ADDRESS

TO THE CLERGY.

THE reason of my humbly and affectionately addressing this discourse to the Clergy, is not, because it treats of things not of common concern to all Christians, but chiefly to invite and induce them, as far as I can, to the serious perusal of it; and because whatever is essential to christian salvation, if either neglected, overlooked, or mistaken by them, is of the saddest consequence both to themselves, and the churches in which they minister. I say essential to salvation, for I would not turn my own thoughts, or call the attention of christians to any thing, but the one thing needful, the one thing essential, and only available, to our rising out of our fallen state, and becoming, as we were at our creation, an holy offspring of God, and real partakers of the divine nature.

If it be asked, What this one thing is? It is the SPIRIT of GOD brought again to his first power of life in us. Nothing else is wanted by us, nothing else intended for us, by the law, the prophets, and the gospel. Nothing else is, or can be effectual, to the making sinful man become again a godly creature.

Every thing else, be it what it will, however glorious and divine in outward appearance; every thing that angels, men, churches or reformations, can do for us, is dead and helpless, but so far as it is the immediato work of the Spirit of God, breathing and living in it.

All scripture bears full witness to this truth; and the end and design of all that is written, is only to call us back from the spirit of Satan, the flesh and the world, to be again under full dependance upon, and obedience to the Spirit of God, who out of free love, and thirst after our souls, seeks to have his first power of life in us. When this is done, all is done that the scripture can do for us. Read what chapter, or doctrine of scripture you will, be ever so delighted with it, it will leave you as poor, as empty and unreformed, as it found you, unless it be a delight that proceeds from, and has turned you wholly and solely to the Spirit of God, and strengthened your union with, and dependance upon him. For love and delight in matters of -scripture, whilst it is only a delight that is merely human, however specious and saint-like it may appear, is but the self-love of fallen Adam, and can have no better a nature, till it proceeds from the inspiration of God, quickening his own life and nature within us, which alone can have, or give forth a godly love. For if it be an immutable truth, that "no man can call Jesus, Lord, but by the Holy Ghost," it must be a truth equally immutable, that no one can have any one Christ-like temper, or power of goodness, but so far, and in such degree, as he is immediately led and governed by the Holy Spirit.

The grounds and reasons of which are as follow: All possible goodness, that either can be named or is nameless, was in God from all eternity, and must to all eternity be inseparable from him; it can be no where but where God is. As therefore, before God created any thing, it was certainly true, that there was but one that was good; so it is just the same truth, after God has created innumerable hosts of blessed, holy, and heavenly beings, that there is but one that is good, and that is God.

All that can be called goodness, holiness, divine tempers, heavenly affections, &c. in the creatures, are no more their own, or the growth of their created powers, than they were their own before they were

treated. But all that is called divine goodness and virtue in the creature, is nothing else, but the one goodness of God manifesting a birth and discovery of itself in the creature, according as its created nature is fitted to receive it. This is the unalterable state between God and the creature. Goodness, for ever and ever, can only belong to God, as essential to him, and inseparable from him, as his own unity.

God could not make the creature to be great and glorious in itself this is as impossible as for God to create beings in a state of independence on himself. The heavens, saith David, declare the glory of God; and no creature, any more than the heavens, can declare any other glory, but that of God. And as well might it be said, that the firmament sheweth forth its own handy-work, as that a holy, divine, or heavenly creature, sheweth forth its own natural power.

But now, if all that is divine, great, glorious, and happy, in the spirits, tempers, operations, and enjoyments of the creature, is only so much of the greatness, glory, majesty, and blessedness of God, dwelling. in it, and giving forth various births of his own triune life, light and love, and through the manifold forms, and capacities of the creature to receive them, then we may infallibly see the true ground and nature of all true religion; and when, and how, we may be said to fulfil all our religious duty to God. For the creature's true religion, is its rendering to God all that is God's; it is its continual acknowledging all that which it is, and has, and enjoys, in and from God. This is the one true religion of all intelligent creatures, whether in heaven or on earth; for as they all have but one and the same relation to God, so though ever so different in their several births, states or offices, they all have but one and the same true religion, or right behaviour towards God. Now the one relation, which is the ground of all true religion, and is one and the jame between God and all intelligent creatures, is his; it is a total, unalterable dependance upon God; an immediate, continual receiving of every kind and

degree of goodness, blessing and happiness, that ever was, or can be found in them, from God alone. The highest angel has nothing of its own that it can offer unto God; no more light, love, purity, perfection, and glorious hallelujahs, that spring from itself, or its own powers, than the poorest creature upon earth. Could the angel see a spark of wisdom, goodness, or excellence, as coming from, or belonging to itself, its place in heaven would be lost, as sure as Lucifer lost his. But they are abiding flames of pure love, always ascending up to, and uniting with God, for this reason, because the wisdom, the power, the glory, the majesty, the love and goodness of God alone, is all that they see, and feel, and know, either within or without themselves. Songs of praise to their heavenly Father, are their ravishing delight, because they see, and know, and feel, that it is the breath and spirit of their heavenly Father, that sings and rejoices in them. Their adoration in spirit and in truth never ceases, because they never cease to acknowledge the ALL of God; the ALL of God in themselves, and the ALL of God in the whole creation. This is the one religion of heaven, and nothing else is the truth of religion on earth.

The matter therefore plainly comes to this: nothing can do, or be, the good of religion to the intelligent. creature, but the power and presence of God, really and essentially living and working in it. But if this be the unchangeable nature of that goodness and blessedness, which is to be had from our religion, then of all necessity, the creature must have all its religious, goodness, as wholely and solely from God's immediate operation, as it had its first goodness at its crea tion. And it is the same impossibility for the creature to help itself to that which is good, and blessed in religion, by any contrivance, reasonings, or workings of its own natural powers, as to create itself. For the creature, after its creation, can no more take any. thing to itself, that belongs to God, than it could take it, before it was created. And if truth forces us to

hold, that the natural powers of the creature could only come from the one power of God, the same truth should surely more force us to confess, that that which comforts, that which enlightens, that which blesses, which gives peace, joy, goodness, and rest to its natural powers, can be had in no other way, nor by any other thing, but from God's immediate, holy operation found it.

Now the reason, why no work of religion, but that which is begun, continued, and carried on by the living operation of God in the creature, can have any truth, goodness or divine blessing in it, is because, nothing can in truth seek God, but that which comes from God. Nothing can in truth find God, as its good, but that which has the nature of God living in it; like can only rejoice in like; and therefore no religious service of the creature, can have any truth, goodness, or blessing in it, but that which is done in the creature, in, and through, and by a principle and power of the divine nature begotten, and breathing forth in it all holy tempers, affections, and adorations.

All true religion is, or brings forth, an essential union, and communion of the spirit of the creature, with the spirit of the Creator, God in it, and it in God, one life, one light, one love. The spirit of God first gives, or sows the seed of divine union in the soul of every man; and religion is that by which it is quickened, raised, and brought forth to a fulness, and growth of life in God.-Take a similitude of this, as follows. The beginning, or seed of animal breath, must first be born in the creature from the spirit of this world, and then respiration, so long as it lasts, keeps up an essential union of the animal life with the breath, or spirit of this world. In like manner, divine faith, hope, love, and resignation to God, are in the religious life, its acts of respiration, which so long as they are true, unite God and the creature, in the same living, and essential manner, as animal respiration unites the breath of the animal, with the breath of this world.

B