
But how can this be reconciled with Old Testament passages
such as these?" Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the Lord;
and be strong, O Joshua, the High Priest; . . . for I am with you,
. . . and My Spirit remaineth among you : fear ye not" (Hag. ii. 4, 5);
and again : " Then He remembered the days of old, Moses, and His
people, saying, Where is He that brought them up out of the sea
with the Shepherd of His flock? where is He that put His Holy
Spirit within them?" (Isa. Ixiii. 1 1). David is conscious that he had
received the Holy Spirit, for after his fall he prays : " Take not Thy
Holy Spirit from me" (Psalm li. 13). There was a sending forth of
the Spirit, for we read : " Thou sendest forth Thy Spirit, and they
| are created ; and Thou renewest the face of the earth " (Psalm civ. 30).
There seems to have been an actual descending of the Holy Spirit,
for Ezekiel says : " The Spirit of the Lord fell upon me " (chap. xi.
5). Micah testified : " Truly I am full of the power by the Spirit of
the Lord" (chap. iii. 8). Of John the Baptist it is written, that he
n6 THE OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
should be filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother s womb Luke
i. 15. Even the Lord Himself was filled with the Holy Spirit,
whom He received without measure. That Spirit came upon Him
at Jordan, how then could He be spoken of as still to come? a
question all the more puzzling since we read that in the evening
of the resurrection Jesus breathed upon His disciples, saying:
"Receive ye the Holy Ghost" (John xx. 22).
It has been necessary to present this large series of testimonies
to show our readers the difficulty of the problem which we will
endeavor to solve in the next article.
XXV.
The Holy Spirit in the New Testament Other than in
the Old.
" By His Spirit which dwelleth in
you." Rom. viii. n.
IN order to understand the change inaugurated on Pentecost we
must distinguish between the various ways in which the Holy Ghost
enters into relationship with the creature.
With the Christian Church we confess that the Holy Spirit is
true and eternal God, and therefore omnipresent; hence no crea
ture, stone or animal, man or angel, is excluded from His presence.
With reference to His omniscience and omnipresence, David
sings : " Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit, or whither shall I flee
from Thy presence? If I ascend up to heaven, Thou art there; if I
make my bed in hell, behold, Thou art there. If I take the wings
of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even
there shall Thy hand lead me and Thy right hand shall hold me."
These words state positively that omnipresence belongs to the Holy
Spirit; that neither in heaven nor in hell, in the east nor in the
west, is there a spot or point from which He is excluded.
This simple consideration is, for the matter under discussion, of
the greatest importance ; for it follows that the Holy Spirit can not
be said ever to have moved from one place to another: to have
been among Israel, but not among the nations ; to have been pres
ent after the day of Pentecost where He was not before. All such
representations directly oppose the confession of His omnipresence,
eternity, and immutability. The Omnipresent One can not go trom
one place to another, for He can not come where He is already.
And to suppose that He is omnipresent at one time and not at
another is inconsistent with His eternal Godhead. The testimony
of John the Baptist, " I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like
a dove, and it abode on Him," and that of St. Luke, "The Holy
Spirit fell on all them which heard the Word," may not therefore
n8 THE OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
be understood as tho the Holy Spirit came to a place where He was
not before, which is impossible.
However and this is the first distinction which will throw light I
upon the matter David s description of omnipresence applies to
local presence in space, but not to the world of spirits.
We know not what spirits are, nor what our own spirit is. In
the body we can distinguish between nerves and blood, bones and
muscles, and we know something of their functions in the organism ;
but how a spirit exists, moves, and works, we can not tell. We
only know that it exists, moves, and works in an entirely different ;
way from that of the body. When a brother dies nobody opens a j
door or window for the exit of the soul ; for we know that neither j
wall nor ceiling can hinder it in its heavenward flight. In prayer |
we whisper so as not to be overheard ; yet we believe that the man j
Jesus Christ hears every word. The swiftness of a thought exceeds |
that of electricity. In a word, the limitations of the material world i
seem to disappear in the realm of spirits.
Even the working of spirit on matter is wonderful. The average
weight of an adult is about one hundred and sixty pounds. It takes
three or four men to carry a dead body of that weight to the top of
a high building; yet when the man was alive his spirit had the
power to carry this weight up and down those flights of stairs easily
and quickly. But where the spirit takes hold of the body, how it
moves it, and where it obtains that swiftness, is for us a perfect
mystery. Yet this shows that spirit is subject to laws wholly
different from those that govern matter.
We emphasize the word law. According to the analogy of faith,
there must be laws that govern the spiritual world as there are in
the natural ; yet owing to our limitations we can not know them.
But in heaven we shall know them, and all the glories and particu
lars of the spiritual world, as our physicians know the nerves and
tissues of the body.
This we know, however, that that which applies to matter does
not therefore apply to spirit. God s omnipresence has reference
to all space, but not to every spirit. Since God is omnipresent, it
does not follow that He also dwells in the spirit of Satan. Hence
it is clear that the Holy Spirit can be omnipresent without dwelling
in every human soul ; and that He can descend without changing
place, and yet enter a soul hitherto unoccupied by Him ; and that
He was present among Israel and among the Gentiles, and yet
HOLY SPIRIT IN OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS 119
manifested Himself among the former and not among the latter.
From this it follows that in the spiritual world He can come where
He was not ; that He came among Israel, not having been among
them before; and that then He manifested Himself among them
less powerfully and in another way than on and before the day of
Pentecost.
The Holy Spirit seems to act upon a human being in a twofold
manner from without, or from within. The difference is similar to
that in the treatment of the human body by the physician and the
surgeon : the former acts upon it by medicines taken inwardly ; the
latter by incisions and outward applications. A very defective
comparison, indeed, but it may illustrate faintly the twofold opera
tion of the Holy Spirit upon the souls of men.
In the beginning we discover only an outward imparting of cer
tain gifts. On Samson He bestows great physical strength. Aho-
liab and Bezaleel are endowed with artistic talent to build the
tabernacle. Joshua is enriched with military genius. These
operations did not touch the center of the soul, and were not
saving, but merely external. They become more enduring when
they assume an official character as in Saul ; altho in him we find the
best evidence of the fact that they are only outward and temporal.
They assume a higher character when they receive the prophetic
stamp ; altho Balaam s example shows us that even thus they pene
trate not to the center of the soul, but affect man only outwardly.
But in the Old Testament there was also an inward operation in
believers. Believing Israelites were saved. Hence they must have
received saving grace. And since saving grace is out of the ques
tion without an inward working of the Holy Spirit, it follows that
He was the Worker of faith in Abraham as well as in ourselves.
The difference between the two operations is apparent. A per
son outwardly wrought upon may become enriched with outward
gifts, while spiritually he remains as poor as ever. Or, having
received the inward gift of regeneration, he may be devoid of every
talent that adorns man outwardly.
Hence we have these three aspects :
First, there is the omnipresence of the Holy Spirit in space, the
same in heaven and in hell, among Israel and among the nations.
Second, there is a spiritual operation of the Holy Spirit accord
ing to choice, which is not omnipresent; active in heaven, but not
in hell; among Israel, but not among the nations.
120 THE OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Third, this spiritual operation works either from without, im
parting losable gifts, or from within, imparting the unlosable gift
of salvation.
We have spoken so far of the work of the Holy Spirit upon indi
vidual persons, which was sufficient to explain that work in the
days of the Old Testament. But when we come to the day of Pen
tecost, this no longer suffices. For His particular operation, on
and after that day, consists in the extending of His operation to a
company of men organically united.
God did not create humanity as a string of isolated souls, but as
a race. Hence in Adam the souls of all men are fallen and defiled.
In like manner the new creation in the realm of grace has not
wrought the generation of isolated individuals, but the resurrection
of a new race, a peculiar people, a holy priesthood. And this favored
race, this peculiar people, this holy priesthood is also organically
one and partaking of the same spiritual blessing.
The Word of God expresses this by teaching that the elect con
stitute one body, of which all are members, one being a foot, another
an eye, and another an ear, etc. a representation that conveys the
idea that the elect mutually sustain the relation of a vital, organic,
and spiritual union. And this is not merely outwardly, by mutual
love, but much more through a vital communion which is theirs by
virtue of their spiritual origin. As our Liturgy beautifully ex
presses it: " For as out of many grains one meal is ground and one
bread baked, and out of many berries, being pressed together, one
wine floweth and mixeth itself together, so shall we all, who by a
true faith are ingrafted into Christ, be altogether one body."
This spiritual union of the elect did not exist among Israel, nor
could it exist during their time. There was a union of love, but
not a spiritual and vital fellowship that sprang from the root of life.
This spiritual union of the elect was made possible only by the
incarnation of the Son of God. The elect are men consisting of
body and soul ; therefore it is partly at least a visible body. And
only when in Christ the perfect man was given, who could be the
temple of the Holy Spirit body and soul, did the inflowing and out
pouring of the Holy Spirit become established in and through the
body thus created.
However, this did not occur directly after the birth of Christ,
but after His ascension; for His human nature did not unfold its
fullest perfection until after He had ascended, when, as the glori-
HOLY SPIRIT IN OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS 121
fied Son of God, He sat. down at the right hand of the Father.
Only then the perfect Man was given, who on the one hand could
be the temple of the Holy Ghost without hindrance, and on the
other unite the spirits of the elect into one body. And when, by
His ascension and sitting down at the right hand of God, this had
become a fact, when thus the elect had become one body, it was
perfectly natural that from the Head the indwelling of the Holy
Spirit was imparted to the whole body. And thus the Holy Spirit
was poured out into the body of the Lord, His elect, the Church.
In this way everything becomes plain and clear: clear why the
saints of the Old Testament did not receive the promise, that with
out us they should not be made perfect, waiting for that perfection
until the formation of the body of Christ, into which they also were
to be incorporated ; clear that the tarrying of the outpouring of the
Holy Spirit did not prevent saving grace from operating upon the
individual souls of the saints of the Old Covenant ; clear the word
of John, that the Holy Spirit was not yet given because Jesus was
not yet glorified; clear that the apostles were born again long
before Pentecost and received official gifts on the evening of the
day of the resurrection, altho the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in
the body thus formed did not take place until Pentecost. It becomes
clear how Jesus could say, " If I go not away the Comforter will not
come unto you," and again, " But if I go I will send Him unto you";
for the Holy Spirit was to flow into His body from Himself, who is
the Head. It becomes clear also that He would not send Him from
Himself, but from the Father; clear why this outpouring of the
Spirit into the body of Christ is never repeated, and could occur
but once ; and lastly, clear that the Holy Spirit was indeed stand
ing in the midst of Israel (Isa. Ixiii. 12), working upon the saints
from without, while in the New Testament He is said to be within
them.
We arrive, therefore, at the following conclusions:
First, the elect must constitute one body.
Second, they were not so constituted during the days of the
Old Covenant, of John the Baptist, and of Christ while on earth.
Third, this body did not exist until Christ ascended to heaven
and, sitting at the right hand of God, bestowed upon this body its
unity, in that God gave Him to be Head over all things to the
Church Ephes. iv. 12.
Lastly, Christ as the glorified Head, having formed His spiritual
122 THE OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
body by the vital union of the elect, on the day of Pentecost poured
out His Holy Spirit into the whole body, never more to let Him depart
from it.
That these conclusions contain nothing but what the Church of
all ages has confessed appears from the fact that the Reformed
churches have always maintained :
First, that our communion with the Holy Spirit depends upon
our mystic union with the body of which Christ is the Head, which
is the underlying thought of the Lord s Supper.
Second, that the elect form one body under Christ their Head.
Third, that this body began to exist when it received its Head;
and that, according to Ephes. i. 22, Christ was given to be the Head
after His resurrection and ascension.
XXVI.
Israel and the Nations.
"Because that on the Gentiles also
was poured out the gift of the
Holy Ghost." Acts x. 45.
THE question that arises with reference to Pentecost is : Since
the Holy Spirit imparted saving grace to men before and after
Pentecost, what is the difference caused by that descent of the
Holy Spirit?
An illustration may explain the difference. The rain descends
from heaven and man gathers it to quench his thirst. When house
holders collect it each in his own cistern, it comes down for every
family separately ; but when, as in modern city life, every house is
supplied from the city reservoir, by means of mains and water-pipes,
there is no more need of pumps and private cisterns. Suppose that
a city whose citizens for ages have been drinking each from his
own cistern proposes to construct a reservoir that will supply
every home. When the work is completed the water is allowed to
run through the system of mains and pipes into every house. It
might then be said that on that day the water was poured out into
the city. Hitherto it fell upon every man s roof; now it streams
through the organized system into every man s house.
Apply this to the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, and the differ
ence before and after Pentecost will be apparent. The mild show
ers of the Holy Spirit descended upon Israel of old in drops of saving
grace ; but in such a manner only that each gathered of the heavenly
rain for himself, to quench the thirst of each heart separately. So it
continued until the coming of Christ. Then there came a change ;
for He gathered the full stream of the Holy Spirit for us all, in His
own Person. With Him all saints are connected by the channels of
faith. And when, after His ascension, this connection with His
saints was completed, and He had received the Holy Spirit from
His Father, then the last obstacle was removed and the full stream
i2 4 THE OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
of the Holy Spirit came rushing through the connecting channels
into the heart of every believer.
Formerly isolation, every man for himself; now organic union
of all the members under their one Head: this is the difference
between the days before and after Pentecost. The essential fact of
Pentecost consisted in this, that on that day the Holy Spirit entered
for the first time into the organic body of the Church, and individ
uals came to drink, not each by himself, but all together in organic
union.
To the question where that system of connecting channels uni
ting us in one body under our Head may be found, we can give
no answer. This belongs to things invisible and spiritual which
escape our observation, of which we can have no other representa
tion than that by an image.
Yet this does not alter the fact that the organic union really
exists. The Word of God is to us its undeniable witness. Organic
life appears in nature in two forms : in the plant, and in the body
of man and animal. These are the very types that Christ uses to
illustrate the spiritual union between Himself and His people. He
said: "I am the Yine, ye are the branches." And St. Paul speaks
of having become one plant with Christ. And he frequently uses
the image of the body and its members.
Hence there can be no doubt that there exists a mystic union
between Christ and believers which works by means of an organic
connection, uniting the Head and the members in a for us invisible
and incomprehensible manner. By means of this organic union I
the Holy Spirit was poured out on Pentecost from Christ the Head i
into us, the members of His body.
If it were possible to construct the city s water-works in the air I
above the city, the chief engineer could properly say : " When I turn
on the water for the first time I will baptize the city with water."
In similar sense Christ may be said to have baptized His Church
with the Holy Spirit. For the word of John the Baptist, " I indeed :
baptize you with water, but He that cometh after me is mightier
than I; He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost," is explained by
Christ Himself as referring to the day of Pentecost (Acts i. 5) : !
And being assembled together with Him, He commanded them
that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the
promise of the Father, which, saith He, ye have heard of Me. For j
John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the j
ISRAEL AND THE NATIONS 125
Holy Ghost not many days hence"; a promise that undoubtedly
referred to the Pentecost miracle. This agrees with the fact that
Jesus during His ministry allowed His disciples to continue the
Baptism of John. And this shows that even before the crucifixion,
John and Peter, Philip and Zaccheus, and many others received
saving grace of the Holy Spirit, each for himself, but none of them
was baptized with the Holy Spirit before the day of Pentecost.
With reference to the apostles, we must therefore distinguish a
threefold giving of the Holy Spirit :
First, that of saving grace in regeneration and subsequent illu
mination Matt. xvi. 17.
Secondly, official gifts qualifying them for the apostolic office
John xx. 22.
Thirdly, the Baptism with the Holy Ghost Acts i. 5 in connec
tion with Acts ii. i ff.
One more difficulty remains. We often read of outpourings of
the Holy Spirit after Pentecost. How can this be reconciled with
our explanation? In Acts x. 44, 45 we read: "While Peter yet
spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all who heard the word.
And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished,
as many as came with Peter, because on the Gentiles also was
poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost." And Peter confirms this
by saying : " Can any man forbid water that these should not be
baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?"
From this it is evident that the outpouring on the house of Cor
nelius was of the same nature as that on Pentecost. Moreover, we
hear of a descent of the Holy Ghost in Samaria (Acts viii.), and of
another in Ephesus (Acts xix. 6). This descent took place in both
instances after the laying on of hands by the apostles; and at
Caesarea and Corinth it was followed by a speaking with foreign
tongues as in Jerusalem.
It is evident, therefore, that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit
was not limited to Pentecost in Jerusalem, but was afterward re
peated in a weaker and modified form, but still extraordinarily, as
on Pentecost.
And who would deny that there is an outpouring of the Holy
Spirit to-day in the churches? Without it there can be no regen
eration, no salvation. Yet the Pentecost signs are lacking, e.g.,
there is no more speaking with tongues. Hence it is necessary to
126 THE OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
distinguish between the ordinary outpouring which occurs now, and
the extraordinary at Corinth, Caesarea, Samaria, and Jerusalem.
Hence the question stands as follows : If on the day of Pentecost
the Holy Spirit was poured out once for all and forever, how do we
account for the ordinary and extraordinary outpourings?
Allow us once more to recur to our former illustration. Suppose
that the city above referred to consisted of a lower and an upper
part, both to be supplied from the same reservoir. Upon the com
pletion of its system the lower city may receive the water first, and
the upper part receive it only after the system shall have been ex
tended. Here we notice two things : the distribution of the water
took place but once, which was the formal opening of the water
works, and could take place but once ; while the distribution of the
water in the upper city, altho extraordinary, was but an after-effect
of the former event. This is a fair illustration of what took place
in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The Church consisted of two
parts sharply defined, viz., the Jewish and the Gentile world. Yet
both are to constitute one body, one people, one Church ; both are
to live one life in the Holy Ghost. On Pentecost He is poured out
into the body, but only to quench the thirst of one part, i.e., the
Jewish; the other part is still excluded. But now apostles and
evangelists start from Jerusalem and come into contact with the
Gentiles, and the hour has come for the stream of the Holy Ghost
to pour forth into the Gentile part of the Church, and the whole
body is refreshed by the same Holy Spirit. Hence there is an
original outpouring in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, and a
supplementary outpouring in Caesarea for the Gentile part of the
Church; both of the same nature, but each bearing its own special
character.
Besides these there are some isolated outpourings of the Holy
Spirit, attended by the laying on of the apostles* hands, as in the
case of Simon Magus. We explain this as follows : as from time
to time new connections are made between individual houses and
the city reservoir, so new parts of the body of Christ were added to
the Church from without, into whom the Holy Spirit was poured
forth from the body as into new members. It is perfectly natural
that in these cases the apostles appear as instruments ; and that,
receiving into the Church persons that come from a part of the
world not yet connected with the Church, they extend to them by
ISRAEL AND THE NATIONS 127
the laying on of hands the fellowship of the Holy Ghost who dwells
in the body.
