injuring himself, he might be said to proceed as fast as time, in the sense of employing it; and if all these were wise and good operations, he would proceed as fast, in the sense of improving it.

The Love of the Spirit.

A Sermon preached at the United Methodist Free Chapel, Helston, on the morning of the Lord's Day, October 25th, 1863, by

"The love of the Spirit."-Romans xv. 30.

If you carefully search the Scriptures, you will discover that there are three persons, equally divine, glorious, and adorable in the Godhead; and, that the same act is sometimes attributed to the Father, sometimes to the Son, and sometimes to the Holy Ghost. This arises from the glorious and mysterious union of the three subsistences in the Divine essence. They are one, ineffably one, in nature, attributes, designs, and operations. Hence, frequently, what is said of one, may be justly affirmed of the others. Still we must not forget the adorable distinction of Divine persons, and that their love, though one, has been variously displayed, according to the offices which they, by voluntary agreement, sustain in the economy of redemption. The Father devised the plan, the Son performed the work, the Spirit applies the benefits of redemption. As we live under the dispensation of which the Holy Spirit is the administrator, we should seek to obtain correct views of His Person and work, that we may render those acts of confidence, gratitude, adoration, and obedience, which we owe to Him, in common with the Father and the Son.

Had Paul intended by "the love of the Spirit," that love to God and to one another, which He sheds abroad in the hearts of believers, we should then have been justified in directing your attention to the Spirit's love, as the source whence all pure Christian affection flows: but we understand the apostle as speaking of the love which the Spirit bears to us. The subject then for our meditation is, the Love of the Spirit. We consider a few of its Properties, trace some of its Manifestations, and show the Influence which it should have upon us. I. ITS PROPERTIES. We remark at once that it is

1. Divine. Our thoughts rise above all human affection, or angelic benevolence; and fix on the love of a Being strictly and essentially divine. Of the supreme divinity of the Holy Spirit we have the fullest conviction. As it is a truth of the utmost importance, it is eternally established. It rests on a basis firm and broad, which no power, human or infernal, can overthrow, and which no ingenuity can undermine. Is God Omnipotent? "All these things worketh that one and the self-same Spirit." Is God Omnipresent? "Whither shall I go from thy Spirit ?" Is God Omniscient? "The Spirit searcheth all things." Is God Eternal? He is "the eternal Spirit." Is Creation an evidence of Divinity? "By His Spirit He

hath garnished the heavens." Is Inspiration? "Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." Is Regeneration? We are "born of the Spirit." Is the Resurrection of the dead? "If the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you." Thus in the most unqualified manner do the inspired writers attribute to the Spirit what is properly divine and inalienable. This then is the love of an Infinite nature, and, however incomprehensible by our finite minds, we can have no doubt that it is a real affection, and something analogous to love in us.

2. Eternal. The Spirit is love, and as this is an essential attribute, it must be co-equal with Himself. Before any creature was called into being, His love was exercised towards the Father and the Son, in acts of complacency and delight. Love inaccessible, unspeakable, and full of glory; but His love to us was no sudden emotion, no momentary affection. The idea of the world's renovation reposed in His mind before the world's creation; when man's apostacy was foreseen, His redemption was purposed. Jesus was the appointed Mediator, the Father's ambassador, the Spirit's anointed." The Lord God and His Spirit covenanted to send Him."

3. Spontaneous. There is a sense in which all love is voluntary. We may speak of the cords and chains of love, but they are willing cords and voluntary chains. Love cannot be forced; and yet the love of no creature is absolutely spontaneous. He owes his power to love to another. It is constantly dependent on another. He cannot, at pleasure, select the objects of love. He is bound to love, and must give an account to a higher tribunal for its exercise. This is true of the burning seraph before heaven's throne; but the love of the Spirit soars above all these conditions. If He is sometimes represented as the gift, or as sent by the Father or the Son, it is on His part a voluntary condescension, and an official subordination. He is absolutely independent and self-controlled; He leans on no power, is bound by no authority, and acts spontaneously and irresponsibly.

