Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2016 
 
 https://archive.org/details/worshipofgodinspOOguyo 
 

 
 

 
 
 ./ 
 
 * 
 
 , *» ' 
 
 
 
* 
 

 
 1 
 
 \ 
 
 
 
 
 ■u 
 
 -i 
 
 
 s; v. 
 
THE 
 
 Worfhip of GOD, 
 
 I N 
 
 Spirit and in Truth : 
 
 o R, A 
 
 Short and eafy Method of Prayer, 
 
 Suited to every Capacity ; 
 
 With Two Letters upon the fame Subjeft, 
 
 By Madam G U I O N. 
 
 To which is added, 
 
 TWO LETTERS, 
 
 Concerning a Life truly Chriftian ; 
 
 And a DISCOURSE upon the i tniverful Love and 
 Goodnefs of God to Mankind, in and through 
 Jefus Chrift. 
 
 Extracted from Two late Authors. 
 
 BRISTOL: 
 
 Printed by W. Pine, for T. Mills, Bookfdler, 
 in Wine-Street, 1775. 
 
 c 
 
L 3 3 
 
 ■or 9 83 W 
 
 THE 
 
 Authors Preface. 
 
 A Great many perfons have Janciei 
 Prayer and Devotion to be things 
 fo very frightful and extraordinary , that 
 they thought it was but in vain to labour 
 to acquire them , defpairing ever to be able 
 to compafs than. But as the difficulty 
 which one apprehends to be in any thing 
 maketh him defpair of being able to fuc- 
 ceed in it, and at the fame timeflifleth his 
 defire of undertaking it ; fo on the other 
 hand, when one propofes to himjelf a thing 
 as advantageous, and which is eafy to be 
 obtained, he fets about it with pleafure, and 
 carries it on with refolution : this is what 
 hath obliged us to aifcover both the advan- 
 tage and facility of this method. 0 ! were 
 we but perfwaded of the infinite goodnefs 
 of God toward his poor creatures , and of 
 the defire that he hath to communicate 
 himfelf to them, we Jhould not apprehend 
 A 2 ' fuck 
 
 GOSbSS 
 
 - - =■ 
 
4 The Author's Preface. 
 
 fuch difficulties, neither Jhould zve fo eafily 
 defpair to obtain a good which he defir eth 
 fo earntjlly to give us. 
 
 After that he hath given us his 
 only Son, and delivered him to the 
 death for us. Rom. viii. 32. Row can 
 he rejufe us any thing effe ? No fure- 
 ly : IV e want but a little courage and 
 perfeverance. We have fo much of both 
 for our little temporal inter efts, and yet 
 almofl none at all left for the one thing 
 necefTary, Luke x. 42. 
 
 I am willing that fuch as have difficulty 
 to believe, that ' tis eafy to find God in this 
 manner, do not believe what is here told 
 them : but let them make the experi- 
 
 ment of it, and then let them judge for 
 themjelves, and they Jhall fee that there is 
 but very little tcld them, in comparijon of 
 what the thing really is. Read therefore, 
 dearefi reader, this fmall Treat je with a 
 Jimple and [metre heart, with childlike 
 littlenefs and humility of [pint, and you'll 
 find very muck good by it. Receive it with 
 the fame [pint that we give it you, 
 which is no other but to carry you wholly 
 to God without rejerve. Our dtfign is 
 
 to 
 
The Author’s Prejace. 5 
 
 to encourage the Jimple and the little 
 ones to go to their Jather who loveth 
 their humble confidence, and whom dij- 
 trujl very much dypleafeth. Seek not for any 
 thing in it but the love of God , and retain 
 always a fincere defire of your falvation , 
 and ye Jhall certainly find it. 
 
 lUe don't at all pretend to raife our opi- 
 nion above that oj others , but we fincer e/y 
 declare the experience we have had , both 
 in ourfelvts and others, oj the advantage 
 that there is to be found in the ufe of this 
 plain and finiple manner of going to God. 
 If we pafs by fever al things which are ef- 
 teemed, and [peak only of the fiort and eajy 
 method of prayer, it is becauje the treatife 
 being intended only for this, it cant fo well 
 treat of any thing elfe. , 
 
 It is certain that wkofoever reads it in 
 thefamefpirit in which it was written, will 
 find nothing that's f locking or uneafy, 
 they will be farther confirmed in the truth 
 which it contains, would they but make a 
 competent trial of it. 
 
 It bc/ongeth to thee, 0 bleffed JE- 
 SUS ! who loveji /implicity, and who 
 
 A 3 takeft 
 
6 
 
 The Author's Preface. 
 
 takeft thy delights in being with the 
 children of men, Prov. vii. 31, that is, 
 with thoje amongjl men , , who are truly 
 willing to become children : it bclongeth to 
 thee, I Jay, to give the due value and efleem 
 to this little work, by imprinting it on 
 the heart, and inclining thoje who fiall 
 read it, to fcek thee in their heart where 
 thou defirejl to receive the mar ks of their 
 love, and to give them the tejlimonies of 
 thine. They deprive them] elves of the fe good 
 things by their own fault. It is tfiy work , 
 0 thou God of love ! 0 thou filent WORD ! 
 ’tis thy work to make thyjetf to be beloved, 
 tajled, and heard. Thou canjl do it, and 
 J am confident thou wilt do it to the foul 
 that gives itfelf up to thee. 
 
 Glory be to thy name for ever. 
 
 A 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 Page 
 
 M. Guion’j preface - 3 
 
 Se&ion I. 
 
 That all have ability to pray - 7 
 
 Seftion II. 
 
 Of the right manner of prayer - 13 
 
 Seftion III. 
 
 For thofe who cannot read - 20 
 
 Seftion IV. 
 
 Of the fecond degree of prayer - 26 
 
 Seftion V. 
 
 Of Jpiritual drinejfes - - 28 
 
 Seftion VI. 
 
 Of refgnation ■= - - 3 1 
 
 Seftion 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Page 
 
 Seftion VII. 
 
 Offufferings - 35 
 
 Seftion VIII. 
 
 Of the myfteries of our redemption 
 through Jefus Chrijl - - 38 
 
 Seftion IX. 
 
 
 
 Of virtue 
 
 Seftion X; 
 
 
 4i 
 
 Of mortification 
 
 Seftion XI. 
 
 - 
 
 43 
 
 Of converfon 
 
 Se£tion XII. 
 
 - 
 
 47 
 
 Of the prayer of God's fimple 
 fence - * 
 
 Seftion XIII. 
 
 prc- 
 
 52 
 
 Of reft before God 
 
 Seftion XIV. 
 
 - 
 
 60 
 
 Of the inward filence 
 
 Seftion XV. 
 
 - 
 
 62 
 
 Of f elf examination: and of 
 feffion 
 
 con - 
 
 6 5 
 
 Seftion 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Page 
 
 Seaion XVI; 
 
 
 Of reading and of vocal prayers 
 
 - 7 * 
 
 Seaion XVII. 
 
 
 Of petitions 
 
 -■ 72 
 
 Seaion XVIII. 
 
 
 Of defers or infirmities 
 
 • 74 
 
 Seaion XIX. 
 
 
 Of diflraElions and temptations 
 
 - 76 
 
 Seaion XX. 
 
 Of true prayer and adoration - 78 
 
 Seftion XXI. 
 
 That one a£ls more vigoroufly and 
 more nobly by this manner of 
 prayer than by any other - go 
 Seaion XXII. 
 
 Of internal aEls - 101 
 
 Seaion XXIII. 
 
 An addrefs to pajlors and preachers 1 *4 
 
 Seaion XXIV. 
 
 What is the fafejl method to arrive 
 at the divine union - - 124 
 
 Letter 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Page 
 
 Letter I. 
 
 Madam Guion to Mr. B. of London 142 
 Letter II. 
 
 Madam Guion to Mrs. T. of London 155 
 
 Extra&ed from two late Authors. 
 
 1 Letter I. 
 
 Concerning a life truly Chrifiian 161 
 
 2 Letter II. 
 
 Defcribing fome of the temptations 
 
 which attends a life truly Chrijlian 1 77 
 
 3. A Discourse upon the unver- 
 fal love and goodnefs of God to 
 mankind in and through Jefus 
 Chrifl - - - - 187 
 
ERRATA. 
 
 Page 131, read after he addeth, 
 that the perfon whofe works Jhall bt 
 found ft to be burnt , Jhall be faved j 
 yet Jo as by fre. 
 
 N. B. The Publisher is fenfible 
 that there are feveral other errors of the 
 prefs, as well as in the pun&uation, 
 which he is perfuaded the Reader’s good 
 fenfe will correct and candor pardon. 
 
 Madam Guion’s enemies made 
 her Short and Eafy Method of Prayer , a 
 pretext for her Persecution, Im- 
 prisonment, and Exile. Vide 
 fupplement to Lady Guion’s Life, 
 page 269, and her Letters, No. 158, 
 159, &c. publilhed with the Dyfertation 
 on Pure Love, written by the 
 Archbishop of Cambrav. 
 

 
 
A 
 
 Short and Eafy Method 
 
 O F 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 Sect. I. 
 
 That all have ability to pray. 
 
 A LL men are capable of prayer \ 
 and therefore his a dreadful 
 unhappinefs that generally all per- 
 fons almoft do imagine that they 
 are not called to prayer. But we 
 are all called to prayer, like as we 
 are all called to falvation. 
 
 Praver 
 
 4 
 
8 
 
 A Short and Eajy 
 
 Prayer is no other tiling but the 
 application of the heart to God , and 
 the inward exercife of love. St. Paul 
 enjoins us to pray without ceafing 
 iTheff. v. 17. And our Lord faith 
 I fay unto you all, watch and pray . 
 Mark xiii. 33, 37. All then 
 may pray, and all ought to pray. 
 But I confefs, all cannot meditate, 
 and that but very few are fitted for 
 it. So it is not this prayer of me- 
 ditation which God requires, nor 
 which we defire of you, my dear- 
 eft brethren, whofoever you be 
 that would be faved. Come ye 
 therefore every one to pray ; ye 
 ought to live by prayer, as ye ought 
 to live by love. 1 counfel you to buy 
 of me gold tried in the fire , that you 
 may be rich. Rev. iii. 18. It is mod 
 eafy for you to obtain it, yea, more 
 than you can imagine. Come allye 
 that are alhirfi unto thefe living waters ; 
 and don’t amufe yourf elves to hew out 
 
 broken 
 
Method of Prayer. g 
 
 broken cijlerns that can hold no water. 
 Jo. vii. 37. Jer. ii. 13. Come 
 all ye hungry hearts, which find 
 not any thing that can content 
 you, and you fhall be fully fatisfi- 
 ed. Come ye poor afflibfed ones, 
 ye who are oppreffed with trouble 
 and forrows, and ye fhall be com- 
 forted. Come ye that are fick to 
 your Phyfician, and fear not to ap- 
 proach him becaufe you are weigh- 
 ed down with maladies : lay open 
 to him all your difeafes, and ye 
 fhall be relieved. Come ye child- 
 ren to your Father, and he will re- 
 ceive you with the arms of love 
 Come ye poor wandring and ftrag-. 
 ling fheep, draw nigh to your Shep- 
 herd. Come ye finners near to 
 your Saviour. Come ye dull and 
 ignorant ones, ye are all fit for 
 prayer, even ye who think your- 
 felves incapable thereof, are molt 
 of all fitted for it. Come all of you 
 
 without 
 
i o A Short and Eafy 
 
 without exception, JefusChrid cal- 
 leth you all. Yet let not thofe who 
 ate without an heart come, for they 
 only are difpens’d from corning ; 
 for there mud be an heart to love. 
 But who is without an heart ? O 
 come then and give this heart unto 
 God ; and learn the manner of do- 
 ing it. All who are willing to pray 
 can eafily do it with the aflidance 
 of the ordinary graces, and of the 
 gifts of the Holy Spirit, which are 
 common to all Chriltians. 
 
 Prayer is the key to fupreme 
 bappinefs. It is theeffeHual means 
 of delivering us from all vices, and 
 of acquiring all virtues : for the 
 great means of becoming perfect, is 
 to walk in the prefence of God. 
 This he faid himfelf. Walk in my 
 prejence, and be perJeB. Gen. xvii. 
 1. 'Tis prayer alone that can give 
 you this prefence, and that can give 
 it you continually. 
 
 Therefore 
 
Method of Prayer. 1 i 
 
 Therefore you mult learn a kind 
 of prayer which can be made at all 
 times, which doth not divert from 
 outward bufinefs, and which prin- 
 ces, kings, prelates, priefts, magif- 
 trates, foldiers, children and la- 
 bourers, women and lick perfons, 
 may all perform. This is not the 
 prayer of the head, but the prayer 
 of the heart. It is not a prayer of 
 thought only, becaufe the fpirit of 
 man is fo bounded, that while he 
 thinks on one thing, he can’t think 
 on another ; but it is the prayer of 
 the heart, which is not at all inter- 
 rupted by all the occupations of the 
 mind : nothing but irregular af- 
 fe6tions can interrupt the prayer of 
 the heart ; and ’tis almoft impof- 
 fible for the foul which has once 
 tailed God, and the fweetnefs of 
 his love, to relilh any thing elfe 
 i but him. 
 
 There’s nothing more eafy, than 
 
 to 
 
12 A Short and Eafy 
 
 to have God, and to tafte (or de- 
 light in) him. He is more in us 
 than we ourfelves. He defires 
 more to give himfelf to us, than 
 we do to poffefs him. All confifts 
 in the right manner of feeking him, 
 which yet is fo eafy and fo natural, 
 that the very air which we breathe 
 is not more fo. And even you 
 who think yourfelves fo dull, as 
 that you are not good for any 
 thing ; you (I fay) may live by 
 prayer, and upon God himfelf, as 
 eafily and as continually as ye live 
 by the air which you breathe. Shall 
 ye not then be highly criminal if 
 ye don’t do it ? But doubtlefs ye 
 will do it when ye fhall have learn- 
 ed the way, which is indeed the 
 |he eafieft that can be. 
 
 Sect. II. 
 
Method of Prayer. 
 
 n 
 
 Sect II. 
 
 i Of the right Manner of Prayer. 
 
 1 
 
 j 
 
 1 
 
 r. 
 
 is 
 
 e 
 
 .11 
 
 if 
 
 ;e 
 
 n- 
 
 ;ie 
 
 II, 
 
 T HERE arc two ways of in- 
 troducing fouls into prayer, 
 which they may and ought to ufe 
 for a certain time. The one is, 
 Meditation ; the other is, Meditation 
 upon Reading. 
 
 Meditation upon Reading is noth- 
 ing elfe, but to take fome weighty 
 truths, which afford matter both 
 for fpeculation and practice ; but 
 efpeciallv for the latter, and to 
 proceed in this manner. Fuji, You 
 (hall take the truth, fuch as you 
 are pleafed to chufe, and read two 
 or three lines of it in order, that 
 you may talte and digelt them, en- 
 deavouring to draw out the juice 
 B or 
 
14 A Short and Eafy 
 
 orfubftance of them, and to keep fix’d 
 to the place which you read, Jo long 
 as you find any relijh in it, not pah- 
 ling further till that place become 
 infipid unto you. 
 
 Then you mull take as much 
 more, and do juft the fame, not 
 reading above half a page at a time : 
 for it is not fo much the quantity 
 of reading that is profitable, as the 
 manner of reading. Hence thofe 
 who run apace cannot improve by 
 what they read, any more than the 
 bees can draw out the juice of the 
 flowers by flying over them, without 
 refting upon them. To read much, 
 ferves more for fchool -learning 
 than for fpiritual knowledge : but 
 to profit really by fpiritual books, 
 they muft be read in the manner 
 above expiefs’d; and I’m fure, that 
 if any did fo, they would by read- 
 ing gradually accuftom themfelves 
 
 to 
 
Method of Prayer. i 5 
 
 to prayer, and become very much 
 di (pos’d for it. 
 
 The other ( help to prayer) is, Me- 
 ditation, which is performed in a Tea- 
 fon fet apart for it, and not in the 
 time of reading. I think it might 
 be good to enter upon it in this 
 manner. After having plac.edyour- 
 felfinthe prefence of God. by an 
 a6t of faith, you muft read forne- 
 thing that’s fubftantial, and ftop 
 gently upon it ; not that you may 
 reafon, but only to fix your mind ; 
 remembering that the principal ex- 
 ercife ought to be the prefence of 
 God, and that the fubjeci fhould 
 ferve more to ftay your mind 
 than to employ your reafon. 
 A firm belief of God being pre- 
 fent in the ground of our hearts, 
 muft needs engage us to fink down 
 into ourfelves, gathering all the 
 thoughts inward, and hindering them 
 B 2 from 
 
1 6 A Short and Eafy 
 
 from being fcattered abroad; which 
 is a powerful means of ridding us 
 from a multitude of diftra&ions, 
 and of removing us far from out- 
 ward objefts, that we may ap- 
 proach unto God, who cannot be 
 found but in the inward ground of 
 ourfelves, and in our centre, which 
 is the Holy of Holies , where he 
 dwells. Yea, he promifes that if 
 any man do his will, he will come unto 
 him and make his abode in him. Jo. 
 xiv. 23. St. Auftin accufes himfelf 
 for the time which he had loft, in 
 not having at firft fought God after 
 this manner. 
 
 When therefore any one is thus 
 funk and introverted into himfelf, 
 and throughly penetrated with a 
 living fenfe of the divine prefence 
 in his inward ground ; when the 
 thoughts are all gathered up and 
 retir’d from the circumference to 
 
 the 
 
Method oj Prayer. 1 7 
 
 the centre ; which indeed is Torn e- 
 what painful in the beginning, but 
 afterwards becomes molt eafy, as I 
 fliall fhew you hereafter. When 
 I fay, the foul is thus recollected 
 into itfelf, and when it is employ- 
 ed fweetly and gently about the 
 truth it hath read, not in reafon- 
 ing much upon it, but in favouring 
 and tailing it, and in exciting the 
 will by aflfeflion, rather than in 
 applying the underilanding by con- 
 fideration : the affefction being thus 
 iiirred up, we mail leave it to 
 relt fweetly and in peace, that it 
 may fwallow down what it has tail- 
 ed : for fuppofe one fbould but 
 chew an excellent bit, and indeed 
 reliih it, yet if he did not forbear 
 a little this motion, fo as to fwal- 
 low it dowm, he could not be nou- 
 rifhed by it. So in like manner, 
 when the aft’eflion is moved, if we 
 would go on to move it ft i 11 , we 
 B 2 fbould 
 
18 A Short and Eafy 
 
 fhould extinguifh its fire, and there- 
 by deprive the foul of its food ; 
 and therefore it muft necefiarily 
 fwallow down what it hath chew’d 
 and tailed, by a little repofe full 
 of refpe£t and confidence. This 
 method is moll neceffary, and 
 would advance a foul more in a lit- 
 tle while, than any other is capa- 
 ble of doing in feveral years. 
 
 But as I have hinted, the prin- 
 cipal exercife ought always -to 
 be the view of the divine pre- 
 fence : this alfo we ought to per- 
 form in the moll faithful manner 
 we can : to call in our thoughts 
 whenfoever they begin to wander. 
 This is a fhort and effeftual way 
 to combat all difl rations, becaufe 
 if any would oppofe them dire£lly r 
 they but irritate and encreafe them, 
 whereas by ^ joking down in the 
 view, an, d< faith of the divine pre- 
 tence, and limply recoiled ing our- 
 ■ . .j t . i j c i g . i i ' : ielves, 
 
Method of Prayer. 19 
 
 felves, we combat them indireftly, 
 and without thinking of them, 
 though in a moft powerful manner. 
 
 I likewife admonifh all begin- 
 ners not to run from one truth to 
 another, or from one fubjeCt to 
 another ; but to hold by one and 
 the fame fo long as they find any 
 relifh in it. This is the way quickly 
 to enter and penetrate into the 
 truths proposed, to tafte them, and 
 to have them imprinted upon us. 
 
 I laid, 'ti-s difficult in the begin- 
 ning for one to recoiled himfelf, 
 becaufe of the habit that the foul 
 has gotten to be wholly without 
 in things relating to the body ; but 
 when "tis a little accullom’d to re- 
 colleflion-by the violence which it 
 has done to itfelf, this becomes 
 mighty eafy unto - it ; not only be- 
 caufe it acquires this habit, but alfo 
 becaufe Gdd- whoTeeks to commu- 
 nicate himfelf to his creature, Tends 
 ’it fu-ch abundant graces and fuch 
 
 an 
 
20 
 
 A Short and-Eafy 
 
 an experimental tafte of his pre- 
 fence, as render it molt eafy and 
 delightful. 
 
 HOSE who cannot read, 
 
 are not hereby depriv’d of 
 (the benefit of) prayer. JESUS 
 CHRIST is the great book written 
 without and within, which will 
 teach them all things. 
 
 They ought to take this me- 
 thod : firlt, They muft learn this 
 fundamental truth, that the kingdom 
 of God is within them ; Luke xvii. 
 21. and that there it muft be 
 fought. 
 
 They who have the care of fouls 
 ought to teach their people to pray, 
 
 Sect III. 
 
 For thofe who cannot read. 
 
 even 
 
Method of Prayer. 2 1 
 
 even as they teach them the cate- 
 chifm. They teach them the end for 
 which they were created, but they 
 don’t fufficiently inftruflthem how 
 to come to the enjoyment of this end. 
 I could wilh they would teach it 
 them in this manner : namely, 
 that they ought to begin by a pro- 
 found aft of adoration, and of felf- 
 abatement before God, and there- 
 with Ihutting their bodily eves, en- 
 deavour to open thofe of the foul ; 
 
 I then they are to gather it wholly in- 
 ward, and to exercife themfelves 
 direftly with the prefence of God, 
 by a lively faith that God is in us'; 
 notfulferingtheirthoughts and ima- 
 ginations to wander abroad,! but 
 keeping them in captivity and fub- 
 jeftion as mucbas they are able. 
 
 Then let them fay thus the Lord’s 
 Prayer underllanding in fome mea- 
 fure what they fay, and believing 
 ! that God, who is within their foul, 
 
22 
 
 A Short and Ea fy 
 
 is very willing to be their Father. 
 Being in this difpofition, let them 
 beg their neceffaries of him, and 
 having pronounced this word FA- 
 THER, let them continue fome 
 moments in filence with much re- 
 verence, waiting that this their 
 heavenly Father may be pleafed to 
 difcover unto them his will. 
 
