What would be the consequences of the Spirit ceasing his work? We
really could not express it in words. No man has power or energy to
make it plain. We can only just hint at the condition.
1. There would be an opposition to religion, for whenever you find a
man turning against that which has been the world's hope remember that
the state of that man is awful in the extreme and will grow worse.
2. There will be an opposition to revivals, to all preaching and to the
ministers of the Gospel wherever this spirit is made manifest. We
ought to tremble for ourselves if this is our spirit, or for others if
it is theirs.
3. Wherever men settle down into some form of error this is a
description of one who has sinned against the Spirit of God, for there
is a longing in every soul for something outside of and beyond one's
self; and the things of the world cannot alone satisfy.
4. When men continue to grow worse and worse and seem to glory in their
shame there is great cause for solemn thought. In the light of these
suggestions the text is given, "My Spirit shall not always strive with
men."