Letter XI.
To a Person burdened with inward and outward Troubles.
Worthy Sir,
My Heart embraces you, with all the Tenderness and Affection of Christian Love; and I earnestly beg of God, to make me a Messenger of his Peace to your Soul.
You seem to apprehend, I may be much surprised at the Account you have given of yourself; but I am neither surprised, nor offended at it; I neither condemn, nor lament your Estate, but shall endeavour to show you, how soon it may be made a Blessing and Happiness to you. In order to which, I shall not enter into a Consideration of the different Kinds of Trouble you have set forth at large. I think it better to lay before you the one true Ground and Root, from whence all the Evil and Disorders of Human Life have sprung. This will make it easy for you to see, what that is, which must, and only can, be the full Remedy and Relief for all of them, how different soever, either in Kind, or Degree.
The Scripture has assured us, that God made Man in his own Image and Likeness; a sufficient Proof, that man, in his first State, as he came forth from God, must have been absolutely free from all Vanity, Want, or Distress of any Kind, from any Thing either within, or without him.--It would be quite absurd and blasphemous, to suppose, that a Creature beginning to exist in the Image and Likeness of God, should have Vanity of Life, or Vexation of Spirit: A God-like Perfection of Nature, and a painful, distressed Nature, stand in the utmost Contrariety to one another.
Again, the Scripture has assured us, that Man that is born of a Woman, hath but a short Time to live, and is full of Misery: Therefore Man now is not that Creature that he was by his Creation. The first Divine and God-like Nature of Adam, which was to have been immortally Holy in Union with God, is lost; and instead of it, a poor Mortal of earthly Flesh and Blood, born like a wild Ass's Colt, of a short Life, and full of Misery, is through a vain Pilgrimage, to end in Dust and Ashes. Therefore, let every Evil, whether inward, or outward, only teach you this Truth, that Man has infallibly lost his first Divine Life in God; and that no possible Comfort, or Deliverance is to be expected, but only in this one Thing, that though Man had lost his God, yet God is become Man, that Man may be again alive in God, as at the first. For all the Misery and Distress of human Nature, whether of Body or Mind, is wholly owing to this one Cause, that God is not in Man, nor Man in God, as the State of his Nature requires: It is, because Man has lost that first Life of God in his Soul, in and for which he was created. He lost this Light, and Spirit, and Life of God, by turning his Will, Imagination, and Desire, into a tasting and Sensibility of the Good and Evil of this earthly bestial World.
Now here are two Things raised up in Man, instead of the Life of God: First, Self, or Selfishness, brought forth by his choosing to have a Wisdom of his own, contrary to the Will and Instruction of his Creator. Secondly, an earthly, bestial, mortal Life and Body, brought forth by his eating that Food, which was Poison to his paradisaical Nature. Both these must therefore be removed; that is, a Man must first totally die to Self, and all earthly Desires, Views, and Intentions, before he can be again in God, as his Nature and first Creation requires.
But now if this be a certain and immutable Truth, that Man, so long as he is a selfish, earthly-minded Creature, must be deprived of his true Life, the Life of God, the Spirit of Heaven in his Soul; then how is the Face of Things changed! For then, what Life is so much to be dreaded, as a Life of worldly Ease and Prosperity? What a Misery, nay what a Curse, is there in every Thing that gratifies and nourishes our Self-love, Self-esteem, and Self-seeking? On the other Hand, what Happiness is there in all inward and outward Troubles and Vexations, when they force us to feel and know the Hell that is hidden within us, and the Vanity of every Thing without us, when they turn all our Self-love into Self-abhorrence, and force us to call upon God to save us from Ourselves, to give us a new Life, new Light, and new Spirit in Christ Jesus.
'O Happy Famine,' might the poor Prodigal have well said, 'which, by reducing me to the Necessity of asking to eat Husks 'with Swine, brought me to myself, and caused my Return to my 'first Happiness in my Father's House.'
Now, I will suppose your distressed State to be as you represent it; inwardly, Darkness, Heaviness, and Confusion of Thoughts and Passions; outwardly, ill Usage from Friends, Relations, and all the World; unable to strike up the least Spark of Light or Comfort, by any Thought or Reasoning of your own.
O happy Famine, which leaves you not so much as the Husk of one human Comfort to feed upon! For this is the Time and Place for all that Good and Life and Salvation to happen to you, which happened to the prodigal Son. Your Way is as short, and your Success as certain as his was: You have no more to do than he had; you need not call out for Books, or Methods of Devotion; for, in your present State, much reading, and borrowed Prayers, are not your best Method: All that you are to offer to God, all that is to help you to find him to be your Saviour and Redeemer, is best taught and expressed by the distressed State of your Heart.
