feel his work in us, to be a "good work," and wish it to be carried on in its goodness as well as its existence, that we are so willing to hope for his continued help.

And we are right in all this. The Holy Spirit does love all who are trying to love him, and praying to be sanctified by his grace. His heart is not alienated, nor cold, nor grudging, towards any heart that wishes to open itself to the sweet influences of his holy presence. He knocks, and strives, and woos, even at the door of hearts which are resisting and evading him; and, therefore, it is no presumption nor rash conclusion, to believe that he is not departed from those who, although they have grieved him, are yet deeply grieved for having done so, and honestly desirous to be "temples of the Holy Ghost."

cannot forget, that heaven is a prepared place for prepared people; or an inheritance for which they must be made "meet" by grace, as well as made "heirs" by Christ. Such persons are not relieved from solicitude, or from suspense, in their own case, by knowing well, that meetness for the inheritance of the saints in light, does not mean perfection in this world. They know too, that it means more holiness than they have yet attained or attempted. They also see things about themselves, so unholy, that they are almost afraid to regard themselves as real subjects of "the true grace of God." Even what is best in their character and heart is so imperfect, weak, and variable, that they sometimes doubt their own sincerity, as well as their personal interest in Christ. And, had they not the power and the grace of the Spirit to look to; and, did he not "in his love and Well; it will much increase and confirm your in his pity save them," they would despair alto-habit of "minding the things of the Spirit," thus gether, when they weighed themselves in the ba- seriously and conscientiously, to trace the love of lance of the heavenly sanctuary. For, even with the Spirit in sanctification. You do not see that the Spirit to depend upon, they can hardly keep love, in either its warmth or strength, by a hasty up hope, whilst the plagues of their hearts keep glance at the surface of your own conformity to down the fruits of the Spirit in their character. the divine image. You are not aware of how Then, the difficulty is,-to see how there can be much he has done in you and for you, whilst you any sanctifying grace, where there is so much un-look only at what you have done yet in following sanctified nature; or how there can be any saving holiness. His "good work" is greater and better work of the Spirit, where the workings of the than your good works. Not that it is a substitute flesh are so powerful. for practical holiness. O, no! There is no good We must remember more than the power of work of grace in the heart, where there are no the Spirit, when we feel thus, if we would con- good works of godliness in the life. There is tinue to follow holiness with a hope full of immor-none of the grace of the Spirit, where there are tality. We must take hold of his love, in order none of the fruits of the Spirit. But still, it is to get hold of his power, at such a crisis. I can-"the root of the matter," that brings forth the not see how his hand will work for my sanctifica- fruits of the matter. It is the goodness of the tion, until I see how his heart feels towards me. tree, that makes the fruit good. Now although it be no easy matter to believe that he can love again, or love at all, after he has been so often grieved and vexed, by waywardness or by ingratitude; still, until this is believed, or at least hoped, his power cannot be drawn nor calculated upon. Accordingly, we try to gather from our wishes to be holy-from our willingness to submit to sanctifying discipline-from our dread and loathing of being given up to the lusts of the flesh or of the mind-from our keen sense of the way and degree in which holiness would make us happier, and from our deep sense of the beauty of holiness-we try to gather proofs, that the Holy Spirit would not have shown us these things, nor sealed our convictions of them, had he not loved us.

It is not, however, by figures or emblems, that the worth of the principle of true holiness can be experimentally shown. "That which is born of the Spirit, is spirit ;" a new creation; or the germe of a "divine nature," immortal in its principle, and holy in all its tendencies. Thus facts are stronger than figures, on this subject indeed, so strong, that they are almost staggering to us, when we first try our own regeneration by them. No wonder! That which is born of the flesh, is flesh; and in general, it has grown up so much before we seek to be born again of the Spirit; and, even after, it finds so much in earthly things, and in worldly example, to nourish and cherish it; whilst that which is born of the Spirit, and is spirit, finds so little, that the former overtops and outweighs it. O, how difficult it is, when com

