William Law · 6 of 44

An Address to the Clergy · Part 2

Secondly, That as the Apostles could not, so no man, from their Time to the End of the World, can have any true and real Knowledge of the Spiritual Blessings of Christ's Redemption, or have a Divine call, Capacity, or Fitness to preach, and bear Witness of them to the World, but solely by that Same Divine Spirit opening all the Mysteries of a Redeeming Christ in their inward Parts, as it did in the Apostles, Evangelists, and first Ministers of the Gospel.

For why could not the Apostles, who had been Eye-Witnesses to all the whole Process of Christ, why could they not with their human Apprehension declare and testify the Truth of such Things, till they 'were baptized with Fire, and born again of the 'Spirit'? It is because the Truth of such Things, or the Mysteries of Christ's Process, as Knowable by man, are Nothing else in themselves, but those very Things which are done by this heavenly Fire and Spirit of God in our Souls. Therefore to know the Mysteries of Christ's Redemption, and to know the Redeeming Work of God in our own Souls, is the same Thing; the one cannot be before, or without the other. Therefore Every Man, be he who he will, however able in all Kinds of human literature, must be an entire Stranger to all the Mysteries of Gospel Redemption, and can only talk about them as of any other Tale he has been told, till they are brought forth, verified, fulfilled, and witnessed to by That, which is found, felt and enjoyed of the whole Process of Christ in his Soul. For as Redemption is in its whole Nature an inward Spiritual Work, that works only in the altering, changing, and regenerating the Life of the Soul, so it must be true, that Nothing but the inward State of the Soul can bear true Witness to the Redeeming Power of Christ. For as it wholly consists in altering That which is the most radical in the Soul, bringing forth a new Spiritual Death, and a new Spiritual Life, it must be true, that no one can know or believe the Mysteries of Christ's redeeming Power, by historically knowing, or rationally consenting to That which is said of him and them in Written or Spoken Words, but only and Solely by an inward experimental finding, and feeling the Operation of them, in that new Death, and new Life, both of which must be effected in the Soul of Man, or Christ is not, cannot be found, and Known by the Soul as its Salvation. It must also be equally true, that the redeemed State of the Soul, being in itself Nothing else but the Resurrection of a Divine and holy Life in it, must as necessarily from first to last be the Sole Work of the Breathing creating Spirit of God, as the first holy created State of the Soul was.—And all this, because the Mysteries of Christ's redeeming Power, which work and bring forth the renewed State of the Soul, are not creaturely, finite, outward Things, that may be found and enjoyed by verbal Descriptions, or formed Ideas of them, but are a Birth and Life, and Spiritual Operation, which as solely belongs to God alone, as his creating Power. For Nothing can redeem, but that same Power which created the Soul. Nothing can bring forth a good Thought in it, but that which brought forth the Power of thinking. And of every Tendency towards Goodness, be it ever so small, that same may be truly affirmed of it, which St. Paul affirmed of his highest State, ‘yet not I, but Christ that liveth in me.’

But if the Belief of the necessity and Certainty of immediate continual Divine Inspiration, in and for everything that can be holy and good in us, be (as its Accusers say) rank Enthusiasm, then He is the only sober orthodox Christian, who of many a good Thought and Action that proceeds from him, frankly says, in order to avoid Enthusiasm, My own Power, and not Christ’s Spirit living and breathing in me, has done this for me. For if all that is good is not done by Christ, then Something that is good is done by myself. It is in vain to think, that there is a middle Way, and that rational Divines have found it out, as Dr. Warburton has done, who though denying immediate continual Inspiration, yet allows that the Spirit’s ‘ordinary Influence occasionally assists the faithful’.