 At other times, the Chriftian 
 confidering himfelf as a child that’s 
 
 through his repeated falls, and who 
 has no power either to Hand on 
 his legs, or make himfelf clean, let 
 him lay open his fhameful condition 
 to his father in an humble manner, 
 adding every now and then fome 
 expreflions of love and regret, and 
 again remaining in filence. There- 
 after going on with th eLord’s Play- 
 er , let him pray this king of Glory 
 to reign in him : giving up himfelf 
 to him indeed, to the end that he 
 
 quite fpent, and all over 
 
 may 
 
Method of Prayer. 23 
 
 nay do it, and furrendring to him 
 he juft right which he hath over 
 m him. 
 
 If he perceive an Inclination to 
 
 0 jjeace and filence, he ought not to 
 e oroceed, but to abide in that ftate 
 :i vhileit lafteth. After which he may 
 
 50 on to the next petition, viz. Thy 
 mil be done in earth as it is done in hea- 
 •jen. Mat.vi. 10. Whereupon thefe 
 
 1 mmble fuppliants are to defire that 
 God may accomplifh all his will in 
 hem and by them : they mull give 
 their heart and their liberty unto 
 God, that he my difpofe thereof 
 at his pleafure ; and feeing that 
 the peculiar work of the will fhould 
 be to love, they muft defire to 
 love, and afk of God his pure 
 love. But this ought to be done 
 in a calm and peaceful manner, 
 and fo of the reft of the Lord’s- 
 Prayer ; which the above-named 
 perfons may very well teach them. 
 
 Again, 
 
24 
 
 A Short and EaJ'y 
 
 Again, They may place them- 
 felves as flieep before their Ihep- 
 berd, and alk of him their true 
 fubdantial food. 0 divine Jhep- 
 herd ! Thou Jeededl thy Jheep with thy- 
 felf, and thou art their daily bread. 
 
 They may alfo lay before him 
 the neceflities of their families: 
 but all muff, be done in this 
 direft and principal view of faith 
 that God is within us. 
 
 Whatfoever men figure out or 
 reprefent unto themfelves as God, 
 is not God ; a lively faith of 
 his prefence is fufficient : for 
 
 we mud not form any image 
 of God, tho’ we may indeed of 
 Jefus Chnjl ; beholding him as a 
 child, as crucified, or in any other 
 date or myftery, provided that 
 the foul do always feck him in its 
 own centre. Again, Wemaycon- 
 fider him as our Phyfician, and 
 prefent unto him our wounds, that 
 
 from 
 
Method of Prayer. 25 
 
 he may heal them : but ftill with- 
 out any effort or violence, and 
 ' with fome little filence interpofed 
 from time to time, fo that the fi- 
 lence may be mixed with action ; 
 thus by degrees increafing the fi- 
 lence, and leffening the difcourfe, 
 until in the end by means of yield- 
 ing gradually to the operation of 
 God, he may get the afcendant in 
 us ; as we fhall note hereafter. 
 
 When once the prefence of God 
 is given, and the foul begins by 
 little and little to relifh the filence 
 and ftillnefs, this experimental 
 fenfe of the divine prefence intro- 
 duceth it into the fecond de- 
 gree of prayer ; which is at- 
 tained both by fuch as can read, 
 and fuch as cahnot, by taking 
 .he method above defcribed ; tho’ 
 indeed God does favour fome pri- 
 1 vileged fouls with it even from the 
 (aeginning. 
 
 C Sect 
 
s6 
 
 A Short and Eafy 
 
 Sect. IV. 
 
 Of the Second Degree of Prayer . 
 HIS we call the prayer of 
 
 fimplicity ; for when the foul 
 hath exercifed itfelf for fome time, 
 as aforefaid, it feels by degrees that 
 it can recolleft itfelf more eafily, 
 and prayer becomes eafy, fweet. 
 and delightful ; it knows now that 
 this is the way to find God, for 
 it feels the favour of his oint- 
 ments. But then it mull alter 
 its method, and fee to perform 
 faithfully and couragioufly what 
 I am a going to fay, without bein^ 
 troubled at what may be alledgec 
 concerning it. 
 
 Firjt, So foon as the foul recoh 
 lefleth and placeth itfelf in the pre 
 fence of God with faith, let it con) 
 
 tmu< 
 
Method of Prayer 27 
 
 tinue thus a little in awful fi- 
 lence. 
 
 But if from the beginning, it 
 feels fome little fenfe of the divine 
 prefence, let it flop there without 
 troubling itfelf about any thing, or 
 of proceeding further ; and let it hold 
 fouljwhat is given it, fo long as it laft- 
 aie,|eth. If this paffeth away, then let 
 Wit ftir up its will by fome tender af- 
 %,|fe£tion ; and if by the means of the 
 ;eet,firft affection it finds itfelf placed 
 thaoagainin its fweet peace, let it con- 
 fontinue therein. We muff blow the 
 oinwBre gently, and when it is once 
 alterjcindled, ceafe to blow it more ; for 
 iorffltf one fhould go on to blow ftill, he 
 ■.'natj.voul d but extinguifh it. 
 being 1 1 advife above all, thatno one may 
 erfever conclude his prayer without 
 continuing for fome time towards 
 recoH-he end in a refpedtful filence. 
 leprfrTis likew-ife of great importance 
 itcon-or the foul to go to prayer with 
 tinue C 2 courage, 
 
28 A Short and Eafy 
 
 courage, and that it bring along 
 with it a pure and difinterefted 
 love : let it not go fo much to re- 
 ceive any thing from God, as to 
 do his will. For a fervant who 
 ferves his matter only according as 
 he rewards him, is indeed unwor- 
 thy of any reward at all. Go 
 therefore to prayer, not feeking 
 any thing, but only to be as he 
 pleafeth. / This will preferve in 
 you an evennefs of fpirit, and keep 
 you from wondering either at 
 God's repulfes, or your own dri- 
 nelfes. 
 
 Sect. V. 
 
 o/sp iritual Drynefs. 
 
 T HOUGH God hath no other 
 defire, but to communicate 
 himfelf to the foul that loves and 
 
 feeks 
 
Method of Prayer. 29 
 
 feekshim; yet he often hideth him- 
 felf, that he may rouze it' from its 
 lazinefs, and oblige it to feek after 
 him with love and fidelity. But 
 O ! With what bounty doth he re- 
 ward the faithfulnefs of his beloved 
 foul ? And- how much are his 
 withdrawings followed with di- 
 vine confolations ! Some are apt 
 to think, that ’tis a greater fign of 
 fidelity, and argues more of one’s 
 love, to feek him with the preffing 
 efforts of the head, and the force 
 of one’s own aftivity ; or that thefe 
 will quickly make him return. No: 
 believe me (dear fouls) this is not 
 at all the conduct of this ftate of 
 prayer ; for ’tis neceffarv, that with 
 a loving patience, a contrite, lowly, 
 and humble regard, a frequent, but 
 peaceable affehtion, and a refpeft- 
 ful filence, ye wait for the return 
 | of your Beloved. You will let him 
 1 fee, bv this manner of afling, that 
 C 3 ’tis 
 
30 A Short and Eafy 
 
 ’tis him alone, and his good plea- 
 fure, that you love, and not the 
 pleafure you may have in loving 
 him. Therefore, Be not impatient 
 in the times of darknefsfuffer the delays 
 andfufpenfionsofthe confolations of God: 
 he refigned under every Jlate of mind, 
 and thereby jhall the divine life grow 
 and be renewed , Ecclus. ii. 1, 2, 3. 
 
 Be ye always patient in prayer, 
 and though ye fhould not make 
 any other all your life-time, but to 
 wait in a humble, refign’d and con- 
 tented fpirit, for the return of your 
 Beloved ; Oh ! you fhould pray 
 to excellent purpofe : in the mean 
 time you might pour out fome ex-* 
 preffions of love. This way of 
 proceeding doth mightily pleafe 
 Cod ; and more powerfully pre- 
 vails with him than any other ! 
 
 Sect. 
 
Method oj Prayer .. 3*1 
 
 Sect. VI. 
 
 Of Refgnation. 
 
 ERE refismation and 
 
 O 
 
 the entire furrender of our- 
 felves unto God mull begin ; 
 namely, by being convinced, that 
 whatfoever befals us from one mo- 
 ment to another, and whatfoever 
 we want, is in the order and will 
 of God. This conviction will 
 render us content with every thing, 
 and make us look upon all that 
 happens to us as coming from God, 
 and not from the creature. I ear- 
 neltly befeech and conjure you my 
 dearefi brethren, whofoever you 
 be that are willing indeed to give 
 yourfelves unto God, never to take 
 back yourfelves again, when ye 
 have once given yourfelves to 
 
 him 1 
 
32 A Short and Eafy 
 
 him ; but believe, that a thing 
 which is given away, is no more 
 at your difpofal. 
 
 Rejignation is that which is of the 
 greatelt confequence in the whole 
 Chriftian path : nay, ’tis the key 
 of the whole fpiritual life. Who- 
 foever doth fully refign himfclf, 
 Hi all in a fhort time become per- 
 fetfly united unto Chrift. Wemuft 
 therefore keep firmly to refigna- 
 tion, without attending to reafon- 
 ing fuggeftions. A great faith 
 makes a great refignation : we 
 ought to commit ourfelves unto 
 God, Hoping againft ail hope, Rom. 
 iv. 18. 
 
 Rejignation is a putting off all 
 care of ourfelves, that we mav 
 leave all that concerns us entirely 
 to the condubl of God. All 
 Chriftians are exhorted thus to for- 
 fake and refign themfelves ; for 
 our Lord faid unto all in general. 
 
 Matt. 
 
■ 
 
 Method of Prayer. 33 
 
 ; Matt. vi. 25. Take ye no thought for 
 : the morrow : for your heavenly Fa- 
 ther knoweth what ye ftand in need of. 
 Prov. iii. 6. Think on him in all thy 
 ways, and he will direct thy paths. Ch.‘ 
 xv i. 3. Commit thy ways unto the 
 Lord, aud he will efablfh thy thoughts . 
 Again, Pfalm xxxvii. 5. Commit thy 
 whole way unto the Lord : trujl alfo in 
 him, and he himfelf will do it. 
 
 Our refignation then ought to 
 be an entire forfaking and aban- 
 doning our all unto God, both 
 : with refpefr to time and eternity 
 forgetting ourfelves in agreatmea- 
 fure, and thinking on God only : 
 by this means the heart remains 
 always free, contented, and difen- 
 gaged. 
 
 As to the praftice of this virtue, 
 it confibs in a continual forfaking 
 and lofing all felf-will in the will of 
 God; in renouncing all particular 
 inclinations, how good foever they 
 
34 d Short and Eafy 
 
 feem to be, as foon as we feel 
 them arife in us, that we may 
 always ftand in the indifference, 
 willing only what God hath willed, 
 and be indifferent as to all 
 things that regard either the body 
 or the foul, temporal or eternal 
 goods ; forgetting what is paft, 
 giving up the time prefent unto 
 God, and leaving to his providence 
 that which is to come ; being con- 
 tented with what happens every 
 moment, feeing it brings along 
 with it the eternal order of God 
 concerning us, and which is a de- 
 claration of his will ; not attribut- 
 ing any thing that befals us to the 
 creature, but beholding all things 
 in God, and confidering them 
 as coming infallibly from his 
 hand, our own fin only excepted. 
 
 Suffer yourfelves therefore to 
 be governed by God, as it 
 fhall pleafe him. both with re- 
 
 fpeQ; 
 
Method of Prayer. 35 
 
 fpeft to your outward and inward 
 (late. 
 
 B 
 
 Sect. VII. 
 
 Of Sufferings . 
 
 E content.to fuffer whatfoever 
 God {hall fee fit to lay upon 
 you. If you love him purely, you 
 will in this life feek him, as 
 much on mount Calvary , as upon 
 Tabor. 
 
 You mull love him (I fay) as 
 much upon Calvary as Tabor, fince 
 that is the place where he difcovers 
 the moft of his love. 
 
 Do not like to thofe Perfons who 
 give themfelves unto him at one 
 time, andtake themfelvesback again 
 at another. They give themfelves 
 up to be careffedj but they draw 
 
 back 
 
 it 
 
36 A Short and Eafy 
 
 back themfelves again when they 
 are crucified, or at leaft go to feek 
 for their confolation in the crea- 
 ture. 
 
 No, no, (dear fouls) you will 
 never find true confolation, but in 
 the love of the crofs, and an entire 
 refignation of your wills. He that 
 hath no rehjh of the crofs, favoureth 
 not the things that be of God! Matt, 
 xvi. 23. ’Tisimpoffible to love God 
 without loving the crofs; and in- 
 deed a heart which hath the relilh 
 of the crofs, findeth even the moil 
 bitter things to be fweet, pleafant 
 and delightful. The hungry foull 
 fndeth bitter things fweet , Prov. 
 xxvii. 7. Becaufe the more it hun- 
 gers after God, the more doth it 
 hunger after the crofs. The crofs 
 bringeth the foul to God, and 
 God giveth the crofs to purify the 
 foul. 
 
 The great fign of the . internal 
 
 ad- 
 
Method of Prayer. 3 7 
 
 advancement is, if one advanceth 
 i in the crofs. Refignation and 
 ■ the crofs go hand in hand toge- 
 ther. 
 
 il Whenfoever any thing occurs to 
 in which you feel a repugnancy refign 
 yourfelves immediately to God 
 with relpebl to this very thing, and 
 give up yourfelves .as a facrifice 
 unto him ; then ye fhall fee that 
 oi|when the crofs cometh, it will not 
 be fo very heavy, becaufe ye have 
 willingly accepted it. Which not- 
 withftanding will not keep you from 
 feeling the weight of it ; as fome 
 in imagine, that the feeling the crofs 
 is not to buffer : for to feel buffer- 
 ing is one of the principal parts of 
 buffering itfelf. Jefus Chrift chofe 
 to buffer the utmoft fharpnefs of 
 bufferings. We often bear the crofs 
 in wcaknefs, at other times with 
 D ftrensth : 
 
S 8 A Short and Eajy 
 
 ftrength : , all ought to be equal to 
 us in the will of God. 
 
 Sect. VIII. 
 
 Of the Myfleries of our Redemption 
 through Jefus Chrijl, 
 
 S OME may objeft unto me, that 
 at this rate one cannot have 
 any fenfe of the myjleries impref-| 
 fed upon him : but ’tis quite other- 
 wife, for thefe are given in reality! 
 to the foul. Jefus Chrijl to whom 
 we refign ourfelves, and whom 
 we follow as the way, whom we 
 hear as the truth, and who animat-j 
 eth us as the life, Jo. xiv. 6. Unit- 
 ing himfelf to the foul, makes it to 
 bear all his feveral dates. Now to 
 bear the dates or conditions of Je-\ 
 Jus Chrijl, is a far greater thing than 
 
 barely ; 
 
Method of Prayer. 39 
 
 I barely to confider the dates of Jefus 
 Chrift. St. Paul did bear in his 
 body the dates of Jefus Chrift. I 
 ~ bear (faith hej in my body the marks 
 of the Lord Jefus ; Gal. vi. 17. but 
 he does not fay that he reafoned 
 iupon them. 
 
 1 In this date of refignation, Jefus 
 Chrift often giveth us fame views of 
 his dates after a very particular 
 13 manner. Then it behoveth us to 
 receive them, and to differ our- 
 minds to be applied to any thing 
 ;r that pleafeth him ; taking equally 
 tj all the difpofitions that he {hall fee 
 n fit to place us in, not chufing any 
 ” one of ourfelves but only this, of 
 continuing always with him, of af- 
 fectionately defiring him, and of 
 giving up ourfelves entirely to 
 him ; receiving with an evennefs 
 [of mind all that he doth give us, 
 whether light or darknefs, fruitful- 
 nefs or barrennefs, drength or 
 i weaknefs. 
 
40 A Short and Eafy 
 
 weaknefs, fweeinefs, or bitternefs, 
 temptation, pains, troubles, or 
 dou brings ; nothing of all thefe 
 fhould flop us. There are fome 
 perfons whom God doth apply for 
 the fpace of whole years to a feel- 
 ing fenfe of fome one or other of 
 thd'e myfteries The Ample view 
 or thought of fuch a myftery, ga- 
 thers them inwards ; therefore they 
 ought to be faithful to it : but when 
 God removes it from them, then 
 let them willingly be deprived of 
 it. There be others who are troubl- 
 ed becaufe they cannot think of any 
 one mvfterv ; but this is without 
 reafon, feeing that the afl’e&ionate 
 attention of the mind to God, in- 
 cludeth all particular devotion : 
 and whofoever is united to God 
 alone by finding his reft in him, is 
 indeed applied to all the myfteries 
 in a more excellent manner. He 
 
 that 
 
Method of Prayer. 41 
 
 that loves God, loveth every thing 
 that proceedeth fiom him. 
 
 Sect. IX. 
 
 Of Virtue. 
 
 ^TpHIS is the Ihort and certain 
 X way to acquire virtue ; be- 
 -< caufe God, being the principle of 
 i all virtue, to poffefs him is indeed 
 to poffefs all virtue ; and the nearer 
 \ve approach unto this poffeffion, the 
 more we have of virtue in an emin- 
 j ent degree. Again, 1 fay, that all 
 virtue which is not given from with- 
 in is but a mafk of virtue and is 
 like a garment which is put on or 
 off at pleafure. But the virtue 
 1 that is communicated from within 
 is the only true effential and per- 
 manent virtue : The beauty of the 
 king’s daughter cometh from within ; 
 Pf. 44, 13, vulg. and of all people 
 
 there 
 
42 A Short and Eafy 
 
 there are none who pra&ife it 
 more vigoroufly than thefe, tho' 
 they do not think of the virtue in 
 particular. For God. to whom 
 they keep themfelves united, makes 
 them to perform it in all its kinds. 
 O what hunger have thefe devout 
 fouls after fufferings ! They think 
 only on what may pleafe their be- 
 loved, and fo they begin to negledt 
 themfelves and contemn them- 
 felves: the more they love their 
 God, the more do they hate them- 
 felves and difrelifh the creatures. 
 O if men could but learn this moll 
 eafy method, which is fitted for 
 every one, for the dull and ignor- 
 ant as well as the learned, how ea- 
 fily would the whole church of God 
 be reformed ! There needs no 
 more but to love. Love (faith St. 
 Aujtin } and do then what ye will. For 
 when we love indeed, we can- 
 not will any thing that may dif- 
 
 pleafe 
 
Method of Prayer. 43 
 
 pleafe our beloved. God is love , 
 and he that abidetk in love dwelleth in 
 God, and God in him. 1 Tohniv. 
 16. 
 
 Sect. X. 
 
 Of Mortif cation. 
 
 T Say further, that ’tis next to im» 
 J. poffible for one ever to arrive 
 at the perfefl mortification of his 
 fenfes and paflions by any other 
 way than the love of God. The 
 reafon is very plain, for it is 
 the foul that gives life and vi- 
 * gour to the fenfes ; and likewife 
 0 the fenfes which irritate and raife 
 m the paflions. A dead man hath no 
 more any fenfe or paflion left in 
 0 him becaufe of the feparation which 
 is made betwixt the foul and the fen- 
 fes. All the labour which is done 
 
 
 in 
 
44 A Short and Eafy 
 
 in the outward part carries ftill the 
 foul more outwardly into the things ij 
 to which it doth apply itfelfj-nore 
 ftrongly. It is in thefe things, that 
 it exerts itfelf mod : as for exam- 
 pie : being applied directly t.o ftrid-! 
 nefs and rigour in externals, it isf 
 wholly turned that way, and there- 
 by invigorates the fenfes in dead of 
 mortifying them. For it is only 
 from the application of the foul 
 that the fenfes can draw any 
 thing of force or vigour, and 
 the more the foul is in them, the 
 more doth it ftill enliven them. 
 This life of fenfe doth move 
 and provoke the paflions, fo far 
 is it from extinguifhing them. 
 Aufteries may well weaken the 
 body, but can never blunt the edge 
 or vigour of the fenfes, for the rea- 
 fon juft now mention’d. One thing! 
 alone can do it, which is this, that j 
 the foul by the means of recollec- 
 tion 
 
Method of Prayer. 45 
 
 tion be turn’d wholly inward or 
 within itfelf, to the end it may be 
 taken up with God, who is there 
 prefent. If the foul turn all its vi- 
 gour and force within itfelf it is fe- 
 parated from the fenfesby this very 
 iftion alone, and fo employing its 
 re whole force and ftrength within, it 
 leaves, the fenfes without vigour ; 
 ill and the more it advances and ap- 
 proaches to God, the more it is fe- 
 parated and disjoyned from itfelf. 
 
 This is the reafon why thofe per- 
 il jfons in whom the attra&ions, of 
 it grace are flrong, do find them- 
 felves wholly weakened in the out- 
 a ward man, fo as many times to 
 u fwoon or faint away- I don’t by 
 In -this mean, we ought not at all to 
 mortify ourfelves ; no ! for mortifi- 
 cation mull always accompany pray - 
 , er, according to the meafure of 
 every ones ftrength, and circum- 
 ftances. But I fay, that none ought 
 
 to 
 
46 A Short and Eafy 
 
 to make mortification their chief 
 exercife, nor abfolutely to tie 
 themfelves to fuch and fuch au- 
 fterities; but by fimply following 
 the inward attra&ion and em- 
 ploying themfelves with the divine 
 prefence, without thinking of mor- 
 tification in particular, God doe; 
 make them to undergo all forts oi 
 it : and he gives no refpite to the 
 fouls that are faithful in furrender- 
 ing themfelves unto him, until he 
 has mortified in them all that re- 
 mains there to be mortified. 
 
 Therefore we muff keep ourfelve; 
 only attentive to God. All perfon; 
 are not capable of outward aufte- 
 rities, but all are capable of this, 
 There are two of ourfenfes, in the 
 mortifying of which we cannot well 
 exceed ; namely, the feeing anc 
 the hearing; becaufe thefe take ir 
 the fpecies and ideas of things ; bu 
 
 God 
 
Method of Prayer. 4 7 
 
 jod doth it effectually, we need 
 )nly to follow his Spirit. 
 
 The foul has a double advantage 
 )y obferving this conduft ; name- 
 y, that according as it withdraws 
 rom the outward, it ftill draws 
 tearer unto God : and by ap- 
 jroaching unto God, befides the 
 ecret power and virtue it receives 
 vhich fupports and preferves it, it 
 leceffarily departs as far from fin, 
 is it approaches nearer to God ; 
 till at laft it is brought to an ha- 
 )itual converfion. 
 
