01.09. Grieving Tempting Resisting Spirit (Morrow)
IX. GRIEVING, TEMPTING, RESISTING THE SPIRIT. BY JAMES MORROW, D.D. Secretary of Pennsylvania Bible Society. BY this theme we are brought into practical aspects of the Christian life. Elsewhere we have been taught what the Holy Spirit does to us; here we consider what we may do to him. The terms " Grieving, Tempting, Resisting," although not synonymous, mutually involve or touch each other. Nice distinctions are not here attempted.
Let it be noted thoughtfully that the Holy Spirit may be grieved, tempted, resisted. This proves at once his personality and his capability of grief, with our capacity for grieving him.
If this were not a Bible commonplace " familiar in our mouths as household words " it would startle us to-day as a very remarkable utterance. To find out the full wealth of this familiar teaching we must restore it to its original lustre. As scholars, with the feather of their pen, brush away the dust from long buried monuments, let us sweep away the dust from our old, perhaps dead beliefs on this subject. That the Holy Spirit may be grieved, tempted, resisted by us is a remarkable truth, because it is so unlike the ordinary opinion of men regarding him. If they think of him at all, it is of One apart from the world in which they dwell and remote from the world within their own thinking minds or throbbing hearts. Yet he works on the souls of men all men by a most potent influence. They may not be conscious ol his action, nor distinguish clearly his enlightenment warning or judging, approving or condemning from the voice of conscience or the judgment of pure reason. Yet he occupies his place within " Man soul," and performs his peculiar work. There is a parallelism to this in the natural world. We know electricity rather from its effects than from its nature. The ebb and flow of tides reveal the influence of the moon without telling us the " why " and " wherefore " of its law. So is it in the world of mind and the action of the Holy Spirit. We know the result called salvation, and trace it truthfully to the energizing cause, when we ascribe it to the Holy Spirit.
Doubtless in this great work there is concurrent action between the soul of man and the Spirit of God. He strove with the man, and the man yielded. He convinced the sinner of his guilt, and the penitent one from ruin’s brink cried, " Lord Jesus, save." He took of the things of Christ, and showed them to the soul ready to die as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness and when the trusting heart appropriated the infinite merits of the Lord Jesus it was the Holy Spirit that hastened with the assurance of pardon and inspired the rejoicing believer to sing My God is reconciled, His pardoning voice I hear, He owns we for his child, I can no longer fear. With confidence I now draw nigh, And Father, Abba Father, cry.
It is needful to remember, in proclaiming the necessity of the Spirit’s work, the related truth of the dependence and activity of the soul of man. As in the days when the Lord Jesus spake to the fishermen of Galilee and said, " Follow me " and they left all and followed him; so now, when the Spirit of Jesus says " Come," the docile believer gladly obeys. In the Kingdom of grace under which we live the Holy Spirit is the Administrator of Redemption. In his administration he uses the Scriptures. Inspired by himself he employs these, both for the conviction of the sinner and the sanctification of the saint. The Scriptures are truth. As such it might be supposed that they would win the approval and accomplish the salvation of man as other truth makes its way into human minds; changing beliefs, forming opinions, creating convictions or widening the mental horizon. But this is not the case.
Teachers of mathematics rely solely and properly on the adaptation of their truth to the minds of the students and depend upon the unaided powers of the mind to accept and act upon such truth. They are right, and they have their reward. But teachers of Christianity encounter difficulties and obstacles in human nature utterly unknown to teachers of other truth. Not merely ignorance, but pride, self-righteousness, prejudice, unconcern, and even hatred of the truth meet the preacher of the gospel at the threshold of every human heart. Although he knows that the truth, as it is in Jesus, is certain as that of the multiplication table, and that it is adapted to the universal needs of humanity, as the key is fitted to the lock, still his only hope of success is in the Holy Spirit. For he alone can snap the withes of pride, prejudice and hatred, which mathematical truth does not encounter. He creates the hunger and then supplies the food. He brings the news of salvation in the words of Scripture to the mind, and also operates upon and within the mind. He takes the Bible truth, and with that conveys the grace necessary to its reception. When men are not obedient to their heavenly calling the Spirit is grieved, tempted or resisted. He is grieved when they resist his pleadings. He would flood their souls with ineffable light, but they love darkness rather than light. He would fire their hearts with a divine enthusiasm, but they quench that heavenly flame. Then their perceptions of truth and duty become blunted and their affections, towards God and man, benumbed.
Thus to resist God, reveals a tremendous force in human nature. But responsibility hinges here and the dread fact must be stated. The Holy Spirit is sovereign and free in his gracious influences and we are free to follow or to fail, to yield or to resist, to hearken or to harden, to fan the flame of gracious desire or to quench the fire of holy love. When we are asked how men may grieve or tempt or resist the Spirit, the answer is clear and Biblical.
