PART I.
My Dear Friend,
YOU had no occasion to make any apology for the manner of your letter to me; for tho’ you very well know, that I have as utter an aversion to waste my time and thoughts in matters of theological debate, as in any contentions merely of a worldly nature, as knowing that the former are generally as much, if not more hurtful to the heart of man than the latter; yet as your objections rather tend to stir up the powers of love, than the wrangle of debate; so I consider them only as occasions of edifying both you and myself with the divine blessedness of the spirit of love.
You say, “There is nothing in my writings that has more affected you than that spirit of love that breathes in them; and that you wish for nothing so much as to have a living sensibility of the power, life, and religion of love. But you have an objection often rising in your mind, that this doctrine of pure and universal love may be too refined and imaginary; because you find, that however you like it, yet you cannot attain to it.”
Thus stands your objection, which will fall into nothing, as soon as you look at it from a right point of view: which will be, as soon as you have found the true ground of the nature and necessity of the blessed spirit of love.
Now, the spirit of love has this original. God, as considered in himself, before any thing is brought forth by him, is only an eternal will to all goodness. This is the one eternal, immutable God, that from eternity to eternity changeth not, that can be neither more nor less, nor any thing else, but an eternal will to all the goodness that is in himself, and can come from him. The creation of ever so many creatures, adds nothing to, nor takes any thing from this immutable God: he always was, and always will be, the same immutable will to all goodness. So that as certainly as he is the creator, so certainly is he the blesser of every created thing, and can give nothing but blessing and happiness from himself, because he has in himself nothing else to give. It is much more possible for the sun to give forth darkness, than for God to be, or give forth, any thing but blessing and goodness. Now this is the ground and original of the spirit of love in the creature: it is and must be a will to all goodness, and you have not this spirit of love but so far as you have this will to all goodness at all times, and on all occasions. You may indeed do many works of love, especially at such times as they are not inconvenient to you. Yet the spirit of love is not in you, but so far as it is the spirit of your life, as you live freely, willingly, and universally, according to it. For every spirit acts with freedom and universality according to what it is. It needs no command to be what it is, no more than you need bid wrath be wrathful. And therefore when love is the spirit of your life, it will have freedom and universality; it will always live and work in love, not because of this or that, here or there, but because the spirit of love can only love, wherever it is or goes, or whatever is done to it. As the sparks know no motion, but that of flying upwards, whether it be in the darkness of the night, or in the light of the day; so the spirit of love is always in the same course; it knows no difference of time, place, or persons; but whether it gives or forgives, bears or forbears, it is equally doing its own delightful work, equally blessed from itself. For the spirit of love, wherever it is, is its own blessing and happiness, is in the same joy, and is the same good to itself, every where, and on every occasion.
*Oh! Sir, would you know the blessing of all blessings, it is the God of love dwelling in your soul, and killing every root of bitterness which is the pain and torment of every earthly love. For all wants are satisfied, all disorders are removed, no life is any longer a burden, every day is a day of peace, every thing you meet becomes a help to you, because every thing you see or do is all done in sweet, gentle love. For as love has no by-ends, wills nothing but its own increase, so every thing is as oil to its flame; it must have that which it wills, and cannot be disappointed, because every thing naturally helps it to live in its own way. The spirit of love does not want to be honoured, or esteemed; its only desire is to propagate itself, and become the blessing and happiness of every thing that wants it. And therefore it meets wrath, and evil, and hatred, and opposition, with the same one will, as the light meets the darkness, only to overcome it with all its blessings. Did you want to avoid the ill-will, or to gain the favour of any persons, you might easily miss of your ends; but if you have no will but to all goodness, every thing you meet must be assistant to you. For the wrath of an enemy, the treachery of a friend, and every other evil, only helps the spirit of love to be more triumphant, to find all its blessings in a higher degree. Whether therefore you consider perfection or happiness, it is all included in the spirit of love, and must be so, because the infinitely perfect and happy God is mere love, an unchangeable will to all goodness: and therefore every creature must be corrupt and unhappy, so far as it is led by any other will. Thus you see the ground of the spirit of love. Let me now, shew you the necessity of it: no creature can have any union or communion with the Deity, but so far as its life is a spirit of love. This is the one band of union betwixt God and the creature. All besides this, call it by what name you will, is only so much error and corruption got into the creature; and must be entirely separated from it, before it can see God, or find the divine life. For as God is an immutable will to all goodness, so the divine will can unite with no creatures will, but that which willeth with him that which is good. Here the necessity is absolute; nothing will do instead of this will; all contrivances of holiness, all forms of religious piety, signify nothing without this will to all goodness. For as the will to all goodness is the whole nature of God, so it must be the whole nature of every service, that can be acceptable to him. And therefore every thing that followeth our own will, forsaketh the one will to all goodness. The necessity therefore of the spirit of love, is what God cannot dispense with in the creature, no more than he can deny himself, or act contrary to his own holy being. But as it was his will to all goodness, that brought forth angels, and the spirits of men, so he can will nothing in their existence, but that they should live and work, and manifest that same spirit of love and goodness which brought them into being. Every thing therefore, but the will to goodness, is some degree of apostasy, yea, rebellion against the whole nature of God.