 Sect XL 
 Of Converfion. 
 
 r U R N ye and be converted unto 
 God m the bottom of your hearts, 
 according as you have deeply re- 
 plied from him, I fa. xxxi. 6, vulg. 
 
 Converfion 
 
48 A Short and Eafy 
 
 Converfion is nothing elfe but the 
 turning away from the creature tc 
 return unto God. 
 
 The foul being once converted, 
 or turned to God, finds a very 
 great facilitv to continue thus turn- 
 ed unto him : and the more it con- 
 tinues turned, the nearer it ap- 
 proached God, and cleaveth tc 
 him ; and the nearer it approach- 
 eth God, the farther doth it necef 
 farily withdraw from the creature 
 which is oppofite to God. So tha; 
 hereby the foul is fo powerfull) 
 confirmed in its converfion, tha 
 it becomes habitual, and as it were 
 natural unto it. But you mufj 
 know that this is not done by an) 
 violent working or exercife of the! 
 creature. The only exercife i 
 can and ought to do on its part, h 
 by the grace of God, to exert < 
 ftrong endeavour to turn and ga 
 ther itfclf inward ; after which the r ' 
 
Method, of Prayer. 49 
 
 is nothing more to be done, but to 
 remain thus turned towards God 
 in a continual adherence unto him. 
 
 God has an attractive virtue; which 
 iraweth the foul always more and 
 Tiore ftronglyto himfelf, and in draw- 
 ng it he purifies it; juft as we fee 
 he fun drawing up a thick vapour 
 o itfelf; it attraCts it gradually, the 
 /apour ufing no other endeavour, 
 )ut to let itfelf be drawn by the fun; 
 vhich the nearer it brings it to its 
 elf, the more it fubtilifes and pu- 
 ifies it. There is only this differ- 
 ence, that this vapour is not drawn 
 feely, and followeth not volun- 
 arily, as the foul doth. 
 
 This manner of introverting or 
 urning inward, is moft eafy, and 
 sidvanceth the foul not by con- 
 ftraint or violence, but by her moft 
 mural propenfion or bias to God, 
 jecaufe he is our center of reft, 
 The centre hath always a moft 
 E powerful 
 
50 A Short and Eafy 
 
 powerful attra&ive virtue ; and the 
 more eminent and fpiritual the 
 centre is, the more violent and im- 
 petuous is its attraflion or mag- 
 netifm, and the more difficult it it 
 to ftop it. 
 
 But befides the attraftive virtue 
 of the centre, there is alfo giver 
 to all the creatures a mighty ftrong 
 propenfion to a re-union with thei) 
 centre: hence the moll fpiiitua! 
 and perfeft have this inclination 
 ftrongeft in them. No fooner doe; 
 a thing return towards its. centre 
 than it precipitates with an extreme 
 fwiftnefs into it, if fo be tha 
 it be not ftopt by fome invincible 
 impediment in the way. A 
 ftone in the air is no foone 
 let go, towards the earth, than bj 
 its own proper weight it tends t< 
 it as its centre. Juft fa is itwitl 
 the water and fire, which unlel 
 they are hindred, run inceffantl 
 
Method of Prayer. 51 
 
 to their centre. And thus it is that 
 the foul, by the ftrong endeavour 
 which it ufes to gather itfelf in- 
 ward, being once turned into this 
 propenfion to its center, falls gra- 
 dually into its centre, without any 
 other effort but the weight of its 
 love ; and the more it continues 
 peaceable and calm, without its 
 own motion, the more fwiftly doth 
 it advance, becaufe it gives the 
 more place to this attra&ive and 
 central virtue, to draw it ftrongly 
 unto itfelf. 
 
 We ought then to make the 
 recolle&ing ourfelves the moft in- 
 wardly that is poffible, the chief 
 concern, and not be troubled at 
 the pain and difficulty which this 
 exercife may give us; for that will be 
 very foon recompenced by a won- 
 derful concurrence on God’s part, 
 which will render it moll eafy ; 
 provided we be faithful, meekly 
 E 2 and 
 
52 A Short and Eafy 
 
 and gently to call back our heart, 
 by a little fweet and peaceful re- 
 treat, and by ferene and tender af- 
 fe&ions, whenever it is withdrawn 
 through diftraftionsor outward bu- 
 finefs. When at any time the paf- 
 fions arife, a little retreat inwards 
 unto God. who is there prefent, 
 doth allay them with great facility : 
 any other way of engaging with 
 them does rather exafperate than 
 quiet them. 
 
 Of the Prayer of God’s fmple prefence. 
 
 HE foul that is faithful in ex- 
 
 ercifing itfelf, as hath been 
 faid, in love and affedticn to iis 
 God, is all amazed when it feels 
 how by little and little he gets the 
 entire pofleffion of it. His prefence 
 
 Sect, XII. 
 
 becometh 
 
Method of Prayer. 53 
 
 becometh now fo eafy to the foul, 
 that it can no more be without it ; 
 it has acquir’d a habit of this as well 
 as prayer. The foul feels the calm 
 and ferenity prevailing upon it by 
 degrees : the filence maket'n up its 
 whole prayer, and God giveth it an 
 infus’d love, which is the begin- 
 ning of an unfpeakable bappinefs. 
 O! were I permitted to proceed and 
 declare the infinite degrees that fol- 
 low ! But here I mult Hop, fince 
 that I write only for beginners, 
 .waiting till God (hall be pleas’d to 
 bring forth what may be fervice- 
 able for all ftates, 
 
 1 It muft fuffice only to fay, that 
 then it is of great confequence to 
 iceafe from all felf-aftivity, that 
 God alone may aft in us. Be Jlill 
 2nd acknowledge that 1 am God ; is 
 what he advifeth us by David. Pf» 
 45. 10. But the creature is fo fond 
 af what it does itfelf, that it be- 
 
lieves it doth nothing, if it do not 
 feel, know and diftinguifh its own 
 operation. It does not fee that the 
 fwiftnefs of its motion hindereth it 
 from perceiving its fteps, and that 
 God’s operation becoming more 
 ftrong fwalloweth up that of the 
 creature ; even as we fee that the 
 fun as it arifes, doth gradually fwal- 
 low up all the light of the ftars, which 
 were very dittin£t before he ap- 
 peared. It is not for want of 
 light that we cannot then diftinguifh 
 the ftars, but the excefs of light. 
 
 The cafe is the fame here ; the 
 creature can’t diftinguifh its own 
 operation, becaufe a general and 
 ftrong light abforbeth all its little 
 diftinft lights, and by his furpafs- 
 ing fplendor and brightnefs makes 
 them entirely difappear. So that 
 they who charge this fort of prayer 
 with idlenefs, are very much mif- 
 taken : and’tisfor want of experi- 
 ence 
 

 Method of Prayer. 55 
 
 enee that they fay fo. O did they 
 but give themfelves fome little 
 trouble to make tryalofit ! they 
 would in a very little time know 
 it experimentally. 
 
 I tell you therefore that this abate- 
 ment of felf-activity proceeds not 
 of want, but of abundance, as any 
 that will make the experiment, will 
 clearly perceive. He will know 
 that it is not an unfruitful filence, 
 occafroned through want, but a fi- 
 lence full, and unctuous proceed- 
 ing from abundance. 
 
 Two forts of perfons are lilent, 
 the one becaufe they have nothing 
 to fay ; and the other, becaufe 
 they have too much. The cafe is 
 the fame in this degree of prayer 
 we fpeak of. They are filent not 
 for want-, but thro' fulnefs and 
 excefs. • 
 
 The water caufes death to two 
 perfons in a very different manner. 
 
 One 
 
56 A Short and Eafy 
 
 One dieth of third, and the other is 
 drowned: one dieth thro’ the want, 
 and the other thro’ the abundance 
 of it. Even fo here, it is the abund- 
 ance that makes the operations to 
 ceafe. Therefore ’tis of great im- 
 portance in this degree for one to 
 remain in as much lilence as pofli- 
 bly he can. 
 
 An infant at the nurfes breafts 
 gives us a fenfible demondfation 
 of this. It begins to move its ten- 
 der lips, that it may caufe the milk 
 to come ; but when the milk com- 
 eth in abundance, it is content to 
 fwallow it down, without making 
 any fenfible motion : if it fhould 
 make any, it would but prejudice 
 itfelf by fpilling the milk, and fo 
 be oblig’d to give over. 
 
 Jud fo at the beginning of pray- 
 er, we ought fird of all to move 
 the lips of our affeftion, but when I 
 the milk of grace doth flow, there is 
 nothing by us to be done, but to 
 
 abide 
 
Method of Prayer. 57 
 
 abide in ftilnefs and repofe, gently 
 fwallowing down what is given in ; 
 and when the milk ceafeth to come, 
 to move again the affefilion a little, 
 as the infant doth the lip. Should we 
 do otherwife. we could not profit by 
 the grace, which is here communi- 
 cated to draw the foul into the re- 
 pofe of love, and not to excite it 
 to the multiplicity of its own mo- 
 tions. 
 
 But what becometh of this child 
 that fwalloweth the milk fo gently 
 and in peace, without moving or 
 birring ? Who could believe that 
 it was nourilhed by this manner ? 
 And yet the more it fucks in peace, 
 the more it thrives by the milk. 
 What is it, I fay, that happeneth 
 to this child ? Why, it falleih afieep 
 in its mother’s bofom : and like- 
 wife the foul that is quiet and peace- 
 ful in prayer, falleth oftentimes 
 into a fpiritual ( or inward ) Hum- 
 ber, 
 
58 A Short and Eafy 
 
 ber, wherein all the faculties and 
 powers thereof are filent, until they 
 are prepared to enter into the fub 
 fiance of that which is given there 
 tranfiently. You fee how the fou 
 is here led in a way that is wholl) 
 natural, without pain, without vio 
 fence, without ftudy, without ar 
 tifice. 
 
 The inward ground is not i 
 ftrong hold that is to be taken bj 
 canon and florm : ’ds a kingdon 
 of peace which is gain’d only In 
 love. And thus if any one will bu 
 fweetly follow this little train, in th< 
 forefaid manner, he fhall quick!] 
 arrive at infufed prayer. God doe 
 not require any thing that is extra 
 ordinary or too difficult ; but oil 
 the contrary, a meerly fimple ant 
 child-like way of proceeding dotl 
 pleafe him be ft. 
 
 That which is greateft and mol 
 eminent in religion, is indeed tb 
 
 eafiel 
 
Method of Prayer. 59 
 
 lafieft of all. This is. alfo true in 
 latural things. Would you go to 
 ea ? Then take boat upon a river, 
 jtnd you fhall get at it infenfibly 
 tnd without trouble. Would you go 
 o God ? Take this fo very fweet 
 ind eafy way, and you fhall fhort- 
 y come at him, in a manner that 
 vill even furprize you. O if you 
 ivouldbut make the trial !you would 
 oon be convinced that we have 
 :old'you but a very little of it ; for 
 hen your own experience would 
 50 very far beyond all that we have 
 .aid. O ! what are you afraid of ? 
 Why don't you readily caft your- 
 felf into the arms of elfential love, 
 who ftretched them forth upon the 
 crofs only that he might receive 
 you. What danger can there be to 
 trull; God, and purely to refign 
 yourfelf to him ? An ! he will not 
 deceive you, unlefs it be in a very 
 agreeable manner, namely, by giv- 
 
6 o A Short and Eajy 
 
 ing you much more than you ex 
 pebt ; whereas they who expeb 
 any thing from themfelves, ma] 
 come to hear that rebuke whicl 
 God giveth them by 1 the mouth o 
 the prophet Ifaiah ch. 57. 10. vulg 
 Thou hajl wearied thyfelf in the multi 
 pliciiy of thy ways, and yet thou haj 
 never Jaid, let me rejl in peace. 
 
 Sect. XIII. 
 
 Of Reft before God „ 
 
 T H E foul being arrived hithet 
 hath no need of any other pre 
 paration for going to God but of it 
 Reft. For here it is that the prefenc- 
 of God begins to be infus’d and al| 
 molt continual all thedaylong, whicl 
 is the great Fruit of prayer, or ra : 
 ther the continuation of it. Her 
 the foul enjoys in its inward grouir 
 
 a 
 
Method of Prayer. 6 c 
 
 in ineftimable happinefs : it finds 
 hat God is more in it than its felf. 
 ft hath but one only thing to do 
 hat it may find him, which is to 
 ink down into itfelf. So foon as 
 t (huts its bodily eyes, it finds it- 
 elf taken up into a {late of pray- 
 er : it {lands amazed at this infi- 
 lite good, and there paffes a con- 
 I'erfation within it, which the out- 
 * yard man doth not interrupt. That 
 nay be faid of this manner of 
 irayer ; which is fpoken of wif- 
 lom ; Wifd. 7. 11. All good things 
 •re come along with it. For the vir- 
 tues flow fweetly into this foul, 
 f( vhich likewife praflifeth them after 
 fit o eafy a manner, that they feem 
 nc tatural to it. A feed or fpirit of life, 
 al md a principle of fecundity, fpring- 
 iii :th up in her, which giveth it a 
 $ acility to all that is good, and an 
 fell nfenfibility to all that is evil. Let 
 mtft therefore faithfully perfift in this 
 n F {late 
 
6 2 A Short and Eafy 
 
 ftate, and beware that it feek not 
 after any other difpofition what- 
 foever, but its fimple reft : it ha; 
 nothing to do, but to fuffer itfell 
 to be filled with this divine effufion. 
 This is the moft perfeft internal 
 difpofition of which a foul is capa- 
 ble for receiving the facrament, oi 
 performing any other religious 
 duty. 
 
 Sect. XIV. 
 
 Of the inward Silence. 
 
 J 'HE Lord is in his holy temple, It 
 all the earth keep filence before him 
 
 Hab. 2. 20. 
 
 The reafon why the inward fi 
 lence is fo necelfary, is, becaufi 
 this is a proper difpofition, and re; 
 quifite for receiving into the fou 
 
 the 
 
Method of Prayer. 6 3 
 the Word, which is the eternal and 
 
 y t * 
 
 sffential fpeech. 
 
 It is a well known truth, that 
 n order to receive the outward 
 " vord, we muit give ear and heark- 
 
 3 m. The fenle of hearing, is 
 
 4 nade for receiving the word, which 
 3 s fpoken or communicated to it. 
 3 The hearing is a fenfe more paffive 
 
 hail aftive ; it receiveth, but doth 
 _iot communicate. And becaufe 
 he internal effential Word, delir- 
 :th to fpeak within the foul, and to 
 :ommunicate itfelf to, and revive 
 md quicken it ; it is abfolutely 
 leceflarv that the foul be atten- 
 ^ :ive. 
 
 iffl On this account it is, that there 
 re fo many places in fcripture, 
 G ’hich exhort us to hear God, and 
 ^o be attentive to his voice. We 
 re night eafily obferve a great many 
 o ' 1 if them, but 'twill be fufficient to 
 ^nention thefe two or three, Ifa. 51. 
 
 F 2 4. Hearken 
 
64 A. Short and Eajy 
 
 4. Hearken unto me all ye that are my 
 people , and give ear unto my voice 0 
 nation that 1 have chofen ! And again, 
 chap. 46. 3, vulg. Hearken unto 
 me all ye whom 1 hear in my bofom, and 
 whom I carry in my bowels ! Again, 
 Pf. 45. 10. Hearken, 0 my daugh- 
 ter ! Confider , and incline thine ear 
 forget thy kindred and thy father’s houfe , 
 fo f halt the king greatly defire thy 
 beauty. 
 
 External filence is moft necef- 
 fary to improve and cultivate the 
 internal ; and indeed ’tis impoffi- 
 ble to become inward or fpiritual, 
 without loving filence and retire- 
 ment. God himfelf tells us fo by 
 the mouth of his prophet, Hof. 2. 
 14. vulg. I will lead her into folitude, 
 and there will Ifpeakto her heart. How 
 can one be inwardly taken Up with 
 God, and yet be outwardly bufied 
 about a thoufand trifles ? This is 
 certainly impoflible. 
 
 Wherl 
 
Method of Prayer. 
 
 65 
 
 When your weaknefs at any- 
 time has led you to be fcatter’d 
 and diftrafted abroad, you mull 
 make a little retreat or retire in- 
 wards, to which you muft always 
 be faithful, whenfoeveryou are fcat- 
 ter’d and diffipated. It would figni- 
 fv but little to pray, and recolleft 
 ones felf for half an hour or an 
 hour, if we do notpreferve the unc- 
 :ion andfpirit of prayer all the day 
 !ong. 
 
 
 Sect. XV. 
 
 If Confejfion and Self Examination. 
 
 'C' X AMINATIONoughtalwayS’ 
 1— i to go before confeffion, and 
 I hey that would perform it aright, 
 null lay themfelves open before 
 lod, who will not be wanting to en- 
 F 3 lighten 
 
66 
 
 A Short and Eajy 
 
 lighten them, and make them to 
 know the nature of their faults. 
 But they mud take care to examine 
 themfelves in peace and tranqui- 
 lity, expecting to have the know- 
 ledge of their fins given them from* 
 God, rather than from their own 
 particular fcrutiny. 
 
 When we exert any drong en- 
 deavours in examining ourfelves, 
 we are readily midaken : we be- 
 lieve the good to be evil, and the evh 
 good, Ifa. v. 20. and felf-love natu-f 
 rally deceives us. But when we 
 expofe ourfelves before the all-fee- 
 ing God, this divine fun difcover; 
 to us even the minuted actions 
 Therefore we ought to abandor 
 and refign ourfelves to God, both 
 as to examination and ccnfef 
 fion. 
 
 So foon as the foul is advancec 
 to this manner of prayer, Got 
 takes particular care to reprove i 
 
 fo 
 
Method of Prayer. Gj 
 
 jr all the faults it commits. It is 
 
 I o fooner guilty of any efcape or 
 eviation, butitfeels a certain burn- 
 
 I ng that rebukes it. Then it is that 
 iiod makes fo drift an enquiry, that 
 e does not fuffer any thing to ef- 
 ape; and then the foul has no- 
 ling to do but to turn itfelf fimply 
 awards God, and to fuffer the 
 
 I ain and correftion which he in- 
 ifteth. 
 
 Now this examination on God’s 
 •art being continual, the foul can- 
 iot any more examine itfelf: and 
 F it be faithful in refigning itfelf to 
 
 I iod, it will be much better tried 
 nd infpefted into by his divine 
 ight, than iE can be by all its own 
 ares ; and experience will con- 
 'ince it that this is true. 
 
 You muff necelfarily take notice 
 >f one thing ; namely, that the fouls 
 vhich walk in this way will be often 
 urprized to find, that when they 
 
 begin 
 
68 A Short and Eafy 
 
 begin to confefs their fins unto 
 God, inftead of forrow and con- 
 trition, which they were wont to 
 feel, a fweet and ferene love feizes 
 their heart. Thofe who are not 
 acquainted with this matter would, 
 it may be. withdraw from it to form 
 an adl of contrition, becaufe they 
 have heard fay, that this is necef- 
 fary. But they don’t perceive that 
 they lofe the true contrition, which 
 is this infufed love, infinitely more 
 important than any thing they could 
 do of themfelves. They have here 
 one eminent aft which compre- 
 hends the other a£ls with 3 more! 
 perfe&ion, though they have not 
 thefe diltinbl and multiplied as be- 
 fore. Therefore let them not give 
 themfelves the trouble to do any 
 other thing, when God a&eth 
 thus gracioufly in them, and with 
 them. 
 
 To hate fin in this manner, is to 
 
 hate 
 
Method of Prayer. 69 
 
 late it as God doth. The pureft 
 ove of any, is, that whichGod ope- 
 ates in the foul. Let it not there- 
 ore be eager to aft, but let it re- 
 nain fuch as it is. according to the 
 vife man’s counfel, Ecclus. xi. 22. 
 °utyour tmjl in God, and continue in 
 ' ejl in the place where he hath Jet 
 ou. 
 
 I The foul will admire alfo that it 
 hould forget its defe£ls and fai- 
 ures, and have fuch difficulty to 
 remember them : yet it ought not 
 o be troubled at this, forthefe two 
 eafons : one is, becaufe this for- 
 ;etfulnefs is a fign of its purifica- 
 ion from the fault ; and the excel- 
 ency of this ftate confifteth in this ; 
 lamely , to forget all that concerneth 
 ! is, that we may remember God 
 mly. The other reafon is, that 
 3 od faileth not to difcover to 
 he foul its greateft faults : for 
 
 he 
 
70 A Short and Eafy 
 
 he maketh the infpeftion himfelf 
 and the foul will fee, that by 
 this way it fhall better compaf 
 its end, than by all its own en 
 deavours. 
 
 This is not to be applied to thoft 
 ftates, where the foul being yet it 
 the a&ive part, may and ought t< 
 ufe its care and induftry in per 
 forming all things, more or lefsj 
 according to the meafure of its ad| 
 vancement. But as to the foul! 
 that are come up to this degree, le 
 them keep to what we have tol( 1 
 them, and let them not change thei 
 fimple and filent exercifes. Lej 
 them fuff'er God to a6l, and le 
 them keep'filence. 
 
 Sect 
 
7i 
 
 Method oj Prayer . 
 
 Sect. XVI. 
 
 j Reading, and oj Vocal Prayers. 
 
 r HE manner of reading in this 
 degree is, that as foon as one 
 els a little recolleftion of mind, 
 ought to ceafe, and remain in 
 jllnefs, reading but little, and not 
 ing on after he finds himfelf 
 awn into the inward. The foul' 
 no fooner call’d to internal fi- 
 ice, but it ought to forbear to 
 |irthen itfelf with vocal prayers, 
 cept a very few ; and even in 
 ofe if it finds any difficulty, and 
 els itfelf drawn to filence, it fhould 
 ide filent, and not ftrive or ufe 
 y effort againft it. 
 
 Let it not vex itfelf, nor fetter 
 elf, but fuffer itfelf to be led by 
 
 the 
 
7 2 A Short and Eafy 
 
 the Spirit of God, who will ajjured 
 lead it into all truth. 
 
 Sect. XVII. 
 
 Of Petitions. 
 
 H ERE the foul will find itfe 
 unable to make thofe re 
 quefts to God, which at other time 
 it was wont to do with great facilitj 
 But it ought not to be furprized < 
 this ; for then is it that the fpir 
 afketh for the faints that which 
 good, and perfeft, and agreeabl 
 to the will of God : The Spirit affij 
 us even in our infrmities, becaufe u 
 know not what to pray for as we ough 
 nor how to pray ; but the Spirit life 
 maketh inter ceffion for us with groat 
 which cannot be uttered, Rom. vii 
 26. Moreover, I fay, we muft f 
 
 con 
 
Method of Prayer . 
 