Now this middle Way has neither Scripture nor sense in it; for an occasional Influence or Concurrence is as absurd, as an occasional God, and necessarily Supposes such a God. For an occasional influence of the spirit upon us supposes an occasional Absence of the Spirit from us. For there could be no such Thing, unless God was sometimes with us, and sometimes not, sometimes doing us good, as the inward God of our Life, and sometimes doing us no good at all, but leaving us to be good from ourselves.—Occasional Influence necessarily implies all this blasphemous Absurdity. Again, this middle way of an occasional Influence and Assistance necessarily supposes, that there is something of man’s own that is good, or the Holy Spirit of God neither would, nor could assist or co-operate with it. But if there was any Thing good in Man for God to assist and co-operate with, besides the SEED of his own Divine Nature, or his own WORD of Life Striving to bruise the Serpent’s Nature within us, it could not be true, that there is only one that is good, and that is God. And were there any Goodness in Creatures, either in Heaven, or on Earth, but the one Goodness of the Divine nature, living, working, and manifesting itself in them, as its created Instruments, then good Creatures, both in Heaven and on Earth, would have something else to adore, besides, or along with God. For Goodness, be it where it will, is adorable for itself, and because it is Goodness; if therefore any Degree of it belonged to the Creature, it ought to have a share of that same Adoration that is paid to the Creator.—Therefore, if to believe that Nothing godly can be alive in us, but what has all its Life from the Spirit of God living and breathing in us, if to look solely to it, and depend wholly upon it, both for the beginning, and growth of every Thought and Desire that can be holy and good in us, be proud rank enthusiasm, then it must be the same enthusiasm to own but one God. For he that owns more goodness than one, owns more Gods than one. And he that believes he can have any good in him, but the one Goodness of God, manifesting itself in him, and through him, owns more goodness than one. But if it be true, that God and Goodness cannot be divided, then it must be a Truth for ever and ever, that so much of Good, so much of God, must be in the Creature.

And here lies the true unchangeable Distinction between God, and Nature, and the Natural Creature. Nature and Creature are only for the outward manifestation of the inward invisible unapproachable Powers of God; they can rise no higher, nor be any thing else in themselves, but as Temples, habitations, or Instruments, in which the Supernatural God can, and does manifest himself in various Degrees, bringing forth Creatures to be good with his own Goodness, to love and adore him with his own Spirit of Love, for ever singing Praises to the Divine Nature by that which they partake of it. This is the Religion of Divine Inspiration, which being interpreted, is Immanuel, or God within us. Every Thing short of this, is short of that Religion which worships God in spirit and in Truth. And every religious Trust or Confidence in any Thing, but the Divine operation within us, is but a sort of Image‑Worship, which though it may deny the Form, yet retains the Power thereof in the Heart. And he that places any religious safety in theological Decisions, Scholastic Points, in particular Doctrines and opinions, that must be held about the Scripture Words of Faith, Justification, Sanctification, Election, and Reprobation, so far departs from the true Worship of the Living God within him, and sets up an Idol of Notions to be worshipped, if not instead of, yet along with him.

And I believe it may be taken for a certain Truth, that every Society of Christians, whose Religion stands upon this Ground, however ardent, laborious, and good their zeal may seem to be in such Matters, yet in spite of all, sooner or later, it will be found that Nature is at the Bottom, and that a selfish, earthly, overbearing Pride in their own Definitions and Doctrines of Words, will by Degrees creep up to the same Height, and become that same fleshly Wisdom, doing those very same Things, which they exclaim against in Popes, Cardinals, and Jesuits. Nor can it possibly be otherwise. For a letter‑learned zeal has but one Nature wherever it is, it can only do that for Christians, which it did for Jews. As it anciently brought forth Scribes, Pharisees, Hypocrites, and Crucifiers of Christ, as it afterwards brought forth Heresies, Schisms, Popes, papal Decrees, Images, Anathemas, Transubstantiation, so in Protestant Countries it will be doing the same Thing, only with other materials; Images of wood and Clay, will only be given up for Images of Doctrines; Grace and Works, imputed sin, and imputed Righteousness, Election and Reprobation, will have their Synods of Dort, as truly evangelical, as any Council of Trent.

