The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 45

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examination shows that the former have borrowed all their speech from the Word of God, while the others tried to add to it something novel that promised to be great, but proved only bubbles, quickly

no trace. When, on the other hand, in this treasury of Christian testimony we find some truth better developed, more clearly expressed, more aptly illustrated than in Scripture; or, in other words, when dissolved, leaving

Last,

the ore of the Sacred Scripture has been melted in the crucible of the mortal anguish of the Church of God,

manent forms, then we always discover fyj>es.

and

Spiritual life expresses itself otherwise

souled Lapps and Finns than

among

more

cast into

per-

in such forms certain _/?!xv</

among

the eamest-

the light-hearted French.

The

rugged Scotchman pours out his overflowing heart in a different way from that of the emotional German. Yea, more striking

some preacher has obtained a marked of a certain locality an exhorter has got hold of the hearts of the people or some mother in Israel has sent forth her word among her neighbors; and what do we discover? That in that whole region we meet no other expressions of spiritual life than those coined by that preacher, that exhorter, that mother in Israel. This shows that the language, the very words and influence

upon the

still,

souls of

men

;

;

forms in which the soul expresses spring but rarely from one's

itself,

are largely borrowed, and

own spiritual

consciousness

;

and so do

not insure the correctness of their interpretation of the soul's experience.

And when such heroes as Augustine, Thomas, Luther, Calvin, and others present us something strikingly original, then we encounter difficulty in understanding their strong and vigorous testimony. For the individuality of these choice vessels is so marked that, unless sifted and tested, we can not fully comprehend them. All this shows that the supply of knowledge concerning the work of the Holy Spirit, which, judging superficially, was to gush forth from the deep wells of Christian experience, yields but a few drops. Hence for the knowledge of the subject we must return to that wondrous Word of God which as a mystery of mysteries lies still uncomprehended in the Church, seemingly dead as a stone, but a stone that strikes

Where fire

is

fire.

the child of

of that

Word?

Who

has not seen

God whose

its scintillating

sparks?

heart has not been kindled by the

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