This also explains why to-day newly converted persons receive
the Holy Spirit only in the ordinary way. For they who are con
verted among us stand already ,in the covenant, belong already to the
seed of the Church and to the body of Christ* Hence no new con
nection is formed, but a work of the Holy Spirit is wrought in a
soul with which He was already related by means of the body.
And thus every objection is met and every detail is put in its
own place, and the lines of the domain which had become vague
and confused are once more clearly drawn.
It is evident also that the prayer for another outpouring or bap
tism of the Holy Spirit is incorrect and empty of real meaning.
Such prayer actually denies the Pentecost miracle. For He that
came and abides with us can no more come to us.
*The author refers either to persons baptized in infancy, instructed by
the ministers of the Word in the doctrines of the Church and at suitable age
received into the Church on confession of their faith, or to persons not so
received into the Church, and then on the ground that Holland belongs to
the baptized nations. TRANS.
XXVII.
The Signs of Pentecost.
"Signs in the earth beneath. 1
Acts ii. 19.
LET us now consider the signs that accompanied the outpouring
of the Holy Spirit the sound of a rushing, mighty wind ; tongues
of fire ; and the speaking with other tongues which constitute the
fourth difficulty that meets us in the investigation of the events of
Pentecost (see p. 113). The first and second precede, the third
follows the outpouring.
These signs are not merely symbolic. The speaking with other
tongues, at least, appears as part of the narrative. Symbols are
intended to represent or indicate something or to call the attention
to it; hence it may be omitted without affecting the matter itself.
A symbol is like a finger-post on the road: it may be removed
without affecting the road. If the Pentecost signs were purely
symbolic, the event would have been the same without them ; but
the absence of the sign of other tongues would have modified the
character of the subsequent history completely.
This justifies the supposition that the two preceding signs were
also constituent parts of the miracle. The fact that neither of them
is an apt symbol strengthens the supposition; for a symbol must
speak. The finger-post that leaves the traveler in doubt concern
ing the direction he is to take is no finger-post. Considering the
fact that for eighteen centuries theologians have been unable to
ascertain the significance of the so-called symbols with any degree
of certainty, it must be acknowledged that it is difficult to believe
that the apostles or the multitude understood their significance at
once and in the same way. The issue proves the contrary. They
did not understand the signs. The multitude, confounded and per
plexed, said one to another: "What meaneth this?" And when
Peter arose as an apostle, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, to inter
pret the miracle, he made no effort to attach any symbolic signifi-
THE SIGNS OF PENTECOST 129
cance to the signs, but simply declared that an event had taken
place by which the prophecy of Joel was fulfilled.
Did the event of Pentecost then exhaust the prophecy of Joel?
By no means ; for the sun was not turned into darkness, nor the
moon into blood; and we hear nothing of the dreams of old men.
Nor could it ; the notable day that will exhaust this and so many
other prophecies can not come until the return of the Lord. But
the holy apostle meant to say, that the day of the Lord s return
was brought so much nearer by this event. The outpouring of the
Holy Spirit is one of the great events which pledge the coming of
that great and notable day. Without it that day can not come.
Looking back from heaven, the day of Pentecost will appear to us
as the last great miracle immediately preceding the day of the
Lord. And since that day shall be attended by awful signs, as was
the preparatory day of Pentecost, the apostle puts them together
and makes them appear as one, showing that in Joel s prophecy
God points to both events.
If it be certain that the signs attending the Lord s return blood,
fire, and vapor of smoke shall not be symbolic, but constituent ele
ments of that last part of the world s history, viz., its last conflagra
tion, then it is certain that Peter did not understand the signs of
Pentecost to be symbolic.
Neither can the still more unsatisfactory explanation be enter
tained that these signs were intended to draw and fix the attention
of the multitude.
The senses of sight and hearing are the most effectual means by
which the outside world can act upon our consciousness. In order
suddenly to arouse and excite a person, one need only startle him
by an explosion or by the flash of a dazzling light. Acting upon
this, some of the earlier Methodists used to fire pistols at their re
vival meetings, hoping that the report and flash would create the
desired state of mind. The subsequent excitement of the people
would tend to make them more susceptible to the operation of the
Holy Spirit. Similar experiments are those of the Salvation Army.
According to this notion, the signs of Pentecost bore a similar char
acter. It is supposed by some that the disciples, still unconverted
men, were sitting together in the upper chamber on the day of Pen
tecost. To render them susceptible to the inflowing of the Holy
Spirit they must be aroused by a noise and fire. It must seem as
tho a violent thunder-storm had burst upon the city; flashes of light-
9
130 THE OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
ning and peals of thunder were seen and heard. And when th
multitude were startled and terrified, then the desired condition foil
receiving the Holy Spirit prevailed and the outpouring took place.
Such extravagances only hurt the tender sense of the children ofl
God ; while it is almost sacrilege to compare the signs of Pentecosti
to the report of a pistol.
Hence there remains only one other explanation, i.e., to consider]
the Pentecost signs as actual and real constituents of the event ; in-j
dispensable links in the chain of occurrences.
When a ship enters the harbor we see the foaming spray under!
the bow and hear the waters dashing against the sides. When aj
horse runs through the street we hear the noise of his hoofs against
the pavement and see the clouds of dust. But who will say that!
these things seen and heard are symbolic? They necessarily belong
to those actions and are parts of them, impossible without them.
Therefore we do not believe that the Pentecost signs were symbolic,
or intended to create a sensation, but that they belonged insep-j
arably to the outpouring of the Holy Ghost, and were caused by
it. The outpouring could not take place without creating these
signs. When the mountain-stream dashes down the steep sides of \
the rocks we must hear the sound of rushing waters, we must see
the flying spray; so when the Holy Spirit flows down from the
mountains of God s holiness, the sound of a rushing, mighty windi
must be heard, and glorious brightness must be seen, and a speak-j
ing with foreign tongues must follow.
This will sufficiently explain our meaning. Not that we denyj
that these signs had also a significance for the multitude. The!
noise of the horse s hoofs warns travelers on the road. And we
concede that the purpose of the signs was realized in the. perplexity
and consternation which they caused in the hearts of those present. I
But this we maintain, that even in the absence of the multitude and]
their consternation the sound of a rushing, mighty wind would have!
been heard and the fiery tongues would have been seen. As the |
horse s hoofs cause the ground to vibrate tho there be no traveler
in sight, so the Holy Spirit could not come down without* that sound
and that brightness, even tho not a single Jew were to be found in i
all Jerusalem.
The outpouring of the Holy Spirit was real, not apparent. Hav
ing found His temple in the glorified Head, He must necessarily j
flow down into the body and descend from heaven, And thisj
THE SIGNS OF PENTECOST 131
lescent from heaven and this flowing into the body could not take
ce without causing these signs.
To penetrate more deeply into this matter is not lawful. On
irloreb Elijah heard the Lord pass by in a gentle breeze; Isaiah
\ieard the moving of the door-posts in the Temple. This seems to
indicate that the* approach of the divine majesty causes a commo-
j.ion in the elements perceptible to the auditory nerve. But how,
ive can not tell. We observe, however :
First, that spirit can act upon matter is evident, for our spirits
(ict upon the body every moment, and by that action are able to
produce sounds. Speaking, crying, singing are nothing but our
pirit acting upon the currents of air. And if our spirit is capable
f such action, why not the Spirit of the Lord? Why, then, call it
nysterious when the Holy Spirit in His descent so wrought upon
he elements that the effects vibrated in the ears of those present?
Secondly, in making the covenant with Israel upon Sinai, the
d God spoke in peals of thunder so terrible that even Moses
aid, "I am exceedingly fearful and quaking"; yet not with the
ntention of terrifying the people, but because a holy and angry
can not speak otherwise to a sinful generation. It is not
ierefore surprising that the coming of God to His New Covenant
eople is attended by similar signs, not in order to draw men s
ttention, but because it could not be otherwise.
The same applies to the tongues of fire. Supernatural manifes-
ations are always attended by light and brightness, especially when
he Lord Jehovah or His angel appears. Recall, e.g., God s cove-
ant-making with Abraham, or the occurrences at the burning bush.
Vhy, then, should it surprise us that the descent of the Holy Spirit
/as attended by phenomena such as those seen by Elijah on Horeb,
loses in the bush, St. Paul on the way to Damascus, and St. John
n Patmos? That the cloven tongues sat upon each of them proves
othing to the contrary; for He proceeded to each of them and
ntered their hearts, and in each going He left a trace of light
ehind.
The question, whether the fire seen by these men on those occa-
ions belonged to a higher sphere, or was the effect of God s action
ipon the elements of the earth, can not be answered.
Both views have much in their favor. There is no darkness in
leaven ; and the heavenly light must be of a higher nature than
urs, even above the brightness of the sun, according to St. Paul s
132 THE OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
description of the light on the way to Damascus. It is very prot
able, therefore, that in these great events the boundary of heave
overlapped the earth, and a higher glory shone in upon our atmoj
phere.
But, on the other hand, it is possible that the Holy Spiri
wrought this mysterious brightness directly by a miracle. An
this seems to be confirmed by the fact that the signs attending th
law-giving on Sinai, which event was parallel to this, were no
from higher spheres, but wrought from earthly elements.
Finally, let it be noticed, that the outpouring of the Holy Spiri
on the house of Cornelius and on the disciples of Apollos was at
tended by a speaking with other tongues, but not by the other signst
This confirms our theory; for it was not a coming to the house 9
Cornelius, but a conducting of the Holy Spirit into another part ol
the body of Christ. If symbolism had been intended, the sign)
would have been repeated; not being symbols, they did not appear
XXVIII.
The Miracle of Tongues.
"If any man speak in an {unknown)
tongue, . . . let one interpret. But
if there be no interpreter, let him
speak to himself, and to God." i
Cor. xiv. 27, 28.
THE third sign following the outpouring of the Holy Spirit con
sisted in extraordinary sounds that proceeded from the lips of the
japostles sounds foreign to the Aramaic tongue, never before heard
jfrom their lips.
These sounds affected the multitude in different ways: some
palled them babblings of inebriated men ; others heard in them the
*g;reat works of God proclaimed. To the latter, it seemed as tho
;hey heard them speaking in their own tongues. To the Parthian
t sounded like the Parthian, to the Arabian like the Arabic, etc. ;
.vhile St. Peter declared that this sign belonged to the realm of rev-
ilation, for it was the fulfilment of the prophecy of Joel that all the
)eople should become partakers of the operation of the Holy Spirit.
The question how to interpret this wonderful sign has occupied
he thinking minds of all times. Allow us to offer a solution, which
ve present in the following observations :
In the first place This phenomenon of spiritual speaking in ex-
\ raordinary sounds is not confined to Pentecost nor to the second
hapter of the Acts.
On the contrary, the Lord told His disciples, even before the
scension, that they should speak with new tongues Mark xvi. 18.
^.nd from the epistles of St. Paul it is evident that this prophecy
iid not refer to Pentecost alone; for we read in i Cor. xii. 10 that in
he apostolic Church, spiritual gifts included that of tongues ; that
jome spoke in .yev^y^wrrwv, i.e., in kinds of tongues or sounds. In
rer. 28 the apostle declares that God has set this spiritual phenome-
lion in the Church. It is noteworthy that in i Cor. xiv. 1-33 the
Lpostle gives special attention to this extraordinary sign, showing
i 3 4 THE OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
that then it was quite ordinary. That the gift of tongues mentione
by St. Paul and the sign of which St. Luke speaks in Acts ii. ail
substantially one and the same can not be doubted. In the fird
place, Christ s prophecy is general: " They shall speak with nej
tongues." Secondly, both phenomena are said to have made irrd
sistible impressions upon unbelievers. Thirdly, both are treated a
spiritual gifts. And lastly, to both is applied the same name.
Yet there was a very perceptible difference between the two: th
miracle of tongues on the day of Pentecost was intelligible to I
large number of hearers of different nationalities; while in th|
apostolic churches it was understood only by a few who were calle
interpreters. Connected with this is the fact that the miracle o
Pentecost made the impression of speaking at once to differer!
hearers in different tongues so that they were edified. Howeve:
this is no fundamental difference. Altho in the apostolic churche
there were but few interpreters, yet there were some who unde:
stood the wonderful speech.
There was, moreover, a marked difference between the men thtj
endowed: some understood what they were saying; others did no
For St. Paul admonishes them, saying : " Let him that speaketh i
an unknown tongue, pray that he may interpret" (i Cor. xiv. 13
Yet even without this ability, the speaking with tongues had a
edifying effect upon the speaker himself; but it was an edificatior
not understood, the effect of an unknown operation in the soul.
From this we gather that the miracle of tongues consisted in th
uttering of extraordinary sounds which from existing data could blj
explained neither by the speaker nor by the hearer ; and to whiq
another grace was sometimes added, viz., that of interpretatiotj
Hence three things were possible : that the speaker alone understock
what he said; or, that others understood it and not himself ; or, thzl \
both speaker and hearers understood it. This understanding hd ]
reference to one or more persons.
On the ground of this we comprise these miracles of tongues i
one class; with this distinction, however, that on the day of Pent(|{
cost the miracle appeared perfect, but later on incomplete. As then
is in the miracles of Christ in raising the dead a perceptible iricreas
of power: first, the raising up of one just dead (the daughter (
Jairus), then, of one about to be buried (the young man of Nain), an
lastly, of one already decomposing (Lazarus) ; so there is also in th I
miracle of tongues a difference of power not increasing, but Jccrea\ >
THE MIRACLE OF TONGUES 135
ing. The mightiest operation of the Holy Spirit is seen first, then
those less powerful. It is precisely the same as in our own heart :
first, the mighty fact of regeneration ; after that, the less marked
manifestations of spiritual power. Hence on Pentecost there was
the miracle of tongues in its perfection ; later on in the churches,
in weaker measure.
Secondly There is no evidence that the miracle of tongues con
sisted in the speaking of one of the known languages not previously
I acquired.
If this had been the case, St. Paul could not have said : " If I
i pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understand
ing is unfruitful " (i Cor. xiv. 14). The word " unknown " appears
in italics, not being found in the Greek. Moreover, he says that
tongues are for a sign not to them that believe, but to them that
believe not ver. 22. If it had been a question of foreign but
ordinary languages, the matter of understanding them could not
depend upon faith, but simply upon the fact whether the language
was acquired by study or was one s native tongue.
Finally, the notion that these tongues refer to foreign languages
not acquired by study is contradicted by St. Paul : " I thank my
God that I speak with tongues more than ye all." By which he can
not mean that he had mastered more languages than others, but
that he possessed the gift of tongues in greater degree than other
men. The following verse is evidence : " Yet in the Church I had
rather speak five words with my understanding, that I may teach
others also, than ten thousand words in an (unknown) tongue."
According to the other view, this ought to have been : " I wish to
speak in one language, so that the Church may understand me,
rather than in ten or twenty languages which the Church under
stands not." But the apostle does not say this. He speaks not of
many languages in opposition to one, but of five sounds or words
against ten thousand words. From this it follows that St. Paul s
" I speak with glottal (languages or sounds) more than ye all," must
refer to the miracle of sounds.
For altho it is objected very naturally that on Pentecost the
apostles spoke the Arabic, Hebrew, and Parthian tongues besides
many others, yet the fact appealed to is not proven to be a fact.
Surely we learn from Acts ii. that these Parthians, Elamites, etc.,
received the impression that they were addressed each in his own
1 36 THE OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
tongue ; yet the narrative itself proves rather the contrary. Let the
experiment be tried. Let fifteen men (the number of languages
mentioned in Acts ii.) speak in fifteen different languages at once
and together, and the result will be not that every one hears his
own language, but that no one can hear anything. But the nar
rative of Acts ii. is fully explained in that the apostles uttered
sounds intelligible to Parthians, Medes, Cretans, etc., because they
understood them, receiving the impression that these sounds agreed
with their own mother-tongues. As a Dutch child seeing a problem
on the blackboard worked out by an English or German child
naturally receives the impression that it was done by a Dutch child,
simply because figures are signs not affected by the difference of
language, so must the Elamite have received the impression that
he heard the Elamitian, and the Egyptian that he was addressed in
the Egyptian tongue, when on Pentecost they heard sounds uttered
by a miracle, which, being independent from the difference of lan
guage, were intelligible to man as man.
We must not forget that speaking is nothing else than to pro
duce impressions upon the soul of the hearer by means of vibrations
in the air. But if the same impressions can be produced without
the aid of air-vibrations, the effect upon the hearer must be the
same. Try the experiment upon the eye. The sight of twinkling
stars or dissolving figures excites the retina. The same effect can
be produced by rubbing the eye with the finger when reclining
on a couch in a dark room. And this applies here. The air- I
vibrations are not the principal thing, but the emotion produced in |
the mind by the speaking. The Pamphylian, accustomed to re- |
ceive emotions by hearing his mother-tongue, and receiving the
same impression in another way, must think that he is addressed in
the Pamphylian tongue.
Thirdly According to St. Paul s interesting information, the
miracle of tongues consisted in this, that the vocal organs produced
sounds not by a working of the mind, but by an operation of the
Holy Spirit upon those organs.
St. Luke writes : " They began to speak with other tongues, as
the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts ii. 4); and St. Paul proves
exhaustively that the person speaking with tongues spoke not with
his understanding, i.e., as a result of his own thinking, but in con
sequence of an entirely different operation. That this is possible,
THE MIRACLE OF TONGUES 137
we see, first, in delirious persons, who say things outside of their
own personal thinking; second, in the insane, whose incoherent
talk has no sense ; third, in persons possessed, whose vocal organs
are used by demons; fourth, in Balaam, whose vocal organs ut
tered words of blessing upon Israel against his will.
Hence it must be conceded that in man three things are possible :
First, that for a time he may be deprived of the use of his vocal
organs.
Second, that the use of these organs may be appropriated by a
spirit who has overcome him.
Third, that the Holy Spirit, appropriating his vocal organs, can
produce sounds from his lips which are "new," and " other" than
the language which ordinarily he speaks.
Fourthly In the Greek these sounds invariably are designated by
the word yAtiTTai, i.e., tongues, hence language. In the Greek world,
from which this word is taken, the word "glotta" always stands in
strong opposition to the " logos," reason.
A man s thinking is the hidden, invisible, imperceptible process
of his mind. Thought has a soul, but no body. But when the
thought manifests itself and adopts a body, then there is a word.
And the tongue being the movable organ of speech, it was said that
the tongue gives a body to the thought. Hence the contrast be
tween the logos, i.e., that which a man thinks with the mind, and
the glotta, i.e., that which he utters with the vocal organs.
Ordinarily the glotta comes only through and after the logos.
But in the miracle of tongues we discover the extraordinary phe
nomenon that while the logos remained inactive, the glotta uttered
sounds. And since it was a phenomenon of sounds which proceeded
not from the thinking mind, but from the tongue, the Holy Scripture
calls it very appropriately a gift of the glottai, i.e., a gift of tongue
or sound-phenomena.
