Section 8

Some fay, that none ought to put themfelves into it of themfelves, I grant it. And I fay alfo, that no creature can ever do this, fince there is not a creature in the world; that is able to unite itfelf to God by all its own efforts : it muft be God that muft unite it to himfelf. If therefore one cannot be united to God by ones felf, it is to cry out againft a chimera, to cry out againft them who put themfelves into it of themfelves.
Thefe will fay, that fome do
feign
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feign themfelves to be in it. I fay that this cannot be feigned ; for he who dieth of hunger cannot feign, efpecially for a long time, that he is in perfect fulnels. There will efcape from him always fome de- fire, or longing, by which he will foon difcover that he is very far from his end.
Since therefore no man can en- ter into his end, except he be placed therein, our concern here s not to introduce any one into it, )ut to fhew them the way which a eadeth thither ; and at the fame 1 ime to befeech and conjure them, hat they would not keep them- elves tied up, and fixed to any neans or exercifes, which mult be juitted when the fignal is given ; /hich is known and underftoodby
!ie experienced teacher, who Ihew- th the living water, and endea- oureth to introduce into it. And
would
140 A Short and Eajy
would it not be a cruelty that de- ferves to be punifhed, to (hew a fpring to a thirfty man, but then to keep him bound, and hinder him from going to it, leaving him to die with third ? Yet this is what is ufually done at this day. Let! us all agree in the way, as we agree in the end, whereof none can doubt without error. The way hath its leginning, its progrefs , and its end or mark. - The more one advanceth towards the maik, the more of neceffity he departeth 1 from the beginning : and it is im- polfible to arrive at the mark or end, but by departing continually farther from the beginning > no one being able to go from a gate to a diftant place without paffing through the intermediate fpace. This is inconteftable. If the end be good, holy, and necelfary, and if the gate be good, why fhall
Method of Prayer. 1^
the way which cometh from this gate, and leadeth dire&ly to this end, be evil ? O the blindnefs of the greateft part of men, who value themfelves for their learning and wit ! O how true is it, my God, that thou haji hidden thy Je- er ets from the great and from the wife, to reveal them to the little ones !
LETTERS.
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LETTER S.
i
LETTER I.
Madam GUION to Mr. B. of
the fimilitude of a Tulip-Root.
OU defire that God fhoulc
be the principal and onl\ motive of your inclinations and ac- tions, but this you will never at- tain to by (mere) vocal prayers, it is attainable only by a long and
Lo n d o n .
In which is a beautiful illujl ration, fro\
hide-
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indefatigable perfeverance in men- tal prayer ; which you muft conti- nue by the eafy means you have :aken, and it will come by degrees. You fee we cannot filence our- elves when we pleafe, it is God tat gives us this ftate of mind ; all that we can do on our part s, ftrenuoufly to recoiled ourfelves, ind reunite (as David fays) all the )owers of our foul in the Lord, d* \nd when the foul is thus gathered vithin itfelf and recollected, it may iddrefs itfelf to its God in ome little affeCtionate breathings f the heart, juft as they come in be mind, and afterwards keep in . filent refpeCt before him ; and :ow and then renew its affeCtions Tit finds a facility in doing it, if ot, let it be altogether filent.
God
* Prov. xv i. 1. The preparations of the heart man, &c. are from the Lord .
+ Pfal. ciii. 1.
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God has two ways of filencing the foul ; the one by giving it inzvardl a tajle of his prefence (but this tafte i; pure, fimple, general ;) the othei by making it feel in itfelf a certaii drynefs or inability of producing thef a&s of affe&ion ; and in that caf we ought to remain before God it a fpirit of faith and abfolute refig nation, leaving ourfelves entirel to our Lord to deal with us as h pleafes. All depends upon th perfeverance ; never therefor ceafe from prayer, although yo think you do nothing in it, for t that time your humble patience I infinitely well pleafing to God nay it is then that God operates mo in your foul, though in a mann^ hidden and unknown to yon fenfes. This manner of prayer not fubjeft to delufion or enthi fiafm for faith embraces the whol and does notexpeft, or defire an
thir
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ting for itfelf. This faith has hut me obje£f, which is God, his giory md his good pleafure, which it arefers to all felf-inierefts, and this is that produces the pure love vhich loves the whole of God , both vhat he is, and for the fake of lirafelf, without any regard to vhat we ourlelves are.
