‘I always feel as if I must write by return. Your letters draw out my heart to you so. I am glad you went and felt the love shining in on you.
‘Now, as regards the a priori argument; it is just the fundamental thing. Did you read my Browning paper? See, it is just the thought that comes out in “Saul.” We, if we love ourselves, we must believe in God’s love. He must be better if He is greater in every other way; it cannot be that we excel Him in the power of love, which is the highest gift of all. We can’t think that He does not care for His children, that He has left them orphans.
‘I think one can see too that He in whom dwelt the Divine Spirit without measure, yet who was truly man, and who therefore grew as man in insight as we do, felt that utter faith grow, tower up, as that intense love, that utter self-devotion which He felt within, told Him of His oneness with God; as He prayed that we might be one, even as He was one with the Father.
‘And He, trusting the Father, knew He could not be deceived by that Father; and we knowing Him, know He could not deceive us.... So I come a priori to belief in the story of that Life, and when I get to it by inward reasons, I am able first to look at the outward [reasons], which to many are enough without the inward, but are not to me. It was in this way too Kant got back to belief in Christianity. I read it was the moral law within which taught him, and all St. John’s teaching seems to me to be that we must feel the Spirit within ere we can recognise the Christ without. But then He does give freely of His Spirit,—if we seek, we shall find. He knocks at the door of man’s heart, “If any one will hear He will come in.”
‘My child, do remember those comforting words, “If ye were blind ye should have no sin, but now ye say, we see; therefore your sin remaineth.” So blindness is no sin in itself, if is lazy, conceited ignorance that is sin.
‘I wish you could be in the House of Rest from Friday to Monday, and have all Saturday of the Quiet Days. I wish you could have one talk with Mr. Wilkinson before he leaves.’
To the same:—
‘January 1883.
‘It does seem to me such a strange idea that our service should be acceptable to God in proportion to its difficulty. It is really at bottom the same thing that makes people torture themselves. It lies at the root of that idea regarding the Sabbath, which our Lord condemned so strongly. He came to make us know better the Father’s heart. Surely He loves to make it easy to His children to draw near. “I will allure her into the wilderness and will speak comfortably unto her.” Under the old dispensation He appointed a solemn ritual, and why did St. Paul exhort us to use psalms and hymns but that by the joy of music our hearts may be loosened from their deadness, and then we can trust them whither we will. It seems to me of course that our service is much more in conformity with the apostolic model handed down, and with allusions in the Bible. But I do not want to dispute about that. God has left us free. If your father says, “I wish you to go to the meeting,” you should, supposing you think it not wrong, obey. But I don’t believe he would, if you told him you went merely in obedience to his wishes; that you felt it did not help your spiritual life.
‘If it is finally decided that you go to St. Peter’s, I should like to ask Mr. Wilkinson to see you, and I would tell him some of your difficulties; he is so wise.