The First Fruit of the Spirit
(No. 1782)
A SERMON DELIVERED ON LORD'S-DAY MORNING, MAY 25, 1884,
BY C. H. SPURGEON,
AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love." Galatians 5:22.
THE worst enemy we have is the flesh. Augustine used to frequently
pray, "Lord, deliver me from that evil man, myself." All the fire which
the devil can bring from Hell could do us little harm if we had not so
much fuel in our nature. It is the powder in the magazine of the old
man which is our perpetual danger. When we are guarding against foes
outside, we must not forget to be continually on our watchtower against
the foe of foes within. "The flesh lusts against the Spirit." On the
other hand, our best Friend, who loves us better than we love
ourselves, is the Holy Spirit. We are shockingly forgetful of the Holy
Spirit and, therein, it is to be feared that we greatly grieve Him. Yet
we are immeasurably indebted to Him–in fact, we owe our spiritual
existence to His Divine Power.
It would not be proper to compare the love of the Spirit with the Grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ, so as even, by implication, to set up a scale
of degrees in love–for the love of the regenerating Spirit is
infinite, even as is the love of the redeeming Son. But yet, for a
moment, we will set these two displays of love side by side. Is not the
indwelling of the Spirit of God equal in loving kindness to the
Incarnation of the Son of God? Jesus dwelt in a pure Manhood of His
own–the Holy Spirit dwells in our manhood, which is fallen and, as
yet, imperfectly sanctified. Jesus dwelt in His human body, having it
perfectly under His own control, but, alas, the Holy Spirit must
contend for the mastery within us, and though He is Lord over our
hearts, yet there is an evil power within our members, strongly
entrenched and obstinately bent on mischief.
"The flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh."
Our Lord Jesus dwelt in His body only for some 30 years or so, but the
blessed Spirit of All Grace dwells in us through all the days of our
pilgrimage–from the moment when He enters into us by regeneration He
continues in us, making us qualified to be partakers of the inheritance
of the saints in light. You sing–
"Oh, 'tis love, 'tis wondrous Love," in reference to our Lord Jesus and
His Cross–sing it, also, in reference to the Holy Spirit and His
long-suffering! He looks at us from within and, therefore, He sees the
chambers of imagery where hidden idols still abide. He sees our
actions–not from the outside, for there, perhaps, they might be judged
favorably. But He discerns them from within–in their springs and in
the pollution of those springs–in their main currents and in all their
side eddies and back waters.
Brothers and Sisters, it is amazing that this blessed Spirit should not
leave us in indignation! We lodge Him so evilly. We honor Him so
little. He receives so little of our affectionate worship that He might
well say, "I will no longer abide with you." When the Lord had given up
His people to the Roman sword, there was heard in the Temple at
Jerusalem a sound as of rushing wings and a voice crying, "Let us go
from here." Justly might the Divine Presence have left us, also,
because of our sins! It is matchless love which has caused the Holy
Spirit to bear with our ill manners and bear our vexatious behavior! He
stays though sin intrudes into His temple! He makes His royal abode
where evil assails His palace! Alas, that a heart where the Spirit
deigns to dwell should always be made a thoroughfare for selfish or
unbelieving traffic!
God help us to adore the Holy Spirit at the commencement of our
discourse and to do so even more reverently at its close! The Holy
Spirit, when He comes into us, is the Author of all our desires after
true holiness. He strives against the flesh in us. That holy conflict
which we wage against our corruption comes entirely of Him. We would
sit down in willing bondage to the flesh if He did not bid us strike
for liberty. The good Spirit also leads us in the way of life. If we
are led of
the Spirit, says the Apostle, we are not under the Law. He leads us by
gentle means, drawing us with cords of love and bands of a man. "He
leads me." If we take a single step in the right road, it is because He
leads us. And if we have persevered, these many years, in the way of
peace, it is all due to His guidance–even to Him who will surely bring
us in and make us to enjoy the promised rest!–
"Andevery virtue wepossess,
And every victory won,
And every thought of holiness,
Are His alone.'
