Sunday Column.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 15 March 1913, Page 4

Sunday Column.

ADDRESS 111

"SINNERS RESISTING THE SPIRIT."

(By N. Hyde.)

Gen (j-3.—"My Spirit shall not always strive with man." In our last address wo dealt with the attitude of the Christian towards the Tloly Spirit, In this one we desire to sound a note of warning to the sinners who continue to resist the Holy Spirit. The Holy* Spirit is sai<? *ot only to prompt and suggest, b'li to actually strive with sinners His efforts to bring them to God. Let it .also be noticed in passing that the resisting of the sinner can go on to such an extent as to grieve the spirit right away. In the spirit's striving with the sinner. He makes use of preaching, or reasoning, or reading, or various other means. This is His function, to "Reprove the world of sin. righteousness and judgment"—John 108. If the sinner persists in sinning in the Face of this reproving and striving, then he .runs a great*~tlanger of committing the unpardonable sin ; it is not a single act. but a series of rebellious against revealed light. Why do sinners resist God? >Strange to say, for the very reason that Christians love Tlim. Because He is holy and good and just. Their hearty being sinful and selfish they hate the very presence of holiness and putiry becausc it makes their sin look all the blacker. The sinner might be excused if any good reason could be found for him hating and resisting God. but none can be found, for the Scripture declares "They have hated ine without a cause," John 1 o-25. God has planned everything in the highest interest of man and he has no moral or logical reason lor resisting (!-od. Human experience as well as man's conscience, declares that God's ways are best. Some sinners in a vain hope to justify themselves havo put forth the plea of inability. Unable to comply with God's commandments— If I am saved T would soon fall away; the path is too hard, etc. —all these and hundreds more are the excuses the Devil puts into 'his servants' mouths. But what does this plea of inability amount to? It simply means that the sinner tries to put tlio blamo of his sinful condition upon God. God says: "Repent and .turn from your sin, or if you do not. the wages of sin is death.'' The sinner in effect answers: "God asks of me repentance. and 1 can't repent, or am unable to stand firm if I do repent." Thus the sinner excuses and condemns God ; For if it i IS true that God asks oi them something that it is impossible for them to do. and yet condemns them for not doing it, then Cod must he wrong. B„t the facts

•'"V quite different. When Cod ifw.s a command, it implies that man lias the power to obev it if lie mi, y to. Sinners kn, w tl.ey ituve power to obey; thoy have seen others obey, and live new lives, but the truth i ; - they arc .selfish mul'love sin am! will not have this mail to reiyn over them.

'Sinners resist the Spirit, because He claims "all" their life. They are ready to give part but not all. Any advocate to-day who will promise to sinners all benelits of the Gospel, but not ask lor the conditions of the Gospel to be fulfilled, will soon havo a large following. Many want to lollow Christ, but stop when lie says

lake up thy Cross." Sinners sometimes resist, the Spirit with tho hope that il the light that is now presented to the Spirit, and which makes them anxious and concerned, were only withdrawn they would again got peace. IJow foolish the sinner is to believe that the false peace of the world is worth having at the cost ot his eternal soul. ■Sinners hate to know that they are spiritually bankrupt, but far Letter to know it now tli.an awake to the awful truth in eternitv.

The dinner is not left in doubt when the Spirit is stirring. In the inicl«t of his toil, or when quieter thoughts come to him he is reminded of God's claim upon him. Many sinners are made moral cowards by their own consciences and they are afraid of parson -and churches «nd shun them like they would smallpox. It is true many stay away 011 account ot indifference, bub it- >*• also true that many stay awav because they are flightened. THE RESULT OF RESISTING. Jf a sinner continues to resist God and God continues to strive, the outcome often is that the sinner gets angry with God's agent. He finds fault- with his motives or 110 declares thflt the agent is personal. He thinks that the agent has got some private information concerning his position, and uses the pulmt as a shield, from behind which he can thrust the troubled soul. This anger towards God's servant often turns to haired, and I have heard men go out of church saying that they would never come in again, blaming the preacher for their troubled ,and awakened condition, instead of looking into their heart and recognising the work of the Spirit. While* resisting the. Spirit, continues tho sinner has no hope of salvation, for he is resisting the only" agent who can bring about salvation. But sinners listen, listen, as you value your soul "My Spirit shall not Always strive." I here will come >a time, if you continue to resist, when he will leave you alone. You may then have a formal profession, and the slclclv peace of the world, but you wiTl end in hell. As 1 understand my text there will come a time between hirth ~77%\7

and iloafch, that if the Spirit- is not liedeed Ho will cease to strive. 'JTiis awful time when surely the sentence of Hell is passed on you may como with Tittle observation, or you may know by the (Spirit's .prominenfvoico that the call is the last. 1 havo hoard several Christians say that they .knew when they yielded to God, that if at that time they had refused, the Spirit would have pleaded no more. Charles Finney, speaking from wide exeprience in revivals, said that lie had never known any one to get converted who hacT once refused to act on the prompting of the Spirit, having been made to feel tliat the Spirit spoko for the last time. 1 .would to Cod that .sinners could be made to feel the great risk of hell they run by resisting the Spirit. The .Spirit does not eraso to strive because Ho ceases to love, but because htere is a limit to God's endurance concerning sinful man. "Hut my people would not hearken to my voice: and Israel would none of me, so I gave them up into their own heart's lust." Ps. 81, 11-12.

In closing, let me put before the .sinner two reasons why, in my opinion, the Spirit will not strive always:— (1). Because longer pleading will do no good. We have seen frTour previous addresses that the soul is .saved by .acting upon the light presented to it by the Spirit. Now if the truth will not convince when fresh, every successive instance of its presentation to the mind will havo less hukl less effect. The sinner becomes hardened against the truth. If you will not act. who "you clearly see your duty, then to continue to place your duty before you is to cast pearl before swine. (2) For the Spirit to strive further will not only do no good, but do positive harm. As your light increases and you do not act on it. so vour guilt increases likewise. To further trive and show light is to add to your guilt and to your fin a 1 punishment. When the sinner lias definitely chosen hell as his portion, then it oulv remains for the mercy of God. to make the sinners bell as mild as He can in accordance with Divine justice. So we see it is Tor the love for the sainer that causes the Spirit to cease to plead when the sinner has determined to spend eternity in God's mad-house-If we need further proof that the appeal of the spirit has les effect as time goes on, we have but to compare the number saved in old age with those saved in youth. Some one saved in old age. that none need despair, hut only n few. that none should presume on God's mercy. Sinner, a final word.. Remember light and guilt keep pace together. Answer the question now: "Where will yon spend eternty?"