i 1 Ij j ^^ II Nil liiiiiij m^^i t \ (; ■ ■ i •■ "'''d m ^- .' .(^'^^ j:^<^^^ 7 i¥/m QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. BY NEWMAN HALL, LL. B. AUTHOK OF • FOW," " FOLLOW JE3U8," " COME TO JBSU8," Era NEW YORK: ROBERT CARTER & BROTHERS, No. 580 BKOADWAY. 1860. EDWAED 0. JENKINS, iirtntcr & Stfrfotnprt, No. 23 Fra>-kfop.t Steket. CONTENTS. CnAP. PAGE I.— QUENCH NOT THE SPIEIT 5 IL— DIVINE SPIRITUAL INFLUENCE IS A.... REASONABLE DOCTRINE 10 III.— DIVINE SPIRITUAL INFLUENCE IS A^ ACTUAL FACT 13 IV.— THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD IS v.— QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT— BY HIM SIN- NERS ARE CONVERTED 25 VL— QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT— BY HIM BE- LIEVERS ARE SANCTIFIED 2S VJL— FIRE AN EMBLEM OF THE SPIRIT 31 VIII.— AS FIRE, THE SPIRIT ENLIGHTENS 33 IX.— AS FIRE. THE SPIRIT MELTS AND MOULDS THE HEART 36 X.— AS FIRE, THE SPIRIT PURIFIES 38 XL— AS FIRE, THE SPIRIT PROMPTS TO HOLY EXERTION 40 XII.— AS FIRE, THK SPIRIT CHEERS 42 XIII.— A3 FIRE, THE SPIRIT MAINTAINS LIFE IN THE SOUL 44 XIV.— POSSIBILITY OF QUENCHING THE SPIRIT 47 XV.— MY SPIRIT SHALL NOT ALWAYS STRIVE WITH MAN 50 XVI.— GOD'S "GOOD SPIRIT" "REBELLED A- GAINST," AND "SINNERS GIVEN UP TO THEIR OWN HEARTS' LUSTS" ^ft 4 CONTENTS. XVII.— THE "HOLY SPIRIT VEXED" AND GOD "TURNED TO BE AN ENEMY" 55 XVIII.—" PARTAKERS OF THE HOLY GHOST" WHO "FALL AWAY" 57 XIX.— AS FIRE BY WATER, THE SPIRIT MAY BE QUENCHED BY SIN 62 XX.— AS FIRE BY WATER, THE SPIRIT MAY BE QUENCHED BY RESISTANCE 66 XXL— AS FIRE SMOTHERED BY RUBBISH, THE SPIRIT MAY BE QUENCHED BY WORLD- LINESS 68 XXIL— AS FIRE BY NOT BEING STIRRED, THE SPIRIT MAY BE QUENCHED BY NEGLECT 74 XXIII.— AS FIRE BY WANT OF FUEL, THE SPIRIT MAY BE QUENCHED BY NEGLECT OF THE WORD OF GOD 81 XXIV.— AS FIRE BY WANT OF AIR, THE SPIRIT MAY BE QUENCHED BY NEGLECTING TO PRAY 84 XXV.— READER! ARE YOU QUENCHING THE SPIRIT? 87 XXVI. -THE FOLLY, GUILT, AND DANGER, OF QUENCHING THE SPIRIT 92 XXVII.— HOPE FOR ALL 98 XXVIII.—" QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT" 101 QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. A MAN lias lost his way in a dark and dreary mine. By the light of one candle which he carries in his hand, he is groping for the road to sunshine and to home. That light is essential to his safety. The mine has many winding passages in which he may be hopelessly bewildered without that light. Here and there marks have been made on the rocks to point out the true path, but he cannot see them without that light. There are many deep pits into which, if unwary, he may suddenly sink, but he cannot avoid the danger without that light. Should it go out, he must soon stumble, fall, perish. Should it go out, that mine will be his tomb. How carefully he carries it ! How anxious- ly he shields it from sudden gusts of air, 1* (5) 6 QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. from water dropping on it, from everything that might quench it! Reader, the case described is your own own. You are like that lonely wanderer in the mine. Does he diligently keep alight the candle on wliich his life depends? Much more earnestly should you give heed to the warning, " Quench not the Spirit." Sin makes our road both dark and dangerous. If God gave us no light, we should never find the way to the soul's sunny home — holi- ness and heaven. We must despair of ever reaching our Father's house. We must perish in the darkness into which we have wandered. But He gives us his Spirit to en- lighten, guide, and cheer us. In the works of nature, but more clearly in the Volume of Inspiration, He has made known to us his will. But because we are so sinful as not to see and profit by these signal-posts to heaven, He also, by the inward light of the Holy Ghost in the soul, helps us to behold, understand, and obey the truth. If that QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. 7 light burns dimly, our way becomes more gloomy and perilous. We go astray from the right path. We stumble and are bruised by sin. Should that light go out, mid- night darkness reigns around us. Should it not be rekindled, we are lost for ever. We may make use of it, guard it, nourish it — or, we may neglect it, despise it, quench it! Reader, are you cherishing this sacred flame, or are you quenching it? Do not avoid the question. It is of infinite impor- tance. Do not think of it as appropriate to other people. It relates to yourself. You have a personal, an individual, interest in it. Your own safety is at stake. The everlast- ing destiny of your soul is involved. Yes, you — each reader of this book — you, indi- vidually, have been entrusted with some por- tion of heavenly light, by which you may find the way out of the dark and deadly caverns of sin, to the glorious mansions of the love of God — the soul's bright home. 8 QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. And you — each reader — may, by putting out that light, make certain your eternal ruin ! To you individually, this book appeals — " Quench not the Spirit." If by repentance and faith, which can only be produced in the soul by his gracious influences, you desire to obtain remission of your sins, and peace with God — " Quench not the Spirit." If you would ever escape from the slavery of the devil, into the freedom of loving and serv- ing God, if you would thus enjoy his fatherly protection in this life, and then dwell with Him for ever — " Quench not the Spirit." If you would become in reality, a " member of Christ, a child of God, and an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven" — " Quench not the Spirit." Whether your destiny is to be light or darkness, holiness or sin, happiness or woe, heaven or hell, de- pends on your response to the appeal — " Quench not the Spirit." The God of Love who desires not the death of a sinner — the God of Love who, to help you to return QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. home to himself, entrusts youwitli this pre- cious gift — implores you not to despise it, but says while He bestows it — " Quench not the Spirit." John i. 9 ; iii. 1-8 ; 1 Thess. v. 19 ; Eph. iv. 30. II. DIVINE SPIRITUAL INFLUENCE IS A REASONABLE DOCTRINE. You may perhaps doubt whether it is con- sistent with sound reason to suppose that God does or can influence the minds of free agents. If so, before reading the exhorta- tions which follow, think over these short arguments. 1. Divine influence extends throughout the universe. By this, the stars shine. By this, tlie planets keep their path. " Not a sparrow falleth," not a flower bloom- eth, without God. Omnipresent, He is as near to every thinking being as to every lifeless atom. Himself a Spirit, He can in- fluence spirits as easily as material sub- stances. If He leaves to itself no part of the visible universe, it is not likely that He creates and then abandons immortal natures, (10) QUENCH XOT THE SPIRIT. 11 without any effort to secure the higliest wel- fare of which He makes them capable. 2. God has so made us, that, in harmony with our individual freedom and responsibility we in- fluence one another. Is it unreasonable to suppose that the Spirit of God can thus influence us? 3. What Omnipotence ren- ders possible, we may well suppose Loye will prompt. Our Father who cares for the body, will not be unmindful of the soul. May it not be expected that He who '' desireth not the death of a sinner, but that he turn from his wickedness and live," will by his Spirit, in. cline the sinner thus to turn ? May we not hope that He will help us, by kind persua- sions, to '' lay hold of eternal life," so that if we perish it is because we wilfully resist Him, and not because He never strove with us for our salvation ? 4. Divine spiritual influences are mysterious, but so are in- fluences in nature. None doubts the existence of the winds, but none can explain all their causes and courses. When Jesus taught the 12 QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. necessity of being " born again," he thus re- ferred to the author of this new life — " The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hear- est the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh and whither it goeth ; so is every one that is born of the Spirit." There are mysteries connected with flame, light, and heat, which science has not solved. And shall we be surprised if there are mys- teries in spiritual influence, which is com- pared to fire, and which we are warned not to quench? 5. That which reason shows to be possible and probable, Scripture, as will be seen in the following pages, affirms as actual. Experience corroborates the truth. God does work in human souls. The exhor- tation — " Quench not the Spirit," is no mere figure of speech. His influence on our minds is a reality. Our resistance to that influence is a reality. Multitudes, alas, to their own destruction, do quench the Spirit ! III. DIVINE SPIEITUAL INFLTJENCE IS AH ACTUAL FACT. It is a solemn reality, reader, that God not only sent his Son to die, but also by his Spirit works within you for your salvation. " God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believetli in Him should not perish but have everlast- ing life." If thou, reader, wilt come to Jesus, thou shalt obtain eternal life. But Jesus has already come to thee, by his Spirit. God seeks thy salvation, not only by sending his Son to work /or thee, but by sending the Holy Ghost to work within thee. As truly as Jesus died to obtain the pardon of our sins, the Spirit strives with our wicked liearts to induce us to accept this pardon, and to 2 (13) 14 QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. make us holy. Do not fancy God is far from thee. He is near, very near thee. Think not of Him as working only outside of thee ; He is also working within thee. Every good thought is from Him. Every holy desire is prompted by Him. The un- easiness you feel when about to commit some sinful act, the remorse which follows its com- mission, are produced by Him. Whenever you are conscious of a wish to pay attention to religion, to read the Bible, to pray, to amend your life, to seek salvation, God is then striving with you. His Spirit, as a friendly light, is struggling to burn amidst the dark places of your soul, that you may see your danger, and escape by the road which He alone makes visible. Extinguish not that flame ! — " Quench not the Spirit !" Suppose a son, whom you tenderly love, enters on a course of dissipation, and leaves his home. You love him still. Your heart yearns over him. You send letter after letter to him. Some of your epistles breathe QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. 