same time, distinguishes him from them by certain personalities. It reveals him as co-operating with them in the works of creation, providence, and redemption; and prescribes that formula of baptism which has been generally understood by the church to imply the equal deity of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. In proportion, therefore, as the corruption of nature, or any other cause, leads us to harbour doubts and suspicions concerning this his divine personal dignity, we are chargeable with grieving him; especially when these doubts and suspicions induce us to withhold divine honours from him; when we refuse or hesitate to offer him religious worship-to adore and reverence his blessed name to devote ourselves wholly to him-to exalt him in our publick and private services-and to invoke him in our prayers. Secondly. We grieve the Holy Spirit when we entertain dishonourable notions of his operations in saving men. The true faith teaches us that he formed the humanity of Christ; anointed him to the priestly, prophetical, and royal offices; and was present to yield him propitious aid in his estate of humiliation; that by his energy, communicated to the means of grace, they are made effectual to convince and convertto enlighten, purify, and renew--to quicken and consoleto uphold, strengthen, and establish-to form us for Heaven and preserve us for the enjoyment of it. We grieve him therefore, when we disbelieve or doubt these truths; or when we ascribe these divine operations on the human soul, to the distemper of the brain, or the delusions of the devil. The true faith teaches us that we must be "strengthened with might by the spirit in the inner man;"* and that "except we be born of the spirit, we cannot enter into the kingdom of God." We grieve him, therefore, when we deny or weaken the necessity of his influences to enable us to perform Christian duties, and lead good lives; when we return no gratitude for that infinite condescension which prompts him to apply divine grace to the heart; which prompts him, † John, iii. 5. ** Eph. iii. 16. in the forcible language of scripture, to wait to be gracious to us; which prompts him to continue to strive with us, until he conquer's our reluctance to be holy. Hence, thirdly, we may very naturally be supposed to grieve him when we restrain prayer before God for the effusion of this sacred comforter. God has promised to "give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him."* And when the indispensable necessity of his indwelling influences to our present and eternal felicity is considered, when it is recollected that he is the alone author of holiness here, and happiness hereafter, who is there that to obtain his divine manifestations, would not raise the humble and believing voice of importunity to the throne of the Heavenly grace? Who is there that would not adopt these words, "Awake blessed spirit! upon the garden of thy grace, that the flowers may expand, and the spices spread their fragrance! Awake blessed spirit! and like the wind that bloweth where it listeth, let thy purifying breath blow over, my soul, that every corruption withering, every virtue may revive and flourish!" Who is there that would refuse to say with the Psalmist, "Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy holy spirit from me; restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with thy free spirit!"† When, in opposition to this, we neglect to pray for the "communion of the Holy Ghost;" when we neglect to pray that God would shed the Holy Ghost upon us abundantly, through Jesus Christ our Saviour-when we neglect to pray that he would pour his spirit upon all flesh; that he would put his spirit within us, and cause us to walk in his statutes, to keep his judgments and do them," concerning which thing he will be inquired of by men, if he ever does it for them; in a word, when we neglect to pray for ourselves, as the apostle did for the Ephesians, that God would give unto us the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ, the eyes of our understanding being enlightened, * Luke, xi. 3. † Psalm, li. 11. 12. + Ezek. xxxvi. 27. that we may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe;"* when we neglect to pray in this wise for divine manifestations, we grieve the Holy Spirit. Fourthly. We grieve the Holy Spirit when we withdraw or absent ourselves from the means of grace and the institutions of religion. Prayer is not the only means of obtaining the effusions of the Eternal Paraclete. Frequently the pious meditant perceives him in the solitary hour of contemplation; like David whose "heart was hot within him; for whilst he was musing, the fire burned." Frequently the chosen few, who, though on earth, walk together by holy converse, "high in salvation and the climes of bliss," are surprised by the sudden appearance of this divine visitant, whose presence animates their faith, hope and charity; as the hearts of the disciples whom our Lord accompanied to Emmaus, burned within them whilst he enlightened their minds to discern the truth. If, then, you shun the silent retreat of meditation; if you industriously avoid all occasions of religious society and pious discourse, you grieve the Holy Spirit. But, if in addition to this, you seldom or never peruse the sacred pages of inspiration; if you allow every pitiful call of business, or every more criminal call of pleasure, to detain you from the publick services of the sanctuary; if you close your ears, when providence invites. you to hear that gospel which is expressly styled "the ministration of the spirit," because he accompanies it with his energy, and by it effects the salvation of men; if, knowing it to be your sacred duty, in obedience to the dying injunctions of your Redeemer, to commemorate the sacrifice of the cross, by receiving the holy communion, you nevertheless voluntarily absent yourselves from that august sacrament; in which the blessings of the cross are sealed to the souls-of· the faithful; in a word, if you shun every walk where you † 2 Cor. iii. 8. Eph. i. 17.-19. may meet this celestial spirit; every place whence he dispenses his influences to convince, convert, instruct, console, and sanctify; to melt the frozen, to soften the obdurate, to animate the dead, to heal the diseased, to revive the languishing, to confirm the weak, to mortify the corrupt, to dispel doubt, and excite hope, to extinguish fear, and give birth to heavenly joy; think you that all this is not grieving the Holy Spirit? FIETHLY.--We grieve the Holy Spirit, when we neglect his movements within us. Perhaps I am safe in asserting that, of those who are favoured with the institutions of the gospel, there are none who have not felt, how unregarded soever by them, the motions of this spirit reproving them for sin, and encouraging them to virtue. Wherever we go, or wherever we stay, we are surrounded by this infinite spirit. Abroad-at home-alone-in company-he is still with us. When you devise wickedness upon your beds, he is there to warn you of the consequences, and if you will listen to him, to deter you from executing what you have devised. How often does he seize the moment when awful providences impend over you, to impress conviction on your minds, and salutary terror on your consciences! To represent to you the vanity of this world, 'and the necessity of Christ's religion, and a life in conformity with its sacred laws, to make you happy! How often does he struggle with you to deprive you of your false refuges; to subvert the treacherous foundation of your hopes; to persuade you to turn to the strong hold of redeeming mercy and unmerited grace! to restrain you from iniquity, and encourage you to obedience! And how often has he to contend with thee, believer; thy doubts--thy fears-thy despondence that he may inspire thee with those consolations which are only his to give! If, then, the sinner, obstinately deaf to these warnings; blind to these convictions; forgetful of these terrors-these representations--these struggles-and these persuasions-spurning these restraints-rejecting these encour agements--persists in his evil courses; if thy doubts-thy fears--thy despondence-believer, still continue; in each, and in all of these cases, the Holy Spirit is grieved. FINALLY.-We grieve the Holy Spirit when we live in a manner which does not correspond with his design in applying redemption to us. The end of redemption is to make us holy. For this cause, the Son of God gave himself for us that he might redeem us unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works. And for this cause, may we add, does the spirit of God apply redemption to us that he may sanctify us unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works. But, if we live in the spirit; if he is the principle and source of the life of grace, let us also walk in the spirit, says the apostle. What ideas are conveyed by the words walk in the spirit, I cannot so well describe as in his own language. This I say then, walk in the spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like; of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance; against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh, with the affections and lusts. If we live in the spirit, let us also walk in the spirit." This quotation is from the Epistle to the Galatians. One, equally apposite we will offer from our context. "Yehave not so learned Christ; if so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus; that ye put off concerning the former conversation, the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new Gal. v. 16. 19.-25. |