The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 233

THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

193

eye of the understanding. He then so works upon our feeling that we begin to see ourselves in that sinner, and to feel that the truth Finally, He takes hold of the of the Scripture directly concerns us. will,

causing the very power seen in the Scripture to work in us. thus the whole man, mind, heart, and will, has experi-

And when

He adds to this the comprehenwhereby the Holy Scripture in divine

enced the power of the Word, then sive operation of assurance,

splendor commences to scintillate before our eyes.

Our experience

is like

that of a person who, from his brightly

At first, owing to the brightBut blowing out his light and looking out once more, he gradually distinguishes forms and figures, and after a while he enjoys the soft twilight. Let us apply this to the Word of God. So long as the light of our own insight flashes through the soul, we, looking through the window of eternity, fail But It is all wrapped in cloudy darkness. to perceive anything. when at last we prevail upon ourselves to extinguish that light, and look out again, then we see a divine world gradually coming up out of the gloom, and, to our surprise, where at first we saw nothing we now see a glorious realm bathed in divine light. lighted room, looks out in the dusk.

ness within, he sees nothing.

And thus God's elect obtain a firm assurance concerning Word of God that nothing can shake, of which no learning can

the

rob

They stand firm as a wall. They are founded upon a rock. The winds may howl and the floods descend, but they fear not. They stay upon their indestructible faith, not only as a result of them.

the Holy Spirit's

first

viction continually.

and

this

operation, but because

Jesus said,

He

supports the con-

abideth with you forever";

has primary reference to this testimony concerning the

Word

of

"

not, the Scripture is the

Fear

"He

God.

However, the Word.

In the believing heart

Word

this is not all of the

It

must

He

testifies

continually:

your God."

of

Holy

Spirit's

work

in regard to

also be interpreted.

And He, the Inspirer, alone can give the right interpretation. among men each is the best interpreter of his own word, how much more here where no man shall ever have the boldness to say If

that he understands the Spirit's full as

He

Himself,

if

not better?

Even

and proper meaning as well if

the authors of both Testa-

from the dead and tell us the meaning of their respective Scriptures even that would not be the full and deep in-

ments should

rise

—

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