There is no peace, nor ever can be, for the soul of man, but in the purity and perfection of its first-created nature; nor can it have its purity and perfection in any other way, than in and by the spirit of love. For love is the purity, the perfection of all created things; and nothing can live in God but as it lives in love. Look at every vice, pain, and disorder, in human nature, it is in itself nothing but the spirit of the creature turned from the universality of love to some self-seeking in created things. So that love alone is the cure of every evil; and he that lives in the purity of love, is risen out of the power of evil, into the freedom of the one spirit of heaven. The schools have given us very accurate definitions of every vice, whether it be covetousness, pride, wrath, or envy, and shewn us how to conceive them as notionally distinguished from one another. But the Christian has a much shorter way of knowing them, and what they all are, and do, in himself. For, call them by what names you will, they are all, that same one thing, and all do that same one work, as the Scribes, the Pharisees, and rabble of the Jews, who crucified Christ, were all but one and the same thing, and all did one and the same work, however different they were in outward names. If you would therefore have a true sense of the nature and power of pride, wrath, covetousness, envy, they are in their whole nature nothing else but the murderers and crucifiers of the true Christ of God; not as the high-priests did many hundred years ago, nailing his outward humanity to an outward cross, but crucifying afresh the Son of God, who is the Christ that every man crucifies as often as he gives way to wrath, pride, envy, or covetousness. For where pride, and envy, and hatred, are wilfully indulged, there the same thing is done, as when Christ was killed, and Barabbas was saved alive.
In all the universe, nothing but heaven and heavenly creatures could have been known, had every creature continued in that state in which it came forth from God. For God can will nothing in the life of the creature but a manifestation of his own goodness, happiness, and perfection. And therefore when this is wanted, it is certain, the creature hath lost its first state that it had from God. Every thing therefore, which is the vanity, the torment, and evil, of man, or any intelligent creature, is solely the effect of his will turned from God. Misery and wickedness can have no other root; for whatever wills and works with God, must partake of the happiness and perfection of God.
This therefore is a certain truth, that hell and death, curse and misery, can never be removed from the creation, till the will of the creature is again as it came from God, a spirit of love, that willeth nothing but goodness. All the whole fallen creation, stand it never so long, must groan and travel in pain, till every contrariety to the divine will is entirely taken from every creature.
Thus, Sir, you have seen the original, immutable ground of the spirit of love. It is no imaginary refinement, or speculative curiosity; but is of the highest reality. It stands in the immutability and perfection of God; and not only every intelligent creature, be it what and where it will, but every inanimate thing must work in vanity till it works under the spirit of love.
*Every son of fallen Adam is under this same necessity of working and striving after something that he neither is nor hath. All evil as well as good men, all the wisdom and folly of this life, are a proof of this. For the vanity of wicked men in their various ways, and the labours of good men in faith and hope, proceed from the same cause, viz. from a want and desire of having and being something that they neither are nor have. The evil seek wrong, and the good seek right; but they both are seekers, and for the same reason; because their present state has not that which it wants to have. And this must be the state of every creature that has fallen from its first state. It must do as the polluted fluid does; it must ferment and work, either right or wrong, to mend its state. The muddled wine always works right to the utmost of its power, because it works according to nature; but if it had an intelligent free will, it might work as vainly as man does; it might continually thicken itself, be always stirring up its own dregs, and then it would seek for its purity, just as well as the soul of man seeks for its happiness in the lusts of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. All which must fall away from the heart of man before it can find its happiness in God, as the dregs must separate from the wine before it can have its perfection and clearness.