The Holy Spirit not only creates the inward contest against sin and the
agonizing desire for holiness, but He leads us onward in the way of
life. And He remains within us, taking up His residence and more–for
the text suggests a still more immovable steadfastness of residence in
our hearts since, according to the figure, the Spirit strikes root
within us. The text speaks of, "fruit," and fruit comes only of a
rooted abidance–it could not be conceived of in connection with a
transient sojourning, like that of a wayfaring man. The stakes and tent
pins that are driven into the ground for an Arab's tent bear no fruit,
for they do not remain in one place. And, inasmuch as I read of the,
"fruit of the Spirit," I take comfort from the hint and conclude that
He intends to abide in our souls as a tree abides in the soil when
fruit is borne by it!
Let us love and bless the Holy Spirit! Let the golden altar of incense
perfume this earth with the sweet savor of perpetual adoration to the
Holy Spirit! Let our hearts heartily sing to Him this solemn doxology–
"We give You, sacred Spirit, praise, Who in our hearts of sin and woe
Makes living springs of Grace arise, And into boundless glory flow."
I. Now, coming to our text, I shall notice the matters contained in it.
The first thing which my mind perceives is A WINNOWING FAN. I would
like to be able to use it, but it is far better that it should remain
where it is, for, "the fan is in His hand and He will thoroughly purge
His floor." The handle of this winnowing fan is made of the first word
of the text, that disjunctive conjunction, that dividing monosyllable,
"But." "But the fruit of the Spirit is love"! That, "but," is placed
there because the Apostle had been mentioning certain works of the
flesh, all of which he winnows away like chaff. And then he sets forth
in opposition to them, "the fruit of the Spirit."
If you will read the chapter, you will notice that the Apostle has used
no less than 17 words–I might almost say 18–to describe the works of
the flesh. Human language is always rich in bad words because the human
heart is full of the manifold evils which these words denote. Nine
words are used to express the fruit of the Spirit. But to express the
works of the flesh–see how many are gathered together! The first set
of these works of the flesh which have to be winnowed away are the
counterfeits of love to man. Counterfeited love is one of the vilest
things under Heaven. That heavenly word, love, has been trailed in the
mire of unclean passion and filthy desire. The licentiousness which
comes of the worship of Venus has dared to take to itself a name which
belongs only to the pure worship of Jehovah.
Now, the works which counterfeit love are these–"adultery,
fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness." To talk of "love" when a man
covets his neighbor's wife, or when a woman violates the command, "You
shall not commit adultery," is little less than sheer blasphemy against
the holiness of love! It is not love, but lust–love is an angel and
lust a devil! The purities of domestic life are defiled and its honors
are disgraced when once the marriage bond is disregarded. When men or
women talk of religion and are unfaithful to their marriage covenant,
they are base hypocrites! Even the heathen condemned this infamy–let
not Christians tolerate it!
The next fleshly work is "fornication," which was scarcely censured
among the heathen, but is most sternly condemned by Christianity. It is
a wretched sign of the times, that in these corrupt days some have
arisen who treat this crime as a slight offense and even attempt to
provide for its safer indulgence by legislative enactments! Has it come
to this? Has the civil ruler become a panderer to the lusts of corrupt
minds? Let it not be once named among you, as it becomes saints.
"Uncleanness" is a third work of the flesh and it includes those many
forms of foul offense which defile the body and deprive it of its true
honor. We bring up the rear with, "lasciviousness," which is the cord
which draws on un-cleanness and includes all conversation which excites
the passions, all songs which suggest lewdness, all gestures and
thoughts which lead up to unlawful gratification.
We have sadly much of these evils in these days, not only openly in our
streets, but in more secret ways. I loathe the subject! All works of
art which are contrary to modesty are here condemned and the most
pleasing poetry, if it creates impure imaginations. These unclean
things are the works of the flesh in the stage of putridity–the very
maggots which swarm within a corrupt soul. Bury these rotten things out
of our sight! I do but uncover them for an instant that a holy disgust
may be caused in every Christian soul and that we may flee from them as
from the breath of pestilence! Yet remember, O you that think
yourselves pure and imagine you would never transgress so badly, that
even into these loathsome and abominable criminalities high professors
have fallen!
