The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 192

XXXI. Apostolic Inspiration.

"When

He, the Spirit of truth, is come. He will guide you into all truth."—yc?/i«xvi. 13.

What is the

nature of the work of the Holy Spirit in the inspi-

ration of the apostles?

Apart from the mechanical and natural theories, which are vulviz., the Ethical and the Re-

gar and profane, there are two others, formed.

According to the former the inspiration of the apostles differs from the animation of believers only in degree, not in nature. They represent the matter as tho, by the incarnation of the Word, a new sphere of life was created which they call the " God-hufnan." They that have received the life of this higher sphere are called believers

ness

is

,

others are unbelievers.

In these believers the conscious-

Hence opened so

gradually changed, illuminated, and sanctified.

they see things in a different that they see

nothing.

much

of the spiritual

However,

The more favored

light,

i.e.,

their eyes are

world of which unbelievers see

this result is not the

see

more

correctly

and

same

in all believers.

distinctly than the less

And the most excellent among them, who possess this God-human life most abundantly, and look into the things of the Kingdom with greatest clearness and distinctness, are the men called apostles. Hence the inspiration of the apostles and the illumination of believers are in principle the same differing only favored.

;

in degree.

The Reformed churches can not agree with this view. In their judgment the very effort to identify apostolic inspiration with the illumination of believers actually annihilates the former.

They

hold that the inspiration of the apostles was wholly unique in nature

and

kind, totally different

tion of believers.

The

from what the Scripture

calls illumina-

apostles possessed this latter g^ft even in

its

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