Veil which is on my Heart, that I may difcern this unknown GOD; to draw the Curtain back which now hangs between, that I may fee him which is invisible.

This Veil of Flesh now hides him from my Sight. And who is able to make it tranfparent! So that I may perceive thro' this Glafs, GOD always before me, till I fee him Face to Face.

I want to know this great GoD who filleth Heaven and Earth: Who is above, beneath, and on every Side, in all Places of his Dominion; who just now be fets me behind and before, and lays his Hand upon me. And yet I am no more acquainted with him, than with one of the Inhabitants of Jupiter or Saturn.

O my Friend, how will you get one Step farther, unlefs GOD reveal himself to your Soul?

22. And why should this feem a thing incredible to you? That GOD, a Spirit, and the Father of the Spirits of all Flesh, fhould discover himself to your Spirit, which is itself, the Breath of GOD, Divina Particula Aura? Any more than that material Things fhould discover themselves to your material Eye. Is it any more repugnant to Reafon, that Spirit fhould influence Spirit, than that Matter fhould influence Matter? Nay, is not the former the more eafily intelligible of the two? For there is the utmoft Difficulty in conceiving, how Matter should influence Matter at all. How that which is totally paffive fhould act. Neither can we rationally account either for Gravitation, Attraction, or any natural Motion whatfoever, but by fuppofing in all the Finger of GOD, who alone conquers that Vis inertia which is effential to every Particle of Matter, and worketh all in all.

Now if GOD fhould ever open the Eyes of your Understanding, must not the Love of God be the immediate Confequence? Do you imagine you can fee Gon, without loving him? Is it poffible, in the Nature of Things? Si virtus confpiceretur oculis, faid the old Heathen,mirabiles amores excitaret fui How much more if you fee him who is the original Fountain, the great Archetype of all Virtue, will that Sight raise in you a

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Love

Love that is wonderful, fuch as the gay and bufy World know not of!

23. What Benevolence alfo, what tender Love to the whole of Human Kind, will you drink in, together with the Love of Gop, from the unexhaufted Source of Love? And how eafy is it to conceive, that more and more of his Image will be then transfufed into your Soul? That from difinterefted Love, all other Divine Tempers will, as it were naturally, fpring? Mildness, Gentleness, Patience, Temperance, Justice, Sincerity, Contempt of the World; yea, whatfoever Things are venerable and lovely, whatsoever are juftly of good Report.

And when you thus love God and all Mankind, and are transform'd into his Likeness, then the Commandments of GOD will not be grievous; you will no more complain, that they deftroy the Comfort of Life. So far from it, that they will be the very Joy of your Heart; Ways of Pleasantnefs, Paths of Peace! You will experience here that folid Happiness, which you had elsewhere fought in vain. Without fervile Fear or anxious Care, fo long as you continue on Earth you will gladly do the Will of GOD here, as the Angels do it in Heaven. And when the Time is come that you fhou'd depart hence, when GOD fays, "Arife and come away," you will pafs with Joy unfpeakable out of the Body, into all the Fulness of GoD.

Now does not your own Heart condemn you, if you call this Religion Enthufiafm? O leave that to those blind Zealots, who tack together a Sett of Opinions and an outfide Worship, and call this poor, dull, lifeless Thing, by the facred Name of Chriftianity. Well might you account fuch Chriftianity as this, a mere Piece of empty Pageantry, fit indeed to keep the Vulgar in awe, but beneath the Regard of a Man of Understanding.

But in how different a Light does it now appear? If there be fuch a Religion as I have sketch'd out, muft not every reasonable Man fee, there is nothing on Earth to be defired in comparison of it?-But if any

Man

Man defire this, let him ask of GoD: He giveth to all liberally and upbraideth not.

24. May you not ask, quite confiftently with your Principles, in fome Manner refembling this:

O thou Being of Beings, thou Caufe of All, thou feeft my Heart; thou understandeft all my Thoughts. But how small a Part of thy Ways do I understand! I know not what is above, beneath, on every Side. I know not my own Soul. Only this I know, I am not what I ought to be. I fee and approve the Virtue which I have not. I do not love Thee, neither am I thankful. I commend that Love of Mankind; but I feel it not. Thou haft feen Hatred, Malice, Envy in my Heart. Thou haft feen Anger, Murmuring, DifThefe uneafy Paffions harrow up my Soul. I cannot reft, while I am under this Yoke. Nor am I able to shake it off. I am unhappy, and that thou knoweft.

content.

Have Compaffion upon me, Thou whofe Years do not fail! On me, who have but a fhort Time to live, I rife up, and am cut down as a Flower. I flee as it were a Shadow. Yet a little while, and I return to Duft, and have no more Place under the Sun.

Yet I know thou haft made my Soul to live for ever. But I know not where; and I am unwilling to try. I tremble, I am afraid to go thither, whence I fhall not return. I ftand quivering on the Edge of the Gulph; for Clouds and Darkness reft upon it. O GOD! Muft I go always creeping with Terrors, and plunge into "Eternity with a Peradventure!

O thou Lover of Men, is there no Help in Thee? I have heard (what indeed my Heart cannot conceive) that thou revealeft thyfelf to thofe that feek Thee, and poureft thy Love into their Hearts: And that they who know and love thee, walk thro' the Shadow of Death and fear no Evil. O that this were fo! That there were fuch an unfpeakable Gift, given to the Children of Men! For then might hope for it. O Goa, if there be, give it unto Me! Speak, that I may fee thee! Make thyfelf known unto me alfo, in

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the

H

the Manner that thou knoweft! In any wife let me know thee and love thee, that I may be form'd after thy Likeness! That I may be Love, as thou art Love; that I may now be happy in thee; and when Thou wilt, fall into the Abyfs of thy Love, and enjoy thee thro' the Ages of Eternity!

The End of Part II.

FARTHER APPEAL

To MEN of

REASON and RELIGION.

PART III.

And when he came near, he beheld the City, and wept over it, faying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at leaft in this thy Day, the Things which belong unto thy Peace! Luke xix. 41, 42.

LOND Q N:

Printed by W. STRAHAN; and fold by T. TRYE, near Gray's Inn-Gate, Holborn; HENRY BUTLER, in Bor-Church-Yard; and at the Foundery near Up per-Moor-Fields. MDCCXLV.