Yes, and sincere Believers, trusting in themselves, have slipped into
this ditch from where they have escaped with infinite sorrow–to go
with broken bones the rest of their pilgrimage. Alas, how many who
seemed to be escaped from pollution have so fallen that they have had
to be saved so as by fire! Oh, may we keep our garments unspotted by
the flesh! And this we cannot do unless it is in the power and energy
of the Spirit of Holiness. He must purge these evils from us and cause
His fruit to so abound in us that the deeds of the flesh shall be
excluded forever.
The winnowing fan is used next against the counterfeits of love to God.
I refer to the falsities of superstition– "Idolatry and
witchcraft"–"but the fruit of the Spirit is love." Alas, there are
some that fall into idolatry, for they trust in an arm of flesh and
exalt the creature into the place of the Creator–"their God is their
belly and they glory in their shame." The golden calf of wealth, the
silver shrines of craft, the goddess of philosophy, the Diana
offashion, the Moloch of power–these are all worshipped instead of the
living God! Those who profess to reverence the true God, yet too
generally worship Him in ways which He has not ordained. Thus says the
Lord, "You shall not make unto you any graven image, or any likeness of
anything that is in Heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or
that is in the water under the earth: you shall not bow down yourself
to them, nor serve them."
Yet we have Christians (so called) who say they derive help in the
exercise of devotion from images and pictures! Look how their places of
assembly are rendered gaudy with pictures, images and things which
savor of old Rome! What idolatry is openly carried on in certain
buildings belonging to the National Church! What sensuous worship is
now approved! Men cannot worship God, nowadays, unless their eyes, ears
and noses are gratified! When these senses of the flesh are pleased,
they are satisfied with themselves! "But the fruit of the Spirit is
love." Love is the most perfect architecture, for "love builds up."
Love is the sweetest music, for without it we become as a sounding
brass or a tinkling cymbal. Love is the choicest incense, for it is a
sacrifice of sweet smell. Love is the most fit vestment–"Above all
things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness."
Oh, that men would remember that the fruit of the Spirit is not the
finery of the florist, the sculptor, or the milliner, but the love of
the heart! It ill becomes us to make that gaudy which should be simple
and spiritual. The fruit of the Spirit is not idolatry–the worship of
another god–or of the true God after the manner of will worship! No,
that fruit is obedient love to the only living God. "Witchcraft," too,
is a work of the flesh. Under this head we may rightly group all that
prying into the unseen; that rending of the veil which God has hung up;
that interfering with departed spirits; that necromancy which calls
itself spiritualism and pays court to familiar spirits and demons–this
is no fruit of the Spirit, but the fruit of a bitter root! Brother and
Sister Christians, modern witchcrafts and wizardry are to be abhorred
and condemned–and you will be wise to keep clear of them, trembling to
be found acting in concert with those who love darkness rather than
light–because their deeds are evil!
Idolatry and witchcraft are caused by a lack of love to God and they
are evidences that the Spirit's life is not in the soul! When you come
to love God with all your heart, you will not worship God in ways of
your own devising, but you will ask, "How shall I draw near unto the
most high God?" And you will take your direction from the Lord's
Inspired Word. The service which He prescribes is the only service
which He will accept! The winnowing fan is at work right now–I wonder
whether it is operating upon any here present?
But next, this great winnowing fan drives away, with its, "but," all
the forms of hate. The Apostle mentions, "hatred," or an habitual
enmity to men, usually combined with a selfish esteem of one's own
person. Certain men cherish a dislike to everybody who is not of their
clique, while they detest those who oppose them. They are contemptuous
to the weak, ready to take offense and care little whether they give it
or not. They delight to be in minorities of one and the more
wrong-headed and pugnacious they can be, the more are they in their
element. "Variance," too, with its perpetual
dislikes, bickering and quarrelling, is a work of the flesh. Those who
indulge in it are contrary to all men, pushing their angles into
everybody's eyes, and looking out for occasions of fault-finding, and
strife.
