7

growth of love" He must increase,

but I must decrease." The stars must fade as the sun arises; and twilight vanish in the blaze of day. And now, by way of bringing this, I fear too much extended, discussion to an end, I will simply say, that I must not be considered as stating, that the love of the Christian is ever so complete in this state of being as entirely to banish fear-that his per ception, either of the goodness of God or of his own growth in grace, may ever entitle him here to cast away a feeling so salutary and so suited to a fallen creature. The perfect love which casteth out fear probably refers to heaven; that perfect state to which the true servant of God is daily and rapidly advancing -to that day of which he now sees but the dawn-to that hour when he shall no longer see through a glass darkly, but see even as he is seen, and know as he is known, and love as he is loved. Then indeed, shall love, in the strongest sense, cast out fear. Then shall fear utterly cease, when danger is entirely re. moved, and corruption completely annihilated. Then shall we be "like God, for we shall see him as he is."

And now let me be allowed to say, especially to the inexperienced Pain religion, to whom alone, indeed, I have the smallest pretensions to speak; Let them look at this pic Sture of religion:-it does not present to them, as some have imagined, a system of terrors, but a dispensaition of love. It shews them, if I gmay so describe it, a chain of gold by which the joys of angels are let down to man. Who, then, will not is value religion? Who will trample upon this pearl of great price? b Who will not sell all he has, that he may buy this? Who will put such a possession to hazard-stake it upon a remote chance of long life-upon the uncertain penitence of a sick and dying bed? Who will risk it in a rash intercourse with its enemies, or

Do we desire to reach heaven, and taste of that perfect love which casteth out fear? Then may we all remember, that we are not to be transported thither in a chariot of fire, but are to rise to it by the patient and laborious steps of penitence, and faith, and obedience, and self denial, and watchfulness and prayer-are to rise to it from the lowly foot of a Saviour's cross. O, then, may one and all of us, in order to this end, under Divine grace, adopt the resolution and practice of St. Paul therefore so run, not as uncertainly ; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air; but I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection, lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a cast away." C.

"I

FAMILY SERMONS. No. LXXVI. Gen. vi. 8. "And the Lord said, My Spirit shall not always strive with

man."

IN" the days that were before the flood," it is said, "they were eating and drinking, and knew not till the flood came and took them all away.” So completely were they absorbed, either by the pleasures or business of life, that when the floodgates of wrath were opened, only one family had prepared to encounter the overwhelming tide. But had God, without warning, at once devoted his creatures to destruction? Had the floodgates of wrath been opened without preparation? Had the Father of the universe at once emptied the vials of indignation upon his creatures? An examination of the text will enable us to reply to these and some other important questions, And to this end, it will be my endeavour to offer some observations in proof of the four following po sitions.

I. That there is much in the nature of man to oppose the movements of the Holy Spirit.

II. That the interferences of the Holy Spirit are many and great for our safety.

III. That there is a time after which the Spirit ceases to interfere.

IV. That this time is the moment of our ruin.

I. It appears, in the first place, that there is much in the nature of min to oppose the movements of the Holy Spirit.

In man, as he was first created, doubtless there was much to assist and promote the movements of the Spirit of God. As there is in the plant much to assist the action of the sun in promoting its growth; as in every part of nature, there is much to promote the end for which God designed it; so man also was formed to yield to that blessed influence which would have made him good and happy. But man fell-and, from that instant, his nature took the part of sin, and opposed the will of God. Such is the description given of our present state in the Bible. "The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these two are contrary one to the other." In like manner, says St. Paul, speaking of the conflict between good and evil in the nature of man, between the Spirit of God and the corruptions of the heart, "I delight in the law of God after the inward man; but I see another law in my members warring against the law in my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin.' Such then is the real state of our hearts by nature, and it is of vast importance to be fully aware of it, that we may guard against its consequences. Allow me to say, that it is almost cer tain, that there are some among our selves who think too favourably of the state of our own minds-who fancy that we have more disposition to right than wrong-who conceive that, if the Spirit of God were to descend

upon us, he would find a soil congenial to his labours, and would see a harvest at once spring up under the sunshine of his presence. But this is not the state of any heart by nature. -I will not deny that there is a difference in the natural character of men. But in none is that difference so great, as to render the heart propitious to the movements of the Spirit. Mark the expression of the text; "My Spirit shall not always STRIVE with man." There is then a struggle between the movements of God, and the corruptions of man. God finds in the soul, not a friend but an enemy-not a heart to which he is a welcome guest, but a heart occupied by very different possessors