Lastly In answer to the question, How must this be understood?
we offer the following representation : Speech in man is the result
of his thinking; and this thinking in a sinless state is an in-shining
of the Holy Spirit. Speech in a sinless state is therefore the result
of inspiration, in-breathing of the Holy Spirit.
Hence in a sinless state man s language would have been the
pure and perfect product of an operation of the Holy Spirit. He
138 THE OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
is the Creator of human language; and without the injury and de
basing influence of sin the connection between the Holy Ghost and
our speech would have been complete. But sin has broken the
connection. Human language is damaged : damaged by the weak
ening of the organs of speech; by the separation of tribes and
nations; by the passions of the soul; by the darkening of the
understanding; and principally by the lie which has entered in.
Hence that infinite distance between this pure and genuine human
language which, as the direct operation of the Holy Spirit upon the
human mind, should have manifested itself, and the empirically
existing languages that now separate the nations a difference like
unto that between the glorious Adam and the deformed Hottentot.
But the difference is not intended to remain. Sin will disappear.
What sin destroyed will be restored. In the day of the Lord, at the
wedding-feast of the Lamb, all the redeemed will understand one
another. In what way? By the restoration of the pure and original
language upon the lips of the redeemed, which is born from the
operation of the Holy Spirit upon the human mind. And of that
great, still-tarrying event the Pentecost miracle is the germ and
the beginning; hence it bore its distinctive marks. In the midst of
the Babeldom of the nations, on the day of Pentecost, the one pure
and mighty human language was revealed which one day all will
speak, and all the brethren and sisters from all nations and tongues
will understand.
And this was wrought by the Holy Spirit. They spake as the
Holy Spirit gave them utterance. They spoke a heavenly language
to praise God not of angels, but a language above the influence
of sin.
Hence the understanding of this language was also a work of
the Holy Spirit. At Jerusalem, only they understood it who were
specially wrought upon by the Holy Spirit. The others understood
it not. And at Corinth it was not comprehended by the masses,
but by him alone to whom it was given of the Holy Ghost.
Jigbtb Gbapter.
THE APOSTOLATE.
XXIX.
The Apostolate.
"That ye also may have fellowship
with us: and truly our fellowship
is with the Father, and with His
Son Jesus Christ." i John i. 3.
THE apostolate bears the character of an extraordinary manifesta
tion, not seen before or after it, in which we discover a proper work
of the Holy Spirit. The apostles were ambassadors extraordinary
different from the prophets, different from the present ministers of
the Word. In the history of the Church and the world they occupy
a unique position and have a peculiar significance. Hence the
apostolate is entitled to a special discussion.
Moreover, the apostolate belongs to the great things which the
Holy Spirit has wrought. All that the Holy Scripture declares
concerning the apostles compels us to look for an explanation of
their persons and mission in a special work of the Holy Spirit.
Before His ascension Jesus predicted repeatedly that they should be
His witnesses only after they shall have received the Holy Spirit
in an extraordinary manner. Until this promise is fulfilled they
remain hiding in Jerusalem. And when they raise the banner of
the cross in Jerusalem and in the ends of the earth, they appeal to
the power of the Holy Spirit as the secret of their appearance.
The apostolate was holy, and we call them holy apostles, not be
cause they had, attained a higher degree of perfection, but " holy "
in the Scriptural sense of being separated, set apart, like the Temple
and its furniture, for the service of a holy God.
By sin many things have become unholy. Before sin entered
I 4 o THE APOSTOLATE
into the world all things were holy. That part of creation which
became unholy stands in opposition to that which remained holy.
The latter is called Heaven ; that which was made holy is called
Church. And all that belongs to the Church, to its being and or
ganism, is called holy.
Hence Jesus could say to the disciples who were about to deny
Him : " Ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto
you." In like manner the members of the Church and their children
are called " sanctified"; and in his epistles St. Paul addresses them
as holy and beloved : not because they were sinless, but because God
had set them as called saints in the realm of His holiness, which by
His grace He had separated from the realm of sin. In like manner
the Scripture is called holy : not to indicate that it is the record of
holy things only, but that its origin is not in man s sinful life, but
in the holy realm of the life of God.
We confess, therefore, that the apostles of Jesus were set apart
for the service of God s holy Kingdom, and that they were qualified
for their calling by the power of the Holy Spirit.
By omitting the word " holy," as many do, we make the apostles
common; we consider them as ordinary preachers ; in degree above
us undoubtedly, being more richly developed, especially by their
intercourse with Christ, and as His witnesses very dear to us, but
still occupying the same level with other teachers and ministers of
the Church of all ages. And so the conviction will be lost that the
apostles are men different in kind from all other men; lost the
realization that in them appeared a peculiar and unique ministry ;
lost also the grateful confession that the Lord our God gave us in
these men extraordinary grace.
And this explains why some ministers, at the special occasion
of installation, departure, or jubilee, apply to themselves apostolic
utterances that are not applicable to their persons, but exclusively
to the men who occupy a peculiar and unique position in the Church
of all ages and all lands. For this reason we repeat purposely the
title of honor, " holy apostles," in order that the peculiar significance
of the apostolate may again receive honorable recognition in our
churches.
This peculiar significance of the apostolate appears in the Holy
Scripture in various ways.
We begin with referring to the prologue of the First Epistle of St.
THE APOSTOLATE 141
John, in which, from the fulness of the apostolic sense, the holy
apostle solemnly addresses us. He opens his epistle by declaring
that they, the apostles of the Lord, occupy an exceptional position
regarding the miracle of the incarnation of the Word. He says :
" The Word became flesh, and in that incarnate Word, Life was
manifested ; and that that manifested Life was heard and seen and
handled with hands." By whom? By everybody? No, by the
apostles; for he adds emphatically : " That which we have seen and
heard declare we unto you, and shew you that eternal life which
was with the Father and was manifested unto us."
And what was the aim of this declaration? To save souls?
Surely this also, but not this in the first place. The purpose of this
apostolic declaration is to bring the members of the Church into
connection with the apostolate. For, clearly and emphatically, he
adds: " This we declare unto you, that ye also may have fellowship
with us." And only after this link is closed, and the fellowship
with the apostolate an accomplished fact, he says: " And truly our
fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ."
The apostle s reasoning is as transparent as glass. Life was
manifested in such a way that it could be seen andliandled. They
who saw and handled it were the apostles; and they were also to
declare this life unto the elect. By this declaration the required
fellowship between the elect and the apostolate is established.
And in consequence of this, there is fellowship also for the elect
with the Father and the Son.
This may not be understood as referring only to the people then
living; and, regarding Rome, one s position, Bible in hand, is ex
ceedingly weak if he maintain that this higher significance of the
apostolate had reference only to the then living, and not in the
same measure to us. Indeed, we, upon whom the end of the ages
has come, must maintain the vital fellowship with the holy aposto
late of our Lord Jesus Christ. Rome errs by making its bishops
the successors of the apostles, teaching that fellowship with the
apostolate depends upon fellowship with Rome : an error which is
obvious from the fact that St. John expressly and emphatically
connects the fellowship of the apostolate with men who have seen
and heard and handled that which was manifested of the Word of
Life something to which no Roman bishop can appeal in the
present day. Moreover, St. John says distinctly that this fellowship
with the apostolate must be the result of the declaration of the Word
i 4 2 THE APOSTOLATE
of Life by the apostles themselves. And inasmuch as Rome established
this fellowship not by the preaching of the Word, but by the sacra
mental sign, it is in direct opposition to the apostolic doctrine.
However, from this it follows not that Rome errs in the funda
mental thought, viz., that every child of God must exercise com
munion with the Father and the Son through the apostolate ; on the
contrary, this is St. John s positive claim. The solution of this
apparent conflict lies in the fact that they have not only spoken, but
also written: i.e., their declaration of the Word of Life was not
limited to the little circle of the men that happened to hear them ;
on the contrary, by writing they have put their preaching into real
and enduring fprms; they have sent it out to all lands and nations;
that, as the genuine, ecumenic apostles they might bring the testi
mony of the Life which was manifested to all the elect of God in
all lands and throughout the ages.
Hence even now the apostles are preaching the living Christ in
the churches. Their persons have departed, but their personal
testimony remains. And that personal testimony, which as an
apostolic document has come to every soul in every land and in
every age, is the very testimony which even now is the instrument
in the hand of the Holy Spirit to translate souls into the fellowship
of the Life Eternal.
And if one says, " Surely in this sense their word is still effec
tive; however, it results no longer in fellowship with the apostles,
and by means of this fellowship with Christ, but it points us directly
to the Savior of our souls, which is a more simple way," then we
oppose this unscriptural notion most energetically.
Such reasoning ignores the body of Christ and overlooks the
great fact of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. There is not the
saving of a few individual souls, but a bringing together of the body
of Christ; and into that body every one that is called must be incor
porated. And inasmuch as the King of the Church gives His Spirit
now not to separate persons, but exclusively to them that are in
corporated, and the inflowing of the Holy Spirit into this body,
and principally in the persons of the apostles, took place on Pente
cost, therefore no one can receive at the present time any spiritual
gift or influence of the Holy Spirit unless he stands in vital con
nection with the body of the Lord; and that body is unthinkable
without the apostles.
THE APOSTOLATE 143
In fact, the apostolic Word comes to the soul to-day as the testi
mony of what they have seen and heard and handled of the Word
of Life. By virtue of this testimony souls are inwardly wrought
upon, and by their being incorporated into the body of Christ they
become manifest. And this fellowship becomes manifest as a fel
lowship with the very body of which the apostles are the leaders,
in whose persons and in the persons of whose associates the Holy
Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost.
We know that this view, or this confession rather, is in direct
opposition to the view of Methodism,* which has pervaded all classes
and conditions of men. And the deplorable results have become
apparent in various ways. Methodism has killed the conscious ap
preciation of the sacrament; it is cold and indifferent toward
church fellowship ; it has cultivated an unlimited disregard for truth
in the confession.! And while the Lord our God has deemed it
necessary to give us a voluminous Holy Scripture, consisting of
six-and-sixty books, Methodism has boasted that it could write its
Gospel upon a dime.
This error can not be overcome except the Word of God become
again our Teacher and we its docile scholars. And then we shall
learn
(1) Not that a few isolated persons are being rescued from the
floods of iniquity, but that a body will be redeemed.
(2) That all that are to be saved will be incorporated into that
body.
(3) That this body has Christ as its Head and the apostles as its
permanent leaders.
(4) That on Pentecost the Holy Spirit was poured out into that
body.
(5) That even now each of us experiences the gracious opera
tions of the Holy Spirit only through fellowship with this body.
Only when these things are clear to the soul, the glorious word
of Christ, " Father, I pray not for these alone, but for them also
which shall believe on Me through their word" will be well under-
* See section 5 in the Preface. TRANS.
f The truth of this is apparent in the Salvation Army, the latest expo
nent of Methodism. It denies the sacraments, stands isolated from the
churches, and does not seem to care for truth in the confession, for it has
no confession. TRANS,
i 4 4 THE APOSTOLATE
stood. Taken in the current sense, this word has not the least
comfort for us; for then the Lord has prayed only for these then
living, who had the privilege of personally hearing the apostles,
and who were converted by their verbal testimony. We are entirely j
excluded. But if this petition be taken in the sense indicated above,
as tho Christ would say, " I pray not for My apostles alone, but also
for them who through their testimony shall believe on Me, now and
in all ages and lands and nations," then it acquires widest scope,
and contains a prayer for every child of God called even now and
from our own households.
This unique significance of the apostolate is so deeply embedded
in the heart of the Kingdom, that when in the Revelation of St.
John we get a glimpse of the New Jerusalem, we see that the city
has twelve foundations, and on them the names of the twelve apostles
of the Lamb Rev. xxi. 24. Hence their significance is not tran
sient and temporary, but permanent and including the whole
Church. And when its warfare shall be ended and the glory ofj
the New Jerusalem shall be revealed, even then, in its heavenly
bliss, the Church shall rest upon the very foundation on which it
was built here, and therefore bear, engraven on its twelve founda
tions, the names of the holy apostles of the Lord.
The apostle Paul considers the apostolate so glorious and ex
alted that in his Epistle to the Hebrews he applies the name of
Apostle to the Lord Jesus Christ. " Wherefore, holy brethren, par
takers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest
of our profession, Christ Jesus." The meaning is perfectly clear.
Properly speaking, it is Christ Himself calling and testifying in His
Church. But as the white ray of light divides itself into many
colors, so does Christ impart Himself to His twelve apostles, whom
He has set as the instruments through whom He has fellowship
with His Church. Hence the apostles stand not each by himself,
but together they constitute the apostolate, the unity of which is
found not in St. Peter nor in St. Paul, but in Christ. If we should
wish to comprehend the whole apostolate in one, it must be He in
whom is contained the fulness of the twelve the Apostle and High
Priest of our profession, Christ the Lord.
Not until we fully grasp these thoughts and live in them shall
we be able to understand the epistles of St. Paul, and appreciate
his spiritual conflict to maintain the honor of the apostolate for his
divine mission. Especially in his epistles to the Corinthians and !
THE APOSTOLATE 145
Galatians he sustains this conflict bravely and effectually ; but in
such a way that the Methodist can not have eye or ear for it. He
rather feels like deploring the apostle s zeal, saying: "If Paul had
| insisted less on his title and more humbly applied himself to the
I conversion of souls, his memory would have been much more
: precious." And from his standpoint he is quite right. If the apos-
| tolate has no higher significance than to be the first teachers and
! ministers of the Church, then there can be no reason why St. Paul
| should waste his strength contending for a meaningless title.
But the undeniable fact that St. Paul s energetic contending
i agrees not with the current opinions of the present time ought to
I make us oppose the notion that, since his contention does not com
port with our opinions, he must be wrong ! and acknowledge that
the standpoint which we can not occupy without condemning the
apostle must be abandoned the sooner the better. St. Paul must
not conform himself to our opinions, but our opinions must be
modified or altered according to St. Paul s.
10
XXX.
The Apostolic Scriptures.
" And I think that I also have the
Spirit of God." i Cor. vii. 40
WE have seen that the apostolate has an extraordinary signifi-i
cance and occupies a unique position. This position is twofold]
viz., temporary, with reference to the founding of the first churches]
and permanent, with regard to the churches of all ages.
The first must necessarily be temporary, for what was then ae
complished can not be repeated. A tree can be planted only once
an organism can be born only once ; the planting or founding of thi
Church could take place only once. However, this founding waj
not unprepared for. On the contrary, God has had a Church in tbi
world from the beginning. That Church was even a ftwr/^-Churchj
But it went down in idolatry; and only a small Church remained
among an almost unknown people the Church in Israel. When thi|
particular Church was to become again a world-Church, two thingj
were required :
First, that the Church in Israel lay aside its national dress.
vSecondly, that in the midst of the heathen world the Church oj
Christ appear, so that the two might become manifest as the on
Christian Church.
By these two things the apostolic labor is almost exhausted. I|i
St. Paul the two are united. No apostle labored more zealously t|
divest the Church of Israel of its Jewish attire, and no one was mor (
abundant in the planting of new churches in all parts of the world;
The apostolate had, however, a much more extensive and higheH
calling, not only for those days, but also for the Church of the age;;
It was the task of the apostles for which they were ordained: b
giving to the churches fixed forms of government to determinj
their character ; and by the written documentation of the reveUJ
tion of Christ Jesus to secure to them purity and perpetuity.
This is evident from the character of their labors: for they n
THE APOSTOLIC SCRIPTURES. 147
only founded churches, but also gave them ordinances. St. Paul
writes to the Corinthians: " As I have given order to the churches
of Galatia, even so do ye" (i Cor. xvi. i). Hence they were con
scious of possessing power, of being clothed with authority. " And
so ordain I in all the churches," says the same apostle (i Cor. vii.
17). This ordaining is not like that of our official church boards
which have power to make rules ; or as a minister in the name of
the consistory announces from the pulpit certain regulations. Nay,
the apostles exercised authority by virtue of a power they consciously
possessed in themselves, independent of any church or church
council. For St. Paul writes, after having given ordinances in the
matter of marriages : " And I think that I also have the Spirit of
God." Hence the power and authority to command, to ordain and
to judge in the churches, they derived not from the Church, nor
from church council, nor from the apostolate, but directly from the
Holy Spirit. This is true even of the power to judge; for, concern
ing an incestuous person in the church of Corinth, St. Paul judged
that he should be delivered to Satan ; the execution of which sen
tence he left to the elders of that church, but upon which he had
determined by virtue of his apostolic authority i Cor. v. 3.
In this connection it is remarkable that St. Paul was conscious
of a twofold current running through his word : (i) that of tradition,
touching the things ordained by the Lord Jesus during His min
istry ; and (2) that of the Holy Spirit, touching the things to be de
cided by the apostolate. For he writes: " Now concerning virgins,
I have no commandment of the Lord; yet I give my judgment as
one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful" (i Cor.
vii. 25). And again he saith: " Unto the married I command, yet
not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband"
(ver. i o) . And in verse 1 2 he saith : " But to the rest speak I, not the
Lord." Many have received the impression that St. Paul meant to
say : " What the Lard commanded, you must keep ; but the things
by me enjoined are of less account and not binding"; a view de
stroying the authority of the apostolic word, and therefore to be re
jected. The apostle has not the least intention of undermining his
own authority ; for having delivered the message, he adds expressly :
" And I think that I also have the Spirit of God " ; which, in connec
tion with the commandment of the Lord, can not mean anything
| else than this: "That which I have enjoined rests upon the same
authority as the Lord s own words 1 ; a declaration which was al-
148 THE APOSTOLATE
ready contained in the word: "I have received mercy to be faith
ful," i.e., in my work of regulating the churches.
By these ordinances and regulations the apostles not only gave
to the churches of those days a fixed form of life, but they also pre
pared the channel that was to determine the future course of the life
of the Church. They did this in two ways :
First, partly by the impressions they made upon the life of the
churches, and which were never wholly obliterated.
Secondly, partly also and more particularly by leaving us in
writing the image of that Church, and by sealing the principal
features of these ordinances in their apostolic epistles.
Both these influences, that directly on the life of the churches,
and that of the apostolic Scriptures, have taken care that the image
of the Church should not be lost, and that, where it was in danger
of such loss, by the grace of God it should be fully restored.
This leads us to consider the second activity of the apostles,
whereby they operated upon the Church of all ages, viz., the in
heritance of their writings.
Our writings are the richest and maturest products of the mind ;
and the mind of the Holy Spirit received its richest, fullest, and
most perfect expression when His meaning was put into documental
form. The literary labor of the apostles deserves, therefore, careful
attention.