4.-Intelligent. Not a blind passion. Not a blind passion. He perfectly knew the character of those on whom He has set His love; the blindness, hardness, coldness, and enmity of the human heart. He surveyed the path over which His love would have to pass; calculated the opposition that would be raised against it; measured the pit it would have to fathom, and the masses of depravity it would have to remove. Yet, with this perfect knowledge, His love freely flowed. O, wondrous love! Love nowhere to be found less than Divine. tongues of men, or of angels, cannot describe it. Our capacities cannot contain it. Its glories become more refulgent as we gaze on it; its riches increase as we attempt to calculate it. It is longer than the earth, deeper than the sea, broader than the firmament.

II.-ITS MANIFESTATIONS. It has been displayed.

The

1.-In creation. This earth is His work. He called it into existence, hung it upon nothing, formed its strata, projected its scale, fixed the axis on which it daily turns, and marked out the orbit

through which it annually travels. When it was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep, He moved upon the waters, stilled the tempest, and subdued the contending powers. By His benign influence order rose out of confusion, light out of darkness, beauty out of deformity, and plenty out of barrenness. At His touch shapeless substances swelled into the most pleasing objects, and were spread out into the most enchanting landscapes. And all out of love was. He made this charming world for the residence of man! He separated its parts, suitably furnished it, caused its waters to fall into their proper channels, covered it with verdure, filled it with living creatures; and God saw that all was very good. 2.-In the preservation of all things. To Him we are indebted for the regular return of winter and summer, cold and heat, seed-time and harvest; His operations are as necessary to fruitfulness in the vegetable kingdom as they are to produce the fruits of righteousness in the hearts of believers, and also to the preservation of all living creatures. What He at first formed He still upholds and disposes; all wait upon Him, and He giveth them their meat in due season, and keeps up a regular succession. Because of sin they die. "Thou sendest forth thy Spirit, they are created; and thou renewest the face of the earth.

3.-In the revelation He has given to us. All Scripture is given by His inspiration. As we cannot fully estimate the worth of the Bible, we cannot conceive of the love that gave it. Think, for a moment, what would have been our condition had the Spirit made no revevelation! What a dreary desert this world would have been! What a gloom would have bung over our destinies! How awfully wretched our souls! Not a ray of light would have crossed our bewildered paths, not a gleam of hope would have calmed our agitated bosom. Satan would have held an undisputed reign, and sin an undisturbed dominion. But the veil is rent; the covering is destroyed; the true light shineth; everything, necessary to present and eternal salvation, is revealed. But while walking amid this lovely and varied scenery, and enjoying these inestimable benefits, forget not its Divine Author, that you are indebted for all these important predictions, sublime doctrines, pure precepts, forcible exhortations, precious promises, noble examples, and glorious discoveries, to the love of the Spirit. And this love will shine still more brightly when we remind you that He constructed the instructive system of types, inspired the Psalmists, touched the lips of the prophets with hallowed fire, and that His design, in all those early revelations to the world, was to prepare the world for the world's Redeemer. And when the fulness of time was come for Christ to appear, and a body was to be prepared for Him, Gabriel thus spake unto the Virgin Mary,-" The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee; therefore, also, that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." Thus the humanity of our Redeemer was the production of the Holy Spirit; and, while He tabernacled on earth," the Spirit of the Lord rested upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might,

At His bapDuring His He wrought

the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord." tism the Spirit, like a dove, descended upon Him. ministry the Spirit was given to Him without measure. His beneficent and stupendous miracles by the Spirit; and when He had to make the great atonement, He, "through the eternal Spirit, offered Himself without spot to God." Oh! the love of the Spirit. 4.-In the institution of the Christian ministry. No natural or acquired abilities, personal or mental excellence, powers of elocution, or stores of learning, can qualify a man for this work; he must be "moved by the Holy Ghost." Hear what the Apostle saith to the elders at Ephesus-"Take heed unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the Church of God, which He hath purchased with His own blood." Now, if no man has any right to take this honour and responsibility unto himself, and if there never has been a Christian minister, and never will be, without the Spirit, how great is His love in keeping up a regular succession! He does not leave it to the will or whim of bishops, so called, whether there shall be ministe:s of His Gospel ; it is His inalienable prerogative to call and to qualify for the high office. He has never transferred the authority to any man, whether he is Pope, or President, or Presbyter; nor to any number of men, whether assembled in conclave, convocation, or conference. He sends by whom He will send, and often by men apparently the most unlikely, choosing the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and weak things of the world to confound the things that are mighty, that no flesh should glory in His presence; and His love is displayed, not only in keeping up the pure spiritual succession, but in the various talents with which He endows His servants for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.