*Purification therefore is so necessary, that nothing will do in the stead of it. But man is not purified, till every earthly, wrathful, sensual, selfish temper is taken from him. He is not dying to himself, till he is dying to these tempers; and he is not alive in God, but as he is dead to them. It is the purity and perfection of the divine nature that must be brought again into him: nor are you to think that these words, the purity and perfection of God, are too high to be used on this occasion; for they only mean, that the will of the creature must will and work with the will of God; and whatever does not thus, is at enmity with God, and cannot have life and happiness with him.
Now, nothing wills and works with God but the spirit of love; because nothing else works in God himself. The Almighty brought forth all nature for this only end, that boundless love might have its infinity of height and depth to dwell and work in; and all the properties of nature are only to give life and strength to the spirit of love, that it may come forth into outward activity, and manifest its blessed powers; that all creatures may communicate the spirit of love and goodness, give and receive delight to and from one another. All below this state of love, is a fall from the one life of God, the only life in which the God of love can dwell.
Now who can restore this life? The unbelieving Jews said of our Lord, How can this man forgive sins? Christ shewed them how, by appealing to that power which they saw he had over the body: whether, says he, is it easier to say, Thy sins are forgiven thee, or to say, Arise, take up thy bed, and walk? But the delusion of the unbelieving Deist is greater than that of the Jew. For the Deist sees, that his reason has no power over his body; can remove no disease, blindness, deafness, or lameness, from it; and yet will pretend to have power enough from his reason, to help the soul out of all its evil; not knowing that he only, who can say to the dead body of Lazarus, Come forth, can say to the soul, Be thou clean. The Deist therefore, if he pleases, may stile himself a natural, or a moral philosopher, but with no more truth, than he can call himself an healer of all the maladies of the body. And for a man to think himself a moral philosopher, because he has made a choice collection of syllogisms, in order to quicken and revive a divine goodness in the soul; or that no Redeemer need come from heaven, because human reason, when truly left to itself, has great skill in chopping of logic; may justly be deemed such an ignorance of the nature of things, as is seldom found in the transactions of illiterate and vulgar life. But this by the by.
To return to our chief subject: the sum is this: all evil, all misery of every kind, is nothing else but nature left to itself; and therefore, there is no possibility for the natural, earthly man to escape eternal wrath, but solely in the way the gospel teacheth, by denying and dying to himself. On the other hand, all the goodness and perfection, all the happiness, glory, and joy, that any intelligent creature can be possessed of, is, and can be, from nothing else, but the invisible uncreated light and Spirit of God manifesting itself in the creatures, filling, blessing, and uniting them all in one love.
And thus again: there is no possibility of man’s attaining to any heavenly perfection and happiness, but only in the way of the gospel, by the union of the divine and human nature, by man’s being born again from above, of the Word and Spirit of God. There is no possibility of any other way, because there is nothing that can possibly change us into an heavenly state, but the presence and power of the Deity united with, and working in us. And therefore the Word was made flesh, and must of all necessity be made flesh, if man is to have an heavenly nature. Now as all evil, sin, and misery, have no beginning, nor power of working, but in the manifestation of contrary properties; so man has nothing to turn to, seek, or aspire after, but the lost spirit of love. And therefore it is, that God only can be his Redeemer; because God only is love; and love can be no where else, but in God, and where God dwelleth and worketh.
Now the difficulty you find in attaining this spirit of love, is because you seek for it, in the way of reasoning: you would be possessed of it only from a rational conviction of the fitness and amiableness of it. And as this clear idea does not put you into the possession of it, your reason begins to waver; and suggests to you, that it may be only a fine notion, that has no ground but in the power of imagination. But this, Sir, is all your own error; as if you would have your eyes do that, which only your hands or feet can do for you. The spirit of love is a spirit of nature and life; and therefore can only be produced in you, by that Almighty power which produced all nature, and gave life to every living thing. Life can only arise in its own time and place from its proper cause, and as the genuine effect of it. Nature and life do nothing by chance, or accidentally, but every thing in one uniform way. Fire, air, and light, do not proceed sometimes from one thing, and sometimes from another: but wherever they are, they are always born in the same manner, and from the same working in the properties of nature. So in like manner, love is an immutable birth, always proceeding from the same cause, and cannot be in existence till its own true parents have brought it forth.
