Of Quenching the Spirit, Chapter 15
CHAP. XV.
An Exhortation to those that have Quenched the Spirit, to bewayle it. What a lamentable evil quenching of the spirit is. How much evil it argues to be in us, how much evil to be upon us. It is our duty to lament for every sin, even the smallest, much more for this that is so great. Wee shall never be serious in setting our selves to the practise of the contrary duty, of cherishing the spirit, till wee bee humbled for our sin first in quenching the Spirit. Either we shall not practice it at all, or not to the end. To grieve and mourn for quenching the spirit, a sign that it is not utterly quenched. What to bee done that wee may grieve and mourn aright for it.
SECT. 1.
I Have said, concerning the Evil of quenching the spirit (both in respect of the causes whereof it is an effect, and in respect of the effects whereof it is a cause) and that by way of Reproof; I shall now speak by way of Exhortation. And I shall exhort you,
SECT. 2.
1. To bewail it, to bewail it that ever you have so much quenched the spirit, as you have done, for time past. If ever wee had cause to lament for any thing, any evil, either within us, or upon us; we have cause to lament that ever we quenched the spirit. If that bee true which hath been said, of the evil of quenching the spirit, either in respect of the causes whereof it is an effect, or in respect of the effects whereof it is a cause; oh then what a lamentable evil is it! If it be true, that which you have heard, of the causes whereof it is an effect, what evil then doth it argue to be in us? what a world of iniquity? And if it be true, that which you have heard, of the effects whereof it is a cause, what evil then doth it argue to be upon us? what a world of misery? So that whether you look backward upon the causes from whence it proceeds; or forwards upon the effects which proceed from it, you will see matter of great lamentation. And therefore make use of the several particulars you have heard, for the affecting your hearts with grief and godly sorrow, that you may lament and bewail as you ought to do, this out of measure sinful sin, this evil of evils, viz. Quenching of the Spirit. Look upon the several particulars, as so many motives to this duty, that as they are matter of lamentation, so they may bee motives to lamenting.
SECT. 3.
1. It is your duty to lament every sin, though never so small; much more this that is so great. God requires we should be humbled for all our omissions, and all our commissions, much more for those whereby we have quenched the spirit. He requires wee should bee humbled for every known sin, of what kinde soever it be; and that which hee requires, hee expects. Hee expects that when we have sinned, we should be humbled for our sins; if not, he complains, as Jer. 44.10. They are not humbled even to this day, neither have they feared, nor walked in my law, nor in my statutes, that I set before you, and before your fathers. Oh let not God have occasion to complain in this manner of any of us. Let him not complain first oiour sin, and then of our not being humbled for our sin; that we have grieved his spirit, and yet our spirits are not grieved for it; that we have grieved him first by quenching of the spirit, and then grieved him again, by our not grieving for it. First God expected that we should have cherished the gifts, and graces, and good motions of the spirit in u…; but we have many waies quenched them, by withholding, and withdrawing of fewel, and not stirring them up; instead of adding more oyle to the fire, we have cast water upon it; not only neglecting, but disobeying the good motions of the spirit, sinning willingly, wilfully, aga…nst light, light of nature, Gospel, Spirit; and sinning frequently the same sins over again and again, against purposes, promises, covenants, vows, and all manner of engagements to the contrary notwithstanding. Well, now God expects wee should bee humbled for this; hee requires it, and therefore expects it. We have sinned already, oh let's take heed wee do not add impenitency to our sin; and therefore labour to be humbled, let not God say of any of us, They are not humbled to this day.
SECT. 4.
2. We shall never bee real and serious in setting our selves to the practice of the contrary duty of cherishing the spirit, till we be humbled for the foregoing sin of quenching the spirit.
1. It may bee wee shall not practice it at all, but continue the omission of it still. An unhumbled heart, is an unsubdued heart, and an unsubdued heart, is an unreforming heart. An unhumbled person is careless and regardless of his duty, sets light by the commands of God, and goes on still in the imagination of his evil heart, doing what is pleasing and right in his own eyes. Either he is unmindeful of his duty, or if hee remembers it, hee is froward and refractory, flinging away from his duty, and wresting himself out of his convictions, by a kinde of desperate force and v…olence, against light and knowledge, and the strivings of the spirit. And thus hee continues from time to time, till his heart come to bee thorowly humbled and broken. Therefore let's labour to bee humbled for our sin and wickedness, in quenching of the spirit, as we have done, that we may not continue in the neglect of our duty still. Else 'tis like wee shall be as careless of it for time to come, as hitherto we have been. We may like the Sermon, but we shall not practice the duty.