We are, indeed, very ingenious in balancing things, and in making the best of bad circum-paring that which is born of the Spirit, with that stances, when the fear of having the Holy Spirit taken from us, comes in like a flood upon our hearts. It is, however, for a good purpose, that we thus try to make out a good case in our own behalf. We are trying to increase our love to the Spirit, when we are thus straining our ingenuity to keep up the hope, that he loves us. It is not in order to be less afraid of grieving him, that we cling to the fond hope of being still precious in his sight. O, no; when we are most intent upon making out to ourselves, that he has not left us entirely, nor forgotten us at all, we are most determined not to quench or vex him again. Thus it is for holy purposes, that we wish the Holy Spirit to abide with us for ever. It is because we

which is born of the flesh, to prove, even to ourselves, the existence of the spiritual principle, whilst the carnal principle is so predominant! Were it not that the spiritual principle rallies again, after seeming extinct or overpowered; and thus continues to exist like a spark in the ocean, unquenched by the many cold and stormy waters which go over it, I see not how we could satisfy ourselves, that we are born of God. But here is a fact in our religious history,-inexplicable in any other way: we cannot give up altogether the desire or the pursuit of holiness; we cannot forget the necessity of it, nor the beauty in it, which we have seen and felt; we cannot bear the idea of coming under the dominion of sin or Satan; but

however mastered or betrayed at times, we gladly | in the heart, and however "new things" spring up try again and again to "put off the old man with in it, as to the process of the change, the former his deeds, and to put on the new man, which after are passing away, and the latter growing. What God is created in righteousness and true holiness." are definitions of the modes of spiritual operaIs not this the finger of God, and the hand of the tions, compared with this "demonstration of the Spirit? This "pursuing" of holiness, although Spirit?" faint, goes on and holds out so, from year to year, notwithstanding fightings without and fears within, and in spite of so many hinderances and discouragements, that I cannot account for it, nor explain it at all, but by saying-spirit must have been born of the Spirit, where the holy principle thus survives, and tries to surmount the world, the devil, and the flesh. For nothing of this kind is seen in, or pretended by, the unregenerate.— When they are "led captive by Satan at his will," it is at their own will too. They are willing, as well as chained captives: whereas, when a Christian is most chained, he is most unwilling, and never so unhappy.

You feel this. Well; I want you to mark the love of the Spirit, in producing and sustaining this holy principle, or "law of the mind," which "the law of the flesh," although for ever warring against it, does not overcome. Now, what but love could induce him to implant this divine principle in our impure and earthly hearts? It is, remember, the germe of the divine image; "the seed of God!" Now, although our hearts are not, by nature, worse than others, we know most about our own; and ought, therefore, to judge from them, whenever we study the love or the condescension of the Spirit, in beginning in them the good work of conformity to the image of God. We should not have begun it ourselves, even if we could have turned

"The stone to flesh."

An angel would have been afraid to try it, even if he had been able to accomplish the change of heart: for, as he could only have influenced us by persuasion, he might have dreaded infection from long familiarity with the plagues of the human heart. No pure spirit, but "the Eternal Spirit" could deal with our spirits, long, and frequently, and deeply, without contamination and disgust. Accordingly, none of the angels can take "joy" in us, until we become penitents. Their rejoicing begins with our repentance. But wonder, Ŏ heavens! the infinitely Holy Spirit, "for the great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, quickened us," without reluctance, and has kept us alive without wearying. Herein is love; not that we loved him or holiness; but that he loved us, and wrought upon our hearts, in which Satan was more welcome, and the world more precious.

When I think of the Holy Spirit, thus producing "spirit," where there was nothing but flesh, or carnal and earthly mindedness, I feel no curiosity to know the mode of his operations,-I am so satisfied and pleased with their effect upon the tastes and tempers of the natural mind. It is indeed, spirit that is born of the Spirit, when a sinner is made alive unto God, through Christ Jesus. For, from that moment, there is an absorbing concern about the divine favor and image, which proves, that, however "old things" are unseated

This divine change whether sudden or gradual, speaks for itself, and declares its author at once, by its holy tendencies. It stops the dominion of sin, and strips all vice of its blandishments, and makes holiness rise before the mind in winning forms of beauty and pleasure, and concentrates the desires and determinations of the soul upon real goodness.

