producing their legitimate effects. There is nothing in the opera- tion of physical causes transcending their legitimate effects ; and there is nothing in the regeneration, conversion, and sanctification of men which transcends the legitimate effects of moral truth. The one series of effects is just as natural, and just as little super- natural, as the other. It has already been shown on a previous page,1 that this is all that the most advanced rationalists require. It excludes the supernatural, which is all they demand. In the effects produced by physical causes guided by the providential efficiency of God, there is nothing which exceeds the power of those causes ; and in the effects produced by the moral power of the truth under the cooperation of the Spirit, there is nothing which exceeds the power of the truth. The salvation of the soul is as much a natural process as the growth of a plant. The Scrip- tures clearly teach that there is an operation of the Spirit on the soul anterior to the sanctifying influence of the truth, and neces- sary to render that influence effective. A dead man must be restored to life, before the objects of sense can produce upon him their normal effect. Those spiritually dead must be quickened by the almighty power of God, before the things of the Spirit can produce their appropriate effect. Those spiritually blind must have their eyes opened before they can discern the things freely given, or revealed, to them of God. This influence being anterior to, cannot be through, the truth. Hence we find numer- ous prayers in every part of the Scriptures for this antecedent work of the Spirit ; prayers that God would change the hearts, open the eyes, and unstop the ears of men ; or that He would give them ears to hear, and eyes to see. The Spirit is every- where represented as a personal agent, distributing his gifts to every one severally as He will. He arouses their attention, con trols their judgments, and awakens their affections. He con- vinces them of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He works in the people of God both to will and to do. He teaches, guides, com- forts, and strengthens. His influence is not confined to one activ- ity producing an initial change, and then leaving the renewed soul to the influences of the truth and of the ordinances. It is abiding. It is not however the influence of a uniformly acting force cooperating with the truth ; but that of a person, acting when and where He pleases ; more at one time than at another, sometimes in one way and sometimes in another. He is a " Helper " who can be invoked, or who can be grieved and resisted. All these
1 See vol. ii. p. 657, ff.
§ l.j THE WORD. 475
representations of the Scriptures, which are utterly inconsistent with the purely rationalistic doctrine, as well as with the doctrine which either confounds the operations of the Spirit with the providential efficiency of God, or regards them as analogous, have impressed themselves on the general consciousness of the Church. Every believer feels that he stands to the Holy Spirit in the rela- tion which one person sustains to another : a person on whom he is dependent for all good ; whose assistance must be sought, and whose assistance may be granted or withheld at pleasure ; and who may come or withdraw either for a season or forever. Such has been the faith of the Church in all ages, as is manifest from its creeds, its hymns, and its prayers. While all Christians admit that God's providential efficiency extends over all his works, and that all good in fallen man is due to the presence and power of his Holy Spirit, yet they have ever felt and believed, under the guid- ance of the Scriptures, that the divine activity in these different spheres is entirely different. The spheres themselves are differ- ent ; the ends to be accomplished are different ; and the mode of operation is different. In nature (especially in the external world) God acts by law ; his providential efficiency is a " poten- tia ordinata ; " in grace it is more a " potentia absoluta," untram- melled by law. It is personal and sovereign. He does not "act continuously or in any one way ; but just as He sees fit. He works in us " both to will and to do of his good pleasure." (Phil, ii. 13.) As just remarked, therefore, every Christian feels his de- pendence not upon law, but on the good-will of a person. Hence the prayers so frequent in Scripture, and so constantly on the lips of believers, that the Spirit would not cast us off ; would not give us up ; would not be grieved by our ingratitude or re- sistance : but that He would come to us, enlighten us, purify, elevate, strengthen, guide, and comfort us ; that He would come to our households, renew our children, visit our churches, and multiply his converts as the drops of the morning dew ; and that He would everywhere give the Word of God effect.
This sovereignty in the operations of the Spirit is felt and rec- ognized by every parent, by every pastor, and by every mission- ary. It is the revealed purpose of God that it must be acknowl- edged. " See your calling brethren," says the Apostle ; not the wise, the great, the good, but the foolish, those who are of no ac- count, hath God chosen in order " that no flesh should glory in his presence." (1 Cor. i. 26-29.) No man is to be allowed to attribute his conversion or salvation to himself, to law, or to the
476 PART III. Ch. XX. — THE MEANS OF GRACE.
efficiency of means. It is in the hands of God. It is of Him that any man is in Christ Jesus. (1 Cor. i. 30.) In like manner He so gives or withholds the influences of the Spirit that every minister of the Gospel, as the Apostles themselves did, should feel and acknowledge that his success does not depend on his offi- cial dignity, or his fidelity, or his skill in argument, or his power of persuasion, but simply and solely on the demonstration of the Spirit, given or withheld as He sees fit. Why was it that so few were converted under the ministry of Christ, and so many thou- sands under that of the Apostles ? Why is it that a like experi- ence has marked the whole history of the Church ? The only Scriptural or rational answer that can be given to that question is, " Even so, Father : for so it seemed good in thy sight." We know indeed that the Spirit's sovereignty is determined in its action by infinitely wise and good reasons ; and we know that his withholding his cooperation is often judicial and punitive; that He abandons individuals, churches, communities, and nations who have sinned away their day of grace. It is important that we should remember, that, in living under the dispensation of the Spirit, we are absolutely dependent on a divine Person, who gives or withholds his influence as He will; that He can be grieved and offended; that He must be acknowledged, feared, and obeyed ; that his presence and gifts must be humbly and earnestly sought, and assiduously cherished, and that to Him all right thoughts and right purposes, all grace and goodness, all strength and comfort, and all success in winning souls to Christ, are to be ascribed.
The Office of the Word as a Means of Grace.
Christians then do not refer the saving and the sanctifying power of the Scriptures to the moral power of the truths which they contain ; or to the mere cooperation of the Spirit in a man- ner analogous to the way in which God cooperates with all second causes, but to the power of the Spirit as a divine Person acting with and by the truth, or without it, as in his sovereign pleasure He sees fit. Although light cannot restore sight to the blind, or heal the diseases of tha organs of sight, it ig nevertheless essential to every exercise of the power of vision. So the Word is essen- tial to all holy exercises in the human soul.
In every act of vision there are three essential conditions: 1. An object. 2. Light. 3. An eye in a healthful or normal state. In all ordinary cases this is all that is necessary. But