by Robert Barclay

“ This they call invention, which themselves have made up; but what have the faithful to do with such kind of invention? It is not figments, nor yet inventions, that we will have, but things that are solid, invincible, eternal, and heavenly; not which men have invented, but which God hath revealed: for if we believe the scriptures, our invention profiteth nothing, but to provoke God to our ruin. ”

“ And therefore, when the soul comes to this silence, and as it were is brought to nothingness, as to her own workings, then the devil is shut out; for the pure presence of God and shining of his Light he cannot abide, because so long as a man is thinking and meditating as of himself, he cannot be sure but the devil is influencing him therein; but when he comes wholly to be silent, as the pure Light of God shines in upon him, then he is sure that the devil is shut out; for beyond the imaginations he cannot go, which we often find by sensible experience. ”

“ Unto all which, and many more reproaches of this kind, we answer briefly and modestly, That it sufficeth us that we are found so doing, neither through pride, nor madness, nor profanity, but merely lest we should hurt our consciences; the reason of which is plain and evident: for since our principle and doctrine oblige us to believe that the prayers of those who themselves confess they are not actuated by the Spirit are abominations, how can we with a safe conscience join with them? ”

“ But men, finding it easier to sacrifice in their own wills, than obey God's will, [4] have heaped up sacrifices without obedience; and thinking to deceive God, as they do one another, give him a show of reverence, honour, and worship, while they are both inwardly estranged and alienated from his holy and righteous life, and wholly strangers to the pure breathings of his Spirit, in which the acceptable sacrifice and worship is only offered up. ”

“ Lastly, By this kind of preaching the Spirit of God, which should be the chief instructer and teacher of God's people, and whose influence is that only which makes all preaching effectual and beneficial for the edifying of souls, is shut out, and man's natural wisdom, learning, and parts set up and exalted; which no doubt is a great and chief reason why the preaching among the generality of Christians is so unfruitful and unsuccessful. Yea, according to this doctrine, the devil may preach, and ought to be heard also, seeing he both knoweth the truth, and hath as much eloquence as any. ”

“ For that envious Spirit of man's eternal happiness knoweth well how to accommodate himself, and fit his snares for all the several dispositions and inclinations of men; if he find one not fit to be engaged with gross sins, or worldly lusts, but rather averse from them, and religiously inclined, he can fit himself to beguile such a one, by suffering his thoughts and imaginations to run upon spiritual matters, and so hurry him to work, act, and meditate in his own will. ”

“ But that it may be the better and more perfectly understood, as it is not only an outward silence of the body, but an inward silence of the mind from all its own imaginations and self-cogitations, let it be considered according to truth, and to the principles and doctrines heretofore affirmed and proved, that man is to be considered in a twofold respect, to wit, in his natural, unregenerate, and fallen state, and in his spiritual and renewed condition ”

“ For this kind of idolatry, whereby man loveth, idolizeth, and embraceth his own conceptions, inventions, and product of his own brain, is so incident unto him, and seated in his fallen nature, that so long as his natural spirit is the first author and actor of him, and is that by which he only is guided and moved in his worship towards God, so as not first to wait for another guide to direct him, he can never perform the pure spiritual worship, nor bring forth any thing but the fruit of the first, fallen, natural, and corrupt root. ”

“ XXVIII. So that to conclude, The worship, preaching, praying, and singing, which we plead for, is such as proceedeth from the Spirit of God, and is always accompanied with its influence, being begun by its motion, and carried on by the power and strength thereof; and so is a worship purely spiritual: such as the scripture holds forth, John iv. ”

“ Should we commit to writing all the abominations committed in this respect by the young fry of the clergy, it would make no small volume; as the churches of Christ, gathered into his pure worship in Oxford and Cambridge in England, and Edinburgh and Aberdeen in Scotland, where the universities are, can well bear witness. ”

“ And seeing it is only the product of man's own natural will, proceeding from a self-love, and seeking to save himself, and not arising purely from that divine seed of righteousness which is given of God to all for grace and salvation, it is rejected of God, and no ways acceptable unto him ”