Only let your present and past Distress make you feel and acknowledge this twofold great Truth: First, That in and of yourself, you are nothing but Darkness, Vanity, and Misery; Secondly, that of yourself, you can no more help yourself to Light and Comfort, than you can create an Angel. People at all Times can seem to assent to these two Truths; but then it is an Assent that has no Depth or Reality, and so is of little or no Use: But your Condition has opened your Heart for a deep and full Conviction of these Truths. Now give Way, I beseech you, to this Conviction, and hold these two Truths, in the same Degree of Certainty as you know two and two to be four, and then you are with the Prodigal come to yourself, and above half your WORK IS DONE.
Being now in full Possession of these two Truths, feeling them in the same Degree of Certainty, as you feel your own Existence, you are, under this Sensibility, to give up yourself absolutely and entirely to God in Christ Jesus, as into the Hands of infinite Love; firmly believing this great and infallible Truth, That God has no Will towards you, but that of infinite Love, and infinite Desire to make you a Partaker of his Divine Nature; and that it is as absolutely impossible for the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to refuse all that Good and Life and Salvation which you want, as it is for you to take it by your own Power.
O drink deep of this Cup! for the precious Water of eternal Life is in it. Turn unto God with this Faith; cast yourself into this Abyss of Love; and then you will be in that State the Prodigal was in, when he said, I will arise and go to my Father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against Heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy Son'; and all that will be fulfilled in you, which is related of him.
Make this, therefore, the twofold Exercise of your Heart: Now, bowing yourself down before God, in the deepest Sense and Acknowledgment of your own Nothingness and Vileness; then, looking up unto God in Faith and Love, consider him as always extending the Arms of his Mercy towards you, and full of an infinite Desire to dwell in you, as he dwells in Angels in Heaven. Content yourself with this inward and simple Exercise of your Heart, for a while; and seek, or like nothing in any Book, but that which nourishes and strengthens this State of your Heart.
'Come unto me,' says the holy Jesus, 'all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you.' Here is more for you to live upon, more Light for your Mind, more of Unction for your Heart, than in Volumes of human Instruction. Pick up the Words of the holy Jesus, and beg of him to be the Light and Life of your Soul: Love the Sound of his Name; for Jesus is the Love, the Sweetness, the compassionate Goodness, of the Deity itself; which became Man, that so Men might have Power to become the Sons of God. Love and pity and wish well to every Soul in the World; dwell in Love, and then you dwell in God; hate nothing but the Evil that stirs in your own Heart.
Teach your Heart this Prayer, till your Heart continually saith, though not with outward Words:
O holy Jesus: meek Lamb of God! Bread that came down from Heaven! Light and Life of all holy Souls! help me to a true and living Faith in thee. O do thou open thyself within me, with all thy holy Nature, Spirit, Tempers, and Inclinations, that I may be born again of thee, in thee a new Creature, quickened and revived, led and governed by thy Holy Spirit.
Prayer so practised, becomes the Life of the Soul, and the true Food of Eternity. Keep in this State of Application to God; and then you will infallibly find it to be the true Way of rising out of the Vanity of Time, into the Riches of Eternity.
Do not expect, or look, for the same Degrees of sensible Fervour.--The Matter lies not there.--Nature will have its Share; but the Ups and Downs of that are to be overlooked. Whilst your Will-Spirit is good, and set right, the Changes of creaturely Fervour lessen not your Union with God. It is the Abyss of the Heart, an unfathomable Depth of Eternity within us, as much above sensible Fervour, as Heaven is above Earth; it is this that works our Way to God, and unites with Heaven. This Abyss of the Heart, is the Divine Nature and Power within us, which never calls upon God in vain; but whether helped or deserted by bodily Fervour, penetrates through all outward Nature, as easily and effectually as our Thoughts can leave our Bodies, and reach into the Regions of Eternity.
The Poverty of our fallen Nature, the depraved Workings of Flesh and Blood, the corrupt Tempers of our polluted Birth in this World, do us no hurt, so long as the Spirit of Prayer works contrary to them, and longs for the first Birth of the Light and Spirit of Heaven. All our natural Evil ceases to be our own Evil, as soon as our Will-Spirit turns from it; it then changes its Nature, loses all its Poison and Death, and only becomes our holy Cross, on which we happily die from Self and this World into the Kingdom of Heaven.
