An Experimental and Practical View of the Work of the Holy Spirit

by Octavius Winslow

From the author’s ‘To the subject discussed in the following pages, the author earnestly bespeaks the prayerful consideration of the Christian reader. It cannot occupy a position too prominent in our Christianity, nor can it be a theme presented too frequently for our contemplation. All that we spiritually know of ourselves, all that we know of God, and of Jesus, and his Word, we owe to the teaching of the Holy Spirit; and all the real light, sanctification, strength and comfort we are made to possess on our way to glory, we must ascribe to Him. To be richly anointed with the Spirit is to be led into all truth; and to be filled with the Spirit is to be filled with love to God and man.’

Genres: Theology

223 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1840

About the author

Octavius Winslow (1 August 1808 – 5 March 1878), also known as "The Pilgrim's Companion", was a prominent 19th-century evangelical preacher in England and America. A Baptist minister for most of his life and contemporary of Charles Spurgeon and J. C. Ryle, he seceded to the Anglican church in his last decade.

Reviews

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have recently read three books by Octavius Winslow, having not read anything by him for about 20 years, and they have all been excellent. While the subtitle indicates that the book gives the reader "An Experimental and Practical View" of the Holy Spirit's work, the author does not neglect its theological aspect. Given that the doctrine of the Holy Spirit is closely interlinked with the Trinity and Christology, readers will be interested to note that Winslow rejects ESS/EFS in favour of Christ's mediatorial subordination.

I need to take a break from Winslow as I have to begin reading David Clarkson's works. Still, I am itching to read more of his writings. "The Precious Things of God" is the next of his tomes on my reading list. Of course, he says the odd thing here and there with which I disagree, but I have found his writings to be both doctrinal rich and warmly devotional.

[Chad Delhotal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this several years ago. My favorite book by the author!

[Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only really remember not greatly liking the author's style. But I do believe I gained a lot from the content.

Liked it.

[E · Rating 3 out of 5]

Winslow has an interesting method of writing. He sets up his chapters very systematically, but he can't help but wax poetic on the topics on which he writes. Thus he can be a bit hard to follow at times, but the content is always rich. Interestingly (and appropriately, perhaps, considering the role of the Holy Spirit), this book is more about the work of Jesus Christ than about the work of the Holy Spirit! If the Spirit's main task is to point to Christ, however, then I cannot fault him for that. I am supposed to use one of these chapters as a main resource for teaching a class on the HS in the spring; I won't be using it much for theological content, but it should be an aid in inspiring my thoughts nonetheless.

I do have a major theological issue with his chapter on the "sealing" of the HS. He treats this as a "second blessing" of the Spirit that only some believers receive. I have no idea how he gets this from the relevant Biblical texts (which he quotes but doesn't seem to interpret!). I was pained to read this perspective, especially seeing how the charismatic church makes a travesty of the HS by teaching something very similar. I would suggest skipping this chapter if reading the work.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've not read anything of Winslow's before, but found this a real encouragement. Rich in the wonderful doctrine of the work of the Holy Spirit within us, it also inevitably extends beyond this into other areas such as justification, sanctification, Christ's ongoing intercession etc and draws your attention to how the Spirit's work is interweaved into all these gospel truths. Despite its relative age, this was a refreshing read and one I will return to in future to savour the way Winslow draws together and expounds on these truths of the Christian life.

[Joonas Laajanen · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing work on the work of the Spirit.

The author first discusses the Deity and personality of the Spirit. After that he turns to His work as a quickener, indweller, sanctifier, witness, sealer, author of prayer, and comforter.

This is not a coldly written theoretical book but pastorally warm and greatly evangelistic while of course, exegetically faithful.

The page number is wrong in Goodreads, true page count being 269.

[William Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book on the vital topic of the person and work of the Holy Spirit. He uses lots of Scripture verses, and poignant thoughts about how exactly does the H.S. work in the hearts and lives of believers. Great and rewarding read!

[Chris Maguire · Rating 5 out of 5]

The chapter on prayer is some of the best extra-biblical writing I've ever read on the subject. I suspect this book is going to leave a lasting impression on me.

[Manuel Brambila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Valuable theological insights and beautifully written.