 3 ftrip the foul of its owtfcopefa- 
 ons, that he may fubftitute his in 
 H leir room. Suffer him then to do 
 I , and do not tie yourfelf to any 
 ling of yourfelf, how good foever 
 may feem to be : for to be fure 
 *.is not then fuch to you. if it turns 
 ou away from that which God de- 
 iil reth of you ; but the will of God 
 i preferable to every other good 
 in efides. Rid yourfelf therefore 
 in f your own interefts, and live 
 y faith and refignation : here 
 fpi I is that faith begins to ope- 
 ca ate in the foul by way of emi- 
 ency. 
 
 ?! 
 
 : 
 
 G 
 
 Sect. 
 
74 A Short and Eafy 
 
 Sect. XVIII. 
 
 Of Defers or Infirmities 
 
 W Henfoever we have fallen 
 into any defeCt, or have at 
 any time gone out of our way, we 
 mull immediately turn inwards : 
 becaufe this default having led us 
 away from God, we ought as 
 foon as poflible to return unto 
 him, and fuffer patiently the 
 compun&ion which he worketh ir 
 us. 
 
 It is a matter of great impor 
 tance not to be vexed or difturbec 
 becaufe of our defeCts ; for thi‘ 
 trouble or difquiet proceeded 
 from a fecret pride, or from the 
 love and efteem of our own excel 
 lence. We are uneafy when w< 
 feel what we are : but if we defpond 
 
 o 
 
Method of Prayer. 75 
 
 or difcourage ourfelves thereby, we 
 are weakened fo much the more ; 
 and the reflexion we make upon 
 our faults begetteth in us a peevifh- 
 nefs or fretting, which is worfe than 
 the fault itfelf.* 
 
 A foul that is truly humble doth 
 not at all wonder at its infirmities ; 
 and the more it feeth itfelf mifera- 
 
 I ble, the more it refigneth itfelf to 
 God, and endeavoureth to keep 
 clofe to him, feeing the great need 
 
 I that it hath of his affiftance. W e 
 
 ought to obferve this conduct fo 
 much the more, that God himfelf 
 bathtcld itus, faying, I will make thee 
 to underjland what thou oughtejl to do ; 
 
 G 2 I will 
 
 * Trouble and di/quiet do but fink and entan- 
 I gle the foul the more ; whereas a vigorous a El of 
 converfion to the divine prefence within us, at- 
 tended with a lively faith and an humble confi- 
 dence, doth infallibly extinguijh the temptation , 
 defpd the darknefs, and overcome the enemy. 
 And one that jtands in God’s p) fence mujl 
 ■ 1 needs hate fin, as God hateth it. 
 
76 A Short and lafy 
 
 I will teach thee the way by which tJm 
 fiouldjl go, and 1 will have my eye 
 continually upon thee for thy guide, Pfa, 
 xxxii. 8. 
 
 Sect. XIX. 
 
 Of Dif rations and Temptations. 
 
 I N all our diftra&ions and temp- 
 tations, inftead of combating 
 them direQly, (which would only 
 encreafe them, and take the foul 
 off from adhering to God, which 
 ought to be its continual employ- 
 ment) we ought limply to turn away!' 
 our eye from them, and draw near- 
 er and nearer to God ; like a little 
 child, which feeing a monlter, doth 
 not hand to fight him, nor yet Co 
 much as to look at him, but meekly 
 finketh down into its mother’s 
 •' J - ' bofom, 
 
Method of Prayer. 77 
 
 bofom, where ’tis fafe and fecure. 
 God is in the midf of her,Jhe fhall not 
 be moved : he will help her, and that 
 right early. Pfa. lxvi. 5. 
 
 When we poor feeble creatures 
 do otherwife, thinking to attack 
 our enemies, we find ourfelves of- 
 ten wounded if not entirely de- 
 feated : but continuing {imply in 
 the prefence of God, we {hall foon 
 find ourfelves more than conque- 
 rors. This was David's conduft, 
 lhave, faid he, the Lord always pre- 
 fent with me, and I fhall not be moved : 
 therefore my heart rejoiceth, and my 
 flejh alfo fhall rejl infafety, Pfa. xvi. 8. 
 Again ’tis faid in Exodus xiv. 14. 
 The Lord fhall fight for you, and you 
 fhall keep yourfelves in peace. 
 
;8 
 
 A Short and Eafy 
 
 Sect. XX. 
 
 Of true Prayer and Adoration. 
 
 P RAYER, according to St 
 Johns account of it, is an in- 
 cenfe, whofe fweet fmelling favoui 
 afcends to God : for which pur 
 pofe the angel held a cenfer, in which 
 was the perfume of the prayers of thi 
 faints, Rev. viii. 3. 
 
 Prayer is the pouring out of the 
 heart in the prefence of God : thus*' 
 laid Sa?nuel's mother, / have poured oui 
 my heart in the prefence of the Lord, 1 
 Sam. i. 15. Therefore the prayer., 
 which the kings or wife men pour- 
 ed forth at the feet of the child 
 Jefus, in the liable of Bethlehem 
 was fignified by the incenfe which 
 they offered. Prayer is nothing 
 elfe but a warmth of love, which 
 
 as 
 
Method oj Prayer. yg 
 
 as it melts and diffolves the foul, 
 fubtilizes it, and caufes it to afcend 
 even to God : according as it is 
 melted, fo it gives forth its fweet 
 fmell, and this fmell cometh from 
 the love which burneth it. 
 
 This the fpoufe meaneth when 
 fhe faith. While my Beloved was on his 
 couch, my fpikenard fent forth the fmell 
 thereof, Cant. i. 12 . The couch is 
 the ground or centre of the foul : 
 while God is there, and one knows 
 how to dwell with him, and keep 
 in his prefence, this prefence gra- 
 dually melts and diffolves the hard- 
 nefs of this foul, and being melted 
 it fends forths its odours. And 
 therefore the Beloved, feeing that 
 his fpoufe was thus melted fo foon as he 
 hadfpoken, Cant. v. 6. faith to her, 
 Who is this that afcendeth out of the 
 wildernefs as a little cloud of perfume ? 
 chap. iii. 6. 
 
 Thus doth this foul afcend to her 
 
 God. 
 
8 o A Short and Eafy 
 
 God. But to this end it mull fuffer 
 felf or her own will, to be deftroyed 
 by the power of divine love. This 
 is a ftate of facrifice effential to the 
 Chriftian religion, whereby the foul 
 fuffereth the deftruQion of its own 
 will, that the will of God may be 
 done, and thereby rendereth true 
 homage to the fovereign of the uni-' 
 verfe ; as ’tis written, God alone is 
 great, and he is honoured only by the', 
 humble, Eccluf. iii. 20. We mull 
 die to felf or our own will, that Jefus 
 Chrift, who is the Word that liveth 
 and abideth for ever, may live and 
 prevail, be heard and obeyed. 
 That our own will, or the life of felf 
 being dead, our life may be hid with 
 Chrift in God. In which confift- 
 eth that adoration that giveth all 
 honour, glory, and power, unto God and 
 our Redeemer for ever and ever. 
 
 This is the prayer of truth ; this 
 is to worfhip the Father in fpirit and in 
 
 truth : 
 
Method of Prayer. 81 
 
 ’.ruth: John iv. 23. In fpirit . be- 
 caufe we are thereby drawn from 
 our human and carnal manner of 
 aiding, to enter into the purity of 
 the fpirit which prayeth in us. 
 And m truth, becaufe the foul is 
 thereby placed in the truth of the 
 ALL of GOD, and of the NO- 
 THING of the creature. 
 
 There are only thefe two truths, 
 :he All and the Nothing : every 
 thing elfe is a counterfeit. We 
 cannot honour God’s All, but by 
 our own annihilation ; and we are 
 no fooner annihilated, that is, emp- 
 tied of ourfelves; than God, who 
 allows not any thing to be void 
 without filling it, doth replenifh us 
 with himfelf. 
 
 O did we but know the infinite 
 ^ood which accrue to the foul 
 from this prayer, we would fcarce 
 do any thing elfe ! This is the pearl 
 of great price: this is the hidden trea - 
 
82 A Short and Eafy 
 
 Jure. Mat. xiii. 44, 4,5. He that find 
 eth it, mod cheerfully felleth al 
 that he hath to purchafe it. This i 
 the river of living water , rifmg up mt 
 eternal life. John iv. 14, <£23. Thi 
 istowonlhip Godin fpirit and in truth 
 and this is to piafrife the purel 
 precepts of the gofpel. 
 
 D oth not Jef us Chnjl allure us. Lu 
 xvii . 2 1 . that the kingdom of God is with 
 inus? This kingdom is underflow 
 two ways. One is, when God is f 
 much mailer of us, that nothin 
 doth any more refill him : then on 
 foul is truly his kingdom. Th 
 other is, when poffelfing God win 
 is the fovereign good, we polfel 
 the kingdom of God, which is th 
 height of felicity, and the very en- 
 for which we were created ; accord 
 ing to the proverb, it tis faid, 
 ferve God is to reign. The end fo, 
 which we were created is, to en 
 joy God even in this life : ye 
 
Method of Prayer. 83 
 
 las, this is leaft in the thoughts of 
 10ft men. 
 
 Sect. XXI. 
 
 'hat the foul aHeth more difmtereftedand 
 I more nobly by this manner of prayer 
 \ than by any other. 
 
 TT 7 HEN fome perfons hear 
 V V of the prayer of filence, 
 aeygroundlefiy imagine, that there- 
 n the foul is placed in a ftate of 
 tupidity, lifelefs, and without 
 Bion. But certain it is that there 
 he foul a&ethmore nobly and with 
 nore enlargement, than ever it did 
 litherto ; becaufe in this kind of 
 >rayer it tis moved by God himfelf, 
 and it adleth by his fpirit. St. Paul 
 would have us fuffer ourfelves to 
 'he led by the fpirit of God. Rom. viii.. 1 4. 
 We don’t fay, that the foul ought 
 
 not 
 
84 A Short and Eafy J 
 
 not to aft at all, but only that i 
 ought to aft dependently on the 
 movement of grace. This is admir 
 ably deferibed in theprophet-Eze&f/’ 
 vifion of the wheels, Chap. i. 15 
 21. The Wheels, which he faw, hat 
 the Jpirit of life, and they went whither Jo\ 
 ever that Jpirit led them ; they wereliftec,, 
 up or Jlood Jlill, according as they wert 
 moved,. for the Jpirit ojlife was in them ; 
 but they never returned back. Thus 
 ought it to be with the foul ; it 
 Ihould fuffer itfelf to be moved! 
 and led by the quickening fpirit 
 that is in it, following (till the move- 
 ment of its aftion, and never fol- 
 lowing any other. But this motion 
 never inclines it to go back ; that 
 is, either to refleft upon the crea- 
 ture, or to bend towards itfelf ; 
 but to go always {freight forward, 
 advancing continually towards its 
 end. 
 
 This aftion of the foul is an ac- 
 tion 
 
Method of Prayer . 85 
 
 ion altogether quiet and ferene. 
 When it afteth by itfelf, it a&eth 
 vith hurry and fatigue ; and here- 
 by it diftinguifheth its own a£tion. 
 But when it a&eth dependently on 
 .he fpirit of grace, its aflion is fo 
 ree, fo eafy, and fo natural; that 
 t feemeth as tho’ it did nothing. 
 He hath brought me forth into a large 
 place, he hath delivered me becauf e ke 
 oved me. Pfal. xviii. 19. 
 
 So foon as the foul hath srot into 
 
 S O 
 
 ts central bent and tendency, that 
 s to fay, returned within itfelf by 
 ecolleflion, from that inltant it 
 
 I oegins to run its courfe towards its 
 pentre, the attraftions of which 
 jive it at once the greateft vigor and 
 he fwiftell motion ; for no fwift- 
 Vefs is equal to that of its central 
 endency. This then is an aclion, 
 put, it is fo noble, fo quiet, and fo 
 teaceable, that it feemeth to the foul 
 
86 A Short and Eafy 
 
 as tho’ it doth not aft at all, becauf 
 its operation is fo natural. 
 
 While.a wheel is {lowly turned, ’ti 
 eafy to perceive its motion diftinft 
 ly, but when it goeth very fwiftly : w> 
 can no longer diftinguilh any thin; 
 in it ; juft fo the foul which con 
 tinueth before God in quietnef 
 hath an infinitely noble and elevai 
 ed aftion, but withal an aftion tha 
 is moft peaceable. The more th 
 foul is in peace, the more fwiftly i 
 runneth ; becaufe it is whollyrefigr 
 ed to that fpirit which moveth ii 
 and maketh it aft. 
 
 This fpirit is no other than Go 
 himfelf, who draweth us, and draw 
 ing us maketh us to run unto him 
 as the divine lover well knew whe 
 (lie laid, Cant. i. 4. vulg Drawm 
 and we will run. Draw me, O m 
 divine centre, by the profounde 
 deep of my being, and by this th 
 attraction the powers and fenft 
 
 fha 
 
Method of Prayer, 87 
 
 lall all run to thee ! This attra&ion 
 one is both an ointment which 
 ealeth, and a perfume which draw- 
 th us ; roe will run faith (lie, becaufe 
 c the fmell of thy perfumes : this is a 
 loft powerful attraftive virtue, yet 
 virtue which the foul follows molt 
 eely, and which being equally 
 rong and fweet, both draws by its 
 awer and charms by its fweetnefs. 
 ! raw me (faith the fpoufej and wh 
 nil run. She lpeaketh of her fell* 
 id to herfelf. Draw me, behold 
 1 e unity ofthe centrh which attracts 
 '.i we will run, behold the running 
 id correfpondence of all the 
 pwers and fenfes, which follow the 
 itraftion of the inward ground of 
 ie foul. 
 
 Therefore we don’t in the lealt 
 •.firm that we ought to remain idle, 
 lit that we ought to a6l only in 
 bpendance on the fpirit of God, 
 nich Ihould animate us, fince ’tis 
 
 v H 2 only 
 
88 A Short and Eafy 
 
 only in him, and by him, that we live 
 that we abl, and that we are, Aids xvii 
 28. This meek dependance upor 
 the fpirit of God, is abofutely necef 
 fary, and the foul will thereby in- 
 fallibly arrive to that fimplicity anc 
 unity in which it was at firft created 
 and it will thereby attain the enc 
 of its creation. Therefore we mul 
 quit the multiplicity of our ac 
 tions, that we may enter into th< 
 fimplicity and unity of God, in who I 
 image we were created. Gen. i. 27. Th 
 fpirit of God is one only and manifold 
 or multiplied, Wifd. vii. 22. yet hi 
 unityhindereth not at all his m ultipli 
 city. We enter into his unity whei 
 we are united to his fpirit, as hav 
 ing thereby one and the fame fpiri 
 with him : and without departin 
 from this unity, we are multipliei 
 outwardly, in what regardeth hi 
 will. So that God afling infinitely 
 and we buffering ourfelves to b 
 
Method of Prayer. 89 
 
 led by his fpirit, go much further 
 ;han our utmoft a&ivity could carry 
 us. 
 
 We rauft furfer ourfelves to be 
 guided by the eternal wifdom : For 
 '.his wifdom is more moving or active 
 han the moji moveable things, Wif. ch. 7. 
 24. Let us then abide in depend- 
 ince upon his motions, andwe fhall 
 i6t indeed moll powerfully. By the 
 Vord were all things made , and 
 without him was not any thing made 
 hat was made. Joh. i. 3. God created 
 as at firft after his own image and 
 ikenefs, and he infpireth into us 
 he fpirit of the Word, by that breath 
 fife , Gen. ii. 7, which he gave us 
 vhen we were form’d to God’s 
 mage, by the participation of this 
 ife of the Word, who is the image 
 )f his father : now this life is 
 >ne, fimple, pure, intimate and 
 tlwavs fruitful. The devil having 
 poiled and disfigured this beautiful 
 H 3 image 
 
go A Short and Eafy. 
 
 image by fin, it was neceffary that 
 the fame Word, whofe fpirit was 
 breathed into us at our creation, 
 fiiould come to repair it. It was 
 needful it fhould be done, by him, 
 becaufe he is the effential image o( 
 his Father, and the defaced image 
 does not repair itfelf by afting, but 
 in being paffive to the abtion of him 
 who came to lepair it. 
 
 Our abtion therefore ought only 
 to be, to put ourfelves in a condi- 
 tion to buffer God’s afcting upon us, 
 and to give place unto the Word; 
 to new model again his image in 
 us. An image that fiiould always 
 be in motion, would hinder the 
 painter from drawing any defign 
 upon it. All the motions which we 
 make by our own fpirit, do hinder 
 this admirable painter from exact- 
 ly working, and do occafion the 
 making imperfefl; ftrokes. We 
 muft therefore remain in peace, 
 
 not 
 

 Method of Prayer. gi 
 
 not moving ourfelves but when he 
 moveth us. Jfus Chnfi hath the 
 'ife in himfelf Job. v. 26. and every 
 one that would live mult receive 
 ife from him. 
 
 That this motion is the more 
 loble, is a matter without difpute, 
 or certainly things have no value 
 )r worth, but fo far as the princi- 
 )le whence they proceed is noble 
 md fublime, and the adlions of a 
 livine principle are divine aftions ; 
 vhereas the aftions of the crea- 
 ure, how good foever they feem 
 o be, are but human, or at the 
 ery bell, but moral virtues. Je- 
 ts Chrift faith, that he hath the 
 fe in himfelf : all other beings 
 ave nothing but a borrowed life, 
 ut the Word hath the life in him- 
 :lf ; and being communicative of 
 is nature, he defireth to commu- 
 icate of his life to men. There - 
 
 >re we mull give way to this life, 
 
 that 
 
g 2 A Short and Eafy 
 
 that it may flow into us; which 
 cannot be done but by the empty- 
 ing ourfelves, and looflng of the 
 life of Adam, and our own will, as 
 St. Paul allures us, i Cor. v. 17. 
 If any one be in Chrijt JeJus, he is a 
 new creature: all that was old is done 
 away; all is become new. Which 
 cannot be done but by the death 
 of our own felf-aftivity, to the end 
 that God may aft in us, and his 
 divine will may be fubftituted in 
 the place of ours. 
 
 It is not therefore pretended, 
 that men Ihould not aft at all ; but 
 only that all our doings fhould be 
 in dependance on being guided by 
 the Spirit of God, giving way to 
 his aftion in lieu of that of the crea- 
 ture. Which cannot be done but 
 by confentof the creature, and the 
 creature cannot give this confent, 
 but by moderating its own aftivity, 
 to give way by little and little that 
 
 God’s 
 
Method of Prayer. 93 
 
 God’s operation may fucceed in its 
 ftead. 
 
 Jefus Chrif in the gofpel, teaches 
 us this is the way : Martha did good 
 things, but becaufe file did them in 
 her own fpirit, he reproved her. 
 The fpirit of man is turbulent and 
 unquiet, and therefore it doth but 
 little, though it appears to do a 
 great deal. Martha , Martha , faid 
 Chrif. Luke x. 41, 42. you dif 
 quiet and torment yourfelf with a great 
 many things ; but after all, there is but 
 one thing needful. Mary hath chofen 
 the better part, which Jhall not be taken 
 from her. 
 
 What hath Mary chofen ? It 
 is peace, tranquillity, and reft. 
 She ceafeth to aft in appear- 
 ance, that fhe may fu-ff'er herfelf to 
 be moved by the fpirit of Jefus 
 Chnfl ; fhe ceafeth to live, that fo 
 Jefus Chrif may live in her : and 
 therefore it is fo very neceffary to 
 
 renounce 
 
94 ^ Short and Eafy 
 
 I 
 
 renounce ones felf and ones own 
 operations, if we would follow Je-l 
 Jus Chrijt : for we can never follow 
 Jtfus Chrijt unlefs we are animated 
 with his fpirit. Now that the Spirit 
 of Chrijt may be brought forth in 
 us, it is neceflfary that our own fpirit 
 give place unto him. Whojocver doth* 
 cleave or adhere to the Lord, (faith St. 
 .Paul, 1 Cor. vi. 17.) becometh one 
 [pint with him. And David laid, 
 Pf. lxxiii. 28. vulg. that It was good 
 Jor him to adhere unto God, and to put 
 his whole conjidencein him. .What is 1 
 this adhehon ? It is a beginning of 
 union with Chrift. f. 
 
 In this union there is a begin-' 
 ning, continuation.,- finishing, • and 
 perfeft cohfu’mmation. it' lie be- 
 ginning or enterinjT into ourdpion, 
 is an inclination oft lie To uf towards. 1 
 God. When th^foul is inti’overt- 
 ed or turned' iriwjards. in the man-, 
 ner afore fa i ^ T hps in ! a tendency 
 
Method of Prayer. 95 
 
 to its centre, and hath a ftrongpro- 
 penfion to union. In this propen- 
 fion is the union begun. After- 
 wards when it approacheth nearer 
 to God, it adhereth, then it is 
 united with him ; and thence for- 
 wards becometh one fpirit with 
 him. Then it is that this fpirit, 
 which went forth from God, re- 
 turns back unto God ; it hath at- 
 ained the end of its creation. 
 
 This divine life, this Spirit of 
 Jefus Chrift, is the way we mull 
 Df neceffity walk in, for St .Paul af- 
 ures us that no man is Jef us Chrift’ s, 
 fhehath not his Spirit. Rom. viii. 9. 
 Mow then that we maybe one with 
 Chrift, we mull fuffer ourfelves to 
 )e emptied of our own, that fo 
 ve may be filled with his fpirit ; 
 vhich we cannot be fo long as we 
 re full of ourfelves. St. Paul 
 n the fame place, Ver. 14. further 
 •roves the neceffity of our being 
 
 thus 
 
g 6 A Short and Eafy 
 
 thus moved by this bleffed fpirit 
 when he faith, All they that are ablei 
 by the fpirit of God , are the children 
 God. The fpirit of the divine filia 
 tion, is therefore that of the divim 
 nature animating us : therefore the 
 apoltle adds, The [pint which ye hav 
 received is not a fpirit offervitude to mak 
 you live in fear : but it is the fpirit o 
 God’ s children, whereby zue cry, Abba 
 Father ! 
 