This must be the Case of all fallen Christendom, as well Popish as Protestant, till single Men, and Churches, know, confess, and firmly adhere to this one Scripture Truth, which the blessed Behmen prefixed as a Motto to most of his Epistles, viz., 'That our Salvation is in the Life of Jesus Christ in us.' And that, because this alone was the Divine Perfection of Man before he fell, and will be his Perfection when he is one with Christ in Heaven.—Every Thing besides this, or that is not solely aiming at and essentially leading to it, is but mere Babel in all Sects and Divisions of Christians, living to themselves, and their own old man under a seeming holiness of Christian Strife and Contention about Scripture works.—But this Truth of Truths, fully possessed, and firmly adhered to, brings God and Man together, puts an End to every Lo here, and Lo there, and turns the whole Faith of Man to a Christ that can no where be a Saviour to him, but as essentially born in the inmost Spirit of his Soul, nor possible to be born there by any other means, but the immediate Inspiration and working Power of the holy Spirit within him.—To this Man alone all Scripture gives daily Edification; the Words of Christ and his Apostles fall like a Fire into him. And what is it that they kindle There? Not Notions, not Itching ears, nor rambling Desires after new and new Expounders of them, but a holy Flame of Love, to be always with, always attending to, that Christ and his holy Spirit within him, which alone can make him to be and do all that, which the Words of Christ and his Apostles have taught. For there is no possibility of being like-minded with Christ in anything that he taught, or having the Truth of one Christian Virtue, but by the Nature and Spirit of Christ become essentially living in us. Read all our Saviour’s Divine Sermon from the Mount, consent to the Goodness of every Part of it, yet the Time of practising it will never come, till you have a new Nature from Christ, and are as vitally in him, and he in you, as the Vine in the Branch, and the Branch in the Vine. 'Blessed are the pure in Heart, for they shall see God,' is a Divine Truth, but will do us no Divine good, unless we receive it as saying neither more nor less, than 'Blessed are they that are born again of the Spirit, for they alone can see ‘God.’—For no Blessedness, either of Truth or Life, can be found either in Men or Angels, but where the Spirit and Life of God is essentially born within them. And all Men or Churches, not placing all in the Life, Light, and Guidance of the Holy Spirit of Christ, but pretending to act in the Name, and for the Glory of God, from Opinions which their Logic and Learning have collected from Scripture Words, or from what a Calvin, an Arminius, a Socinus, or some smaller Name, has told them to be right or wrong, all such, are but where the Apostles were, when ‘by the Way there was a Strife among them who should be the greatest.’ And how much soever they may say, and boast of their great Zeal for Truth, and the only Glory of God, yet their own open notorious Behaviour towards one another, is proof enough, that the great Strife amongst them is, which shall be the greatest Sect, or have the largest number of Followers. A Strife, from the same Root, and just as useful to Christianity, as that of the Carnal Apostles, who should be greatest. For not numbers of Men, or Kingdoms professing Christianity, but numbers redeemed from the Death of Adam to the Life of Christ are the Glory of the Christian Church. And in whatever National Christianity any Thing else is meant or sought after, by the Profession of the Gospel, but a new heavenly Life, through the mediatorial Nature and Spirit of the eternal Son of God, born in the Fallen Soul, wherever this Spirituality of the Gospel-Redemption is denied or overlooked, there the Spirit of Self, of Satanic and worldly Subtlety, will be Church and Priest, and supreme Power, in all that is called Religion.

But to return now to the Doctrine of Continual Inspiration. The Natural or unregenerate Man, educated in pagan Learning, and Scholastic Theology, seeing the Strength of his Genius in the Search after Knowledge, how easily and learnedly he can talk, and write, criticize and determine upon all Scripture Words and Facts, looks at all this as a full Proof of his own religious Wisdom, Power and Goodness, and calls immediate Inspiration Enthusiasm, not considering, that all the Woes denounced by Christ against Scribes, Pharisees, and Hypocrites, are so many Woes now at this day denounced against every Appearance and Show of Religion, that the natural Man can practise.

And what is well to be noted, everyone, however high in human literature, is but this very natural Man, and can only have the Goodness of a carnal secular Religion, till as empty of all, as a new born Child, the Spirit of God gets a full Birth in him, and becomes the Inspirer and Doer of all that he wills, does, and aims at, in his whole Course of Religion.

