The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 331

WHAT

IT IS

NOT

291

can quicken him as tho quickening grace were conditioned upon preparatory grace. The salvation of our deceased infants opposes There were no moods or dispositions in them yet no this also. theologian will say that they are lost, or that they are saved by an;

;

other

name than

One

the

in

whom

adults find salvation.

No; the

sinner needs nothing whatever to predispose him for the implanting of the new life and, tho he were the most hardened sinner, devoid ;

God is able at His own time The omnipotence of divine grace is unlimited. The implanting of the new life is not a moral, but a

of every predisposition,

to

quicken

him.

act of

God— />., He

does not effect

it

metaphysical

by admonishing the

sinner,

but independently of his will and consciousness He plants something in him whereby his nature obtains anyet despite his

;

will.

other quality.

maintained by some of our best theologians, that preparatory grace is like the drying of wet wood, so that the spark can more readily ignite it, we can not adopt. Wet wood will not take the spark. It must be dried before it ca7i be

Even

kindled.

the representation,

And

this does not

position of our souls

is

apply to the work of grace.

immaterial.

Whatever

it

may

be,

The

dis-

omnipo-

And, tho we do not undervalue disposiyet we do not concede to them the potentiality of kindling.

tent grace can kindle tions,

still

For

it.

this reason the theologians of the flourishing period of our

churches insisted that preparatory grace should not be treated loosely, but in the following order: "The g^ace of God first pre-

performs {prcevem'ens, prceparans, operans)—i.e., grace is always first, never waits for anything in us, but begins its work before there is anything in us. Second, the time

cedes,

then prepares, and

before our quickening

is

IsiStly

not wasted, but during

it

grace prepares

us for our lifework in the kingdom. Third, at the appointed time grace alone quickens us unaided hence, grace is the operans, the Hence preparatory grace must never be underreal worker. stood as a means to prepare for the impartation of life. Nothing prepares for such quickening. Life is enkindled, wholly unprepared, not from anything in us, but entirely by the working of God. ;

is this, that God by it so and directs our development

All that preparatory grace accomplishes disposes our

life,

arranges its course,

that being quickened

by His exclusive

act,

we

shall possess the dis-

position required for the task assigned to us in the kingdom.

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