Page:The Great Encyclical Letters of Pope Leo XIII.djvu/438



432 THE HOLY SPIRIT.

express the greatness of this work of divine grace in the souls of men. Wherefore, both in Holy Scripture and in the writings of the fathers, men are styled regenerated, new creatures, partakers of the divine nature, children of God, god-like, and similar epithets. Now these great blessings are justly attributed as especially belonging to the Holy Ghost. He is "the Spirit of adoption of sons, whereby we cry: Abba, Father." He fills our hearts with the sweetness of paternal love: The Spirit Himself giveth testimony to our spirit that we are the sons of God} This truth accords with the similitude observed by the Angelic Doctor between both operations of the Holy Ghost; for through Him "Christ was conceived in holiness to be by nature the Son of God," and "others are sanctified to be the sons of God by adoption." ^ This spiritual gen- eration proceeds from love in a much more noble manner than the natural: namely, from the uncreated Love.

The beginnings of this regeneration and renovation of man are by Baptism. In the sacrament, when the unclean spirit has been expelled from the soul, the Holy Ghost enters in and makes it like to Himself. That which is horn of the Spirit, is spirit.^ The same Spirit gives Himself more abundantly in Confirmation, strengthening and con- firming Christian life; from which proceeded the victory of the martyrs and the triumph of the virgins over tempta- tions and corruptions. We have said that the Holy Ghost gives Himself: the charity of God is poured out into our hearts by the Holy Ghost who is given to us* For He not only brings to us His divine gifts, but is the Author of them and is Himself the supreme gift, who, proceeding from the mutual love of the Father and the Son, is justly believed to be and is called "Gift of God most high." To show the nature and efficacy of this gift it is well to recall the explanation given by the Doctors of the Church of the words of Holy Scripture. They say that God is

> Rom. viii. 15, 16. ^ John iii. 6.

'St. Th, 3a, q. xxxii., a. 1. < Rom. v. 5.

IHE EOLY SPmiT.