_Theophilus._ Thither, _Theogenes_, you must certainly come, if you keep to the path of meekness, humility, patience, and full resignation to God. But if you go aside from it, let the occasion seem ever so glorious, or the effects ever so wonderful, it is only preparing for yourself, a _harder death_. For die you must, to every thing that you have worked or done under any other spirit, but that of meekness, humility and true resignation to God.
For these virtues are the only _wedding garment_; they are the _lamps_, and _vessels_ well furnished with oil.
There is nothing that will do in the stead of them; they must have their full and perfect work in you, or the soul can never be delivered from its fallen, wrathful state. There is no possibility of salvation, but in this. And when the Lamb of God has brought forth his own meekness, humility and full resignation to God in our souls, then are our lamps trimmed, and our virgin-hearts made ready for the marriage-feast.
This marriage-feast signifies the entrance into the highest state of union, that can be between God and the soul, in this life. This birth-day of the spirit of love in our souls, whenever we attain, will feast our souls with such peace, and joy in God, as will blot out the remembrance of every thing, that we called peace, or joy before.
Need I say any more to shew you how to come out of the wrath of your evil, earthly nature, into the sweet peace and joy of the spirit of love? Neither notions, nor speculations, nor rules, nor methods can bring it forth. It is the child of light, and cannot possibly spring up in ♦in you, but from the _light_ of God rising in your soul, as it rises in heavenly beings. But the light of God cannot _arise_, in you, by any art or contrivance of your own, but only in the way of that meekness, humility and patience, which waits, trusts, resigns to, and expects all from the inward, living, life-giving operation of the triune God within you; creating, quickening, and reviving in your fallen soul, that image, and likeness of the holy Trinity, in which the first father of mankind was created.
♦ duplicate word “in” removed
_Theogenes._ You need say no more _Theophilus_; you have confirmed us in a full belief of that great truth namely, “That there is but one salvation for all mankind, and that is the _life of God_, in the soul. And also, that there is but _one possible_ way for man to attain this life of God, not one for a _Jew_, another for a _Christian_, and a third for a _Heathen_. No, God is one, human nature is one, salvation is one, and the way to it is one, and that is, the _desire_ of the soul turned to God.”
An Extract from Mr. LAW’s LETTERS.