have gloried in the cross, or understood it. O, if "Want of a due consideration of this great love we love Christ, the love of the Spirit to us, should of the Holy Ghost weakens all the principles of be an inspiring theme! It is, remember, a part our obedience. We lose both the power and of the greatness of the great mystery of godli-pleasure of our obedience for want of this consiness, that Christ was "justified by the Spirit.' deration. Let the soul lay due weight on it: "The Yes; had not the Spirit justified the claims of the Holy Ghost, in his infinite love and kindness toSaviour, by clearing up the glory of his person wards me, hath condescended to be my Comfortand work; and endeared him, by applying his sa-er. He doth it willingly, freely, powerfully!-crifice and grace, even his disciples could not have What have I received from him? In the multidone so, and we should not have attempted it. I tude of my perplexities, how hath he refreshed have been chiefly influenced and regulated in my soul! Can I live one day without his consothese hints, by the stress which the Saviour him-lations? And shall I grieve him by negligence, self laid upon the work of the Holy Spirit. He sin, or folly Shall not his love constrain me to had, evidently, as much reference to it, in dying walk before him in all well pleasing?"—Owen on for us, as the Father had to him in pardoning. Communion with God, 3d Part. Consider this fact. You say, and justly, that but for the love of Christ in dying for us, the paternal love of God could not have saved us, consistently with all the perfections of the divine character and government. Now, this is no reflection upon the love of God. It is, in fact, the very glory of his love, that it thus required to be in full and everlating harmony with all righteousness. Well; in this perfect harmony with eternal rectitude, the love of Christ placed the love of God and just so, did the love of the Spirit place the love of Christ. For, it is the very glory of the Saviour's redeeming love, that it depended as much on the sanctifying love of the Spirit, as the paternal love of God did on the blood of the lamb. Without the work of the Son as a mediator, the Father could not have honorably become our Father; and without the work of the Spirit as a sanctifier, the Son could not have honorably become our mediator. Christ himself, therefore, looked as much to what the love of the Spirit would do for us, as God looks to what Christ has done for us. Thus, as our redemption by price required the death of Christ, so our redemption by power required the agency of the Spirit. These remarks are, I am aware, but general, if not somewhat vague. They are purposely very general; because the love of the Spirit is traced, in this little volume, throughout all the work of the Spirit, from its beginning as the good work of grace, on to its consummation in glory. I conclude this essay, therefore, by reminding you that the love of the Trinity, although not brought into competition, is so far brought into comparison in Scripture, that the name of Father, Son, and Spirit, is equally connected with baptism, and equally associated in the benediction upon the churches; and in heaven, the Spirit appears as "seven spirits before the throne," that we may know and acknowledge the all-perfect Godhead of his nature, and the all-sufficient power and freeness of his grace. Rev. i. Who can read the following passage from Dr. Owen, without regretting that his purpose was "to number rather than to unfold" the actings of the Spirit? "The principle or fountain of all his actings for our consolation, is his own great love and infinite condescension. He willingly proceedeth, or comes forth from the Father, to be our comforter. He knew what we were, and what we could do, and what would be our dealings with him. He knew we would grieve him, provoke him, quench his motions, defile his dwelling-place; and yet he would come to be our comforter! No. II. THE LOVE OF THE SPIRIT IN CONVERSION. "THE work of Christ, and the work of the Spirit," says Dr. Wardlaw, "are mutually necessary to each other's efficacy and are thus both alike indispensable to the salvation of the sinner. Without the work of Christ, the Spirit would want the means or the instrument of his operation; and without the work of the Spirit these means would remain inefficacious and fruitless. Without the work of Christ, there would not have been, for any sinner, a foundation of hope towards God; without the work of the Spirit, no sinner would have been induced to build upon this foundation. Christ has opened the way of access to God;-the Spirit brings sinners to God in the way which Christ has opened." This bringing of sinners to God, by "the new and living way" opened by Christ, is CONVERSION.None are brought nigh unto God, nor turned from the error of their ways, by the power of the Holy Spirit, but those who are led "in the way everlasting;" or, as Paul expresses the transition from the broad to the narrow way, "made nigh by the blood of Christ." Without this, there may be departures from sin, and approaches to righteousness, in some things, and for a short time; but, without this there is no saving conversion. The heart, until affected by the cross, does not follow