[Many are ready to despond because of the severe con- flicts which they experience between the spiritual and the carnal principle in their souls. They say, If I were a child of God, how could it be thus ? We answer, This is rather an evidence that such persons are partakers of a divine nature : if they were not, they would be strangers to these conflicts. Though they might feel some struggles between corruption and conscience, yea, and between reason and conscience, the one attempting to vindicate what the other condemns, they would know nothing of those deeper conflicts between the flesh and spirit, especially in reference to the secret exercises of the soul in its daily converse with God. These evince the exist- ence of a new principle, though they shew that the old man still lives within themk. Let not any then despond because they feel the remains of indwelling corruption, but rather be thankful if they hate it, and if they have grace in some good measure to subdue it. Let them trust in God to " perfect that which concerns them ;" and look to him to " fulfil in them all the good pleasure of his goodness :" then shall they in due time "put off their filthy garments1" altogether, and " stand before their God without spot or blemish" to all eternity.]
k Gal. v. 17. ' Zech. iii. 4.
Eph. iv. 30. Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
THE Holy Scriptures are not written after the manner of human systems, but often blend warnings with promises, and duties with privileges, in a way that by some would be thought to involve them in inconsistency. The Apostle, cautioning the Ephe- sians against various evils which he had observed amongst them, adds, " Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God ;" in which expression he seems eventually to refer to those who had " grieved the Lord in the wilderness," and had therefore been excluded from the promised land*, and to those who " by rebelling against God had provoked his Holy Spirit, so that he was turned to be their enemy V Yet at the same
a Heb. iii. 10, 17- . h Isai. lxiii. 10.