I. BY DENYING HIS PERSONALITY AND DISHONORING HIS OFFICES.
We ought, as a convention and as churches, to be jealous for the Personality and Divinity of the Holy Ghost. The doubters and deniers are outspoken and blatant. While we are meeting in Baltimore the Unitarians are assembled in Philadelphia. Listening to them concerning Jesus, we can but wail out, with Mary of Magdala, " They have taken away my Lord and I know not where they have laid him." While we proclaim the Personality and Divinity of the Spirit they seem to be in the state of those who said, " We have not so much as heard if there be any Holy Ghost." Doubt is in the air and gathering like a thunder cloud it makes itself heard. When unbelief conspires men of faith tnust combine. Let us send forth from this Convention a trumpet blast, loud and clear, on this cardinal doctrine of our holy religion and of the word of God.*
* It was in answer to this appeal that the resolution was passed at the closing session of the Convention. Many disciples simultaneously felt the point and propriety of such witness bearing. May he who is thus honored accept the devout tribute to his Person and his Work. The Scriptures proclaim and we, believe, that the Holy Spirit is not the mere personification of a divine attribute, but the Third Person of the ever blessed Trinity. To deny that is to grieve him. As the Administrator of redemption he takes the place that the Lord Jesus himself occupied during his earthly life. The departure of the Christ was the condition of the Spirit’s advent. Jesus said, " I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter that he may abide with you forever," (John 14:16). "Comforter" parakaletos, i.e., one called to the side of another, a helper, as an attorney to his client. Jesus, the first Comforter, is thus succeeded by the Holy Spirit. What Jesus was to those who followed him over the acres "of Immanuel’s Land," the Holy Spirit is to all those who should hereafter believe on his name. Did Jesus convince men of sin? So does now the Holy Spirit. To deny that is to resist him. Did Jesus guide men in their quest of truth? So does the Holy Spirit, all who in later days search for it as for hid treasure. There is no tablet like a loving memory and no chronicler like the Holy Ghost. He brought all things to the recollection of the first disciples and he is with the followers of Jesus still. To deny that is to grieve him. Did Jesus say to a poor sufferer, whose name we shall never know, " Son, thy sins be forgiven thee? " So does the Holy Spirit now to those who conscious of their need take Jesus as their Saviour. To deny that is to tempt him.
Further, let us not forget that Jesus said that the other Comforter was to abide with us forever. He has not been withdrawn from his church. We need not pray for his coming as if he had departed. Let us rather ask for manifestations of his presence and power, believing that he is near and able and willing to fulfil his promise to fill us and seal us and guide us into all truth.
Closer still to the heart of Scripture on this great theme, let us examine Ephesians 4:25-30, for an epitome of sins in the practical life, and where we have the key-note of this address. Please turn to your Bibles and read and long after these days of holy convocation are over, read the words again. They are the Holy Ghost’s. " Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be ye angry and sin not, let not the sun go down upon your wrath. Neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more:but rather let him labor working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption."
Look at these sins one by one:
1. Falsehood. To speak the truth is due to all men, as well as to God, but here it is urged as necessary to the perfect brotherhood within the circle of the church. Wilful misstatements, polite lies, half truths, which are ever the blackest of lies all these are breaches upon mutual confidence among believers. They are more; they grieve the Holy Spirit of God. All paltering with truth in a double sense", that keeps the word of promise to the ear, but breaks it to the hope, is an offence in Heaven.
2. Wrath. The text quoted shows us that there is a possible anger without sin. The flashing out of the pure and liberty-loving soul against cruelty, lies and foulness, is just and right and Christian. Such resentment against evil is needful in our resistance of it. But anger to be righteous must be brief. As the corruption of the best is the worst, so justifiable indignation, when brooded over or " nursed to be kept warm," becomes an injury to the soul. It acts like acid on steel it stains the white radiance, it mars the placid surface. Then the Spirit is grieved, for such a one gives place to the devil, who finds an opportunity when and where we least expect him as Bunyan, in the allegory, tells of a by-path to hell hard by the gate of heaven.
3. Stealing. This warning against a crime seems out of place in an address to believers. Perhaps it is spoken of, that its counterpart in self-sacrifice might be enforced. Stealing is not here shown to be a wrong committed against society that goes without saying but because it is opposed to the proper treatment of our brothers in Christ. It saps the foundations of the perfeet home life whether it be the robbing of property or the filching of reputation. Beware of the latter in the church of God. It grieves the Spirit for it wrongs and injures those for whom Christ died.