 By no other fpirit than that 0| 
 Chrijl, can we partake of his filia 
 tion or fonfhip ; and this fpirit dob 
 itfelf bear witnefs to ours, that we ar 
 the children of God, Rom. viii. 16 
 So no fooner doth the foul leavi 
 and give up itfelf to be animated 
 by the fpirit of God, but it expe 
 rienceth in itfelf the teftimony o 
 this divine filiation : and this tefti 
 mony greatly encreafeth itsjoy, bi 
 the clear evidences it gives th< 
 foul, that it is called to the liberty 
 
 God 
 
Method of Prayer. gj 
 
 God’s children, and that the Jpirit 
 which it hath received, is not a fpirit of 
 Servitude, but of liberty. The foui 
 then feels that it ableth freely and 
 fweetly, though ftrongly and infal- 
 libly. 
 
 St. Paul proves from our ig- 
 norances concerning the things 
 we pray for, the neceffity of our 
 neing in all things conduced, 
 Doved and animated by this divine 
 Spirit : The fp int, faith he, helpeth 
 )ur infrmities ; for we know not what 
 o pray for , nor how to pray as we 
 mght : but the fpirit itfclf prayethfor 
 iswilhgroanmgs which are unutterable. 
 This is certain ; if we do not know 
 vhatwewant, nor yet how to pray 
 is we ought, for tbofe things which 
 ,re neceffary for us ; and if the 
 pirit that is in us, to whofe motion 
 v'e give up ourfelves, mull needs 
 .Ik and pray for us, ought we not 
 hen to let this fpirit do it ? This 
 I fpirit 
 
c)8 A Short and Eafy 
 
 fpirit is the fpirit of the Wort 
 whofe petition is always heard an 
 granted, as he faid himfelf ; Ikno 
 that thou hearejl me always, John x 
 42. Did we let this fpirit pray an 
 interceed in us, we fhould alwaj 
 have our petitions heard an 
 granted. And why fo ? It is (adc 
 eth St. Paid) hecaufe he that fearchei 
 the hearts, knows what the fpirit defi\ 
 eth, forafmuch as he inter cedeth at 
 wording to God for the faints, Ron 
 viii. 27. That is to fay, becaui 
 this fpirit afketh for that only whic 
 is conformable to the will of G01 
 The will of God is, that we fhoui 
 be faved, and that we fhould l 
 perfeft. He therefore afks, or it 
 terceeds for that which is necefiai 
 for our perfe&ion. 
 
 Why then after all this, do w 
 opprefs ourfelves with ( fuperfluot 
 cares, and weary out our lives i 
 the multiplicity of our own way 
 
 withoil 
 
Method of Prayer. 99 
 
 ■ ithout ever faying, Let us ref in 
 '.ace? God himfelf inviteth us to' 
 eft from all our labours and dif- 
 uiets, and to ftay ourfelves on 
 im : nay, he complaineth in the 
 rophet Ifaiah, chap. lv. 2. with an 
 tconceivable goodnefs, that we 
 mploy the foul’s ftrength, its 
 iches and its treafure, in a thou- 
 ind outward things, feeing that 
 tere is fo very little to be done 
 tat we may enjoy the in- 
 nite good things which we 
 ropofe to ourfelves. Where- 
 )re do ye fpend your money for 
 at which cannot nomifh you ? 
 nd your labour for that which 
 ’mot fatisfy you ? Hearken unto 
 e attentively , feed yourfelves with 
 e good nourifhment which I do give 
 m: and your fouls being made fat 
 erewith , Jhall indeed rejoice. 
 
 O that men did but know what 
 happinefs it is to hearken unto 
 I 2 God 
 
i ©o A Short and Eajy 
 
 God in this manner, and how ex- 
 ceedingly the foul is thereby 
 ftrengthencd ! All Jlefh mufl needs it 
 filent in the prefence of the Lord , Zac 
 ii. 13. All mud ceafe and be ftil 
 fo footi as he appeareth. Now 
 God, to oblige us yet further tc 
 abandon ourfelves without any re- 
 ferve, alfureth us by his prophet, 
 that we need not be afraid of any- 
 thing in giving up ourfelves tc 
 him ; becaufe he taketh care 0 
 every one in particular. Can a 
 mother forget her own child, (faith 
 God) and have no companion on thi 
 foil whom fhe hath conceived in her 
 bowels ? But even though fhe Jhoulo 
 forget, yet will not I ever for get you, I fa 
 xlix. 15. O blefled words ! full ol 
 divine confolation ! who will any 
 longer be afraid to furrendei 
 himfelf entirely to the guidance ol 
 God ? 
 
 Sect. 
 
Method of Prayer. 
 
 101 
 
 Sect. XXII. 
 
 Of Internal Alls. 
 
 HE afts of man are either ex- 
 
 ternal or internal. The ex- 
 ernal are thofe that appear out- 
 vardly with regard to home fenfible 
 )bjeft, and which have no other 
 noral good or evil, but what they 
 eceivefrom the internal principle 
 vhence they proceed. 
 
 I do not intend to fpeak then, 
 >ut of internal afts of the foul, only 
 vhereby it inwardly holds to fome 
 >bjeft, and fo forfakes another. 
 r or inftance, if when any foul is 
 pplied to God , I will do fome aft 
 f another nature, I thereby for- 
 ake God, fo much as the aft of my 
 urning toward created things is 
 
 1 3 ftronger 
 
102 A Short and Eafy 
 
 ftronger or weaker : on the othe 
 hand, if when my foul is turner 
 towar ds the creature, I will retun 
 to God, there muftbe an aft to with 
 draw my foul from the creature 
 and to turn it to God: and by how 
 much the more perfect this aft is 
 by fo much the more entire is thr 
 converfion. But till I am perfeftl) 
 converted, I am continually undei 
 a neceffity of making acts of turn 
 ing to God, (this may be accom- 
 plifhed by fome at once, whicl'jj 
 others do by little and little,) how- 
 ever, in each aft I ought to exert 
 the whole ftrength of my foul to 
 return to God, according to the 
 counfel of the Son of Syrach , Re- 
 unite all the motions of thy heart in the 
 hohnefs of God, chap. xxx. 24. And 
 as David did, I will keep my whoh 
 ftrength for thee ; Pfa. lviii. 10. 
 which is done by entering firongly 
 into ones fdf ; as faith the fcrip- 
 
 ture, 
 
Method of Prayer. 103 
 
 lure, Return to your heart, Ifaiah 
 xlvi. 8. for we have wandered 
 from our heart by fin ; and there- 
 fore God demands but our heart, 
 faying, My f on give me thy heart, and 
 let thine eyes be always fxed upon my 
 ways, Prov. xxiii. 26. To give 
 ones heart to God, is to have at 
 all times the eye, the force and 
 vigor of the foul fixed upon him, 
 and cleaving unto him. that one 
 may perfectly follow his will in all 
 things. Wherefore, when the 
 heart is once applied to God, it 
 aught to continue thus turned to- 
 wards him. 
 
 But the mind of man being frail 
 and full of levity, and the foul 
 iccuftomed to roam abroad, is 
 eafily diverted and diffipated ; 
 and therefore fo foon as it per- 
 :eives itfelf wandering abroad 
 imongft outward things, it mull, 
 )y a fimple aft, return towards 
 
 God, 
 
io4 d Short and Eafy 
 
 God, and reinftate itfelf in him : 
 then its aft will fubfift fo long as 
 its converfion lafteth, by the pow- 
 erful influence of its Ample and 
 unfeigned return to God. We 
 know aftions often repeated make 
 a cuftom, fo that by this means 
 the foul will be accuftomed to 
 converfion, and this cuftom con- 
 tinued makes the aftion become 
 altogether natural and habitual. 
 
 And then the foul ought not to| 
 perplex itfelf in feeking to form 
 this aft, becaufe it is alreadyil 
 formed and fubfifts ; nay, it can- 
 not do it, without finding very 
 great difficulty in it: befides it 
 will find that hereby it is drawn I 
 from its proper ftate, under pre- 
 tence of feeking after it, which 
 is a thing it ffiould never do; 
 efpecially fince the aft fubfifts, and 1 
 the foul is then in an habitual] 
 converfion and in an habitual love. 
 
 Men 
 
Melhod of Prayer. 1 05 
 
 Men feek after one aft by feveral 
 other afts, inftead of keeping them- 
 felves fixed by a fimple aft to God 
 alone. 
 
 One may obferve, that fome- 
 times he can with great eafe make 
 fuch afts diftinftly, but fimply; 
 which is a fign that he was gone 
 aftray, and that now he enters 
 again into his heart, after he had 
 wandered from it. but let him 
 lake care to remain there in 
 peace, now that he is returned to 
 it. When any one thinks that 
 he ought not to form any afts, he 
 is much miftaken, for he forms 
 always fome afts: but every one 
 ought to form them according 
 to the degree he is advanced 
 to. 
 
 To clear up this place fully, 
 which is indeed fome difficulty, 
 (the greateft part of fpiritual 
 perfons, not comprehending it,) 
 
io6 A Short and Eafy 
 
 you mull know that fome afts 
 are tranfient and diftinft, and 
 others are continued ; again, 
 fome afts are direft, and others 
 reflex. All cannot form the fir A, 
 neither are all in the proper; 
 ftate of forming the fecond. The 
 firft fort of afts ought to be made 
 by the perfons yko are gone 
 aliray : they ought., ip turn them- 
 felves again by an aft which they 
 diftinguifh, and which fhould be 
 more or lefs ftrong, according 
 
 as the diverfion or turning alkie 
 
 was greater or fmaller ; fo that 
 when the ftraying is but little, 
 one of the molt fimple afts is fufli- i 
 cient. j 
 
 I call that the continued aB, by 
 which the foul is wholly turned 
 towards its God by a direft aft, 
 which is not renewed by it, unlefs 
 interrupted, becaufe the firft; re- 
 mains entire. The foul, I fay, 
 
 being 
 
Method of Prayer. 107 
 
 1 being turned after this manner, 
 i is indeed in the love , and dwell- 
 eth therein. And he who dwelleth 
 in love, dwelleth in God, 1 John 
 iv. 16. Then the foul hath en- 
 tered as it were into the habit 
 of the aft, in which it repofeth : 
 yet its repofe is not idle ; for 
 ithe firft aft continues all the while, 
 which is a fweet retirement into 
 God, to which God attrafteth 
 . it always moll ftrongly ; and the 
 foul fo readily following this pow- 
 erful attraftion, and abiding in 
 his love, is always more and 
 more ingulfed and fwallowed up 
 in love ; and here its aftion is 
 i infinitely more ftrong, and more 
 vigorous, than the firft aft 
 which ferved for nothing but to 
 bring it home from its wan- 
 dering. 
 
 Now the foul in this profound 
 
 and 
 
io8 A Short and Eajy 
 
 and flrong a£f, being wholl; 
 turned towards its God, hath no 
 any perception of this aft, becauf 
 it isdireft and not reflex. Whiclj 
 is the reafon that this perfon no 
 explaining himfelf well, faith, tha 
 he does not form any afts : bu 
 it is a miftake, for he never di'j 
 any either better or more afiive 
 Let him rather fay, I do no 
 now diftinguifh any afis: and noi 
 I do not do any afts. ’Tis true 
 he doth not do them by him fell; 
 but he is drawn, and he followed 
 that which draweth him. Loi 
 is the weight which finketh hir 
 down, as a perfon falling into th 
 fea finketh, and would fink eve; 
 to infinity, if the fea were^ inf 
 nite : and without his perceptio; 
 of it, he would defcend into th 
 lowed deep, with an incredibl 
 fwiftnefs. 
 
 Therefor 
 
Method of Prayer. 109 
 
 Therefore to fay, that one" doth 
 id afts, is to fpeak improperly. 
 \11 do ahts, but all do them not 
 ifter the fame manner; and fur- 
 herthemiftake cometh hence, that 
 nany who know they mull do a£ts, 
 vould do them diftinft and fenfi- 
 )le. Which indeed cannot be; for 
 he fenfible ones are for beginners, 
 .nd the others are for advanced 
 ouls. To hop in the firft a6ls, 
 vhich are weak, and advance but 
 ittle, is to deprive ones felf of the 
 aft. So in like manner, to endea- 
 •our to do the laft a£fs without 
 • laving pafled through the firft, 
 ‘Ol.ere another no lefs confiderable 
 tirror. 
 
 All things then ought to be done 
 a n their proper l'eafon. Every ftate 
 lath its beginning, its progrefs , and 
 leiij ts end. He would be very wrong 
 hat fhould refolve not to go fur- 
 : ( her than the beginning or firft 
 JC ft age. 
 
1 lo 
 
 A Short and Eajy 
 
 ftage, but fix himfelf there. Ther 
 is no art which hath not its progrel 
 At the beginning there muft be 
 labouring with diligence and toil 
 but then there follows an enjoyin 
 the fruit of ones labour. When 
 fhip is in the dock, the marine 
 are forced to take pains to launc 
 hei thence into the main ocean 
 but afterwards they eafily turn h< 
 to any coaft they would fleer. 1 
 like manner, while the foul is y 
 in fin and in the creatures, there 
 much ftruggling and toil requir< 
 to draw it out thence; there muft !i 
 an untying or breaking of the cor' 
 which hold it bound ; by means 
 ftrong and vigorous a6ts, with e| 
 deavours to draw the foul inwai 
 removing it by little and little frc 
 its own port, and in removing t 
 from thence, turn it inwards 
 God, which is the haven whereij- 
 to we defire to fail. 
 
 W1 
 
Method of Prayer. 1 1 t 
 When the velfel is turned after 
 his manner, proportionably as 
 lie advanceth in the fea, fhe is at 
 iiftance from the land : and the 
 urther file is from the land, the 
 efs need is there of any labour to 
 Iraw her along. At laft they be- 
 8 [in to fail mod pleafantly, and the 
 ’effel runs fo forcibly that they 
 null quit the oars, which are now 
 
 1 J iecome ufelefs. What doth the 
 ilot then ? He contenteth himfelf 
 5 a fpread the fails, and hold the 
 udder. To fpread the fails, is to 
 lake the prayer of limply expos- 
 ig or laying ones felf open before 
 iod, in order to be moved by his 
 air it. To hold the rudder, is to 
 eep our heart from wandering out 
 f f the right path, recalling it gent- 
 f and guiding it according to the 
 lotion of the fpirit of God, which 
 y degrees getteth poffefiion of the 
 eart, even as the wind cometh by 
 K 2 little 
 
1 1 2 
 
 A Short and Eafy 
 
 little and little to fill the fails anc 
 drive on the Veffel. So long a: 
 the fiiip hath the wind fair, the pi I 
 lot and mariners ceafe from theii 
 labour, and repofe themfelves 
 what a progrefs do they now make 
 withoutfatiguing themfelves ? The) 
 make more way in one hour in rejl 
 pofing themfelves after this man 
 ner, and leaving the veffel to th< 
 conduci of the wind, than the)! 
 could do in a great deal of time bj 1 
 all their firft utmoft efforts ; and i 
 they would then row, befides greath 
 fatiguing themfelves, their labou 
 would be quite ufelefs, and thej 
 would retard the veffel. 
 
 | 
 
 This is the very condufl; whicl 
 w j e ought to obferve in the fpiritua 
 life, and by afting in this manner 
 w r e fhall advance more in a little; 
 time by being moved by the divim 
 fpirit, than we can any other way 
 by a great many of ourownftrugl 
 
 ins 
 
 
Method of Prayer. 1 i 3 
 
 ings and efforts. Would people 
 but take this method, they fhould 
 find it the eafieft in the world. 
 
 When the wind is contrary and 
 :he ftorm great, the anchor muft 
 je cafl into the fea, to flop the vef- 
 el. This anchor is nothing elfe 
 )ut confidence in God, and hope 
 n his goodnefs, waiting in patience 
 or the calm, and for fair weather, 
 ind till the wind prove favourable 
 : igain ; as did David: I have waited 
 faith he) Pf. 40. 1 .for the Lord 
 uith great patience, and he hath at lajl 
 
 t umbled himfelf even to me. We mull 
 herefore give up and refign our- 
 dves to the fpiritofGod, leaving 
 urfelves to be guided by his mo- 
 
A Short and Eafy 
 
 \ l A 
 
 Sect. XXIII. 
 
 An admonition to Pajlors and 
 Preachers. 
 
 I F ail thofe that labour to gain 
 fouls, did endeavour to win 
 them by the heart, putting therm 
 immediately upon prayer, and inm 
 the inward life, they would make 
 numberlefs and lafting converfions. 
 But fo long as they go the other 
 way to work, namely, by that 
 which is external ; and that inftead 
 of drawing fouls to Jefus Chrift, by 
 the occupation of the heart in him, 
 they do only load them with a thou- 
 fand precepts for outward exer- 
 cifes ; there comes but very 
 little fruit thereof, and even that 
 little does not endure. 
 
 If minifters would zealoufiy 
 
 inftruft 
 
Method of Prayer. 1*5 
 
 inftrudt their parilhoners after this 
 manner, the very fhepherds in 
 keeping their flocks, might have 
 the fpirit of the primitive Chrif- 
 tians ; and the ploughmen in guid- 
 ing their plough-fhare, might en- 
 tertain themfelves in a bleffed in- 
 tercourfe with God : the tradef- 
 aien and labourers that are fpend- 
 ng themfelves with toil, might ga- 
 her from hence everlafling fruits : 
 
 • vickednefs might be banilhed in a 
 ittle time, and the- whole parilh 
 )ecome fpiritual. 
 
 For when once the heart is won, 
 ill the reft is eafdv corre&ed. 
 Thence it is that God principally 
 lemands the heart. By this me- 
 hod alone, drunkennefs, blafphe- 
 ny, uncleannefs, animofity, theft, 
 nd the whole train of evils, which 
 o fo univerfally prevail, might^be 
 uite deftroyed. Chrift might 
 eign peaceably over all, and the 
 appearance 
 
n6 A Short and Eafy 
 
 appearance of his church might be 
 feen once again in every place. 
 Errors in the fundamentals of 
 Chriftianity, are entered into the 
 world, through the lofs of the life 
 of God in the foul : if this were ef- 
 tablilhed again, thofe errors would 
 foon be deftroyed. That error 
 gets the polfeffion of fouls, ’tis 
 
 through want of faith and of prayer ; 1 
 
 if we taught our wandering breth- 
 ren to believe Amply, and to pray, 
 inftead of much difputing with them, 
 we might bring them back gently 
 to God. 
 
 O what ineftimable Ioffes are 
 fuftained by the negleft of this fimi] 
 pie inftru&ion ! O what account 
 have thofe perfons that have the 
 charge of fouls to give to God, for 
 not having difcovered this hidden 
 treafure, to all them whom they 
 ferve by the miniftry of the word ! 
 
 They excufe themfelves under 
 
 the 
 
Method of Prayer. 1 1 y 
 
 the pretence, that there is danger 
 in this way, or that common peo- 
 ple are incapable of the things of 
 the fpirit. But the oracle of truth 
 allures ps of the contrary, faying, 
 Prov. xii. 22, The Lord placeth his 
 ajfc Elion on thofe who walk in Jimpli- 
 . city. And what danger can there 
 be to walk in the one only way, 
 which is Jefus Chrifl , giving our- 
 felves entirely to him, beholding 
 him continually, putting our whole 
 confidence in his grace, and tend- 
 ing with all our ftrength and might 
 .0 his pure love ? 
 
 So far is it from being true, that 
 he fimple, the plain and the ig- 
 rorant, are incapable of this ef- 
 ential accomplifhment, that they 
 me indeed the more fit for it ; be- 
 :aufe they are more teachable, more 
 tumble, and more innocent ; and 
 tecaufe not being ufed to reafon- 
 ng, they do not fo much adhere 
 
 to 
 
1 1 8 A Short and Eafy 
 
 f o their own judgments : being 
 moreover without knowledge, they 
 let themfelvesbe moved and a&eci 
 more eafily by the fpirit of God; 
 whereas others, who are tied down 
 and blinded by their own felf-fuf- 
 ficiency, do refift a great deal more 
 the divine infpiration. Thus God 
 declareth to us, that ’tis to the lit- 
 tle ones that he gives the under- 
 ftanding of his law: The entrance 0/ 
 thy word (faith David) Pf cxix. 130, 
 giveth light , it giveth underjlanding tc, 
 thejimple. He a flu re th us 1 ikewi fe, 
 Prov. iii. 32. that he loveth to con-j 
 verfe familiarly with the fimple ones. 
 The Lord prejerveth the fimple ; I way 
 reduced to extremity, and he faved me. 
 Pf. cxvi. 6 . Let paftors and teach- 
 ers then take heed, not to hin.j 
 der the little children from com- 
 ing to Chrijl. Suffer thefe little chil- 
 dren (faid he to his apoftles) Mat. 
 xix. 14. to come unto me-, for it is 
 
 unit | 
 
Method of Prayer. 119 
 
 mto them that the kingdom of heaven 
 t loth belong. Jefus Chrift laid this 
 
 0 the apoftles, becaule they would 
 , iave hindered the children from 
 ( oming unto him. Oftentimes men 
 
 ipply the remedy to the body, and 
 
 1 nean while the difeafe is at the 
 | eart. 
 
 I The great reafon why their fuc- 
 
 I efs in the reformation of men is 
 0 fmall and tranfient, efpecially 
 if labouring perfons, is, becaufe 
 ninifters and teachers fet about it 
 utwardly. Did they but give them 
 t firft the key to the hidden life of God 
 nthe foul. Reformation of the out- 
 ;ard aftions would naturally fol- 
 3W. Now this is moll eafy, name- 
 y?, to teach them to feek God 
 
 ! i their hearts, to think upon him, 
 ) return unto him there, when- 
 ,ver they find themfelves diftraft- 
 d, to do all things, and fuffer all 
 ! lings with a defign to pleafe him : 
 
 this 
 
 s 
 
 I 
 
120 A Short and Eafy 
 
 this is to fend them to the fountait 
 of ail good, and (hewing then 
 where to find all that is ne 
 celfary for their fanftification am 
 fa! vat ion. 
 
 I earneftly requeft and conjur 
 all you who mir.ifter to fouls, t 
 put them immediately into th 
 way, which is Jefus Chrijl-, and h! 
 conjures you this, by all the blooj 
 which he hath fhed for thefe fou 
 whom he hath entruffed to yot/ 
 miniftry : Speak ye to the heart i 
 Jerufalem, Ifaiah xl. ?. O y 
 preachers of his word ! O ye m 
 nifters of his facraments ! Eftablil 
 his kingdom ; and that you rn a t 
 eflablifli it tiuly, make him i| 
 rei^n over hearts ! For as it is tl 
 heart alone which can oppole it ft 
 to his empire ; fo is it by the tot; 
 fubjeftion of the heart that his f 
 vereignty is the molt honourel 
 Give ye glory to the hohnejs of God. ai 
 
121 
 
 Method of Prayer. 
 
 he jhall become your fanEijication, Ifa. 
 viii. 13. Teach your people how 
 to pray, not by reading forms of 
 devotion, but by the prayer of the 
 heart, and not of the head ; a 
 prayer of the fpirit of God, and 
 not of man's invention. 
 