"Emulations"–that is, jealousy–jealousy in all its forms, is one of
the works of the flesh. Is it not cruel as the grave? There is a
jealousy which sickens if another is praised and pines away if another
prospers. It is a venomous thing and stings like an adder! It is a
serpent by the way, biting the horse's heels, so that his rider falls
backward. "Wrath" is another deed of the flesh–I mean the fury of
angry passion and all the madness which comes of it. "But I am a man of
very quick temper," says one! Are you a Christian? If so, you are bound
to master this evil force or it will ruin you! If you were a saint of
God to the very highest degree in all but in this one point, it would
pull you down! Yes, at any moment an angry spirit might make you say
and do that which would cause you life-long sorrow.
"Strife" is a somewhat milder, but equally mischievous form of the same
evil. It burns not quite so fast and furiously, yet it is a slow fire
kindled by the same flame of Hell as the more ardent passion. The
continual love of contention; the morbid sensitiveness; the overbearing
regard to one's own dignity which join together to produce strife are
all evil things. What is the proper respect which is due to poor
creatures like ourselves? I suppose that if any one of us got our
"proper respect," we would not like it long–we would think that bare
justice was rather scant in its appreciation! We desire to be flattered
when we cry out for, "proper respect!" Respect, indeed! Why, if we had
our just due, we would be in the lowest Hell!
Then our Apostle mentions, "seditions," which occur in the State, the
Church and the family. As far as our Church life is concerned, this
evil shows itself in an opposition to all sorts of authority or law.
Any kind of official action in the Church is to be railed at because it
is official! Rule of any sort is objected to because each man desires
to have the preeminence and will not be second! God save us from this
evil leaven! Heresy is that kind of hate which makes every man set up
to create his own religion, write his own bible and think out his own
gospel. We have heard of, "every man his own lawyer," and now we are
coming to have, "Every man his own god, every man his own bible, every
man his own instructor."
After this work of the flesh, come "Envyings"–not so much the desire
to enrich one's self at another's expense, as a wolfish craving to
impoverish him and pull him down for the mere sake of it. This is a
very acrid form of undiluted hate and leaves but one stronger form of
hate. To desire another's dishonor merely from envy of his superiority
is simply devilish and is a sort of murder of the man's best life. The
list is fitly closed by, "murders"–a suitable cornerstone to crown
this diabolical edifice–for what is hate but murder? And what is
murder but hate bearing its full fruit? He who does not love has,
within him, all the elements that make a murderer! If you have not a
general feeling of benevolence towards all men and a desire to do them
good, the old spirit of Cain is within you and it only needs to be
unrestrained and it will strike the fatal blow and lay your brother
dead at your feet! God save you, Brothers and Sisters, every one of
you, from the domination of these dark principles of hate which are the
works of the flesh in its corruption. "But the fruit of the Spirit is
love."
Next time you begin to boil over with wrath, imagine you feel a hand
touching you and causing you to hear a gentle voice whispering, "But
the fruit of the Spirit is love." Next time you say, "I will never
speak to that man again, I cannot stand him," imagine you feel a fresh
wind fanning your fevered brow and hear the Angel of Mercy say, "But
the fruit of the Spirit is love." Next time you are inclined to find
fault with everybody, set your brethren by the ears and create a
general scuffle, I pray you let the chimes ring out, "But the fruit of
the Spirit is love!" If you wish to find fault, it is easy to do
so–you may begin with me and go down to the last young member that was
admitted into the Church–and you will not have to look long before you
can spy out something which needs improvement!
But to what end will you pick holes in our coats? Whenever you are bent
on the growling business, pause awhile and hear the Scripture admonish
you–"The fruit of the Spirit is love." When you become indignant
because you have been badly treated and you think of returning evil for
evil, remember this text–"The fruit of the Spirit is love." "Ah," you
say, "it was shameful!" Of course it was! And therefore do not imitate
it–do not render railing for railing–but contrariwise, blessing, for,
"the fruit of the Spirit is love." The winnowing fan is at work–may
God blow your chaff away, Brothers and Sisters, and mine, too!
