The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 228

:

THE CHURCH OF CHRIST

i88

Of one degree Scripture says " Believe on the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved"; and of another: "If ye have faith as a grain of mustard-seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place, and it shall remove." The first works internally, the other externally. For this reason St. Paul other.

:

Christ,

speaks not only of ministries

a.nd.

gifts,

but also of

"

workings," vfYiich.

more vigorous exercise of the grace which the believer as such possesses already. Where the faith of many languishes, the Lord frequently grants extraordinary workings of faith to some, thus to refresh and comfort others. The same is true of love, which And also is the portion of all, but not in the same effectual degree. where the love of many waxes cold, the Lord sometimes quickens it in the few to such extent that others see it and are provoked to consist in a

holy jealousy. Besides these ordinary charismata, which are only more energetic manifestations of what every believer possesses in the germ, the Lord

has also given to His church extraordinary gifts, working partly upon the spiritual and partly upon the physical domain. Of the latter are the charismata of self-restraint and healing of the sick.

Of the

former Christ speaks in Matt. xix. 1 2, where he calls such persons " eunuchs for the sake of the Kingdom." St. Paul says that for the sake of the weak brother he will abstain from meat; and again, that he keeps under the body, bringing it into subjection, etc. The charisma of healing refers to the glorious gift of healing the sick who suffer from nervous diseases and psychological

not only those ailments,

who

are

more susceptible

to spiritual influences, but also

those whose diseases are wholly outside the spiritual realm.

Of an entirely

different nature are the extraordinary, purely

of which St. Paul mentions five: wisdom, knowledge, discernment of spirits, tongues and their interpretaThese may also be divided in two classes, inasmuch as the tion.

spiritual charismata,

first

three mentioned are also found, altho in a different form, out-

the Kingdom of God; and the last two, which present a Wisdom, wholly peculiar phenomenon, ivithiti the Kingdom. knowledge, and discernment of spirits exist even among the heathen, and are much admired by those who reject the Christ. But those natural gifts appear in the Church in a different way. The charisma of wisdom enables one without much investigation, with great tact and clearness, to understand conditions and to offer

side of

judicious advice.

Knowledge

is

a charisma whereby the Holy

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