15 righteous displeasure. Others speak only the language of tenderness. All are dic- tated by love. Some he destroys as soon as he recognizes your writing. Others he reads only to smile at them with scorn. If for a moment your appeals affect his mind, he plunges into fresh follies in order to drive away the rising remorse. You go in pursuit of him. If he sees you coming he avoids you, lie hides away. If you find him. and remon- strate with him, and by gentle violence try to lead him homeward, he heartlessly repuls- es you, and with rude violence bursts from your embrace. His career of profligacy brings him into trouble. Poverty, disease, disgrace, overwhelm him. When all else for- sake him, you make this sorrow, brought on by his own wickedness, the occasion of re- newed appeals. You assure him you have still a father's heart for him. You still in- vite him to come home. You promise to forgive and forget all that it past if only he will now return. But he still persists in 16 QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. rejecting your love. He still avoids you, or rudely bids you begone, while you lovingly linger, still unwilling to give him up. reader, it is thus tliat you treat God, if you remain impenitent. Do not suppose that remorse and good desires are merely the pro- duce of your own mind, to heed or neglect as you please. By them your heavenly Fa- ther kindlv entreats his wanderinor child to return home. He comes in pursuit of you. His hand is laid on you, his arm of tender- ness is placed around you, his voice of love addresses you. By threatenings, promises, expostulations ; by mercies and chastise- ments ; by mysterious but most real influ- ences on your heart, He urges you to forsake sin and misery, and return to Himself, that you may rejoice both now and for ever. 0. beware what you do, when you resist holy in- clinations. It is much more than a struggle with your own thoughts. You are opposing your Creator ! You are fighting against God ! You are aiming blows at your Fa- QUENCH XOT THE SPIRIT. 17 tlicr, while lie is in the very act of persuad- ing his foolish, wicked child, to receive par- don, life and bliss eternal ! No longer, read- er, no longer thus ungratefully, monstrously, madly contend with Him ! Listen to his voice ! Yield to his persuasions ! Be won by his love ! Quench not his Spirit ! 2* IV. THE HOLY SPraiT OF GOD. There is one God. This is the first truth of religion. But the mode of his existence is a mystery, into the depths of which we can obtain only partial glimpses. The Bible which asserts the divine unity, speaks also of a distinction in the Godhead. Jesus, the Son of Gocl^ said — " I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, even the Spirit of TrutliP He commanded his disciples to " teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." The Apostol- ic benediction prays for " The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy GhostJ'' Honor is here rendered to the Spirit equally with the Father and the Son. Divine attributes and works are ascribed to Him. He is referred (18) QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. 19 to as possessing a distinct personal agency : as the producer of holiness in human souls ; and as a Being against whom, as against God, sin may be committed. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, One in essence, are One in purpose, as regards the salvation of sinners. But their functions are distinct. The Father is represented as sending tlie Son to make atonement, and the Spirit to influ- ence the mind to believe the Gospel. The Father invites the prodigal to return home ; the Son prepares the road and carries the message ; the Spirit persuades us to comply with the divine call. See John xiv. 16 ; xv. 26; Matt, xxviii. 19 ; Rom. viii. 11 ; 1 Cor. ii. 10, 11 ; Mark xii. 36 ; xiii. 11 ; Acts ii. 4 ; v. 32 ; xiii. 2 ; xx. 28 ; Matt. xii. 31 ; Acts v. 3 ; and all the texts illustrating the work of the Spirit, quoted in the following pages. The Spirit is therefore Divine, and infi- nitely glorious. He hath almighty power. He is always near to every one of us. He 20 QUEXCH NOT THE SPIRIT. searches our hearts, and knows our most secret thoughts and motives. An offence aorainst Him is an offence asrainst Infinite Majesty. He could at any moment punish the unspoken thought which dishonors Him. Let us •' stand in awe, and sin not." He is a HOLY SPIRIT. This is his pe- culiar title — '" the Holy Ghost.'' Absolute moral perfection is a necessity of his Being. He loves it and rejoices in it. It is his spe- cial office to produce holiness in men. By Him sinners are induced to repent, to love God, to practise righteousness. By Him, the soul is sanctified, or made more and more holy, until at last it attains perfection. All that is pure and lovely in angels or men, flows from the Holy Spirit as its Author and Source. He is a LOVIXG SPIRIT. Some per- sons think of Him only with fear. They tremble at liis presence. They are in ter- ror lest they should incur his awful dis- pleasure. But he is their true, tender, QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. 21 forbearing, most compassionate Friend ! The Bible reveals to us the Love of the Spirit, no less clearly than his Divine Majesty ! A lit- tle child has disobeyed and displeased its father. It cannot be happy until it has ob- tained forgiveness. It needs some gift from him, but knows not how to ask it, and fears to approach him. But the motlicr takes that child in her arms, calms its fears, speaks soothing "words of encouragement, and as- sures it that its father loves it still. She promises to take it to him, she teaches it what to say, puts words into its mouth, leads it by the hand, and prompts it to speak. Then father and mother rejoice together over that repentant and now confiding little one. Thus " The Spirit afeo helpeth our infirmi- ties, for we know not what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself makcth intercession within us, with groan ings which cannot be uttered." With all a mother's tenderness. He encourages, prompts, and helps us to come to our Father ! St. Paul 22 QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. beseeches the Romans to pray, " for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for tlie love of the Spirit.^' The Spirit who produces love, must himself be loving. As " God is Love," so the Spirit is Love. All his work for sinners proves it. Just as willingly as Jesus under- took the work of atonement by dying for sin, the Spirit undertakes the work of teaching, purifying, and comforting the souls of men. Though so infinitely glorious. He condescends to labor for the good of creatures so insig- nificant as we. Though so holy. He comes into our unholy hearts to cleanse and save them. Into what multitudes of souls cor- rupted with wickedness has He entered ! How kindly and patiently does he strive with us ! How repeatedly He warns us, though we repeatedly sliglit those warnings ! How He perseveres in drawing us towards heaven, though we persist in drawing back towards perdition ! How, as the light of life, He continues to burn within our hearts, though we put forth such repeated efforts to QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. 23 quench it ! The history of every unconvert- ed sinner who reads this book, illustrates the loving character of the Spirit. And so does the experience of every believer. Careless, inattentive, forgetful, wayward, worldly, as we all are at the best, would He continue to be our Teacher and Guide, if He were not a most loving Spirit? Would He, after so many slights, still act the part of a Friend ? The " Comforter" is a title emphatically giv- en Him by Christ. Look at the sad and sor- rowing group assembled in that upper room. The disciples are gazing through tears on their Lord and Master, soon about to leave them. Wliat shall they do without Him? He had ever been so considerate, so tender, so consoling, as well as so mighty, wise, and holy, that they are plunged in despair at the thought of losing Him. And how does He soothe their anguish ? — " I will send you anoth- er Comforter^ even the Spirit of Truth.'' An- other, a counterpart to myself, who will act towards you as I have done, who will mani- 24 QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. fest the same patience, tenderness, compas- sion — " Another Comforter." This is his name — the Paraclete, the Helper, the Con- soler, who reveals a Saviour to mourning sinners, who inspires with filial confidence trembling souls, leading them to God as their loving Father, and guiding tliem to heaven as their everlasting home. Adore Him as glorious, venerate Him as holy, but trust Him also as Love. Grieve not such a friend by trembling suspicion. Picture Him in your mind not as a stern reprover, prompt to take offence, speedy to punish : but as a Teacher most gentle and painstaking, as a Guide most faithful and considerate, as a Comforter most tender and sympathizing, as a Friend whose kind exertions on our be- half nothing can clieck but our own wilful rejection. If not awe for his majesty, if not reverence for his holiness, surely gratitude for his love should prompt us to give heed to the exhortation — " Quench not the Spirit.'' John xiv. 16, 26 ; Rom. viii. 26 : xv. 30. V. QXTENCH NOT THE SPIRIT-BY HIM SINNEES AEE CONVERTED. To quench the Spirit is most wicked, for it is resistance to God. It is also most ruin- ous, for withont the Spirit, we must perish. Nothing is plainer in the Bible than tliis — "without holiness no man shall see the Lord." It is also clear, that " the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked." Unless our sinful nature is changed we cannot be saved. Jesus said " Except ye be converted ye cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. Marvel not that I said unto you — Ye must be born again." We must lead a new life. We must repent and forsake our sins. We must renounce all merit of our own, and trust only in Christ. Love to God instead of self-pleasing, must rule in our hearts. And let no one think this great 3 (25) 26 QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. change is necessary for the heathen alone. Multitudes brought up as Christians need to be converted quite as much as idolaters. Their guilt is greater in proportion to their privileges. Not only the profligate, but all who love not God, need to be thus converted. It is true of every one, that except he be born again he cannot be saved. Can we bring this about of ourselves ? Will a sinful nature ever make itself holy? Will a cor- rupt heart desire purity ? " Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean ? Not one." The Holy Spirit comes to help us. If born again, we are " born of the Spirit." They who were " dead in trespasses and sins" are " quickened," or made alive by Him alone. We read of the " renewing of the Holy Ghost." He effects this, by persuading tlie mind to attend to the truths He has revealed. He arouses the conscience. He shows us the great guilt of having neglected the salva- tion of the Son of God. He draws us to the Cross. He helps us to believe. He in- QUENCH XOT THE SPIRIT. 2/ clines us to pray. Ho assists us to over- come temptation. If He did not thus " work in us," we should never " work out our own salvation." We should remain hardened in impenitence, and should perish for ever. How important then that we should not quench the Spirit ! For if we banish the thoughts He suggests, and repress the emotions He awakens — if thus we reject the help of Him without whom we shall never turn to God, how can we escape the damnation of hell ? reader, if you have any intention or desire to become a Christian ; if you would not be for ever a slave of the devil ; if you would not experience the curse — " he that is filthy, let him be filthy still," — " Quench not the Spirit ! Heb. xii. 14 ; Jer. xvii. 9 ; Matt, xviii. 