The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 517

THE

PIETIST

that is required of

And we

AND THE PERFECTIONIST

them

is

to hurry the

growth

of the

477

new man.

equally oppose the opposite, which admits the dying of

the old man, but denies the rising of the new, and that the soul

receives all that

lacks.

it

Every true and lasting conversion, according to our Catechism, must manifest itself in these two parts, viz., a mortification of the old man, and a rising of the new, in equal proportions. And in answer to the question, " What is the mortification of the old man?" the Heidelberg Catechism answers, "A gradual decrease," for it says " It is a sincere sorrow of heart that we have provoked God by our sins and more and more to hate and flee from them." While the quickening of the new man is expressed just as :

;

is a sincere joy of heart in God through Christ, and with love and delight to live according to the will of God in all good works" a declaration that is repeated in the answer of the 115th question, which thus describes this mortification "That all our lifetime we may learn more and more to know our sinful nature " and which speaks of the quickening of the new man as " becoming more and more conformable to the image of God." Hence there are two parts, or rather two aspects of the same thing: (i) the breaking down of the old man; (2) a growing con-

positively

:

" It

—

:

;

formity to the divine image.

To more

make alive, more and according to the Confession of the fathers, the work

mortify and to quicken, to kill and to

—this

is,

of the Triune

God

in sanctification.

lack of righteousness." As soon as rightwisdom disappear, unrighteousness, evil, and folly take their place. As God implanted in man the first three named, so does sin not merely rob him of them, but it puts the last

Sin

is

not merely the

"

eousness, goodness, and

Adam

the man of God, hence sanctification must effect in us the very opposite. It must mortify that which sin has quickened, and quicken that which sin has mortified. If this rule is thoroughly understood, there can be no confusion.

three in their place.

Sin did not only

but also quickened in him the

man

kill

in

of sin;

Our idea of sanctification necessarily corresponds to our idea of sin. They who consider sin as a mere poison, and deny the loss of original righteousness, are Pietists, they ignore the mortification of the old man, and always busy themselves adorning the new.

who say

that sin

is

And

the loss of original righteousness, and

they

deny

its

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