INTRODUCTION. Ir is a singular fact, that we have no treatise on the Love of the Spirit. The British pulpit and press have covered themselves with glory, by their exhibitions of the wonders of Redeeming Love, as these characterise the good will of the Father, and the mediatorial work of Christ; and by unrivalled demonstrations of the personality and agency of the Holy Spirit: but no writer, that I know of, (and I have searched diligently,) has traced the wonders of the Spirit's love, in Redemption. OWEN has certainly done much to endear the Spirit to believers, in his brief treatise on "Fellowship with the Holy Ghost," at the close of his masterly work on "Communion with God." The Spirit is, however, the gift of God and Christ to the world, as well as to the church. His mission embraces both the world and the church, just as the love of God and the death of Christ embrace them. John xvi. 8. According ly, quite as much is said in Scripture, to commend him to the confidence of both, as to demonstrate their absolute and universal need of his holy influences. But how many overlook this fact! In general, the unconverted and the undecided, turn their need of the Spirit, into apologies for delay. They think of his grace as power, rather than as love; and thus imagine that they may safely wait for it. Many of the penitent also, although penetrated with a sense of their need of the Spirit, are yet very doubtful whether he will work all that in them, which they feel to be necessary for them.They are afraid to calculate upon the exercise of his power, in their own case. And not a few, even of those who can hardly doubt, that he will carry on the good work he has begun in them, are evidently more influenced in their hopes, by his power, and faithfulness, than by his delight in his work, or his love to the subjects of it. They are not so much at home,-when they speak of the love of the Spirit to their souls, as when they speak of the love of God or of the Lamb. They dwell with solicitude and solemnity, upon their need of the grace of the Spirit; but not with rapture, or complacency, on the richness, freeness, and glory of his grace. They do not exactly question its fulness, its freeness, or its tenderness; but neither do they rejoice in them, as in the tender love of the Father, or the intense love of the Son. The Father's promise of the Spirit, or the Son's gift of the Spirit, rather than the grace or the glory of the Spirit himself, is most relied on, and rejoiced in by believers in general. They rather plead the promises of his help, than lean directly upon his own good will and great power for help. Their confidence and complacency are thus less in himself, than in the covenant which pledges his influences; although his place in that covenant was his own choice from eternity, and has been his chief delight ever since he entered upon its duties, and will be the “rest” of his love until the end of time! I have seen and felt so much of this, and found so little to counteract it, in our theology, that I was compelled, for my own sake, to trace out, step by step, the love of the Spirit in the work of the Spirit. How far I have succeeded in restoring this old truth to its original place, it is not for me to say. My object was gained when it took its proper place in my own mind and ministry; and, therefore, my conversational essays on the subject, are addressed, not at all to theologians, as such, but entirely to private Christians; and thus they have no critical or theological pretensions whatever. Indeed, they are merely experimental hints, brought home to the bosom and business of those who, like myself, cannot forget, that unless we have "the Spirit of Christ, we are none of his." We thus require to see the love of the Spirit, in order to see how we can obtain and retain the Spirit himself, as proof of our personal interest in Christ. The hold we need upon the power and grace of the Comforter, we can only get, by getting hold of his love; for until we see how he loves our souls, we cannot see how he can abide with them, either as a consoler or as a sanctifier. It has, therefore, been my sole aim to engage the attention and win the confidence of all who apply to themselves the question, "Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?" I have tried to seat myself at their side, and to enter into their difficulties, and to whisper in their ear; that thus they may judge for themselves, whilst interchanging experience with a "brother and companion," in the spiritual tribulation arising from the fear of "not having the Spirit." And if I have ever been enabled to help the perplexed or the doubting, I would fain hope that this Companion to my Experimental Guides, will increase that help, as well as confirm it. NEWINGTON GREEN, 1836. THE LOVE OF THE SPIRIT. No. I. THE LOVE OF THE TRINITY COMPARED. 66 true; and because it is a truth of supreme importance; and because, in his case, human appearance had to be counterbalanced and counteracted by divine declarations. He took upon him "the form of a servant, and was made in the like depth of that humiliation, had to be the height of the proof of his equality with God; and according to the number of his privations and woes, had to be the number of distinct attestations to his original riches and glory. But in the case of the holy Spirit, his advent involved nothing which veiled his glory, or contrasted with his godhead, or seemed to contradict his claims; and, therefore, as no counterbalance was wanted, none was given.Enough was said to declare him to be the eternal Spirit: and, in order to prove the supreme importance of this truth, his divine agency runs through the whole fabric of divine truth, and is so interwoven with the entire Scriptures, that it cannot be