St Basil the Great ON THE HOLY SPIRIT, Complete

Translated by Bl. Jackson.

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88 Pages

Page 65

57. Now it is urged that the Spirit is in us as a gift from God, and that the gift is not reverenced with the same honour as that which is attributed to the giver. The Spirit is a gift of God, but a gift of life, for the law of "the Spirit of life," it is said, "hath made" us "free;" [1210] and a gift of power, for "ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you." [1211] Is He on this account to be lightly esteemed? Did not God also bestow His Son as a free gift to mankind? "He that spared not His own Son," it is said, "but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" [1212] And in another place, "that we might truly know the things that are freely given us of God," [1213] in reference to the mystery of the Incarnation. It follows then that the maintainers of such arguments, in making the greatness of God's loving kindness an occasion of blasphemy, have really surpassed the ingratitude of the Jews. They find fault with the Spirit because He gives us freedom to call God our Father. "For God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into" our "hearts crying Abba, Father," [1214] that the voice of the Spirit may become the very voice of them that have received him.

[1210] Rom. viii. 2.

[1211] Acts i. 8.

[1212] Rom. viii. 32.

[1213] 1 Cor. ii. 12.

[1214] Gal. iv. 6.

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