the feet, however fast or far they may run in the path of general duty, by the impulse of ordinary motives. You have, no doubt, observed and felt this.Perhaps you can recollect instances in your own history, when you made considerable improvements in your conduct, and resolved to make still greater; but neither with good-will. It was compulsion, not choice; fear, and not love, which produced these reformations. Had they even been greater, therefore, and all lasting, they were destitute of the very first principle of true religion, good-will. Forced or slavish obedience is not service rendered to God, but a tax paid to the conscience to moderate its uneasiness. What a mercy it is, that the gospel contains and presents motives which can win the heart as effectually as the law can work upon the conscience! Were not this the case, we should never yield to God any cheerful or willing obedience, and thus never please or be pleased: for, as it is impossible to please God at all "without faith" in dark and desperate character; but neither is inChrist, so it is impossible to find pleasure long indulged or welcomed. Both are dreaded and hated. works without faith. Well; if you are thankful that Christ is "the way" to the Father, you ought to be equally thankful that the Holy Spirit is the guide to and in that way. Did you ever pause to consider how much love the Spirit displays in thus leading sinners to God by Christ? It is worthy of your special notice and gratitude. It will not divert nor divide your attention from the love of God in giving his Son, nor from the love of Christ in giving himself, for us. It will increase your love to God and to the Lamb, to trace the love of the Spirit as that shines in the conversion of sinners. Now there is no conversion from sin until there be conviction of sin: and there is no conviction of sin, which tends to Christ or to holiness, but that which the Holy Spirit implants in the soul. Thus, there is great love even in the severest part and form of the work of the Spirit. We forget this, or overlook it, whilst conscience is either as unquenchable fire, or as a gnawing worm, within us. Such convictions seem, then, to be sent in judicial anger, not in judicious love. It is, however, in love, that they are sent: witness the design of them at Pentecost. Had not Peter's audience been cut to the heart, they would not have cried out for mercy, much less have looked to Christ for it. Natural conviction, however strong, never looks to the cross; nor, when very strong, ventures to hope or pray for mercy. It is supernatural whenever it tries to relieve itself at the feet of the Saviour. It is sent in love, whenever it sends us to the gospel to search for hope, or to the mercy-seat to seek for hope, or to the cross to wait for hope. Conviction is then the Spirit wounding, that he may heal; casting down, that he may lift up again. It is evidently his work even when there is only a desire for salvatian; and although the way of salvation be almost unknown at first. Accordingly, both Peter and Paul recognised, in that trembling inquiry, "What shall we do?" the quickening power of the Spirit. Neither the Jews at Pentecost, nor the jailer at Philippi, knew what to do when they were awakened to a sense of their guilt and danger. The sacred fire that inflamed their conscience did not enlighten their understanding equally at the same time. It only revealed danger, and originated the desire to escape, in the first instance; and did not shed guiding light nor cheering warmth upon any mind, until the apostles proceeded to unfold "the fulness of the blessing of the gospel." Here, if any where, we may learn to distinguish between natural conscience, and supernatural conviction. The latter (as might be expected) is not reckless nor desperate, even when most overwhelming. The sinner quickened by the Spirit, may see no way of escape at first; but he desires one, and is looking and inquiring for one. He may have no hope for a time; but he wishes to hope. Like Jeremiah's penitent, he is willing to "put his mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope." In a word, his sufferings do not irritate his spirit against God. The agony of his conscience does not harden his heart. There may be a passing thought, or a momentary feeling of a This is not the case with mere conscience, when it breaks ioose upon a sinner. It can sear as it suffers, just as some sores mortify as they spread; or it can madden against God and man, until the opinion of both is despised, and the power of both defied. Such reckless remorse ought not to be ascribed to the strivings of the Holy Spi rit. It is not, indeed, natural nor common for even a very guilty conscience, to make a man a terror to himself, or to those around him. Indeed, this occurs so seldom, that it has been the chief cause of confounding natural and supernatural conviction. It is so very rare, to find even a very wicked man trembling or despairing; and so common to see many as wicked as he is, yet quite fearless, that Christians have been tempted by the anomaly, to ascribe all awakenings of conscience to the work of the Spirit. This may be well meant; but it is ill judged.All the conviction wrought by the Holy Spirit, is intended to "glorify" Christ, by