Of Quenching the Spirit, Chapter 4
CHAP. IV.
The evil of Quenching the Spirit, in respect of the Effects, whereof it is a Cause. The first Effect of Quenching the Spirit. It grieves the Spirit. Instances of it, in the Old Worlds quenching the Spirit, and in the Israelites quenching the Spirit. Not onelyonly the wicked, but the godly, do thus (sometimes) grieve the Spirit. That quenching the Spirit grieves the Spirit, further proved. Arguments for the proof of it mentioned in particular. The Arguments applyed. The Evil of quenching the Spirit in this respect, Eph. 4.30. The evil of grieving the Spirit, from thence argued. The evil of quenching the Spirit, thereby discovered. Those that quench the Spirit, thereupon expostulated with, and rebuked.
SECT. 1.
HAving shewn you the evil of quenching the Spirit, from the Causes, whereof it is an Effect; I shall now proceed to shew you the evil of it, from the Effects, whereof it is a Cause. As it is an evil Effect of a manifold evil Cause, so it is an evil Cause of a manifold evil Effect. And therefore as by consideration, the several evils that it comes of; So likewise by considering the several evils that come of it: you may see what abundance of evil there is in it. For as I (said before) such as the cause is, such is the effect; so I say here, such as the effect is, such is the cause: and therefore the effects of quenching the Spirit, being evil; Quenching of the Spirit that is the cause of them, must needs be evil too. And it is in respect of these that I am now to shew you the evil of it. I desire you will mark it sirs: Hitherto I have shewn you what evil there is in it, in respect of the evils that it comes from; but now I am to shew you, what evil there is in it, in respect of the evils that come from it. See then the mischievous effects of this quenching of the Spirit; and you will thereby further see what an evil thing it is.
SECT. 2.
Now the Effects of it are such as these.
1. It grieves the Spirit. An Instance whereof we have, in the Old Worlds quenching the Spirit. God strove with them by the Spirit a long time, but they still quench'd it, insomuch that (at length) God said, his spirit should not alwaies (thus) strive (in vain) with them, because they were still flesh, i. e. directly opposite and contrary to the spirit, (for so flesh and spirit are: these are contrary one to the other, Gal. 5.17.) they were altogether incorrigible; the light of the regenerating Spirit being quite extinguished in them, and all its power smothered up; whereby the external action, and the benefit thereof was in vain employed about them, (so Diodat.) Now see how this grieved the Spirit; verse 5, 6. And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was onelyonly evil continually; and it repented the Lord that he had made man on the Earth, and it grieved him at his heart. Why so, but because he had made them; yea, and endeavoured to mend them too: He endeavoured to new-make them, but they were marred in his hands; as Jer. 18.4. The vessel was marred in the hand of the Potter; and this grieved him at the very heart.
SECT. 3.
Another instance of it we have in the Israelites quenching the Spirit. God gave them his good Spirit to instruct them, bu… they continually quench'd it. This you have Neh. 9.20. Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them; nevertheless, they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee; verse 26. Now how this grieved the spirit, you may see, Psal. 95.10. They quenched the Spirit so often, and so long, that God there saith: Forty years long was I grieved with this Generation; and therefore also adds: It is a people that do erre in their hearts, they have not known my …e…. But how was that, that they did not know his waies? Did they not know? Did not Israel know? saith the Apostle: Yes verily; But to Israel he saith: All the day long have I stretched forth my hand to a disobedient and gain-saying People. So that they knew, but by their rebellion and disobedience they quenched the light and fervour of their knowledge; so that it was a fruitless and ineffectual knowledge, and such knowledge is in Gods account as no knowledge. And hereby they not onelyonly grieved, but vexed his holy spirit, as Isa. 63.10. —they rebelled and vexed his holy Spirit: Now vexing (you know) is the excess of grief, to shew that he was grieved to the uttermost, grieved at the very heart (as was said before) yea, even heart-broken, as the expression is, Ezek. 6.9. I am broken with their whorish heart.
SECT. 4.
