Now the Spirit, as in us, worketh in us according to' the principles of man's nature, as understanding and free creatures, and preserveth the free manner of working proper to man ; and doth not always put forth an abso- lute prerogative power, but dealeth with us b}^ way of gentle and sweet motions and persuasions, and leaveth it in our freedom to embrace or refuse these inferior works of the Spirit. And our hearts tell us it is in our power to entertain or reject the motions, which, when we do in our own apprehension, we churlishly ofiend the Spirit, as willing to draw us to better ways ; and we cannot otherwise judge of this but as grieving. God in his dealing with men puts his cause into our hands, that by our prayers and otherwise we may help or hinder him against the mighty. And Christ puts himself into our hands in his ministers and in the poor, counts him- self regarded or neglected in them. So the Holy Spirit puts, as it were, his delight and contentment in our power, and counts when we entertain his motions of grace or comfort we entertain him, and when we refuse them we grieve him. And the Holy Ghost will have us interpret our refusing of his motion to be a refusing of him ; and not only a refusing of him, but of the Son, and of the Father, whose Spirit he is. Oh, if we did but consider how high the slighting of a gi'acious motion reaches, even to the slighting of God himself, it would move us to give more regard unto them. As we use these motions, so would we use the Spirit himself if he were in our power. They are not only the ambassadors, but the royal
41G A FOUNTAIN SEALED.
oflspring of the Spirit in us ; and when wo ofi'cr violence to them, we kill iis much as in us lieth the royal seed of the Spirit.
Ohj. It may be objected, when we do anything amiss, we intend not the grieving of the Spirit.
Ans. It is true, unless we were devils incarnate, we will not purposely and directly grieve the Spirit ; but when we sin, wo will the grieving of him in the cause. No man hates his own soul, or is in love with death ; yet men will willingly do that which, if they hated their own souls, and loved death, thoy could not do worse. ' Why will you perish, you house of Israel?' Jer. xxvii. 13, saith God. They intend no such matter as perish- ing. God's meaning is, why will you go on in such destructive courses as wull end in perishing. If we could hate hell in the cause of it and way to it, as we hate it in itself, we would never come there.
2. For the second point, ivherein we especiaUij grieve the Sjnrit ; grief ariseth either from antipathy and contrariety, or from disunion of things naturally joined together. In greater persons especially, grief ariseth from any indignity offered from neglect or disrespect, and most of all from unkindness after favour shewed. Thus the Holy Ghost is grieved by us. What more contrary to holiness than sin, which is the thing, and the only thing that God abominates, yea, in the devil himself. But, then, add to the contrariety in sin the aggravations from unkindness, and this makes it more sinful. What greater indignity can we offer to the Holy Spirit than to prefer base dust before his motions leading us to holiness and happiness ? What greater unkindness, yea, treachery, to leave directions of a friend to follow the counsel of an enemy ; such as when they know God's will, yet will consent with flesh and blood, like Balaam, who was swayed by his profit against a clear discovery of God's will. We cannot but make the Spirit of God in us in some sort ashamed to think of our folly in ' leaving the fountain, and digging cisterns, Jer. ii. 13 ; in leaving a true guide, and following the pirate. Men are grieved especially when they are disrespected in their place and office. It is the office of the Spirit to enlighten, to soften, to quicken, and to sanctify. When we give content to Satan, it puts the Holy Ghost out of office. The office of the Holy Ghost is likewise to be a comforter. It cannot therefore but grieve the Holy Spirit, when * the consolations of the Almighty' are either forgotten, or ' seem nothing' unto us in the pettishness of our spirits ; when, with Eachel, ' we will not be comforted,' who, instead of wrestling with God by prayer, wrangle with him by cavilling objections. They take pleasure to move objections, instead of a holy submission to higher reasons that might raise them to comfort, and take Satan's part against the Holy Spirit and their own spirit, and against arguments that are ministered by those that are more skilful in the ways of salvation than themselves. How little beholding is the Holy Spirit to such, who please themselves in a spirit of opposition ; and yet so sweet is this Holy Spirit that after long patience, he overcomes many of these with his goodness, and makes them at length with shame lay their hands upon their mouths and be silent. Yet that is one reason they stick so long in temptations, and are kept so long under ' the spirit of bondage.' Those likewise cannot but grieve the Comforter, that leave his comforts and seek for other comforters ; that think there is not comfort enough in re- ligion, but will bow down to the world ; such as linger after the liberties of the flesh, after * stolen waters,' as if God kept house not good enough for them. It is a great disparagement to prefer husks before the provision of our Father's [house], and to die — like fish out of their proper element — if we want