The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 478

;

SANCTIFICATION

438

when we say,

Is there contradiction, then,

first,

that sanctification

itself is

a mystery, and can be confessed only in the

that the

demand of

dogma second do with the dogma? Not in the least. Sinners of whom God demands that they sanctify themselves are, individually and collectively, totally unable to satisfy that demand. To a certain extent they can withdraw from sin and worldliness, and often have done so. Many unconverted men have done many praiseworthy works. In many cases lives have been reformed, the whole tone of existence has been improved from mere impulse, without a trace of real conversion. And, conceiving sanctification to consist in the doing of less evil and of more good, and that from an improved motive, it was thought that unholy man, tho unable to satisfy this divine claim perfectly, might satisfy it to some extent. But all this has nothing in common with sanctification, and can be accomplished wholly without it. With all his self-betterment he can not effect the least part of it tho told a thousand times to sanctify himself, he is both unwilling and unable. ;

sanctification has nothing to

;

Hence the question How, :

And

then, is sanctification to be accomplished 1

any of the from God in His Word, therefore not the demand, but the means, of sanctification is for us incomprehensible and mysterious. Hence the character of sanctification must be emphasince the question never received an answer from

sages, but only

sized as a mystery.

And what tery,

i.e.,

human

is

the reason for denying that sanctification

the content of a

origin, that

man

is

and

a lowering of holiness to the

sing sanctification as a matter.

We

is

supposition that

a mysit

is of

not totally unable, and that sanctifica-

tion is betterment of character (I)

The

dogma?

work

of

Hence

life.

it is

tantamount to

human standpoint; (2) an oppoGod. And this is a very serious

should again become clearly conscious of the fact

that the holiness without which no

tained by the departing from

some good. The demand of

some

man evil

shall see

God

is

not at-

and the habitual doing of

Covenant of Works Covenant of Grace. This makes the difference very obvious. Not as tho the Covenant of Works commanded man to sanctify himself; given to holy men, it excluded sanctification. But God gave the Covenant of Grace to unholy sanctification belongs to the

sanctification itself to the

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