The next thing which the winnowing fan blows away is the excess of
self-indulgence–"drunkenness, reveling and such like." Alas, that
Christian people should ever need to be warned against these animal
offenses! And yet they do. The wine cup still has its morgues for
professors! Nor is this all–it is not merely that you drink to excess,
but you may eat to
excess, or clothe your body too sumptuously–or there may be some other
spending of money upon your own gratification which is not according to
sober living. Drunkenness is one of those trespasses of which Paul
says, "they which do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God."
The reveling which makes night hideous with its so-called songs — call
them howling and you are nearer the mark–the reveling which spends
hour after hour in entertainment which heats the blood, hardens the
heart and chases away all solid thought, is not for us who have
renounced the works of dark-ness–for us there is a better joy, namely,
to be filled with the Spirit–"the fruit of the Spirit is love."
II. The second thing which I see in the text is A JEWEL–that jewel is
love. "The fruit of the Spirit is love." What a priceless diamond this
is! It is altogether incalculable in value. What a heavenly Grace love
is! It has its center in the heart, but its circumference sweeps, like
Omnipresence, around everything! Love is a Grace of boundless scope. We
love God–it is the only way in which we can fully embrace Him. We can
love the whole of God, but we cannot know the whole of God! Yes, we
love God, and even love that part of God which we cannot comprehend or
even know. We love the Father as He is. We love His dear Son as He is.
We love the ever-blessed Spirit as He is. Following upon this, for
God's sake, we love the creatures He has made! It is true, in a
measure, that–
"He prays best that loves best Both man and bird and beast."
Every tiny fly that God has made is sacred to our souls as God's
creature. Our love climbs to Heaven, sits among the angels and soon
bows among them in lowliest attitude, but, in due time, our love stoops
down to earth, visits the haunts of depravity, cheers the attics of
poverty and sanctifies the dens of blasphemy, for it loves the lost!
Love knows no outcast London–it has cast out none! It talks not of the
"lapsed masses," for none have lapsed from its regard. Love hopes good
for all and plans good for all–while it can soar to Glory, it can
descend to sorrow. Love is a Grace which has to do with eternity, for
we shall never cease to love Him who first loved us!
But love has also to do with this present world, for it is at home in
feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, nursing the sick and liberating
the slave. Love delights in visiting the fatherless and the widows and
thus it earns the encomium–"I was hungry and you gave Me meat: I was
thirsty and you gave Me drink: I was a stranger and you took Me in:
naked, and you clothed Me: I was sick and you visited Me: I was in
prison and you came unto Me." Love is a very practical, home-spun
virtue, and yet it is so rich and rare that God, alone, is its Author.
None but a heavenly Power can produce this fine linen–the love of the
world is sorry stuff! Love has to do with friends. How fondly it
nestles in the parental bosom! How sweetly it smiles from a mother's
eyes! How closely it binds two souls together in marriage bonds! How
pleasantly it walks along the ways of life, leaning on the arm of
friendship! And love is not content with this–she embraces her enemy,
she heaps coals of fire upon her adversary's head–she prays for them
that despitefully use her and persecute her. Is not this a precious
jewel, indeed?
What earthly thing can be compared to it? You must have noticed that in
the list of the fruits of the Spirit, it's the first–"The fruit of the
Spirit is love." It is first because, in some respects, it is best.
First, because it leads the way. First, because it becomes the motive
principle and stimulant of every other Grace and virtue! You cannot
conceive of anything more forceful and more beneficial and, therefore,
it is the first. But see what follows at its heels. Two shining ones
attend it like maids of honor, waiting upon a queen! "The fruit of the
spirit is love, joy, peace"–he that has love, has joy and peace! What
choice companions! To love much is to possess a deep delight, a secret
cellar of the wine of joy which no man may otherwise taste.
