The Grief of the Spirit

“Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God.” EPH. iv. 30,

IS then grief a divine thing? I thought -s it was something for the slave — a mark of frailty, a sign of poverty. Nay, but there is a grief which can only belong to rich natures, which is incompatible with the poor and mean. ‘There is a sorrow which can only be felt by love — a sorrow which increases as a man grows in love. ‘There are tears which divine communion wipes from the eyes, but there are other tears which it causes to gather there. Love, divine love, lifts me into a new pain — its own pain. It makes me sensitive to impressions of sadness from which yesterday I was free. It shows me coldness where I felt nothing but warmth, darkness where I saw nothing but light, deadness where I witnessed only the pulsations of life. It reveals spots in the sun, stains in the snow, impurities in the fountain, discords in the lark’s song. It lays on me as on my Lord the burden of human sin, and it tells me by a kindred experience that He grieved because He was divine.

Spirit of the Holiest, whose perfect love opens Thy heart to the greatest sorrow, let not me add to Thy grief. Thou hast wounds enough to bear without receiving one from me. It is divine in Thee to suffer, but it is undivine in me to make Thee suffer. Instead of grieving Thee, could I not help Thee to bear? Is there no work that we might do together, are there no labours that we might perforin side by side? Is there no sorrow of Thy heart which I could make a sorrow of my heart? Is there no interest in Thee which could become my interest? Is there no care in Thy life which I might be permitted to call my care? I am told that I am to be a sharer in Thy gladness, “Enter ye into the joy of your Lord.” But is not Thy joy just the redemption from Thy grief? Thy joy is humanity redeemed; Thy grief is humanity in chains. How shall rejoice with Thy laughter if I do not weep with Thy groaning; how shall I reign with Thee if I have not first suffered with Thee? I shall be made glad with Thy rapture according as the days have been wherein I have been afflicted with Thy sorrow; let me not grieve Thee but share Thy grief.