separated from them without tearing them to pieces. It is by comparing the revealed perfections and works of the Father, Son, and Spirit, that we ar-ness of man ;" and, therefore, according to the rive at the sublime conclusion, that these three are one; the same in substance; equal in power and glory. The mystery of this fact is not at all increased, nor is the sublimity lessened at all, by the circumstance, that less is said concerning the divinity of the Spirit, than concerning that of the Father and the Son. This can only surprise those who forget or overlook the fact, that the Saviour expressly guarded his disciples against expecting much information from the Spirit concerning the nature of the Spirit. "When he is come, he shall not speak of himself." John xvi. 13. He shall testify of Me." John xv. 26. "He shall glorify Me." John xvi. 14. After these assurances from the lips of Christ, it is unreasonable to expect so many declarations of the divinity of the Spirit of God, as of the divinity of the Son of God. Besides, it is not the number of texts, which proves a point of this kind, but their explicitness. One explicit declaration of the Godhead of the Spirit, is just as conclusive as a thousand, when Scripture is concerned. It is not, indeed, so satisfactory to the eye, nor so imposing to the ear in controversy, as a host of passages; but as all the validity and value of a host of proofs depends on their individual truth, one ought to be as decisive as any number; for if we cannot depend on the truth of one, many cannot give us certainty. I would not have touched this subject at all, had I not felt it necessary to justify my attempt at a comparison between the love of the Father, Son, and Spirit, in redemption; for it is quite unnecessary to multiply books upon the divinity of the Holy Spirit. "What can the man do who cometh after (Owen) the king," except to simplify or condense? My simpler object is, to compare the love of the Trinity, just as others have compared the natural perfections of the Father, Son, and Spirit; in order that their equality in love may be as familiar as the unity of their essence. And I readily grant that, in a matter of such infinite there is need of this argument: for, although no importance as the divinity of any being, who claims Trinitarian would hesitate for a moment to say, our supreme homage and confidence, we have a that the Spirit as well as the Father, "is love;" right to know his title before we yield to his nor to add, that the persons of the Godhead must claims. Although, therefore, I have maintained be as much one in heart as in glory; yet, no writhe sufficiency and satisfactoriness of even one ter, that I know of, dwells with complacency, or text of revelation on this subject, I quite feel that appeals with triumph, or argues with power, on it is natural, and not unreasonable, to expect, that the love of the Spirit. Christ does so. The apossuch a truth as the Godhead of the holy Spirit, tles do so. And Owen evidently saw and felt the would be frequently introduced in Scripture. And capabilities and claims of the subject. In general, it is so. His personality and divine agency are however, theologians do not. They content themnot only implied in all the revealed accounts of selves with taking it for granted; and thus leave creation, providence, and redemption, but are also the fact in an abstract or indefinite form, which often (some hundred times) and unequivocally ex-neither touches the heart, nor tells upon the chapressed. In fact, as much is revealed concerning his divinity, as concerning the divinity of Christ, although less is said. This is not a distinction without a difference, nor without a cause. Repeating a truth is not adding to its sum or certainty, however it may enhance its importance to us. The divinity of Christ is true, not because it is often repeated; but it is often repeated because the first mention of it was racter of plain Christians. Indeed, many of the serious "suffer loss," through this inadvertency. They are somewhat afraid of the Spirit. I mean, they do not see that his heart is as warm, and his hand as willing, to do his work in redemption, as the heart and hand of the Father and the Son were to do their part. They have thus less confidence in the Spirit, and less love to him, than towards God and the Lamb. They do not, however, (5) give less attention to him. Happily that is prevented; our theology, both from the pulpit and the press, being rich, beyond comparison, in glorious exhibitions of the necessity, the fulness, and the freeness of the grace of the Holy Spirit. Both the lesser and the greater stars of evangelism are all culminating in the grand scriptural point, that the influences of the Spirit are just as free as they are necessasy, and as accessible as they are indispensable. This is as it should be. And nothing is wanted in order to complete this "demonstration of the Spirit," but to enshrine and crown it with the wonders of his love. That, I am quite unequal even to attempt: because my own mind can only deal with an individual mind, and not with a general subject, in religion. I never could theologize nor generalize at all, apart from trying to carry a practical or experimental point, with a supposed person, to whom I write, just what I should say in conversation. I am, however, on this occasion, more than usually reconciled to this weakness or defect of my own mind; because my conversational hints upon the love of the Spirit, will in no wise forestall the subject; but may, perhaps, create a taste for it in the circle of my "GUIDES" and "CLOSET LIBRARY;" and thus help, at least, to call forth some "Master of Israel," to complete our theology, on the doctrine of The Comforter." Why does not the author of "The Official Glory of the Son of God," bring out that of the Spirit? 