Would you have done with Error, Scruple, and Delusion? Consider the Deity to be the greatest Love, the greatest Meekness, the greatest Sweetness, the eternal unchangeable Will to be a Good and Blessing to every Creature; and that all the Misery, Darkness, and Death of fallen Angels and fallen Men, consist in their having lost their Likeness to this Divine Nature. Consider yourself, and all the fallen World, as having nothing to seek or wish for, but by the Spirit of Prayer to draw into the Life of your Soul, Rays and Sparks of this Divine, meek, loving, tender Nature of God. Consider the holy Jesus as the Gift of God to your Soul, to begin and finish the Birth of God and Heaven within you, in spite of every inward or outward Enemy. These three infallible Truths, heartily embraced, and made the Nourishment of your Soul, shorten and secure the Way to Heaven, and leave no Room for Error, Scruple, or Delusion.
Expect no Life, Light, Strength, or Comfort, but from the Spirit of God, dwelling and manifesting his own Goodness in your Soul. The best of Men, and the best of Books, can only do you good, so far as they turn you from themselves, and every human Thing, to seek, and have, and receive every Kind of Good from God alone; not a distant, or an absent God, but a God living, moving, and always working in the Spirit and Heart of your Soul.
They never find God, who seek for him by Reasoning and Speculation; for since God is the highest Spirit, and the highest Life, nothing but a like Spirit, and a like Life, can unite with him, find or feel, or know any Thing of him. Hence it is, that Faith, and Hope, and Love, turned towards God, are the only possible, and also infallible Means of obtaining a true and living Knowledge of him. And the Reason is plain, it is because by these Holy Tempers, which are the Workings of Spirit and Life within us, we seek the God of Life where he is, we call upon him with his own Voice, we draw near to him by his own Spirit; for nothing can breathe forth Faith, and Love, and Hope to God, but that Spirit and Life which is of God, and which therefore through Flesh and Blood thus presses towards him, and readily unites with him.
There is not a more infallible Truth in the World than this, that neither Reasoning nor Learning can ever introduce a Spark of Heaven into our Souls: But if this be so, then you have nothing to seek, nor any Thing to fear, from Reason. Life and Death are the Things in Question: They are neither of them the Growth of Reasoning or Learning, but each of them is a State of the Soul, and only thus differ, Death is the Want, and Life the Enjoyment of its highest Good. Reason, therefore, and Learning, have no Power here; but only by their vain Activity to keep the Soul insensible of that Life and Death, one of which is always growing up in it, according as the Will and Desire of the Heart worketh. Add Reason to a Vegetable, and you add nothing to its Life or Death. Its Life and Fruitfulness lieth in the Soundness of its Root, the Goodness of the Soil, and the Riches it derives from Air and Light. Heaven and Hell grow thus in the Soul of every Man: His Heart is his Root; if that is turned from all Evil, it is then like the Plant in a good Soil; when it hungers and thirsts after the Divine Life, it then infallibly draws the Light and Spirit of God into it, which are infinitely more ready and willing to live and fructify in the Soul, than Light and Air to enter into the Plant, that hungers after them. For the Soul hath its Breath, and Being, and Life, for no other End, but that the Triune God may manifest the Riches and Powers of his own Life in it.
Thus Hunger is all, and in all Worlds, every Thing lives in it, and by it; nothing else eats, or partakes of Life; and every Thing eats according to its own Hunger. Every Thing hungers after its own Mother, that is, every Thing has a natural magnetic Tendency to partake of that from which it had its Being; and can only find its Rest in that from whence it came.--Dead as well as living Things bear Witness to this Truth: The Stones fall to the Earth, the Sparks fly upwards, for this only Reason, because every Thing must tend towards that from whence it came.
Were not Angels and the Souls of Men breathed forth from God, as so many real Offsprings of the Divine Nature, it would be as impossible for them to have any Desire of God, as for Stones to go upwards, and the Flame downwards. Thus you may see, and feel, that the Spirit of Prayer not only proves that you came from God, but is your certain Way of returning to Him.
When, therefore, it is the one ruling, never ceasing Desire of our Hearts, that God may be the Beginning and End, the Reason and Motive, the Rule and Measure, of our doing, or not doing, from Morning to Night; then everywhere, whether speaking or silent, whether inwardly or outwardly employed, we are equally offered up to the eternal Spirit, have our Life in Him and from Him, and are united to Him, by that Spirit of Prayer, which is the Comfort, the Support, the Strength and Security of the Soul, travelling by the Help of God, through the Vanity of Time into the Riches of Eternity. For this Spirit of Prayer, let us willingly give up all that we inherit from our fallen Father, to be all Hunger and Thirst after God; and to have no Thought or Care, but how to be wholly his devoted Instruments; everywhere, and in every Thing, his adoring, joyful, and thankful Servants. Have your Eyes shut, and Ears stopped to every Thing, that is not a Step in that Ladder that reaches from Earth to Heaven.