3 : John iii. 7, 8 ; xvi. 8-11 ; Job xiv. 4 ; Eph. ii. 1 ; Tit. iii. 5 ; Phil. ii. 12, 13 ; Rev. xxii. 11. VI. QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT-BY HIM BELIEVEES AEE SANCTIFIED. If as a Christian, you would be happy, holy, and useful, " Quench not the Spirit." We need his help throughout our whole journey to heaven, and not merely when we take the first step. If no one is ever con- verted without the Spirit, it is equally true that we shall not bring forth the fruits of holiness without the same gracious assist- ance. There can be no true religion with- out love. But our love is the effect of God's love to us ; and " The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts, by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." 1 John iv. 19 : Rom. V. 5. Are we to cherish a childlike confidence in God ? — It can only be by the Spirit. " We have received the Spirit of Adoption, whereby we cry Abba, Father." (28) QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. 29 Rom. viii. 15. Is prayer the life of piety ? — We know not how to pray aright, but '• the Sjjirit helpeth our infirmities." Rom. viii. 20. How can we overcome the temptations of the flesh ? — " If ye, through the Spirit, mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall lire.'' Rom. viii. 13. How are we to '' bring forth fruits meet for repentance ?"' — •" The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, tem- perance." Gal. V. 22, 23. Does God dwell in human hearts ? — " We are an habitation of God, through the Spirits Eph. ii. 22. Need we strength to do the will of God ? — We are " strengthened with might by His SpiritJ^ Eph. iii. 16. Do we desire a sure evidence of being the children of God ? — " As many as are led ly the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." Rom. viii. 14. Would we be comforted in trouble, and " go on our way rejoicing?" — The disciples walked '' in the comfort of the Holy Ghost."' Acts ix. 31. " The kingdom of God is joy 30 QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. in the Holy Ghost.'' Rom. xiv. 17. Would we be "saved by hope?" — Christians " abound in hope, through the jjoicer of the Holy Ghosty Rom. xv. 13. If your re- ligion is anything better than a mere pro- fession, you earnestly desire these spiritual blessings. You feel that it is not so impor- tant to be healthy as to be holy, to be rich as to be righteous, to be T\^ell off in this world, as to serve God in it, and to be ready to leave it whenever He calls you away. To make daily progress in humility, faith, prayerfulness, purity — to rejoice in Jesus as your Saviour, to imitate Him, to obey Him. and to wait for his glorious appearing — this is to you infinitely more important than any worldly object. But for this, the aid of the Holy Spirit is essential. Therefore, how in- finitely important is it that you " Quench not the Spirit." yii. FIEE AN EMBLEM OF THE SPIEIT. The warning '' Quench not the Spirit," suggests the idea of fire. We are exhorted to keep alive the sacred flame kindled in the heart by God himself. As the early Chris- tians were commanded not to repress the supernatural gifts of the Holy Ghost, so we are not to discourage, and thus to quench, his more ordinary but far more important promptings to the exercise of faith, love, and holiness. On the day of Pentecost " there" appeared to the disciples cloven tongues, like as of fire^ and they were filled with the Holy Ghost." He rested on the Apostles, and on their ministry, as a light-giving and purifying influence. The Spirit was the reality, of wliich fire was an emblem. In harmony with these statements, Timothy is C31) 32 QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. exhorted to " stir up the gift of God which was in him ;" as a fire which might die out unless it were stirred, and supplied with fuel. As fire, the Spirit enlightens our minds, re- vealing both our sin and our Saviour. He melts the heart, and moulds it anew. He purifies it from dross. He impels it to obe- dience. He fills it with the warmth of love and joy. Thus He maintains the life of the soul, for without Him we should remain for ever " dead in trespasses and sins." Acts ii. 3, 4 ; 1 Thess. v. 19 ; 2 Tim. i. 6. YIII. AS FIRE, THE SPIRIT ENLIGHTENS. Fire gives light. How dark and dismal would be the long winter night without the friendly aid of gas, candle, or lamp ! Nei- ther labor nor recreation would be pos- sible. So in the darkness which sin has caused we should never "work out our own salvation ;"we should never "rejoice in the Lord ;" if the Spirit did not shine within us. Only by the help of this Divine Enlightener do we discover our guilt and danger. He shows us the plague-spots of our heart. By his light we find out our sinfulness, which was concealed from us before, even as a ray of sunshine let into a dark room reveals the dust and stains which the darkness had hid- den. He makes known to us the power and willingness of Christ to save us from this (33) 34 QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. ruin, and to enable us to love and serve God, according to the promise — '• The Spirit of truth shall receive of mine, and show it unto you." By the Spirit " God hath shined in our hearts to give tlie light of the knowl- edge of the glory of God. in the face of Jesus Christ." He gives us " the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him." By natural reason we may learn the letter of divine truth ; but only by the light of the Spirit shall we learn to love and obey it. We may understand the theory of salvation as a question of theological science, but He alone can so shine upon " the way of holiness,'"' as that we shall be prompt- ed to travel along it to heaven. In a dark and stormy night, a vessel is sail- ing towards the harbor. The wind howls, the waves run high, and beat angrily against a reef of rocks near the shore. In the darkness how shall those sailors escape the peril and steer their ship safely into port? As they look anxiously into the gloom, the QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. 35 lighthouse casts its friendly beacon over the raging waters. Now they can guide their ship through the storm. But should that light go out, they will not be able to avoid the danger. Suppose the keeper of the lighthouse should neglect to trim the lamp — should forget to supply it with oil — should cover it up, or deliberately put it out I Would he not cause the death of all who are in the ship ? Reader, though the Spirit gives the light, there is a sense in which you have the charge of the liglithouse ! Xt the same time your own soul is the ship in danger ! If you let the light of the Spirit go out, you will never reach the port of heaven ! Your immortal nature will be driven by the waves of sin against the rocks of perdition, a battered wreck for ever ! then, " Quench not the Spirit !" Job xlii. 5, 6 ; John xvi. 13, 14 ; 2 Cor. iv. 6 ; Eph. i. 71, 18. IX. AS FIRE, THE SPIEIT MELTS AND MOULDS THE HEART. Fire softens iron. Metals, however hard and unyielding, become ductile under its in- fluence. The iron which would not other- wise yield to the heaviest blows, may, when heated, he moulded into new shapes for use or ornament. So the heart of man, hard- ened by sin, becomes plastic under the influ- ence of the Holy Spirit. Melted by this flame of love and made soft with godly sorrow, it is moulded anew by the hand of God. In- stead of a vessel of wrath, it now becomes a vessel of mercy. Instead of a tool for the devil's use, it is now an instrument employed by God for his glory. But the kind influ- ences put forth for your salvation, may, by resistance, be perverted to your destruction. Suppose the fire by which your heart is now (36) QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. 37 in some measure softened should be put out ! Will not your heart, like iron heated and uluDp^od into water, become harder than be- I'ore ? ;May it not remain cold and dead to the love of God forever ? May it not be steeled in impenitence, with the marks of rejected mercy stamped upon it forever, " a vessel of wrath, fitted for destruction ?" Will not resisted grace thus complete your ruin, and the memory of it be an eternal tor- ment ? 0, then, " Quench not the Spirit." X. AS FIRE, THE SPIEIT PURIFIES. Fire purifies. Precious metals, thrown in- to the furnace, are refined by the heat. The dross is separated and burnt up, while the pure gold alone remains. So the Spirit of God destroys the corruptions of the soul. The divine nature originally imparted, was debased by the fall. How has the fine gold become dim ! How has it been overlaid, yea, transmuted by sinful indulgence ! " The heart is deceitful above all things and des- perately wicked." Only through the Spirit's influence can man's fallen nature again be- come divine. By his help we " deny ungod- liness and wordly lusts," " crucify the flesh," and *' mortify our affections which are of the earth." The " furnace of affliction" has in itself no purifying power, but needs the fire kindled by the Spirit, to make it effectual. (38) QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. 39 Souls under this influence become increas- ingly holy, their corruptions being burnt up and destroyed, until in heaven the saints of God appear as refined gold, seven times pu- rified. If then we would not have the dross of sin cleaving to us eternally ; if we would dwell in tliat heavenly city whose streets are pmx gold, and into which none who are un- holy can enter, let us beware that we " Quench not the Spirit." Isa. i. 25 ; Zech. xiii. 9 ; Mai. iii. 2, 3, 4. XI. AS FIEE, THE SPIRIT PROMPTS TO HOLY EXERTION. Fire produces motion. Build a factory ; construct macliinery ; put up a steam en- gine ; prepare the furnace ; but all stands still. There is no motion so long as there is no fire. Those wheels, however perfect their construction, will not revolve, unless steam is generated by heat. The Holy Spirit in the soul, is like fire to a steam engine. '• He worketh in us both to will and to do." We may have the machinery of the bodily and mental capacity, but there will be no true obedience without love. " Faith with- out works is dead." But " faith worketh by love." " Love is the fulfilling of the law." Mere convictions of our duty will not impel us to practise it. The motive power of the soul in well-doing is gratitude to Christ. Love sets all its faculties in motion to serve (40) QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. 41 God. But love is one of the fruits of the Spirit. Without this, however correct our creed, we do no work for God. If then we would not stand still as useless machinery ; if our outward profession of religion is not to be like mere polish or gilding on an unser- viceable engine, a pretence and a mockery ; if we would not be condemned hereafter as unprofitable servants, let us take heed that we " Quench not the Spirit." Jas. ii. 20 ; Gal. v. 6. ; Phil. ii. 13. 