that be of men. A plain proof, that whatever is not of, and from the holy Spirit of God in us, however plausible it may outwardly seem to men, to their wisdom and human goodness, is yet in itself nothing else but the power of Satan in us. And as St. Paul said truly of himself, "By the grace of God I am what I am;" so every wise, every scribe, every disputer of this world, every truster to the strength of his own rational learning; every one that is under the power of his own fallen nature, never free from desires of honours and preferments, ever thirsting to be rewarded for his theological abilities; ever fearing to be abased and despised; always thankful to those who flatter him with his distinguished merit; every such, be he who he will, may as truly say of himself, "Through my turning, and trusting to something else than the grace and inspiration of God's Spirit, I am what I am.” For nothing else hinders any professor of Christ from being able truly to say with St. Paul, "God forbid that I should glory in any thing but the cross of Christ, by which I am crucified to the world, and the world to me." Nothing makes him incapable of finding that which St. Paul found, when he said, "I can do all things, through Christ that strengtheneth me.” Nothing hinders all this, but his disregard of a Christ within him, his choosing to have a religion of self, of laborious learning, and worldly greatness, rather than be such a gospel fool for Christ, as to renounce all that which he renounced, and to seek no more earthly honour and praise than he did; and to will nothing, know nothing, seek nothing, but that which the Spirit of God and Christ knoweth, willeth, and seeketh in him. Here and here alone lies the Christian's full and certain power of overcoming self, the devil and the world. But Christians, seeking and turning to any thing else, but to be led and inspired by the one Spirit of God and Christ, will bring forth a Christendom, that in the sight of God will have no other name than a spiritual Babylon, a spiritual Egypt and Sodom, a scarlet Whore, a devouring Beast, and red

Dragon. For all these names belong to all men, however learned, and to all churches, whether greater or less, in which the spirit of this world hath any share of power. This was the fall of the whole church, soon after the Apostolic ages; and all human reformations, begun by ecclesiastical learning, and supported by civil power, will signify little or nothing, nay often make things worse, till all churches, dying to all own will, all own wisdom, all own advancement, seek for no reforming power, but from that Spirit of God which converted sinners, publicans, harlots, Jews and heathens, into a holy apostolical church at the first; a church which knew they were of God, that they belonged to God, by that Spirit which he had given them, and which worked in them.

"Ye are not in the flesh (saith the apostle) but in the Spirit ;" but then adds, as the only ground of this, "if so be that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you.”. Surely he means, if so be ye are moved, guided and governed by that which the Spirit wills, works, and inspires within you. And then to shew the absolute necessity of this life of God in the soul, he adds, "If any man hath not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." And that this is the state to which God hath appointed and called all christians, he thus declares,

God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying Abba, Father." The same thing, most surely, as if he had said, Nothing in you can cry, or pray to God, as its Father, but the Spirit of his Son, Christ come to life in you. Which is also as true of every tendency in the soul towards God or goodness; so much as there is of it, so much there is of the Seed of the Woman, striving to bring forth at full birth of Christ in the soul.

“Lo, I am always with you (saith the holy Jesus) even unto the end of the world." How is he with us? Not outwardly, every illiterate man knoweth; not inwardly, saith many a learned doctor, because a Christ within us is as gross enthusiasm, or Quakerism, as the light within us. How then shall the faith of the com✩

mon Christian find any comfort in these words of Christ's promise, unless the Spirit brings him into a remembrance and belief, that Christ is in him, and with him, as the vine is with and in the branch.Christ saith, "Without me ye can do nothing;" and also, "If any man love me, my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." Now if without him we can do nothing, then all the love that a man can possibly have for Christ, must be from the power and life of Christ in him; and from such a love, so begotten, man has the Father and the Son dwelling and making their abode in him. What higher proof, or fuller certainty can there be, that the whole work of redemption in the soul of man is, and can be nothing else, but the inward, continual, immediate operation of Father, Son and holy Spirit, raising up again their own first life in the soul, to which Adam our first father died?

