The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 350

XXII.

The Work

of Regeneration. "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature old things are ;

passed away

;

behold

become new."— 2

In our former article act of

God

in

which man

we contended is

all

things are

Cor. v. 17.

that regeneration

is

a real

absolutely passive and unable, accord-

Let us now reverently matter more closely not to penetrate into things too but to cut off error and to clear the consciousness.

ing to the ancient confession of the Church.

examine high for

this us,

;

Regeneration

is

not sacramentally effected by holy Baptism,

him another opportunity to choose for or against God, as the Ethicals maintain. Nor is it a mere rectifying of the understanding; nor a simple

relieving the sinner's inability, offering

change of disposition and inclination, making the unwilling willing to conform to the holy will of God. Neither is it a change of ego nor, as many maintain, a leaving the ego undisturbed, the personality unchanged, simply putting the evil ego in the light and reflection of the righteousness of ;

Christ.

The as the

two errors must be refuted and rejected as positively

last

first

two.

In regeneration a being as

man

generation

is

man

does not receive another ego;

i.e.,

our

not changed nor modified, but before and after re-

it is

the same ego, the

same person, the same human

being.

Altho sin has terribly corrupted man, his being remained

intact.

Nothing is lacking. All its constituent parts, that distinfrom all other beings, are present in the sinner. Not his

guish

it

being, but his nature

became

totally corrupt.

Nature and being are not the same. Applied to a steam-engine, being is the engine itself, with its cylinders, pipes, wheels, and screws; but its nature is the action manifest as soon as steam enters

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