I know, alas, too well, how this new bent of the mind may be unbent again and again, for a time, by the force of temptation and circumstances; but I know, also, that it can never be forgotten, however much it may be lost by the fallen backslider, or laughed at by the reckless backslider. I have seen the latter, like a ruined gamester, affect to despise his loss; but his eye contradicted his tongue, and his smiles at his former experience were alternately ghastly and bitter. The mocker was evidently miserable!

There is a great mistake prevails, in regard to those who, "after they have escaped the pollutions of the world, through the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, are again entangled therein and overcome." 2 Pet. ii. 20. It is supposed by many, and I was one of the many long, that those who return to their "vomit and mire," after having known the way of righteousness, find enjoyment in their old sins. Enjoyment! Transgressors dwell in a dry land, and their path is hard."Were you such a fool," (said one of them to me when I expressed my astonishment at his apparent tranquillity, during the years in which I had no suspicion of his being a sensualist,)" as to believe my pretences? Why, sir, I never lay down a night then, without being prepared to end my misery in this world, if I should be unable to drown it by drinking. I carried hell about with me, whether you saw me canting or caricaturing." I have never been imposed on by such gentry since; nor once deceived by taking it for granted, that they were miserable, just in proportion to the loudness and frequency of their avowals of being quite at their ease. I am persuaded also, that theoretic as well as practical Antinomians, are utter strangers to enjoyment, however they may talk. The very ingenuity and dexterity, which they evince in their arguments about eternal sanctification, and about Christ being their personal as well as their justifying righteousness, are too unnatural to be any thing but masks of a bad or a burning conscience. Such spasmodic forms of hope, are merely indications of secret despair. A man who has a good hope through grace, never assigns bad reasons for it, nor astounds sober minds by startling perversions of truth or logic; whereas the man whose wits have been at work, and on the rack, to find out doctrinal excuses in the cross or the covenant, for an unholy hope, tells more than he intends, when he affirms that he is not unhappy in his mind, nor wretched in his closet.

But enough of this; although I could reveal much more. I just hint at these reckless experiments, that you and I may flee, as from a serpent,

harden to a certainty. Yes; but for his watchful eye, and mighty hand, we should either "despise the chastening of the Lord, or faint when we are rebuked of him."

You do not know much about real affliction, if you do not see his wonderful love, in this condescension to our weakness and unworthiness. You will find out, however, if you live, that you have as much need of the grace of the Holy Spirit to sanctify afflictions, as to sustain and soothe under them. Yes, as much need of his power to prevent them from hardening your heart against God, as of his blessing to prevent the gospel from becoming to you "the savor of death unto death."

from all teaching and temptations, which would ple of our hearts,-this is love that passeth knowreconcile us to any theory of sanctification, that ledge. For, remember, if left to ourselves in the is not both practical and progressive in its charac- furnace of affliction, we should either sink or ter. No man is "elect according to the foreknowledge of God," but "through sanctification of the Spirit, unto the obedience," as well as "the sprinkling of the blood of Christ." 1 Pet. i. 2. Is this your creed and conviction? Well; just consider the love of the Spirit, in leading us into all truth on this subject. We see now, that "Christ is of God, made unto us sanctification," as well as justification, agreeably to what he taught as a Prophet, and to what he did as a Priest, and to what he demands as a King; and not contrary to all or any of these offices. We cannot hide from ourselves the fact, that he teaches us to cut off and cast away besetting sins, lest we ourselves should be cast into hell fire; that he died to save us from our sins, and to make us zealous of good works; that he will not, as the living Vine, nourish any branch in him, which beareth no fruit now, nor own at last any workers of iniquity, however they may have prophesied in his name, or eaten and drank in his presence here.