When the apostles Peter and Paul preached the Gospel, healed
the sick, judged the unruly, and founded churches, giving them
ordinances, they performed in each of these a great and glorious
work. And yet the significance of St. Paul s labor when he wrote,
e.g., the Epistle to the Romans so far surpassed the value of preach
ing and healing that the two can not be compared. When he wrote
that one little book, which in ordinary pamphlet form would make
no more than three sheets of printed matter, he performed the
greatest work of his life. From this little book the most far-reach
ing influences have gone forth. By this one little book St. Paul
became a historic person.
We know, indeed, that many of our present theologians reverse
this order, and say : " These apostles were profoundly spiritual men ;
they lived near the Lord and had entered deeply into the mind of
Christ ; they labored and preached and occasionally wrote a few ;
letters, some of which have come down to us; yet this letter-wri-
THE APOSTOLIC SCRIPTURES. 149
ting was of little significance to their persons ; but against this
whole representation we protest with all our might. Nay, these
men were not such excellent personalities that the few occasional
letters from their hands could scarcely have any significance in
their Iives On the contrary, their epistolary labor was the most
important of all their lifework ; small in compass, but rich in con
tent; apparently of less, but by virtue of its comprehensive and
far-reaching influence of much higher significance. And since the
apostles may not be considered half-idiots, knowing scarcely any
thing of the future of the Church, and without any realization of
what they were doing, we maintain that a man like St. Paul, hav
ing finished his Epistle to the Romans, was indeed conscious of the
fact that this work would occupy a prominent place among his
apostolic labors.
Even tho it be granted that the apostle was unconscious of it,
yet this alters not the fact. To-day, when the churches founded
eighteen centuries ago have all past away, and the church of Rome
can scarcely be recognized ; when the people who by his wonderful
power were healed or saved have all crumbled to dust, and not a
single memory remains of all his other toil ; to-day his epistolary
inheritance still governs the Church of Christ.
We can not conceive what the condition of the Church would be
without St. Paul s epistles; if we were to lose the inheritance of the
great apostle that has come to us through our fathers. What is it
that controls our confession, if not the truths developed by him ;
what is it that governs our lives, if not the ideals so highly exalted
by him? We can safely say, with reference to our own Church, that
without the Pauline epistles its whole form and appearance would
be totally different.
This being so, we are also justified in saying that the objectify
ing of Christian truth in the apostolic epistles is the most important
of all their labors. Instead of calling it a " dead-letter," we confess
that in it their activity reached its very zenith.
However, the peculiar work of the Holy Spirit in the apostolate
being the subject of our present inquiry, and not the apostolate
itself, we will consider now the serious question : What is the nature
of this work?
Our choice lies between the theory of the mechanical, and that of
the natural, process.
1 5 o THE APOSTOLATE
The supporters of the first say : " Nothing can be more simple
than the work of the Holy Spirit in the apostles. They had only to
sit down, take pen and ink, and write at His dictation." The ad
vocates of the natural process state its case as follows : " The apos
tles had entered more deeply into the mind of Christ; they were
holier, purer, and more godly than others ; hence they were better
fitted to be the instruments of the Holy Spirit, who after all ani
mates every child of God." These are the extreme views. On the
one hand, the work of the Holy Spirit is considered as a foreign ele
ment introduced into the life of the Church and that of the apostles.
Any schoolboy competent to write a dictation might have written
the Epistle to the Romans just as well as St. Paul. The obvious
difference of style and manner of presentation between his epistles
and those of St. John does not spring from the difference of person
alities, but from the fact that the Holy Spirit purposely adopted the
style and way of speaking of His chosen scribe, be he St. Paul or St.
John.
The other extreme considers that the persons of the apostles ac
count for the whole matter; so that to speak of a work of the Holy
Spirit is only to repeat a pious term. According to this view, the
influence of Christ s personal intercourse had an educating effect
upon His disciples, which left such impress of His life upon them
that they could understand His Person and aims much better than
others ; hence being the best-developed minds of the Christian cir
cle of those days, they adopted in their writings a certain apostolic
authority.
Besides these two extremes, we must mention the view of cer
tain friendly theologians who turn this natural into a supernatural,
but still self-developed, process. They acknowledge, with us, that
there is a work of the Holy Spirit which they also call regeneration,
and allow that to this the gift of illumination is often added. And
from this they argue : " Among the regenerated there are some in
whom this divine work is only superficial, and others in whom He
operates more deeply. In the former, the gift of illumination is
undeveloped; in the latter, it attains great luster; and it is to this
class that the apostles belonged, who were partakers of this gift in
its highest degree. Owing to these two gifts, the work of the Holy
Spirit attained in them such clearness and transparency that, in
speaking or writing concerning the things of the Kingdom of God,
they struck almost invariably the right note, chose the right word,
THE APOSTOLIC SCRIPTURES 151
and continued in the right direction. Hence the power of their
writings, and the almost binding authority of their word."
Over against these three opponents we wish to present the view
of the best theologians of the Christian Church, which, altho fully
appreciating the effects of regeneration and illumination in the
apostles, still maintain that from these the infallible, apostolic
authority can not be explained ; and that the authority of their word
is recognized only by the unconditional confession that these oper
ations of grace were but the means used by the Holy Spirit when,
through the apostles, He cast His own testimony into documental
forms for the Church of all ages.
XXXI.
Apostolic Inspiration.
"When He, the Spirit of truth, is
come, He will guide you into all
truth. 1 -JohnxvL 13.
WHAT is the nature of the work of the Holy Spirit in the inspi
ration of the apostles?
Apart from the mechanical and natural theories, which are vul
gar and profane, there are two others, viz., the Ethical and the Re
formed,
According to the former the inspiration of the apostles differs
from the animation of believers only in degree, not in nature.
They represent the matter as tho, by the incarnation of the Word,
a new sphere of life was created which they call the " God-human
They that have received the life of this higher sphere are called
believers; others are unbelievers. In these believers the conscious
ness is gradually changed, illuminated, and sanctified. Hence
they see things in a different light, i.e., their eyes are opened so
that they see much of the spiritual world of which unbelievers see
nothing. However, this result is not the same in all believers.
The more favored see more correctly and distinctly than the less
favored. And the most excellent among them, who possess this
God-human life most abundantly, and look into the things of the
Kingdom with greatest clearness and distinctness, are the men
called apostles. Hence the inspiration of the apostles and the
illumination of believers are in principle the same ; differing only |
in degree.
The Reformed churches can not agree with this view. In their |
judgment the very effort to identify apostolic inspiration with the
illumination of believers actually annihilates the former. They
hold that the inspiration of the apostles was wholly unique in nature
and kind, totally different from what the Scripture calls illumina- i
tion of believers. The apostles possessed this latter gift even in its i
APOSTOLIC INSPIRATION 153
highest degree, and we heartily indorse all that the Ethical theolo
gians say in this respect. But, when all is said, we hold that apos
tolic inspiration is not even touched upon ; that it lies entirely out
side of it; is not contained in, but added to, it; and that the Church
must reverence it as an extraordinary, peculiar, and unique work
of the Holy Spirit, which was wrought exclusively in the holy apos
tles.
Hence both sides concede that the apostles were born again, that
they had received illumination in a peculiarly high degree. But
while the Ethical theorists maintain that this extraordinary illumi
nation includes inspiration, the Reformed hold that illumination in
its highest degree has nothing to do with inspiration; which was
unique in its kind, without equal, given to the apostles alone, never
to other believers.
The difference between the two views is obvious.
According to the Ethical view, the epistles are the writings of
very worthy, godly, and sanctified men ; the thoughtful utterances
of highly enlightened believers. And yet, having said all this,
they are after all only fallible ; they may contain ninety per cent,
of truth, well expressed and accurately defined ; but the possibility
remains that the other ten per cent, is full of errors and mistakes.
Even tho there be one or more infallible epistles, how can this
avail us, since we do not know it? In fact, we are without the least
certainty in this matter. And for this reason it is actually conceded
that the apostles have made mistakes.
Hence the Reformed churches can not accept this fascinating
representation ; and the conscience of believers will always protest
against it. What we expect in " holy apostles" is this very certainty,
reliability, and decision. Reading their testimony, we want to rely
upon it. This certainty alone has been the strength of the Church
of all ages. This conviction alone has given her rest. And the
Church of to-day feels as instinctively that the reliability of the
Word that is its Bible is being taken away from it, inasmuch as
these beautifully sounding theories strip the apostolic word of its
infallibility.
The holy apostles appear in their writings as such, and not other
wise. St. John, the most beloved among the twelve, testifies that
the Lord Jesus gave them as apostles a rare promise, saying, " He
shall guide you into all truth," a word that may not be applied to
I 5 4 THE APOSTOLATE
others, but to the apostles exclusively. And again : " The Com
forter which is the Holy Ghost shall teach you all things, and bring
to your remembrance all things whatsoever I have said unto you"
(John xiv. 1 6) ; which promise was not intended for all, but for the
apostles only, securing them a gift evidently distinct from illumi
nation. In fact, this promise was nothing else than the permanent
endowment with the gift received only temporarily when they went
forth on their first mission among Israel : " For it is not you that
speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you."
Moreover, the Lord Jesus did not only promise them that the
word proceeding from their mouth would be a word of the Holy
Spirit, but He granted them such personal power and authority
that it would be as tho God Himself spoke through them. St. Paul
testified of this to the church of Thessalonica, saying: "For this
cause we thank God that ye received it not as the word of men, but,
as it is in truth, the Word of God" (i Thess. ii. 13). And St. John
tells us that, both before and after the resurrection, the Lord Jesus
gave His disciples power to bind on earth in the sense that their word
would have binding power forever : " Whosesoever sins ye remit,
they are remitted unto them ; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they
are retained"; words that are horrible and untenable except they
be understood as implying perfect agreement between the minds of
the apostles and the mind of God. Of similar import are the words
of Christ to Peter : " Whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be
bound in heaven ; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on -earth shall be
loosed in heaven."
However, reading and pondering these remarkable and weighty
words, let us be careful not to fall into the error of Rome, or, in
order to escape from this, make the Word of God of no effect, which
is equally dangerous. For the Church of Rome applies these words
of Jesus to His disciples, to the whole Church as an institution ;
especially the word to Peter, making it to refer to all Peter s suc
cessors (so-called) in the government of the Church of Rome. If
that be indeed the meaning of these words, then Rome is perfectly
right ; then to the Pope is granted power to bind, and the priests of
Rome have still the power to absolve. Our reason for denying
that Rome has this power is not the impossibility for men to have
it, for it was given to the apostles ; Peter was infallible in his sen
tences ex cathedra, and the apostles could grant absolution. But we (
APOSTOLIC INSPIRATION 155
deny that Rome has the slightest authority to confer this power of
Peter upon the Pope, or that of the apostles upon its priests. Nei
ther Matt. xvi. 19 nor John xx. 23 contains the least proof for such
claim. And inasmuch as no man has the liberty to exercise such
I extraordinary power except he can show the credentials of his mis-
jsion, so we deny Rome s qualifications to exercise it in pope or
j priest, not because this is impossible, but because Rome can not
| substantiate its claims.
At the same time, let us, in our contending with Rome, not fall
linto the opposite error of disparaging the plain and clear meaning
iof the word. This is done by the Ethical theologians; for the
! words of Jesus referred to do not receive justice so long as we re-
jfuse to recognize in the apostles a working of the Holy Spirit en
tirely peculiar, unique, and extraordinary. We dilute the words of
Jesus and violate their sense so long as we do not acknowledge
Ithat, if the apostles were still living, they would have the power to
[forgive us our sins ; and that Peter, if he were still living, would
have power and authority to issue ordinances binding upon the
whole Church. The words are so plain, the qualification was
jgranted in such definite terms, that it can not be denied that John
could forgive sin, and that Peter had power to issue an infallible
decree. The Lord said to the disciples : " Whosesoever sins ye remit,
they are remitted unto them"; and to Peter: " Whatsoever thou
shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven."
Thus acknowledging the unique position and extraordinary
power of the apostles, we immediately add that this power was
granted to them alone and to no one else.
We emphasize this in opposition to Rome and to those who apply
he words of Christ, spoken to His disciples exclusively, to minis-
cers and other believers. Neither Rome nor the Ethical theologians
lave the right to do this, unless they can show that the Lord Jesus
jave them such right. But they never can. Care should be taken,
:herefore, in the choice of texts, proofs, and quotations from the
Scripture, to ascertain not only what is said, but also to whom
t was said. And thus the error concerning the apostolate will
>oon be overcome; and believers will see that the apostles oc-
iupy a different position from other Christians, that the promises
quoted bear an exceptional character, and that the Word of the Lord
s misunderstood when inspiration is confounded with illumina-
ion.
156 THE APQSTOLATE
In opposition to these wrong views, which are Romish, clerical
in principle, and at the same time strongly tending to rationalism]
we maintain the ancient confession of the Christian Church whicH
declares that, as the ambassadors extraordinary of Christ, the apos-l
ties occupied a unique position in the race, in the Church, and irj
the history of the world, and were clothed with extraordinary powJ
ers that required an extraordinary operation of the Holy Spirit.
But we do not deny that these men were born again and parta-l
kers of the heavenly illumination ; so that the man of sin was driven)
back, and the new man was powerfully revealed in them. Buti
their personal state and condition was the cause of their contin-|
ued sinfulness until the hour of their death ; hence their infallible
authority could never spring from the fallible condition of thein
hearts. Even tho they had been less sinful, such power could nod
be thus accounted for. And if they had fallen more deeply into]
sin, it would not have hindered the Holy Spirit s operation wita
reference to the exercise of this authority. It is remarkable thati
Peter, who was clothed with the highest power, fell again and again
into great sin. They were saints because they were hid in Christ
like other Christians ; but they were holy apostles not on the ground
of their spiritual state and condition, but only by virtue of their
holy calling and the working of the Holy Spirit that was prom
ised and given unto them.
Finally, the question arises, whether there was a difference be
tween the operation of the Holy Spirit in the prophets and in the
apostles. We answer in the affirmative. Ezekiel s oracles arej
different from St. John s Gospel. The Epistle to the Romans bears]
witness to a different inspiration from that of the prophecies ofj
Zacharias. Undoubtedly the book of Revelation proves that the)
apostles were also susceptible to inspiration by visions; the book
of the Acts is evidence that in those days there were also wonder
ful signs; and St. Paul speaks of visions and ecstasies. And yet the
collective treasure that came down to us under the apostles namei
bears evidence that the inspiration of the New Testament has an
other character than that of the Old. And the principal difference
consists in the mighty fact of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
The prophets were inspired before Pentecost, and the apostles
after it. This fact is so strongly marked in the history of their
mission that before it the apostles sit still, while immediately
after it they appear in their apostolic character before the world.
APOSTOLIC INSPIRATION 157
And since in the outpouring the Holy Spirit came to dwell in the
body of Christ, which before He had been preparing, it is obvious
I that the difference of inspiration in the Old and the New Testa-
ment consists in the fact that the former was wrought upon the
! prophets from without, while the latter wrought upon the apostles
! from within, proceeding from the body of Christ.
And this is the reason that the prophets give us more or less the
! impression of an inspiration independent of their personal, spiritual
I life, while the inspiration of the apostles acts almost always through
i the life of the soul. It is this very fact that offers to the error of
I the Ethical view its starting-point. Surely the person and his con-
i dition appear in the apostles much more in the foregrotmd than in
the prophets. And yet in both prophet and apostle inspiration is
that wholly extraordinary operation of the Holy Spirit whereby, in
a manner for us incomprehensible and to them not always con
scious, they were kept from the possibility ot error.
XXXII.
Apostles To-Day?
" Am I not an apostle ? am I not free ijl
have I not seen Jesus Christ oui I
Lord ? are ye not my work in the! !
Lord?" i Cor. ix. i.
WE may not take leave of the apostolate without a last look at! i
the circle of its members. It is a closed circle ; and every effort toU
reopen it tends to efface a characteristic of the New Covenant.
And yet the effort is being made again and again. We see it injij
Rome s apostolic succession; in the Ethical view gradually effacing!
the boundary-line between the apostles and believers; and in its
boldest and most concrete form among the Irvingites.*
The latter assert not only that the Lord gave to His Church a
college of apostles in the beginning, but that He has now called!
a body of apostles in His Church to prepare His people for th.e>
coming.
However, this position can not be very successfully supported.
Neither in the discourses of Christ, nor in the epistles of the apos
tles, nor in the Apocalypse, do we find the least intimation of such <
an event. The end of all things is repeatedly spoken of. Thej
New Testament frequently rehearses the events and signs that!
must precede the Lord s return. They are recorded so minutely j
that some even say that the exact date can be fixed. And yet, 1
among all these prophecies, we fail to discover the slightest sign of
a subsequent apostolate. In the panorama of the things to come
there is literally no room for it.
Nor have the results realized the expectations of these brethren.
Their apostolate has been a great disappointment. It has accom
plished almost nothing. It has come and gone without leaving a
trace. We do not deny that some of these men have done wonder-
* The Irvingites are known in England and America as the Catholic j
Apostolic Church. TRANS.
APOSTLES TO-DAY? 159
ful things; but be it noticed, in the first place, that the signs
wrought were far below those performed by the apostles; second,
that a man like Pastor Blumhardt has also wrought signs that
greatly deserve to be noticed; third, that the Roman Catholic
Church sometimes offers signs that are not pretended nor artificial ;
lastly, that the Lord has warned us in His Word that signs shall be
wrought by men who are not His own.
Moreover, let us not forget that the apostles of the Irvingites
completely lack the marks of the apostolate. These were: (i) a
call directly from the King of the Church ; (2) a peculiar qualifica
tion of the Holy Spirit making them infallible in the service of the
Church. These men lack both marks. They tell us, indeed, of a
call come to them by the mouth of prophets, but this is to little or
no purpose, for a call from a prophet is not equal to one directly
from Christ, and again the name "prophet" is exceedingly mis
leading. The word prophet has, on the sacred page, a wide appli
cation, and occurs in both a limited and a general sense. The former
involves the revelation of a knowledge that mere illumination does
not afford ; while the latter applies to men speaking in holy ecstasy
to the praise of God. We concede that prophesying, in the general
sense, is an enduring charisma of the Church ; for which reason the
reformers of the sixteenth century attempted to revive this office.
If the Irvingites, therefore, believe that in their circles the pro
phetic activity has been revived, we will not dispute it; altho we
can not say that the reports of their prophesying have had a very
overwhelming effect upon us. However, let it be granted that the
gift has been restored ; but even then we ask : What do you gain by
it? For there is not the slightest proof that these prophets and
prophetesses are like their predecessors in the Old Testament.
The unrevealed will of God has not been revealed to them. If
prophets at all, then their prophesying is merely a speaking to the
praise of God in a state of spiritual ecstasy.
The uselessness of an appeal to such prophets for the support
of this new apostolate is evident. It is merely the effort to sup
port an unsupported apostolate by an equally unsupported proph-
etism.