And thus not onelyonly wicked persons, that are in an unregenerate state, in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity, having no real work of grace upon their hearts, do grieve the Spirit, but even the godly too sometimes: as you may see in the Spouse, Cant. 5.6. Christ came with greatest tenders of love, knocking at the door, and calling to her, Open to me my Sister, my Love, my Dove, my undefiled, for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night, while I stand knocking here at the door. Oh how desirous was he of communion with her! But mark now, the drowsie Spouse slights this motion, and so quencheth the Spirit. I have put off my coat (saith she) and how shall I put it on? q. d. I know not how to rise. But what followed upon this? why the Spirit was so grieved, that he withdraws presently. I opened to my beloved (saith she) but my beloved had with-drawn himself, and was gone: and then I sought him (saith she) but could not finde him, I called him, but he gave me no answer. He was so grieved that he would take no notice of her. Thus Christ comes many times to your hearts, saying as to those Laodiceans, Rev. 3.20. Behold! I stand at the door and knock; if any man open to me; If thou luke-warm Professor, thou Hypocrite, thou Formalist; if thou wilt open, even thou; then will I come in, and thou shalt sup with me, and I will sup with thee: But thou wilt not open to him, and therefore he goes away, and will have no communion with thee. By this you see then that quenching of the spirit, grieves the spirit.
SECT. 5.
But to speak more particularly; That which may be yet said for the further proof and demonstration of the truth hereof, I shall briefly summe up in these following Arguments. That quenching of the spirit grieves the spirit, appears,
1. By Gods Complaints. Forty years long have I been grieved with this Generation; Psal. 95.10. I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that is not good, after their own thoughts, Isa. 65.2. Yea, the Storke in the Heaven knoweth her appointed times, and the Turtle, and the Crane, and the Swallow observe the time of their coming, but my people know not the Judgement of the Lord, Jer. 8.7. How often would I have gathered you, as an Hen gathereth her Chickens under her wings, and ye would not.
2. By his Lamentations. Christ wept over Jerusalem, saying: Oh! that thou hadst known &c. This weeping was the effect of grief. Oh! God mourns over sinners, saying: Oh that they had hearkened, as Psal. 81.13, 14. Oh that Israel had hearkened unto me, &c. So Isa. 48.18, 19. Oh that thou hadst hearkened to my Commandements! then, &c.
3. By his expostulations, Why will ye dye— Ezek. 18.31, 32. as if he should say, Oh how does it grieve me, to see men thus wilfully destroy themselves! so Isa. 55.2. Why do ye spend your mony, for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which satisfies not?
4. It provokes him exceedingly. As Hos. 12.14. Ephraim provoked him to anger most bitterly. Israels quenching the spirit in the wilderness, is called the Provocation; Harden not your hearts, as in the Provocation, as in the day of temptation in the Wilderness, Psal. 95.8.
5. It makes him turn Enemy. They rebelled and vexed his holy Spirit; therefore he was turned to be their Enemy, and he fought against them. Isa. 63.10.
6. It makes him give over striving; So that they shall take their own course. Thus he dealt with the Old World, Gen. 6.3. thus with Ephraim Hos. 4.17. Ephraim is joyned to Idols, let him alone. And thus with the Jews, Why should ye be stricken any more? Isa. 1.5.
7. It makes him take his Oath against them, that they shall never enter into his rest. So Psal. 95.11.
SECT. 6.
Now I beseech you consider Sirs, would God do all this, if he were not grieved? Would he complain if he were well pleased? Would he lament? Would he expostulate? Would hee be provoked if he were well pleased? Would he become an Enemy? Would he give over striving? Would he swear in his Wrath they shall not enter into his rest? Why then surely, this quenching of the spirit is very grievous to him.
SECT. 7.
And now consider, if the Spirit be thus grieved by quenching the Spirit; is not quenching the Spirit very evil? Is it not evil to grieve the Spirit? Oh what an evil is it! And if it be evil to grieve the Spirit, is it not evil to do that whereby it is grieved? Oh what an evil then is there in quenching of the Spirit; because by quenching of the Spirit, the Spirit is grieved?
SECT. 8.