4* XII. AS FIRE, THE SPIRIT CHEERS. Fire produces warmth and cheerfulness. Some light has no warmth, like that of the moon, which even causes the cold to appear still more intense to the shivering outcast. So there may be some knowledge of religion without love. But the light of the Spirit is always accompanied by the warmth of holy emotion. The disciples whom the Saviour had accompanied on their journey to Em- maus, said — " Did not our hearts hum within us as he talked with us by the way ?" And so when the Spirit whom Jesus promised as " Another Comforter" dwells within us, the heart glows with faith, and love, and hope, and joy. Ours can be a happy religion only in proportion as the Spirit of God burns within the soul. A plain room with a blaz- ing hearth is more cheerful during severe (42) QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. 43 frost, than a gilded saloon without a fire, where you sit and shudder with cold. So the fire of the Holy Ghost gladdens the heart, and makes many a humble Christian, who has little theological lore, happier than those who, with much knowledge, do not seek and cherish the influence of the Spirit in tlieir soul. There can be none of the '' peace wliich passeth all understanding," none of '' the joy unspeakable," unless this sacred flame is burning within us. XIII. AS FIEE, THE SPIRIT MAINTAINS LIFE IN THE SOTTL. Fire promotes life. TVarmth not only produces a feeling of comfort, but it is abso- lutely essential to vitality. The warm rays of the sun in spring quicken vegetation, so that seeds long buried sprout forth, and trees which seemed dead become gay with leaf and blossom. Animals which lay torpid during the long winter, are born into a new exist- ence. The heat of a fire often preserves those who otherwise would be frozen to death, and restores to life those who seemed to have already perished. In the human body there is a constant process of combustion, produc- ing animal heat, and if this fire is not kept alive by breathing, we die. So the Holy Spirit may be compared to fire, as being the author and preserver of spiritual life. The QUENCH XOT THE SPIRIT. 45 effects of liis operation already described, constitute this life. Unless we are enlight- ened, moulded to the will of God, purified from sin, impelled to obedience, and made happy in Christ, we are dead while we seem to live. But those who were " dead in tres- passes and sins," are " quickened" or made alive by the Spirit. " The Spirit of life in Christ Jesus makes us free from the law of sin and death." Mere head knowledge leaves us cold and dead, like statues in moon- shine. But the Spirit of God, like lire in the soul, kindles the living impulses of faith, love, obedience, patience, hope, joyfulness. If this fire were to be quenched, we should become, in a spiritual sense, cold corpses ! Imagine tlie case of a family overtaken by winter in some dreary Arctic region. The snow falls thick. The cold is intense. The nights are long and dark. But a bright fire blazes in the hut diffusing]: liQ:ht and warmth. Without it. how desolate would be tlieir con- dition ! Nay, existence itself would be im- 46 QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. possible. They would be frozen to deatli. Suppose they have no means of kindling another fire should it go out. How careful would they be not to quench it ! For if, by its help, they can survive a few weeks longer, warmer weather will return, and with it, safety and home. But if it goes out, they perish ! And shall not we be anxious to keep alive the holy fire of the Spirit in our hearts? What a long, endless night of coldest, dark- est winter will be ours, should it be extin- guished ! But if it burn within us, we shall be preserved alive amid the chilling influences of a sinful world, until the eternal sunshine of heaven bursts upon us. Reader, if you would " not perish, but have everlasting life," — Quench not the Spirit. Rom. viii. 2, 6, 10 ; Eph. ii. 1. XIY. POSSIBILITY OF QUENCHING THE SPIRIT. The warning " Quench not the Spirit," is a proof that the Spirit may be quenched. What is forbidden must be possible, or the admonition would be useless and absurd. Matter is moved by a superior physical force, without any will of its own, but mind is in- fluenced to action by motives which it can con- sciously resist. A lighter weight cannot help being drawn up by a heavier, but the mind can strive against persuasion. The Holy Spirit works within us by exhibiting truth, suggest- ing motives, prompting desires. He never forces us against our will, but inclines our will to choose what is right. When we yield to the Spirit's persuasions we yield free- ly ; so also we are free to resist them. And we can do this by refusing to attend to the truths He teaches ; by searching for objec- (47) 48 QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. tions to the reasons He suggests ; by encour- aging desires contrary to those He produces. St. Paul says, " the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh, and these are contrary the one to the other." Every Christian is conscious of the existence within him of the rival powers of good and evil, and often laments that he encourages what is carnal in opposition to what is spir- itual. The will, that highest faculty of the soul, may favor one or other of these rivals, so that we may, by yielding to Satan, become altogether the slaves of sin, or by yielding to the Holy Spirit we may become the free and happy servants of God. This little tract is not the place for metaphysical argu- ment. But it appeals to the conscience of the reader. Have you not often felt prompt- ed to repent, to pray, and lead a better life, but have you not banished those good thoughts, and resisted tliose holy inclina- tions ? Has is not seemed as if you held a balance, one scale of which was heavy with QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. 49 reasons why you sliould do righteously, but you diligently thought of all the inducements to do wickedly, and placed them in tlie op- posite scale, until the balance turned and sin gained the day ? Have you not sometimes felt as if tlie hand of some kind and holy friend were holding you back from some sin- ful action, but you thrust that hand aside and rushed onward to gratify your evil desires? Did those good thoughts come only from your bad heart? The heart is " deceitful above all things and desperately wicked." Too wicked to produce such lioly desires. Was not sometliing better tlian yourself striving witliin you ? Was not the flame of divine influence kindled, and were you not quenching it ? But let us hear what the Bi- ble says. xv. "MY SPIRIT SHALL NOT ALWAYS STRIVE WITH MAN. Soox after the fall, mankind became so "wicked, that God resolved to destroy them by a flood. But He was long-suffering ; He warned them of their danger ; He invited them to repent. But they refused to obey. Then God said — " My Spirit shall not always strive with man." Gen. vi. o. The Spirit of God was, therefore, at that time, striving with sinners for their good. But they strove against Him, to their own destruction. They rejected not merely Noah, but God ; not merely the man who spoke, but the Spirit who strove. Durins; one hundred and twen- ty years they resisted his kind persuasions. Then the flood swept them away. Beware how you resist the Holy Ghost. God's Spir- it " will not always strive with you." " The (50) QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. 51 Holy Gliost saith — To-day, if ye will hear his voice, liarden not your heart.'' The Holy Ghost does speak to sinners. Sinners can, and do harden tlieir hearts. But the opportunity of yielding to his love will not last forever. The season of salvation is " to- day." Night hastens on. Christ wept over Jerusalem because its people did not know • at least in that their day," the things of their peace. Your day may end while you are trifling. The flood of God's wrath may sweep yoit away ; for his " Spirit will not ahvays strive !" Heb. iii. 7-19. XVI. GOD'S "GOOD SPIRIT" "SEBELLED AGAINST," AND "SINNERS GIVEN UP TO THEIR OWN HEARTS' LUSTS," Turn to the ninth chapter of Nehemiah and see how God strove with the Jews, how they did actually quench the Spirit, and were left to perish. " Thou earnest down upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments and true laws, good statutes and commandments : and gavest them bread from heaven and wa- ter out of the rock. Thou gavest also thy good Sjpirit to instruct tliem. Nevertheless, they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs. They dealt proudly, and withdrew the shoul- der, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments, and refused to obey. Therefore thou deliveredst them into (52) QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. 53 the hand of their enemies." Read carefully the whole chapter. Your own case is de- scribed. Has not God given you his " good Spirit to instruct you T Have not you " hardened your neck," and refused to "hear," and '• cast his laws behind your back ?" And has not the consequence been, that God has left you, in great measure, to those worst en- emies, your sins ? Do you not feel that you are more than ever in their power, carried away captive, a wretched slave of the devil ? Yet for his " great mercy's sake, God does not utterly forsake you." Repent at once of that great sin, and pray — " Take not thy Holy Spirit from me!" Psalm li. 11. Da- vid would not have uttered this request if he had not felt it was possible that the Spirit might leave liim, as He had left his predecessor. We are told (1 Sara. xvi. 14) that " the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him." He would not obey God's good Spir- it, so God permitted an evil spirit to cleave 5* 64 QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. to him, as a just punishment. David had seen the awful doom of Saul when he had quenched the Spirit, and in terror lest his own sins might thus be visited, he earnestly prayed — " take not thy Holy Spirit from me." Sin persisted in, drives away the Ho- ly Ghost. And there cannot be a greater punishment than for a sinner to be left to himself. " My people would not hearken to my voice, so I gave them up unto their own hearts' lusts, and they walked in their own counsels!" Psalm Ixxxi. 11, 12. When a sinner is suffered to have his own way, he must perish, for sin is death. What can be more terrible than for God to say concerning any one, " he that is unjust, let him be unjust still ; and he that is filthy, let him be filthy still." reader, if thou wouldst not be giv- en up to be eternally tormented by thy sins — " Quench not the Spirit." XYII. THE "HOLY SPIRIT VEXED," AND GOD " TURNED TO BE AN ENEMY." Reader, your best friend, the kind and holy Comforter, may be turned into an ene- my by continued rejection of his love. Isaiah says — (Ixiii. 