*These are short but full _articles_ of true religion, which carry salvation along with them, which make a true and full offering of our whole nature to the _divine operation_, and also a true and full confession of the holy Trinity in Unity. For as they look wholly to the _Father_, as blessing us with the _operation_ of his _own word_, and _Spirit_, so they truly confess, and worship the _holy Trinity_ of God. And as they ascribe all to, and expect all from this Deity _alone_, so they make the truest and best of all confessions, that there is no God but one.
*Let then _Arians_, _Semi-Arians_, and _Socinians_, who puzzle their laborious brains to make paper-images of a Trinity for themselves; have nothing from you, but your pity and prayers; your foundation standeth sure, whilst you look for all your salvation through the _Father_, working life in your soul, by his _own word_, and _Spirit_, which dwell in him, and are one life, both in him and you.
_Theogenes._ I can never enough thank you, _Theophilus_, for this comfortable answer to my scrupulous fear. It seems now, as if I could always know how to find full relief in this humble, meek, patient, total resignation of myself to God. It is, as you said, a remedy that is always at hand, equally practicable at all times, and never in greater reality, than when my own tempers are making war against it in my heart.
You have quite carried your point with me; the God of patience, meekness, and love, is the one God of my heart. It is now the whole bent, and desire of my soul, to seek for all my salvation in, and thro’ the _merits_ and _mediation_ of the meek, humble, patient, resigned, suffering Lamb of God, who alone hath power to bring forth these heavenly virtues in my soul. He is the bread of God, that came down from heaven, of which the soul must eat, or perish and pine in everlasting hunger. He is the eternal love and meekness, that left the bosom of his Father, to be himself the resurrection of meekness and love, in all the darkened, wrathful souls of fallen men. What a comfort is it, to think that this Lamb of God, Son of the Father, light of the world, who is the glory of heaven, and the joy of angels, is as near to us, as truly in the midst of us, as he is in the midst of heaven. And that not a thought, look, and desire of our heart, that presses towards him, longing to catch, as it were, one small spark of his heavenly nature, but is in as sure a way of finding him, touching him, and drawing virtue from him, as the woman who was healed, by longing but to touch the border of his garment.
*This doctrine also makes me quite weary and ashamed of all my own natural tempers. Every whisper of impatience, uneasiness, resentment, pride, and wrath, shall be rejected with a _get thee behind me, Satan_, for it is his, and has its whole nature from him. To rejoice in a resentment gratified, appears now to me, to be quite frightful. For what is it, in reality, but rejoicing that the precious Lamb of God is denied entrance into my soul? This is the strict truth of the matter. And to give up all resentment of every kind, and on every occasion, however artfully, beautifully, coloured, and to sink down into the humility of meekness under all contrariety, contradiction and injustice, always turning the other cheek to the smiter, however haughty, is the surest of all means, to have nothing but Christ living, and working in you.
*What a blindness was it in me, to think that I had no covetousness, because the love of _pelf_, was not felt by me! For to covet, is to desire; and what can it signify whether I desire this or that? If I desire any thing, but that which God would have me to be, and do, I stick in the mire of covetousness, and must have all that evil, and disquiet working in me, which robs _misers_ of their peace both with God and man.
*Oh sweet resignation of myself to God, happy death of every selfish desire, be thou my guide, and governor wherever I go! nothing but thee can take me from myself, nothing but thee can lead me to God; hell has no power, where thou art; nor can heaven hide itself from thee. O may I never indulge a thought, bring forth a word, or do any thing for myself or others, but under the influence of thy blessed inspiration.
The sight, tho’ distant, of this heavenly _Canaan_, this _sabbath_ of the soul, resting in meekness, humility, patience and resignation, under the Spirit of God, is like the joyful voice of the bridegroom to my soul, and leaves no wish in me, but to be at the marriage-feast of the Lamb.