He that loves is like to God, who is the God of Peace. Truly the meek
and loving shall inherit the earth and delight themselves in the
abundance of peace! He is calm and quiet whose soul is full of love. In
his boat the Lord stands at the helm, saying to the winds and waves,
"Peace! Be still!" He that is all love, though he may have to suffer,
yet shall count it all joy when he falls into different trials. See,
then, what a precious jewel it is that has so many shining brilliants
set at its side. Love has this for its excellence, that it fulfils the
whole Law of God–you cannot say that of any other virtue! Yet, while
it fulfils the whole Law, it is not legal. Nobody ever loved because it
was demanded of him–a good man loves because it is his nature to do
so. Love is free–it blows where it will–like the Spirit from which it
comes. Love, indeed, is the very essence of heart liberty! Well may it
be honored, for while it is a true Grace of the Gospel, it nevertheless
fulfils the whole Law. If you would have Law and Gospel sweetly
combined, you have it in the fruit of the Spirit, which is love.
Love, moreover, is Godlike, for God is Love. Love it is which prepares
us for Heaven where everything is love. Come, sweet Spirit, and rest
upon us till our nature is transformed into the Divine Nature by our
becoming burning flames of love! Oh, that it were so with us this very
day! Mark, Beloved, that the love we are speaking of is not a love
which comes out of men on account of their natural constitution. I have
known persons who are tenderly affectionate by nature–and this is
good, but it is not spiritual love–that is the fruit of nature and not
of Grace! An affectionate disposition is admirable, but it may become a
danger by leading to inordinate affection, a timid fear of offending,
or an idolatry of the creature. I do not condemn natural amiability–on
the contrary, I wish that all men were naturally amiable–but I would
not have any person think that this will save him, or that it is a
proof that he is renewed.
Only the love which is the fruit of the Spirit may be regarded as a
mark of Grace. Some people, I am sorry to say, are naturally sour–they
seem to have been born at the season of crabapples and to have been fed
on vinegar. They always take a fault-finding view of things. They never
see the sun's splendor and yet they are so clear-sighted as to have
discovered his spots. They have a great specialty of power for
discerning things which it were better not to see. They do not remember
that the earth has proved steady and firm for centuries, but they have
a lively recollection of the earthquake, and they quake, even now, as
they talk about it.
Such as these have need to cry for the indwelling of the Spirit of God,
for if He will enter into them His power will soon overcome the
tendency to sourness, for, "the fruit of the Spirit is love." Spiritual
love is nowhere found without the Spirit and the Spirit is nowhere
dwelling in the heart unless love is produced. So much for this jewel!
III. I see in the text a third thing, and that is A PICTURE–a rich and
rare picture painted by a Master, the great Designer of all things
beautiful–the Divine Spirit of God. What does He say? He says, "The
fruit of the Spirit is love." We have seen many fine pictures of fruit
and here is one. The great Artist has sketched fruit which never grow
in the gardens of earth till they are planted by the Lord from Heaven!
Oh, that every one of us might have a vineyard in his bosom and yield
abundance of that love which is "the fruit of the Spirit!" What does
this mean? "Fruit"–how is love a fruit? The metaphor shows that love
is a thing which comes out of life. You cannot fetch fruit out of a
dead post. The pillars which support these galleries have never yielded
any fruit and they never will–they are of hard iron and no life-sap
circulates within them.
A dead tree brings forth no fruit. God implants a spiritual life in men
and then, out of that life, comes love, as the fruit of the Spirit.
Love appears as a growth. Fruit does not begin perfectly ripe from the
tree all at once. First comes a flower; then a tiny formation which
shows that the flower has set. Then a berry appears, but it is very
sour. You may not gather it. Leave it alone, a little while, and allow
the sun to ripen it. By-and-by it fills out and there you have the
apple in the full proportions of beauty–and with a mellow flavor which
delights the taste. Love springs up in the heart and increases by a
sure growth. Love is not produced by casting the mind in the mold of
imitation, or by fastening the Grace to a man's manner as a thing
outside of himself. Little children go to a shop where their little
tastes are considered and they buy sticks upon which cherries have been
tied–but everybody knows that they are not the fruit of the
sticks–they are merely bound upon them! And so have we known people
who have borrowed an affectionate mannerism and a sweet style–but they
are not natural to them–they are not true love.
