The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 335

:

OLD AND NEW TERMINOLOGY

295

former denoted God's work in the sinner, creating a new life without his knowledge while the latter denoted the work wrought in regenerate man with his full knowledge and consent. ;

The

first

And

grace was naturally called regeneration.

there was no perfect unanimity

way

"

in this

Some

respect.

God began

the

work

yet

Scottish

of grace with

theologians put

it

the implanting

of the faith-faculty {fides potentialis),

followed by

and

of the faith-

new grace

the

power

{fides

in this

:

of the faith-exercise {fides actualis), habitualis).

Yet

it

is

only an apparent difference.

activity of grace, the implanting of the

Whether

I call the first faith- faculty " or the " new principle of life" in both instances it means that the work of grace does not begin with faith or with re"

pentance or contrition, but that these are preceded by God's act of giving power to the powerless, hearing to the deaf, and life to the dead.

For a correct idea of the entire work of grace

in its different

phases let us notice the following successive stages or milestones The ifnplanting of the new life-principle, commonly called re1. generation in the limited sense, or the implanting of the faith-/ar-

This divine act

ulty.

no one can that

tell.

is

wrought

We know from

in

man

at different ages

And

can be wrought even in the mother's womb.

it

;

when,

the instance of John the Baptist

tion of deceased infants constrains us, with Voetius

may

theologians, to believe that this original act

and

the salva-

all

profound

occur very early

in life.

The keeping of the implanted principle of

2.

Still

continues in

who

sons

but

sin,

received the life-principle early in

live.

life,

so far as his consciousness

is

life

while the sinner Per-

concerned.

arc no

more dead,

Dying before actual conversion, they are not

lost,

but

In early life they often manifest holy inclinations, some-

saved.

times truly marvelous.

However, they have no conscious

nor knowledge of the treasure possessed.

The new

life is

faith,

present,

—

but dormant; kept not by the recipient, but by the Giver like seed-grain in the ground in winter; like the spark glowing under the ashes, but not kindling the wood; like a subterranean stream

coming

at last to the surface.

The

by the Word and the Spirit, internal and external. commonly performed through the service of the Church. It addresses itself not to the deaf but to the hear3.

Even

call

this is a divino act,

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