3. lt Corrupt speech" (Revised Version). The word sapros translated corrupt means rotten. This is the only place in the New Testament where it is used metaphorically. In Ephesians 5:4 it is described at length as " Filthiness " or the talking without necessity of foul and evil things. In studying medicine or even literature professionally, one must learn everything about everything, however malodorous. But to speak of such things unnecessarily, " Dabbling a shameless hand with shameful jest," shows the prurient taste and grieves the pure and Holy Spirit.
" Foolish talking," the talking of fools, i.e., the wicked. This is the Bible meaning of the word and must not be understood as referring to the babbling of imbeciles or idiots. It is God who describes the man as a fool, who says in his heart, " There is no God." We are to avoid the speech of those who, in the name of science falsely so called, would banish God from the universe he has made as well as the speech of those who in profanity or oath, take the name of God in vain. All such speech is corrupt and grieves the Holy Spirit.
" Jesting." Perhaps this is the form of corrupt speech to which many amongst ourselves are most prone. It may be the polished wit, neither gross nor vulgar, which spares nothing, however sacred, that may raise the vacant laugh. It seizes upon Holy Scripture as fitting game for ribaldry or pun. It is not guilty perhaps of the double entendre that pales the cheek of an innocent girl, and it abjures the coarse, simply because it lacks elegance. But nevertheless it cuts deep into the purity and peace of the soul and it makes impossible all profit from Scriptures that have been travestied. Never jest with the Bible or the spiritual meaning will be lost to you forever.
" Don’t quote the Bible to me," said a dying man recently. " I have linked every part of it with a jest and that I cannot forget."
. Oh, the sins of speech of which we have been guilty! The desire to shine in conversation, to be entertaining to friends, to avoid the dullness seen in others, these have hurried, even good men, into ignoble levity or impiety. Let us here to-day, brethren, vow not to do it and not to listen to it.
Palsy hurts ourselves, and diphtheria is dangerous to the community, but impure speech injures alike speaker and hearer. For such conduct and for the habits of mind from which it springs we are responsible. Levity over sacred things grows on what it feeds, and grieves the Spirit of God. Cavilling at Bible teaching, through intellectual pride, engenders self-will and prevents the progress won only by devout docility, and thus the Spirit of God is resisted. Then this light grows dim and the altar fires burn low. Can we know within ourselves when the Spirit is grieved? Certainly. The signs of the backslider appear and " the consolations of God are small."
Prayer becomes Formed. Private devotions are feeble; family worship is cold or altogether disused. Look at the heap of ashes, white and dead, on the hearth of many Christian homes. They are the burnt-out relics of a once living altar fire, and tell their sad story of the decay of faith. The heathen priest defended his having an idol in his house, as well as in the temple, because he lived there chiefly and needed the presence of the protector. So do we, and we may know the Spirit is tempted when we rely on occasional services in the sanctuary and disregard the quiet hours of devotion at home. The Bible is Neglected. The Holy Spirit inspired the book, and he that allows it to become dust -covered on a remote shelf has the evidence in himself of the Spirit’s grief and of his own deterioration. For t this grief it must be remembered does not arise so much from the offence against himself as from the wrong and injury to ourselves. It mars his plan for our sanctification. As the loving wife or mother grieves over the moral decline of son or husband through strong drink, the sin of youth, or avarice, the sin of age, so the Holy Spirit mourns over man’s loss of purity and power. The fine promise of spring is unfulfilled in autumn. Profession ends in failure. Slowly but surely the blight falls.
It is the little rift within the lute That by and by will make the music mute; Or little pitted speck in garnered fruit That, rotting inward, slowly moulders all. The fish in the Mammoth Cave are a sad sight eyeless, for they are in a world of darkness but immeasurably sadder are human souls that are blind in a world of light self-blinded, for they have quenched the fire and the light of life within their own immortal natures by neglect of duties, or through worldliness and God-forgetfulness.
There is an evident evil among believers that must grieve the Spirit, even although they may desire to honor him, in limiting his operations to one course or method. Many of God’s children, like Col. Gardiner, can tell the day and hour, the place and circumstances when they were born of God. They sing of the happy day when Jesus washed their sins away with a most definite memory of the inquiry-room where they sat, or of the altar at which they knelt, when " being justified by faith they had peace with God." Others, like the sainted Baxter, had no such experience. Gently as the sunlight breaks upon a sleeping world came the sweet influences of grace upon their youthful hearts. They know they love the Lord, but they do not remember when or where they entered into the kingdom. Let both classes beware. " The Spirit is not straitened " (Micah 2:7). To chalk off a definite line for the Spirit’s manifold operations on the diversified character and conditions of men is a pernicious intruding of man within the realm of God. It has also the effect, when believed, of producing despondency in some minds and of creating a lack of charity in others. The very diversity of operation shows the divinity. As we discover in nature an exuberant fulness and variety, and see in this the inexhaustible wealth of resources used by our Heavenly Father in Creation and Providence, so in the copiousness of grace, in the absence of restriction to one mode of operation, we discover the same divine richness an opulent abundance of treasury equalled by an infinite variety of mode. Let, then, our Colonel Gardiners, " stopped in a moment in their mad career," respect the Richard Baxters who, in another way, came to the Saviour, and let not the Baxters reason from the way in which they were saved that that is the only way; and by criticism or assertion attempt to decry the Spirit’s work in the sudden and startling conversion of men like Gardiner.
