The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 111

:

;

OLD TESTAMENT REVELATION

IN

WRITING

71

which the child mistook for that of Eli. It is evident also from the names, numbers, and localities that are mentioned in this divine speaking especially from the dialogues between God and man, as in the history of Abraham in the conflict of his faith concerning the ;

promised seed, and in his intercession for Sodom. And therefore we can not agree with those who would persuade us that the Lord did not really speak; that if it reads so, it must not be so understood; and that a clearer insight shows that " a certain influence from God affected the inner life of the person addressed. In connection with the person's peculiar character and the influences of his past and present this working gave special clearness to his consciousness, and wrought in him such a convicSince I will as God tion that, without hesitation, he declared: to me.' *' This reprethus spoken wills, I know that the Lord has hurtful to the life and pernicious sentation we reject as exceedingly '

"We call

of the Church,

and we It

it false,

since

it

dishonors the truth of

God

refuse to tolerate a theology that starts from such premises.

annihilates the authority of the Scripture.

the Ethical wing

it is

Altho commended by

exceedingly ««-ethical, inasmuch as

it

directly

opposes the clearly expressed truth of the Word of God. Nay, this divine speaking, whose record the Scripture offers, must be understood as real speaking.

And what

is

speaking i

Speaking presupposes a person who has

a thought that he wishes to transfer directly to the consciousness of another, without the intervention of a third person or of writing or of gesture. Hence when God speaks to man three things are implied First, that

God has a thought which He

wills to

communicate

to man.

Second, that Third,

He

executes His design in a direct way.

that the person addressed

now

possesses

the divine

thought with this result, that he is conscious of the same idea which a moment ago existed only in God. With every explanation doing full justice to these thrae points

we

will agree; every other

we

reject.

whether speech is possible without sound, we answer: "No, not among men." Surely the Lord can speak and has spoken at times by means of air-vibrations ; but He can speak As men we have to man without the use of either sound or ear.

As

to the question

access to each other's consciousness only by

means

of the organs of

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