into lively and frequent exercise in the performance of Christian duties. This would be inferrible from the origin, objects, and agencies of the Gospel. And we find that religious zeal is repeatedly and earnestly enjoined in the Holy Scriptures, as indispensable to the perfection and success of our religious efforts. It is not so much a duty or Christian grace by itself, as it is an important element and needful accompaniment of all other Christian duties and graces. It may be said of zeal as of faith, that whatsoever is not imbued and sustained by its life-giving spirit is sin-that without it "it is impossible to please God." It is a part of "the first and great commandment, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind."* Zeal belongs to every act of true worship; for "God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."+ "Fervent in spirit, serving the Lord." Prayer without zeal is worthless. Hence we are commanded to be "instant (pressing) in prayer." Prayer is earnest. It is the fervent prayer of the righteous that "availeth much."§ "Above all things, have fervent charity among yourselves."|| Zeal is inculcated in a more general way throughout the Bible; as, "the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence," &c.¶ "'** "Strive to enter in at the strait gate.' "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot. I would thou wert cold or hot. Be zealous, therefore, and repent."++

Truly pious men have ever been distinguished by great religious zeal. David exclaims, "The zeal of thy house hath eaten me up."‡‡ My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord."§§ John the Baptist, from the fer vor of his appeals, was called "the voice of one crying in the wilderness." Christ said it was his "meat and drink to do

* Matt., xxii., 37, 38.

§ James, v., 16. ** Luke, xiii., 24. og Ps. lxxxiv., 2.

↑ John, iv., 24.

|| 1 Pet., iv., 8.

tt Rev., iii., 15-19.

Rom., xii., 11. ¶ Matt., xvi., 12. ‡‡ Ps. lxix., 9.

his Father's will." He prayed all night, and, being in an agony, he sweat, as it were, great drops of blood. Paul counted not his life dear unto himself was ready not only to be bound, but even to die for Christ-served him with many tears-was constrained by his love.

Zeal made early Christians powerful. It gives efficacy to the labors of illiterate preachers-removes the obstacles, solves the difficulties of piety-lifts Christians above the world and the snares of Satan.

True religious zeal especially implies,

1. Unwavering steadfastness of purpose. A man can do nothing without resolution, yet men sometimes try to be religious without any settled purpose, to appease conscience.

2. Universal and hearty obedience to God's commands in all things—in small things as well as great: no other obedience is genuine, since it proceeds not from reverence for the lawgiver.

Ye are bought with a price."

"Ye are

"Ye are dead,

3. Supreme devotion of heart and life to Christ. not your own. and your life is hid with Christ in God." "The love of Christ constraineth us, because we thus judge that if one died for all, then were all dead, and that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them and rose again." "He that loveth father or mother, son or daughter, more than me, is not worthy of me. 'If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he can not be my disciple." This is the condition of discipleship. Zeal which can not do all this is not Christian zeal. He who is not ready for any sacrifice, to go to any duty, to encounter any danger or suffering for Christ's sake, is none of His. Partial devotion is selfish, insufficient, and hardens the heart.

Zeal may be spurious or misdirected, as in the case of Je+ Luke, xiv., 26.

. Matt., x., 37.

hu-Saul of Tarsus-the Jews.

The Bible delivers several cautions. The text has two. Zeal should be exercised, first, "in a good thing;" secondly, should be uniform "always."

1. "In a good thing." Individuals, and sometimes churches, are zealous in trifles, or even in mischief. There is a zeal of God, yet not according to knowledge.* This does not condemn high degrees of zeal, but its misdirection. The more we know of divine things, the more zealous shall we be. The Jews had zeal, not for the truth, but for their sect. Men are often zealous for sect, especially for peculiarities-for trifles which come to fill the mind. It is natural to be zealous in false notions of religion, and he who takes a notion, a ceremony, for Christianity, must swell it into monstrous dimensions in order to satisfy his own mind. The more trivial the notion, the greater need of zeal. True zeal seeks benevolent ends by lawful means-else it is fanaticism. It seeks practicable ends by wise means else it is enthusi"Zeal in a good thing" means zealous of good works Zeal should be shown in active and useful devotion to the cause of religion, rather than in excitement and warm de votional exercise. In the first case, zeal will grow more and more efficient and operative upon the whole character and life; in the latter, it will speedily burn out, and leave the soul dry, exhausted, comfortless, and unfruitful.

asm.

2. Finally, zeal should be uniform, not periodical. It should not depend upon the fluctuations of feeling, but should act upon principle. Periodical fervors are deceitful, dangerous, injurious, dishonorable to religion. They are commonly a proof of superficial piety, or of none at all. "It is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you."

XXXIII.

ON GRIEVING THE HOLY SPIRIT.

Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.-EPH., iv., 30.

THE Holy Spirit convinces of sin, and regenerates and sanctifies the soul. It applies and makes available the provision made for man's salvation by the death of Christ. Its agency is indispensable, because men are "without strength" —are “dead in sins"-because they have neither inclination nor ability to become holy. It is also spirit acting upon spirit, the only conceivable instrument. It operates upon impenitent sinners by producing concern and alarm-by showing the vanity of earthly good. But it more especially convinces them of unbelief-of the sin of rejecting Christ. And when the Comforter is come, he will reprove the world of sin, because they believe not on me."* And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil." An enlightened conscience may convince of other sins, but moral men feel no guilt for unbelief. the most hardened sinners confess.

66

This, all but

The Spirit regenerates and sanctifies believers-dwells in them. They live by the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit visits all men, and dwells in believers ; yet it effects no valuable and permanent results, except with the consent and concurrence of the soul which it seeks to save. It" strives with men," but may be resisted, grieved, vexed, quenched, and utterly expelled. It is God's "free Spirit," and we too are equally free. We possess the perilous ability ↑ John, iii., 19.

* John, xvi.,

9.

to follow its drawings with humble and sincere obedience, or to repel them with stubborn opposition. Our treatment of the Holy Spirit, then, is a matter as important as the salvation of the soul. Let us consider briefly :

I. Our DUTY; and,

II. Our DANGER in reference to the operations of the Holy Spirit.

1. It is our duty to render to the Holy Spirit cheerful and universal obedience. This is shown by its dignity and objects, and by our utter dependence.

The Holy Spirit is our leader and guide. We must follow implicitly. It leads into all truth. It leads to duty by enlightening conscience-by vivid sensibility to our obligations -by special drawings and indications-by unusual seasons of feeling. We must obey with eager desire-promptly— must watch for leadings. The light thus becomes brighter. Otherwise, the light grows dim, the impression of duty indistinct and feeble, and is finally lost. We then look back, and suppose we were mistaken, but have, in fact, quenched the Spirit, and driven it away so far as that duty was concerned. Young converts often believe they should devote themselves wholly to God-in the ministry, perhaps are unwilling-resist till the Spirit leaves them doubtful or blind. Such persons usually become mere formalists. They even fear to have more of the Spirit, lest this disagreeable conviction of duty may return.

2. The Spirit is the great Sanctifier. It conforms our sinful, polluted nature to the spotless image of God. It encounters our constitutional tendencies, and strives against our natural corruptions. In the language of Paul, the "flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh." In this controversy, which the Spirit is pleased to carry on in our behalf, our duty is manifest from the nature of the case, and from the context. We must work mightily with the Spirit, by watchfulness-desire-prayer-self-denial-good habits.