Two more evils appear in our modern Church life. One is in the hot-house culture of revived monasticism, where the highest perfection is supposed to be secured by Asceticism. The Church of Rome in teaching what she calls the Saviour’s " Counsels of Perfection," claims that these chastity, poverty and obedience are only intended for a few favorites of Heaven. The application of the term "a religious" to monk or nun, interdicts the great mass of her followers from the hope of Christian perfection, lowers motherhood and fatherhood, and makes the religion of common things less attractive or possible. This evil is nearer home than Rome. Let us watch most prayerfully and carefully the " Deaconness " and kindred movements in our common Protestantism, lest they leave the Scriptural foundation on which they rest and glide downward to monasticism.
" We need not bid for cloistered cell Our neighbor and our work farewell, Or try to wind ourselves too high For sinful man beneath the sky.
4. The simple round, the common task, Will furnish all we ought to ask, Room to deny ourselves a road To bring us daily nearer God."
Live amidst suffering men and spend your strength in helpful work. If men and women will thus learn to do the common things of life in a religious spirit if they will open their eyes and recognize God’s nearness to them and his help in the household duty, the office care or factory toil, they will cease grieving the Holy Spirit. My final word is upon grieving the Spirit in our failure of duty to our brother-man. We have often heard that " Man’s inhumanity to man makes countless myriads mourn." It does more. It grieves the Holy Spirit. We who love the Lord are in the world for his sake, that we may witness for him; for our own sake, that we may grow in grace and be disciplined through suffering and work; but we are also here/or our brother’s sake. No man, out of Christ, knows his own nature or his own worth. He does not know his danger. How then is this wide fringe of immortal men lying around the Churches to be reached and rescued? Not by pastors only, but by every believer becoming a missionary. When we realize that the Holy Spirit has burnt into our heart of hearts the conviction that we are in the world for the world’s sake, and, taking up the cross, speak to those we know or meet on the claims of Christ, on their relation to Eternity, on their own worth, estimated by the death of Jesus on the cross; then multitudes will be converted to God. " I will pour water upon him that is thirsty " that is, the believer, conscious of his need, and knowing the source of supply; " And floods upon the dry ground " that is, the mass of thoughtless and prayerless men reached when the Church is revived. Have you received a refreshing draught of the water of life? Then speak to others of Christ and the great salvation, and the energizing Spirit will accompany the word spoken in love. If men do not know their own worth we need not wonder that the world puts a low estimate upon the .poor man. " What is he worth? " means money, not mental capacity or spiritual possibility. "What does he know," intellectual acquirement, not gifts of grace or soul -furnishing. Here the Church is being dominated by the world. Pray that our eyes may be opened to see the possible angel concealed in the sinner, as Augelo saw his great statue within the block of marble. Having faith in the Holy Ghost, let us have faith in man. We can look upon the most depraved without despair, for they have a Saviour, and can be renewed by the Holy Spirit. As the father saved his money, about to be thrown in the fire by his thoughtless child, who knew not its value, let us rescue the perishing. "It is not the will of our Father in heaven that one of these little ones should perish." His providence will give an opportunity and his Spirit a blessing. As but a moment ago the lighted gas burnt low, and this beautiful church, where once my rarely gifted friend, Thomas Guard preached the words of life, seemed gloomy and dull, and you could not read the Holy Book, but at the touch of an unseen janitor’s hand, bright jets of flame flashed forth, and we now can see the glory of the fretted roof and the storied windows, or note the thoughtful faces of the devout worshippers. So may it be with ourselves and with our churches! We do not pray for more machinery, as this sacred place did not, an hour ago, need more gas fixtures. We have enough of church machinery. We pray for more power. Come, Holy Spirit, come! Clothe thy ministers with righteousness. Breathe into every heart thine own divine afflatus. Fill every service and agency with thy supreme and qualifying energy. Let an unction of the Holy One rest upon the people and the grieving, resisting and tempting of the Spirit of God shall cease.