The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 246

INTRODUCTION

206

such a depth of the mystery of love that finally the relations are and the holy God beseeches His rebellious crea-

literally reversed,

ture,

who

instead should cry to

Him

for mercy.

Tradition speaks of the fascination of mysterious beings exerted

upon travelers and mariners so irresistibly that the latter cast themselves willingly and yet against their will into destruction. In love's revelation this tradition in a reversed and holy manner has become a reality. Here also is an almighty power of fascinabut allowing tion, in the end irresistible to the condemned sinner himself to be drawn unwillingly and yet willingly, eternal pity draws him not into destruction, but out of it. However, the wonderful workings of love can scarcely be anaLovers never know who has attracted and who has been lyzed. ;

attracted, nor its

drawings.

how

in the struggle of the affections love

Love's being

is

too mysterious to reveal

performed its

various

workings and how they succeed one another. And this applies in Every saint knows by exfar gpreater measure to the love of God. irresistible, and prevailed. But how perience that at last it became told. This divine work comes the victory was achieved can not be

from such infinite heights and depths, it affects us so mysteriously, and in the beginning there was such utter lack of spiritual light that one can scarcely more than stammer of these things. Who comprehends the mystery of the natural birth? Who had knowledge when he was being curiously embroidered in the lowest to us

parts of the earth?

And

if

this took place without our conscious-

how can we understand our spiritual birth? Indeed, subjectively, i.e., depending upon our own experience, we know absolute-

ness,

ly nothing of

it

;

and

all

that ever

taken exclusively from Scripture. only a comer

Holy

was or can be It

said about

it is

has pleased the Lord to

of the veil covering this mystery

—no

lift

more than the

deemed necessary for the support of our faith, for the God and the benefit of others in the hour of their spiritual

Spirit

glory of birth.

Wherefore in this series of articles we will try only to systematize and explain what God has revealed for the spiritual direction of His children. Nothing is further from our minds than to exercise ourselves in things too high for us, or to penetrate into mysteries hid from our view.

Where Scripture stops we shall stop; to the difficulties left we shall not add what must be only the result of hu-

unexplained,

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