What sweet words! What dainty phrases! You go among them and, at first,
you are surprised with their affection! You are a, "dear Sister," or a,
"dear Brother," and you hear a, "dear minister." And you come to the
"dear Tabernacle" and sing dear hymns to those dear old tunes. Their
talk is so sweet that it is just a little sticky–and you feel like a
fly which is being caught in molasses! This is disgusting! It sickens
me! Love is a fruit of the Spirit–it is not something assumed by a
man–but something growing out of his heart. Some men sugar their
conversation very largely with pretentious words because they are aware
that the fruit it is made of is unripe and young. In such a case their
sweetness is not affection but affectation! But true love, real love
for God and man comes out of a man because it is in him, worked within
by the operation of the Holy Spirit whose fruit it is. The outcome of
regenerated manhood is that a man lives no longer unto himself but for
the good of others.
Fruit, again, calls for care. If you have a garden, you will soon know
this. We had a profusion of flowers upon our pear trees this year and,
for a few weeks, the weather was warm beyond the usual heat of April.
But nights of frost followed and cut off nearly all the fruit. Other
kinds of fruit which survived the frost are now in danger from the dry
weather which has developed an endless variety of insect blight so that
we wonder whether any of it will survive! If we get
over this trial and the fruit grows well, we shall yet expect to see
many apples fall before autumn because a worm has eaten into their
hearts and effectually destroyed them. So is it with Christian life! I
have seen a work for the Lord prospering splendidly, like a fruitful
vine, when suddenly there has come a frosty night and fond hopes have
been nipped. Or else new notions and wild ideas have descended like
insect blights and the fruit has been spoiled! Or if the work has
escaped these causes of damage, some immorality in a leading member, or
a quarrelsome spirit has appeared unawares like a worm in the center of
the apple–and down it has fallen, never to flourish again.
"The fruit of the Spirit is love." You must take care of your fruit if
you wish to have any laid up in store at the end of the year. And so
must every Christian be very watchful over the fruit of the Spirit,
lest in any way it should be destroyed by the enemy. Fruit is the
reward of the husbandman and the crown and glory of the tree. The Lord
crowns the year with His goodness by giving fruit in due season–and
truly the holy fruit of love is the regard of Jesus and the honor of
His servants. How sweet is the fruit of the Spirit! I say, "fruit," and
not fruits, for the text says so. The work of the Spirit is one,
whether it is known by the name of love, or joy, or peace, or meekness,
or gentleness, or temperance. Moreover, it is constant–the fruit of
the Spirit is borne continually in its season. It is reproductive, for
the tree multiplies itself by its fruit, and Christianity must be
spread by the love and joy and peace of Christians.
Let the Spirit of God work in you, dear Brothers and Sisters, and you
will be fruitful in every good work, doing the will of the Lord–and
you will rear others like you, who shall, when your time is over,
occupy your place and bring forth fruit to the great Husbandman!
IV. Lastly, you see in my text, A CROWN. "The fruit of the Spirit is
love." Let us make a diadem out of the text and lovingly set it upon
the head of the Holy Spirit, because He has produced, in the people of
God, this precious thing which is called, "Love." How comes heavenly
love into such hearts as yours and mine? It comes, first, because the
Holy Spirit has given us a new nature. There is a new life in us that
was not there when we first came into the world. And that new life
lives and loves. It must love God, who has created it, and man, who is
made in His image. It cries, "My Father," and the essence of that word,
"My Father," is love!