“ Now I come to speak of worship, or of those acts, whether private or public, general or particular, whereby man renders to God that part of his duty which relates immediately to him: and as obedience is better than sacrifice, so neither is any sacrifice acceptable, but that which is done according to the will of him to whom it is offered. ”

“ Now our adversaries will acknowledge that prayers without the Spirit are not according to the will of God, and therefore such as pray without it have no ground to expect an answer: for indeed to bid a man pray without the Spirit is all one as to bid one see without eyes, work without hands, or go without feet. And to desire a man to fall to prayer ere the Spirit in some measure less or more move him thereunto, is to desire a man to see before he opens his eyes, or to walk before he rises up, or to work with his hands before he moves them. ”

“ And there being many joined together in the same work, there is an inward travail and wrestling; and also, as the measure of grace is abode in, an overcoming of the power and spirit of darkness; and thus we are often greatly strengthened and renewed in the spirits of our minds without a word, and we enjoy and possess the holy fellowship and communion [30] of the body and blood of Christ, by which our inward man is nourished and fed; which makes us not to dote upon outward water, and bread and wine, in our spiritual things. ”

“ And as every one is thus gathered, and so met together inwardly in their spirits, as well as outwardly in their persons, there the secret power and virtue of life is known to refresh the soul, and the pure motions and breathings of God's Spirit are felt to arise; from which, as words of declaration, prayers, or praises arise, the acceptable worship is known, which edifies the church, and is well-pleasing to God. ”

“ O unhappy kind of proph ets,yea, and truly cursed, which depend not upon God's Spirit, but upon their own writing's or meditation! Why prayest thou to the Lord, thou false prophet, to give thee his holy Spirit, by which thou mayest speak things profitable, and yet thou repellest the Spirit? Why preferrest thou thy meditation or study to the Spirit of God? ”

“ All true and acceptable worship to God is offered in the inward and immediate moving and drawing of his own Spirit which is neither limited to places times, nor persons. For though we are to worship him always, and continually to fear before him; [2] yet as to the outward signification thereof, in prayers, praises, or preachings, we ought not to do it in our own will, where and when we will; but where and when we are moved thereunto by the stirring and secret inspiration of the Spirit of God in our hearts ”

“ Whereas the worship of our adversaries, being performed in their own wills, is self pleasing, as in which they can largely exercise their natural parts and invention: and so (as to most of them) having somewhat of an outward and worldly splendor, delectable to the carnal and worldly senses, they can pleasantly continue it, and satisfy themselves, though without the Spirit and power; which they make no ways essential to the performance of their worship, and therefore neither wait for, nor expect it. ”

“ Arid since it is the chief work of a Christian to know the natural will in its own proper motions crucified, that God may both move in the act and in the will, the Lord chiefly regards this profound subjection and self-denial. ”

“ We make not silence to be the sole [106] matter of our worship; since, as I have said above, there are many meetings, which are seldom altogether silent; some or other are still moved either to preach, pray, or praise: and so in this our meetings cannot but be like the meetings of the primitive churches recorded in scripture, since our adversaries confess that they did preach and pray by the Spirit. And then what absurdity is it to suppose, that at some times the Spirit did not move them to these outward acts, and that then they
were silent? ”

“ The Popish mass and vespers I do believe [19] to be, as to the matter of them, abominable idolatry and superstition, and so also believe the Protestants; yet will neither I or they affirm, that in the darkness of Popery no upright-hearted men, though zealous in these abominations, have been heard of God, or accepted of him: Who can deny, but that both Bernard [20] and Bonaventure, Taulerus, Thomas a Kempis, and divers others have both known and tasted of the love of God, and felt the power and virtue of God's Spirit working with them for their salvation? ”

“ For the acts of God's compassion and indulgence at some times, and to some persons, upon singular extraordinary occasions, are not to be a rule of our actions. For if we should make that the measure of our obedience, great inconveniences would follow; as is evident, and will be acknowledged by all. Next, we do not deny, but wicked men are sensible of the motions and operations of God's Spirit often times, before their day be expired ”