Our Divine Master compares the Religion of the learned Phari sees "to whited Sepulchres, outwardly beautiful, but inwardly 'full of Rottenness, stench, and dead Men's bones'."

Now whence was it, that a Religion, so serious in its Restraints, so beautiful in its outward form and Practices, and commanding such Reverence from all that beheld it, was yet charged by Truth itself with having inwardly such an abominable Nature? It was only for this one Reason, because it was a Religion of Self.—Therefore, from the Beginning to the End of the World, it must be true, that where Self is kept alive, has Power, and keeps up its own Interests, whether in Speaking, Writing, teaching or defending the most specious Number of Scripture Doctrines and religious Forms, there is that very old Pharisee still alive, whom Christ with so much Severity of Language constantly condemned. And the Reason of such heavy Condemnation is, because Self is the only Root, or rather the Sum total of all Sin; every Sin that can be named is centred in it, and the Creature can Sin no higher, than he can live to Self.—For Self is the Fulness of Atheism and Idolatry, it is nothing else but the Creature broken off from God and Christ; it is the Power of Satan living and working in us, and the sad Continuance of that first Turning from God, which was the whole Fall or Death of our first Father.

And yet, sad and Satanical as this Self is, what is so much cherished and nourished with our daily Love, Fears, and Cares about it? How much worldly Wisdom, how much laborious Learning, how many Subtleties of Contrivance, and how much flattering Applications and Submissions are made to the World, that this apostate Self may have its Fulness, both of inward Joys, and outward Glory?

But to all this it must yet be added, that a Religion of Self, of worldly Glory and Prosperity carried on under the Gospel State, has more of a diabolical Nature than that of the Jewish Pharisees.—It is the highest and last Working of the Mystery of Iniquity, because it lives to Self, Satan, and the World, in and by a daily Profession of denying and dying to Self, of being crucified with Christ, of being led by his Spirit, of being risen from the World, and set with him in Heavenly Places.

Let then the Writers against continual immediate Divine Inspiration take this for a certain Truth, that by so doing, they do all they can to draw Man from That which is the very Truth and Perfection of the Gospel State, and are, and can be, no better than pitiable Advocates for a Religion of Self, more blamable and abominable now, than that which was of old condemned by Christ. For whatever is pretended to be done in Gospel Religion, by any other Spirit or Power, but that of the Holy Ghost bringing it forth, whether it be Praying, Preaching, or practising any Duties, is all of it but the Religion of Self, and can be nothing else. For all that is born of the Flesh, is Flesh, and nothing is spiritual, but that which has its whole Birth from the Spirit. But Man, not ruled and governed by the Spirit, has only the Nature of Corrupt Flesh, is under the full Power and Guidance of fallen Nature, and is that very natural Man, to whom the Things of God are Foolishness. But Man boldly rejecting, and preaching against a continual immediate Divine Inspiration, is an Anti-Apostle, he lays another Foundation, than that which Christ has laid, he teaches that Christ needs not, must not, be all in all in us, and is a Preacher up of the Folly of Fearing to grieve, quench, and resist the Holy Spirit.—For when, or where, or how could every one of us be in Danger of grieving, quenching, or resisting the Spirit, unless his holy Breathings and Inspirations were always within us? Or how could the Sin against the Holy Ghost have a more dreadful Nature, than that against the Father and the Son, but because the continual immediate Guidance and Operation of the Spirit, is the last and highest Manifestation of the holy Trinity in the fallen Soul of Man? It is not because the Holy Ghost is more worthy, or higher in Nature than the Father and the Son, but because Father and Son come forth in their own highest Power of redeeming Love, through the Covenant of a continual immediate Inspiration of the Spirit, to be always dwelling and working in the Soul. Many weak Things have been conjectured, and published to the World, about the Sin against the Holy Ghost; whereas the Whole Nature of it lies in this, that it is a Sinning, or Standing out against the last and highest Dispensation of God for the full Redemption of Man. Christ says, ‘If I had not come, they had not had Sin,’ that is, they had not had such a weight of guilt upon them; therefore the Sinning against Christ come into the Flesh, was of a more unpardonable Nature, than Sinning against the Father under the Law. So likewise Sinning against the Holy Ghost is of a more unpardonable Nature than Sinning against the Father under the Law, or against the Son as come in the Flesh, because these two preceding Dispensations were but preparatory to the Coming, or full Ministration of the Spirit. But when Father and Son were come in the Power and Manifestation of the Spirit, then he that refuses or resists this Ministration of the Spirit, resists all that the holy Trinity can do to restore and revive the first Life of God in the Soul, and so commits the unpardonable Sin, and which is therefore unpardonable, because there remains no further, or higher Power to remove it out of the Soul. For no Sin is pardonable, because of its own Nature: or that which it is in itself, but because there is something yet to come that can remove it out of the Soul; nor can any Sin be unpardonable, but because it has withstood, or turned from that which was the last and highest Remedy for the Removal of it.

