Sermons Preached in the African Protestant Episcopal Church of St. Thomas', Philadelphia/Sermon 5
SERMON V
the sin of grieving the holy spirit.
"and grieve not the holy spirit of god." Eph. iv. 30.
Grief, as well as all other affections of the human heart which we find applied in the Scriptures to the Spirit of God, must necessarily be understood in a metaphorical sense. It especially refers to his mode of acting towards those who resist his influences, reject his kind offers, and not to any inward feeling which the term implies when it relates to finite man. With the course generally pursued by one who from just cause has been grieved at the conduct of another, we are perfectly familiar. Between this course and the conduct of the Spirit towards man in certain cases a comparison is here instituted. When an earthly friend and benefactor becomes grieved in consequence of receiving from his beneficiary insults in return for the many favors bestowed, he withdraws all intimacy and friendship from such an one, until the barriers that stand in the way of a reconciliation are entirely removed. Now, the Holy Spirit is the Almighty Friend and liberal Benefactor of our fallen and degenerate race. But man too often requites his surpassing kindness and benevolence by acting in a way that causes the blessed Spirit to withdraw his enlightening and renovating influences, leaving him in his own native blindness and ignorance, to pursue the "way that seemeth right" unto him, though the "ways thereof" be the "ways of death." We are therefore to understand the text as containing a solemn admonition against every thing that would hinder the success of this divine agent in his gracious and renewing operations upon the soul.
The Spirit of God, the third person in the ever-adorable Trinity, is called 'holy,' because of the infinite holiness of his character, and of the work of holiness which he begins and carries on in the hearts of his people. All the moral attributes; justice, goodness and truth, are possessed by him in common with the Father and the Son, in unbounded perfection. In the economy of redemption, the Holy Spirit is the grand agent whose office is to establish these principles of holiness in the souls of men. In order to this, "he spake by the prophets," inspired the apostles from whose sacred writings we may obtain right conceptions of the character of God, and of his will concerning us. He is still present in his church, to own and bless bis word, and the ordinances of his house to the spiritual edification of all who yield to his gracious dictates. His success, however, is far from being universal. Though we have every reason to believe from the infinitude of his benevolence, that there is not a human being on earth at the door of whose heart he has not repeatedly knocked for entrance; yet we find only here and there a few, comparatively, who have cordially submitted to the empire of his grace. The generality of men oppose him at every avenue through which he is wont to gain the ascendancy in the soul, and thus cause him, so to speak, to turn away grieved at the obduracy and impenitency of their hearts. I am sure that I now speak the experience of many of our hearers. In order that you may through the divine blessing be brought to a due sense of the awful guilt you are incurring, and of the danger to which you are thus exposing yourselves, we shall endeavor to point out some of the ways in which men 'grieve the Holy Spirit of God.'
This is done,
1. By inconsideration. The want of calm, sober thought, is one of the greatest hinderances to a sinner's conversion to God. The thunders of Sinai may roll, and tell him of those eternal calamities that await the ungodly beyond the grave; the sweet notes of redeeming love poured forth from an angel's voice will all be in vain, so long as the adversary of souls can contrive to keep him from a train of regular, sober thinking. The great Jehovah thus complained of his ancient people. "I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his masters crib: but Israel doth not know my people doth not consider."[1] The same complaint may be justly entered now. Against every impenitent soul here in divine presence, the Holy Spirit may justly urge the want of due consideration, as the great reason why his holy influences have not hitherto had their designed effect in each case. God has made our salvation to depend upon a cordial and hearty belief of the truth as it is in Jesus. "With the heart man believeth unio righteousness."[2] But we cannot thus believe the truth, unless we understand, or realize it in its personal application: nor can we thus understand it when presented to our minds unless we bestow upon it due thought and reflection. Thus you perceive how the thoughtless sinner defeats, if we may so speak, the purposes of divine grace. When the Holy Spirit presents to the impenitent mind divine truth, when he shows him his own character, his depraved and sinful state and the awful consequences that will inevitably follow, when he discovers unto him the character of God, his holiness, justice and truth, instead of his dwelling upon these truths in serious, sober and penitential thought, they are excluded from the mind to make room for subjects of a frivolous nature. So, the Heavenly Visitor is thus grieved and insulted at the cold repulse:—"go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season I will call for thee."[3]
The Holy Spirit is grieved,