Again, Christ, after his glorification in heaven, saith, Behold I stand at the door and knock." He does not say, behold ye have me in the scriptures. Now what is the door at which Christ, at the right hand of God in heaven, knocketh? Surely it is the heart, to which Christ is always present. He goeth on, "If any man hear my voice;" how hear, but by the hearing of the heart, or what voice, but that which is the speaking or sounding of Christ within him? He adds, "and open the door," that is, open his heart for me, "I will come into him," that is, will be a living, holy nature and spirit born within him, and sup with him, and he with me." Behold the last finishing work of a redeeming Jesus, entered into the heart that opens to him, bringing forth the joy, the blessing, and perfection of that first life of God in the soul, which was lost by the fall, set forth as a supper, or feast of the heavenly Jesus with the soul, and the soul with him. Can any one justly call it enthusiasm, to say, that this supping of the soul with this glorified Christ within it, must mean something more heavenly transacted in the soul, than that last supper which he

celebrated with his disciples, whilst he was with them in the flesh. For that supper of bread and wine was such as a Judas could partake of, and could only be an outward type or signification of that inward and blessed nourishment, with which the believing soul should be feasted, when the glorified Son of God should, as a creating Spirit, enter into us, quickening and raising up his own heavenly nature and life within us. Now this continual knocking of Christ at the door of the heart, sets forth the case or nature of a continual, immediate, divine inspiration within us; it is always with us, but there must be an opening of the heart to it, and though it is always there, yet is only felt and found by those who are attentive to it, and depend upon, and humbly wait for it. Now let any one tell me, how he can believe any thing of this voice of Christ, how he can listen to it, hear or obey it, but by such a faith as keeps him habitually turned to an immediate, constant inspiration of the Spirit of Christ within him? Or how any heathenish, profane person, can do more despite to this presence and power of Christ in his own soul, or more effectually lead others into it, than that Ecclesiastic who makes a mock at the light within, a Christ within, and openly blasphemes that faith, and hope, and trust, which solely relies upon being moved by the Spirit, as its only power of doing that which is right, and good, and pious, either towards God or man. Let every man whom this concerns lay it to heart. Time, and the things of time will soon have an end; and he that in time trusts to any thing but the Spirit and power of God working in his heart, will be but ill fitted to enter into eternity. God must be all in all in us here, or we cannot be his hereafter. Time works only for eternity; and poverty eternal must as certainly follow him, who dies only fully stuffed with human learning, as he who dies only full of worldly riches. The folly of thinking to have any divine learning, but that which the holy Spirit teaches, or to make ourselves rich in knowledge towards God, by heaps of common-place

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learning crowded into our minds, will leave us as dreadfully cheated as that rich Builder of Barns in the gospel, to whom it was said, "Thou fool, this night shall thy soul be required of thee, and then, whose shall all these things be?" So is every man that treasures up a religious learning, that comes not wholly from the Spirit of God. But to return-To this inward, continual attention, to the continual working of the holy Spirit within us, the Apostle calls us in these words: "See that ye refuse not him that speaketh; for if they escaped not, who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn from him that speaketh from heaven." Heb. 12. 25. Now what is this speaking from heaven, which it is so dangerous to refuse or resist? Surely not outward voices from heaven. Or what could the Apostle's advice signify to us, unless it be such a speaking from heaven as we may, and must be always either obeying or refusing? St. James saith, "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." What devil? Surely not an outward creature or spirit, that tempts us by an outward power. Or what resistance can we make to the devil, but that of inwardly falling away, or turning from the workings of his evil nature and spirit within us? They therefore who call us from waiting for, depending upon, and attending to the continual, secret inspirations and breathings of the holy Spirit within us, call us to resist God in the same manner as the Apostle exhorts us to resist the devil. For God being only a spiritual good, and the devil our spiritual evil, neither the one nor the other can be resisted, or not resisted by us, but so far as their spiritual operations within us are either turned from or obeyed by us. St. James having shewn us, that resisting the devil, is the only way to make him flee from us, that is, to lose his power in us, immediately adds, how we are to behave towards God, that he may not flee from us, or his holy work be stopped in us. Draw near, saith he, to God, and God will draw near to you. What is this drawing near? Surely not by