The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 343

ITS eludes

all

works only

things and

all

in the lives of

COURSE

303

persons, and a special providence which

God's

elect.

When

thus the operations

of Providence adopt a special character regarding the elect but not

yet regenerate persons, the Holy Spirit cooperates with the Father to carry out the counsels of God's will concerning

and the Son them.

And this closes the discussion of preparatory grace, and we now proceed to discuss regeneration proper. We might speak of the grace that flows from regeneration and prepares the way for conversion, but this would ifn^roperly be called preparatory grace. All that which aims at the awakening of the life still slumbering in the regenerate

the

" call."

And

soul is not preparatory grace, but belongs to

altho

we would

not absolutely condemn the use of

the word in that sense, yet neither would

we encourage

it

by our

own example. Let us recapitulate.

Physical

life is

the result of the union of

body and soul; the dissolution of this union is physical death, which will be abolished only when body and soul are reunited. The same applies to things spiritual. Spiritual life results from a union between the soul and the life-principle of the Holy Spirit. Hence sin which annihilates this union causes death. This death can not be overcome until it please the Lord to reunite the soul with the Spirit's life-principle.

Everything that precedes this reunion is preparatory grace. That which effects it is WiQ first grace- —i.e., working grace, saving grace, but no longer preparatory grace. When the Holy Spirit begins His work of effecting this union, preparatory grace ceases; hence it does not belong to the proper work of the Holy

Spirit.

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