Nor should it be forgotten that the labors of these so-called
apostles have not carried out their own program. They have failed
to exert any perceptible influence upon the course of events. The
institutions founded by them have in no respect surpassed the many
160 THE APOSTOLATE
new church organizations witnessed by this century. They have
established no new principle ; their labors have manifested no new
power. Whatever they have done lacks the stamp of a heavenly
origin. And nearly all these new apostles have died not like the
genuine twelve on cross or stake, but on their own beds surrounded
by their friends and admirers.
However, this is not all. The name of apostle may be taken (i)
in the sense of being called directly by Jesus as an ambassador for
God, or (2) in a general sense, denoting every man sent by Jesus
into His vineyard ; for the word apostle means one that is sent. In
Acts xiv. 14 Barnabas is called an apostle; not because he belonged
to their number, but merely to indicate that he was sent out by the
Lord as His missionary or ambassador. In Acts xiii. i, 2 Barnabas
is mentioned before Saul, who is not even called by his apostolic
name; which shows that this call of the Holy Spirit bore only a
temporary character, having in view only this special mission.
For this reason the Lord Jesus Christ, as the One sent of the Fa
ther, the great Missionary come to this world, the Ambassador of
God to His Church, is called Apostle : " Wherefore, holy brethren,
. . . consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ
Jesus" (Heb. iii. i).
If the Irvingites had called the great reformers of the sixteenth
century, or some prominent church leaders of the present time,
apostles, there could have been no great objection. But they did
not mean this. They claim that these new apostles shall stand
before the Church in a peculiar character, on the same plane with
the first apostles, altho differently employed. And this can not be
conceded. It would be in direct opposition to the apostolic declara
tion of i Cor, iv. 9: " For I think that God hath set us forth as the
last apostles, as it were appointed unto death " (see Dutch trans
lation). How could St. Paul speak of the last apostles, if it were
God s plan after eighteen centuries to send other twelve apostles
into the world?
In view of this positive word of the Holy Spirit, we direct all
those that come into contact with the Irvingites to what the Scrip
ture says concerning them that call themselves apostles, and are
not : For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, fashioning
themselves into apostles of Christ." And the Lord Jesus testifies
to the church at Ephesus : " I know that thou hast tried them which
say they are apostles, and are not."
APOSTLES TO-DAY ? 161
The notion that false apostles must be a sort of incarnate devils
applies in no wise to the calm, respectable, and venerable men fre
quently seen in the circles of the Irvingites. But apart from this
absurd notion, and considering that the false prophets of the Old
Testament so closely resembled the true ones that at times even
the people of God were deceived by them, we can understand that
the false apostles of St. John s day could be detected only by a
higher spiritual discernment; and that the pretended apostles of
the nineteenth century, who by their similarity to the genuine
twelve blinded the eyes of the superficial, could be detected only
by the touchstone of the Word of God. And that Word declares
that the twelve of St. Paul s day were the last apostles, which set
tles the matter of this pretended apostolate.
This error of the Irvingites is therefore not so very innocent.
It is easy to explain how it originated. The wretched and deplor
able state of the Church must necessarily give rise to a number of
sects. And we heartily acknowledge that the Irvingites have sent
forth many warnings and well-deserved rebukes to our superficial
and divided Church. But these good offices by no means justify
the doing of things condemned by the Word of God; and those who
lave allowed themselves to be carried away by their teachings
will sooner or later experience their fatal result. It is already man-
fest that this movement, which started among us under the pretext
)f uniting a divided church by gathering together the Lord s peo-
ile, has accomplished little more than to- add another to the already
arge number of sects, thus robbing the Church of Christ of excel-
ent powers that now are being wasted.
That the apostolate was a closed circle, and not a flexible theory,
s evident from Acts i. 25 : " Lord, show of these two, the one whom
Thou hast chosen to take the place of this ministry and apostleship ;
and again from St. Paul s word (Rom. i. 5): "By whom we have
eceived grace and apostleship"; and again (i Cor. ix. 2) : " For the
eal of my apostleship are ye in the Lord"; and lastly from Gal.
i. 8 : " For He that wrought for Peter unto the apostleship of the
ircumcision, wrought for me also unto the Gentiles." And again
t is evident from the fact that the apostles always appear as the
welve ; and from their being specially appointed and installed by
esus breathing upon them the official gift of the Holy Spirit; and
rorn the exceptional power and gifts that were connected with the
ipostolate. And it is especially from its conspicuous place in the
ii
1 62 THE APOSTOLATE
coming Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ that the apostolate ob
tains its definite character. For the Holy Scripture teaches that
the apostles shall sit upon twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes
of Israel; and also that the New Jerusalem has " twelve foundations
upon which are written the twelve names of the apostles of the
Lamb."
St. Paul offers us in his own person the most convincing proof
that the apostolate was a closed college. If it had not been, the
question whether he was an apostle or not could never have caused
contention. Yet a large part of the Church refused to acknowledge
his apostleship. He did not belong to the twelve; he had not
walked with Jesus; how could he be a witness? It was against
this seriously meant contention that St. Paul repeatedly lifted
up his voice with such energy and animation. This fact is the
key to the right understanding of his epistles to the Corinthians
and Galatians. They glow with holy jealousy for the reality of his
apostleship , for he was deeply convinced that he was an apostle as
well as St. Peter and the others. Not by virtue of personal merit;
in himself he was not worthy to be called an apostle i Cor. xv. 9;
but no sooner is his office assailed than he arouses himself like a
lion, for this touched the honor of his Master, who had appeared
unto him in the way to Damascus, not, as is commonly said, to
convert him for this is not Chrisfs work, but that of the Holy\
Spirit but to appoint him an apostle in that Church which he was
persecuting.
As to the question, how the addition of St. Paul to the twelve is
consistent with that number, we are convinced that not the namej
of Matthias, but that of St. Paul is written upon the foundations ofj
the New Jerusalem with those of the others; and that not Matthias,
but St. Paul shall sit down to judge the twelve tribes of Israel. Asi
one of the tribes of Israel was replaced by two others, so in regard)
to the apostolate ; for Simeon, who fell out, Manasseh and Ephraiml
were substituted, and Judas was replaced by Matthias and Paul.
We would not imply that the apostles erred in electing Matthias!
to fill the vacancy occasioned by the suicide of Judas. On the con-|
trary, the completion of the apostolic number could not be delayed]
until the conversion of St. Paul. The vacancy had to be filled im
mediately. But it may be said that when the disciples chose Mat
thias they had too small a conception of the goodness of their Lord.
They supposed that for Judas they would receive a Matthias, and,
APOSTLES TO-DAY ? 163
behold, Jesus gave them a Paul. As to the former, the Scripture
mentions his election and no more. Yet even tho to the Church of
later times the apostolate without St. Paul is unthinkable, and tho
it allowed his person the first place among the apostles and his
writings highest in authority among the Scriptures of the New Tes
tament, to the person of Matthias the election to the apostolate
must have brought highest honor. The apostolate stands so high
that the fact of having been identified with it, even temporarily,
imparts greater luster to a man s name than a royal crown.
IRintb Cbapter,
THE HOLY SCRIPTURES IN THE NEW TESTA
MENT.
XXXIII.
The Holy Scriptures in the New Testament.
" But these are written that ye might
believe that Jesus is the Christ,
the Son of God ; and that believing
ye might have life through His
name." -John xxix. 31.
HAVING considered the apostolate, we are now to discuss God s
gift to the Church, viz., the New Testament Scripture.
The apostolate placed a new power in the Church.
Surely all power is in heaven ; but it has pleased God to let this
power descend in the Church by means of organs and instruments,
chief among which is the apostolate. This organ was a consolation
of the Comforter, given to the Church after Jesus had ascended to
heaven and was provisionally not to govern His Church in person.
Hence it was a forsaken Church, not yet planted, and soon to be
scattered, to which the Holy Spirit gave the apostolate as a bond of
union, as an organ for self-extension, and as an instrument for its
own enrichment with the full knowledge of the life of grace. Com
missioned by the King of the Church, the apostles were animated
by the Holy Spirit. As the King works for His Church only by the
Spirit, so He caused the apostolate to work also by the higher pow
ers of the Holy Spirit.
It was not the Lord s intention that His Church should set out
in ignorance, to wander about in manifold error, finall) 7 , the long
journey ended, to arrive at a clearer perception of the truth ; but that
from the beginning it should stand in the light of complete knowl
edge. Hence He gave it the apostolate, that from the cradle of
HOLY SCRIPTURES IN NEW TESTAMENT 165
its existence it should receive the full sunshine of grace, and that
no subsequent development of Christendom should ever surpass
that of the apostles.
This is a very significant fact.
Indeed, in the course of history there is development, especially
in doctrine, which has not yet ceased, and which will continue until
the end. The King has cast His Church into the midst of warfare
and trouble ; He has not permitted it to confess His name in an un
manly and indolent manner, but from age to age He has compelled
it to defend that confession against error, misunderstanding, and
hostility. It is only in this warfare that it has learned gradually to
exhibit every part of its glorious inheritance of truth. God shall
judge heretics ; but, besides much mischief, they have rendered the
Church this excellent service of compelling it to wake up from
slumbering upon its gold-mines, to explore them, and to open the
hidden treasure.
Hence our conscious insight into the truth is deeper than that
of the preceding centuries. Semper excelsior! Ever higher! Re
search into holy things may never cease ; even now the Lord ful
fils His promise to every true theologian : " Ask, and it shall be
given you; seek, and ye shall find." And in the development of
the consciousness of the Church concerning its treasure of truth, the
Holy Spirit has a special work, and he who denies it leaves the
Church to petrify and is blind for the word of the Lord.
Yet, however great its present and future progress, it will never
possess a grain of truth more than when the apostolate passed away.
Afterward the gold-mine might be explored ; but when the apostles
died the mine itself existed already. Nothing can be added to it or
ever will ; it is complete in itself. For this reason the great men of
God, who, in the course of ages, by brave words have animated the
Church, have always pointed back to the treasures of the apostles,
and without exception told the churches : " Your treasure lies not
before, but behind you, and dates from the days of the apostles."
And herein was mercy ; any other disposition would have been
unmerciful. The people of one or eighteen centuries ago had the
same spiritual needs as we have ; nothing less than we have could
suffice for them. Their wounds are ours; the balm of Gilead that
has healed us, healed them also. Consequently the remedy for
souls must be ready for immediate use. Delay would be cruel.
Hence it is not strange and problematic, but perfectly in accord
1 66 HOLY SCRIPTURES IN NEW TESTAMENT
with God s mercy, that the whole treasure of saving truth was given
to the Church directly in the first century.
To accomplish this was the mission of the apostolate. It is like
medical science in this respect, which makes constant progress in
the knowledge of herbs. But however great that progress, no new
herb has been produced. Those that exist now, existed always,
having the same medicinal properties. The only difference is, that
we know better than our ancestors how to apply them. In like
manner, since the days of the apostolate no new remedy for the
healing of souls has been created or invented. Indeed, some of the
powers then at work are lost to us, e.g., the charisma of tongues.
All the difference between the Church then and now is, that we,
according to this thinking and emotional age, understand more pro
foundly the connection between the effect of the remedy and the
healing of our wounds.
This difference does not make us richer or poorer. For the sim
ple peasant it is sufficient to receive the prescribed medicine, altho
he is ignorant of its ingredients and effects upon blood and nerves.
In his world this need does not exist. But the man of thought, un
derstanding the connection between cause and effect, has no confi
dence in any medicine unless he knows something of its working.
To him, this knowledge is a positive need, and to the psychological
effect it is even indispensable.
This is likewise true of the Church of Christ; it has not been
always the same, neither have its needs. The development of our j
knowledge has been such that every age has received an insight j
adapted to satisfy its necessity. More than this : the very fermen
tation of the age has created the modified need, and has been used
of God to give a clearer understanding of the truth.
And yet, whatever the increased clearness and maturity of the|
knowledge concerning the secret of the Lord during the ages, thej
secret itself has remained the same. Nothing has been added to it. \
And the mystery of the apostolate is, that by the labors of its mem
bers the whole secret of the Lord was made known to the Church,
under the infallible authorship of the divine Inspirer, the Holyj
Spirit.
This is the great fact accomplished by the apostolate : the pub
lication of the whole secret of the Lord, by which the revelation in j
the Old Testament, to John the Baptist and Christ was enlarged and
worked out. For to complete a thing means to add that which be-j
HOLY SCRIPTURES IN NEW TESTAMENT 167
fore was lacking; after which nothing more can be added. And
this is the second point that we emphasize.
Through the apostles the Church received something not pos
sessed by Israel nor imparted by Christ. Christ Himself declares:
" I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye can not bear them
now. Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide
you into all truth ; for He shall not speak from Himself; but whatso
ever He shall hear, that shall He speak ; and He will shew you things
-to come. He shall glorify Me; for He shall receive of Mine, and
shall shew it unto you" (John xvi. 12-14). St. Paul spoke not
less clearly, saying : " That the mystery which was kept secret since
the world began was now made manifest" (Rom. xvi. 25). And
again : " To make men see what is the dispensation of the mystery
which from all ages was hid in God." And again: " The mystery
which has been hid from ages and from generations, but now is
made manifest to his saints" (Col. i. 16). Finally, St. John de
clares that the apostles testify of what they had looked upon with
their eyes, and their hands had handled of the Word of Life, which
was with the Father, and which is manifested.
Altho we do not deny that the germ of saving knowledge was
given in Paradise, to the Patriarchs, and to Israel ; yet the Scrip
ture teaches distinctly that truth was revealed to the Patriarchs,
unknown in Paradise ; to Israel, of which the Patriarchs were igno
rant; and by Jesus, truth that was hidden from Israel. In like
manner, truth not declared by Jesus was revealed to the Church by
the holy apostolate.
Against this last statement, however, objections are raised.
Many unbelieving writers of the present century have frequently
asserted that not Jesus, but Paul was the real founder of Christian
ity ; while others have frequently exhorted us to abandon the ortho
dox theology of St. Paul, and to return to the simple teachings of
Jesus; especially to His Sermon on the Mount.
And really, the more the Scripture is studied the more obvious
the difference between the Sermon on the Mount and the Epistle to
the Romans will appear. Not as tho the two contradict each other,
but in this way, that the latter contains elements of truth, new rays
of light, not found in the former.
If one objects to the doctrines of the apostles, as does the
Groninger School.it is natural to place the gospels above the epistles.
Hence the fact that many half-believers still receive the Parables and
1 68 HOLY SCRIPTURES IN NEW TESTAMENT
the Sermon on the Mount, but reject the doctrine of justification as
taught by St. Paul ; while those who wish to break with Christianity
entirely are inclined to consider the Pauline epistles as its real ex
ponent, but only to reject them with the entire Pauline Christianity.
For the Church of the living God, which receives both, there is in
this unholy tendency an exhortation to have an open eye for the dif
ference between the gospels and the epistles, and to acknowledge
that our opponents are right when they call it a marked difference.
Yet while our opponents use the difference to attack either the
authority of the apostolic doctrine or that of Christendom itself,
the Church confesses that there is nothing surprising in this differ
ence. Both are parts of the same doctrine of Jesus, with this dis
tinction, that the first part was revealed directly by Christ, while
the other He gave to His Church indirectly by the apostles.
Of course, so long as the apostles are considered as independent
persons, teaching a new doctrine on their own authority, our solution
does not solve the difficulty. But confessing that they are holy
apostles, i.e., organs of the Holy Spirit through whom Jesus Him
self taught His people from heaven, then every objection is met,
and there is npt even a shadow of conflict.
For Jesus simply acted like an earthly father in the training of
his children, who teaches them according to their comprehension ;
and in case of his death, his task still unfinished, he will leave them
written instructions to be opened after his departure. But Jesus
died to rise again, and even after His Ascension He continued to
be in living contact with His Church through the apostolate. And
what we would write before our decease, Jesus caused to be written
by His apostles under the special direction of the Holy Spirit. Thus
the Scriptures of the New Testament originate a New Testament
in a sense now easily understood.
The correctness of this representation is proven by Christ s own
words, which teach us
First, that there were things declared to the apostles before His
departure, and there were things not declared, because they could
not bear them then.
Secondly, that Jesus would declare the latter also, but by the
Holy Spirit.
Thirdly, that the Holy Spirit would reveal these things to them,
not apart from Jesus, but by taking them from Christ and declaring
them unto them.
XXXIV.
The Need of the New Testament Scripture.
"For I testify unto every man that
heareth the words of the prophecy
of this book, If any man shall add
unto these things, God shall add
unto him the plagues that are writ
ten in this book." Rev. xxii. 18.
IF the Church after the Ascension of Christ had been destined to
live only one lifetime, and had been confined only to the land of
the Jews, the holy apostles could have accomplished their task by
verbal teaching. But since it was to live at least for eighteen cen
turies, and to be extended over the whole world, the apostles were
compelled to resort to the written communication of the revelation
which they had received.
If they had not written, the churches of Africa and Gaul could
never have received trustworthy information; and the tradition
would have lost its reliable character ages ago. The written reve
lation has, therefore, been the indispensable means whereby the
Church, during its long and ever-extending career, has been pre
served from complete degeneration and falsification.
However, from their epistles it does not appear that the apostles
clearly understood this. Surely, that the Church would sojourn in
this world for eighteen centuries, they did not expect ; and almost
all their epistles bear a local character, as tho not intended for the
Church in general, but only for particular churches. And yet, al-
tho they understood it not, the Lord Jesus knew it ; He had thus
planned it ; hence the epistle written exclusively for the church of
Rome was intended and ordained by Him, and without Paul s
knowledge, to edify the Church of all ages.
Hence two things had to be done for the Church of the future :
First, the image of Christ must be received from the lips of the
apostles and be committed to writing.
Secondly, the things of which Jesus had said, " Ye can not bear
i/o HOLY SCRIPTURES IN NEW TESTAMENT
them now, but the Holy Spirit will declare them unto you," must
be recorded. This is the postulate of the whole matter. The con
dition of the churches, their long duration in the future, and their
world-wide extension demanded it.
And the facts show that the provision was made; but not imme
diately. So long as the Church was confined to a small circle, and
the remembrance of Christ remained fresh and powerful, the apos
tles spoken word was sufficient. The decree of the Synod of Jeru
salem was probably the first written document that proceeded from
them. But when the churches began to extend across the sea to
Corinth and Rome, and northward to Ephesus and Galatia, then
Paul began to substitute written for verbal instructions. Gradually
this epistolary labor was extended and Paul s example followed.
Perhaps each wrote in turn. And to these epistles were added the
narratives of the life, death, and Resurrection of Christ and the
Acts of the Apostles. At last the King commanded John from
heaven to write in a book the extraordinary revelation given him
on Patmos.
The result was a gradually increasing number of apostolic and
non-apostolic writings, probably far exceeding that contained in
the New Testament. At least Paul s epistles show that he wrote
many more than we now possess. But even if he had not thus in
formed us, the fact would have been sufficiently well established;
for it is improbable that such excellent writers as Paul and John
should not have written more than a dozen letters during their long
and eventful lives, Even in one year they must have written more
than that The controversy of former days over the assertion that I
no apostolic writings could have been lost was most foolish, and
showed little reckoning with real life.
