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and pleasure, to hear what they say. Such baseness cannot Imt p-icve the Spirit, as contrary to our hopes and heavenly calling, which are glorious.
It is a dangerous grieving of the Spirit, when, instead of drawing our- eelvcs to the Spirit, we nill labour to draw the Spirit to it.i, and study the Scriptures to countenance us in some corrupt course, and labour to make God of our mind, that we may go on with the greater liberty ; when men get to themselves teachers after their own lusts, as many do, especially if they be in place — x\hab shall not want his four hundred false prophets ; — ■when men cut the rule and standard to fit themselves, and not lit them- selves to it (h). You have some that are resolved what to do, and yet will be asking counsel ; and if they have an answer to their minds then they rest ; if not, then their answer is. This is your judgment, but others are of a contrary' opinion. And thus they labour to make the Spiiit of God in his ministers to serve their turn. So did the Jews in Jeremiah's time, Jer. xlii. 2, scq.
Some will father those sinful affections that arise from the flesh, and are strengthened by Satan, iqwn the Holy Spirit, counting wrath that is kindled from hell to be fire of holy zeal coming from heaven. Thus the enemies of religion think they do God service in their massacres.* Such are those that wickedly oppose the ways of God, and j'et are ready to say, ' Glory be to the Lord.' Such men study holiness in the show, that they may overthrow it in the power, and will countenance an ill course by re- ligion.
Such also are faulty who lay the blame of an uncomfortable life upon religion ; when men are therefore uncomfortable, because they are not religious enough. ' The ways of wisdom are the ways of pleasure,' Prov. iii. 17.
In these times, being the second spring of the gospel, we must take heed of sins against the gospel. Benefits, the greater they are, being neglected or abused, bring the greater judgment. The office of the Holy Spirit is, by the ministry, to lay open the riches of Christ, and the glory of God's grace in him. By neglecting so great salvation, and by thinking this favour of God to be a common favour, we sin against both Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ; and in that they desire most to be glorified. Such therefore as say to the clouds, ' Drop not,' and to the winds, * Blow not,' and to the prophets, ' Prophesy not;' that study to keep out the light and sin against it, as discovering them, and awakening them, and hindering them from taking that solace in carnal courses of the world ; as opening the eyes of others to know them further than they would be known, and so to lose that respect they would have in the hearts of men : this cannot but grieve the Spirit of God, and move him to take away that truth that we are so far from thinking a blessing, that we are weary of it, and fi'et against it.
The office of the Spirit is to set out Christ, and the favour and mercy of God in Christ. When we slight Christ in the gospel, the ordinance and organ of u'orldng good in lis, the Holy Ghost is slighted and grieved. Bad is our condition by nature ; and what a deal of misery do we add to this bad condition ! Are we not all the children of wrath ? And have we not since we were born added sin unto sin ? Do we not grow in sin as we do in years ? Is not God just ? and hell terrible ? Now God out of infinite mercy having provided a way to free us from the danger of sin ; and not * E.g. of Bartholomew, of the Waldenses, of the Huguenots. — G.
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only so, but to advance us to life everlasting ; and that we should not be ignorant of that he hath done for us, he hath set up an ordinance wherein the Holy Ghost discovers his love. When we slight this, and account it but an ordinary favour, nay, rather a burden, and think the opening of divine mj'steries things that may be spared, that there is too much preach- ing ; and what needs all this ado ? — this grieves the Spirit, whose office is to lay open ' the unsearchable riches of Christ,' Eph. iii. 8, the infinite and glorious mercy and goodness of God in Christ, wherein God hath set himself in all his attributes to triumph and be glorified. We grieve all the sacred Trinity. God the Father is grieved to see his mercy slighted ; God the Son to see his blood accounted common ; and God the Holy Ghost, whose office it is to discover these things. This is the common sin of the times and kingdom, which threateneth judgment more than anything else. When the gospel, the blessed truth of salvation, is published, ' the axe is laid to the root of the tree,' Mat. iii. 10, the instrument of destruc- tion ; if men slight the mercies of God, entertain not Christ, walk not worthy of the gospel, they shall feel the stroke of his sharp anger. The blood-red horse foUoweth the white horse, Kev. vi. 4. The white horse is the publishing of the gospel. When God sets himself to glorify himself, in mercy, in the greatest benefits, and we account them nothing, or but common favours, God removes the candlestick ; the red horse of blood and destruction follows. And indeed what man will endure his greatest favours and kindnesses to be slighted ?