by deep-seated lusts, and indwelling corruptions. Let me then say to you, Look to the state of your own minds. Indulge no fond con ceits of your own excellence. Remember that there is no law to exempt you from the common destiny of man; that the common curse of human nature has fallen upon you; that the wide-spread leprosy of corruption has seized you; that if good shall ever predominate over evil in your soul, it is to be considered, not as an achievement of your own, but as the triumph of your God. O could we pierce the cloud which conceals the mighty movements of the hand of God, how many arrows of conviction should we see, discharged from Heaven, and blunted by the stony bosom of man. Remember this, and feel that a heart so hard is not to be trusted, or flattered, or neg. lected; but that, by earnest prayer, we are to call down those dews of grace by which alone it can be sof. tened and prepared for the seed of religion.

II. But, secondly, it appears from the text that' the interferences of the Spirit of God are many and great for our safety. The inhabitants of the world before the flood, as it appears, had little or no conception of the storm that was about to break

is state of ignorance fault, and not the apGod. If any one had Your God has long to you by his miniswarning you of the er of sin; has been wn sword across your as announced to you, rald, the awful ruin s"-they would proswered, "No: God ng for us. He gave corruptions, to the he world, and of the have seen and felt > movements of Prow that the foundations re broken up, and a to destroy the whole d."-But would these ve been just? Was t God had done no. ? Did he in the first h out his arm only to slay them? Had not mercy preceded the ath? Had not the sun shone on them before gan to lower?

f

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y spirit shall not always n." Hence it appears, ong striven with them; mployed months, and es in order to rescue a that he had been long ching, admonishing; ent them his Spirit, but ted it." The day of d, indeed, at length "as a thief in the all the silence and semost unexpected asthis ought not to have te. God had striven his mercy was expatience would have s; till the perfection required that Mercy he throne, and Justice this is applicable to ou may perhaps feel ay, that God has done serv. No. 160.

now to die and perish, the stroke would not have been preceded by those visitations of mercy, by those movements of the Spirit in your favour, which ought in justice to precede so awful a punishment. You might indeed say this; but, if you did, you would betray your own ingratitude without criminating the character of God. No: God, from your infancy, has striven" with you: he has visited you by his Spirit: he has himself contended, and he has strengthened you to contend with your corruptions: he has watched you in the hour of danger: he has stood ready to interfere with a migh ty arm, had you but called upon him: he has checked you in a thousand crimes, prompted you to a thousand virtues, detached you from sin, and called you to religion. He has spoken to you upon the bed of sickness; communed with you in the hours of darkness; breathed upon you from the pages of his word; touched your conscience with a mysterious hand; filled you with many a wish, perhaps with many a resolution, to be good. How vast is the contrast between the dealings of God and man! Look into the world, and men are warring one with another; army is drawn out against army, and each man sharpening his sword "to flesh it" upon the body of his brother. God also "strives" with man, not to destroy, but to save; not to wound, but to heal; not to rob him of any right, but to give him a title and right to hea ven; not to possess himself of the inheritance of man, but to impart to man the treasures, the glory, the unmixed goodness and unclouded happiness of heaven. He is "the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long suffering, and abundant in good. ness and truth." Shall we then coin. plain of such a God? Shall we basely charge any part of our deficiencies upon him? Will you not call to mind how numerous are the mercies which have hitherto been wasted 2 G

and abused by you, and humble your. self at the footstool of the Divine compassion?-In order, under the Divine blessing, to lead you to this course of conduct, I proceed to ob

serve,

III. That there is a period at which it appears that the Spirit of God ceases to act upon those who resist him. There is, doubtless, a point at which mercy would begin to be weakness. At that point, of course, the mercy of God, which cannot be indulged at the expense of his other qualities, must stop. And such is the case which is placed before us by the text. God, from the commence ment of the world to the period of the flood, had been in vain pouring out his mercies upon mankind. Justice now demanded that the punishment of their crimes should be inflicted; that an example should be provided for all generations, that “God would not be mocked." Then it was, he declared, "My Spirit shall not always strive with man,"—" he has passed beyond the proper limits of compassion-he has exhausted the stores of grace. Mercy will no longer lift up her shield to oppose the weapon of wrath. Man has sin ned, and he must suffer." God said, and it was done. And how tremendous was the result! The "fountains of the great deep were broken up;" the "windows of heaven were opened:" "all in whose nostrils (except Noah and his family) was the breath of life, died;" and "every living substance was destroyed." Is the picture awful? If so, remember, that it is sketched, not as a fiction of the imagination, but as the record of a fact; and of a fact designed, not merely to punish the sufferers at that period, but to inscribe, as upon an awful monument, for future ages, the solemn lesson, that those who resist God must expect Him to depart from them. And permit me to observe, that although the departure of the Spirit from ourselves is not now marked by