The Spirit of God has brought us into new relationships. He has given
us the spirit of adoption towards the Father. He has made us to feel
our brotherhood with the saints and to know our union with Christ. We
are not in our relationships what we used to be, for we were "heirs of
wrath even as others." But now we are "heirs of God, joint heirs with
Jesus Christ" and, consequently, we cannot help loving, for love,
alone, could make the new relation to be fully enjoyed. The blessed
Spirit has also brought us tender new obligations. We were bound to
love God and serve Him as creatures, but we did not do it–now the Holy
Spirit has made us to feel that we are debtors to infinite love and
mercy through redemption. Every drop of Jesus' blood cries to us to
love! Every groan from yonder dark Gethsemane cries love! The Spirit of
God works in us so that every shiver of yonder Cross moves us to love!
The love of Christ constrains us–we must love, for the Spirit has
taken of the things of the loving Christ and has revealed them to us.
The Spirit of God has so entered into us that He has caused love to be
our delight! What a pleasure it is when you can preach a sermon full of
love to those to whom you preach! Or when you can visit the poor, full
of love to those you relieve! To stand on the street corner and
proclaim of Jesus' dying love–why, it is no irksome task to the man
who does it lovingly–it is his joy and his recreation! Holy service in
which the emotion of love is indulged is as pleasant to us as it is to
a bird to fly, or to a fish to swim! Duty is no longer bondage, but
choice! Holiness is no longer restraint, but perfect liberty! And
self-sacrifice becomes the very crown of our ambition–the loftiest
height to which our spirit can aspire! It is the Holy Spirit that does
all this.
Now, my dear Hearer, have you this love in your heart? Judge by your
relation to God. Do you live without prayer? Do you very seldom read
God's Word? Are you getting indifferent as to whether you go and
worship with His people? Ah, then, be afraid that the love of God is
not in you! But do you feel that you love everything that has to do
with God–His work, His service, His people, His Day, His Book–and
that you do all you possibly can to spread His Kingdom, both by prayer,
by word of mouth, by your liberality and by your example? If you love,
you can easily see it, I think, and there are many ways by which you
can test yourself.
Well, suppose that to be satisfactorily answered, then I have this
further question–Do you and I–who can say, "Lord, you know that I
love You"–do we sufficiently bless the Holy Spirit for giving us this
jewel of love? If you love Christ, then say, "This love is given to me.
It is a rare plant, an exotic. It never sprang out of my natural heart.
Weeds
will grow there, but not this fair flower." Bless the Holy Spirit for
it! "Oh, but I do not love God as I ought!" No, Brother, I know you do
not, but bless Him that you love Him at all! Love God for the very fact
that He has led you to love Him–and that is the way to love Him more!
Love God for letting you love Him! Love Him for taking away the stone
out of your heart and giving you a heart of flesh! For the little Grace
that you see in your soul, thank God!
You know when a man has been ill, the doctor says to him, "You are not
well by a long way, but I hope you are on the turn." "Yes," says the
man, "I feel very ill, but still, I think I am a little better–the
fever is less and the swelling is going down." He mentions some little
symptom and the doctor is pleased because he knows that it indicates
much–the disease is past the crisis. Bless God for a little Grace!
Blame yourself that you have not more Grace, but praise Him to think
you have any! Time was when I would have given my eyes and ears to be
able to say, "I love God." And now that I do love Him, I would give my
eyes and ears to love Him more! I would give all I have to get more
love into my soul! But I am grateful to think I have a measure of true
love and I feel its power.
Do be grateful to the Holy Spirit. Worship and adore Him specially and
peculiarly. You say, "Why specially and peculiarly?" I answer–Because
He is so much forgotten. Some people hardly know whether there is a
Holy Spirit! Let the Father and the Son be equally adored, but be
careful in reference to the Holy Spirit, for the failure of the Church
towards the Holy Trinity lies mainly in a forgetfulness of the Gracious
work of the Holy Spirit! Therefore I press this upon you and I beg you
to laud and magnify the Holy Spirit and sedulously walk in all
affectionate gratitude towards Him all your days. As your love
increases, let your worship of the Holy Spirit become daily more and
more conspicuous because love is His fruit although it is your vital
principle. To the God of Love I commend you all. Amen.