The filencew hich forne perfons pro- efs and recommend, is vaftiy wide f this ; they are people that keep remfelves ftill, purely in expeEla- on of fome light, fome fpeech , or ame new fentiment , and thus not ;eking God for himfelf ; they are xpofed to the enemy, who de- eives them by giving them a thou- ind extraordinary things, which re very far from the way we >eak of, which is fimple, humble, ttle ; which exppdts nothing as elieving it merits nothing ; and hich is perfuaded that every tiring N extra-
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extraordinary is an obftacle to the pure enjoyment of God. Conti- nue therefore and perfevere in your prayer be it barren or fruit- ful, hard or eafy, all is equal to him who wills only the will of God ; j and who comes to God, only that God may do with him according to his pleafure. It would be a deplorable inftance of inconftancy to be varying from this way under pretence that we mull proceed now , on this falhion, now on another.!] God proves the fidelity of the foul by thefe viajfitudes, as he does by temptations and the fear of miftak- ing ; but provided you humbly perlevereyou have nothing to fear for the devil can take no hold o| you : but thofe who defire extra ordinary gifts and favours become the fport of devils. j
I do not doubt but there hav been and now are, among th|
abov
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above mentioned, many well-mean- ing people, who by their creduli- ty have left themfelves open to de- lufion ; for the natural man always loves the marvellous, he would fain fee, feel, know and difcern, either his own operations, or thofe of fome foreign agent ; and this may deceive him. But he that humbly continues before God, not waiting in expeftation of any thing, as well knowing he merits nothing, but is content with whatever God pleafes to do, or not to do, in him or with him, is highly well pleafing to God.
I think we ought always to have fome outward bufinefs that is in- nocent, for the mind of man is not capable of a Continued introver- fion and abftra&ion ; and when we begin too eagerly, it feldom lafts. We mull amufe our fenfes like children, with things that are in- N 2 nocent
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nocent in themfelves; and this lit tie, humble, procedure, will draw down upon us the tender mercie of our God : who has told us tha unlefs we become as little children, uu Jhall not enter into the kingdom oj hea ven. Violence in this cafe, if i be too llrong and too continual will ruin our health, and depriv us of the deligns of God, who doe all his works after a manner wor thy of himfelf, though it is true he does not make our fenfes privy to them. Of this we may fee man) infiances in nature. The root o a tulip, hid in the ground, feems t be but a very infignificant thing yet when the feafon is come, i1 produces a flower of various co lours, and.very beautiful to the eye If a man that had heard of a tulip but had never feen one, fhould b told that that bulb would produo fo beautiful a flower, he wouf 4 fcarc
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fcarce believe it; and if through his impatience he would be often taking up his tulip root out of the earth to fee the procefs, whether it began to fhoot or no, he would certainly incapacitate it for putting Forth and producing this excellent flower. And, thus it is with us,* ,vhen we will be feeing, difcerning , ind knowing what God operates n us, we only hinder his work. There is nothing wanting on our Dart but fidelity, patience, Jubmijfion, ind abfolule rejignation to our divine rardiner : who in his own time will et us fee the wonderful things he lath wrought in us, while we hought ourfelves poor, miferable, nd deftitute of all good.
Our failings and miferies fhould N 3 not
* Mark iv. 26. So is the kingdom of God, s if a man Jhould cajl feed into the ground. — '.cclef. xi. 4. He that obferveth the wind JhaO. ot fow ; and he that regardeth the clouds, Jhall it reap.
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not keep us. from prayer, but o: the contrary, we fhould then go t God, and fay to him with an hum ble grief, “ My God! behold whs I am capable of; if thou leave m to myfelf, I fhall {till do worfe my whole dependence is upon th grace ; for of myfelf I am nothin but mifery and fin.” A little chil that is fallen in the dirt, you fe£, comes immediately to its mothei who makes it clean, and evei wipes away the tears from its eyes and thus God deals with us, whel we fall thro' fraiity ; if we prefent Jy return to him with all our head David who knew the neceflity o afting thus, in this cafe, fays t( God, “ Wajh me and Ijhall be clean purge me and I jhall be whiter thai [now.” It is the blood of the Lamf without fpot that can make us pure and he will do it when we return to him in an humble confufioh foi
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our miferies. There is nothing in this of extraordinary performances nor high flights ; what I mean is, the pure prayer of the heart.
Take courage and follow the lit- tle path, I have here fhewn you, without afpiring to greater things ; for be affured, it is nothing but a paffion for our own excellency, that makes us fo forward to change our courfe, or to advance of ourlelves, according to our own fond con- ceptions, whereby inflead of pro- ceeding we go backward, and oftentimes loofe all by grafping at too much.