It is remarkable that from this great mass a small number cf
writings was gradually separated. A few were collected first, then
more were added, and arranged in certain order. It took a long
time before there was uniformity and agreement ; indeed, some wri- I
tings were not universally recognized until after three centuries.
But in spite of time and controversy, the sifting took place, and the
result was, that the Church distinguished in this great mass of liter
ature two distinct parts: on the one hand, this arranged set of
twenty-seven books; and on the other, the remaining writings of
early origin.
And when the process of sifting and separating was ended, and i
NEED OF NEW TESTAMENT SCRIPTURE 171
the Holy Spirit had borne witness in the churches that this set of
writings constituted a whole, and was, indeed, the Testament of
the Lord Jesus to His Church, then the Church became conscious
that it possessed a second collection of sacred books of equal author
ity with the first collection given to Israel , then it put the Old and
the New Testament together, which unitedly form the Holy Scrip
ture, our Bible, the Word of God.
To the question, How did the New Testament Scripture origi
nate? we answer without hesitation, By the Holy Spirit.
How? Did He say to Paul or John : " Sit down and write >: ?
The gospels and the epistles do not so impress us. It does
indeed apply to the Revelation of St. John, but not to the other
New Testament Scriptures. They rather impress us as being writ
ten without the slightest idea of being intended for the Church of
all ages. Their authors impress us as writing to certain churches
of their own definite time, and that after a hundred years perhaps
not a single fragment of their writings would be in existence. They
were indeed conscious of the Holy Spirit s aid in writing the truth
even as they enjoyed it in speaking; but that they were writing parts
of the Holy Scripture, they surely knew not.
When St. Paul had finished his Epistle to the Romans, it never
occurred to him that in future ages his letter would possess for mil
lions of God s children an authority equal to, or even higher than
that of the prophecies of Isaiah and the Psalms of David. Nor could
the first readers of his epistle, in the church of Rome, have imag
ined that after eighteen centuries the names of their principal men
would still be household words in all parts of the Christian world.
But if St. Paul knew it not, surely the Holy Spirit did. As by
education the Lord frequently prepares a maiden for her still un
known, future husband, so did the Holy Spirit prepare Paul, John,
and Peter for their work. He directed their lives, circumstances,
and conditions; He caused such thoughts, meditations, and even
words to arise in their hearts as the writing of the New Testament
Scripture required. And while they were writing these portions
of the Holy Scripture, that one day would be the treasure of the
universal Church in all ages, a fact not understood by them, but by
the Holy Spirit,, He so directed their thoughts as to guard them
against mistakes and lead them into all truth. He foreknew what
the complete New Testament Scripture ought to be, and what parts
would belong to it. As an architect, by his mechanics, prepares the
i;2 HOLY SCRIPTURES IN NEW TESTAMENT
various parts of the building, afterward to fit them in their places,
so did the Holy Spirit by different workers prepare the different
parts of the New Testament, which afterward He united in a whole.
For the Lord, who by His Holy Spirit caused the preparation of
these parts, is also King of the Church; He saw these parts scat
tered abroad ; He led men to care for them, and believers to have
faith in them. And, finally, by means of the men interested, He
united these loose fragments, so that gradually, according to His
royal decree, the New Testament originated.
Hence it was not necessary that the New Testament Scripture
should contain only apostolic writings. Mark and Luke were no
apostles ; and the notion that these men must have written tinder
the direction of Paul or Peter has no proof nor force. What is the
benefit of writing under the direction of an apostle? That which
gives divine authority to the writings of Luke is not the influence
of an apostle, but that he wrote under the absolute inspiration of
the Holy Spirit.
Believing in the authority of the New Testament, we must
acknowledge the authority of the four evangelists to be perfectly
equal. As to the contents, Matthew s gospel may surpass that of
Luke, and John s may excel the gospel of Mark; but their author
ity is equally unquestionable. The Epistle to the Romans has
higher value than that to Philemon ; but their authority is the same.
As to their persons, John stood above Mark, and Paul above Jude;
but since we depend not upon the authority of their persons, but
only upon that of the Holy Spirit, these personal differences are
of no account.
Hence the question is not whether the New Testament writers
were apostles, but whether they were inspired by the Holy Spirit.
Assuredly, it has pleased the King to connect His testimony with
the apostolate; for He said: "Ye are My witnesses. " Hence we
know that Luke and Mark obtained their information concerning ;
Christ from the apostles ; but our guaranty for the accuracy and i
reliability of their statements is not the apostolic origin of the same,
but the authority of the Holy Spirit. Hence the apostles are the
channels through which the knowledge of these things flows to us
from Christ ; but whether this knowledge reaches us through their
writings or through those of others makes no difference. The vital
question is, whether the bearers of the apostolic tradition were in
fallibly inspired or not.
NEED OF NEW TESTAMENT SCRIPTURE 173
Even tho a writing were indorsed by the twelve apostles, this
would not be positive proof of its credibility or divine authority.
i For altho they had the promise that the Holy Spirit would lead
them into all truth, this does not exclude the possibility of their
I falling into mistakes or even untruths. The promise did not imply
I absolute infallibility, at all times, but merely when they should act
as the witnesses of Jesus. Hence the information that a document
comes from the hand of an apostle is insufficient. It requires the
i additional information that it belongs to the things which the apos
tle wrote as a witness of Jesus.
If, therefore, the divine authority of any writing does not depend
upon its apostolic character, but solely upon the authority of the
Holy Spirit, it follows, as a matter of course, that the Holy Spirit
is entirely free to have the apostolic testimony recorded by the
apostles themselves, or by any one else ; in both cases the authority
of these writings is exactly the same. Personal preferences are out
of the question. So far as form, content, wealth, and attractive
ness are concerned, we may distinguish between John and Mark,
Paul and Jude. But when it touches the question of the divine
authority before which we must bow, then we no longer take ac
count of any such distinctions, and we ask only: Is this or that
gospel inspired by the Holy Spirit ?
XXXV.
The Character of the New Testament Scripture.
1 And these things write we unto you,
that your joy may be full. 1 i
John i. 4.
FROM the two preceding articles it is evident that the New
Testament Scripture was not intended to bear the character of a
notarial document. If this had been the Lord s intention we should
have received something entirely different. It would have required
a twofold legal evidence :
In the first place, the proof that the events narrated in the New
Testament actually occurred as related.
Secondly, that the revelations received by the apostles are cor
rectly communicated.
Both certifications should be furnished by witnesses, e.g., to
prove the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand would re
quire :
1. A declaration of a number of persons, stating that they were
eye-w T itnesses of the miracle.
2. An authentic declaration of the magistrates of the surround
ing places certifying to their signatures.
3. A declaration of competent persons to prove that these wit
nesses were known as honest and trustworthy people, disinterested
and competent to judge. Moreover, it would be necessary by
proper testimony to prove that, among the five thousand, there
were only seven loaves and two fishes.
4. That the increase of bread took place while Jesus broke it.
In the presence of a number of such documents, each duly au
thenticated and sealed, persons not too skeptical might find it pos
sible to believe that the event had occurred as narrated in the
Gospel.
To prove this one miracle would require a number of documents
as voluminous as the whole of St, Matthew. If it were possible
CHARACTER OF NEW TESTAMENT SCRIPTURE 175
thus to prove all the events recorded in the gospels and the Acts
of the Apostles, then the credibility of these narratives would be
properly established.
And even this would be far from satisfactory. For the difficulty
would remain to prove that the epistles contain correct communi
cations of the revelations received by the apostles. Such proof
would be impossible. It would require eye- and ear-witnesses to
these revelations; and a number of stenographers to report them.
If this had been possible, then, we concede, there would have been,
if not mathematical certainty for every expression, yet sufficient
ground for accepting the general tenor of the epistles.
But when the apostles wrote them there was no audible voice.
And when a voice was heard, it could not be understood, as in the
case of Paul s revelation on the way to Damascus. The same may
be said of what occurred on Patmos: St. John actually heard a
voice, but the hearing and the understanding of the words which it
uttered required a peculiar, spiritual operation that was lacking in
the people at the same time on the island.
The fact is, that the revelation of the Holy Spirit granted to
the apostles was of such a nature that it could not be perceived by
others. Hence the impossibility to prove its genuineness by nota
rial evidence. He that insists upon it ought to know that the Church
can not furnish it, either for the historical narratives of the gospels,
or for the spiritual contents of the epistles.
Hence it is evident that every effort to prove the truth of the
contents of. the New Testament by external evidence only con
demns itself, and must result in the absolute rejection of the au
thority of the Holy Scripture. If a judge of the present day should
condemn or acquit an accused person on the ground of the insig
nificant evidence which satisfies many honest people with reference
to the Scripture, what a storm of indignation would it raise ! The
whole list of the so-called evidences as to the credibility of the New
Testament writers, that they were competent to judge, willing to
testify, disinterested, etc., proves nothing indeed.
Such externals may suffice when it concerns ordinary events, of
which one might say : :< I believe that it has really happened ; I have
no reason to doubt it ; but if to-morrow it should prove not to be so,
I will lose nothing by it." But how can such superficial methods be
applied when it concerns the extraordinary events related by the
Holy Scripture, upon the positive certainty of which my own and
i;6 HOLY SCRIPTURES IN NEW TESTAMENT
my children s highest interests depend; so that, if they proved to
be untrue, e.g., the report of the resurrection of Christ, we should
suffer the priceless and irreparable loss of an eternal salvation?
This can not be ; it is absolutely unthinkable. And experience
proves that the efforts of foolish people to prop their faith by such
proofs has always ended with the loss of all faith. Nay, such kind
of proof is by its very insignificance either unworthy to be men
tioned with reference to such serious matters, or, if it be worth
anything, it can not be furnished, nor ought it to be.
Notarial or mathematical proof neither can nor may be fur
nished, because the character and nature of the contents of Scrip
ture are inconsistent with or repellent to such demonstration.
No man may demand legal proofs for the fact that the man
whom he loves and honors as father is his father indeed, God has
made such proof impossible by the very nature of the case. The
delicacy which ennobles all family life cuts off the very appearance
of such investigation; and, if it were possible, the son, furnished
with such proof, would ipso facto have lost his father and mother";
they would be his parents no more; and beneath the pile of evi
dence his child-life would be buried.
The same principle applies to the Holy Scripture. The nature
and character of the revelation has been so ordered that it allows
no notarial demonstration. The revelation to the apostles is un
thinkable, if other persons could have heard, recorded, and pub
lished it as well as they. It was an operation of holy energies, not
intended to compel doubters to a mere outward faith, but simply to
accomplish that for which God had sent it, without caring much for
the contradiction of the skeptics. It concerns a work of God \\hich
legal or mathematical investigation can not fathom ; which mani
fests itself upon the spiritual domain where certainty obtains not by
outward demonstration, but by personal faith of the one in the other.
As faith in father and mother springs not from mathematical
demonstration, but from the contact of love, the fellowship of life,
and personal trust in each other, even so here. A life of love un-!
folded itself. The mercies of God came bending down to us in
tender compassion. And every man touched by this divine life was
affected by its influence, taken up by it, lived in it, felt himself in
sympathetic fellowship with it; and, in a way imperceptible and
not understood, obtained a certainty, far above any other, that he
was in the presence of facts, and that they were divinely revealed.
CHARACTER OF NEW TESTAMENT SCRIPTURE 177
And such is the origin of faith ; not supported by scientific
proof, for then it would be no faith ; which has mastered the reader
of the Holy Scripture in an entirely different way. The existence
of the Scripture is owing to an act of the unfathomable mercies of
God, and for this reason man s acceptance must equally be an act
of absolute self-denial and gratitude. It is only the broken and
contrite heart, filled with thankfulness to God for His excellent
mercy, that can cast itself into the Scripture as into its life-element,
I and feel that here is found real assurance, casting out all doubt.
Hence we must distinguish a threefold operation of the Holy
: Spirit with reference to faith in the New Testament Scripture :
First, a divine working giving a revelation to the apostles.
Second, a working called inspiration.
Third, a working, active to-day, creating faith in the Scripture
in the heart at first unwilling to believe.
First comes revelation proper.
E.g., when St. Paul wrote his treatise on the resurrection (i
Cor. xv.), he did not develop that truth for the first time. Prob
ably he had apprehended it previously, and in his sermons and
jprivate correspondence expounded it. Hence the revelation ante-
|dates the epistle. It belonged to the things of which Jesus had
said . " When the Holy Spirit has come He shall guide you into all
truth, and He will show you things to come." And he received
that revelation in such a way that he had the positive conviction
that thus the Holy Spirit had revealed it to him, and that thus he
would see it in the Judgment day.
But the epistle was not yet written. This required a second act
of the Holy Spirit that of inspiration.
Without this the knowledge that St. Paul had received a revela
tion would be useless. What warrant should we have that he had
:orrectly understood and faithfully recorded it? He might have
nade a mistake in the communication, adding to it or taking from
t, thus making it an unreliable report. Hence inspiration was in-
[ispensable ; for by it the apostle was kept from error while he re-
orded the revelation previously received.
Lastly, the spiritual bond must be created connecting the soul
md the consciousness with the spiritual realities of the infallible
liVord of God positive conviction of spiritual things.
The Holy Spirit accomplishes this by the implanting of faith,
vith the various preparations that ordinarily precede the breaking
12
i;8 HOLY SCRIPTURES IN NEW TESTAMENT
forth of the act of believing. The result is inward conviction. Thi:
is not wrought by referring us to Josephus or Tacitus, but in
spiritual way. The content of the Scripture is brought to the soul
The conflict between the Word and the soul is felt. The convictior
thus wrought causes us to see not that the Scripture must make
room for us, but we for the Scripture.
In the discussion of regeneration we shall refer to this point more
largely. For the present we shall be satisfied if we have succeeded
in showing that the existence of the New Testament Scripture and
our faith in it are not the work of man, but a work in which the
Holy Spirit alone must be honored.
Uentb Cbapter,
THE CHURCH OF CHRIST.
XXXVI.
The Church of Christ.
" It is the Spirit that beareth wit
ness, because the Spirit is
truth." i John v. 6.
WE now proceed to discuss the work of the Holy Spirit wrought
in the Church of Christ.
Altho the Son of God has had a Church in the earth from the
beginning, yet the Scripture distinguishes between its manifesta
tion before and after Christ. As the acorn, planted in the ground,
exists, altho it passes through the two periods of germinating and
rooting, and of growing upward and forming trunk and branches,
even so the Church. At first hidden in the soil of Israel, wrapped in
the swaddling-clothes of its national existence, it was only on the
day of Pentecost that it was manifested in the world.
Not that the Church was founded only on Pentecost; this would
be a denial of the Old Covenant revelation, a falsification of the
idea of Church, and an annihilation of God s election. We only
say that on that day it became the Church for the world.
Arid in it the Holy Spirit has wrought a very comprehensive
work.
Not its formation, however, for that is the work of the Triune
od in the divine decree ; or, speaking more definitely, of Jesus the
ing when He bought His people with His own blood.
Indeed, the Spirit of God regenerates the elect, whom He does
not find in the world, but already in the Church. Every represen
tation as tho the Holy Spirit gathers the elect out of a lost world,
and so brings them into the Church, opposes the Scripture s repre-
1 8o THE CHURCH OF CHRIST
sentation of the Church as an organism. Christ s Church is a
body, and as the members grow out of the body and are not added
to it from without, so must the seed of the Church be looked for in
the Church and not in the world. The Holy Spirit works that only
which is already sanctified in Christ. Hence our form of Baptism
reads : " Do you acknowledge that altho our children are conceived
and born in sin, and therefore are subject to all miseries, yea to con
demnation itself ; yet that they are sanctified in Christ?"
However, since regeneration belongs to His work in the individ
ual, and we are considering now His work in the Church as a whole,
as a community, we direct our attention, in the first place, to His
work of imparting spiritual gifts, particularly those called " cJiaris-
mata" Some New Testament passages speak of gifts like those
offered to God (Matt. v. 23): "If thou bring thy gift to the altar";
or gifts communicated to others (2 Cor. viii. 9 and Phil. iv. 17);
and the gift of salvation ; but those we do not consider.
A gift offered to God is called in the Greek " doron" ; imparted*
to others, it is commonly called " char is" ; while the gift of grace
is usually called " doma." Hence these gifts are distinct from those
that now occupy our attention. And this distinction appears
strongest when we compare the gift of the Holy Spirit with spiritual
gifts. The Holy Spirit Himself is a gift of grace. But when He
imparts spiritual gifts He adorns us with holy ornaments. The
first refers to our salvation ; the last to our talents.
Referring to our salvation, the Scripture calls it a free and gra
cious gift, generally doma in the Greek, which, being derived from
a root meaning to give, denotes that we were not entitled to it, hav
ing neither merited nor bought it, but that it is a given good. St.
Paul exclaims: "Thanks unto God for His unspeakable gift/ /.^.,
of salvation (2 Cor. ix. 15). And again: " Much more the grace of |
God and the gift of grace, which is by one man Jesus Christ, hath
abounded unto many." " Much more they which receive abundance
of grace and the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus I
Christ" (Rom. v. 15, 17). And lastly: " But unto every one of us is
given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ" (Ephcs.
iv. 17).*
*It should be noticed that in Rom. v. 15, 16; vi. 23; xi. 29, the word
"charisma" is found in the Greek text, referring to salvation. The rea- i
son is that these passages refer not to the graciousness of the gift, but to)
THE CHURCH OF CHRIST 181
The same expression is used invariably for the imparting of the
Holy Spirit : " Ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost " (Acts ii.
38). And: " Because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the
gift of the Holy Ghost" (Acts x. 45). Hence it should be carefully
noticed that this has nothing to do with the subject under consid
eration. When St. Paul speaks of faith as the gift of God, he refers
to our salvation and God s saving work in the soul. But the gifts of
which we now speak are wholly different. They are not unto sal
vation, but to the glory of God. They are lent to us as ornaments,
that we should show their beauty as talents to gain other talents
therewith. They are additional operations of grace, which can not
take the place of the proper work of the grace of salvation, nor con
firm it, having an entirely different purpose. The work of grace is
for our own salvation, joy, and upbuilding; the charismata are
given us for others. The first implies that we have received the
Holy Spirit ; the latter that He imparts gifts unto us.
Properly speaking, the charismata are given to the churches, not
to individual persons. When a ruler selects and trains men for
officers in the army, it is evident that he does this not for their
personal enjoyment, honor, and aggrandizement, but for the effi
ciency and honor of the army. He can search for men with talents
for the military service, and train and instruct them ; but he can
not create such talents. If this were possible, every king would
endow his generals with the genius of a Von Moltke, and every ad
miral would be a De Ruyter.