 Alas ! Men will be making ftu- 
 died prayers ; and while they feek 
 to adjuft them too much, they ren- 
 . der them impracticable. They 
 have eftranged the children from 
 he belt of all fathers, in teaching 
 hem a language too polite. Go 
 n /e, poor children, fpeak to your 
 aeavenly Father in your own lan- 
 m ;uage ; how barbarous and rude 
 ni oever it be, it i«s not fo to him. A 
 : ather loveth rather a difcourfe, 
 id which love and refpeCd may put 
 tornto diforder, (forafmuch as he 
 is eeth that this cometh from the 
 ieart) than an harangue that is 
 Iry, empty and barren, though 
 L never 
 
 
122 A Short and Eajy 
 
 never fo well ftudied. O how 
 mightily do the glances of love in 
 the heart delight and pleafe him ! 
 They exprefs infinitely more than 
 all the fine language, whether of 
 extempore, or of the belt invented 
 forms of prayer. 
 
 Men in endeavouring to teach 
 how to love by rule and method, 
 have in a great meafure loft the 
 love itfelf. O how little neceffary 
 it is to teach an art of loving! 
 The language of love is barbarous 
 to him who is not in love, but it is 
 very natural to him that is in love : 
 and one can never better learn 
 how to love God, than in loving 
 him. In this cafe the raoft dull 
 become the moft expert, becaufe 
 they behave themfelves more fim 
 ply and more cordially. The 
 fpirit of God hath no need o j 
 our regulations, he taketh up 
 (hepherds, when he pleafeth, to 
 
 mak< 
 
Method of Prayer. 123 
 
 make of them prophets : and 
 fo far is he from {hutting the 
 palace of prayer againft any 
 one, as fome imagine, that, on 
 the contrary, he leaveth all the 
 gates thereof open to all ; and 
 wifdom crieth in the public places, 
 IVhoJo is fimple , let him come unto me, 
 Prov. ix. 4. And fhe faith unto 
 them that are without underftand- 
 ing, Come ye, eat oj the bread which 
 J give you, and drink oj the wine which 
 1 have prepared you, ver. 3. Doth 
 not Jefus Chrift thank his Father, 
 l That he hath hidden his fecrets from the 
 wife, and hath revealed them to the 
 i little ones, Matt. xi. 25. 
 
124 ^ Short and Eafy 
 
 Sect. XXIV. 
 
 What is the jafejl Method to arrive 
 at the Divine Union. 
 
 I T is impoflible to arrive at the 
 divine union by the way of me- 
 ditation only, or even of the af- 
 fections; or by any luminous and 
 diftinCtly comprehended prayer 
 whatfoever. There are feveral 
 reafons for it : behold here the 
 principal. 
 
 In the firjl place, according to 
 the fcripture, No man Jhall fee God 
 Jo long as he is living , Exod xxxiii. 
 20. Now all the exercife of dif- 
 curfive prayer, or even of aClive 
 contemplation, (confidered as an 
 end, and not as a difpcfition to 
 the palfive) are living exercifes, 
 
 whereby 
 
Method of Prayer . 12^ 
 
 whereby we cannot fee God ; that 
 is to fay, be united to him. It is 
 neceffary, that whatever is of man, 
 and of his own induftry, how no- 
 ble and exalted foever it may be ; 
 ’tis neceffary, I fay, that all this 
 fihould die. St. John reports, that 
 in heaven there was a great filence. 
 Rev. viii. 1. Heaven reprefents 
 the ground and the centre of the 
 
 O 
 
 foul, where all mull be in filence, 
 while the majefty of God appears 
 therein, all the efforts of our own 
 ftrength, and all our own felf-fuffi- 
 ciency mult be deftroyed; be- 
 caufe nothing is oppofite to God 
 but felfifhnefs ; and all the malig- 
 nity of man is in this principle of 
 fef fubfifting, it being the fource 
 of his evil nature : fo that the 
 more any foul lofeth its own will 
 or felfilh property, the more pure 
 it becometh; and that which would 
 be a defe£t in a foul living to it- 
 L 3 felf, 
 
126 A Short and Eafy 
 
 felf, is not fo any more, by realon 
 of the purity and innocence which 
 it hath contra&ed, fince it loll; that 
 which caufed the unlikenefs to its 
 God. 
 
 Secondly, To unite two fuch 
 contraries, as are the purity ol 
 God and the impurity of the crea- 
 ture ; the fimplicity ,of God, and 
 the multiplicity of man, his need- 
 ful that God do Angularly operate. 
 For this can never be effected by 
 the effort of the creature, fince two 
 things cannot be united which 
 have no fimilarity or likenefs to 
 each other; even as an impure 
 metal will never be fully united 
 with gold that is folidly pure. 
 
 What doth God do in this 
 cafe ? He fendeth before him his 
 own wifdom, even as the fire (hall 
 be fentupon the earth, to confume 
 by its affivity whatfoever is of 
 impure therein. The fire con- 
 
 fumeth 
 
Method of Prayer. 127 
 
 fumeth all things, and nothing 
 refifteth its activity. It is the 
 fame with zvifdom ; it confumeth 
 every impurity in the creature, 
 to difpofe it for the divine union. 
 
 This impurity, which is fo oppo- 
 fite to divine union, is felfiflmefs 
 and a&ivity. Selfilhnefs, becaufe 
 it is the fource of impurity, which 
 can never be joined with elfential 
 purity : even as the rays of the fun 
 may indeed touch the dirt, but 
 cannot unite with it. 
 
 Activity, becaufe God being in 
 an infinite reft, ’tis neceffary, in 
 order to the foul being made capa- 
 ble of union with him, that it do 
 partake of his reft ; without which 
 he cannot be united with it, by 
 nti reafon of the unlikenefs : fince that 
 two things may be united, 'tis ne- 
 celfary that they be in a proporti- 
 onable reft. 
 
 cci And it is for this reafon that the 
 net foul 
 
128 A Short and Eafy 
 
 foul arriveth not to the divine 
 union, but by the relting of its will ; 
 and it cannot be united unto God, 
 until it be in a central reft, and in 
 the purity of its creation. To 
 purify the foul, God maketh ufe of 
 wifdom ; as fire is made ufe of to 
 purify gold. It is certain that 
 gold cannot be purified but by the 
 fire, which confumes by little and 
 little all that is earthly and of a 
 contrary nature therein, and fepa- 
 rates it from the gold. It is not 
 enough for the gold, in order to 
 be made ufe of by the goldfmith, 
 that the earthly part be mixed 
 with the gold : "tis neceftary more- 
 over that the fire do melt it, for 
 to draw out of its fubftance v\ 1 
 ever remains in it that is of a 
 
 trary or earthly nature : and this 
 gold is caft fo often into the fire 
 till it lofeth all impurity, 
 
Method of Prayer. 129 
 
 every difpofition that is left to be 
 purified. 
 
 When the goldfmith can find no 
 more mixture, becaufe it is come 
 to its perfect purity and fimplicity, 
 the fire can no more aft upon it; 
 and it might be there an age, 
 without being made thereby more 
 pure, and without any the lead 
 diminution of its fubftance. Then 
 it is fit for the mod excellent 
 works ; and if this gold contracts 
 any impurities at any time after- 
 wards, thefe are defilements newly 
 contrafted only by the commerce 
 and nearnefs of foreign bodies. 
 But there is this difference, that 
 this impurity is merely fuperficial, 
 and doth not make it unfit for ufe : 
 whereas the other impurity was 
 hidden in the centre or ground, 
 and as it were interwoven with its 
 nature. Neverthelefs perfons who 
 are unacquainted with this, .feeing 
 
 a piece 
 
l go A Short and Eafy 
 
 a piece of pure gold that is truly 
 refined, covered outwardly over 
 with filth, would not value it foj 
 much, as they would a piece oi 
 coarfe gold that is very impure 
 when its outfide is polifhed. 
 
 Moreover, you may obferve 
 that gold of an inferior degree o: 
 purity, cannot be joined with tha 
 of a fuperior degree of purity 
 there is a neceflity for the one 
 to contrabl of the impui ity of th< 
 other, or for this to partake of thtj 
 puiity of that. To mix, fine golc 
 with coarfe, is what the goldlmitl 
 will never do. What will he theri 
 do ? He will caufe all the earthh 
 mixture of this impure gold to b< 
 deftroyed, by the fire, to the en< 
 he may be able to unite it with th< 
 purity of the firft. And this is i 
 that St. Paul faith, namely, that ou 
 works Jhall he tried as by fire , thd 
 
 what is combufible may 
 
Method of Prayer. 131 
 
 1 Cor. iii. 13, 15. He ad- 
 deth, that theperfon whofe works Jhall 
 be found Jewel for the fire jhall be burnt 
 although he himfelf Jhall be faved , yet 
 fo as by fire. The meaning is, that 
 there are certain works which are 
 accepted and approved ; but to the 
 end that he who hath wrought them 
 may be alfo pure, it is needful that 
 they pafs thro’ the fire, that fo the 
 felfilh mixture may be taken from 
 them : and it is in this fenfe that 
 > God will examine and judge our 
 ' righteoufnejfes, Pfi lxxv. 2. vulg. Be- 
 :aufe man Jhall never be fanBified by 
 ’he works of the law, but by the right- 
 i oufnefs oj the Jaith which cometh of 
 9 od. Rom. iii. 20. 
 
 This being once laid down, I fay, 
 hat to the end man may be united 
 to his God, there is a neceflity that 
 his wifdom, accompanied with the 
 divine juftice as a devouring fire, 
 fhould extirpate and root out of 
 
 the 
 
132 A Short and Eajy 
 
 the foul, all whatfoever it hath of 
 earthly, carnal, and fe!f-a£livity ; 
 that having cleanfed and purified 
 the foul from all this, God may 
 unite himfelf to it. Which can 
 never be done by the induftry of 
 the creature : on the contrary, the 
 creature fuffereth it even with re- 
 gret : becaufe, as I have faid, man 
 loveth fo ftrongly his own will, anc 
 dreadeth fo much its dellru£lion 
 that if God did not do it himfelf. 1 
 and with authority, man would' 
 never confent to it. 
 
 To this it may be anfwered me 
 that God never taketh from mar 
 his liberty, and that thus he carl 
 always refill God : from whence i; 
 followeth, that I ought not to fay 
 that God adleth abfolutely, anc 
 without the confent of man. Tha! 
 this may be done, and yet the en 
 tire freedom and liberty of th 
 will not be violated, 1 explaii 
 
Method of Prayer. 133 
 
 myfelf and fay, that it fufficeth 
 then that man give apaffive con- 
 fent, becaufe that having given up 
 himfelf to God, at the beginning 
 of his Chriftian courfe, that God 
 might do with him and in him, what- 
 ever he would, he gave then an 
 : lftive and general confent to what- 
 ever God fhould do. But when 
 Mod deftroyeth, burneth, and pu- 
 - ifieth, the foul feeth not that this 
 s advantageous to it, but helieveth 
 ather the contrary ; and even as 
 le fire feemeth at firft to foil the 
 ;o!d, fo this operation feemeth to 
 ® ob the foul of its purity. So that 
 F an active and explicit confent 
 /ere then needful, the foul would 
 ave difficulty to give it, and very 
 ften it would not give it at all. 
 The moll the foul doth, is to keep 
 felf in a paffive confent, fuffer- 
 lg as well as it can this operation, 
 'hich it neither can nor will hinder. 
 
 M Therefore 
 
134 A Short and Eajy 
 
 Therefore God purifieth in fucb 
 wife the foul from all its own ope- 
 rations and the workings of felf, 
 which make it fo very unlike him, 
 that in fine he renders it by little 
 and little, conformable to himfelf j! 
 exalting the palfive capacity oi 
 the creature, enlarging it, and 
 enoblingit; though after an hid' 
 den and unknown manner, whicl 
 is hence called myftical. But it i, 
 necelfary that in all thefe opera 
 tions the foul concur paffively. I 
 is true, that in the beginning be 
 fore it cometh to this, it mull b< 
 more active ; and then, according 
 as the divine operation growetl: 
 ftronger, the foul mult gradual!' 
 and fucceffively yield and giv 
 way unto God, until it be perfefi 
 ly abforpt in him. But this is 
 long while effecting. 
 
 We do not then fay (as fom 
 have believed) that there is no nee 
 
 t 
 
■ 
 
 Method of Prayer. 135 
 
 to pafs through afition ; fince. on 
 the contrary, this is the very gate : 
 but only that one mull not always 
 dwell there, feeing man ought to 
 tend to the perfe&ion of his end ; 
 but he can never arrive at it with- 
 out quitting the firft helps and 
 means; which, though neceftary 
 to introduce him into this way, 
 
 ] I would greatly retard his progrefs. 
 and if obftinately perfifted in would 
 binder him from arriving at his 
 end. This is what St. Paul did : 
 l leave (faith he) Phil. iii. 14. that 
 vhich is behind, and I endeavour to 
 idvance forward, that fo I may fnifh 
 my courfe. 
 
 Would not they fay, that a per- 
 on had loft his fenfes, if having 
 indertaken a journey, he would ftop 
 tthe firft inn, becaufe he was cer- 
 ainly informed that feveral have 
 iafted that wav, that fome have 
 edged there, and that the matter 
 M2 of 
 
136 A Short and Eajy 
 
 of the houfe dwells there ? AH that 
 we wifh for then from people is, 
 that they go on ftill towards their 
 end ; that they take the fhorteft 
 and eafieft way ; that they do not 
 Hop at the firft place they come to ; 
 and that following the counfel of 
 St. Paul, they leave themfelves to 
 be moved and led by the fpirit of 
 grace, who will conduft them to 
 the end for which they were creat- 
 ed, which is, to enjoy God. 
 
 Npne can be ignorant, that the 
 fovereign good is God ; that effen- 
 tial happinefs confifteth in the uni- 
 on with God; that the faints are 
 more or lefs glorified, according a: 
 this union is more or lefs perfeft 
 and that this union cannot be made 
 in the foul by any aftivity of it: 
 own, fince God does not commu 
 nicate himfelf to the foul, but ir 
 proportion as its paffive capacity 
 is enlarged. No one can be unii 
 
 c 
 
Method of Prayer. 137 
 
 ed to God without paffivenefs, and 
 fimplicity ; and this union being 
 the beatitude itfelf, the way or me- 
 thod which conducts us into this 
 paffivenefs cannot be evil ; on the 
 contrary, it is preferable to all 
 other. 
 
 This way is in no wife dangerous ; 
 if it were, would Jefus Chr'ft have 
 made it the moll perfebt and the 
 moft neceffary of all ways ? All 
 can walk in it ; and as all are cal- 
 led to bleffednefs, all are alio cal- 
 to enjoy God both in this life 
 and in the next; forafmuch as the 
 enjoyment of God conftitutes our 
 bleffednefs or bappinefs. I fay, 
 of God himfelf \ and not of his gifts; 
 which could never make the ef- 
 fential bleffednefs, nor be capable 
 of giving full contentment and fa- 
 tisfaclion to the foul. For the foul 
 is fo noble andfo magnificent, that 
 all the gifts of God, even the great- 
 M 3 eft, 
 
138 A Short and Eajy 
 
 eft, could not render it happy, if 
 God do not give himfelf unto it. 
 Now God’s whole defire is to give 
 himfelf unto his creature, accord- 
 ing to the capacity which he hath 
 placed in it; and yet, alas ! Men 
 are afraid to fur render themfelvesl 
 to God ! They are afraid to pof- 
 fefs him, and to difpofe themfelves 
 for the divine union. 
 
 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 
 
Method of Prayer. 139 
 
 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. 
 
[ >42 ] 
 
 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- 
 
LETTERS. 143 
 
 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. 
 
144 
 
 LETTERS. 
 
 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 
 
LETTERS. 
 
 *45 
 
 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- 
 
i 4 6 LETTERS. 
 
 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 
 
LETTERS. 147 
 
 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 
 
148 LETTERS. 
 
 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, i 1 
 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 
 
LETTERS. 149 
 
 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. 
 
150 LETTERS. 
 
 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 
 
LETTERS. 151 
 
 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 
 
152 LETTERS. 
 
 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. 
 
LETTERS. 153 
 
 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- 
 
154 LETTERS. 
 
 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. 
 
LETTERS. 155 
 
 LETTER II. 
 
 Madam GUION to Mrs. T. of 
 London. 
 
 Y OUR 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 
 
156 LETTERS. 
 
 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 
 
LETTERS. 157 
 
 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 
 
158 LETTERS. 
 
 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 
 
 tendenc : 
 
I L E T T £ R S. i 59 
 
 tendency which God gives to a 
 heart loving him is fmplicity and 
 liltlenefs. He is not truly ho- 
 noured but by children, and they 
 only render him per jell p^aije. 
 I am very glad that you have an 
 : inclination for littlenefs. 
 
 When {hall we be fo little 
 as not to perceive ourfelves, 
 nor be remarkable to others ; 
 when fhall we be all infan- 
 tine ! I own to you, that all 
 that is great in religion, does 
 not fuit me ; ah ! but the 
 infancy gives me great plea- 
 fure. I never think, rnyfelf well 
 but with thofe that are, or 
 are willing to become, chil- 
 dren. 
 
 I pray, God may be all 
 things to you, and that he 
 aimfelf, and not his gifts, may 
 3e your ftrength and your fup- 
 O 2 port; 
 
160 LETTERS. 
 
 port ; believe me in him truely 
 your’s : defiring with all my 
 
 heart, that we may be united 
 m him, for time and eternity. 
 
 July 24, 17 4 4- 
 
LETTERS. 1-6 1 
 
 Two LETTERS, 
 
 CONCERNING 
 
 A Life truly Chriftian. 
 
 a ii d, 
 
 Al Difcourfe upon the univerfal love 
 and goodnefs of God to man- 
 kind, in and through Tefus 
 Chrift. 
 
 Extra&ed from two late Authors. 
 
 LETTER I. 
 
 Concerning a Life trvly Chriftian. 
 
 [ F we read th& holy fcriptures, 
 and if the holy fpirit gives us the 
 nderftanding of what we read, 
 O 3 we 
 
162 LETTERS. 
 
 we fhall find that God defires no- 
 thing fo much, as to communicate 
 himfelf to men, to dwell in them 
 as in his true temple, and to have 
 (humanly fpeaking) as familiar an 
 intercourfe with them, nay, with 
 greater intimacy and confidence 
 than a hufband hath with his fpoufe 
 whom he loves tenderly, and wit 
 whom he fhares his heart, and the! 
 goods he poffeffes. This the hoi 
 fcriptures are full of, efpecially the 
 writings of St. John, and the Son{ 
 oj Songs i — Wifdorn delights to be, op 
 to abide, with the children oj men 
 Prov. viii. 31. ’Tis therefore sj 
 treafure, and an honour we ouglr 
 to afpire after, to become experi 
 mentally acquainted wjth the mo 
 narch of the univerfe, our gooc 
 God, who is love itfelf. It is ir 
 and by an intimate commerce 
 with our God and Saviour Jefu 
 Ohrift, that we acquire thole in 
 
 clination 
 
LETTERS. 163 
 
 I clinations, and learn to love and 
 praftife quite naturally, and with- 
 out labour, what he loved and 
 pra&ifed : who from an excefs of 
 love for us, alfumed the human 
 nature ; not to enjoy its gratifica- 
 tions and pleafures, its honours, 
 riches, and grandeur in this world; 
 but to be defpifed, to live in po- 
 » verty, to lead a fuffering and hid- 
 den life, and at laft to die on the 
 crofs, filled with ignominy and the 
 bittereft pains, and all this out of 
 1 love for us : we mult then, from 
 1 a reciprocal love, follow a God who 
 hath fo much love for us. — It is in 
 1 and by an intimate commerce with 
 him, that we are made partakers of 
 the divine nature, 2 Pet. i. 4. that 
 we put off the old man, ouy old in- 
 ' clinations, and earthly and carnal 
 affeftions ; and that we require the 
 grace to become citizens of hea- 
 ven, even in this world. Phil. iii. 
 
164 LETTER S. 
 
 20.**— But a great many fouls that 
 defire to love and ferve God, give 
 themfeltfes much trouble, labour 
 hard and long, without advancing, 
 for want of taking the right road to 
 arrive thereat.-^The place where 
 we may find our Lord Jefus Chrift 
 (who is the light or gift of God to 
 every man*) is our own heart. 
 The kingdom of God, where he 
 dwelleth, is within us, fays, Je- 
 fus Chrift. (Luke 17.) This is 
 the place where we may infallibly 
 meet this faithful friend and guide : 
 it is no where elfe. “ O ! how are 
 “ numbers of fouls to be pitied, I 
 “ who from the beginning of theirj 
 “ life to the end, make not one 
 “ ftep in the way of the fpirit ; 
 
 “ feeklng God without, when they 
 “ have him within themfelves. 
 
 £{ —St. Auftin complained of this, ' 
 s! with refpeft to himfelf. Lord I 
 
 “ went 
 
 John i. 9. 
 

 LETTERS. 165 
 
 “ went wandering like a Jlrayed Jheep, 
 i “ feeking thee with anxious reafoning 
 “ ‘without, whiljl thou wajl within me ; 
 ‘•I wearied myf elf much in looking for 
 
 ! “ thee without, and yet thou haji thy 
 habitation within me, if 1 long and 
 “ breath after thee. I went round the 
 “ Jlreets and places of the city of this 
 “ world, feeking thee : and found thee 
 “ not ; becaufe in vain 1 fought with. 
 “ out for him, who was within myfelf” 
 (Solilogy, chap. 31.) 
 
 The way or means to find Chrijl 
 in us, (Col. i. 2 7.) is the prayer of 
 the heart : for this is a capital truth, 
 CHRIST IN US. AND HIS 
 MANIFESTATION IN US, IS 
 THE BASIS OFCHRISTI ANI- 
 
 9 TY, It is known only to thofe who 
 are fo happy as to experience it, that 
 this truth is as real as it is unknown 
 :o thofe who do not experience it, 
 ivho know God and religion, and 
 ill divine things, only by the way 
 
 of 
 
1 66 LETTERS. 
 