2. Wee shall not practice it to the end, but within a while give over, and return to the neglect of it again. An unhumbled heart, is an unstedfast heart, an heart bent to revolting and backsliding. A person not thorowly humbled, may take up the practice of a good duty for a time, but he will not hold on; his goodness is as a morning cloud, and as an early dew it goeth away, Hos. 6.4. Within a while the bitterness of sin is past, and then he returns with the dog to lick up his vomit again, 2 Pet. 2.22. And within a while the sweetness of duty is past, and then he falls to neglecting, as much as ever before, Job 27.10. Will he delight himself in the Almighty? will he alwaies call upon God? And Gal. 4 15. Where is the blessedness ye spake of? For a fit he will cherish the good motions of the spirit, folow his convictions, perform duties, attend ordinances, there is some sweetness and blessedness in these things; but within a while, all vanisheth and comes to nothing, and then hee is the same, if not worse than before. Thus it is with those that begin to reform, before they be throughly humbled, and broken in their spirits for their former sin, they are in continual danger of relapsing. Those Mat. 13.20. began their profession and practise of religion with joy, there was some taste of the heavenly gift, some sweetness in duties at first; but for want of a through work of humiliation, within a while all withered and came to nothing.
SECT. 5.
It is a thing of frequent and common observation, that in times of danger and trouble, as in sickness, and in great distress, when men have more than ordinary and strong convictions, and troubles, and fears upon their spirits, then they will purpose, and promise, it may be vow unto God, and those that come about them, that if they live and escape, they will never sin against their convictions more, as they have done, while they live; never neglect duties and ordinances, never run upon occasions, and dally with temptations, never neglect and disobey the motions of the spirit, as they have done, any more. But within a while, all these purposes and promises are forgotten, as if they had never been made; or if remembred, all is one, the remembrance of them doth not affect, they are now of another minde, &c. Now whence is this? why the reason is, because they were never throughly humbled. And therefore for this reason, that we may not begin, and within a while relinquish what we have begun, let's begin upon a through humiliation. Humiliation is the best foundation of reformation. And that your hearts may be affected, I mean throughly affected, call to remembrance the former particulars, both of the causes, and the effects of quenching the spirit, and then say to your selves, And is it even so? are these the causes of my quenching the spirit? and are these the effects of my quenching the spirit? Why then, what a world of wickedness am I guilty of! how great is the wickedness of my heart! and how great the wretchedness of my life! what abundance of evil is in me! what abundance of evil is upon me! what abundance of evil and mischief is done by me! And shall there be so much evil in mee, and I not bee humbled for it? shall there be so much evil upon me, and I not lament and bewail it? shall there be so much evil done by me, and I not be sorry for it? Therefore; oh! that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night, for my quenching of the spirit. Thus of this second motive.
SECT. 6.
3. To perswade you yet further, to labour to afflict your souls upon this ground, because you have quenched the spirit; I might urge this, That if you can grieve and mourn, for your quenching of the spirit; if you can grieve and mourn for it as sin, as sin against the spirit, because you have thereby grieved the good spirit of God; it is a sign you have not utterly quenched the spirit. This must needs be so, for if the spirit were utterly quenched, you could not thus grieve for quenching it. Oh therefore that it may be with you, as with him, Lam. 3.29 He putteth his mouth in the dust, if so be there may bee hope. But I shall not insist upon this. That which I shall now do, is to shew you briefly, how you may get your hearts so affected, as to mourn thus for it.
SECT. 7.
That you may attain to such a frame of spirit, as to mourn aright for this sin, be much in these following heart-breaking, and heart-humbling duties.
1. Ingenuous confessing. Never stand arguing and pleading, denying or diminishing your sin, if you mean to be humbled and abased for it. Acknowledge it to be a sin, and your sin, and acknowledge it to God, with the several aggravations, both in respect of the causes, and effects of it.
2. Impartial self-judging. Judge your selves for it, acknowledge not only the sin, but the desert of the sin, how you deserve to bee punished for it; that God might justly say, his spirit shall no longer strive with you; yea, that hee might justly take his Oath against you, swear in his wrath, that you shall never enter into his rest.
3. Effectual, fervent praying. Bee earnest with God in prayer, for the humbling influences of his spirit; beg of God to affect your hearts with godly shame and sorrow. I will pour out upon them (God hath said) the spirit of grace, and they shall mourn. The spirit of grace, is a spirit of humiliation and mourning; Then you shall mourn and bee in bitterness of spirit, for your sin in quenching the spirit; then you shall lament and bewail it, that ever you have so much quenched the spirit, as you have done for time past, and that will make you beware of it for time to come, which is the next thing you are to be exhorted to.