*How unreasonable would it be to doubt whether strength and health of body were real things, or possible to be had, because you could not by the power of your reason take possession of them? Yet this is as well as to suspect the purity and perfection of love to be only a notion, because your reason cannot bring it forth in your soul. For reason has no more power of altering the life and properties of the soul, than of altering the life and properties of the body. That, and that only, can cast devils, and evil spirits, out of the soul, that can say to the storm, Be still; and to the leper, Be thou clean.
And now, Sir, you see the absolute necessity of the gospel-doctrine of the cross; viz. of dying to ourselves, as the only way to life in God. This is the one morality that does man any good. Fancy as many rules as you will, of modelling the moral behaviour of man, they all do nothing, because they leave nature still alive; and therefore can only help a man to an art of concealing his own inward evil. But still nature can no more change from evil to good, than darkness can work itself into light. The one work therefore is to resist and deny nature, that a supernatural power may take possession of it.
There is no standing still, life goes on, and is always bringing forth its realities, which way soever it goeth. You see the true state of every natural man, whether he be Cæsar or Cato, whether he gloriously murders others, or only stabs himself; blind nature does all the work, and must be the doer of it, till the light of God has helped them to one common good, in which they all willingly unite, rest, and rejoice. In a word, goodness is only a sound, and virtue a mere strife of natural passions, till the spirit of love is the breath of every thing that lives, and moves in the heart. For love is the one only blessing, and goodness, and God of nature; and you have no true religion, are no worshipper of the one true God, but in and by that Spirit of love, which is God himself living and working in you.
PART II.
A dialogue between Theogenes, Eusebius, and Theophilus.
Theophilus. MY heart embraces you both with the greatest affection, and I am much pleased at the occasion of your coming, which calls me to the most delightful subject in the world, to help both you and myself, to rejoice in that adorable Deity, whose infinite being is an infinity of mere love, an unbeginning, never-ceasing, and for ever over-flowing ocean of meekness, sweetness, delight, blessing, goodness, patience, and mercy; and all this, as so many blessed streams breaking out of the abyss of universal love. Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, a triune infinity of love and goodness, for ever and ever, giving forth nothing but the same gifts of light and love, of blessing and joy, whether before or after the fall, either of angels, or men.
Look at all nature, through all its height and depth, in all its variety of powers, it is what it is, for this only end, that the hidden riches, the invisible blessings, glory and love of the unsearchable God, may become visible, sensible, and manifest in it, and by it.
Look at all the variety of creatures, they are what they are, for this only end, that in their infinite variety, degrees, and capacities, they may be as so many speaking figures, so many sounds and voices, preachers and trumpets, giving glory and praise, and thanksgiving to that Deity of love, which gives life to all nature.
For every creature, call it by what name you will, had its form, and power, and state, and place in nature for no other end, but to open and enjoy, to manifest and rejoice in some share of the love and happiness, and goodness of the Deity.
Now this is the one will and work of God, in, and through all creatures. From eternity to eternity he can will, and intend nothing towards them, in them, or by them, but the communication of various degrees of his own love, goodness and happiness to them, according to their state and place, and capacity. This is God’s unchangeable disposition towards the creature; he can be nothing else, but all goodness towards it; because he can be nothing towards the creature, but that which he is, and was, and ever shall be in himself.
Theogenes. Pray, Theophilus, let me ask you, Does not patience and pity, and mercy begin to be in God, and only then begin, when the creature has brought forth itself into misery? They could have no existence in the Deity before.
Theophilus. ’Tis true, Theogenes, that God can only then begin to make known his mercy and patience, when the creature has lost its rectitude and happiness; yet nothing then begins to be in God, or to be found in him, but that which was always in him, in the same infinite state, viz. a will to all goodness, and which can will nothing else. And his patience and mercy, which could not shew forth themselves, till sin had brought forth misery, were not new tempers, or the beginning of some new disposition, that was not in God before, but only new and occasional manifestations of that boundless, eternal will to all goodness, which always was in God in the same height and depth. The will to all goodness, which is God himself, began to display itself in a new way, when it first gave birth to creatures. The same will to all goodness began to manifest itself in another new way, when it became patience and compassion towards fallen creatures. But neither of these ways are the beginning of any new tempers or qualities in God, but only new and occasional manifestations of that true eternal will to all goodness, which always was, and always will be, in the same fulness in God.
