Encyclopedia of sacred theology - pagina 541

517

THE TACTORS OF INSPIRATION

§83.

Chap. II]

work charms, if need be, from a poor instrument but only when the organ is worthy of him will his talent be shown in all its power but who will say

A

virtuoso on the organ will ;

:

that for this reason his playing proceeds from the excellence No, the excellence is his who plays, and the of the organ ? In the same way, the as instrument. serves organ merely ethical excellence of the organs of revelation must certainly be taken into account, but it may not be said that this ethical

excellence gave birth to inspiration.

God

alone

is

He who

inspires, and even Isaiah or John are never anything but choice instruments, animated and tuned by God, who plays

on them His inspiration. The difference of disposition in these instruments, however, determines the difference of As " a virtuoso on the violin" can intensity of inspiration. art on a violin of two strings, and his part of a exhibit only can bring all his powers instrument full-stringed only on the that sounds in our inspiration of playing into play, so the holy

and infinitely more intena David or a Paul than when

ears, is entirely different, far richer, sive,

when God makes

Nahum comes

use of

from the woods or James'

epistle

is

unrolled

HabThere akkuk affects one more mightily than Haggai. And with the same organs of revelation inspiration is at one time much richer and fuller than at another time, which undoubtedly depends again upon the mood of the singer or writer. But however necessary the close study of these degrees may be, and however often we may be permitted to connect them with the subjective disposition of the instrument used, nevertheless, to derive inspiration itself from this, can never be All these differences may modify, specialize, and allowed.

before us.

are certainly degrees of inspiration.

graduate the effect of inspiration, but inspiration itself does not proceed from the consciousness of man, but always from the consciousness and the will of God. All efforts to explain inspiration ethically is a passing into another genus,

and

is

a leap from the ethical into the abstract life of our

consciousness.

be added the ready help which every later inspiration found in that which had gone before, as well Finally, there

may

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