_My Dear Friend_,
YOU had no occasion to make any apology for the manner of your letter to me; for tho’ you very well know, that I have as utter an aversion to waste my time and thoughts in matters of theological debate, as in any contentions merely of a worldly nature, as knowing that the former are generally as much, if not more hurtful to the heart of man than the latter; yet as your objections rather tend to stir up the powers of love, than the wrangle of debate; so I consider them only as occasions of edifying both you and myself with the divine blessedness of the _spirit of love_.
You say, “There is nothing in my writings that has more affected you than that spirit of love that breathes in them; and that you wish for nothing so much as to have a living sensibility of the power, life, and religion of love. But you have an objection often rising in your mind, that this doctrine of pure and universal love may be too refined and imaginary; because you find, that however you like it, yet you cannot attain to it.”
Thus stands your objection, which will fall into nothing, as soon as you look at it from a right point of view: which will be, as soon as you have found the true ground of the nature and necessity of the blessed spirit of love.
Now, the spirit of love has this original. God, as considered in himself, before any thing is brought forth by him, is only an _eternal will to all goodness_. This is the _one eternal, immutable_ God, that from eternity to eternity changeth not, that can be neither more nor less, nor any thing else, but an _eternal will to all the goodness_ that is in himself, and can come from him. The creation of ever so many creatures, adds nothing to, nor takes any thing from this immutable God: he always was, and always will be, the same immutable will to all goodness. So that as certainly as he is the creator, so certainly is he the blesser of every created thing, and can give _nothing_ but blessing and happiness from himself, because he has _in himself_ nothing else to give. It is much more possible for the sun to give forth darkness, than for God to be, or give forth, any thing but blessing and goodness. Now this is the _ground and original_ of the spirit of love in the creature: it is and must be a _will to all goodness_, and you have not this _spirit of love_ but so far as you have this will to all goodness at all times, and on all occasions. You may indeed do many works of love, especially at such times as they are not inconvenient to you. Yet the spirit of love is not in you, but so far as it is the spirit of your life, as you live _freely_, _willingly_, and _universally_, according to it. For every spirit acts with freedom and universality according to what it is. It needs no command to be what it is, no more than you need bid wrath be wrathful. And therefore when _love_ is the spirit of your life, it will have freedom and universality; it will always live and work in love, not because of _this_ or _that_, _here_ or _there_, but because the spirit of love can only love, wherever it is or goes, or whatever is done to it. As the _sparks_ know no motion, but that of flying upwards, whether it be in the darkness of the night, or in the light of the day; so the spirit of love is always in the same course; it knows no difference of time, place, or persons; but whether it _gives_ or _forgives_, _bears_ or _forbears_, it is equally doing its own delightful work, equally blessed from itself. For the spirit of love, wherever it is, is its own blessing and happiness, is in the same joy, and is the same good to itself, every where, and on every occasion.