The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 386

CALLING AND REPENTANCE

346

And He brings that Word to the is God the Holy Ghost. by preachers whom He Himself has endowed with talents, And so wonderfully does He animation', and spiritual insight. conduct that preaching through the channel of the otBce and of the historical development of the confession, that at last it comes to him in the form and character required to affect and win him. We see in this a very mysterious leading of the Holy Spirit. self,

who

sinners

Afterward a preacher will learn that, under his preaching in such and at such an hour, a regenerate person was converted. And yet he had not specially prepared himself for it. Frequently a church

he did not even know that person much less his spiritual condition. And yet, without knowing it, his thoughts were guided and his word was prepared in such a way by the Holy Ghost perhaps he looked at the man in such a manner that his word, in connection ;

;

with the Spirit's inward operation, became to him the real and conWe hear it often said: "That was directly crete Word of God. preached at me." And so it was. It should be understood, how-

was not the minister who preached at you, for he did but it was the Holy Spirit Himself. It was He who thought of you. It was He who had it all prepared for you. It was He Himself who wrought in you. ever, that

it

not even think of you

The

;

ministers of the

Word

should therefore be exceedingly

careful not in the least to boast of the conversions that occur under their ministry.

net

When

after days of failure the fisherman

full of fishes, is this

cause for the net to boast

come up empty again and again and then was asunder by the multitude of fishes? ;

To

itself? it

draws his Did it not

not nearly torn

say that this proves the efficiency of the preacher

is

against

There may be two ministers, the one well grounded doctrine, the other but lightly furnished and yet the former has

the Scripture. in

;

no conversions in his church, while the latter is being richly blessed. In this the Lord God is and remains the Sovereign Lord. He passes by the heavily armed champions in Saul's army, and David, with scarcely any weapons at all, slays the giant Goliath. All that a preacher has to do is to consider how, in obedience to his Lord, he may minister the Word, leaving results with the Lord. And when the Lord God gives him conversions, and Satan whispers, " What an excellent preacher you are, that it was given you to convert so many men!" then he is to say, " Get thee behind me, Satan," giving the glory to the Holy Spirit alone.

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