any such awful outward demonstration, still, as surely as we have sinned up to the assigned point-as surely as the measure of our iniquities is full-so surely has the Spirit of God abandoned us to our corruptions and our ruin.—I may, at this instant, be speaking to some person who,though he has not actually reached this tremendous point, may, by his longcontinued negligence of the admo. nitions of conscience and the voice of God, be fast approaching it. I may be speaking to some who, though they know they are wrong, neglect to do better to some who have a secret persuasion that their way of life does not fit them for death, and who yet refuse to change it-to some who, though they design to mend, as yet delay the work of reformation-to some who are by degrees stifling the voice of conscience and quenching the light of Heaven. I do then most solemnly adjure such persons to beware of their ruin. The Spirit of God shall cease to strive with you. The season of grace may be already nearly gone by. The year prayed for by the great Intercessor may have already been granted, and have nearly expired; and the final sentence be about, perhaps, instantly to be execured--" Thou shalt cut it down." Is this, then, I ask, a situation in which it is wise or safe to trifle; to wear out life in cavilling at religion, in the indulgence of the body, or in laying some flattering unction to the soul? By all the joys of heaven, and the terrors of hell; by all the powers of God to save, or to punish; by all the agonies of Christ; by his "cross and passion," all endured for you; and by those agonies which, if impenitent, and unchanged by the Spirit of God, you your selves shall be called to endure, I adjure you to "awake and arise, that Christ may give you light."— And, the more to impress this duty upon you, I would beg you to con

sider the fourth and last point to which I proposed to call your at tention, viz. that,

IV. The departure of the Spirit of God is the final destruction of the soul.-How awfully is this truth illustrated in the text! The Spirit of God ceases to strive with the inhabitants of the world. And what ensued? At once, the floods descended, and dismissed the whole creation, not merely to an untimely grave, but to the dread judgment seat of an angry God.-My brethren, it is terrible to read even of their earthly suffering. It is terrible to conceive the mother grasping her perishing child-to fancy a man escaping for a few moments, perhaps, by his accidental elevation, the growing ruin, but at last sucked in by the overwhelming waters-to see one dark and immeasurable grave gradually swallowing up all the fair creation of God. But carry your view, I beseech you, beyond the Ga grave. There is a lake, compared Te with which, these horrible waters are as the fountains of life and streams of joy-the "lake that burneth with brimstone and with fire." There is a grave, to which this universal charnel-house is as the abode of peace and happiness the pit whose smoke ascendeth for ever and ever." Endeavour, I entreat you, to realize the scene at that awful hour when the mother shall, perhaps, feel herself, or see her child overwhelmed by that fiery flood; when the man, proud in his

fancied security, shall behold its flaming waves now swell to his feet, and now rise to his breast; when the grave of hell, the Tophit of everlasting destruction, shall yawn upon a guilty universe, and thousands of the unholy and impenitent shall descend into it, and the "smoke of their torments shall ascend for ever

their groans outlast the sphere of nature-and their agonies only be gin to be when time shall be no more. O, my brethren, "what manner of men ought we to be," when, on the one hand, such tor ments must be endured by the har dened and impenitent sinner-when, on the other, a God of mercy, a dying Saviour offers to all men a free ransom, an escape from these torments, an entrance, and an enduring inheritance in the regions of unutterable peace and glory!-May God give us a heart to accept the offer! But let us not delay" Now is the accepted time; now is the day of salvation." The intercession of Christ is still offered. The Spirit of God still strives with us. From the altar of our God a voice speaks: "Come unto me, all ye that are weary and heavy laden" "if any man sin, he has an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous." Come, then, and let us seek our Comforter and our God. Come and let us devote ourselves to him who is able and willing to " save to the uttermost all who come unto him through Jesus Christ."