8, 9, 10) " He was their Saviour ; in all their affliction He was afflict- ed, and the angel of his presence saved them : in his love and in his pity He re- deemed them. But they rebelled, and vexed his Holy Spirit ; therefore He was turned to he their enemij, and He fought against them V (See also xi, ch. Jer.) Just so, we may con- tinue to " vex" the Spirit, until we turn our friend into a foe. Stephen the martyr, ad- dressing the Jewish rulers, said, " Ye stiff- necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost ; as your fathers did, so do ye." Acts vii. 51. sin- (55) 56 QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. ner ! beware how you resist the Holy Ghost! Beware lest God, who is now helping you, should be provoked to fight against you ! Beware lest, like the wicked scribes and elders who stoned Stephen, when he charged them with murdering Christ, beware lest you stone, and crucify Christ afresh, by driv- ing from your mind the message of the Gospel, and by quenching the new life of tlie Spirit in your soul ! Beware lest, like those wretched Jews, you harden yourself in sin, till you perish without hope ! XYIII. "PAETAKEES OF THE HOLY GHOST" WHO "FALL AWAY." None fall from grace and perish, who in the fullest sense, so partake of the Holy Ghost, as to be in very deed, God's children. But no individual can be sure that he is one of these, except by his actual perseverance in lioliness. Even the Apostle kept his body in subjection, " lest after preaching to others, he himself should become a cast-away." No Christian, however strong his confidence, should feel the exhortation needless — '' Let us therefore fear, lest a promise being left us of entering into rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. " But there are many who do actually perish, after experiencing some kind and degree of spiritual communi- cation. You may have had many " convic- tions" — much knowledge, feeling, even en- (57) 68 QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. joyment in religion, but if you now quencli the Spirit, your case may illustrate the mean- ing of the solemn words — '* It is impossible for those who were once enliglitened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance." Heb. vi. -i-G. Surely so solemn a warning would not have been given, if the case sup- posed could never occur. There is therefore a measure of spiritual " enlightenment" which may be lost ; a tasting of " the heavenly gift" which may cease ; a *' partaking" in the benefits of *■ the Holy Ghost," from which we may " fall away.'' Speaking after the manner of men. it is '' impossible to renew again uuto repentance," those who thus quench the Spirit. Of course God can do all things. When Jesus was speaking of the difficulty of salvation in the case of those who trust in riches, He added — " but the things which are impossible with men, are possible with God." By a moral miracle QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. 59 He may save even tlie most liardened repro- bates ; but by ordinary influences, tliey who thus quench tlie Spirit, cannot be " renewed again to repentance." They know all that can be told them. They have felt the power of the warnings and invitations of the Gos- pel, and yet have afterwards treated them with contempt. What more can be done ? The Spirit has revealed to them the things of Christ, yet they have " crucified the Son of God afresh." Their salvation is now far more difhcult than at first. "For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world, through the knowledge of Christ, they are again entangled therein, and over- come, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of right- eousness, than, after they had known it, to turn from the holy commandments delivered unto them." 2 Peter ii. 20, 21. Terrible must be their final doom ! For if " He that despised Moses' law, died without mercy ; of 60 QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath done despite unto the Spirit of Grace V Heb. x. 28, 29. Seriously ponder these statements of the Bible. Do not trifle with the warning, as if the danger were unreal. Do not say — " I cannot produce this flame, and if God kin- dles it, I cannot quench it." No, you cannot kindle it. But God can. God does. He already gives you some portion of his Holy Spirit. " Whereas in the Jewish church, the Holy Ghost did generally diffuse his influ- ences, and not otherwise withhold tliem than penally, and under great provocation ; how much more may it be concluded, that under the Gospel, the same blessed Spirit is very generally at work upon the souls of men, till by their resisting, grieving, and quenching of Him, they provoke Him to retire and withdraw from them." (Howe.) You must not charge your impenitence on God. The fault is your own. " What could have been QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. .61 done more to my vineyard, that I liave not done in it? Wherefore, when I looked tliat it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes ?" Isa. v. 1-7. Yes, sinner, God strives within you, but you resist. He lights the lire, but you put it out. You quench the Spirit I XIX. AS FIKE BY WATER, THE SPIRIT MAY BE QTTENCHED BY SIN. The most obvious and certain way to put a fire out, is to pour water on it. So, the most evident method of quenching the Spirit, is the commission of sin, and conscious re- sistance to holy influences. Every sinful action, word, purpose ; every evil thought encouraged, is as water poured on fire, for these are not so contrary to each other, as is sin to the nature of Him who is emphati- cally designated the " HOLY SPIRIT."' In the midst of warnings against specified sins, the Apostle Paul exhorts the Ephesians not to grieve the Spirit, plainly showing that such sins do grieve Him. '' Putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neigh- bor. Let not the sun go down upon your (62) QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. 63 wrath. Let him that stole steal no more. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and auger, and clamor, and evil- speaking, be put away from you, with all malice," (tc, Eph. iv. 25-32. Sins against truth, honesty, purity, gentleness, and love, are thus represented as " grieving the Spirit.'' Even Christians who are " sealed unto the day of redemption," may thus " grieve the Spirit." He may act as a friend who, hav- ing been wantonly slighted, withdraws him- self in grief and displeasure. We are ex- horted to " abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul." They wound the Spirit. Does not every Christian feel that sin cliills his religious affections, cools his love, damps his zeal, and darkens his hope ? Does it not obscure our spiritual vision when we would gaze upon the trutli or glory of God, and does it not weiffh down our winffs 64 QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. when we would soar upwards in prayer and praise ? Has not the indulgence of sin often led us to feel that tlie Spirit has in some measure withdrawn from us, as if grieved ? And if this is so with Christians, when they occasionally fall into temptation, even though the holy fire burns within them, much more must the liahit of wickedness be likely to quench tliose feeble sparks which the Spirit kindles in the hearts of tlie unconverted. Beware then what you do, when you indulge in any sin. You feel pleased that you have gained your wish. You have done more. You have added a fresh count to the dread- ful indictment which will seal your doom at the judgment day, unless you repent ! You have done even more than this ! You have been quenching the fire which alone can melt you to repentance, and light up for you the way of escape from that impending ruin ! XX. AS FIRE BY WATER, THE SPIRIT MAY BE QUENCHED BY RESISTANCE. You have been kept for a time from some sin, by a sense of its folly, wickedness, and danger. You felt it was an awful thing thus to rebel against God. You seemed to hear his voice warning you to desist. But you sought excuses, persuading yourself tliat the guilt was less than it seemed, or that the pleasure was worth the risk. The Spirit slione upon the narrow path of holiness. When about to wander to the right hand or to the left, He said — " This is the way, walk ye in it." But you persisted in taking your own course. In so doing you deliberately thrust away the friend who sought to restrain you from doing yourself injury. By tliis di- rect opposition, you were quenching the Spir- it. But He has not forsaken you, for He is 6* (65) 66 QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He still strives within you, and urges you to re- pent. Guilt weighs heavily on your con- science. You feel you ought at once to con- fess and forsake your iniquities : to turn to God, to trust in Christ, and lead a better life. But these thoughts make you unhappy, and therefore you dislike them. You are angry Avith the truth, and, perliaps, angry al- so with the person or the book whereby the truth was presented to your mind. Perhaps you try to satisfy your convictions, and yet get rid of an unpleasant subject, by resolv- ing that you will attend to religion at some future period. You say — " Go thy way for this time, when I have a convenient season I will send for thee." Or by a deliberate ef- fort, you drive the subject from your mind altogether. You listen to sceptical objec- tions to Christianity. You try to find out contradictions in Scripture, and pervert diffi- cult texts into pleas for continuing in sin. " Things hard to be understood, you wrest to QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. 67 your own destruction." You allow yourself to dwell on tlie inconsistent conduct of mere pretenders to piety, as if tlieir sin excused yours. For the very purpose of extinguish- ing the flickering light within, you perhaps plunge into vain amusements, frivolous socie- ty, foolish books, or fresh sins. You take pains to put out the holy lire God has been kindling. Still it burns. You fetch more water. The flames of conviction neverthe- less burst out now and then, in spite of all your efforts to quench tliem. Still you per- severe. You act as if resolved that no warmth should thaw the icy winter of your heart, that not a spark should relieve its mid- night gloom. Are you in love with dark- ness? Are you resolved to perisli ? If not, listen to the warning — "Quench not the Spirit." Isa. XXX. 21 ; Acts xxiv. 25 ; 2 Peter iii. 16, 17. XXI. AS FIRE SMOTHERED BY RUBBISH, THE SPIRIT MAY BE QUENCHED BY WORLDLINESS. Without any distinct intention to extin- guish a fire, one thing after another may be heaped upon it, until it goes out. So the Spirit may be quenched, not only by direct opposition, but by worldliness of mind. The thoughts may be so absorbed by things seen and temporal, as to leave no time nor inclina- tion to attend to the things which are unseen and eternal. In the parable of the sower, " the cares of this life, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things/' are represented as the thorns which " choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful." Witli equal propriety, these cares and lusts may be said to quench the Spirit. At the present day, when the rush of tlie railway is a fitting (68) QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. 