§. X.
Also this spiritual Wickedness is of two Sorts, though both one in Kind, as proceeding from one Root, yet differing in their Degrees, and in the Subjects also sometimes. The one is, when as the natural Man, meddling with and working in the Things of Religion, doth from his own Conceptions and Divinations affirm or propose wrong and erroneous Notions and Opinions of God and Things spiritual, and invent Superstitions, Ceremonies, Observations, and Rites in Worship, from whence have sprung all the Heresies and Superstitions that are among Christians. From whence all Heresies did spring.The other is, when as the natural Man, from a mere Conviction of his Understanding, doth in the Forwardness of his own Will, and by his own natural Strength, without the Influence and Leading of God’s Spirit, go about either in his Understanding to imagine, conceive, or think of the Things of God, or actually to perform them by preaching or praying. True Christianity, wherein it consists not.The First is a Missing both in Matter and Form; the Second is a Retaining of the Form without the Life and Substance of Christianity; because Christian Religion consisteth not in a mere Belief of true Doctrines, or a mere Performance of Acts good in themselves, or else the bare Letter of the Scripture, though spoken by a Drunkard, or a Devil, might be said to be Spirit and Life, which I judge none will be so absurd as to affirm; and also it would follow, that where the Form of Godliness is, there the Power is also, which is contrary to the express Words of the Apostle. For the Form of Godliness cannot be said to be, where either the Notions and Opinions believed are erroneous and ungodly, or the Acts performed evil and wicked; for then it would be the Form of Ungodliness, and not of Godliness: But of this more hereafter, when we shall speak particularly of Preaching and Praying. Now though this last be not so bad as the former, yet it hath made Way for it; for Men having first departed from the Life and Substance of true Religion and Worship, to wit, from the inward Power and Virtue of the Spirit, so as therein to act, and thereby to have all their Actions enlivened, have only retained the Form and Shew, to wit, the true Words and Appearance; and so acting in their own natural and unrenewed Wills in this Form, the Form could not but quickly decay, and be vitiated. For the working and active Spirit of Man could not contain itself within the Simplicity and Plainness of Truth, but giving Way to his own numerous Inventions and Imaginations, began to vary in the Form, and adapt it to his own Inventions, until by Degrees the Form of Godliness for the most Part came to be lost, as well as the Power. Idolatry does hug its own Conceivings.For this Kind of Idolatry, whereby Man loveth, idolizeth, and embraceth his own Conceptions, Inventions, and Product of his own Brain, is so incident unto him, and feared in his fallen Nature, that so long as his natural Spirit is the first Author and Actor of him, and is that by which he only is guided and moved in his Worship towards God, so as not first to wait for another Guide to direct him, he can never perform the pure spiritual Worship, nor bring forth any Thing but the Fruit of the first, fallen, natural, and corrupt Root. Wherefore the Time appointed of God being come, wherein by Jesus Christ he hath been pleased to restore the true spiritual Worship, and the outward Form of Worship, which was appointed by God to the Jews, and whereof the Manner and Time of its Performance was particularly determined by God himself, being come to an End, No Form of Worship but the Spirit prescribed by Christ.we find that Jesus Christ, the Author of the Christian Religion, prescribes no set Form of Worship to his Children, under the more pure Administration of the New Covenant,[102] save that he only tells them, That the Worship now to be performed is spiritual, and in the Spirit. And it is especially to be observed, that in the whole New Testament there is no Order nor Command given in this Thing, but to follow the Revelation of the Spirit, save only that general one of meeting together; a Thing dearly owned and diligently practised by us, as shall hereafter more appear. Pray, preach, and sing in Spirit.True it is, Mention is made of the Duties of Praying, Preaching, and Singing; but what Order or Method should be kept in so doing, or that presently they should be set about so soon as the Saints are gathered, there is not one Word to be found: Yea, these Duties, as shall afterwards be made appear, are always annexed to the Assistance, Leadings, and Motions of God’s Spirit. Since then Man in his natural State is thus excluded from acting or moving in Things spiritual, how or what Way shall he exercise this first and previous Duty of waiting upon God but by Silence, and by bringing that natural Part to Silence? To wait on God, by what it is performed.Which is no other Ways but by abstaining from his own Thoughts and Imaginations, and from all the Self-workings and Motions of his own Mind, as well in Things materially good as evil; that he being silent, God may speak in him, and the good Seed may arise. This, though hard to the natural Man, is so answerable to Reason, and even natural Experience in other Things, that it cannot be denied. He that cometh to learn of a Master, if he expect to hear his Master and be instructed by him, must not continually be speaking of the Matter to be taught, and never be quiet, otherwise how shall his Master have Time to instruct him? A Simile of a Master and his Scholar.Yea, though the Scholar were never so earnest to learn the Science, yet would the Master have Reason to reprove him, as untoward and indocile, if he would always be meddling of himself, and still speaking, and not wait in Silence patiently to hear his Master instructing and teaching him, who ought not to open his Mouth until by his Master he were commanded and allowed so to do. Of a Prince and his Servant.So also if one were about to attend a great Prince, he would be thought an impertinent and imprudent Servant, who, while he ought patiently and readily to wait, that he might answer the King when he speaks, and have his Eye upon him to observe the least Motions and Inclinations of his Will, and to do accordingly, would be still deafening him with Discourse, though it were in Praises of him; and running to and fro, without any particular and immediate Order, to do Things that perhaps might be good in themselves, or might have been commanded at other Times to others. Would the Kings of the Earth accept of such Servants or Service? To wait in Silence.Since then we are commanded to wait upon God diligently, and in so doing it is promised that our Strength shall be renewed, this Waiting cannot be performed but by a Silence or Cessation of the natural Part on