But I must close this essay. I cannot do so, however, without imploring you to number-to weigh-to tell yourself, the kind and degree of sanctifying influences, which the Holy Spirit must put forth upon your heart and character, before you are "meet to be a partaker of the inheritance of the saints in light." Why; only consider how Thus it is according to the sanctity he taught, much he must do in you, and for you, even before and atoned to secure, that we look to Christ as your calling and election be sure to yourself!our sanctification. And he is so! O, it is not And now think, O think deeply, what he must do little nor doubtful benefit, we derive from him, in when you are dying, in order to fit you for any this respect. He relieves us from no duty, and kind of an entrance into the everlasting kingdom winks at no sin; but he does what is infinitely of God, of holiness, of glory? What finishing better for us: he gives all the motives, by which touches he must give to the divine image, now so the Spirit sanctifies us, and all the merit which faint and imperfect on your soul? What ripeness hides our imperfections. Yes; it is his love, he must produce, then in all the fruits of holiness, which the Spirit employs to make sin hateful and now so unripe? What a volume of holy fire he holiness beautiful, in our estimation; it is his must throw into and around your spirit, in order to cross, by which the Spirit crucifies us unto the prepare you fully to meet God-to see the Lamb world and the world unto us; it is his example, on his throne-to mingle with the general assemthat the Spirit renders authoritative in our con- bly of perfect spirits-to sustain the blaze and science and inspiring to our hearts; it is his pro-weight and work of unveiled immortality?— vidences, which the Spirit makes to work for our Quench not, vex not, grieve not, the Holy Spirit, good, in taking away and preventing sin; it is his at your peril.

presence in ordinances and afflictions, which the Spirit employs to make us humble and watchful; it is his "well done," at the judgment-seat, and the prospect of being for ever with him and like him in heaven, which the Spirit renders a purifying hope. Thus, whilst the Spirit is our sanctifier, Christ himself is emphatically our sanctification.

No. XI.

THE LOVE OF THE SPIRIT AS A REMEMBRANCER.

There is one manifestation of the love of the HAD not the Holy Spirit brought "all things," Spirit in sanctifying, which, if I could express it said by the Saviour, to the remembrance of the as clearly as I feel it deeply, I should present a evangelists, neither Matthew, Mark, Luke, nor line of thought, that would lay hold of every true John, could have written the gospels. Either of Christian it came near; I refer to the work of the them, no doubt, could have written much of what Spirit, in sanctifying by afflictions. He is not they saw and heard, during their intercourse with slow nor ashamed to make them work together Christ: for all his miracles were too remarkable, with his own sacred influence, for the promotion to be forgotten by the witnesses of them; and of our holiness. If this fact do not strike and many of his sayings too striking, to be lost by his astonish you at once, you forget that afflictions regular hearers. He who spake as never man are chiefly chastisements for grieving the Spirit.spake, was thus sure to be remembered as never It is because he has been resisted or evaded, that man was remembered, especially by his disciples. God takes up the rod of Providence, to correct He said, however, much that they disliked, and what we would not allow him to cure by grace. Now, that the Holy Spirit should not leave us comfortless under the rod, nor leave it to work as it can upon us, even after we have quenched much of his holy fire, and stood out against his sweet influences, and almost expelled him from the tem

more that they did not understand, and not a little which one hearing could hardly fix, to the letter, in any mind. His sermon on the Mount was both longer and more sententious, than the strongest memory could carry away, without copious notes, and his chief arguments with the Scribes and