rendering his precious blood, precious in the sinner's estimation: and, therefore, all hardening horrors, and all terror which has no tendency towards the cross or the mercy-seat, should either be left altogether unexplained, or referred to any thing but the agency of the Holy Ghost; for he can have nothing to do with the production of alarm, which either steels the heart against God, or drives the soul away from the Saviour. It is "the sorrow of the world," and not "godly sorrow," that worketh death and despair, in every instance, where there is no insanity: and whenever there is reason to suspect insanity, (of which vice is not the cause,) there is no reason for putting a harsh construction even upon despair itself. These distinctions ought not to be lost sight of: and yet, they ought not to be hastily applied. The first aspect of an awakened conscience, however awful, should not be treated as mere remorse. The Spirit, as in the case of the jailer, may have much to do with convictions, which, at first, are altogether terrific, and almost desperate. He had, of course, nothing to do with the rashness of the jailer; but he evidently had much to do with the "trembling," which followed it.Whilst the jailer drew his sword to kill himself, the Holy Spirit was certainly not convincing him of sin: but when he called for a light, and sprang in trembling" and inquiring, Paul treated him as a man quickened by divine power. However, therefore, an awakening may open, or express itself, for a time, it ought to be met promptly, fully, and even kindly, by the glad tidings of a free salvation; and never reckoned mere remorse, until it has defeated all the means of grace. If these hints throw any light upon the way in which we should judge and act in the case of others, they throw still more light upon our own convictions, of the evil and danger of sin. These are more than natural, yea, more than providential, if they have either endeared the Saviour to us, or led us to pray fervently for an interest in his atonement and intercession. Convictions which lead to this, are the leadings of the Spirit; and all in love, however painful they may be.Had the "hold" which the angel took of Lot, left its marks upon Lot, he certainly would not have thought it too hard, when he saw the fire burst on Sodom, and found himself safe in Zoar. It was the grasp of an angel's hand; firm, because friendly; and unrelaxing, because resolved to save. Well, therefore, may we trace to the love of the Spirit, any and every conviction, which drew our attention to the love of Christ. Well, may we sing, however we have smarted, "Eternal Spirit, we confess, And sing the wonders of thy grace." Another signal proof of the love of the Spirit in conversion, is, that he convinces chiefly of the sin of UNBELIEF. Remember the Saviour's own account of this characteristic feature of the work of the Spirit: "When he is come, he shall reprove the world of sin of sin, because they believe not in me." This being the point on which the Holy Spirit chiefly plies the conscience, the Saviour does not hesitate to call him "the Comforter," even whilst he is only convincing of sin. Conviction, like affliction, is, indeed, any thing but comfort in itself; it "is not joyous, but grievous; nevertheless, afterward, it yieldeth the peaceable fruits of righteousness unto them who are exercised thereby.' Thus, although not comfort, it is preparation for it, and the only way to it. belief comes from a still clearer sight of the glory and grace of Christ; and thus the disease and the remedy are seen together at the same time. The light that reveals the baseness and ingrati tude of unbelief, comes pouring down from the face of Jesus upon the face of the sinner; and although it almost blinds him for a little, as it did Saul of Tarsus, it also enables him to cry, "Lord, what wouldest thou have me to do?" You will enter into the spirit of this hint, when you pause to notice the point at which real conviction settles down into habitual penitence. It may begin at our besetting sin, and run like fire from crime to crime, through all the catalogue of our transgressions, until the conscience is in flames. But this, although it burns fiercest, is not what abides longest, nor what humbles most. It is the calm, solemn, weighty consideration, that all sin was against grace as well as law; which, like the small still voice at Horeb, wraps the face in the mantle of humility, and lays the spirit in the dust before God. The agonizing sense of individual sins subsides before the hope of pardon; but we never can forgive nor forget our long neglect of the great salvation! Nothing shames or shocks us so deeply and lastingly, as the recollection of having lived without Christ in the world. We see our hearts laid bare in that guilt and folly. We cannot palliate or soften our disregard of the Saviour. Thus the abiding conviction, by which abiding humility is produced in the soul, is, what Christ said "of sin, because of unbelief." My fellow penitent! we cannot tell nor conceive how much suffering the Spirit of grace has saved us from, by making us feel chiefly the exceeding sinfulness of unbelief. Had he shed and kept as much light upon any other sin, our spirits would sink for