2. By unholy conversation. The character of our minds give in general a direction to the train of our conversation. Hence we may form a very good judgment of the cast of our mind if we strictly observe the character of the conversation in which we take the greatest delight. "Out of the abundance of the heart" says our Lord, "the mouth speaketh."[4] Of the wicked it is said that, "God is not in all his thoughts."[5] Now so long as the inconsiderate man continues so, and will not with divine assistance use the power that he has to bring his mind back from its wanderings and lead it in the path of serious, sober thinking, we cannot expect him to delisht in such a conversation of which the Holy Spirit would approve. His thoughts run in a channel, that is "earthly, sensual and devilish." The conversation in which he delights, must consequently partake of the same character. How then can the Holy Spirit be otherwise than grieved to behold the tongues of men so much employed about temporal subjects, as totally to exclude those that are spiritual and eternal;—those subjects which excite the most adoring wonder and rapturous songs of joy among the redeemed in glory. But upon this point, we need not confine our remarks exclusively to the impenitent part of our hearers. Professing Christians are far from being faultless here. Indeed, the apostle Paul in giving the admonition contained in the text, evidently had his Christian brethren at Ephesus chiefly in view In the words that immediately precede the text, he addressed them thus:—"Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good, to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace to the hearers." The text then follows.—"And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God."
The rule laid down in this connexion whereby Christians may avoid grieving the Spirit, is to attend to the preceding caution. But alas! how seldom is this rule attended to by professing Christians in their intercourse with each other. They may not violate the first part of the rule. Their conversation may not be of that character as to deserve to be styled, "corrupt communication." But do they not often violate the second part? When they meet together, is the communication that proceeds out of their mouth good to the use of edifying? Is there no foolish talking and jesting which are not convenient? Is there no unkind and unnecessary exposures made of the real or supposed faults of neighbors? Is there no backbiting, no evil-speaking and slandering? Happy for the cause of religion were it so. But the reverse is too often the case. Instead of adhering to the direction of the Apostle, aiming to edify those present, there is too often a disposition shown to inflict an injury upon the absent. And seeing this is the case, it is no wonder that we behold so many dwarfs in Christianity. It is no wonder that some run well for a season the Christian race, grow weary, turn back and bring a reproach upon the cause. You need wonder no longer, inconsistent professor, why you have no comfortable sense of God's love, no delight in the sanctuary, no relish for meditating on God's law, and attending on the ordinances of his house. You have grieved the Spirit of grace, and caused him to withdraw from you his comforting influences. When you have learned to "speak good of the name of the Lord, to be talking of his worship, glory, praise and wondrous works; to be telling of his loving kindness early in the morning, and of his truth in the night season;" then, may you expect him to lift upon you the light of his countenance, and to bless you with light, life and vigor. On the contrary, if other matters of a vain, foolish and reprehensible character, are permitted to be themes to expatiate upon in your social intercourse; depend upon it a leanness will come over your souls; you will become like Samson shorn of his strength, weak as other men: your enemies will put out your eyes, leaving you to grope your way in the darkness of spiritual death. Again, the Spirit of God is grieved—
3. By sinful tempers and affections. In the verse that immediately follows the text, St. Paul thus exhorts his brethren: "Let all bitterness and wrath, and anger and clamor, and evil-speaking, be put away from, you with all malice." It is much to be lamented that these evil affections prevail too much among professing Christians in the present day. From the slightest provocation received from human frailty, some will rave and toss themselves like an ox unaccustomed to the yoke. They consider it too much to be borne: and very often they dwell upon these little matters until the poison of the adder is found under their lips. Then the very name of their supposed adversary cannot be mentioned without eliciting the serpent hiss. And by indulging this revengeful spirit for a time, it finally settles down in malice, a rooted enmity, which makes a man more like Lucifer than any other sin this side of perdition. And can the Holy Spirit dwell in a bosom that is indulging affections like these? No, never. He can look with delight only upon his own 'fruit,' which "is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance."[6] Sinful tempers and affections are the works of the devil. These works, the Spirit of God in all his merciful and gracious visits to man, aims to destroy Resolve then, my Christian friends, in the strength of divine grace, to resist and overcome these enemies to your peace. Christianity designs us to be of an excellent spirit; to be transformed by the renewing of our minds: to be "peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits."[7] By exhibiting an opposite spirit we dishonor the cause of Christ, and consequently grieve the Spirit whose grand object is to advance it throughout the earth. "We have mentioned several instances in which we may grieve the Spirit; but we may add in a general way that he is grieved by every species of sin, whether it consists in doing the things we ought not to do, or in leaving undone those things which we ought to do. We are all therefore guilty in this matter, and have need daily to pray: "O God, make clean our hearts within us; And take not thy Holy Spirit from us."
