The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 232

THE CHURCH OF CHRIST

192

not upon his scholarship, but upon his pretended spiritual illumination. Hence the Roman Catholic priests do not contradict one

Neither is their teaching the fancy of a defective learning, but the result of a mental development that Rome attained in its

another.

most excellent men, and that of

many Of

in connection with the spiritual labor

centuries.

that of the intellectual stamp is the most unalways silenced with the remark, "You don't know Greek," or, " You don't read Hebrew " while the child of God feels irresistibly ihaX in the matters that concern eternity, Greek and Hebrew can not have the last word. And this apart from the fact that to a number of these scholars Professor Cobet might say in turn " Dear sir, do you still know Greek yourself? " Of the shallow knowledge of Hebrew in the largest number of cases, it is better not to speak. No, in that way we never get there. To make the divine authority of the Holy Scripture real to us, we need not a human, but a divine testimony, equally convincing to the simplest and to the most learned a testimony that must not be cast as pearls before swine, but be limited to those who can gather from it noblest fruit, all clericalism,

bearable; for one

is

;

:

—

\

viz., to

And

them that are born

again.

this testimony is not derived

from the Pope and his priests, nor from the theological faculty with its ministers, but comes with the sealing from the Holy Spirit alone. Hence it is a divine testi-

mony, and as such stops all contradiction and silences all doubt. It is a testimony the same to all, belonging to the peasant in the field and to the theologian in his study. Finally, it is a testimony which they alone receive who have open eyes, so that they can see spiritually.

_^

However, this testimony does not work by magic. It does not cause the confused mind of unbelief suddenly to cry out: " Surely the Scripture is the Word of God " If this were the case, the way !

would be open, and our salvation would depend again upon a pretended spiritual insight. No, the testimony of the Holy Spirit works in an entirely different way. He begins to bring us into contact with the Word, either by our own reading or by the communication of others. Then He shows us the picture of the sinner according to the Scripture, and the salvation which mercifully saved him; and lastly, He makes us hear the song of praise upon his lips. And after we have seen this objectively, with the of enthusiasts

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