ever under it. Perhaps we must be far down in eternity, before we are capable of bearing a full sight of all sin! This is not, however, the most striking fact of the case. There is love-love, wonderful in its tenderness and strength, in thus making unbelief the point at which his sword pierces deepest and oftenest. We could not bear its "piercing, to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow," in the case of any other sin. No human mind could sustain a full discovery of the entire evil of sin, either as it affects the whole character and government of God, or as it entails misery on others. Nothing but the twofold immortality of soul and body conjoined, could endure to see how one sin can perpetuate itself If you understand these hints as I intend them, along all the line of a man's posterity, unto the they will suggest to you a very satisfactory reavery end of time; and run its consequences, even son why conviction is so calm and gentle in the in a visible stream, through the bottomless pit for case of many converts. Do you not see at a ever! I doubt very much, if there be one man or glance, that the Spirit's point (which is to glorify woman on earth, who could bear to see the influ- Christ) is gained, when unbelief gives way? ence of even their folly, upon all who witnessed There is, then, no occasion to set "on fire the their example, whilst they were unconverted. whole course of nature." Its pride and selfYes; put vicious example out of the question en-righteousness are demolished when Christ betirely for a moment; our mere indecision and formality, for years, told upon every one around us, who were on the outlook for excuses, with hardening effect; and they are now hardening those around them; and thus originating a line of ruin which shall never stop. The CONVINCER of sin sees this; but he does not show it. In mercy he conceals it, and singles out the sin of unbelief for the fullest exposure, because that is the only hinderance to the pardon of all other sins, and because the conscience itself has no natural tendency to take alarm at mere unbelief. comes precious to the soul. Were this duly considered, you would not be afraid lest your convictions, if they have been gradual and gentle, be not the work of the Holy Spirit. He does not work for the sake of working; but in order to bring the soul to the Saviour as its only refuge, and as its supreme example: and therefore, if you have given your heart to Christ, you have as little occasion to doubt your own conversion as to question Lydia's, whose heart the Lord opened without tempest or terror. On the other hand, if your convictions were deep and distracting, that only shows how deep The love manifested in this is unspeakable. We and stubborn your unbelief was. The Spirit shot. both require, and can bear, to see a great deal of no more arrows into your conscience than just the the sinfulness of neglecting the Saviour; for, al- number necessary to subdue your aversion or inthough no discovery of the evil of sin is more difference to the Saviour. He wounded only in humbling, or so melting, no discovery brings with order to heal; and, therefore, only deep enough it so much to balance itself. A clear sight of un-to make the cure certain. It was all bad blood tions. you lost, however much you bled under his operaWhat do you think now of the love of the Spirit in conversion-in your own conversion? Are you not ashamed, as well as astonished, that you should never have traced nor marked his love thus minutely before? If so, do follow out the manifestation of it by reviewing still more closely his dealings with yourself. You are only on the threshold of his love yet, even as conversion shows it: your own conversion can furnish more lamps to illuminate it. Consider; what but love could have induced the Holy Spirit to strive with you at all? There was nothing about your heart to attract his hand. He might have justly passed you by: he might have left you for ever when you resisted his first strivings. Oh, were not the Spirit love, equally with God and the Lamb, he would never have tried to make a holy temple of your heart or also the love of the Holy Spirit in it. His love, too, reigns conspicuously in that great act of grace, although not exactly in the same way. He does not, indeed, pass the act of justification: "It is God that justifieth." Nor does he furnish any part of the righteousness, for the sake of which we are treated as righteous: it was Christ that died and rose again for our justification." But still the Spirit does something, whatever it be, which so connects both his hand and heart with the reign of justifying grace, that the apostles do not hesitate to identify him with the Father and the Son in this transaction. Paul said to the Corinthians, "Ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God!" to the Galatians, "We, through the Spirit, wait for the hope of righteousness by faith." The Saviour himself said of the Spirit, "He shall convince the world of righteousness." Observe, also, how prominent the place is which Paul gives to the work of the Spirit, when explaining to Again; what but love gave power enough to Titus the process by which believers are justified your convictions, to render them strong enough by