69 emblem of the eager haste with which men are competing in business, how great is the danger of smothering tlie fire of the Spirit, by the heaping up of wordly cares ! Reader, are you setting your affections on things be- low ? Not satisfied with moderate comforts, and moderate success, but eager to surpass your neighbors, and in haste to become rich? are you accumulating needless cares in ac- cumulating needless wealth ? Are you allow- ing your heart to be distracted with anxie- ties, which are only made necessary by your foolish discontent or ambition ? " They that will be rich, fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdi- tion. For the love of money is the root of all evil ; wliicli while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." Doubtless the Apostle considered that De- mas, wliile liis companion in suffering for the Gospel, was under tlie influence of the Holy 70 QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. Spirit. Yet he writes, " Demas liatli for- sakeu me, liaving loved this present world." Thus he quenched the Spirit. Are you thus forsaking that Saviour wliom once you seemed to love, and in whose company and service you took delight? Are you thus quenching the Spirit ? Perhaps you are allured by the syren voice of pleasure. Gay company, fashionable en- tertainments, brilliant spectacles, exciting sports, absorb your thoughts. You are eager after some fresh amusement. Or some favor- ite study has become an absorbing passion. Or novel-reading keeps your mind in a con- stant state of intoxication, ever craving some new stimulant. Pursuits useful and lovely in their due place, may, by intemperate in- dulgence, have become deadly foes. Far be it from us to condemn a proper attention to the business of this life, or a thankful enjoy- ment of its comforts. Toil and recreation, of body and mind, are holy in the light of divine love. But they become rebels when QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. 71 tliey usurp the throne of our affections, and tempt us to forget God. Above all other subjects, religion needs habitual and serious consideration. The thoughts must dwell on it, the heart must be pervaded by it. How- true therefore it is, that " If any man love the \v'orld, the love of the Father is not in him !'' A holy desire rising up in the soul, like a faithful but gentle friend meeting us as we rush heedlessly along some dangerous road, and warning us of the peril, may soon be borne down and trodden under foot by tlie rude crowd of cares and pleasures which we choose for our companions, and whose noisy clamors drown the expostulations of the still small voice of the Spirit of God. Does not the conscience of many a reader testify to the fact, that worldliness of mind quenches the Spirit ? Has not the fire which perhaps once burned brightly, been dying down beneath the rubbish you have heaped on it ? You read your Bible, go to church, hear sermons, say your prayers, but your heart 72 QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. is elsewhere. Is it not to be feared that many professors of religion are in this condition ? Is not the sacred flame burnin^: more and more faintly, and in danger of dying out al- together ? If worldliness may thus quench the bright fire in those Avho seemed to be Christians, how much more will it smother the faint sparks in the unconverted ! How can you expect, reader, ever to be saved, so long as you give your chief thoughts to worldly things ? Is it possible for you to become a Christian, unless you make salva- tion your cliief business? Is there anything else so well worth being earnest about ? Should you not be willing to put aside every- thing which hinders your attaining it? Whatever may be pleaded in favor of this or that pursuit, if you are conscious tliat, in your case, it acts like rubbish stifling a fire, should you not at once abandon it ? Ought you not to remove from the holy flame with- in you, whatever is quenching it ? Will you really be any richer, or nobler, or wiser, or QUENCH XOT THE SPIRIT. 73 happier, if, while amassing wealth, rising in station, increasing in knowledge, absorbed in pleasure, you are quenching the Spirit ? Would you praise the miner who had lost his way in the dark labyrinth, if he were to put out his only light and lose his life, in his eagerness to pick up the precious ore at his feet ? And can you think tliat any worldly object will repay your pursuit, if you quench the Spirit ? " What shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul !" Matt. xiii. 22; 1 Tim. vi. 9, 10 ; 1 John ii. 15. XXII. AS FIEE BY NOT BEING STIKRED, THE SPIRIT MAY BE QUENCHED BY NEGLECT. A FIRE may be put out, not only by being quenched with water, or smothered with rub- bish, but by being simply left alone. So we may quench the Spirit by merely neglecting his Q^racious influences. The exhortation — " Quench not the Spirit," in the Epistle to the Thessalonians, immediately precedes the command — " Despise not prophesyings." The early church might quench the Spirit, by dis- couraging, by not cultivating, the special mi- raculous energies thus communicated. And so we quench the Spirit, when we do not act upon the holy impulses He produces. When good desires are not followed up, when the promptings to self-denial and holy zeal are not at once obeyed, we in a measure quench the Spirit. (74) QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. 75 St. Paul thus exhorts Timothy, " Stir up the gift of God which is in thee." It is a gift. We can never, by our own efforts, produce this influence ; we can never, by our own merits, purchase it from God. It is his free, unmerited, sovereign mercy which bestows it. But we must " stir it up." The word literally means to enliven up a fire, which burns dimly and may go out unless stirred by the poker. Even one so eminently en- dowed as was Timothy, must be diligent in stirring up the gift of the Holy Spirit ! He must use the powers entrusted to him ; he must act upon the impulses produced within him. If tliat which in him was so strong needed diligent culture — much more that which in us is so weak. How we ouglit to nurture tenderly the very first faint desires after God ! These holy emotions, like new- born babes, need anxious, fostering care. They should at once be taken to Jesus that He may feed, cherish, and mature tliem. But if we abandon them, like foundling children 76 QUENCH NOT THE SPTEIT. who enter the world unwelcome, tliey will die. 2 Tim. i. 6, 14. The work of the Spirit is intended, not to supersede, but to stimulate our own exertions. We counteract his efforts, if we indolently leave all to Him, instead of being encouraged by his assistance, to " strive to enter in at the strait gate." We are commanded to " labor for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life" — to '' labor to enter into rest" — to " give diligence to make our calling and election sure" — to " work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who worketh in us both to will and to do." If He did not work in us, not because we deserve it, but of " his good pleasure," it would be use. less for us to work ourselves, even if we wished to do so. We could never succeed. But He works, in order that we may work. Just as He sends the sunshine and the shower, that the farmer by tilling the ground, may secure the harvest, so He kindles in us the fire of the Holy Spirit, tliat we may profit by tlie light QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. 77 and life thus bestowed. But if we indolently do nothing, that fire will not profit us, and will soon die out. He prompts us to pray, to resist temptation, to take up the cross and follow Jesus ; but if we neglect these prompt- ings, if we are satisfied with vague desires without arriving at a fixed determination (" to will ") — and without acting on such a decision (" to do ") — then we may expect that the Spirit will cease to " work within us." Why should He still urge us to that which we persist in neglecting ? The fire not stirred, goes out ! St. Paul says (Gal. v. 16), " Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the deeds of the flesh." Walking implies voluntary action — the putting forth of effort by him who walks. When the Holy Spirit enters the heart, He prompts to activity, not as a stone is rolled, or a person pushed, by exter- nal force, but by a new life imparted, which impels us to exertion. It is not the Spirit who believes and obeys in us, but it is we who, by the Spirit, are to abound in the works of 78 QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. righteousness. We are not to rest inactive in the possession of the heavenly gift. " Walk in the Spirit." Walking involves not only voluntary self motion, but progress. If we do not thus advance, we shall " fulfil the deeds of the flesh." We shall go backward — we shall quench the Spirit. "If we live in the Spirit, let us also lualk in the Spirit.'' Let us make it manifest that we are alive, by per- forming the functions of life. But the neglect of life destroys life — not stirring up the Spirit, quenches the Spirit. The Ephesians (v. 18) are exhorted to "be filled witli the Spirit." It is evident that in some measure it depended on themselves whether they should have much or little of spiritual influence. They are told not to be satisfied with driving from their hearts what is wicked, but to have their hearts occupied with what is holy and divine. Nor are they to be content with a small amount of spiritual influence, but to be filled with it. It is evidently as much our duty to pos- sess, in large measure, the Spirit of God, as QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. 