We shall endeavor now by a few considerations.
Second, To urge the admonition contained in the text.
1. Consider the great dignity of the Personage slighted. In the violation of the rules of civility among men, the degree of criminality is determined by the character of the persons. Hence the same act that would be termed simply an insult from one man towards his equal in station, would be called a great indignity towards his superior, say his Governor. This arises from the inequality of position that subsists between the parties. Now if the degree of guilt contracted by grieving the Spirit, is determined by his superior dignity, where shall we find a term that can give us an adequate idea of the crime? The Spirit of God fills immensity. And where is the mind that can, in its grandest and loftiest conceptions, fully comprehend this great truth? Such knowledge is too high, too wonderful, it cannot be attained. This the enraptured psalmist confessed, when, in the sublimest language he exclaimed:—"Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there; if I make my bed in hell, behold thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me."[8] This uncreated, eternal, omnipotent, and omnipresent Being, man, dying man, whose breath is in his nostrils, can dare to insult! What horrid impiety! Consider,
2. His patience with you, notwithstanding your repeated provocations. When an earthly friend considers himself to be insulted, he generally stands off in cold indifference towards you, until some due acknowledgment be made; and even then his friendship is very apt to be mixed with a little bitterness. But the Spirit of God, though repeatedly grieved, as often returns. He comes unasked, and stands at the door, and knocks long and loud, entreating us to open the door, that he may come in and sup with us, and we with him. Oh! how aggravated the guilt that must be contracted by a continued opposition to such stupendous love as this. But remember that God has said:—"My Spirit shall not always strive with man."[9] There is an "accepted time, a day of salvation"[10] in which we may seek and find mercy at the hand of God through Christ. That time, however, and that day may pass, when the things that belong to our peace may be forever hid from our eyes. By a long and continued series of opposition to the Spirit's influences, the mind may at last become so hardened in unbelief, so unsusceptible of any permanent religious impression, by the ordinary means of grace, (and we have no right to expect any other means) as to cause the Holy Dove to take its everlasting flight. Forty years was he grieved at the disobedience of ancient Israel, and said—"They do alway err in their hearts, and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, they shall not enter into my rest."[11] Take warning, then, my brethren, from this example, lest you fall under the same awful condemnation. That you have repeatedly opposed the friendly counsels, warnings and entreaties of the Spirit, you cannot deny. He has often called you to partake of the waters of life, and you have as often refused to hear; he has stretched out his hand to deliver you from the snares of the devil, but you have disregarded his kind intervention. Still he waits to be gracious unto you, notwithstanding your past ingratitude and innumerable provocations. Though your sins be as scarlet, He is ready and willing to make them as white as snow Let his long-suffering, goodness, and love, lead you to that repentance that needeth not be repented of again. Prostrate as you should be at the footstool of mercy, while you are acknowledging your repeated insults to the heavenly visitor, let your sincere, fervent and persevering prayer ascend to the Lord, whose ear is ever attentive; and let its burden be—
"Stay, thou insulted Spirit, stay,
Though I have done thee such despite;
Nor cast the sinner quite away,
Nor take thine everlasting flight.
Though I have most unfaithful been,
And long in vain thy grace received;
Ten thousand times thy goodness seen,
Ten thousand times thy goodness grieved;
Yet, oh! the mourning sinner spare,
In honor of my great High-Priest.
Nor in thy righteous anger swear,
T'exclude me from thy people's rest.
My soul lies humbled in the dust,
And owns thy dreadful sentence just;
Look down, Lord, with pitying eye
And save the soul condemn'd to die."