Well then, see my Beloved, what an evil thing this is, that you grieve the Spirit. Do you know what you do Sirs, when you grieve the Spirit? do you know? do you consider? do you consider who it is that you grieve? Is it not the Spirit of God the Holy Spirit of God? the Holy Spirit of God whereby you are sealed to the day of redemption? Oh grieve not the holy Spirit of God (saith the Apostle) whereby you are sealed unto the day of Redemption, Ephes. 4.30. First I say, Is it not the Spirit of God? And how is it that thou wilt grieve the spirit of God? Is it in some case evil to grieve the spirit of a man, the spirit but of a Creature? and is it not much more evil, in any case, to grieve the spirit of God? Why, as the Apostle said to Ananias, thou hast not lyed unto men, but unto God: So may I say unto thee, Thou hast not grieved men, but God What an horrible thing is this? Oh you should walk worthy of the Lord to all well-pleasing, Col. 1.10. Whereas by quenching the spirit in this manner, thou walkest unworthy of him, to no pleasing at all. While it is thus, thy waies are alwaies grievous: Whether they be grievous to men, or no, that's not so much the question: but how-ever, 'tis certain, they are alwaies (in this case) grievous unto God. Again, Is it not the holy spirit of God? Oh grieve not the holy spirit of God. Because he is so holy, therefore by quenching the spirit, thy neglecting the graces, slighting the motions and rebelling against the strivings of the spirit, are so grievous to him, therefore he is so apt to be grieved at it. Now this is a great aggravation of thy wickedness, as if it were but a holy man, it were a great matter, as it was a great aggravation of the wickedness of the Sodomites, that they vexed Lot's righteous soul, by their filthy deeds; but how much more is it to grieve, nay vex, nay, to do despight to the spirit of grace. Moreover, is it not the Holy spirit of God, whereby you are sealed to the day of redemption? i. e. whereby you are, or may be, and must be; if ever you bee sealed? And do yee thus requite the Lord, O foolish people and unwise? What doth this shew, but that thou hast but little esteem of the spirit, and of the love of the spirit? Oh if it be but a man whom you love and esteem, you say: I would not grieve him for a world; but thou grievest the Spirit for a straw, for a very trifle.
SECT. 9.
Oh consider, doth the Spirit of God deserve to be thus dealt with? Doth the Spirit of God sirs, deserve to be thus grieved? Is it a small thing to weary men, but will you weary my God also? Christians! will ye weary your God also? Children, will you weary your Father? Servants, will ye weary your Master? How is it then, that Saints will weary their God, and their holy God, and their good God too? Oh consider, is it fit that the holy spirit of God should be thus grieved? Is it fit that the good spirit of God should be thus grieved? hee by whom you are sealed to the day of redemption, doth he deserve to be thus dealt with? Doth the Comforter deserve to be grieved? Oh how often hath he comforted thee! how often spoken peace! how often hath he helped thy infirmities, enabling thee to cry Abba, Father? How often hath he revealed to thee, the deep things of God, the secrets of his Will, the secrets of his Love? and is this the requital he must have, to be grieved? What? and to be vexed too? Oh what a vile thing is this! is it not a vile thing for a Childe to be a grief to his Parents? A foolish son is a grief to his Father, and a bitterness to her that bare him, Prov. 17.25. Such a son is a son of Belial; and such an one art thou, that quenchest the spirit; for by thy quenching the spirit, thou grievest the spirit; especially, when thou quenchest the spirit not onelyonly by neglecting, but by resisting, and rebelling against the spirit; sinning against light, and love, and mercy, and means; when thy sins are gross and hainous, not onelyonly against the light of Revelation, but of Reason, not onelyonly against the light of Grace, but of Nature too: and when they are not seldome, but frequently acted. This is (as hath been said) a continual dropping upon the fire.
SECT. 10.
Oh if ever God open thine eyes, that thou comest to see how by this means thou hast grieved the spirit, it will be even an heart-breaking to thee; it will bee an heart breaking to thee, that thou hast been so long (by this means) an heart-breaking unto God. See Ezek. 6.9. Where the Lord saith, They shall remember me among the Nations, whither they shall bee carried Captives, because I am broken with their whorish heart, which hath departed from me, and with their eyes that go a whoring after their Idols; and they shall loathe themselves for the evi…s which they have committed in all their abominations. Here you have, both why they should remember him, and how.
First, Why they should remember him, Because, (saith he) I am broken with their whorish heart, that is, their going a whoring hath been so grievous, that it hath been even an heart-breaking to me.
Secondly, How they should remember him; Why, so as to loathe themselves as most vile wretches, for being so vile as to grieve the spirit; for this is a most vile thing: and when ever you come to see it, you will see your selves, to be the vilest creatures in all the world, for this evil which you have committed in all your abominations, that you have grieved the spirit. Thus you have the first Effect of quenching the spirit; It grieves the spirit.