To ――――
WHEN a man first finds himself stirred up with religious zeal, what does he generally do? He turns all his thoughts _outwards_, he runs after this or that man, he is at the beck of every _new opinion_, and thinks only of finding the truth, by resting in this or that society of Christians. Could he find a man, that did not want to have him of his opinion, that turned him from himself to God, not as historically read of in books, but _essentially_ living and working in every soul, him he might call a man of God; as saving him from many vain wanderings, from fruitless searchings into a council of _Trent_, a synod of _Dort_, an ♦_Augsburg_ confession, an _Assembly_’s catechism, or a _thirty-nine Articles_. For had he an hundred articles, if they were any thing else but a hundred calls to Christ, as the only possible light, and teacher of his mind, it would be a hundred times better for him to be without them.――For all man’s misery lies in this, that he has lost the knowledge of God, as living within him, and by falling under the power of an earthly, bestial life, thinks only of God, as living in some other world, and so seeks only by notions, to set up an image of an absent God, instead of worshipping the God of life and power, in whom he lives, moves, and has his being.――Whoever therefore teaches you to expect great things from this, or that sort of opinions, or calls you to any thing as _saving_, and _redeeming_, but the _manifestation_ of God in your own soul, through Christ, is totally ignorant of the whole nature, both of the _fall_, and the _redemption_ of man.
♦ “Augsberg” replaced with “Augsburg”
The Spirit of Christ must live in you, or all exhortations, to walk as he walked, are vain. The natural man is in full separation from this holiness of life, and though he had more wisdom of words, more depth of literature, than was in _Cicero_ or _Aristotle_, yet would ye have as much to die to, as the greatest Publican or vainest Pharisee, before he could be in Christ a new creature. For the highest improved natural abilities, can as well ascend into heaven, or cloath flesh and blood with immortality, as make a man like-minded with Christ in any one divine virtue. And that for this one reason, because God and divine goodness are inseparable.
No precept of the gospel supposes man to have any power to effect it, or calls you to any natural ability, or wisdom of your own to comply with it. Christ and his apostles called no man to overcome the corruption and blindness of fallen nature by a learned cultivation of the mind. The wisdom of the learned world, was the same pitiable foolishness with them, as the grossest ignorance. By them, they only stand thus distinguished, the one brings forth a _Publican_, which is often converted to Christ, the other a _Pharisee_, that for the most part condemns him to be crucified. They (Christ and his apostles) taught nothing but death, and denial to ourselves; and the impossibility of having any one divine temper, but through faith, through a new nature, not _born of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God_.
*To speak of the operation of the Holy Spirit, as _only an_ assistance, or an _occasional_ assistance, is as short of the truth, as to say, that Christ shall _only assist_ the resurrection of our bodies. For not a spark of any divine virtue can arise up in us, but what must wholly and solely be wrought by that same power, which alone can call our dead bodies out of the dust and darkness of the grave.
If you turn to your own strength to have Christian piety and goodness; or are so deceived, as to think that learning, or local abilities, critical acuteness, skill in languages, church systems, rules and orders, articles and opinions, are to do that for you which the Spirit of Christ did, and only could do for the first Christians; your diligent reading of the history of the gospel, will leave you as poor, and empty, and dead to God, as if you had been only a diligent reader of the history of all the religions in the world.
But if all that you trust to, long after, and depend upon, is that Holy Spirit, which alone made the scripture saints able _to call Jesus Lord_; if this be your one faith and one hope, the divine life, which died in _Adam_, will be quickened again in Christ Jesus. And be assured, that nothing but this _new birth_ can make a gospel Christian, because nothing else can possibly love, do, and be that which Christ preached in his divine sermon on the _Mount_. Be assured also, that when the Spirit of Christ is the spirit that ruleth in you, there will be no _hard sayings_ in the gospel; but all that Christ taught in the flesh, will be as meat and drink to you, and you will have no joy, but in walking as he walked, in saying, loving, and doing, that which he said, loved, and did.