And salvation is, and can be nothing else, but the manifestation of the life of God in the soul. How clearly does this give the solid distinction between inward holiness, and all outward practices. All that God has done for man by any particular dispensations, whether by the law or the prophets, by the scriptures, or ordinances of the church, are only as helps to an holiness, which they cannot give, but are only suited to the death and darkness of the earthly life, to turn it from itself, from its own workings, and awaken in it a faith and hope, a hunger and thirst after that first union with the Deity, which was lost in the fall of the first father of mankind.
*How unreasonable is it, to call perpetual inspiration fanaticism, and enthusiasm, when there cannot be the least degree of goodness or happiness in any intelligent being, but what is in its whole nature, merely and truly the breathing, the life, and the operation of God in the life of the creature? For if goodness can only be in God, if it cannot exist separate from him, if he can only bless and sanctify by himself becoming the blessing and sanctification of the creature, then it is the highest degree of blindness to look for any goodness, and happiness from any thing but the immediate indwelling, union and operation of the Deity in the creature. Perpetual inspiration, therefore, is in the nature of the thing as necessary to a life of goodness, holiness, and happiness, as the perpetual respiration of the air is necessary to animal life.
*For the life of the creature, whilst possessing nothing but itself, is hell; that is, it is all pain and want and distress. Now nothing can help it to be in light and love, in peace and goodness, but the union of God with it, and the life of God working in it, because nothing but God is light, and love, and heavenly goodness. And, therefore, where the life of God is not become the life and goodness of the creature, it cannot have the least degree of goodness in it.
What a mistake is it, therefore, to confine inspiration to particular times and occasions, to prophets and apostles, and extraordinary messengers of God! and to call it enthusiasm, when the common Christian looks, and trusts to be continually led and inspired by the Spirit of God! For tho’ all are not called to be prophets, or apostles, yet all are called to be holy, as he who has called them is holy, to be perfect as their heavenly Father is perfect, to be like minded with Christ, to will only as God wills, to do all to his honour and glory, to renounce the spirit of this world, to have their conversation in heaven, to set their affections on things above, to love God, with all their heart, soul, and spirit, and their neighbour as themselves.
Behold a work as great, as divine and supernatural, as that of a prophet and an apostle. But to suppose that we ought, and may always be in this spirit of holiness, and yet are not, and ought not to be always moved and led by the Spirit of God, within us, is to suppose, that there is a holiness and goodness which comes not from God; which is no better than supposing, that there may be true prophets and apostles who have not their truth from God.
Now the holiness of the common Christian is not an occasional thing, that begins and ends, or is only for such a time, or place, or action, but is the holiness of that, which is always alive, and stirring in us, namely, of our thoughts, wills, and affections. If therefore these are always alive in us, always governing our lives, then a perpetual operation of the Spirit of God within us, is absolutely necessary. For we cannot be inwardly led and governed by a spirit of goodness, but by being governed by the Spirit of God himself.
If our thoughts, wills, and affections, need only be now and then holy and good, then, indeed, the Spirit of God need only now and then govern us. But if our thoughts and affections are to be always holy, then the holy Spirit of God is to be always operating within us.
The scripture saith, We are not sufficient of ourselves to think a good thought. If so, then we cannot be chargeable with not thinking, and willing that which is good, but upon this supposition, that there is always a supernatural power ready, and able to help us to the good, which we cannot have from ourselves.
How firmly our established church adheres to this doctrine of the necessity of the perpetual operation of the Holy Spirit, as the one only source of any degree of divine light, wisdom, virtue, and goodness in the soul of man; how earnestly she requires all her members to live in the most open profession of it, and in the highest conformity to it, may be seen by many such prayers as these in her ordinary, public service.