grace, in order that they may be heirs of glory: to send you fully to the Cross of Christ for relief?"Not by works of righteousness which we have There are terrors and stings of conscience which done; but according to his mercy, God saved us, drive some, like Judas, away from Christ, and on by the washing of regeneration and the renewing to destruction: yours have brought you to your of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abunright mind, and set you down where a sinner never dantly, through Jesus Christ our Saviour." Why? yet perished, at the foot of the cross, and under "That, being justified by his grace, we should be the shadow of the mercy-seat. made heirs according to the hope of eternal life." Do speak well of the Holy Spirit to those of Tit. iii. 4-7. In like manner, Peter connects your friends who have not yet asked for him." the sanctification of the Spirit" with the "sprinkSome of them may be afraid of him. So little is said of his love by many who say much of his power, and the need of it, that not a few are discouraged. Do speak a word in season to those who are thus weary and heavy laden. It will increase your own love to the Spirit, and the Spirit's love to you, to commend him as love to others. mine! No. III. THE LOVE OF THE SPIRIT IN JUSTIFICATION. To justify a sinner is more than pardoning his sins, much as that is: it is also to accept and treat him as righteous, or as if the righteousness of Christ were his own personal virtue. This is a wonderful plan of saving the guilty! Well may it be called "the manifold wisdom of God." How sublime, and yet how simple, is this plan! Paul felt all this, when he said of God, For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we (who knew nothing but sin) might be made the righteousness of God in him." As if the apostle had said,-For the sake of sinners, God treated his own Son as if he had been guilty, and now, for the sake of Christ, he treats sinners, when they believe, as if they were innocent; not imputing unto them their trespasses, but giving them the full advantage of the righteousness of Christ, just as if it were their own property. "BEHOLD what manner of love the Father hath bestowed on us, that we should be called the sons of God." It will not divert you from admiring the love of the Father or of the Son in justification, to behold ling of the blood of Christ," which is the meritorious cause of justification. 1 Pet. i. 2. Thus, it is not without the warrant of precept or of example, that I invite you to trace the love of the Spirit in justification. The apostles never overlooked or forgot it; nor can any believer be unaffected by it when he studies it. It may not strike you at a glance, but it will amply repay fixed attention. Now, it is no part of the official work of the Father or of the Son, to convince sinners of their need of a justifying righteousness. The Son has brought in an everlasting righteousness by his mediation, and the Father hath set it forth by his authority; but neither officially apply it to the soul, nor stir up the soul to apply for it; that is left to the love of the Spirit to do; and the love which does that cannot be weak or wavering. It is a task which nothing but real love would undertake, and which nothing but great love could accomplish; for we are not soon nor easily convinced of our need of either an imputed or a personal righteousness: both are against the grain of our nature. Indeed, except a man's character be very bad, it is not easy to convince him of the necessity of being better. Many speak as if they actually dreaded, as well as disliked, to be very righteous; thus deeming it not only unnecessary, but in some way dangerous, or discreditable, to be so. No wonder, therefore, that a justifying righteousness should be far from their thoughts, seeing a personal one is thus lightly valued, and even laughed at, when it is zealous of good works. This is the bent of human nature: I cannot, therefore, but trace much of both the love and power of the Spirit even in convincing us of the necessity of being more righteous than the aver age of our neighbors. This is not a natural conviction, nor a convential maxim: it is a divine persuasion wherever it is a deep feeling. It is a transition, not, indeed, into "marvellous light," but still out of that gross darkness which covers the people (and they are many) who are satisfied with not being worse than others. I would not attach undue importance to even a deep conviction of the necessity of being better than others; but I must say, that it is a march (and not a dead march either) gained upon mere conscience, and thus a good sign. The man who is led thus far in judging for himself how good he ought to be, is, to say the least, in the fair way to discover his need of a better righteousness than his own. Indeed, this discovery is usually made by trying to be good. That effort is either so unsuccessful, or its success, in a few small things, is accompanied with such failures in great things, and with such a sight of the many things which must be added, that the reforming man becomes afraid, and begins to doubt whether his own power is able to carry out his own purposes. consulted than their comfort, at first. Full submission to the