we can either expect or imagine), fo is he pleafed to exprefs his Refentment of our Unkindness in fo tender and affectionate a manner, as if he was one of our own Nature; nay, joined in the nearest Relation and Friendship to us. But I leave this, to fhew in the next place what thofe Things are by which the Holy Spirit is grieved. Now, in general it may be faid, that our Sins, and they only, are the Things which do grieve the Holy Spirit. There is nothing in the World in us, but Sin, that can give him any Difpleasure. Neither the Infirmities of our Nature, nor the Circumftances of our Condition in the World, nor our manifold Temptations, nor Perfecutions, nor Diftreffes, nor any thing in us, or about us, can feparate us from the Love of God in Chrift Fefus. It is only Sin: A wilful fwerving from the Rules that God hath fet us, and by which the Holy Spirit defires to govern us, that can give him Occafion of Offence. For this is the only Thing in the World that is contradictory to his Nature, and to the Ends for which he is pleased to dwell within us. But tho' this be the general Answer to the Enquiry, yet, for the impreffing the Thing the more upon the Mind, I fhall branch it out into four Particulars, pursuing the Metaphor of the Text, which fuppofes the Holy Spirit to be a Gueft or a Lodger in our Hearts. 1. And first of all, We grieve the Holy Spirit, when we neglect him, when we behave our felves with Carelesness and Indifference towards him. It must needs trouble any Gueft to fee that he who entertains him, tho' he doth not openly affront him, yet doth not fhew him that Refpect he deferves, nor takes Care to please him in all Things. This very Thing is a Kind of flighting of him; and the fame Slight we put upon the Holy Ghoft, when we do not heartily give up our felves to be governed by him in all Things; when we do not diligently attend to his Holy Motions, and vigorously pursue them: But on the contrary live carelefs and idle Lives, fuffering the good Thoughts that God is daily fuggesting to our Minds, to die in us, without any Effect. This muft needs grieve the Holy Spirit, for it is a plain Evidence that we neglect him. If we had that Regard for him that we ought, we should not fuffer that Care he takes of us, and that he hath of our Good, to be thus utterly without Effect; but we fhould be watchful over our selves, and be continually looking into our own Hearts, and feeing how Things went there, and improve every Opportunity, every good Motion that the Spirit affords us, to our Advancement in Virtue and Goodness. It is not enough that we live without doing any great Hurt in the World, that we are not guilty of grievous and fcan dalous dalous Crimes; but we must be heartily and fincerely Good, and we must be daily growing better and better. This is the End of the Spirit's dwelling within us: And if we do not make ufe of his Prefence to this End, we fhall provoke him, at length, to forfake us, and give us up as trifling Souls, upon whom no good is to be done. 2. But fecondly, As we grieve the Holy Spirit by our Carelefnefs and Indifference, and not attending to his Holy Motions; fo we do more yet grieve him by every Act of wilful, deliberate Sin; or by finning against our Conscience, either in fingle Acts, or in a Habit of any Sin. Sins of Ignorance and Inadvertency, Sins that we fall into unawares and thro' furprize, the Holy Spirit will bear with; but the indulging of any one Sin in the Course of our Lives, or the committing any one Act of Sin against our natural Light, wilfully, deliberately, when the Holy Spirit within us teftifies to us, that we ought not to do fuch a Thing; I fay, this is fo high an Affront put upon the bleffed Spirit, that it is not to be born withal: It is a downright Violation of all the Laws of Hofpitality: It is a betraying our Guest, and taking Part with his open Enemies. And what Gueft will not forfake his Habitation when he is thus treated. Oh! therefore, as we love our Souls, let us have a care of these Sins; let us do nothing against our Confcience; let us never willingly and 3 de deliberately do a Thing that we know to be Evil. It is not to be told how much by any fuch Actions as these we wound our own Souls, and what Mifery we bring upon our felves. This is the certain way to drive away the Holy Spirit from us, and if ever he do return again, it must be upon a very fevere and particular Repentance. 3. Thirdly, Tho' all Sins do grieve the Holy Spirit, and wilful Sins moft; yet there are fome Sins that have a Mark fet upon them in the Scripture, as being of such a Nature as to grieve the Holy Spirit in a more particular Manner than others. And these are the Sins that are more immediately committed against our Bodies. Such are all Sorts of Uncleanness and Intemperance. The Spirit of God is a Spirit of Purity, and therefore nothing fo oppofite to him as all fleshly Pollutions and Senfuality. Indeed the very Notion of his being a Gueft and Lodger with us fuppofeth that we are obliged in a more particular manner to take care that our Hearts, where he is to dwell, fhould be thoroughly purg'd from every thing that is filthy and unclean. this is the very Argument that St Paul ufes to the Corinthians, to make them especially careful to avoid Fornication, and other Uncleanness; namely, because their Bodies were the Temples of the Holy Ghoft. The 13. Body, fays he, is not for Fornication, but. for the Lord; and the Lord for the Body. I Cor. 6. And Know Know ye not that your Bodies are the Mem- v. 15. bers of Chrift! Shall I then take the Members of Chrift, and make them the Members of an Harlot? God forbid! Flee Fornication. Every Sin that a Man doth, is with- v. 18. out the Body: But he that committed Fornication, finneth against his own Body. And ye know that your Body is the Temple of v. 19. the Holy Ghoft, which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own. And in the Text we are now upon, when St. Paul bids us not to grieve the Spirit, he feems to have an efpecial Regard to the grieving him by Wantonnefs and Uncleannefs, by lewd and fcurrilous Difcourfes. This the Context plainly intimates. For in the Verse before, he gives them this Caution; Let no corrupt Communication, Eph.4.29. fays he, proceed out of your Mouth, but that which is good, to the Ufe of edifying, that it may minifter Grace to the Hearers. And then it follows in the Text, Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God. And what we fay of Luft and Uncleannefs, the fame is to be faid of Gluttony and Drunkenness: for these are as noifome and offenfive to the Holy Spirit as the other, and render the Man who is guilty of them every whit as incapable of his divine Infpirations. Indeed the Spirit of God cannot lodge in a Soul that is impure and fenfual in any kind. And therefore, if ever we expect to be fealed to the Day of Redemption, it will infinitely VOL. V. G concern |