Page:The Great Encyclical Letters of Pope Leo XIII.djvu/437



THE HOLY SPIRIT. 431

commencing a new work, but giving more abundantly." ^ But if they also were numbered among the children of God, they were in a state like that of servants, for as long as the heir is a child he differeth nothing from a servant, but is under tutors and governors.^ Moreover, not only was their justice derived from the merits of Christ who was to come, but the communication of the Holy Ghost after Christ was much more abundant, just as the price surpasses in value the earnest and the reality excels the image. Wherefore St. John declares: As yet the spirit was not given, hecawse Jesus was not yet glorified.^ So soon, therefore, as Christ, "ascending on high," entered into possession of the glory of His Kingdom which He had won with so much labor, He munificently opened out the treasures of the Holy Ghost: He gave gifts to men* For that giving or sending forth of the Holy Ghost after Christ's glorification was to be such as had never been before; not that there had been none before, but it had not been of the same kind.^

Human nature is by necessity the servant of God: "The creature is a servant, we are the servants of God by nature."^ On account, however, of original sin, our whole nature had fallen into such guilt and dishonor that we had become enemies to God. We were by nature the children of wrath." There was no power which could raise us and dehver us from this ruin and eternal destruc- tion. But God, the Creator of mankind and infinitely merciful, did this through His only-begotten Son, by whose benefit it was brought about that man was restored to that rank and dignity whence he had fallen, and was adorned with still more abundant graces. No one can

' St. Leo the Great, Horn, iii, de Pentec. " Gal. iv. 1, 2. 2 John vii. 39.


 * Eph. iv. 8.

Â« St. Aug., de Trin., 1. iv. c. 20.

â€¢ St. Cyr. Alex., Thesaur. L v., c. 5. 'Eph. ii. 3.