66 Having thus stated how the subject stands at present, I proceed in my own way. Did you ever notice the emphatic brevity of apostolic language, when divine love is the subject? "God is love," says John. The love of Christ passeth knowledge," says Paul. With the same sublime brevity, Paul says, "I beseech you by the love of the Spirit." Thus in all the three instances, we are evidently thrown upon a fact, which words cannot express, and which needs no epithets to commend it. Accordingly, it is always illustrated by other facts, and not by descriptive words. Thus, when John says, "God is love," he immediately adds, "In this was the love of God manifest towards us, because God sent his only-begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." 1 John iii.8. Here facts are every thing, and phraseology is nothing but the bare statement of them. Thus also Paul writes, when illustrating the love of Christ, "He loved me, and gave himself for me." Gal. ii. 20. "He loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood," says John, to the seven churches in Asia. Rev. i. 5. Even in heaven, the language of eternity, either does not supply descriptive words to saints or angels, or they prefer facts, in celebrating the love of Christ; for there are no epithets in the new song: Thou art worthy; for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood." Rev. v. 9. Now exactly in this way, or by facts, and not by descriptions, is the love of the Spirit illustrated in Scripture. When Paul pleaded with the Romans by "the love of the Spirit," he had just before reminded them, that "the Spirit helpeth our infirmities, and maketh intercession for us" in prayer, that the Spirit "led" the children of God," dwelt in" them, and "witnessed" with their spirit to their adoption. Rom. viii. In like manner, when the Saviour commended the Spirit to the confidence of the church, as “another Ccmforter," it was not by eulogizing or explaining his love, but by stating what he would do when he came: the Comforter shall lead you into all truth; shall bring all things to your remembrance; shall abide with you for ever. Thus, it is not from wards, but from his works, that the love of the Spirit should be estimated, when it is brought into comparison with the love of the Father, or the love of the Son: nor is it any valid objection against the equality of their love to the world and the church, that there is no suffering, nor any humiliation, in the whole history of the Spirit's love. This is equally true of the Father's love. That too involved no suffering nor privation: but no one doubts, on this account, the reality, the greatness, or the strength of the love of God. No one suspects it of being at all less than the love of Christ, because Paul does not say of it, as of Christ's, that it "passeth knowledge." The absence, therefore, of this epithet in his appeal to the love of the Spirit, implies no inferiority in that love. In a word, its measure is to be found in what the Spirit does, just as the measure of the Father's love is to be found in what he gave, and the measure of the Son's love, in what he endured. Let us then contemplate the love of the Father. It is amazing! But for it, there would have been no Redeemer, no Sanctifier; and, therefore, no salvation on earth, just as there is none in hell. The love of God is, therefore, the real and original fountain from which all the streams of mercy and grace flow to us, in a river of the water of life. That river could flow, however, only upon channels of "everlasting righteousness," or in full consistency with law and justice; and nothing but the atonement of Christ could be such an honorable medium. Divine love could become redeeming love, only by a sacrifice which magnified the law, and glorified the divine character. The love of God is not, therefore, irrespective of the work of Christ. It both required and provided an atonement, to legitimate and charter the reign of grace in the divine government. And all this the death of Christ did. Law and justice were not, however, all that had to be satisfied and glorified in the highest, before divine love could become redeeming love, honorably and consistently. HOLINESS, also, had to be satisfied, and magnified, and glorified in the highest; and that could only be done by making the redeemed holy, or the pardoned perfect. Here there was room-occasion-necessity, for the love of the Spirit. The saved had to be sanctified on earth, and perfected for heaven: and what but love-infinite love-could have led the Holy Spirit to undertake the sanctification of the Church, which Christ purchased with his own blood? This he did undertake; and he will so consummate its perfection, that divine Holiness shall be as much satisfied and glorified with the eventual purity of the redeemned, as justice is with their escape, or law with their acquittal. If, therefore, the love of God passeth knowledge, in pitying our misery as sinners, and in bringing all in the same sense, and to the same degree; seebis sympathies to bear honorably and effectually ing he gave all the light which revealed that "unupon our salvation, is not the love of the Spirit, in speakable gift," and all the will and power by pitying both our weakess and depravity, and in which any and every sinner applies to the Saviour. bringing all his grace and strength to bear upon The Son is thus as much the free and unspeakaour meetness for heaven, love that passeth know-ble gift of the Spirit to individuals, as he was the ledge in its warmth and wonders? Where is the gift of God to the world. difference, between the love which fits sinners for heaven, and the love which opened heaven, by the blood of the Lamb? Both are infinite! It