us both to will and to do according to his own good pleasure. To these truths Scripture and experience bear testimony. What then must we do? The Quietist reasons somewhat in this way:—It is God who worketh in us, therefore our own creaturely activity is only a hinderance; our place is to be entirely passive,—we, must do nothing, only let God work. The reasoning is specious; but let us consider, in connection with the same important truth, what is the exhortation of the Holy Spirit by the pen of the Apostle Paul:{{—}"Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." Our blessed Lord said, "Strive to enter in at the strait gate." There is not, in fact, one exhortation in the New Testament to be passive. but rather, strive—seek—watch—pray—knock—work. Those who in sincerity desire to obey these injunctions, will indeed find that they cannot do so without strength from above.
The divine command then is, believe—work. The Quietist says,—be passive.
But this is a part of that system which, under pretension of high personal spirituality, substitutes its own supposed piety for the perfect righteousness of Christ, and in the guise of an angel of light, undermines the Gospel.
See under Ser. V. Ex. 2;—Ser. VI. Ex. 1; Ser. VII. Ex. 1, 2.
