Faithful people, for example, have faithful thoughts and intentions. Peo-
ple who are honorable, honest, godly, and religious have thoughts and
intentions that are honorable, honest, godly, and religious. On the other
hand, people who are arrogant, cunning, deceitful, and greedy have
thoughts and intentions that are one with their essence. Jokers want
only to joke around, and fools want only to babble their opposition to
anything wise. In a word, an angel focuses and works only on what is
heavenly, and a devil only on what is hellish.
As this is true of every bird, animal, fish, and winged or wingless insect,
so it is true of every creature in the animal kingdom down to the lowest
level: everything is known by its essence or nature. Every creature has its
instincts accordingly.
Likewise in the plant kingdom, every tree, every bush, and every
plant is known by its fruit and its seed. Its essence is bred into its fruit
and its seed. It cannot produce anything that is unlike itself and its own
kind. In fact, every type of soil or clay, every type of stone both pre-
cious and common, and every type of mineral and metal is recognized
by its essence.146 3. In respect to the clergy, the divine actions and powerful effects meant
by “the sending of the Holy Spirit” are the acts of enlightening and teaching.
The actions of the Lord listed in the preceding point—reforming,
regenerating, renewing, bringing to life, sanctifying, justifying, purify-
ing, forgiving sins, and finally saving—flow from the Lord into both
clergy and lay people. These actions are accepted by those who are in the
Lord and in whom the Lord is (John 6 : 56 ; 14 : 20 ; 15 : 4 , 5 ).
In the case of the clergy, however, there are other actions of the Lord
as well: enlightening and teaching. The reason is that for ministers, being
enlightened and taught is a part of their jobs that comes with their inau-
guration into the ministry.
Also, when ministers preach with passion they believe they are
inspired, just like the Lord’s disciples on whom the Lord breathed and
said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20 : 22 ; see also what Mark 13 : 11
says). Some ministers even maintain that they have felt an inflow.
Ministers have to be very careful, though, not to convince them-
selves that the passion that comes over many of them when they preach
is God at work in their hearts. The same level of passion and an even
more ardent one is found in fanatics who believe they are divinely
inspired, in people who have the falsest teachings, and even in people
who see no value in the Word and worship nature as their god, who toss
faith and goodwill into packs on their backs. When they preach and