is desirable on this subject, that our thoughts and feelings should run occasionally in the same channel, and at the same rate they do, when we Let us now contemplate the love of Christ. If realize to ourselves vividly what must have been the comparison fail at all, it will fail here. It the condition of the world, had no Christ unshall not succeed, however, by any forcing or stra- dertaken its cause. In that case, the world would tagem on my part. It will fail unnecessarily, either have been another hell, or the gate of however, if you determine to think only of the "the place prepared for the devil and his angels;" sufferings of Christ; for as there was no penal conscience would have had no peace, and hope tests of the love of the Spirit, there can, of course, no anchor; life no charms, and death no antidote: be no comparison on this point. Christ stands for man could not have been even what heathen alone, in all the glory of suffering and dying love! man is, either in condition or character, had there The Father's love endured nothing penal or pain- not been a mediator between God and man from ful, for the world or the church. That it would, the very moment of the fall. No; even the heahowever, have done so, had any paternal suffer- then are not a specimen of what the world would ing been either proper or necessary, we can hard- have been "without Christ:" for, bad and aboly doubt. Well; why not judge in this way of the minable as idolatry is, it has some moral laws, and love of the Spirit also? There was no more oc- proclaims some hopes, however vague or fallacious; casion for him to suffer at all, in proof of his love, whereas, there would have been nothing but "a than for the Father to do so in proof of his love. fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignaDoing any thing unnecessary, is not a demonstra- tion" every where on earth, as every where in hell, tion of love. Doing what is wanted most is the had not Christ interfered on our behalf. This fact, demonstration of that; and nothing of suffering in common with many others, renders the love of was wanted, in order to atone, when the sacri- Christ unspeakable. fice of Christ was finished. His love left no room in Gethsemane, or on Calvary, for the love of the Father or of the Spirit to redeem by price; because he left no drop in the cup of wrath, shrunk from no stroke of the sword of justice, and refused no demand of the law. So far, therefore, the love of the Father, and the love of the Spirit, stand in the same light and relation to redemption by price. Well; just ask yourself, what would the world have been without the work of the Holy Spirit? I will not allow myself to answer this question, by supposing the worst. Say, if you will, that we should have gone all the length in morals and hope, which they reach who resist the Spirit. It certainly would have been something, to have even a form of godliness, and a ceremonial of worship, and a theory of Christianity. These, without the Spirit, are useful. Christianity, however nominal, exalts the character of nations; and however corrupted, is still the most powerful check upon immorality. But what is civilization or morality, were they even universal, whilst the heart is unchanged, and heaven not desired, and God not loved, and the Saviour not prized? All thiswould have been the case, every where and all along, had not the Spirit loved the world, and sanctified the church! You are prepared to go a step farther towards a comparison, now that you see how the facts stand. The real question is now,--what was wanted, after Christ finished his atoning work? There was his sacrifice-perfect, all sufficient, and glorious! Nothing could be added to its merits, or its efficacy, or its acceptableness, before God, as a ransom for souls. But still, around that sacrifice, when it was "finished," stood a world, yea, a church, which knew neither its merits nor its meaning; and which never could have understood them, had These hints do not, I am aware, call up a horrid not the Spirit explained them; and never would scene before the imagination: it is, however, an have employed them, had he not applied them. appalling scene to a sober mind. Only think!Thus, although the fountain for sin and unclean- had all churches in all ages been churches only in ness was opened by the death of Christ, there name; all ministers mere functionaries for hire; were none to wash their robes in the blood of the all Christians mere formalists; then, all hope Lamb, until the love of the Spirit enlightened and would have been delusion: all faith presumption; led them. But for his love, therefore, the love of all death damnation! This has not been the case. Christ would have remained unappreciated and But why? No church would ever have become unknown, both to the world and the church. But spiritual, by its own power or choice. No man could for what the Spirit did, all that Christ endured have become wise unto salvation, by unaided efwould have had no saving effect upon man on earth, forts, however arduous. No sufferer could have although its instantaneous effect in heaven, was extracted solid comfort from the promises, by mere the confirmation of all the angels in their holiness, pondering What do we not owe to the love of and the ratification of all the saints in their hap- the Spirit! But for that, the thief saved on piness, and the complacent "rest of God" in his Calvary would have been the only trophy of the love. O, surely, if God is love because he so cross of Christ. Yes; Paradise might have been loved the world as to give his Son to be the pro-barred at once and for ever, when he entered: for, pitiation for our sins, the Spirit must be love also, without the Spirit, no man, afterward, could either (15) 66 |