our Side, since God manifests himself not to the outward Man or Senses, so much as to the inward, to wit, to the Soul and Spirit. The thinking busy Soul excludes the Voice of God.If the Soul be still thinking and working in her own Will, and busily exercised in her own Imaginations, though the Matters as in themselves may be good concerning God, yet thereby she incapacitates herself from discerning the still, small Voice of the Spirit, and so hurts herself greatly, in that she neglects her chief Business of waiting upon the Lord: Nothing less than if I should busy myself, crying out and speaking of a Business, while in the mean Time I neglect to hear one who is quietly whispering into my Ear, and informing me in those Things which are most needful for me to hear and know concerning that Business. And since it is the chief Work of a Christian to know the natural Will in its own proper Motions crucified, that God may both move in the Act and in the Will, the Lord chiefly regards this profound Subjection and Self-denial. Religious Speculations.For some Men please themselves as much, and gratify their own sensual Wills and Humours in high and curious Speculations of Religion, affecting a Name and Reputation that Way, or because those Things by Custom or otherways are become pleasant and habitual to them, though not a Whit more regenerated or inwardly sanctified in their Spirits, Sensual Recreations.as others gratify their Lusts in Acts of Sensuality, and therefore both are alike hurtful to Men, and sinful in the Sight of God, it being nothing but the mere Fruit and Effect of Man’s natural and unrenewed Will and Spirit. Thoughts of Death and Hell to keep out Sin are Fig-leaves.Yea, should one, as many no Doubt do, from a Sense of Sin, and Fear of Punishment, seek to terrify themselves from Sin, by multiplying Thoughts of Death, Hell, and Judgment, and by presenting to their Imaginations the Happiness and Joys of Heaven, and also by multiplying Prayers and other religious Performances, as these Things could never deliver him from one Iniquity, without the secret and inward Power of God’s Spirit and Grace, so would they signify no more than the Fig-leaves wherewith Adam thought to cover his Nakedness. And seeing it is only the Product of Man’s own natural Will, proceeding from a Self-love, and seeking to save himself, and not arising purely from that divine Seed of Righteousness which is given of God to all for Grace and Salvation, it is rejected of God, and no Ways acceptable unto him; since the natural Man, as natural, while he stands in that State, is, with all his Arts, Parts, and Actings, reprobated by him. Denial of one’s Self.This great Duty then of waiting upon God, must needs be exercised in Man’s denying Self, both inwardly and outwardly, in a still and mere Dependence upon God, in abstracting from all the Workings, Imaginations, and Speculations of his own Mind, that being emptied as it were of himself, and so throughly crucified to the natural Products thereof, he may be fit to receive the Lord, who will have no Co-partner nor Co-rival of his Glory and Power. And Man being thus stated, the little Seed of Righteousness which God hath planted in his Soul, and Christ hath purchased for him, even the Measure of Grace and Life, which is burdened and crucified by Man’s natural Thoughts and Imaginations, receives a Place to arise, and becometh a holy Birth and Geniture in Man; The holy Birth.and is that divine Air in and by which Man’s Soul and Spirit comes to be leavened; and by waiting therein he comes to be accepted in the Sight of God, to stand in his Presence, hear his Voice, and observe the Motions of his holy Spirit. And so Man’s Place is to wait in this; and as hereby there are any Objects presented to his Mind concerning God, or Things relating to Religion, his Soul may be exercised in them without Hurt, and to the great Profit both of himself and others; because those Things have their Rise not from his own Will, but from God’s Spirit: And therefore as in the Arisings and Movings of this his Mind is still to be exercised in thinking and meditating, so also in the more obvious Acts of Preaching and Praying. No Quakers are against a meditating Mind.And so it may hence appear we are not against Meditation, as some have sought falsely to infer from our Doctrine; From Nature’s Thoughts all Errors rise.but we are against the Thoughts and Imaginations of the natural Man in his own Will, from which all Errors and Heresies concerning the Christian Religion in the whole World have proceeded. But if it please God at any Time, when one or more are waiting upon him, not to present such Objects as give them Occasion to exercise their Minds in Thoughts and Imaginations, but purely to keep them in this holy Dependence, and as they persist therein, to cause his secret Refreshment and the pure Incomes of his holy Life to flow in upon them, then they have good Reason to be content, because by this, as we know by good and blessed Experience, the Soul is more strengthened, renewed, and confirmed in the Love of God, and armed against the Power of Sin, than any Way else; The Soul renewed, by what? The holy Life of God.this being a Fore-taste of that real and sensible Enjoyment of God, which the Saints in Heaven daily possess, which God frequently affords to his Children here for their Comfort and Encouragement, especially when they are assembled together to wait upon him.
[102] If any object here, That the Lord’s Prayer is a prescribed Form of Prayer, and therefore of Worship given by Christ to his Children:
I answer, First, This cannot be objected by any Sort of Christians that I know, because there are none who use not other Prayers, or that limit their Worship to this. Secondly, This was commanded to the Disciples, while yet weak, before they had received the Dispensation of the Gospel; not that they should only use it in praying, but that he might shew them by one Example how that their Prayers ought to be short, and not like the long Prayers of the Pharisees. And that this was the Use of it, appears by all their Prayers, which divers Saints afterwards made use of, whereof the Scripture makes mention; for none made use of this, neither repeated it, but used other Words, according as the Thing required, and as the Spirit gave Utterance. Thirdly, That this ought to be so understood, appears from Rom. viii. 26. of which afterwards Mention shall be made at greater Length, where the Apostle saith, We know not what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit itself maketh Intercession for us, &c. But if this Prayer had been such a prescribed Form of Prayer to the Church, that had not been true, neither had they been ignorant what to pray, nor should they have needed the Help of the Spirit to teach them.
§. XI.
[103] Prov. 21. 4.
[104] Ja. 1. 25.