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Pharisees, took so many turns, in order to meet have preserved it, had not the Spirit treasured it the shifting grounds and temper of his opponents, up, and repeated it to the apostles? You rememthat their effect, rather than their precise form, ber that the wayside hearers lost it; that it was must have been the chief recollection of even the choked by the thorny ground hearers; that it most attentive listeners. And when his ministry withered away amongst the stony ground hearers; became, as it did towards its close, prophetic as and that even the true disciples, who were the well as parabolical, and mysterious as well as so-good ground, retained it but very unequally, and lemn, his precise words became, of course, almost not impartially. Much of the good seed must, as difficult to remember, as they were to compre- therefore, have been irrecoverably lost, had not hend. the Spirit gathered it all up as it fell, and afterWhat a loss, therefore must have been sustain-wards re-sown it just as it was given. ed by the world and the church, had not the Holy I have sometimes, in order to endear the gospel Spirit so loved both, as to bring to the remem- to myself, ventured to imagine, what kind of 2 brance of the disciples, "whatsoever things" Jesus New Testament we should have had, if the evanhad said unto them. They themselves took no gelists had been left to the mere resources of their notes of his sermons or conversations, at the time own memory, and to the guidance of their own of their delivery. What they seem to have re-taste and discretion, when Christ left the world. membered best, was not what was most interest- And even in that case, I could not but see, that it ing. All that has proved most useful and consol- would have been a wonderful book! well worth ing to posterity, in the gospels, is chiefly what the reading, preserving, and circulating throughout writers disliked or misunderstood, until the Spirit the world, until the end of time. Yes; had it recalled and explained it to them. contained nothing but just what the friends of Christ recollected, by dint of memory, it would still have been the best book in the world, and worth all that ever has been or will be expended, upon the perfect canon. It would, however, have been a very different book, in many things of very great importance. For none of the apostles liked or understood the spirituality of Christ's kingdom, or the atoning design of his sufferings and death, until these truths were again revealed to them by the Spirit. None of them had much love to children, nor any warmth of sympathy for the Gentiles, until the day of Pentecost. I will not specify what, I suspect, they would most likely have passed by or forgotten: but I see enough of both If you have never traced the love of the Spirit to make me thankful, that they had to speak and in this resurrection of the truth from the grave of write "as the Spirit gave them utterance," and forgetfulness, you have not seen the compass nor "in the words which the Holy Ghost teacheth." the point of the Saviour's often-repeated com- But for this, we might not have known, concernmand, "He that hath an ear, let him hear what ing little children, that "of such is the kingdom the Spirit saith unto the churches." Rev. ii. 17. of heaven;" nor concerning those who only hunThe Spirit not only inspired the writers of the ger and thirst after righteousness, that "they shall epistles; he also inspired the writers of the gos-be filled;" nor concerning all manner of sin and pels; and in fact, re-preached to them all they blasphemy, that "it shall be forgiven;" nor conhad heard from the lips of Christ. Thus the New cerning the love of God in the gift of his Son, that Testament is as emphatically the word of the it was love to the world, as well as to the Jewish Spirit, as it is the word of Christ and as strictly nation. the word of the Father as of both: for the Son invariably declared throughout all his ministry, "The words I speak unto you are not mine, but the Father's who sent me.' There is, therefore, a threefold inspiration upon the gospels. They are the word of the Father to the Son, and the word of the Son and of the Spirit to the evangelists; and thus the word of God to the churches and the world.

I know that it was never intended to be lost. The Saviour's gracious words, like his sacred body, could not see corruption, however they might be buried for a time. The oblivion of memory was as impossible as the oblivion of the grave, in his case. Still, his words, like his body, were quickened by the Spirit." He, who brought again from the dead the Lord Jesus Christ himself, brought to remembrance the truth as it is in Jesus, just as it had been spoken. John xiv. 26. "The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father shall send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."

:

You see now how much the Spirit had to do, when the ministry of Christ closed on earth. That ministry was conducted thus: "I have not spoken of myself; but the Father who sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is Life Everlasting: whatsoever I speak, therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak." John xii. 49. Such being the case, that the word of Christ was the word of God, and all of it the word of Eternal Life, how important that none of it should be lost! But, what could

In throwing out these hints, I do not mean to insinuate that the evangelists, if uninspired, would have kept back any thing they deemed useful to the world. I think they would have meant well, even when they judged ill. They were, however, men of "like passions" with ourselves; and, therefore, had they not written by inspiration, they might have been tempted to withhold such parts of their recollections, as clashed with their natural or national prejudices. But all this, the love of the Spirit to them and us, prevented. He delivered anew to them, and through them to us, the gospel of the great salvation, just "as it began to be spoken by the Lord." Yes: just as the Saviour himself had delivered it; now in set sermons, and anon in passing hints; now in parables, and anon in promises; now in explanations of the Old Testament, and anon in new invitations of mercy and new commandments of love. For it was not an outline, nor a digest, nor the substance of what Christ had said, nor selections of the best