79 it is to abstain from intemperance. The Holy Ghost, speaking by St. Paul, commands us to obtain liis influences, in the very sentence which enjoins sobriety. "Be not drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be filled with ^e Spirit." It is implied that being ''filled with the Spirit" is as much dependent on our own efforts, as avoiding drunkenness. If, then, we indolently wait for the Spirit to come and fill us, instead of striving to he filled — may we not lose even what we think we possess, and thus quench the Spirit ? Most evident it is from Scripture and ex- perience, that the Holy Spirit is the promoter of divine love in the soul. Xo sinner ever yet loved God but by his gracious help. And yet the Spirit speaking by St. Jude, (21) says — " Keep yourselves in the love of God." It is as true that we are to " keep ourselves," as that we are " kept by the power of God." The precept is as divine as the promise. If by '' praying in the Holy Ghost," we '' keep ourselves in the love of God," religion flour- 80 QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. ishes in the soul. But if, neglecting his help, we suffer that holy flame to go out, what proof remains that we are Christians ? " How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation ?" Just as neglect of the atonement of Christ renders salvation impossible, so, neglect of the Holy Spirit leaves a sinner hopelessly " dead in trespasses and sins." By not " keeping ourselves in the love of God," by simple neg- lect of his gracious influences, we may quench the Spirit. Heb. ii. 3. Neglect of the Bible, and neglect of prayer, are cliief methods of quenching the Spirit. They will form subjects of special illustration in the two following chapters. XXIII. AS FIHE BY WANT OF FUEL, THE SPIRIT MAY BE QUENCHED BY NEGLECT OF THE WORD OF GOD. If the furnace is not fed with coal, the fire goes out, and the steam-engine stands still. Some furnaces have a self-feeding apparatus, which supplies fuel without any trouble to the engine-man. But the fire lighted by the Spirit in our hearts needs constant vigilance. If we do not feed the flame, it may be quenched the work be left unfinished, and '" the grace of God received in vain." 2 Cor. vi. 1. The Spirit influences the mind by means of the Truth. As the " word of God is the sword of the Spirit," so also is it the fuel of the holy fire He kindles. " Sanctify them by thy truth — thy word is truth." The truth sanctifies by contact with the mind. We can- not, by an act of will produce any emotion ; (81) 82 QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. but we can direct our thoughts to what is calculated to excite it. We cannot, by a direct effort, make the fire burn, but we can fix our attention on those truths which act as fuel to the flame. And therefore if we would not let this flame be quenched, we must exert our- selves to meditate upon the truth. We should hear sermons, not to gratify taste or curiosity, but to nourish the inward life of piety. We should make the Bible our daily companion, and " search the Scriptures," with self-exam- ination and earnest prayer. We should habit- ually reflect on tlie character and will of God, as revealed in the life and love of Jesus. The sacrifice of the cross, the gift of the Spirit, the judgment to come, the hell to be shunned, and the heaven to be secured, should be fre- quently in our thoughts, in order that amidst the things " seen and temporal,'^ we may be strengthened by the " things unseen and eter- nal" to come to Jesus, and follow Him in en- during trials and resisting sin. We should imitate the Psalmist who said — '" how love QUEXCH NOT THE SPIRIT. 83 I thy law ; it is my meditation all the day. How sweet are thy words unto my taste. Thy testimonies are my delight and my counsellors. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Tliy word have I hid in mine heart that I might not sin against thee." How is it, reader, with you ? Do you thus study God's word ? Do you set it before you as your daily rule of conduct ? Do you habitually turn your thoughts towards it, in order that your heart and life may be influ- enced by it ? If not, can you wonder that the fire lighted up by the Spirit, deprived of its appropriate fuel, burns faintly ? AVould it be surprising, if, being thus quenched, it should go out for ever ? Ps. xix. 7-11 ; cxix; 2 Tim. iii. 15-17. XXIY. AS FIRE BY WANT OF AIE, THE SPIHIT MAY BE QUENCHED BY NEGLECTING TO PEAY. FiEE is soon quenclied when the air is shut out. There may be abundance of fuel, but it will not burn. Not less essential to the flame kindled by the Spirit, is the breath of prayer. God alone bestows grace, but we must ask. " I will yet for this be in- quired of by the house of Israel.'' " Ask and ye shall receive." If we have not it is because we ask not. ' But must I not have the Spirit first, in order to pray at all V Certainly — and has not God already given you enough for this ? If you improve what you have, " more shall be given.'' But if you quench the Spirit, " even that which you have shall be taken away." St. Jude says — " Ye, beloved, praying in the Holy Ghost, keep yourselves in the love of God." The (84) QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. 85 Holy Ghost does not render prayer needless, but practicable. How can we obey the com- mand — " Be filled with the Spirit," if we do not pray to Him who alone can fill us? " Open thy moutli wide and I will fill it." The pre- cept is linked with the promise. "If we are not spiritually minded, we are not to take the opiate, ' God has not been pleased to fill me,' but the blame, ' Because I seek it not, I find it not.' " (Rev. J. H. Evans.) " If ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your cliildren, how much more shall your Heavenly Father give liis holy Spirit to them that ask Him." There is warning here, as well as encouragement. The Spirit is promised only to those who asli. Reader, is the flame of your piet}' getting low? Surely you have been less fervent in supplication than you once were. Wliat is to be done ? If you wanted to make a fire burn up, you would take the bellows, and blow into it. So by earnest prayer, stir up the divine flame ! The Holy Spirit is the 8 86 QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. special gift of Christ. " If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and from Tvithin him shall flow rivers of living water. This spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive.'' Come then for this gift, to the loving Saviour. " This is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask any- thing according to his will. He heareth us !" Since He himself bids us ask for tlie Spirit, we may urge our suit with certainty. Reader, whoever you are, pray for the Spirit ! The promise is for you ! Do you feel it difiBcult to become religious ? He will assist you ! Already some faint spark is kindled within you — blow upon it with the breath of prayer, and the spark will become a flame! But if you neglect prayer, you quench the Spirit. Luke xi. 1-13 ; xviii. 1-14 ; 1 Jno. v. 14. XXY. READEE! ABE YOU QUENCHING THE SPIRIT? Perhaps you say — " I cannot quencli a fire which has never been kindled." But can you, as in the presence of God declare, that He never strove with you to bring you to re- pentance ? Perhaps, in early life, you were blessed witJi pious parents. You cannot forget a father's counsels and a mother's prayers. But as you grew up, you listened to the al- lurements of worldliness and sin, and thus quenched the religious impulses of child- hood. In after years, you have often been arrested in your careless career. Affliction has withered up the flowers whicli adorned your path, and foretold the coming winter when all that is fair must fade. Sickness seizing your friends, or laying yourself pros- trate, lias reminded you on liow brittle a (87) 88 QUEXCH NOT THE SPIRIT. thread hangs our present life. Death, nurry- ing into eternity first one and then another of your acquaintances, has said — " Be ye also ready !" Conscience, awaking from its habitual torpor, has sometimes sternly called you to repent. The faithful warning of a friend, has touched your heart. A casual word in conversation, has reminded you of duty, guilt, and danger. Sermons have oc- casionally appeared aimed at yourself. You have trembled under the threatenings of the Gospel. You have been melted under its earnest expostulations. The love of Christ has stirred the depths of your soul. There have been seasons wdien you have been con- scious of an unusual seriousness, for which vou could account on no natural principle. Eternity has been presented to your mind w^th peculiar solemnity. God has seemed very near. You have experienced strange promptings to pray for pardon, and for grace to lead a new life. You have been conscious of a kindling flame of desire after sometliing QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. 89 purer, better, more enduring tlian this world. A still small voice in the inner sanctuary of your soul, has urged you, as a wandering child, to return to your Father. It was the voice of God ! Whatever religious advan- tages you have possessed, were given by God. Those events which suggested to you eternal trutlis, were ordained by God. Those warnings and encouragements of the Gos- pel which impressed your mind, were indited by the Spirit of God. That natural con- science which often appealed to you, was implanted by God. Those holy impulses, which, if improved, would have led to your conversion, were not produced in your wicked heart without the Holy Spirit of God. You were dead in sin. Death could not exhibit such symptoms of life. Had God not visited you in mercy, such good thoughts, such holy desires, never would have been yours. But you quenched the Spirit ! By refusing to follow up those con- victions, by procrastination, by plunging in- 8* 90 QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. to business or pleasure, by deliberate sin, you quenched the Spirit. How changed you now are from what you once were ! You, who could not .-i)eud a day without reading the Bible and prayer, have no inclination for either. You indulge in sins, the very thought of which was once hateful. Per- haps you still hear the Gospel preached. But its invitations no longer draw you ; its threatenings do not alarm you. You wonder that you should ever have felt earnestly about that which now kindles no interest. Others tremble, but not you. Others weep, but not you. Afflictions smite the rock of your heart, but no streams of penitence flow forth. Your soul is as a sandy waste. Seed is scattered on it, showers water it, the sun shines on it, but it is barren still. You know all that can be said about religion, and could yourself turn preacher. But your heart gives no response. You no longer hear the voice which once gently pleaded with you. You no longer feel the flame QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. 91 which once struggled to burn up witliin you. You have quenched the Spirit ! Reader, is this your case ? 0, ponder prayerfully the question — Have you, yes you, liave YOU quenched the Spirit ? Are you NOW quencli- ing the Spirit ? XXVI. THE FOLLY, GUILT, AND DANGER, OF aUENCHING THE SPIRIT. The darkness is gathering more thickly all round. Your fire is nearly out. You have given it no air, no fuel. You have not stirred it. You have smothered it with rub- bish. You have quenched it with water. You are quenching it still. Wonderful that even a spark remains ! Should it go quite out, you must dwell in the cold and darkness of an eternal winter night ! Can folly sur- pass yours ? You are drinking poison. A kind friend tells you that death mingles with that sweetness. He entreats you to cast that cup away. He gently lays hold of it, in order to take it from you. But you rudely repel him. You grasp that cup more firmly. You quaff it with fatal determina- tion. Stupor is already stealing over you. (9.2) QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. 