 . Henct 
 tile rea 
 
 fruit among Chriftians, who never 
 thelefs know very Well how to fpcal 
 and reafon about religious matters! 
 and have a great deal of know}! I 
 ledge. This comes from their no 
 having learned to love, with buy 
 which all the reft is but a vain fci ' j 
 ence. You may fay perhaps, Bu 
 how does one learn to love God 
 — It is my greateft trouble that j 
 do not love him enough. I anfwe, 
 however, that prayer is the pro 
 pereft means : But by the won 
 prayer, little elfe is underftcod b 
 molt people, but vocal prayer, o l 
 the words that we addrefs to God i 
 — I think it neceffary to explaii 
 this matter a little. Our Lord tell! 
 us, that we ought to pray always (Luk< 
 xviii. i.) and St. Paul fays pra\ 
 without ceafmg (i Theft, v. 17.) ant 
 alfo in another place, that we knot 1 
 
 of reafoningand fpeculation 
 it comes that we fee fo li 
 
LETTERS. 1 67 
 
 lot what to pray for as we ought, but 
 he/pirit it/elj maketh interce/pon Jor 
 s with groans that cannot be uttered, 
 lorn. viii. 26. Our Lord fays* 
 I/e not many words, as the Heathens 
 \o, who think they Jkall be heard Jor 
 heir much /peaking. (Mat. vi. 7.) 
 Fhefe inftru&ions, to pray without 
 eajing, and not to ufe many words in 
 .ur prayers, would contradift each 
 ther, if prayer confided only of 
 rords, either by form, or even ex- 
 ;mpore only ; which could not 
 e performed continually or without 
 °.a/ing. — Prayer then, muft be fome 
 ther thing, if it can or ought to 
 e continual-, and that which we 
 1, ave juft fpoke of, (which is very 
 ood, provided it is ufed with mo- 
 eration) is but one kind of prayer. 
 
 take it then that prayer in itfelf 
 t an inclination of the heart to- 
 wards him, who is the objeft we 
 iefire to love. It is an a£lion of 
 
 the 
 
168 LETTERS. 
 
 the heart, which is altogether na- 
 tural to man ; for it is natural to 
 the heart to love, and to -incline 
 towards the object of its love. We 
 love inceffantly; and though we;j 
 lay hold on different objefrs on 
 which we beftow our love, fonie- 
 times on one, and fometimes on 
 another, and moft commonly on 
 ourfelves, who are our. principal 
 end, and to which we would refer; 
 every other thing ; yet we alwayt j 
 love, apd experience by our in- 
 conftancy, and by the little fatis! 
 faction we find in the objefts we 
 choofe, that our hearts want to bejj 
 filled with fomething more excel- 
 lent than all the creatures together, 
 and that it is God alone in whom 
 this fulnefs and fatisfa&ion are tc 
 be found. — Therefore in order tc 
 pray aright, one needs only turn 
 away his heart from all the crea- 
 tures and himfelf, and bend it to 
 
 wacd,'| 
 
 
LETTERS. 169 
 
 wards God ; and this fweet exer- 
 cife may be performed continually, 
 and without labour. There is none 
 neceffary in order to remain quiet 
 in the prefence of a friend in whom 
 we perfectly confide ; now and then 
 we fpeak to him, then we are fi- 
 lent ; afterwards we look at him, 
 
 I and with gladnefs and fatisfa&ion 
 enjoy his prefence, we poffefs him, 
 and it is fatisfa&ion enough to us 
 to know that he is prefent. Let 
 us thus behave towards God ; 
 though our fenfes do neither fee 
 nor comprehend him, we know 
 that he is always prefent, filling all 
 things; but after a particular man- 
 ner, he is in the hearts of all thofe 
 to whom he has already given the 
 grace to defire to love him. This 
 grace, if but very weak and im- 
 perfeft, is from him, and is his ope- 
 ration, and none of ours, whocrc 
 l not able of ourfelves to have one good 
 r thought. Let us be perfuaded that 
 P God 
 
170 LETTERS. 
 
 God is more nearer to us than we 
 are to ourfelves. Let us accuftom 
 ourfelves to do all our actions in 
 his pr^fence, and for the love of 
 him. Let us offer up to him with an 
 inward glance of our foul, all that 
 we do, think and fpeak. Thus 
 fhall we accuftom ourfelves by de- 1 
 grees to walk in his prefence. More- 
 over let usufe the means which by 
 experience we find to be mod ef- 
 ficacious for recalling the remem- 
 brance of God, and awakening his 
 love in our hearts. And as foon 
 as we perceive a forgetfulnefs ol 
 God, let us return to him inward- 
 ly and calmly, without troubling 
 or difquieting ourfelves. Whe^ 
 we commit faults, let us have re 
 courfe immediately to him ; le 
 neither fear nor fhame hinder u 
 from prefenting ourfelves befori 
 him, how filthy and' impure foeve 
 we feel ourfelves to 'be* Let u 
 
LETTERS. 171 
 
 ufe fuch reading as may draw us to 
 him : the holy fcripture is the book 
 of books : there are others which 
 may be a great help : we are fenfi- 
 ble enough of thofe which inflame 
 the heart and nourifli it, which is 
 always preferable to what fills the 
 mind with images and ideas, which 
 often confume the heart inftead of 
 feeding it. By this procedure we 
 form a commerce in our inward 
 man with God, which by degrees 
 becomes continual, by frequently 
 addreffing him with the mouth or 
 in fpirit, fome little word, and lay- 
 ing open before him with confi- 
 dence our prefent difpofition and 
 ftate, as to a mod faithful friend, 
 either by a fingle figh, or barely 
 looking up to him. — If we apply 
 ourfelves to this holy exercife of 
 walking and living in his prefence, 
 of fpeaking to him rather with the 
 heart than the mouth, though vocal 
 P 2 prayer 
 
 
i7 2 
 
 LETTERS. 
 
 prayer is very commendable too at 
 certain times, when we find it Juits 
 our prefent fate : if we do this, we 
 fli all foon find a great change in 
 
 ourfelves ; that the love of God 
 lhall take poffeffion of our hearts, 
 and difengage us more and more 
 from ourfelves and the creatures. 
 The whole bufinefs confifts in turn- 
 ing away, the molt we can, our 
 thoughts, from every thing that is 
 not God ; employing ourfelves 
 quietly and calmly with God pre- 
 lent, without pretending to form 
 diftinft ideas of him. Thus fhall 
 we be made capable, and difpofed 
 to receive a thoufand graces and 
 favours from him. This attention 
 does not confift in expe&ing to 
 hearfome extraordinary voice with 
 our bodily ears. — God does not 
 fpeak after that manner, his lan- 
 guage is to the heart.-— The change 
 of inclinatio ns defires and affec- 
 
 tions, 
 
LETTERS. 173 
 
 tions, which we experience by de~ 
 grees, from earthly and carnal, to 
 become more and more heavenly 
 and divine, is the language of Chrift 
 in us : he creates and operates what 
 1 he fpeaks, all at the fame time ; 
 
 I we do not hear his voice with our 
 ears, but we experience the effedts 
 of it. — He lo vesfilence, retirement , 
 and recollection. In this difpofition 
 he makes himfelf manifeft to, and 
 felt by the heart, in a manner in- 
 comprehenfible to human reafon. 
 There he teaches us inwardly, in fo 
 real and efficacious a manner, that 
 when we experience it, we perceive 
 that all the voices that (trike our 
 fenfes outwardly, however good, 
 have not the efficacy, the reality 
 of what we experience within us. 
 ! Therefore it is that our Lord faith, 
 Matt. 23. One is your teacher. It is 
 becaufe his voice alone is able to 
 operate in us what he teaches us. 
 
 P 3 It 
 
i 7 4 LETTERS. 
 
 It may be objeQed, if fo it be 
 that the voice of God, or what 
 they would have us to believe to 
 be fuch, is not a voice which one 
 hears with his bodily ears, why do 
 they fo earneftly recommend fi- 
 lence, retirement, recollection, and to 
 avoid the diftra&ions of the mind ? 
 What matters it what the fenfes be 
 employed about? I anfwer, that 
 though the voice of God to the 
 foul, doth not with its found (trike 
 the fenfes, yet it requires recollec- I 
 tion, and avoiding diftraftions, if 
 it is to operate with efficacy in our 
 hearts ; becaufe the diftrafctions 
 and diffipation of the fenfes among 
 various objefts, are the very things 
 which draw away the will and the 
 love, and beget an attachment to 
 thofe objects which the fenfes pre- 
 fent to us ; they are the windows of 
 the foul, and the gates by which 
 the creatures enter into it. There- 
 fore* 
 
LETTERS. 175 
 
 fore, as foon as the foul has a 
 delire of being converted to God, 
 and of loving him with all its pow- 
 ers ; it feels within itfelf an inclina- 
 tion and bias to retirement, in order 
 to turn itfelf freely, and without 
 interruption towards its God ; and 
 to follow the good motions he 
 vouchfafes, and what the confci- 
 ence diftates to be the things that 
 draw it to him, and difengage it 
 from the creatures :• thefe are the 
 effe&s of what he operates or fpeaks 
 in the bottom of the heart : his lan- 
 guage is conformable to his fpiritual 
 1 nature, and makes itfelf to be un- 
 1 derftood by our fpirit, which is alfo 
 1 af the fame nature ; —God is fpirit » 
 
 1 ind the true worfhippers worjhip him 
 n fpirit, John 3. The more we 
 idvance in the ways of God, and 
 ollow the good motions of his fpi- 
 it in our hearts, the more is this 
 natter unfolded, and the hiddenman 
 
 of 
 
176 LET T £ R S. 
 
 of the heart, (1 Pet. iii. 4.) made 
 manifeft, which is as it were buried 
 in the fenfes, as long as they have 
 dominion over us. Therefore it 
 hath been the pratlice of all the 
 faints in all ages to mortify their 
 fenfes. — And every faint in every 
 age hath teftified, that it is our own 
 experience alone that can explain to 
 us what that life of the fpirit is, of 
 which St. Paul fpeaks when he 
 fays, ( Rom. §.) They that are after 
 the Jlejh, do mind the things of 
 the Jlefh , and they that are after 
 the fpirit the things of the fpirit , 
 
 May 14, 1735. | 
 
LETTERS. 1 77 
 
 
 LETTER II. 
 
 Defcribing fome of the temptations 
 which attend a life truly Chrifian. 
 
 “ r I ’’HAT which hinders the 
 JL progrefs of the divine life 
 in moft well difpofed perfons, is, 
 their refting too much not only in 
 externals, but more efpecially in 
 that which is internal, namely, the 
 fentiments, confolations, and fer- 
 i< vours, which God communicates 
 ;■ for encouraging young beginners 
 to walk in the way of fdf denial, and 
 to pafs on further. God gives them 
 thefe fenfibilities, not that they 
 may reft in them, but in order to 
 their further progrefs : he gives 
 them becaufe of our want of faith 
 and confidence in him, above all 
 
 thefe 
 
i;8 LETTERS. 
 
 thefe fweetneffes; to which we muf ; 
 abfolutely die, if we would attaii 
 the true good. Souls in that ftaUj 
 knowing nothing better, and mor<|j 
 profound, God withdraws thof< 
 fenfibilities after a certain fpace o 
 time; in which the foul ought t(| 
 have acquired ftrength and cou 
 rage enough to abandon herfelf t<!! 
 the condu6t of God; which iswha 
 he propofes by withdrawing al 
 thofe confolations and fervours 
 that allure and render her fenfua 
 and dainty. But when the foul i 
 deprived thereof, Ihe fuppofes al 
 is loft. Many drawback at thill 
 time, and return to the love o 
 this prefent evil world : others ftop 
 Ihort for want of courage, whc 
 continue languifliing all their lift 
 long, without entering into the trut 
 rejl promifed to the children of God 
 (Heb. iv. 5 ) always in anguilh 
 vexation, and uncertainty. Othen 
 
 entirely 
 
LETTERS. 179 
 
 entirely internal prayer, and 
 
 content them felves to live likeother 
 folks, and look upon all that for- 
 merly paft within them like unto 
 pleafant dreams ; and confider 
 others, who ftill enjoy thefe fweet 
 confolations and lively fentiments, 
 as harmlefs, innocent people, but 
 of weak underftanding, whom they 
 pity. All this proceeds from their 
 not having at the beginning laid a 
 good foundation, and fet out in 
 the only path that leads to God : I 
 mean, living by faith, and refigna- 
 ition to God; entirely furrendering 
 themfelves into his hands without 
 prefcribing any terms. This is 
 t that good foundation, which can- 
 not be -fhaken ; namely, the unre- 
 referved furrendering ourfelves 
 into the hands of God ; willing no- 
 thing but him, and the accom- 
 plifhment of his will ; renouncing 
 all confolations and felf-gratificati- 
 
 ons, 
 
i8o LETTERS. 
 
 ons, both outward and inward, 
 accepting as it were by the by, 
 without refting in them, all thofe 
 that the divine bounty fhall think 
 fit to give ; valuing nothing but 
 him, and willing nothing but his 
 will. This is the felf- denied life 
 which will infallibly condu6t us to 
 the true good, or the manifejlatim 
 of Jefus Chrijl in us . — When it 
 pleafes God to drain this fource 
 of confolations, that nourilhed the) 
 foul for a time, and filled her with! 
 courage to combat and defpife the 
 world and all earthly things ; when 
 I fay, all this forfakes us, and no^ 
 thing fucceeds but languifhment, 
 weaknefs and averfion to continue 
 in that courfe of life, which we had 
 embraced with fo much eagernefs 
 and relifh; finding nothing nowj 
 in ourfelves to fupply the place ol 
 thofe fenfibilities which are with- 
 drawn from us, the foul knows not 
 
LETTERS. 
 
 181 
 
 where fhe is ; and as I faid, all 
 that is paft feems to her like a 
 pleafant dream : the enemy at the 
 fame time confpiring with her rea- 
 fon, difcovers to her many exceffes 
 into which fhe has given, intoxica- 
 ted as fhe was with the heat of her 
 zeal, and makes her to call in 
 queftion the whole of Chriftian ex- 
 perience. — She knows not what to 
 do: all is difgufting andwearifome 
 to her-. O! how dangerous is this 
 rock, againft which many have 
 (truck, and been fatally fhip- 
 wrecked ! Many fall here into li- 
 bertinifm, if their conftitution in- 
 clines thereunto : for having al- 
 ready feen the infufhciency of all 
 outward forms of worfhip, they 
 now find nothing therein to fupport 
 themfelves ; and the enemy mak- 
 ing them likewife tofufpecl the in- 
 L ' ternal ways, the truth and reality 
 of which is obfcured and hid from 
 Q them 
 
 ien 
 
182 LETTERS. 
 
 them at this time, they fall into 
 licentioufnefs, and become, or are 
 in danger of becoming Atheifts ; or 
 elfe are in danger of falling a prey 
 to feducing fpirits, that fail not to 
 offer themfelves both inwardly and 
 outwardly, promifing liberty, tho’ 
 themfelves are the (laves of Satan, 
 or of their own fpirit. Reafon is 
 the moft dangerous enemy at this 
 time, to thofe, who before their 
 converfion led a wife and virtuous 
 life according to the world : and 
 it eafiiy draws the foul into its 
 ancient way of living, making hei 
 to fhut the gate againft all the in- 
 ternal attractions of the fpirit o 
 grace, which difturb and difquie 
 her, and are defigned to make heij 
 fenfible by the trouble they excite 
 that fhe is in no good ftate.—i 
 Theje are fome of the dreadful 
 dangers and temptations that affauliji 
 the foul in this hate : they canno 
 
LETTERS. 183 
 
 all be defcribed, becaufe of their 
 diverfity and number. — How ma- 
 ny doubts, difquiets, fears and 
 terrors, do affault the poor foul ! 
 On the other hand, with what 
 levity and rafhnefs is fhe tempted 
 to plunge headlong into the world, 
 into libertinifm ; and to give 
 wing to her paffions that had 
 been reftrained for a time. Who 
 is able to efcape fo great a 
 danger ! God alone can defend 
 and fecretly fupport us. who never 
 fails to do it, provided the foul 
 doth but even feebly look unto 
 him ; for he hath promifed to 
 flrengthen the feeble knees, and that 
 the bruifed reed he will not break. 
 — He mercifully reclaims her, 
 though (lie have gone afiray for 
 fome time, from which few, very 
 few. are altogether exempt, and 
 many remain bewildered, wan- 
 dering hither and thither, without 
 Q 2 finch 
 
184 LETTERS. 
 
 finding the peace and repofe they { 
 reek after for many years: but 
 
 God brings them again into the 
 right way, by fome violent temp- 
 tation, or extraordinary accident, 
 which incites them a new to have 
 recourfe to God, who alone can 
 help and deliver, and give them fo- 
 <id peace. — Thofe are infallibly 
 fafe, who, under this ftateof uncer- 
 tainty, fo painful and troublefome 
 to bear, remain in peace and tran- 
 quility, without undertaking or al- 
 tering any thing in their conduft or 
 ftate : for they are not in a condi-, 
 tion to fee clearly : all is darknefs 
 or obfcurity— -therefore cannot but 
 miftake and fail in any thing they 
 undertake during that period. 
 
 Thev are bleffed indeed ! to whom 
 
 / 1/1 
 
 God at this time fends fome expe- 
 rienced perfon, who hath himfelf 
 pa(Ted thefe dangerous {freights, 
 ind has been faved from being 
 

 LETTERS. 185 
 
 fhipwrecked therein, who is capa- 
 ble of giving proper counfel, pro- 
 vided they are humble, and willing 
 to accept it. The heft advice for 
 this date is this. “ Be patient, re- 
 , main in peace, Jlillnefs and tranquility , 
 amidjl all your trouble, anxiety , and in - 
 conjlancy : purjue not any of th'ofe things 
 1 to which your difpofition to inquietude, 
 impatience, and the like, would hurry 
 you : wait patiently for the affiance of 
 \ our blefed Lord, and fupport the delay 
 of it, without feeking after, or accept- 
 ing any pretended help that may offer 
 from any other quarter This is a 
 painful leffon for nature, which is 
 fo much the more fo, becaufe the 
 foul doth not perceive it is to God 
 i thatlhe refigns herfelf, but is afraid, 
 andbelievesratherthatit is owing to 
 > its own negligence, .ftupidity and 
 floth, that all this is fallen upon 
 her. But whofoever will be cou- 
 l rageous enough to furrender him- 
 
 Q 3 
 
iB6 LETTERS. 
 
 felf up to God, in filence and re- 
 fignation, fuffering and bearing all 
 the inward burnings and remorfes 
 that torment him : perfevering to 
 wait patiently, expe&ing help from 
 no other but God, fhould fuch a 
 one die in this ftate, he would find 
 the favour and unexpe&ed help of 
 our adorable jefus, to whom be 
 honour and glory throughout all , 
 eternity. Amen. 
 
 A DIS- 
 
A 
 
 DISCOURSE 
 
 k , 
 
 UPON THE 
 
 Univerfal Love and goodnefs of God 
 to Mankind in and through Je- 
 fus Chrift. 
 
 I T is the fundamental do£frine» 
 or rather the known foundation 
 of all revealed religion, and the un- 
 known foundation of all natural pie- 
 ty and goodnefs, that Jefus Chrift 
 is the Second Adam. 
 
 That a real birth, life, and na- 
 ture's in the fame reality derived to 
 

 188 A Difcourfe on 
 
 us from this our fecond Adam, as 
 is derived to us from our firft 
 Adam. And that as without any 
 figure or metaphor, we are all 
 faid to be born of Adam, and def- 
 cended from him ; fo we are all 
 really and not figuratively born of 
 our fecond Adam, and have our 
 defcent from him. And herein is 
 feen the infinite depth of divine 
 love and goodnefs to mankind, 
 who though they were by the con- ? 
 dition of their creation to be de- ! 
 rived from one head or parent, and 
 take his date of perfection or im- 
 perfection ; yet were by the good- 
 nefs and care of God for them, 
 provided from the very beginning, 
 with a fecond parent , or common 
 head, who after the. fall of the firft, 
 and the fallen ftate that he had 
 brought upon his pofterity, fhould 
 be a common rejlorer , and put it in 
 every man’s power to have the fame 
 
 choice 
 
the Love of God. 189 
 
 choice of life and death, as the firft 
 man had ; that fo, they who were 
 loft before they were born, and 
 were made inheritors of a mifera- 
 ble nature without their choice, 
 might have a divine life reftored to 
 them in a fecond parent, which 
 fhould not be in the power of any 
 one to lofe for them, but fhould 
 depend entirely upon their own 
 will and defire of it, upon their own 
 faith, and hope, and hungering after 
 it. 
 
 This eternal and immutable 
 truth, worthy of being written 
 in capital letters of gold ; is fuch 
 a} is fufficient to make all men re- 
 joice and give praife to God. For 
 by this truth, all that feems hard 
 and cruel to human reafon, that 
 the pofterity of Adam Ihould be 
 involved in the confequences of 
 their firft father's fall, is made a 
 wonderful fcene of love.— There 
 
 is 
 
190 A Difcourfe on 
 
 is fomething fo amazingly loving 
 and meiciful in this condu6t of 
 divine providence over mankind, 
 that it has furely enough in it, if 
 once known, to make revealed 
 religion the joy. and comfort, and 
 defire oi every man’s heart* That ; 
 jefus Chriu is thus the Saviour and ! 
 univerfal Redeemer of all man- 
 kind, that he is this Second Adam, 
 01 parent, reftoring Adam himfelf, 
 and in him all mankind to a poffi* 
 bility of being born again; and 
 that revealed religion began with 
 the declaration of this redemption, | 
 and has revealed nothing but for 1 
 the fake and fupport of it, is a truth 
 fufficienily attefted by fcripture. 
 
 The declaration which God 
 made to Adam immediately after | : 
 his fall, of a feed of the vjoman to 
 bruife the ferpent's head, was ,a decla- 
 ration of pardon and redemption to 
 Adam, and in him to all mankind ; 
 
the Love of God. 191 
 
 for what he faid to Adam , that he 
 faid to all that were in the loins of 
 Adam ; who, as they fell in his 
 fall, before they were born, with- 
 out the poffibility of any one man’s 
 being exempted from it ; fo were 
 they all put into this date of par- 
 don and redemption before they 
 were born, without the poffibility 
 of any one man’s being excluded, 
 or left out of it. 
 