Reading is good, Hearing is good, Conversation and Meditation are good; but then they are only good at Times and Occasions, in a certain Degree; and must be used and governed, with such Caution, as we eat and drink, and refresh ourselves, or they will bring forth in us the Fruits of Intemperance. But the Spirit of Prayer is for all Times, and all Occasions; it is a Lamp that is to be always burning, a Light to be ever shining; every Thing calls for it, every Thing is to be done in it, and governed by it; because it is, and means, and wills nothing else, but the whole Totality of the Soul, not doing this or that, but wholly, incessantly given up to God, to be where, and what, and how he pleases.
This State of absolute Resignation, naked Faith, and pure Love of God, is the highest Perfection, and most purified Life of those, who are born again from above, and through the Divine Power become Sons of God: And it is neither more nor less, than what our blessed Redeemer has called, and qualified us to long and aspire after, in these Words: "Thy Kingdom come; thy Will be done, on Earth, as it is in Heaven." It is to be sought for in the Simplicity of a little Child, without being captivated with any mysterious Depths or Heights of Speculation; without coveting any Knowledge, or wanting to see any Ground of Nature, Grace, or Creature, but so far as it brings us nearer to God, forces us to forget and renounce every Thing for Him; to do every Thing in Him, with Him, and for Him; and to give every breathing, moving, stirring, Intention, and Desire of our Heart, Soul, Spirit, and Life to Him.
Let every Creature have your Love. Love with its Fruits of Meekness, Patience, and Humility, is all that we can wish for to ourselves, and our fellow Creatures; for this is to live in God, united to him, both for Time and Eternity.
To desire to communicate Good to every Creature, in the Degree we can, and it is capable of receiving from us, is a Divine Temper; for thus God stands unchangeably disposed towards the whole Creation: But let me add my Request, as you value the Peace which God has brought forth by his Holy Spirit in you, as you desire to be continually taught by an Unction from above, that you would on no Account enter into any Dispute with anyone about the Truths of Salvation; but give them every Help, but that of debating with them; for no Man has Fitness for the Light of the Gospel, till he finds an Hunger and Thirst, and Want of something better, than that which he has and is by Nature. Yet we ought not to check our Inclinations to help others in every Way we can. Only do what you do, as a Work of God; and then, whatever may be the Event, you will have Reason to be content with the Success that God gives it. He that hath Ears to hear, let him hear'; may be enough for you, as well as it was for our blessed Lord.
The next Thing that belongs to us, and which is also Godlike, is a true unfeigned Patience, and Meekness, showing every Kind of Good-Will and tender Affection towards those that turn a deaf Ear to us; looking upon it to be full as contrary to God's Method, and the good State of our own Heart, to dispute with anyone in contentious Words, as to fight with him for the Truths of Salvation.
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you Rest,' saith our blessed Lord. He called none else, because no one else hath Ears to hear, or a Heart to receive the Truths of Redemption.
Every Man is a vain Disputer, till such Time as something has disturbed his State, and awakened in him a Sensibility of his own evil and miserable Nature. We are all of us afraid both of inward and outward Distress; and yet, till Distress comes, our Life is but a Dream, and we have no awakened Sensibility of our own true State.
We are apt to consider Parts and Abilities, as the proper Qualifications for the Reception of Divine Truths; and wonder that a Man of a fine Understanding should not immediately embrace just and solid Doctrines: But the Matter is quite otherwise. Had Man kept Possession of his first rich and glorious State, there had been no Foundation for the Gospel Redemption; and the Doctrine of the Cross, must have appeared quite unreasonable to be pressed upon him: And therefore says our Lord, To the Poor the Gospel is preached.' It is solely to them, and none else: That is, to poor fallen Man, that has lost all the true natural Riches and Greatness of his first Divine Life; to him is the Gospel preached. But if a Man knows and feels nothing of this Poverty of his Nature, he is not that Person to whom the Gospel belongs: It has no more Suitableness to his State, than it had to Man unfallen: And then the greater his Parts and Abilities are, the better is he qualified to show the Folly of every Doctrine of that Salvation, of which he has no want.