Grieving the Holy Spirit

When we find the Holy Spirit is touching our souls, oh, give him entrance to come into his own chamber, as it were, to provide a room for him when he knocks. We that live in the church, the heart of each of us, without exception, tells us that we have often resisted the Holy Spirit. Do not grieve the Spirit by any means. The Spirit may be grieved in any of several ways.
(1) The Spirit being a Spirit of holiness, is grieved with unclean words and actions. He is called the Holy Spirit, and he stirs up in the soul holy promptings like himself. He breathes into us holy promptings, and he breathes out of us good and savoury words and stirs us up to holy actions.
(2) Then the Spirit is a Spirit of love, take heed of bitterness and malice. We grieve the Spirit of God by cherishing bitterness and malice one against another. It drives away the sweet spirit of love.
(3) The Spirit of Christ is joined with a spirit of humility. 'God gives grace to the humble’ (James 4:6). The Spirit empties the soul of its windy vanity in order to fill it with himself. Those who are filled with vain, high, and proud thoughts grieve and keep out the good Spirit of God.
(4) In a word, any sin against conscience grieves the Spirit of God, and hinders spiritual liberty. When a man sins against conscience he is dead to good actions. Conscience tells him, 'How can you go about that good thing, when you have done this or that bad thing?' He cannot go so naturally to prayer and to hearing from God. Conscience lays a clog upon him. How dare he look to heaven, when he has grieved the Spirit of God, and broken the peace of his conscience?
Let this be a comfort to all struggling and striving Christians that are not yet set at liberty from their lusts and corruptions; that it is the work of Christ by his Spirit to purge the church perfectly. Remember, he will complete his work (Phil. 1:6).

Devotional Readings taken from Puritan Richard Sibbes 'Refreshment for the Soul.'
Glorious Freedom, pp. 65-67 [71-74]
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