But Jesus is not thus limited. He is independent ; unto Him all
power is given in heaven and on earth. He can create talents, and
freely impart them to whomsoever He will. Hence, knowing what
the Church requires for its protection and upbuilding, He can fully
supply all its need. His purpose is not merely to please or enrich
individuals, much less to give to some what He withholds from
others; but with the persons thus endowed to adorn and favor the
whole Church. We do not put a lamp upon the table to show it a
special favor or because it is more excellent than chair or stove ;
but simply because thus it serves its purpose, and the whole room
is lighted. To consider the charismata as intended merely to adorn
and benefit the person endowed would be just as absurd as to say :
its scintillating brightness, in contrast with corruption and death. "The
wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life. "
i8 2 THE CHURCH OF CHRIST
" I light the fire to warm not the room, but the stove " j and to be
jealous of the charismata given to others in the Church would be
just as foolish as for the table to be jealous of the stove because it
gets all the fire.
The charismata must therefore be considered in an economical
sense. The Church is a large household with many wants ; an in
stitution to be made efficient by the means of many things. They
are to the Church what light and fuel are to the household; not
existing for themselves, but for the family, and to be laid aside
when the days are long and warm. This applies directly to the
charismata, many of which, given to the apostolic Church, are not
of service to the Church of the present day.
These charismata have undoubtedly more or less an official
character. God has instituted offices in the Church; not in a me
chanical way, or depending upon robe or gown; such unspiritual
conception is foreign to the Scripture. But as there is division of
labor in the army or in the human body, so there is in the Church.
Take, e.g., the body. It must be protected against injury;
blood must be carried to muscles and nerves; venous blood must
be converted into arterial; the lungs must inhale fresh air, etc.
All these activities are laid upon the various members of the body.
Eye and ear keep watch; the heart propels the blood; the lungs
supply the oxygen, etc. And this can not be changed arbitrarily.
The lungs can not watch ; the eye can not supply oxygen ; the skin
can not propel the blood. Hence this division of labor is neither
arbitrary, by mutual consent, nor a matter of pleasure; but it is j
divinely ordained, and this ordinance must not be ignored. Hence I
the eye has the office and gift of watching over the body; the heart j
of circulating the blood; the lungs of supplying fresh air, etc.
And this applies to the Church in every respect. That great
body requires the doing of many and various things for the com
mon weal. There is need of guidance, of prophesying, of heroism;
mercy must be exercised, the sick must be healed, etc. And this |
great, mutual task the Lord has divided among many members, j
He has given to His body, the Church, eyes, ears, hands, and feet;
and to each of these organic members a peculiar task, calling, and j
office.
Hence to be called to an office simply means to be charged by i
Jesus, the King, with a definite task. You have done some work.
Very well, but how? From impulse, or in obedience to the
THE CHURCH OF CHRIST 183
charge of your Sender? This makes all the difference. The King
may send us in the ordinary or in an extraordinary way. Zacharias
was a priest of the course of Abijah ; but his son John was the her
ald of Christ by extraordinary revelation. The Levite served by
right of succession ; the prophet because he was chosen of God.
But this makes no difference ; called in the one way or the other,
the office remains the same, eo long as we have the assurance that
King Jesus has called and ordained us.
For this reason our fathers devoutly spoke of an office of all be
lievers. In Christ s Church there are not merely a few officials and
a mass of idle, unworthy subjects, but every believer has a calling,
a task, a vital charge. And inasmuch as we are convinced that we
perform the task because the King has laid it upon us not for our
selves, nor even from the motive of philanthropy, but to serve the
Church, to this extent has our work an official character, altho the
world denies us the honor.
XXXVII.
Spiritual Gifts.
" But desire earnestly the greater
gifts. And a still more excel
lent way show I unto you."
i Cor. xii. 31 (R. V.).
THE charismata or spiritual gifts are the divinely ordained
means and powers whereby the King enables His Church to per
form its task on the earth.
The Church has a calling in the world. It is being violently
attacked not only by the powers of this world, but much more by
the invisible powers of Satan. No rest is allowed. Denying that
Christ has conquered, Satan believes that the time left him may yet i
bring him victories. Hence his restless rage and fury, his incessant
attacks upon the ordinances of the Church, his constant endeavor
to divide and corrupt it, and his ever-repeated denial of the author
ity and kingship of Jesus in His Church. Altho he will never suc
ceed entirely, he does succeed to some extent. The history of the)
Church in every country shows it ; it proves that a satisfactory con
dition of the Church is highly exceptional and of short duration,
and that for eight out of ten centuries its state is sad and deplor
able, cause for shame and grief on the part of God s people.
And yet in all this warfare it has a calling to fulfil, an appointed)
task to accomplish. It may sometimes consist in being sifted like)
wheat, as in Job s case, to show that by virtue of Christ s prayer?
faith can not be destroyed in its bosom. But whatever the form of j
the task, the Church always needs spiritual power to perform it; a L
power not in itself, but which the King must supply.
Every means afforded by the King for the doing of His work isj:
a charisma, a gift of grace. Hence the internal connection between!
work, office, and gift.
Wherefore St. Paul says: " To each one is given the manifesta- 1
tion of the Spirit to profit withal, i.e., for the general good (Trpfcli
SPIRITUAL GIFTS 185
(i Cor. xii. 7). And, again, still more clearly: " Even so
ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may
excel, to ihQ* edifying of the Church" (i Cor. xiv. 12). Hence the
petition, " Thy Kingdom come," which the Heidelberg Catechism
interprets : " Rule us so by Thy Word and Spirit that we may sub
mit ourselves more and more to Thee ; preserve and increase Thy
Church; destroy the works of the devil, and all violence which
would exalt itself against Thee, and also all wicked counsels de
vised against Thy Holy Word, till the full perfection of the King
dom takes place, wherein Thou shalt be all in all.
It is wrong, therefore, to consider the life of individual believers
too much by itself, separating it from the life of the Church. They
exist not but in connection with the body, and thus they become
partakers of the spiritual gifts. In this sense the Heidelberg Cate
chism confesses the communion of saints : " First, that all and every
one who believes,- being members of Christ, are in common par
takers of Him and of all His riches and gifts ; secondly, that every
one must know it to be his duty readily and cheerfully to employ
his gifts for the advantage and salvation of other members." The
parable of the talents has the same aim ; for the servant who with
his talent failed to benefit others receives a terrible judgment.
Even the hidden gift must be stirred up, as St. Paul says; not to
boast of it or to feed our pride, but because it is the Lord s and in
tended for the Church.
St. John writing, " Ye have an unction from the Holy One, and
ye know all things" (i John ii. 20), and " Ye need not that any man
teach you" (i John ii. 27), does not mean to say that every indi
vidual believer possesses the full anointing, and in virtue of this
knoweth all things. For if this were so, who would not despair of
salvation, nor dare say : " I have the faith" ? Moreover, how could
the statement, " Ye need not that any man teach you," be reconciled
with the testimony of the same apostle, that the Holy Spirit quali
fies teachers appointed by Jesus Himself? Not the individual be
liever, but the whole Church as a body possesses the full anointing
of the Holy One and knows all things. The Church as a body
needs not that any come to teach it from without; for it possesses
all the treasure of wisdom and knowledge, being united with the
Head, who is the reflection of the glory of God, in whom dwelleth
all wisdom.
And this applies not to the Church of one period, but of all
186 THE CHURCH OF CHRIST
ages. The Church of to-day is the same as in the day of the apos
tles. The life lived then is the life that animates it now. The
gains of two centuries ago belong to its treasury, as well as those
received to-day. The past is its capital. The wonderful and glo
rious revelation received by the Church of the first century was
given, through it, to the Church of all ages, and is still effectual.
And all the spiritual strength and insight, the inward grace, the
clearer consciousness, received during the course of the ages are
not lost, but form an accumulated treasure, increasing still by the
ever-renewed additions of spiritual gifts.
He who realizes and acknowledges this fact feels himself rich
and blessed indeed. For this apostolic view of the matter causes
us to be thankful for our brother s gift, which otherwise we might
envy; inasmuch as those gifts do not impoverish, but enrich us.
In one city there may be twelve ministers of the Word, all gifted
in various directions. According to the natural man, each will be
jealous of his brother s gifts and fear that his talents will excel his
own. But not so among the Lord s own servants. They feel that
together they serve one Lord and one flock, and bless God for giv
ing them together what the leading and feeding require. In an
army the artillerist is not jealous of the cavalryman, for he knows
that the latter is for his protection in the hour of danger.
Moreover, this apostolic standpoint excludes isolation; for it
creates the longing for fellowship with distant brethren, even tho
they walk in more or less deviating paths. It is impossible, Bible
in hand, to limit Christ s Church to one s own little community. It
is everywhere, in all parts of the world ; and whatever its external
form, frequently changing, often impure, yet the gifts wherever;
received increase our riches.
This apostolic standpoint is also against the foolish notion that
for eighteen centuries the Church has received no gifts whatever;
and hence that, like the early Church, each of us must take his
Bible to formulate his own confession. That standpoint makes one
so intensely conscious of the communion of spiritual gifts that he
can not but appreciate the Church s treasure accumulated during;
the centuries. In fact, Christ s Church has received greatest
abundance of spiritual gifts; and to-day we have the disposition
not only of the gifts of the churches in our own city, but of all
those imparted to the churches elsewhere, and of the historic capi-l
tal accumulated during eighteen centuries.
SPIRITUAL GIFTS 187
Hence the treasure of every particular church is threefold:
First, the charismata in its own circle ; secondly, those given to other
churches ; and lastly, those received since the days of the apostles.
According to their nature these spiritual gifts may be divided
into three classes : the official, the extraordinary, and the ordinary.
St. Paul says : " To one is given through the Spirit the word of
j wisdom, and to another the word of knowledge, according to the
i same Spirit, and to another faith by the same Spirit ; and to another
gifts of healing in the one Spirit ; and to another workings of mira-
! cles, and to another prophecy ; and to another discerning of spirits ;
and to another divers kinds of tongues ; and to another the inter
pretation of tongues. But all these worketh the one and the same
Spirit, dividing to each one severally even as He will" (i Cor. xviii.
8-1 1). In like manner the apostle speaks to the Church of Rome:
" Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to
us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion
of faith; or ministry, let us wait on our ministering; or he that
teacheth, on teaching; or he that exhorteth, on exhortation; he
that giveth let him do it with simplicity ; he that ruleth, with dili
gence; he that showeth-mercy, with cheerfulness " (Rom. xii. 6-8).
From these passages it is evident that among these charismata
St. Paul assigns the first place to the gifts pertaining to the ordi
nary service of the Church by its ministers, elders, and deacons.
For by prophecy St. Paul designates animated preaching, wherein
the preacher feels himself cheered and inspired by the Holy Spirit.
By " teaching * he means ordinary catechizing. " Ministry" refers to
| the management of the temporalities of the Church. " Giving " has
reference to the care for the poor and the miserable. " He that rul
eth" refers to the officers in charge of the government of the Church.
These are the ordinary offices embracing the care of the spiritual
and temporal affairs of the Church.
Then follows a different series of charismata, viz., tongues,
healing, discernment of spirits, etc. These non-official gifts divide
themselves into two classes those that strengthen the gifts of sa
ving grace, and those distinct from the grace of salvation.
The former afe, e.g., faith and love. Without faith no one can
be saved. It is therefore the portion of all God s children, and as
such not a " charisma but a " dor on." But while all have faith, God
is free to let it manifest itself more strongly in the one than in an-
i88 THE CHURCH OF CHRIST
other. Of one degree Scripture says : " Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ, and thou shalt be saved"; and of another: "If ye have
faith as a grain of mustard-seed, ye shall say unto this mountain,
Remove hence to yonder place, and it shall remove." The first]
works internally, the other externally. For this reason St. Paul;
speaks not only of ministries and gifts, but also of " workings" which
consist in a more vigorous exercise of the grace which the believer
as such possesses already. Where the faith of many languishes,
the Lord frequently grants extraordinary workings of faith to some,
thus to refresh and comfort others. The same is true of love, which
also is the portion of all, but not in the same effectual degree. And
where the love of many waxes cold, the Lord sometimes quickens
it in the few to such extent that others see it and are provoked toi
holy jealousy.
Besides these ordinary charismata, which are only more energetic
manifestations of what every believer possesses in the germ, the Lord
has also given to His church extraordinary gifts, working partly upon]
the spiritual and partly upon the physical domain. Of the latter
are the charismata of self-restraint and healing of the sick. Of the
former Christ speaks in Matt. xix. 12, where he calls such persons
" eunuchs for the sake of the Kingdom." St. Paul says that for the
sake of the weak brother he will abstain from meat; and again,
that he keeps under the body, bringing it into subjection, etc. The
charisma of healing refers to the glorious gift of healing the sick :
not only those who suffer from nervous diseases and psychological
ailments, who are more susceptible to spiritual influences, but alsoj
those whose diseases are wholly outside the spiritual realm.
Of an entirely different nature are the extraordinary, purely!
spiritual charismata, of which St. Paul mentions five: wisdom,]
knowledge, discernment of spirits, tongues and their interpreta-^
tion. These may also be divided in two classes, inasmuch as the
first three mentioned are also found, altho in a different form, out
side of the Kingdom of God; and the last two, which present a|
wholly peculiar phenomenon, within the Kingdom. Wisdom,!
knowledge, and discernment of spirits exist even among- the!
heathen, and are much admired by those who reject the Christ.
But those natural gifts appear in the Church in a different way.
The charisma of wisdom enables one without much investigation,;
with great tact and clearness, to understand conditions and to offer
judicious advice. Knowledge is a charisma whereby the Holy
SPIRITUAL GIFTS 189
Spirit enables one to acquire an unusually deep insight into the
mysteries of the Kingdom. Discernment of spirits is a charisma
whereby one can discern between the genuine spirits raised up of
God and those that only pretend to be such. The charisma of
tongues we have discussed at length in the twenty-eighth article.
The charismata now existing in the Church are those pertaining
to the ministry of the Word ; the ordinary charismata of increased
exercise of faith and love; those of wisdom, knowledge, and dis-
, j cernment of spirits ; that of self-restraint ; and lastly, that of healing
I the sick suffering from nervous and psychological diseases. The
1; others for the present are inactive.
188 THE CHURCH OF CHRIST
other. Of one degree Scripture says : " Believe on the Lord Jesus]
Christ, and thou shalt be saved"; and of another: "If ye havej
faith as a grain of mustard-seed, ye shall say unto this mountain!
Remove hence to yonder place, and it shall remove." The first!
works internally, the other externally. For this reason St. Paul!
speaks not only of ministries and gifts, but also of " workings" which!
consist in a more vigorous exercise of the grace which the believer!
as such possesses already. Where the faith of many languishes,!
the Lord frequently grants extraordinary workings of faith to some,!
thus to refresh and comfort others. The same is true of love, which!
also is the portion of all, but not in the same effectual degree. And!
where the love of many waxes cold, the Lord sometimes quickens
it in the few to such extent that others see it and are provoked tol
holy jealousy.
Besides these ordinary charismata, which are only more energetic
manifestations of what every believer possesses in the germ, the Lord!
has also given to His church extraordinary gifts, working partly upon)
the spiritual and partly upon the physical domain. Of the latteri
are the charismata of self-restraint and healing of the sick. Of the
former Christ speaks in Matt. xix. 12, where he calls such persons
" eunuchs for the sake of the Kingdom." St. Paul says that for the
sake of the weak brother he will abstain from meat; and again,
that he keeps under the body, bringing it into subjection, etc. The)
charisma of healing refers to the glorious gift of healing the sick :!
not only those who suffer from nervous diseases and psychological
ailments, who are more susceptible to spiritual influences, but also
those whose diseases are wholly outside the spiritual realm.
Of an entirely different nature are the extraordinary, purely]
spiritual charismata, of which St. Paul mentions five: wisdom,
knowledge, discernment of spirits, tongues and their interpreta
tion. These may also be divided in two classes, inasmuch as the
first three mentioned are also found, altho in a different form, out-,
side of the Kingdom of God; and the last two, which present a
wholly peculiar phenomenon, within the Kingdom. Wisdom,
knowledge, and discernment of spirits exist even among the
heathen, and are much admired by those who reject the Christ.
But those natural gifts appear in the Church in a different way.
The charisma of wisdom enables one without much investigation,
with great tact and clearness, to understand conditions and to offer
judicious advice. Knowledge is a charisma whereby the Holy
SPIRITUAL GIFTS 189
Spirit enables one to acquire an unusually deep insight into the
mysteries of the Kingdom. Discernment of spirits is a charisma
whereby one can discern between the genuine spirits raised up of
God and those that only pretend to be such. The charisma of
tongues we have discussed at length in the twenty-eighth article.
The charismata now existing in the Church are those pertaining
to the ministry of the Word ; the ordinary charismata of increased
5, exercise of faith and love; those of wisdom, knowledge, and dis-
;. cernment of spirits; that of self-restraint; and lastly, that of healing
: the sick suffering from nervous and psychological diseases. The
c others for the present are inactive.
I!
XXXVIII.
The Ministry of the Word.
14 He shall lead you into all truth."
John xiii. 13.
LET us now consider the second activity of the Holy Spirit in
the Church, which we prefer to designate as His care-taking of the
Word. In this we distinguish three parts, viz. : the Sealing, the
Interpretation, and the Application of the Word.
In the first place, it is the Holy Spirit who seals the Word. This
has reference to the " testimonium Spiritus Sancti," of which our
fathers used to speak and by which they understood the operation
whereby He creates in the hearts of believers the firm and lasting)
conviction concerning the divine and absolute authority of the|
Word of God.
The Word is, if we may so express it, a child of the Holy Spirit.
He has brought it forth. We owe it entirely to His peculiar activ
ity. He is its Auctor Primarius, i.e., its Principal Author. And
thus it can not seem strange that He should exercise that motherly |
care over the child of His own travail whereby He enables it to|
fulfil its destiny. And this destiny is, in the first place, to be believed\
in by the elect; secondly, to be understood by them; and lastly, to|
be lived by them; three operations that are successively effected in|
them by the sealing, the interpretation, and the application of the
Word. The sealing of the Word quickens the " faith"; the intcrpre-\
tation imparts the "right understanding"; and the application effects
the " living" of it.
We mention the sealing of the Word first, for without faith in
its divine authority it can not be God s Word to us.
The question is : How do we come in real contact and fellowship
with the Holy Scripture, which, as a mere external object, lies before
us?
We are told that it is the Word of God; but how can this become
our own firm conviction? It can never be obtained by investigation
THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD 191
In fact, it ought to be acknowledged that the more one investigates
the Word the more he loses his simple and childlike faith in it. It
i can not even be said that the doubt created by superficial inquiry
will be dispelled by deeper research ; for even the profound scrutiny
of earnest men has had but one result, viz., the increase of interro-
! gation-points.
