The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 651

:

THE

THE HOLY GHOST

SIN AGAINST

The Scripture gives a

6ii

clear and transparent exposition of the sin

The scribes who had come down from Jerusalem were seeing glorious things and were hearing heavenlywords, for Jesus was standing in their midst. And while with eye against the Holy Spirit.

and ear they were tasting "

He

of these

heavenly

gifts,

hath Beelzebub, the prince of the devils."

they dared say

And

to this blas-

phemous statement Jesus answered immediately that these persons had committed the sin against the Holy Ghost, " because they said

He had an

Wherefore,

unclean spirit."

among

well-disposed

The

persons, there can be no difference of opinion in this matter.

committed only by persons who, beholding the beauty and majesty of the Lord, turn the light into darkness and deem the highest glory of the Son of God's love to belong to Satan and his demons. And, since the afflicted souls sin against the

Holy

Spirit can be

already referred to are conscious of their inability to grasp holy things,

and are acquainted with the

heart, yet, despite these

sinful suggestions of their

own

suggestions, earnestly desire to be per-

suaded of their Savior's love, therefore

it is

impossible that they

can ever become the guilty victims of despair. It

may

not be denied, however, that in the hearts of the saints

awful thoughts sometimes arise against the Holy One.

The pool

underneath our hearts, with its poisonous gases, continues until death. While we are engaged in the reading of the Word, in prayer, or in holy meditation, suggestions sometimes flash through of iniquity

mind which startle us as the poisoned sting of a wasp, which we would like to tear from head and heart, from which we shrink the

with the cry as tho struck by lightning

:

O

God, deliver

me

!

these suggestions have nothing to do with the sin against the

But Holy

Spirit for we do not identify ourselves with them, do not cherish them, but cast them aside as we would an adder. They come through us, but are not of us. Or, rather, they spring from our sin;

ful nature,

but are unwedded to our will

—in fact,

repugnant to our

will.

We

should take heed, therefore,

Scripture,

we

please Satan only too well.

Holy

lest,

by departing from the This would

estrange our souls from the love of God.

He

loves to use that sin against the

vex weak souls, and their anguish delights his heart. Therefore they must not be allowed to brood upon this fearful word of Scripture. It is true the Gospel is terribly in earnest, but Spirit to

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