righteousness of Christ, as well as counting all things but loss to be found in it, must be produced, before we are prepared to sing meekly or prudently, "Thou hast covered me with the robes of righteousness and the garments of salvation." No lips ever sung this well, until they had often sighed in the dust of self-abasement, and breathed in fervent prayer, the cry, “Unclean, unclean! God be merciful unto me a sinner." The Spirit is, however, convincing of righte ousness, when he convinces of sin, because of unbelief: for then, our felt need of pardon, and our felt unworthiness of the pardon we need, equally tends to draw and fix our attention upon the question-how can a just and Holy God pardon me? We are not far from being convinced of righteousness, when we are convinced that God, for Christ's sake, can pardon us, without dishonoring his law, or his character. More seals than one or two, of the book of righteousness are opened to us by the Spirit, if we see clearly that God can be just, and yet the justifier of the ungodly, when they believe in Jesus. Any one can say thus: but he who can see its truth in his own case, whilst looking at all his own ungodliness, sees "afar off," and has had the eyes of his understanding enlightened by the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. It is often at this point that the need of a perfect righteousness begins to be felt. The sinner, with all his trying, cannot make his own robe broad enough nor long enough to cover him. Place it and stretch it as he may, it leaves some part naked; and the more it is drawn upon one Can you see "this great sight," after looking point, the more naked others are made. He may at all the greatness of your guilt and unworthinot yet think it a "filthy" rag, but he cannot help ness? Does your eye turn to it, and repose upon feeling that it is only a "rag," both in its dimen- it, even with hope, after having read the catalogue sions and strength; for it tares when it is stretch- of your sins from top to bottom, and seen all the ed, and falls off when let alone. This is not more plagues of your heart, and all the weakness of quaintly expressed than it is literally true. We your character? Is this your Goshen of light, try to establish our own righteousness until we when all around you is Egyptian darkness? If so, weary or despair of it: and then, did not the Spirit you may well admire the love of the Spirit, and of God turn our attention to Christ, we should warrantably believe that he has convinced you of give up religion altogether, as a hopeless under-righteousness, in no small or superficial degree. taking, in our own case. It is only by seeing But, perhaps, your conviction of it does not go something suitable or encouraging in the Saviour all this length yet. You may rather be looking at that this is prevented. Religion would be aban- your own need of a justifying righteousness, than doned by every man who had tried hard and fail- at the sufficiency or freeness of the righteoused utterly, did not the Spirit step in at the moment ness of Christ. Well; even in that case, the of extremity, and show him something of the per- love of the Spirit towards you, is no doubtful matson and work of Christ. ter. For, who opened and salved thine eyes to see the need of "white raiment," to clothe thy naked soul? The time was,-when you did not see that you were naked, or poor, or wretched. "There may be help for me yet, in him who is mighty to save," is the candle which Peradventure holds to Hope, and Hope to Resolution, at this crisis. Our first cheering views of Christ seldom amount to more than this. It is not at once that the Spirit convinces the soul that Christ is "the end of the law for righteousness:" nor is it exactly in the way we expected, even when he does so. He leads us into all truth now, very much in the same manner as he made the apostles and disciples wise unto salvation, step by step, as we can bear the truth. Every Christian both needs and finds a day of Pentecost, to enlarge, mature, and confirm, his knowledge of justification through faith. Perhaps no one ever understood this grand truth of the gospel at once. Even when it is understood, it can hardly be believed for joy! It seems too good news to be true. This is, I have no doubt, one reason why it is so gradually opened up to the penitent. They must be kept penitent. Their safety must be more You once took for granted, that you had only to try, in order to be as good as the best; or, at least, as good as could be expected in your case. You expected to look well, and to feel very warm too, in the robe you were manufacturing for yourself. And now you are as much ashamed of your righteousness, as of your unrighteousness; and more afraid of being judged by your good works, than the natural man is of being judged by his evil works. This is no accident. It is a conviction which even your utter failure, when trying to establish your own righteousness, did not, and could not produce. He is convinced by the Spirit, who is convinced that he himself can do nothing towards his own justification. He is "taught of God," who sees and feels that God must justify him, entirely and freely, if he ever be justified at all. This is not untrue nor doubtful, even if the con |