We can not in this way examine the contents of the Scripture
i without destroying it for ourselves. If one wishes to examine the
j contents of an egg, he must not break it, for then he disturbs it and
: it is an egg no more ; but he should ask them that know about it.
. In like manner we can learn the truth of the Scripture only by seal-
I ing and external communication.
For suppose that the final verdict of science will eventually
confirm the divine authority of the Scripture, as we firmly believe
it will, what would that avail us in our present spiritual need, since
during our short life science will not reach that final verdict? And
even if after thirty or forty years we should see it, would that avail
my present distress? And if this difficulty could also be removed,
we would still ask : Is it not cruel to give spiritual assurance only
to Greek and Hebrew scholars? Do not men see and understand,
then, that the evidence of the divine authority of the Scripture must
come to us in such a manner that the simplest old woman in the
poorhouse can see it just as well as I can?
Hence all learned investigation, as the basis for spiritual convic
tion, is out of the question. He who denies this maltreats souls and
introduces an offensive clericalism. For what is the result? The
notion that the unscholarly can have no assurance of themselves;
that is what ministers are for; they have studied the matter; they
ought to know, and the simple folk must believe upon their authority.
The absurdity of this notion is obvious. In the first place, the
learned gentlemen are frequently the greatest doubters. Secondly,
one minister almost always contradicts what another has laid down
as the truth. And, thirdly, the congregation, treated as a minor, is
delivered again into the power of men ; a yoke is laid upon it which
our fathers could not bear ; and the mistake is made of trying to
prove the testimony of God by that of men.
If we must bear a yoke, then give us that of Rome ten times
rather than that of the scholars; for altho Rome puts men between
us and the Scripture, they speak at least with one mouth. They all
repeat what the Pope has settled for them, and his authority rests
I 9 4 THE CHURCH OF CHRIST
terpretation. For they wrote things the comprehensive meaningj
of which they did not understand. E.g., when Moses wrote abouti
the serpent s seed, it is obvious that he did not begin to see all thai
is contained in the " bruising of his heel."
Hence the Holy Spirit alone can interpret the Scripture. And
how? After the manner of Rome, by means of an official trarislai
tion as the Vulgate ; an official interpretation of every word and
sentence ; and an official condemnation of every other explanations
By no means. This would be very easy, but also very unspiritual.i
Death would cleave to it. The full, boundless ocean of truth would|
be confined within the narrow limits of a formula. And the re
freshing fragrance of life, which always meets us from the sacred
page, would at once be lost.
Surely the churches may not be given over to an arbitrary, irre-j
sponsible translation of the Word ; and we greatly appreciate the
mutual care of the churches in providing a correct translation in
the vernacular. We consider it even highly desirable that, undei
the seal of their approval, the churches should publish expository
marginal readings. But neither the one nor the other should eveij
replace the Scripture itself. Scriptural research must ever be freeJ
And when there is spiritual courage, then let the churches revise
their translation and see whether their expository readings need
modification. Not, however, to unsettle things every three years,
but that in every period of vigorous, animated, spiritual life the
light of the Holy Spirit may be shed in larger measure upon the
things that always need more light.
Hence the work of the Holy Spirit with reference to interpreta
tion is indirect, and the means employed are: (i) scientific study
(2) the ministry of the Word; and (3) the spiritual experience oil
the Church. And it is by the cooperation of these three factors
that, in the course of ages, the Holy Spirit indicates which inter-!
pretation deviates from the truth, and which is the correct under-i
standing of the Word.
This interpretation is followed by the application.
The Holy Scripture is a wonderful mystery, which is intended
to meet the needs and conflicts of every age, nation, and saint.
When preparing it He foreknew those ages, nations, and saints, and
with an eye to their necessities He so planned and arranged it as it
is now offered to us. And only then will the Holy Scripture attain]
THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD 195
the end in view, when to every age, nation, church, and individual
it shall be applied in such a way that every saint shall receive at
last whatever portion was reserved for him in the Scripture.
Hence this work of application belongs to the Holy Spirit alone, for
only He knows the relation which the Scripture must sustain at last
to every one of God s elect.
As to the manner in which the work is performed, it is either
direct or indirect.
The indirect application comes most generally through the min
istry, which attains its highest end when standing before his con
gregation the minister can say : " This is the message of the Word
which at this time the Holy Spirit intends for you." An awful claim,
indeed, and only attainable when one lives as deeply in the Word
as in the Church. Besides this there is also an application of the
Word brought about by the spoken or written word of a brother,
which sometimes is as effectual as a long sermon. The quiet
perusal of some exposition of the truth has sometimes stirred the
soul more effectually than a service in the house of prayer.
The direct application of the Word the Holy Spirit effects by
the reading of the Scripture or by remembered passages. Then He
brings to remembrance words deeply affecting us by their singular
power. And, altho the world smiles and even brethren profess
ignorance concerning it, it is our conviction that the special appli
cation of that moment was for us and not for them, and that in our
inward souls the Holy Spirit performed a work peculiar to Himself.
XXXIX.
The Government of the Church.
No man can say that Jesus is
the Lord, but by the Holy
Ghost." i Cor. xii. 3.
THE last work of the Holy Spirit in the Church has reference to
government.
The Church is a divine institution. It is the body of Christ,
even tho manifesting itself in a most defective way; for as the man
whose speech is affected by a stroke of paralysis is the same friend
ly person as before, in spite of the defect, so is the Church, whose
speech is impaired, still the same holy body of Christ. The visible j
and invisible Church are one.
We have written elsewhere : " The Church of Christ on earth is
at once visible and invisible. Even as a man is at once a percept
ible and imperceptible being without being therefore two beings,
so does the distinction between the Church visible and invisible in
no wise impair its unity. It is one and the same Church, which
according to its spiritual being is hidden in the spiritual world,
manifest only to the spiritual eye, and which according to its visi
ble form manifests itself externally to believers and the world.
" According to its spiritual and invisible being the Church is one |
in all the earth, one also with the Church in heaven. In like man- j
ner it is also a holy Church, not only because it is skilfully wrought j
of God, dependent entirely upon His divine influences and work
ings, but also because the spiritual defilement and indwelling sin
of believers belong not to it, but war against it. According to its
visible form, however, it manifests itself only in fragments. Hence
it is local, i.e., widely distributed; and the national churches origi
nate because these local churches form such connection as their
own character and their national relations demand. More exten
sive combinations of churches can only be temporal or exceedingly!
loose and flexible. And these churches, as manifestations of the!
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE CHURCH 197
invisible church, are not one, neither are they holy ; for they par
take of the imperfections of all earthly life, and are constantly de
filed by the power of sin which internally and externally under
mines their well-being."
Hence the subject may not be presented as tho the spiritual,
invisible, and mystical Church were the object of Christ s care and
government, while the affairs and oversight of the visible Church
are left to the pleasure of men. This is in direct opposition to the
Word of God. There is not one visible Church and another invis
ible; but one Church, invisible in the spiritual, and visible in the
material world. And as God cares both for body and soul, so does
Christ govern the external affairs of the Church just as certainly
as with His grace He nourishes it internally.
Christ is the Lord ; Lord not only of the soul, but before He can
be that He must be Lord of the Church as a whole.
It should be noticed that the preaching of the Word and the ad
ministration of the sacraments belong not to the internal economy
of the Church, but to the external; and that church government
serves almost exclusively to keep the preaching pure and the sacra
ments from being profaned. Hence it is not expedient to say : " If
the Word of God be only preached in its purity and the sacraments
rightly administered, the church order is of minor importance " ; elim
inate these two from the church order and very little remains of it.
The question is, therefore, whether these means of grace are to
be arranged according to our pleasure, or according to the will of
Jesus. Does He allow us to trifle with them according to our own
notions, or does He rebuke and abhor all self-willed religion? If
the last, then also He must from heaven direct, govern, and care for
His Church.
However, He does not compel us in this matter; He has left us
the awful liberty of acting against His Word and of substituting
our form of government for His own. And that is the very thing
which misguided Christendom has done again and again. Through
unbelief, not seeing the King, it has frequently ignored, forgotten,
deposed Him ; it has established its own self-willed regime in His
Church, until at last the very remembrance of the lawful Sovereign
has been lost. ,
The individual church, still mindful of the kingship of Jesus,
professes to bow unconditionally to His kingly Word as contained
in the Scripture. Therefore, we say that in the state church of the
198 THE CHURCH OF CHRIST
Netherlands, whose church order not only lacks such profession,
but lays the supreme legislative power exclusively upon men,
Christ s Kingship is mocked; that a pretender has usurped His
place, who must be removed as surely as it is written : " Yet have I
set My King upon My holy hill of Zion."
Hence it must be maintained firmly and fearlessly that Jesus is
not only the King of souls, but also King in His Church ; whose
absolute prerogative it is to be the Lawgiver in His Church ; and
that the power which contests that right must be opposed for con
science sake.
To the question, why the Church is so apt to forget the Kingship
of Christ, so that many a godly minister has not the slightest feeling
for it, often saying : " Surely Jesus is King in the realm of truth,
but what does He care for the external church? I, at least, a
spiritual man, never attend the meetings of the official board"; we
answer : " If Jesus had an earthly throne and thence reigned person
ally over His Church, all men would bow before Him ; but being {
enthroned in heaven at the right hand of the Father, the King is
forgotten ; out of sight, out of mind. Hence ignorance concerning the
work of the Holy Spirit is the cause. Since Jesus governs His Church
not directly, but by His Word and Spirit, there is no respect for the
majesty of His sovereign government.
The spiritual eye of the believer must therefore be reopened
for the work of the Holy Spirit in the churches. The unspiritual
man has no eye for it. A consistory, classis, or synod is to him |
merely a body of men convened to transact business according to
their own light, the same as a meeting of the directors of a board of
trade, or some other secular organization. One is a shareholder
and a committeeman, and as such assists in the administration of <
affairs to the best of his ability. But to the child of God, with an
eye for the work of the Holy Spirit, these church assemblies assume
an entirely different aspect. He acknowledges that this consistory
is no consistory, this classis no classis, this synod only apparently]
so, except the Holy Spirit preside and decide matters together with
the members.
The opening prayer of consistory, classis, or synod is therefore!
not the same as that of the Y. M. C. A., or of a missionary conven
tion, simply a prayer for light and help, but an entirely different!
thing. It is the petition that the Holy Spirit stand in the midst of
the assembly. For without Him no ecclesiastical meeting is com-i
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE CHURCH 199
plete. It can not be held except He be present. Hence in the
liturgical prayer at the opening of consistory, there is first a peti
tion for the Holy Spirit s presence and leadership; secondly, the
confession that the members can do nothing without His presence ;
and thirdly, a pleading of the promises to office-bearers.
The prayer reads: " Since we are at present assembled in Thy
Holy Name, after the example of the apostolic churches, to consult,
as our office requires, about those things which may come before
us, for the welfare and edification of Thy churches, for which we
acknowledge ourselves unfit and incapable, as we are by nature un
able of ourselves to think any good, much less to put it into practise,
therefore we beseech Thee, O Faithful God and Father, that Thou
wilt be pleased to be present with Thy Spirit according to Thy prom
ise, in the midst of our present assembly, to guide us in all truth."
In the prayer at the close of the consistory there follows the ex
press giving of thanks that the Holy Spirit was present in the
meeting :
" Moreover, we thank Thee that Thou now hast been present
with Thy Holy Spirit in the midst of our assembly, directing our
determinations according to Thy will, uniting our hearts in mutual
peace and concord. We beseech Thee, O faithful God and Father,
that Thou wilt graciously be pleased to bless our intended labor
and effectually to execute Thy begun work ; always gathering unto
Thyself a true church and preserving the same in the pure doctrine
and in the right use of Thy holy sacraments, and in a diligent exer
cise of discipline,"
Hence church government signifies :
First, that King Jesus institutes the offices and appoints the in
cumbents.
Secondly, that the churches submit themselves unconditionally
to the fundamental law of His Word.
Thirdly, that the Holy Spirit come in the assembly to direct the
deliberations ; as Walasus expressed it : " That the Holy Spirit per
sonally -may stand behind the president to preside in every meet
ing." And this saying is so rich in meaning that we would seri
ously ask, whether it is not yet plain that a mere change of officers
avails not, so long as the organization itself is not agreeable to the
Word of God. The question is not whether better men come in power,
but whether the Holy Spirit preside in the assembly ; which He can
not do except the Word of God be the only rule and authority.
THE
WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
VOLUME TWO
The Work of the Holy Spirit in the Individual
jftrst Gbapter.
INTRODUCTION.
I.
The Man to be Wrought upon.
Behold, I will pour out My Spirit
unto you, I will make known
My words unto you." Prov.
THE discussion so far has been confined to the Holy Spirit s
work as a whole. We now consider His work in individual persons.
There is a distinction between the Church as a whole and its
individual members. There is a Body of Christ, and there are mem
bers which constitute a part of that Body. And the character of
the Holy Spirit s work in the one is necessarily different from that
in the other.
The Church, born of the divine pleasure, is complete in the
eternal counsel, and sovereign choice has prepared all its course.
The same God who has numbered the hairs of our head has also
numbered the members of Christ s Body. As every natural birth
is foreordained, so is every Christian birth in the Church divinely
predestinated.
The origin and awakening of eternal life are from above ; not
from the creature, but from the Creator, and are rooted in His free
and sovereign choice. And it remains not merely a choice, but is
followed by a divine act equally decisive that enforces and realizes
that choice.
That is God s spiritual omnipotence. He is not as a man who ex
periments, but He is God who, never forsaking the work of His hands,
is persistent and irresistible in the doing of all His pleasure. Hence
His counsel becomes history ; and the Church, whose form is outlined
204 INTRODUCTION
in that counsel, must in the course of ages be born, increase, and
perfect itself according to that counsel; and since that counsel is
indestructible the gates of hell shall not prevail against the Church.
This is the ground of the security and consolation of the saints.
They have no other ground of trust. From the fact that God is
God, and that therefore His pleasure shall stand, they draw the
sure conviction with which they prophesy against all that is visible
and phenomenal.
In the work of grace there is no trace of chance or fatalism ; God
has determined not only the final issue, leaving the way by which
it is to be attained undecided, but in His counsel He has prepared
every means to realize His choice. And in that counsel ways dis
close themselves which human eye can not trace nor fathom. The
divine omnipotence adapts itself to the nature of the creature. It
causes the cedars of Lebanon to grow and the bulls of Bashan to
increase ; but it feeds and strengthens each according to its nature.
The cedar eats no grass, and the ox does not burrow in the ground
for food.
The divine ordinance requires that by its roots the tree shall ab
sorb the juices from the ground, and that by the mouth the ox shall
take his food and convert it into blood. And He honors His own
ordinance by providing food in the soil for the one, and grass in the
field for the other.
The same principle prevails in the Kingdom of Grace. To man
as a subject of that Kingdom, and of the moral world belonging to
it, God has given another organism than to the ox, cedar, wind, or
stream. The movements of the latter are purely mechanical ; from
the steep mountain the stream must fall. In a different way He acts
upon ox and tree ; and in still another way upon man. In the hu
man body chemical forces work mechanically, and other forces like
those in the ox and cedar. And besides these there are in man
moral forces which God operates also according to their nature.
Upon this ground our fathers rejected as unworthy of God the
fanatical view that in the work of grace man is a stock or block ;
not because it attributes something to man, but because it repre
sents God as denying His own work and ordinance. Creating an ox
or a tree or stone each different from the other, giving each a na
ture of its own, it follows that He can not violate this, but must |
adapt Himself to it. Hence all His spiritual operations are subject!
to the divinely ordained dispositions in man as a spiritual being;
THE MAN TO BE WROUGHT UPON 205
and this feature makes the work of grace exceedingly beautiful,
glorious, and adorable.
For let us not deceive ourselves and speak any longer of a glo
rious work of grace if the omnipotent God treats man mechanically,
as a stock or block. Then there is no mystery for angels to look
into, but an immediate work of omnipotence breaking down and
creating anew. To admire the work of grace we should take it as
it is revealed, i.e., as a complicated, unsearchable work by which,
violating nothing, God adapts Himself to the delicate and manifold
needs of man s spiritual being; and reveals His divine omnipotence
in the victory over the endless and gigantic obstacles which human
nature puts in His way.
Even the heart of God thirsts after love. His entire counsel
may be reduced to one thought, viz., that in the end of the ages
He may have a Church which shall understand His love and return
it. But love can not be ordered, neither can it be forced in an un-
spiritual way. It can not be poured out in a man s heart mechani
cally. To be warm, refreshing, and satisfying, love must be quick
ened, cultivated, and cherished. Hence God does not instil an
ounce of love into His people s hearts, in consequence of which
they love Him, but He exhibits love to such an extent that He, who
was from the beginning with God and was God, in unfathomable
love dies for men on the cross.
This would have been superfluous if man were a stock or block.
Then God would only have had to create love in his heart, and men
would have loved Him from sheer necessity, as a stove emits heat
when the fire is lighted. But the love so warmly portrayed in
Scripture is not superfluous, when God deals with spiritual crea
tures spiritually. Then the cross of Christ is a manifestation of
divine love far surpassing all human conceptions ; hence exercising
such irresistible power upon all God s elect.
And that which is preeminently true and apparent in love is
equally true of every part of the work of grace in all its stages. In
it God never denies Himself, nor the ordinance and plan after which
man was created. Hence it is its glory that, while on the one hand
God granted man the strongest means of resistance, on the other
He overcame that resistance in a divine and kingly way by the om
nipotence of redeeming grace.
When the apostle testifies, " We pray you in Christ s stead, as
tho God did beseech you by us, be ye reconciled to God," he reveals
206 INTRODUCTION
such a depth of the mystery of love that finally the relations are
literally reversed, and the holy God beseeches His rebellious crea
ture, who instead should cry to Him for mercy.
Tradition speaks of the fascination of mysterious beings exerted!
upon travelers and mariners so irresistibly that the latter cast
themselves willingly and yet against their will into destruction.)
In love s revelation this tradition in a reversed and holy manner
has become a reality. Here also is an almighty power of fascina
tion, in the end irresistible to the condemned sinner; but allowing!
himself to be drawn unwillingly and yet willingly, eternal pity!
draws him not into destruction, but otit of it.
However, the wonderful workings of love can scarcely be ana
lyzed. Lovers never know who has attracted and who has been
attracted, nor how in the struggle of the affections love performed
its drawings. Love s being is too mysterious to reveal its various
workings and how they succeed one another. And this applies in
far greater measure to the love of God. Every saint knows by ex
perience that at last it became irresistible, and prevailed. But how
the victory was achieved can not be told. This divine work comes
to us from such infinite heights and depths, it affects us so myste
riously, and in the beginning there was such utter lack of spiritual
light that one can scarcely more than stammer of these things.
Who comprehends the mystery of the natural birth? Who had
knowledge when he was being curiously embroidered in the lowest
parts of the earth? And if this took place without our conscious-l
ness, how can we understand our spiritual 