I pray God to illuminate, and give you to underhand this letter. 1 mull however warn you (it is of the utmolt confequence) to die to all fpiritual fenfibilities and curious enquiries, that lo you may enter into an implicit faith, which believeth all
things
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things * — for your will muft die to all taftes and fentiments, by a con- tinual refignation, receiving and acquiefcing in that inwardly, which God gives or does not give, and in that outwardly, which happens ] to us from moment to moment by the hand of providence; and lo accuftom yourfelf never to will that H which you have not. Upon thel prablice of this continual fubmif-I lion of the will to God, depends all the progrefs of the fpiritual life, and the good of the foul : this is that 1 which will give you a perfect re- pofe in the will of God : this is that which our Lord Jefus Chrift hath bid us pray for, thy mil be done in earth as it is in heaven. It is done in heaven without refif- ance, and without relu&ance. All the outward works that we can do, be they what they will, will not, jl
cannot,
* i Cor. xiii, 7.
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cannot, advance us, as this total and continual fubmiffion of our will to the divine, moft infallibly will. It is this renunciation of ourfelves that Jefus Chrilt taught us, viz, to fubmit continually our reajon to faith and our will to God. xA.nd this is what I require of you, that you limply enter into this courfe : which you fee is a work of time.— Faith brings us back to our own nothingnefs, and by our not being any thing, leaves God to be all that he is in bimfelf and for himfelf. Love is the confequence of faith : the more limple and naked the faith is, the more pure is the love : and on the other hand, faith is the confequence of love ; the more per- left love is, the more perfect is faith. In the way of which I here fpeak and have wrote fo much, we are fcreened from the angel of darknefs , viho can transform himfelf into an an-
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gel of light : but not into an angel Oj love. Let us defeend by love faith, humility : keeping ourfelve: in our own nothingnefs, and wt need not fear falling. 1 require o you in the name of God. that yoi preferve an inviolable attachmen to this way, without wavering. ]j affure you, that they who purfue this method are founded upon thtj living rock, Clirijl Jefus. The del vil puts doubts and uncertainties into the foul, in order to make i fickle and inconjlant , and to keep i from perfevering, becaufe hi knows great good will accrue tdi the foul thereby, and that this di veils him of all his right and powqj over it. Wherefore he flirs up all the world to prevent, if poffible( any one’s following Jefus Chrift inj this path, which he himlelf traced out to us.
April, 1714.
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LETTER II.
Madam GUION to Mrs. T. of London.
YOUR letter, my molt dear filler in our Lord, gave me 'ucb an intimacy with your heart, is very much rejoiced me. I would not have you wonder, that pu have not the fweet recollec- .ion you formerly had, and that Derceptible prefence which God jives in the beginnings to thofe he would draw to himfelf. When once he has fettled them in his love, and made their heart fure to him, he fevers them from all this to make them walk in faith and in the crofs. This firft eftate is that of milk, which St. Paul fpeaks of, and
the
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the fecond is the bread oj Jlrong men. In the fil'd God gives many teftimonies of his love : in the fe- cond he requires proofs of yours He deals with us after this manner for many reafons. Firjl, to th intent we may not be wedded tc any confolation, but purely and nakedly to him alone, and thereby, as we ought, follow Jefus Chrift, by the way of the crofs. A /econo, reafon is, becaufe felf love nou- rifhes itfelf with thofe things though we do not perceive it. A third reafon is, to make us walk in naked and obfcure faith, and in a love of God pure and difengagerl of all felf-intereft, loving him above all gifts and recompenfes, not willing any thing of God for our- felves but his mojl holy will, and not defiring any thing but purely his glory , even when it is to our own coft. But the principal reafon is to
draw
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draw us out of ourfelves, and make us die to all that is of the old man, that fo we may be cloathed, ani- mated and vivified by the new man. Faith deprives us of all created light, whether it be of reafon or laboured explanations of the pure and naked truth ; without which faith, we (hall never be re- newed and regenerated. The pure ove of God deftroys in us all orts of affe&ions and defires, all t wills, taftes and fentiments, to the ! md we may receive no impreffions )ut from the will of God alone.
I This is the faith which worketh rue poverty of fpirit, and this is he love which feparates us from all hings, and from ourfelves ; — * account yourfelf happy then inaf- nuch as God treats you as he did iis own Son, who in the extremefi: •utward fufferings was in the moft xtreme inward deflations, when
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he cried out, My God, my God, why hajl thouforfakm me. Ail devotion j which does not tend to make us conformable to Jefus Chrift, I am a little fufpicious of but where I fee the crofs and defolation, it fills my heart with
j°y- . .
I own it is a hard leffon to be bound to hear all the trifling dif courfes of the creatures. W ought patiently to bear all which be longs to our flate, or that come: to us by providence ; but when we can avoid converfation, wij fhould do all we can to fhun it Solitude is indeed highly agreeabl to the heart that loves God, bu when we are debarred of it b providence, and not of choice, w fhould bear with patience, and fo the love of him, what thofe thing feem to deprive us of. The tru