—P. P. Bliss.
[CHAPTER V.]
POWER HINDERED.
The strokes of the “Sword of the Spirit” alight only on the conscience, and its edge is anointed with a bairn to heal every wound it may inflict.—Dr. J. Harris.
Every vain thought and idle word, and every wicked deed, is like so many drops to quench the Spirit of God. Some quench Him with the lust of the flesh; some quench Him with cares of the mind; some quench Him with long delays, that is, not plying the motion when it cometh, but crossing the good thoughts with bad thoughts, and doing a thing when the Spirit saith not. The Spirit is often grieved before He be quenched.—H. Smith.
In times when vile men held the high places of the land, a roll of drums was employed to drown the martyr’s voice, lest the testimony of truth from the scaffold should reach the ears of the people,—an illustration of how men deal with their own consciences, and seek to put to silence the truth-telling voice of the Holy Spirit.—Arnot.