Hence it is, that grieving, quenching, or resisting the Spirit, is the Sin of all Sins, that most of all stops the Work of Redemption, and in the highest Degree separates Man from all Union with God. But there could be no such Sin, but because the Holy Spirit is always Breathing, Willing, and Working within us. For what Spirit can be grieved by us, but that which has its will within us disobeyed? What Spirit can be quenched by us, but that which is, and ever would be, a holy Fire of Life within us? What Spirit can be resisted by us, but that which is, and has its Working within us? A Spirit on the outside of us cannot be the Spirit of God, nor could such a Spirit be any more quenched, or hindered by our Spirit, than a Man by indignation at a Storm could stop its Rage. Now, dreadful as the above mentioned Sin is, I would ask all the Writers against continual immediate Divine Inspiration, how they could more effectually lead Men into an habitual State of Sinning against the Holy Ghost, than by such Doctrine? For how can we possibly avoid the Sin of grieving, quenching, amp;c., the Spirit, but by continually reverencing his holy Presence in us, by continually waiting for, trusting, and solely attending to That which the Spirit of God wills, works, and manifests within us? To turn Men from this continual Dependence upon the Holy Spirit, is turning them from all true Knowledge of God. For without this, there is no Possibility of any edifying, saving Knowledge of God. For though we have ever so many mathematical Demonstrations of his Being, amp;c., we are without all real Knowledge of Him, till his own quickening Spirit within us manifests Him, as a Power of Life, Light, Love, and Goodness, essentially found, vitally felt, and adored in our Souls. This is the one Knowledge of God, which is eternal Life, because it is the Life of God manifested in the Soul, that Knowledge of which Christ says, “No one knoweth the Father but the Son, and He to whomsoever the Son revealeth him.” Therefore this Knowledge is only possible to be found in Him, who is in Christ a new Creature, for so it is that Christ revealeth the Father. But if none belong to God, but those who are led by the Spirit of God, if we are Reprobates unless the Spirit of Christ be living in us, who need be told, that all we have to trust to or depend upon, as Children of God and Christ, is the continual immediate Guidance, Unction, and Teaching of his Holy Spirit within us? Or how can we more profanely Sin against this Spirit and Power of God within us, or more expressly call Men from the Power of God to Satan, than by ridiculing a Faith and Hope that look wholly and solely to his continual immediate Breathings and Operations, for all that can be holy and good in us?

‘When I am lifted up from the Earth,’ says Christ, ‘I will draw all Men to me.’ Therefore the one great Power of Christ in and over the Souls of Men is after he is in Heaven; then begins the true full Power of his Drawing, because it is by his Spirit in Man that he draws. But who can more resist this Drawing, or defeat its Operation in us, than he that preaches against, and condemns the Belief of a continual and immediate Inspiration of the Spirit, when Christ’s Drawing can be in nothing else, nor be powerful any other Way?

