Grieving the Holy Ghost

 THE HOLY GHOST WAS GRIEVED

By Edward Davies

Ephesians 4:30, "And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption."

August 12. Just returned from Yarmouth camp-meeting. It was a precious season. I preached yesterday at the camp-meeting from 'Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?' God gave me great liberty, and at the close nearly every professor and minister present arose, expressing a desire to receive the Holy Ghost; and we bowed at once in silent prayer, and still some could not be silent, and one cried out, 'O Lord, give me this baptism that I may be useful.'

Somebody told him rather abruptly to 'hold his peace.' I could not feel that this was right; the poor man could not help crying out. In a few moments the bell rang for dinner, and at once 'the powers that be' began to sing the doxology, and dismissed the meeting; and so the blessed Holy Spirit was invited to come to the hearts of hundreds, and yet we did not wait a moment (after the bell rang) to welcome this Heavenly Guest.

Reluctantly many rose from their knees and slowly went away. I was hurt. A dear sister from Grace Church, Boston, was so overpowered with the Holy Ghost that she sat and leaned upon a sister, and her face shone as it had been the face of an angel. The tears streamed down her cheeks. She had enjoyed the blessing of entire sanctification for years, but said she never had anything like that.

It seemed as if the very Spirit that waited to fill the hearts of the multitude fell on her, while others went away to feast the body. There she sat with glory beaming from her countenance, unable to move, as though the Holy Ghost would have some human form in which to enshrine himself at that sacred altar. And there we sat around this sister till after the bell rang one o'clock, and it was a feast indeed to see her face and hear her tell the wondrous dealings of God to her soul.

Many precious revivals are stopped by just such disrespect to the operations of the Holy Ghost. The Spirit is grieved and the work of God ceases. Lord, help us ever to be led by the Spirit!