5.-In His operations on individuals.

And here remember that His visits to your hearts were undeserved, undesired, and unsolicited. He had a perfect knowledge of your ingratitude, rebellion, and corruption. He fully estimated the exceeding sinfulness of sin, its prodigious turpitude, and infinite demerit. As a Being glorious in holiness, He loathed it according to its full deserts. It was inconceivably hateful to Him. All His views and sensibilities were in eternal opposition to it. What must have been His repugnance to come into contact with hearts long the habitations of the accursed spirit, and of every unclean thing! It was only equalled by that matchless love that brought Him near to you. And then not one of you opened the door at His first knock. You attempted to drown His voice by the noise of raging passion and appetite. You disliked His reproofs, coldly turned away from Him, or, perhaps, impiously said, "We will not have Thee to reign over us.' From early days until now He has been seeking to allure you. He has pursued you through every lane, met you at every corner, saying, "How can I give thee up, Ephraim !" He has restrained you from a thousand evils when, through your obstinacy, He has not renewed you. In

the public means of grace, when walking in the road, when at your work, and in the watches of the night, He has visited you. The most painful dispensations of Providence He has sought to turn to your good. When death snatched a lovely babe from your embraces, and your heart sank within you, He gently whispered, "Now God has taken from thee thy idol give Me thy heart." And, especially, when conscience struck its scorpion-sting into thy breast, when the wrath Divine oppressed thee, when judgment glared down terrifically upon thy head, and hell seemed to flame up at thy feet, who saved thee from sinking into black despair? Who took of the things of Christ, and showed them unto you? Who unscaled thine eyes to behold the great victim, and nerved thy heart to grasp the cross? -The Spirit of love! And when God, for Christ's sake, pardoned thy sins, who was it that instantly came with the glad tidings of great joy, that deposed to the glorious fact, that whispered, "Thy sins are forgiven; accepted thou art;" and heaven sprung up in thy soul? -The Holy Spirit. He hastened to visit thy sorrowful breast; He beareth witness, with thy spirit, that thou art a child of God; He has entered thy heart, crying, "Abba, Father."

And now think of His love to those who have found redemption in the blood of Christ. They are the temples of the Holy Ghost. He dwells in their hearts, who sits upon the throne, making all things new; enlightening the mind, subduing the will, purifying the conscience, and transforming the whole soul from human to Divine. He leads them into all truth. He strengthens them for the discharge of all duties, and the endurance of all trials. He gives them the earnest of their future inheritance, and at the last great day He will quicken their mortal bodies, purify and beautify them, for His own residence in the regions of immortality.

III. ITS INFLUENCE. It should

1.-Excite your Admiration. What subject so interesting, so important, so transcendently sublime, as this! There is nothing with which we can compare it. All instances of parental, conjugal, and filial affection, are totally eclipsed by it: they sink into insignificance. Think, again, of the dignity of person of the Spirit, of His infinite, harmonious, and glorious perfections, of His perfect blessedness as He sat with the Father and the Son, in all the splendour of unapproachable magnificence; and of your own guilt, deformity, depravity, danger, and helplessness when He loved you.

2 Preserve you from rebellion. For will you dare to sin against a Being so lovely, so full of benignity? Will you extinguish the light that He pours on your minds ? Will you resist His gracious operations, quench His influence, and run counter to His will? He loves you, seeks to save you, and to make you an habitation for Himself. But, as He is essentially holy, He cannot take up His abode in you while you live in sin. If you fill the house witl. smoke and filthiness, with the tempest of furious passions, and turbulent appetites, the heavenly Dove will fly out at the window. He will then leave you to the darkness of your minds, the hardness and corruption of your hearts, and the rage of your foes. "They rebelled, and vexed His Holy Spirit; therefore He was turned to be their