93 Towards a precipice down wliicli many have fallen, you are rushing, as if ignorant of the danger. One wlio loves you, and lias anx- iously watched you, runs to meet you, and with kind arm detains you. He points out the peril, warns, expostulates, struggles with you. But you resist him, throw liim from you, and rush downwards to perdition ! Whom do you treat thus ? It is God him- self ! He who made you ! He who will be your judge ! What daring impiety to oppose his will ! While the irrational universe obeys Him, you oppose Him. Your capacity of rendering Him willing service, makes resist- ance possible. And this }ou dare to ven- ture on ! You fight against God ! And you oppose Him wlien striving with you to make you happy ! You persist in rebellion, when He is entreating you to be reconciled ! You insult Him, when offering gifts ! You strike at your Father, while He is in the act of inviting you liome ! Must not your ruin correspond with your 94 QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. guilt ? Woe unto him tliat strivetli with his Maker !" How will you dare to meet Him at the last great day ? What defence can you set up? What plea in arrest of judg- ment ? Will not tlic final sentence be pro- nounced by your own conscience, as well as by the Judge ? How terrible the reflections of a lost soul who has quenched the Spirit ! ' That holy flame once burnt in me, but I put it out ! I loved darkness, and I am now filled with it ! I might have " sowed to the Spirit," and reaped " life everlasting f but I " sowed to the flesh," and must now, for ever, "reap corruption." This deadly har- vest is of ray own raising. I put out the divine flame of love, and lighted up instead these fires of torment, which reveal only the blackness of my despair. This worm that gnaws me was created by myself. I who am now in hell, with " the devil and his angels," might have been in heaven, a companion of glorified saints ; for I am not lost because the Spirit's fire was never kindled in my QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. 95 heart, but because I quenched the Spirit !' This is not yet your terrible experience, but it may soon be so. Will you continue to strive against God, as if the opportunity of yielding to Ilim would always remain? Will you keep pouring water on the fire as if it would never go quite out, and as if, when- ever you pleased, you could make it burn up ? be warned by the following narra- tive, which was sent to the author by a be- loved brotlier in the ministry, while these pages were being penned. " I can never forget tlie companion of my youth. He was the child of many prayers and parental anxieties. He liad heard the Gospel from his childliood, from the lips of my own honored, and now sainted father. I believe he was at times the subject of strong religious convictions. But as he grew up, he was led astray by his sinful lusts and passions ; a stranger to prayer and the Sacred Volume. When he arrived at man- hood, he was seized with a fatal malady 96 QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. which laid him prostrate on his bed. In- stead of ' calling upon God' in the ' time of trouble,' like Almz he ' rebelled yet more against the Lord.' His friends perceived that his end drew near, and that he must soon enter the eternal state. He was visited by one of my sisters, who urged him to seek salvation, ere it was too late. He proudly scorned the admonition and despised the reproof. As the sands in the hour-glass of the young man's life were fast running out, my sister again attempted to rouse him to serious thought and prayer ; and asked if she might be allowed to read to him a por- tion of God's word. He sternly resisted the offer. In a few moments, however, tlie poor dying man, as if startled by a thunder- bolt, and with glaring eye-balls, exclaimed with vehemence, ' Read ! Read ! I shall be in hell in a moment.' But alas ! before he could hear one word, the Spirit had fled, and returned to God who gave it." Reader! take warning before it is too QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. 97 late! You may now be qucncliiDg the Spirit. If you persevere, you may succeed! Terri- ble success ! Most awful suicide ! The liglit of God in your soul extinguished for ever ! Should the Spirit be totally quenched, you would be totally lost ! Already you have done much towards it ! A few more attempts, and the last sparii may go out ! Stop, sin- ner, in this mad ejQFort to destroy yourself — and before the black darkness of eternal night settles hopelessly upon you — before that last spark disappears, listen to the kind warning of the God who kindled it — ''' Quench not the Spirit.'* 9 XXYII. HOPE FOR ALL. Yes, reader, who fearest thou hast quenched the Spirit for ever, there is hope for thee ! The last spark cannot be put out where tliere is the least wish to be saved. Say not " it is too late." If not too late to desire, not too late to obtain. Dost thou, even now, wish to be taught, led, sanctified, by the Spirit? These desires are at least sparks, which may be stirred up to a flame. Howe says—" To such as live under the Gospel, there is generally afforded ' common grace,' and a day wherein to provide for their peace. Though this grace is not certainly saving, yet it tends to that which is so. And none has cause to despair, but that being duly improved it may end in it." Improve what God has given you, and He will give you more. Fan the faint spark, and the saving fire will burn ! QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. 99 Perhaps you fear you liave committecl the unpardonable " sin against tlie Holy Ghost.'"' Be sure that if you dread it, you have not committed it. Many think that Christ re- ferred only to those who attributed the mira- cles they saw to the devil, and therefore that this sin cannot now be committed. This, however, is certain, that He spoke of a state of mind cut off from pardon, only because it cut itself off from penitence. In place of this one dark text, think of the hundred plain ones which declare that every sinner wlio re- pents is forgiven, and that all who ask re- ceive. We are therefore sure that any sin which is unpardonable, is never repented of. If you had committed it, you would not be anxious aljout it. You would go on in sin, hardened and reckless. But you are alarmed and distressed. You would give worlds for the Holy Spirit to help you. Rejoice ! This is a proof that He is already helping you! Your fear of having driven Him quite avray, is a sign tlia*- He still lingers. Jf -us said-- 100 QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. " Him that cometli unto me, I will in no wise cast ouV If your prayer is — " Have mercy upon me a sinner" — whatever your fears about an unpardonable sin, be sure that you have not committed it — because Jesus said that if only we come to Him^ on no account whatever shall we be rejected. Come then to Him in confidence ! Ask Him to cleanse you by liis blood from all your sins against his Spirit. Pray earnestly for the Holy Ghost. You cannot pray in vain. He is a loving Spirit. He long strove to keep alive the holy lire in your heart, while you were quenching it. Will He not, now that you are ivilUng, do that which He was so long waiting to do while you were unwilling f It is not yet too late ! All who desire may obtain ! There is hope for all ! There is hope for YOU ! XXYIII. •'QUENCH NOT THE SPIEIT." Reader, this little book says once more — " Quench not the Spirit." As none need de- spair of the promise, so none sliould neglect tlie warning. '' Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God." He warns you of danger, points you to Jesus, beckons you to heaven. You may grieve Him too long. You may grieve Him away ! What nuid enterprise is this on which you seem so bent ? Sabbath after Sabbath, year after year, unstable in other things, constant in this, do you consider with whom it is you war ? Is He your enemy ? Where will you iind such a friend ? If you drive Him away, who will wrest from you the poisoned cup ? Who will rouse you from the sleep of deatli ? Who will check your progress to hell ? Stay, sinner, stay that su- icidal hand whicli, while resisting Him, is 9* (101) 102 QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. aiming: fatal blows at yourself ! Cease, sin- ner, cease to pour water on a fire, the quench- ing of which will be your damnation. Life has its critical opportunities which, if neglected, never return. There are times when the Spirit specially strives in human souls. A spark is struck whicli may be quenched, or kindled. The Spirit may again be working in thee, reader, by means of tliis tract. Shall its appeal become a '• savor of death unto death ?" If in spite of it, you still quench the Spirit, it were better you had never read it. As a footpath becomes hard- er the more it is trodden, so will your heart be less impressible, if you trifle with the con- victions now awakened. I have seen a tor- rent, after heavy rains, burst down the moun- tain-side, and when it had passed away, I have examined its stony channel. Rich soil had been there, with trees, grass, flowers, but these were swept away, and the bare rock was left exposed. But how much more ster- ile the soul, through wliich a stream of relig- QUEXCH NOT THE SPIRIT. 103 ions feeling passes unimproved ! Shall it be true of you — " The last state of tliat man is worse than the first ?" If not before, the Spirit will altogether cease to strive at death ! You seem to think there is an end- less store of divine influences. But as " the hairs of your head," so the moments of your life " are all numbered." And the strivings of the Spirit are numbered. You act as if to-morrows were as abundant and certain as yesterdays ! The day of grace has its eve- ning as surely as every other day. Niglit may come on suddenly, without any premonitory twilight. Darkness profound, eternal, may wrap its funeral pall around you, while you are dreaming of many future opportunities of salvation. The warning of this closing page may be the last. Death may at this moment be aiming his fatal dart. When it strikes you, the Spirit leaves you. No more warnings then, no more offers of mercy, no more inclination to seek God, no more possi- 104: QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. bility of finding Him ! "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still !" 0, then — " Quench not the Spirit !" By the blackness of that night, the depth of that despair, into which you would be plunged should you succeed in your determined resistance to Divine Grace — *' Quench not the Spirit !" By the fate of thousands who, by pursuing your present course, are now in Hell — " Quench not the Spirit !" By the compassion of the Father, who desiretli not the death of a sinner ; by the love of the Son, who died for the most guilty ; by the patience of the Holy Ghost, whose efforts for your salvation you have so long resisted — " Quench not the Spirit !" Spirit of God ! have mercy on one of the chief of sinners ! Of what folly, what in- gratitude, what daring impiety, have I been guilty, while quenching Thee ! Leave me not to myself! Let not the feeble spark which prompts me to offer this prayer go out, but fan it to a flame ! Enlighten, melt QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. 105 mould, purify my soul ! Lead me to Christ ! Conform me to his will ! Fit me for heav- en ! 0, thou insulted but long-suffering Spir- it, have mercy upon me ! In the name of Jesus — Amen ! THE END. 1315SB ilBRAKY )'JTHERN REG 'ONAL LIBRARY PaciL'Ty B 000 007 888 i i mm 1 wmm jjiiijJ!!:', ■|ii !l|:j:i!J.:;. !Jiii|gj i m Muiiilii^l