The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 581

"

:

THE GREATEST OF THESE and having attained

to her highest truth, shall forever

haustible source of happiness

and inexhaustible power

LOVE

541

be

in us the inex-

of

God

glorifying

Only then shall we realize perfectly, that is forever, what it love, and also how little they have known of love who, denying

activity.

means

IS

;

to

the love of

God

in Christ, counted the exercise of holy love consistent with

the persevering in blasphemous unbelief.

And

Van

Dr.

"They

Oosterzee has written with no less animation

are noble companions even

when we

consider each by herself:

Faith, not merely a certain confidence of the soul in the reality of things

and in the certainty of the revelation of God in Christ Jesus, but that saving faith which builds upon the Person and work of the Redeemer which enters into closest communion with Him Hope of the invisible,

;

;

and amen in and Love which unites the believer, not only with God and Christ, but with all his brethren and sisters in the Lord, and with the whole race which in heaven and earth is named after God. " Lovely picture at the right. Faith embracing the saving Cross at left, Hope leaning upon the infallible anchor and in the midst. Love the holding in her hand the burning heart, her daily sacrifice consecrated to

perfect fulfilment of all the promises of

Christ Jesus

God which

are yea

;

:

;

;

the

God

And yet, altho in representation they maybe separated, can not be, being companions inseparable, not only from

of Love.

in reality they

For what

every Christian, but also from one another. out hope and love ?

A

is

faith with-

cold conviction of the understanding, but with-

out quickening power in heart, and without ripened fruit in hope, faith could not once see heaven

;

but even

life.

Without

could enter heaven

if it

would lose its highest felicity. And what is hope without At the most a vain delusion, followed by a painful awakening a fragrant blossom soon to wither without once bearing fruit. And finally, what is love without hope and faith? Perhaps the welling up of the natural feeling but by no means a spiritual, vital principle. If love does not believe, it must die and if it does not hope as well as love, it must be a source of measureless suffering. "To separate one of these three sisters from the others is to write the death-sentence of the one, and to destroy the beauty of the others. Inwithout love,

faith

it

and love? ;

;

;

separably united, however, they deserve to be called companions in the fullest sense of the word. Faith is much, hope is more, and love is most. Faith unites us with God hope lifts us up to God but love makes us ;

;

comformable to God, for God is Love. Faith is the child of humility, hope the offspring of persecution, but love the fruit of faith and hope By faith and hope we do in a certain sense seek ourselves together. love alone

makes us down

Faith kneels

forget ourselves, working for the salvation of others. in the closet,

and hope,

in holy ecstasy,

sees the

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