Chapter VI: Part II (3)

You, my friend, have taken the _first step_¹ in the spiritual life; you have devoted yourself absolutely to God, to live wholly to his will, under the light and guidance of his holy Spirit, intending, seeking nothing in this world, but such a passage thro’ it as may tend to the glory of God, and the recovery of your own fallen soul. Your _next step_ is, looking to the continuance of this resolution, and donation of yourself to God, to see that it be kept alive, that every thing you do may be animated and directed by it, and all the occurrences of every day, from morning to night, be received by you, as becomes a spirit that is devoted to God. Now this _second step_ cannot be taken but purely by prayer; nothing else has the least power here but prayer; I do not mean you must frequently read or say a number of prayers, (tho’ this in its turn may be good and useful to you) but the prayer I mean, and which you must practise, if you would take this _second step_ in the spiritual life, is _prayer of the heart_, or a prayer of your own, proceeding from the state of your heart, and its own tendency to God. Of all things therefore look to this prayer of the heart; consider it as your infallible guide to heaven; turn from every thing that is an hindrance of it, that quenches or abates its fervour; love and like nothing but that which is suitable to it; and let every day begin, go on, and end in the spirit of it. Consider yourself, as having gone aside and lost your right path, when any _delight_, _desire_, or _trouble_ is suffered to live in you, that cannot be made a part of this prayer of the heart to God. For nothing so infallibly shews us the true state of our heart, as that which gives us either delight or trouble; for as our delight and trouble is, so is the state of our heart: if therefore you are carried away with any trouble or delight, that has not relation to your progress in the divine ♦life, you may be assured your heart is not in its right state of prayer to God. Look at a man who is devoted to some _one thing_, or has some one great worldly matter at heart; he stands turned from every thing that has not some relation to it; he has no joy or trouble but what ariseth from it; he has no eyes or ears but to see or hear something about it. All else is a trifle, but that which some way or other concerns this great matter. You need not tell him of any rules or methods to keep it in his thoughts; it goes with him into all places and companies; it has his first thoughts in the morning; and every day is good or bad, as this great matter seems to succeed or not. This may shew you how easily, how naturally, how constantly, our heart will carry on its own state of prayer, as soon as God is its great object, or it is wholly given up to him. This may also shew you, that the heart cannot fully enter into the spirit of prayer, till it takes God for its _all_, or gives itself up _wholly_ to God. But when this foundation is laid, the seed of prayer is sown, and the heart is in a continual state of tendency to God; having no other delight or trouble in things of any kind, but as they help or hinder its union with God. Therefore, the way to be a man of prayer, and be governed by its spirit, is not to get a _book_ full of prayers; but the best help you can have from a book, is to read one full of such truths and awakening informations, as force you to see and know _who_, and _what_, and _where_ you are; that God is your all; and that all is misery, but a heart and life devoted to him. This is the best outward prayer-book you can have, as it will turn you to an inward book and spirit of prayer in your heart, which is a continual longing desire of the heart after God. When, for the sake of this inward prayer, you retire at any time of the day, never begin till you know and feel why and wherefore you are going to pray; and let this _why_ and _wherefore_, form and direct every thing that comes from you, whether it be in thought or word. As you know your own state, so it must be the easiest thing in the world to look up to God with such desires as suit the state you are in; and praying in this manner, whether it be in one, or more, or no words, your prayer will be always highly beneficial to you.――Thus praying, you can never pray in vain; but one month in the practise of it, will do you more good, make a greater change in your soul, than twenty years of prayer only by books, and forms of other peoples making.

¹ Surely, one of the _last steps_.

♦ “live” replaced with “life”

No vice can harbour in you, no good desire languish, when once your heart is in this method of prayer; never beginning to pray, till you first see how matters stand with you; asking your heart what it wants, and having nothing in your prayers, but what the known state of your heart puts you upon _demanding_, _saying_, or _offering_ unto God. Such a prayer gives new life and growth to all your virtues; whereas, overlooking this true prayer of your own heart, and only at certain times taking a prayer that you find in a book, you have nothing to wonder at, if you are every day praying, and yet every day sinking farther under your infirmities. For your life can only be altered by that which is the real working of your heart. And if your prayer is only a form of words, made by the skill of other people, such a prayer can no more change you into a good man, than an _actor_ upon the stage, who speaks kingly language, is thereby made a king. Again, another great and infallible benefit of this kind of prayer is this; it is the only way to be delivered from the deceitfulness of your own heart.

Our hearts deceive us, because we are absent from them, taken up in outward things, in outward rules and forms of living and praying. But this kind of praying, which takes all its thoughts from the state of our hearts, makes it impossible for us to be strangers to ourselves. The strength of every sin, the power of every evil temper, the most secret working of our hearts, the weakness of any or all our virtues, is seen with a noon-day clearness, as soon as the heart is made our prayer-book, and we pray for nothing, but according to what we read and find there.

