Lastly, Omission or slight performance of duties grieve the Spirit. The Spirit, as he comes from the Father and the Son, from God, so he is great in himself, being God: ' Offer this to thy king,' saith Malachi, i. 8, when he saw them come negligently and carelessly to the worship of God. When people hear drowsily, and receive the sacrament unpreparedh^ this grieves the Spirit, because it comes from irreverence and disrespect. And the reason why so many are dead-hearted, is because they make no conscience of omissions, of drow'siness, of negligent cold performances. Such Chris- tians, what do they diifer from cai'nal men in duties, for they will hear, pray, receive sacraments. He is the best Christian that is the most reve- * That is, 'government.' — G. t That is, ' moraL' — G.
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rent Christian, tlie most careful Christian, most jealous over his own heart. Usually those are the richest in grace. Even amongst good men, those that are most careful and watchful over themselves, they go away enriched with the gi-eatest blessing. Therefore let us hear, and so hear ; let us receive, and receive ' thus:' ' So let us eat of this bread,' &c., 1 Cor. xi. 28. The Scripture fixeth a reverent respect before duty, suitable to the majesty of the great God whose business we are about.
Besides grieving God's Spirit in ourselves, there is an heavy guilt lies upon us for grieving the Sjnrit in others, which is done many ways.
First, By neglecting the grace of God in them, or despising them for some itijinnities which love should cover. Contempt is a thing which the nature of man is more impatient of than of any injury. Those that are given this way to wrong others are punished with the common hatred of all.
We likewise grieve the spirit of others hy sharp censures, and the greater our authority is, the deeper is the grief a censure inflicteth. Many weak spirits cannot enjoy quiet, while they are exercised with such sharpness. They think themselves excommunicated out of the hearts of those in whose good liking they desire to dwell.
Again, Those that are above others grieve the spirits of those under them hy unjust commands ; as when masters press their servants to that which their conscience cannot digest, and so make them sin, and offer violence to that tender part.
Again, We grieve the spirit of others, when those that are inferior shew themselves untractable to those above them in magistracy or ministry, when they make them spend their strength in vain. Thus the Spirit of God in Noah strove with the old world, 1 Pet. iii. 19. Our duty is, there- fore, to walk wisely in regard of others ; and if it be a duty to please men in all things lawful in the way of humanity, much more ought we to please Christians in those things wherein we do not displease God, as being joined in communion with them in the same spirit. Yet here we must remember that it is one thing to cross the humour and offend the pride of another ; and another to grieve the Spirit in him. No cures can be wrought without grief in that kind ; and if we grieve not their spirits when such humours prevail in them, we shall grieve our own for neglect of duty.
And in the last place, this causeth another grief, ivhen those that are good watch not over their ways. The Spirit is grieved for the reproaches of religion that come from the wicked ; for what say they ? Doth religion and the Spirit teach you this ? Thus Christians make the name of God to be ill spoken of ; and this grieves the Spirit, and will grieve them if they belong to God. Oh, wretch that I am, that I should open the mouths of others, and grieve the Spirit of God, not only in myself, but in others, because he is grieved by me !
Scandcdous courses; either by unreasonable use of our liberty, without respect to the weakness of others, or by actions that are in themselves evil or of ill report. By such actions we grieve the spirit of others. A.n ill example always either grieveth or infecteth. The spirit of Lot was grieved for the unclean conversation of the Sodomites, which no question hastened their ruin, 2 Peter ii. 7.
How shall we know when we grieve the Spirit ? We may know that by the sins before mentioned as the cause of grief. Again, the Spirit will bring report of its own grief. We may know when we have offended a friend, when he leaves our company; so we may know we have discontented the Spirit by spiritual desertions, both in respect of assistance in the per-
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Ibrmancc of duties, and resisting temptations, and bearing afilictions ; as also in respect of comfort, as when we find a strangeness and dulness of disposition, unless it bo from some natural distemper of body, we may fear all is not well.
AVbeu w'c find a proncness to divert* to otbcr comforts, and to hold correspondency with carnal persons, and delight not as formerly in the communion of saints, but find an indifl'ercncy for any acquaintance ; when we drive hardly, and our wheels fall off jf when conscience will not let us omit good duties, and yet we want the oil of the Spirit to make us strong and nimble in the performance of them, whereupon they come not off with that acceptance to God or our own spirits : these indispositions shew we have not used the Spirit well, whom otherwise we should find a Spirit of strength, a Spirit of comfort, a quickening Spirit.