O God for as much as without thee, we are not able to please thee, grant that thy Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts. Again we pray thee, that thy grace may ALWAYS prevent and follow us, and make us CONTINUALLY to be given to all good works. Again, Grant to us, Lord, we beseech thee, the Spirit to think and do ALWAYS such things as be rightful, that we, who cannot do ANY THING that is good, WITHOUT thee, may, by thee, be enabled to live according to thy will. Again, Because the frailty of man, WITHOUT thee, CANNOT BUT FALL, keep us EVER, by thy HELP, from all things hurtful, and LEAD us to all things profitable to our salvation, &c. Again, O God from whom all good things do come, grant to us, thy humble servants, that by THY holy INSPIRATION, we may THINK those things that be good, and, by thy merciful GUIDING, may PERFORM the same.
And now, Eusebius, how is the great controversy about religion, and salvation, ♦shortened.
For since the one work of Christ as your Redeemer, is to take from the earthly life of flesh and blood, its usurped power, and to raise the smothered spark of heaven, out of death, into life, your one work also, under your Redeemer is fully known. And you have the utmost certainty, what you are to do, where you are to seek, and in what you are to find your salvation. All that you have to do, is to oppose, resist, to renounce the evil tempers, and workings of your earthly nature. You want no deliverance, but from the power of yourself. This is the one murderer of the divine life within you. And every thing that your earthly nature does, is under the influence of self-will, self-love, and self-seeking, whether it carries you to laudable, or blameable practices, all is done in the nature and spirit of Cain, and only helps you to such goodness, as when Cain slew his brother. For every action and motion of self, has the spirit of antichrist, and murders the divine life within you.
Judge not therefore of yourself, by considering how many of those things you do, which divines and moralists call virtue and goodness, nor how much you abstain from those things, which they call sin and vice.
But daily and hourly, in every step that you take, see to the spirit that is within you, whether it be heaven, or earth that guides you. And judge every thing to be sin and Satan, in which your earthly nature, has any share of life in you; nor think that any goodness is in you, but so far as it is an actual death to the pride, the vanity, the wrath, and selfish tempers of your fallen, earthly life.
Again, here you see, where and how you are to seek your salvation, not in taking up your travelling-staff, or crossing the seas to find out a new Luther or a new Calvin, to cloath yourself with their opinions. No. The oracle is at home, that always speaks the truth to you; nothing is your truth, but that good and that evil which is within you. For salvation or damnation is not an outward thing, but springs up within you. What you are in yourself, what is doing in yourself, is either your salvation or damnation.
Again nothing that we do is bad, but for this reason, because it resists the power, and working of God within us; and nothing that we do, can be good, but because it conforms, to the Spirit of God within us. And therefore, you have the utmost certainty, that God, salvation and the kingdom of heaven, are within you, and that all outward religion, from the fall of man to this day, is not for itself, but merely for the sake of an inward and divine life, which was lost when Adam died his first death in paradise. So that it may well be said, circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, because nothing is wanted, but a new creature, called out of the death and darkness of flesh and blood, into the light, life and perfection of its first creation.
And thus also, you have the fullest proof in what your salvation precisely consists. Not in any historic faith, or knowledge of any thing absent, or distant from you, not in any variety of restraints, rules, and methods of practising virtues, not in any formality of opinion about faith and works, repentance, forgiveness of sins, or justification, and sanctification, not in any truth, or righteousness, that you can have from yourself, from the best of men or books, but wholly and solely in the life of God.
Theogenes. I have not the least doubt about any of these things. It is visible, that there can be no medium in this matter, either religion must be all spiritual, or all carnal; that is, we must either take up with the grossness of the Sadducees, who say, there is neither angel nor spirit, or with such purification as the Pharisees had from their washing of pots and vessels, and tithing their mint and rue; we must, I say, either acquiesce in this carnality, or we must profess a religion, that is all spirit and life, and merely for the sake of raising up an inward spiritual life of heaven, that fell into death in our first father.
*Theophilus. Oh Theogenes! What an eternity is that, out of which, and for which thy eternal soul was created? What little, crawling things are all that an earthly ambition can set before thee? Bear with patience for awhile the rags of thy earthly nature, the veil and darkness of flesh and blood, as the lot of thy inheritance from father Adam, but think nothing worth a thought but that which will bring thee back to thy first glory, and land thee safe in the region of eternity.