The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 324

— PREPARATORY GRACE

284 not surrender

it

God

as long- as

and omnipresent; but by

is

indeed eternal, unchangeable,

must forcibly protest against the untrue representation that God lets a man be born and live for years unnoticed and independent of Himself, suddenly to convert him at the moment of His pleasure, from that hour to make him the object of His care and keeping.

Tho

it

it

can not be denied that the sinner shared this delusion

because as he cared not for God, yet the Church it

may

why then should God care

belittles the divine virtues, glories,

every

name and

for

him? For

not encourage him in this ungodly idea.

origin have

made

and

attributes.

Heretics of

the soul's salvation their chief

study, but almost always have neglected the knowledge of God.

And

yet every creed begins with

:

" 1

believe in

God

the Father

Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth " and the value of all that follows concerning Christ and our redemption depends only upon ;

the correct interpretation of that

Hence the Church

first article.

has always insisted upon a pure and correct knowledge of God in every confession and in every part of the redemptive work and has ;

considered this

it its

principal duty and privilege to guard the purity of

Even a

knowledge.

soul's salvation should not be desired at

the expense of the slightest injury to the purity of that confession.

Regarding the work of preparatory grace,

it

was before

things necessary to examine whether the knowledge of

all

God had

been retained in its purity, or whether to favor the sinner it had been distorted and twisted. And tested by this, it can not be denied that God's care for His elect does not begin at an arbitrary moment, but is interwoven with their whole existence, including their conception, and even before their conception, with the mysteries of that redeeming love which declares " I have loved thee with an everlasting love." Hence it is unthinkable that God should have left a sinner to himself for years, to arrest him at a certain moment in the midst of his life. Nay, if God is to remain (?^</and His omnipresent power unlimited, a sinner's salvation must be an eternal work, embracing his entire existence a work whose roots are hidden in the unseen foundations of the wondrous mercies which extend far beyond his con:

—

ception.

It

can not be denied that a man, converted at twenty-five,

was during his godless

life

the subject of the divine labor, care, and

protection; that in his conception and before his birth God's

held him and brought him forth

;

hand

yea, that even in the divine coun-

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