Zechariah — Chapter 4

Non in exercitu nec in robore sed in spiritu meo

'Not by an army, nor by strength, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.' This oracle to Zerubbabel becomes one of à Lapide's key proof-texts for the principle that the Church's victory is supernatural. He cites Augustine's De Gratia and the doctrine of prevenient grace: no human power or organizational strength can build the Church; only the Holy Spirit does it.