 Every fon of Adam is in the fame 
 covenant with God that Adam was, 
 and has the fame&n«/erof the ferpent 
 as near to him. as he was to Adam, 
 and declared to behisRedeemer, in 
 the fame degree as he was declared 
 to be the Redeemer of Adam. And 
 who would feek for arguments 
 againft fuch a Saviour ? Or who 
 would cavil at a revealed religion , 
 that has no other beginning or 
 end, but to reveal an univerfal re- 
 demption ? Or who can enough call 
 
 upon 
 
ig2 A Di/courfe on j 
 
 upon the creation, heaven and I 
 earth, angels and men, and every 
 thing that hath breath, to praile ' 
 the Lord, for fuch falvation ? This 
 declaration of God to Adam, of his 
 pardon, and redempt ion by the feed 
 of the woman, is not to be confi- 1 
 dered, as we confider the declara- 
 tion of a pardon made by fome great 
 prince to an offendingyw^’e^, which 
 is only a declaration of words, that 
 are heard only with our outward 
 ears, and of a perfon that is en- 
 tirely diftinft from us. 
 
 God’s pardoning a finner, or , 
 redeeming fallen man, has nothing, 
 like this in it. This declaration to 
 Adam, and in him to all mankind, ! 
 is not the declaration of a being 
 that is out t)f, or feparate from us, 
 but of a God in whom we live and j; 
 move, and have our being ; who is, 
 the life of our life, the fpirit of our 1 
 fpirit : his declaration therefore 
 
 . mud 
 
the Love oj God. 193 
 
 muft fignify fome inward change , 
 or new Jiate of our exiftence in him, 
 or that he is to us, and in us, that 
 which he was not before he pardon- 
 ed us. 
 
 When therefore God faid to 
 Adam and Eve , The feed of the wo- 
 man Jhall bruife the head of the Ser- 
 pent, it had the fame effect, as if he 
 had faid, Be ye henceforth in a fate 
 of falvation , and let the redeeming con - 
 quenng feed of the woman , from this 
 time, begin to have power in you, and 
 be in you, a frength againfi the Ser- 
 pent. This declaration was not 
 folely a promife of fomething to 
 come, but of fomething then in- 
 wardly done and given, by a God 
 inwardly prefent in him, and. fig- 
 nified no lefs than God’s feeking 
 and manifefing himfelf again to a 
 creature, that had lof him as his 
 God and only good. And was the 
 real communication of fomething to 
 R Adam , 
 
194 ^ Difcourfe on 
 
 Adam, which made him capable of 
 enjoying God as his good . Had 
 not God a t that time, done inward- 
 ly in the depth of his foul, fomething 
 like that which he did to the dark- j 
 nefs of the deep, when he fpoke 
 light into it, Adam and Eve , and j 
 all their pofterity, had been inward- i 
 ly meer devils , and outwardly mere 
 beafis . — For had not God thus in j 
 the beginning of the fall, before 
 any man was born into the world j 
 of Adam and Eve, fpoke pardon i 
 and redemption unto Adam and 
 Eve ; neither they, nor any of their i 
 pofterity had been capable of any 
 defire of God, but had lived as i 
 much without all conjcience, or in- 
 Jtindl of goodnefs, as the beafts of 
 the earth and devils do. 
 
 Therefore God at that time, 
 communicated to man, a defire, a 
 capacity to enjoy him as his only good, 
 by fowing into him a feed of the wo- 
 man 
 
the Love of God. 195 
 
 man, a [park of life, an infdnB of 
 goodnefs, a tafte of heaven, a. prin- 
 ciple ofholinefs, a touch of love, the 
 pearl of the gofpel, the pledge, of 
 immortality, the hidden kingdom of 
 God. — All which expreffions, are 
 infufficient to exprefs that inward 
 treafure of the foul, which God in 
 the beginning of the redemption, 
 or as his aft of redemption, com- 
 municated to man. 
 
 And in this degree of redemp- 
 tion is every creature that is born 
 of Adam ; he has this kingdom of 
 God in his foul, as a grain of muf- 
 tard feed, a J park of life, a pledge , 
 of immortality, and attraction to 
 God ! If he tramples this pearl un- 
 der his feet ; then his deftruftion 
 is from himfelf ; but if he will co- 
 operate with that inward Redeemer 
 which God has put into his foul, if 
 he will fuffer his fpark to kindle, his 
 inJtinCl of goodnefs to fpread itfelf, 
 R 2 the 
 
igo A Difcourje on 
 
 the light of life to arife in him, the 
 voice of God to be heard in him ; 
 then will the divine life, be brought 
 forth in him ; and when his body 
 dies, he will fall into all the ful- 
 nefs of God. 
 
 And now, my dear reader, how 
 fhall I touch your heart? Or how j 
 can your heart be untouched with 
 this affecting view of the mercies 
 of God in Chrift Jefus, and of the 
 riches and treafures which lie hid 
 in your own foul, wanting nothing 
 but your own content and good 
 wi flies to be manifefted in you ? 
 
 If you rejeCt the Saviour offer’d 
 to you in the gofpel, you rejeCt 
 all that which makes you differ i| 
 from a devil ; for that offered Sa^ 
 viour, is that very fame inward light 
 of your mind , which makes you now 
 differ from a devil. 
 
 To refufe him therefore that 
 fpeaketh to you in the gofpel, is 
 
 rejecting 
 
the Love of God. 197 
 
 reje&ing all that God has ever 
 tranfafted with man; it is renounc- 
 ing all that is divine and good with- 
 in you ; it is faying that you will 
 have no benefit from the good work- 
 ings or motions in your own heart ; 
 for Jefus Chrift that calls you to 
 repentance in the gofpel, is the 
 very fame bleffed Saviour, that warns, 
 reproves and preaches repentance in 
 the inmoft elfence of your fpirit. 
 
 But, my friend, be wife in time, 
 for this goodnef's will continue but 
 for a time ; and if you die rejeft- 
 ing the benefits of Chrift, you will 
 be without Chrift, and you will 
 find that ail is gone with him, and 
 that you will have nothing left, 
 but that nature which is the tor- 
 ment of hell. If therefore vou re- 
 jefft Chrift in the utmoft efforts 
 of his goodnefs to fave you, you 
 will find that the renouncing of 
 Chrift, is renouncing all that you 
 R 3 have 
 
ig8 A Difcourfe on 
 
 have from him, and that nothing 
 is left in that foul, where he is not, 
 but mere darknefs. 
 
 But, to return to my fubjeft; 
 what 1 have faid above of God’s 
 covenant with Adam, is God’s co- 
 venant with all mankind, and there- 
 fore thus far all mankind are the 
 redeemed of Jefus. There is no 
 partiality in God. As all fell and 
 died in Adam, fo all were rejlored in 
 his reftoration. Thus fays the 
 apoftle, As by the offence of one, judg- 
 ment came upon all to condemnation ; 
 EVEN SO BY the righteoufnefs of 
 one, the free gift came upon all men 
 UNTO JUSTIFICATION OF 
 LIFE. Rom. v. 18. And the gof- 
 pel exprefsly faith, that Jefus 
 Chrift is the. true light which lighteth 
 every man that cometh into the world. 
 Therefore Jefus Chrift is in every 
 man that cometh into the world, 
 and every fon of Adam has receiv- 
 ed 
 
The Love of God. tg g 
 
 ed that fame from Jefus Chrift , 
 which Adam received from him , 
 viz. An inward light of life, a 
 leginning of his falvation, an aftual 
 power to refill the ferpent ; and Je- 
 fus Chrift is, and ever was, the free 
 gift of God unto all men. 
 
 H eathens, Jews, and Chris- 
 tians, differ only in this, that one 
 and the fame Saviour is differently 
 made known to them. — The Hea- 
 thens knew him not as he was ma- 
 nifefted to the Jew’s, nor as he is 
 glorioufly manifefted in the gofpel; 
 but they knew him as he was the 
 God of their hearts, manifefting 
 himfelf by a light of the mind, by a 
 fenfibility of guilt, by awakenings and 
 warnings of confcience ; and this 
 was their gofpel, which they re- 
 ceived as really in and by Jefus 
 Chrift, as the law and gofpel were 
 received fhro’ him. Therefore it is 
 a great and glorious truth, enough 
 
 to 
 
200 A Difcourfe on 
 
 to turn every voice into a trum- 
 pet, and make heaven and earth 
 ring with praifes and hallelujahs to 
 God, that Jefus Chrift is the Savi- 
 our of all the world, and of every 
 man of every nation, kindred, and 
 language. Therefore faith St. 
 John, They Jung anew Jong, faying, 
 Thou art worthy to take the book, and 
 to open the Jeals thereof ; for thou waft 
 jlain, and haft redeemed us to God by 
 thy blood, out of every kindred, and 
 tongue, and people, and nation. Rev. 
 v. 9. And again, After this, I be - 
 held, fays he, and lo, a great multi- 
 tude, which no man could number, of 
 all nations and kindreds, and people, and 
 tongues, food before the throne, and 
 before the Lamb, cloathed with white 
 robes, and with palms in their hands, 
 and cried with a loud voice, faying, 
 Salvation to our God which Jitteth 
 upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. 
 Rev. vii. 9, 10. 
 
 Every 
 
201 
 
 The Love of God. 
 
 
 Every Heathen, Jew, and 
 Christian, is forced to know and 
 feel, whether he will or no, that 
 God has a certain Jeer el power with- 
 in him, which is watching every 
 opportunity of faying fomethingto 
 him, either of himfelf, the vanity 
 of the world, or the guilt and con- 
 fequences of fin. This is that in- 
 ftindi of goodnefs, attrattion of 
 God, or witnefs of himfelf in every 
 man, which without arguments and 
 reafonings rifes up in the foul, and 
 would be doing fome good to it, 
 if not quenched and refilled by the 
 noife and hurry either of pleafures 
 or bufinefs. 
 
 Therefore, my dear friend, know 
 the place of your religion, turn in- 
 wards, liften to the voice of grace, 
 the inftintt of God that fpeaks and 
 moves within you : let your heart 
 pray to God, to bring forth his own 
 divine nature in you. Your heart 
 
 wants 
 
202 A Difcourfe on 
 
 wants nothing but God, and nothing 
 but your heart can receive him. 
 This is the only place and feat of 
 religion, and of all communication 
 between God and you. 
 
 This free gift of God to all men, 
 has that natural fitnefs for the re- 
 ceiving of Chrift, as the eye has for 
 receiving the light ; it wants him. 
 it defi reshim, it is for him, it re- 
 joices in him, as the eye wants, 
 defires, and rejoices in the light. 
 And of this, does our Saviour 
 plainly (peak, when he fays, He 
 that is of God heareth God’ s word, and 
 again, My Jheephearmy voice. 
 
 The whole of natural religion 
 confifts in a man’s following this 
 voice of nature, and atting con- 
 formable to it ; in acknowledging 
 the finfulnefs of his ftate, and in 
 imploring and relying upon the divine 
 mercy to be delivered from it ; tho’ 
 it is not known by what name to 
 
 call 
 
The Love of God. 203 
 
 call that deliverance, or what 
 kind of Saviour is wanted to 
 effect it. But he that thus ac- 
 cording to the diredfcion of his na- 
 tural ftate lives before God, in 
 penitence, and in faith in his mercy, 
 is fure of having the benefit of all 
 the mercy of God, though he does 
 not know the method, or the means, 
 by which the mercy of God will 
 fave him.-— Had a man no fenfe of 
 lhame for his fins, he would be in 
 the very ftate of the beafts ; had he 
 no faith and hope in the mercy of 
 God, he would be in the ftate of 
 the devils. 
 
 Therefore that internal fentiment 
 of heart , that irftmdl of goodnefs, 
 is the prefervalion of his nature, and 
 the faving him from being like to 
 the beafts and fallen fpirits. And 
 all revealed religion, is to improve 
 this true religion of nature in its 
 two ejfential parts , penitence for fin, 
 
 and 
 
204 A Difcourfe on 
 
 and faith and trail in the mercy of 
 God. For all revealed religion, 
 intends nothing, but to give us 
 more reafons for penitence, faith and 
 truft in the mercy of God. 
 
 And this inftin 6 l of good, or 
 true religion of nature, is the very 
 preparation of the heart for the re- 
 ception of the gofpel. For fo much 
 as there is of this penitence and faith 
 living in the foul, fo much it has of 
 eyes to fee, of ears to hear, and 
 of a heart to underhand all the 
 truths of divine revelation. The 
 humility and penitence of the gof- I 
 pel, the mercies of God in and 11 
 through Jefus Chrift, are as agree- 1 
 able to a man in this hate of heart, 
 as food and water to the hungry 1 
 and thirfty foul. And when he 1 
 finds the gofpel, he finds the pearl, 1 
 for which he gladly fells all that he a 
 hath. Therefore there is the fame 1 
 agreement, and the fame difference 1 
 
 between 
 
the Love of God. 205 
 
 between the true religion of nature, 
 and the religion of the gofpel, that 
 there is between the breaking of 
 the day, and the rifing of the fun 
 to its meridian height ; — and as the 
 light of the day-break, and the 
 light of the noon- day, are both the 
 fame light, and from the fame pro- 
 ducer of light; fo the light of the 
 religion of nature, and the light of 
 the gofpel, are the fame light, and 
 from the fame producer of light in 
 the mind. 
 
 Don’t therefore, my dear friend, 
 deceive yourfelf, nor let any one 
 elfe deceive you. The matter is 
 of infinite confequence that you 
 have before you. You come into 
 the world but once, and have but 
 one trial, but the effe&s of it are to 
 laft for ever. The time of difputing 
 and fpeculating is fhort ; it can laft 
 no longer than whilft the fun of 
 this world can refrefh your flefh 
 S and 
 
20 6 A Difcourfe on 
 
 and blood, and fo keep the foul 
 from knowing its own depth, or 
 what has been growing in it. But 
 when this is over, then you mull 
 know and feel what it is to have a 
 nature as deep , and Jlrong , and large 
 as eternity. 
 
 Jf you have lived upon the 
 amulements of reafon and (pecula- 
 tion, your life has been worfe than 
 a dream, and your foul will at the 
 end of fuch a life, be left to itfelf 
 in its own darknefs, hunger, thirjl , and 
 anxiety, to be for ever devoured by 
 its own fire. 
 
 But if you have watched over 
 that injtinU of goodnefs which God 
 planted in your foul, and have 
 exercifed yourfelf in that penitence 
 for your fins, and humble faith in 
 the mercy of God, that the gofpel 
 propofes to you ; then when your 
 body falls off from you, you will 
 feel and know what a kingdom of 
 
 God 
 
the Love of God. 207 
 
 God lay hid in your foul, you will 
 fee that you have a life and ftrength 
 like that of eternity, and the ful- 
 nefs of God himfelf will be your 
 everlafting enjoyment. 
 
 You are now your own carver, 
 and muft be that which you (hall 
 have made of yourfelf. If the 
 depth of your heart has not in this 
 life’s time its proper cure, if it has 
 not fomething done to it, which 
 your reafon can no more do, than 
 it can create the light, your heart 
 will become your hell. And if you 
 let the light of the gofpel fhine in- 
 to it, and revive the good feed of 
 life in it, then it will become the 
 feat and habitation of your heaven. 
 
 But it may be, you will fay, you 
 would believe the gofpel if you 
 could, but that its evidence can- 
 not have that effeB; upon your 
 mind. — As the gofpel is much de- 
 fended and oppofed by learned 
 S 2 men, 
 
208 A Bifcourfe on 
 
 men, its evidence is fo perplexed, 
 that your mind cannot come at 
 any certainty of what you ought 
 to believe concerning the truth of 
 it. 
 
 I will therefore propofe the 
 fhorteft, and the furelt of all me- 
 thods. — Now I defire you to know 
 no books, nor to be well read in 
 any controverfy but in that which 
 paffes within you, in order to know 
 the gofpel to be the greateft of all 
 truths, and the infallible voice of i 
 God fpeaking the way of falva- 
 tion to you. 
 
 The gofpel is built on thefe two i 
 pillars, firft, That you are a fallen : 
 fecondly, That you are a redeemed 
 creature. Now every man's own 
 foul, fpeaks thefe two great truths 
 to him. You feel, and know that 
 you area finner, that you have the 
 diforders of the beafts, and the de- 
 pravity of evil fpirits within you. 
 
 Is 
 
the Love of God. 20$ 
 
 Is not this faying to you, by the 
 frame and voice of your nature, that 
 you are a fallen creature, and not 
 in that ftate in which a good being 
 muft have created you ? For I ap- 
 peal to yourfelf, in your own de- 
 gree of goodnefs, if you could 
 create your own children, whether 
 you would not create them in a bet- 
 ter Hate, and with lefs evil, both 
 of the bead and the devil in them ; 
 than that in which you was born 
 yourfelf. 
 
 Therefore, only fuppofing God 
 to have your degree of goodnefs, 
 he could not have created the firlt 
 man, from whom your nature is 
 derived in the ftate that you are ; 
 and therefore fuppofing him only 
 to be good, you have a fufficient 
 proof ; but fuppofing him to be 
 infinitely good, or goodnefs itfelf, 
 you have an infallible aemonftra- 
 tion written in the frame of your 
 S 3 nature 
 
210 A Difcourfe on 
 nature, that you are a fallen crea- 
 ture, or not in that (late in which 
 God created you. 
 
 Again, do you want any learn- 
 ing or books, to fhew you, that 
 every man, as well as yourfelf, af- 
 fefts to appear virtuous, to have 
 good qualities, and is alhamed of 
 every bealtly and diabolical difor- 
 der; and would feem to have vir- 
 tues and goodnefs, that he has not, 
 becaufe of an innate love that he 
 has for them ; and from a fenfe 
 of their being proper for him ? 
 And is not this faying again’ with 
 the fame fulnefs of certainty, that 
 you are a redeemed creature, that 
 there is in you an inward Redeem- 
 er, a light of the mind, a feed of 
 goodnefs, an infiintl to virtue, given 
 you by God, though without reve- 
 lation you don’t know when nor 
 how ? And do you not hereby 
 plainly fee, that you (land nearer 
 
 to 
 
211 
 
 the Love of God. 
 
 to the truth of the Chrihian religi- 
 on, than you do to any thing elfe ? 
 It is the book of yourfelf, it talks 
 of nothing out of you, it fpeaks but 
 that which is faid within you, and 
 therefore you have a fufficient 
 help to underhand it. What can 
 the gofpel fay to you of the fall 'of 
 man, and of your redemption, 
 that is not at the fame time faid to 
 you, by the hate of your own 
 foul ? 
 
 A finful creature, cannot come 
 from God in its finful hate. And 
 on the other hand, if you was not 
 redeemed, how could you feel an 
 inclination to goodnefs, and a de- 
 fire of appearing virtuous ? For 
 what elfe is this defire, but a cer- 
 tain inward principle that has be- 
 gun your redemption, and is trying 
 to carry it Qn ? Now the Chrihian 
 religion tells you only this great 
 truth, that you are fatten and re- 
 
 deemed, 
 
212 A Difcourfe on 
 
 deemed, that is, that you have a 
 mixture of evil, and good in you. 
 That from the beginning of the 
 world, it has been God's gracious 
 defire and defign in and by Jefus 
 Chrift, to render your redemption 
 effe&ual, that is, to make the good 
 that is in you perfectly overcome 
 all your evil. Complain therefore 
 no more of want of evidence ; you 
 are the gofpel’s evidence, it is 
 preached in your own bofom. 
 And this great and glorious truth, 
 that I have declared: this free gift 
 of God to all men, by a feed of 
 life, which all men receive from 
 Chrift, is the true and folid mean- 
 ing of that which is called prevent - 
 ing grace, and which, when rightly 
 fpoken of, is faid to be common 
 to all men. It is grace, becaufe it 
 is God’s free gift, we could not lay 
 hold of it by any power of our own, 
 nor had any right to claim it. It 
 
 is 
 
the Love of God. 213 
 
 is preventing grace , becaufe it pre- 
 vents or goes before, and is not 
 given us for any thing that we 
 have done. And therefore it has 
 its plain diftinftion from God's 
 affifting grace. — St. Paul fays, God 
 hath chofen us in Chnjl Jefus, before 
 the foundation of the world. Now 
 from this eternal, forefeeing good- 
 nefs of God towards mankind, it 
 is, that a fpark of the firft divine 
 life, called a feed of the woman, the 
 ingrafted word, a kingdom of God, 
 a pearl of great price, a treafure hid 
 in a feld, was fore-ordained to be 
 treafured up ; — which through the 
 divine love, (my dear reader) is 
 fecurely treafured up, as a pearl 
 hidden in thy own field ; which, 
 if it be not thy own fault, fhall 
 furely revive into its firft glory, 
 through Chrift, who is, and ever 
 fhall be, the Resurrection, and 
 
214 d Difcourfe on 
 
 the Life. — T his divine feed, ox fret 
 gift of God is the general, and pre- 
 venting grace of all men, that ena- 
 bles them fo to a6t, as to obtain 
 God’s aff f ting grace, in the renewal 
 of their hearts and minds ; and it 
 is a glorious and undeniable truth, 
 that there is no partiality in God, 
 but that all men, have a general call, 
 and a general capacity to obtain their 
 falva'ion. — God has but one defign 
 towards all mankind: Christi- 
 ans, Jews, and Heathens, are 
 all equally the defire of his heart, — 
 his wifdom crieth, Jhe pulteth forth her 
 voice, not here or there, but every 
 where, in all the ftreets of all the 
 
 parts of the world. O my God, 
 
 juft and good, how great is thy 
 love and mercy to mankind, that 
 heaven is thus every where 
 open, and Christ thus the 
 common Saviour of all ! O fweet 
 
 power 
 
The Love of God. 215 
 
 power of the bruifer of the 
 ferpent, born in every fon of 
 man, that ftirs and works in 
 every man, and gives every 
 man a power, to find his happinefs 
 in God! O holy Jesus, heavenly 
 light, that lightejl every man that/ com- 
 eth into the world , that redeemeft 
 every foul that follows thy light, 
 which is always within him ! O holy 
 Trinity, immenfe ocean of divine 
 love in which all mankind live, 
 and move, and have their being ! 
 None are feparated from thee, 
 none live out of thy love, but all 
 are embraced in the arms of thy 
 mercy, ail are partakers of thy 
 divine life, the operation of thy 
 holy fpirit, as foon as their 
 heart is turned to thee ! O plain, 
 and eafy, and fimple way of 
 falvation, wanting no fubtilties 
 of art or fcience, no borrowed 
 
 learning, 
 
2 i 6 A Difcourfe, &c. 
 
 learning, no refinements of rea- 
 fon, but all done by the fimple 
 natural motion of every heart, 
 that truly longs after God! 
 
 FINIS. 
 
*5 
 
 \ 
 
 • r - • 
 
 I 
 
 \ 
 

/