_Academicus._ O _Theophilus_, you have shewn me, that the best prayer in the world is that which the heart sends forth from itself. And yet I am not free from suspicions about it: I apprehend it to be that very _praying_ by the _spirit_, or as _moved_ by the spirit, or from a _light within_, which is condemned as _Quakerism_.

_Theophilus._ There is but one good prayer that you can possibly make; and that is a prayer as the Spirit of God _moves_ you in it, or to it. This alone is a divine prayer; no other prayer can possibly have any communion with God. Therefore to ridicule praying by the Spirit, or as moved by the Spirit, is ridiculing the _only_ prayer that is divine; and to reject and oppose it as a vain conceit, is to quench and suppress all that is holy, heavenly, and divine within us. For if this Holy Spirit does not live and move in us, and bring forth all the praying affections of our souls, we may as well think of reaching heaven with our hands, as with our prayers.

Earnestly therefore to pray, humbly to hope, and faithfully to expect, to be continually inspired and animated by the Holy Spirit of God, has no more of _vanity_, _fanaticism_, or _enthusiastic_ wildness in it, than to hope and pray, to act in every thing from and by a good spirit. For as sure as the lip of truth hath told us, that there is but _one that is good_, so sure is it, that not a _spark_ of goodness, nor a _breath_ of piety can be in any creature, either in heaven or on earth, but by that divine Spirit. The matter is not about _forms_ of virtue, _rules_ of religion, or a _prudent piety_, suited to time, and place, and character; all these are degrees of goodness that our old man can as easily trade in, as in any other matters of this world. But so much as we have of an heavenly and divine goodness, so much we must have of a _divine inspiration_ in us. For as nothing can fall to the earth, but because it has the nature of the earth in it: so nothing can ascend towards heaven, or unite with it, but that very Spirit which came down from heaven and has the nature of heaven in it. This truth therefore, that the kingdom of God is within us, and that its spirit is the Spirit of God, stands upon a rock, against which all attempts are in vain. But how shall I know when, and how far, I am led and governed by the Spirit of God?

*_Theophilus._ “God is unwearied _patience_, an ever enduring _mercifulness_; he is unmixed _goodness_, impartial, universal _love_; his delight is in the communication of himself, his own happiness to every thing according to its capacity. He does everything that is good, righteous, and lovely, for its own sake, because it is good, righteous, and lovely. He is the good from which nothing but good cometh, and resisteth all evil, only with goodness.” This is the _nature_ and _Spirit_ of God, and hereby you may know, whether you are moved and led by the Spirit of God. Here is a proof that is always at hand. If it be the earnest desire, and longing of your heart, to be _merciful_ as he is merciful; to be full of his _unwearied patience_, to dwell in his _unalterable meekness_; if you long to be like him in _universal, impartial_ love; if you desire to communicate _every good_, to every creature that you are able; if you love and practise every thing that is good, righteous, and lovely, for its own sake, because it is good, righteous, and lovely; and resist no evil, but with _goodness_; then you have the utmost certainty, that the Spirit of God liveth, dwelleth, and governeth in you. But if you want any of these tempers, at least if the whole bent of your heart and mind is not set upon them, all pretences to an _immediate inspiration_, and _continual_ operation of the Spirit of God are vain. Where his Spirit dwells and governs, there all these tempers spring, as the certain fruits of it. Therefore keep but within the bounds here set you; and you may safely say, with St. _John_, _Hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us_.

_Academicus._ But surely the Spirit of God often discovers itself, and operates in very extraordinary ways, in uncommon illuminations and openings of divine light and knowledge, in strong impulses and sallies of a wonderful zeal, full of the highest gifts and graces of God: and these have frequently been God’s gracious methods of awakening a sinful world.

_Theophilus._ What you say, _Academicus_, is very true; and almost every age of the church is a sufficient proof of it.

But would you know the _sublime_, the _exalted_, the _angelic_, in the Christian life, see what the Son of God saith, _Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy mind, and with all thy strength; and thy neighbour as thyself. On these two_, saith he, _hang all the law and the prophets_. And without these _two things_, no good light ever can arise or enter into your soul. Take all the sciences, shine in all the accomplishments of the lettered world, they will only lead you from one vain passion to another; every thing you send out from within you is selfish, vain, and bad; every thing you see or receive from without, will be received with a bad spirit; till _these two_ heavenly tempers have overcome the _natural perverseness_ of fallen nature. Till then, nothing _pure_ can proceed from within, nor any thing be received in _purity_ from without.

Think yourself therefore incapable of judging rightly, or acting virtuously, till these two tempers have the government of your heart. Then every truth will meet you; no hurtful error can get entrance into your heart; but you will have a better knowledge of all divine matters, than all human learning can help you to.

An Extract from Mr. LAW’s
Spirit of LOVE.