Now That which we are here taught, is the whole End of all Scripture; for all that is there said, however learnedly read, or studied by Hebrew or Greek Skill, fails of its only End, till it leads and brings us to an Essential God within us, to feel and find all that which the Scriptures speak of God, of Man, of Life and Death, of Good and Evil, of Heaven and Hell, as Essentially verified in our own Souls. For all is within Man that can be either Good or Evil to him: God within Him, is his Divine Life, his Divine Light, and his Divine Love: Satan within Him is his Life of Self, of earthly Wisdom, of diabolical Falseness, Wrath, Pride, and Vanity of every Kind. There is no middle way between these two. He that is not under the Power of the one, is under the Power of the Other. And the Reason is, man was created in and under the Power of the Divine Life; so far therefore as he loses, or turns from this Life of God, so far he falls under the Power of Self, of Satan, and Worldly Wisdom. When St. Peter, full of an human good Love towards Christ, advised him to avoid his sufferings, Christ rejected him with a ‘Get thee behind me, Satan,’ and only gave this Reason for it, ‘for thou Savourest not the Things that be of God, but the Things that be of Men.’ A plain Proof, that whatever is not of and from the Holy Spirit of God in us, however plausible it may outwardly seem to Men, to their Wisdom, and human Goodness, is yet in itself Nothing else but the Power of Satan in us. And as St. Paul said truly of himself, ‘By the Grace of God I am what I am’; so every Wise, every Scribe, every Disputer of this world, every Truster to the Strength of his own rational Learning, every one that is under the Power of his own fallen Nature, never free from Desires of Honours and Preferments, ever thirsting to be rewarded for his theological Abilities, ever fearing to be abased and despised, always thankful to those who flatter him with his distinguished Merit, everyone that is such, be he who he will, may as truly say of himself, Through my turning and Trusting to something else than the Grace and Inspiration of God's Spirit, I am what I am. For Nothing else hinders any Professor of Christ from being able truly to say with St. Paul, 'God forbid that I should glory in any Thing but the Cross of Christ, by which I am crucified to the World, and the World to me.' Nothing makes him incapable of finding That which St. Paul found, when He said, 'I can do all Things through Christ that strengtheneth me;' nothing hinders all this, but his Disregard of a Christ within him, his choosing to have a Religion of self, of Laborious Learning, and worldly Greatness, rather than be such a Gospel fool for Christ, as to renounce all that which he renounced, and to seek no more earthly honour and Praise than he did, and to will Nothing, know Nothing, seek Nothing, but that which the Spirit of God and Christ knows, wills, and seeks in Him. Here, and here alone, lies the Christian's full and certain Power of overcoming self, the devil, and the world. But Christians, seeking and turning to anything else, but to be led and inspired by the one Spirit of God and Christ, will bring forth a Christendom that in the Sight of God will have no other Name, than a spiritual Babylon, a spiritual Egypt, and Sodom, a Scarlet Whore, a devouring Beast, and red Dragon. For all these names belong to all men, however learned, and to all Churches, whether greater or less, in which the Spirit of this World has any share of Power. This was the Fall of the whole Church soon after the Apostolic Ages; and all human Reformations, begun by ecclesiastical Learning, and supported by Civil Power, will signify little or Nothing, nay often make things worse, till all Churches, dying to all own Will, all own Wisdom, all own Advancement, seek for no Reforming Power but from that Spirit of God which converted Sinners, Publicans, Harlots, Jews, and Heathens, into an holy apostolical Church at the first, a Church which knew they were of God, that they belonged to God, by that Spirit which He had given them, and which worked in them.

'Ye are not in the Flesh,' says the Apostle, 'but in the Spirit'; but then he adds, as the only Ground of this, 'If so be that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you;' surely he means, if so be ye are moved, guided, and governed by that, which the Spirit wills, works and inspires within you. And then to show the absolute Necessity of this Life of God in the soul, he adds, 'If any man hath not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.'—And that this is the State to which God has appointed, and called all Christians, he thus declares, 'God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your Hearts, crying, Abba, Father,' Gal. iv. 6. The same Thing, most surely, as if he had said, Nothing in you can Cry, or Pray to God as its Father, but the Spirit of his son Christ come to Life in you. Which is also as true of every Tendency in the Soul towards God or Goodness; so much as there is of it, so much there is of the seed of the Woman striving to bring forth a full Birth of Christ in the Soul.