The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 382

CALLING AND REPENTANCE

342

not the Holy Spirit, but the dominie, might, and the Holy Spirit

all his

To avoid such

is

the worker; he works with

may be

the minister's assistant.

mistake, our Reformed churches have always purged

themselves of the leaven of clericalism.

And through

this office the call

goes forth from the pulpit, in

the catechetical class, in the family, in writing, and by personal

However, not always

exhortation.

mander

On

to

every

sinner

directly

a ship at sea

God may use a godly com-

to call sinners to repentance.

In a hospital without spir-

through the

office.

itual supervision the

Lord may use a pious man or woman, both

nurse the sick and call their souls to repentance.

to

In a village

where the quasi-minister neglects his duty, the Lord God may be life by printed sermons and books, by a newspaper even, or by individual exhortation. pleased to draw souls to

And

yet in

all

these the authority to call reposes in the divine

embassy of the ministry of the Word. For the instruments of the call, whether they were persons or printed books, proceeded from the office. The persons were themselves called through the office, and they only transmitted the divine message and the printed books offered on paper what otherwise is heard in the sanctuary. This calling of the Holy Spirit proceeds in and through the preaching of the Word, and calls upon the regenerated sinner to arise from death, and to let Christ give him light. It is not a calling of persons still ^//regenerate, simply because such have no ;

hearing ear. It is

true that the preaching of missionary or minister of the

Word addresses itself also to others, but this is not at all in conflict with what we have just said. In the first place, because there is also an outward call to the unregenerate, in order to deprive of an excuse,

and

to

show

second, because the minister of the

a

man

is

As a

them

And know whether

that they have no hearing ears.

Word

does not

born again or not, wherefore he may make no difference. every baptized person should be reckoned as belong-

rule,

ing to the regenerated (but not always converted); wherefore the

preacher must call every baptized person to repentance, as tho he were born again. But let no one commit the mistake of applying this rule,

which applies only to the Church as a whole, to every perThis would be either the climax of thoughtless-

son in the Church.

ness or a complete misunderstanding of the reality of the grace of

God.

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