“ We freely confess that prayer is both very profitable, and a necessary duty commanded, and fit to be practised frequently by all Christians; but as we can do nothing without Christ, so neither can we pray without the concurrence and assistance of his Spirit. But that the state of the controversy may be the better understood, let it be considered, first, that prayer [127] is two-fold, inward and outward. ”

“ And first, let it be considered, that what is [8] here affirmed, is spoken of the worship of God in these gospel-times, and not of the worship that was under or before the law: for the particular commands of God to men then, are not sufficient to authorize us now to do the same things; else we might be supposed at present acceptably to offer sacrifice as they did, which all acknowledge to be ceased. So that what might have been both commendable and acceptable under the law, may justly now be charged with superstition, yea, and idolatry. ”

“ Seeing then God hath called us to his spiritual worship, and to testify against the human and voluntary worships of the apostacy, if we did not this way stand immoveable to the truth re
vealed, but should join with them, both our testimony for God would be weakened and lost, and it would be impossible steadily to propagate this worship in the world, whose progress we dare neither retard nor hinder by any act of ours; though therefore we shall lose not only worldly honour, but even our lives. ”

“ Since then we are commanded to wait upon God diligently, and in so doing it is promised that our strength shall be renewed, this waiting cannot be performed but by a silence or cessation of the natural part on our side, since God manifests himself not to the outward man or senses, so much as to the inward, to wit, to the soul and spirit. ”

“ For their worship being spiritual, is by the [83] power of the spirit defended and maintained; but such worships as are carnal, and consist in carnal and outward ceremonies and observations, need a carnal and outward arm to protect and defend them, else they cannot stand and subsist. And therefore it appears, that the several worships of our opposers, both Papists and Protestants, are of this kind, and not the true spiritual and new covenant-worship of Christ ”

“ Now in all other matters he may mix himself with the natural mind of man, and so by transforming himself he may deceive the soul, by busying it about things perhaps innocent in themselves, while yet he keeps them from beholding the pure light of Christ, and so from knowing distinctly their duty, and doing of it. ”

“ The other is, when as the natural man, from a mere conviction of his understanding, doth in the forwardness of his own will, and by his own natural strength, without the irifluence and leading of God's Spirit, go about either in his understanding to imagine, conceive, or think of the things of God, or actually to perform them by preaching or praying. ”

“ But when people meet together, and their worship consisteth not in such outward acts, and they depend not upon any one's speaking, but merely sit down to wait upon God, and to be gathered out of all visibles, and to feel the Lord in Spirit, none of these things can hinder them, of which we may say of a truth, We are sensible witnesses. ”

“ Also these two births of the mind proceed from the two seeds in man respectively, to wit, the good seed and the evil; and from the evil seed doth not only proceed all manner of gross and abominable wickedness and profanity, but also hypocrisy, and those wickednesses [44] which the scripture calls spiritual, because it is the serpent working in and by the natural man in things that are spiritual, which having a show and appearance of good, are so much the more hurtful and dangerous, as it is Satan transformed and transforming himself into an angel of light ”

“ But what avails excellency of speech, if the demonstration and power of the Spirit be wanting, which toucheth the conscience? We see that when the devil confessed to the truth, yet Christ would have none of his testimony. And as these pregnant testimonies of the scripture do prove this part of preaching to be contrary to
the doctrine of Christ, so do they also prove that of ours before affirmed to be conformable thereunto. ”

“ So whatever be the things that a man thinketh of, or acteth in, however spiritual or religious as to the notion or form of them, so long as he acteth and moveth in the natural and corrupt spirit and will, and not from, in, and by the power of God, he sinneth in all, and is not accepted of God. ”

“ For when many are met together in this one life and name, it doth most naturally and frequently excite them to pray to and praise God, and stir up one another by mutual exhortation and instructions; yet we judge it needful there be in the first place some time of silence, during which every one may be gathered inward to the word and gift of grace, from which he that ministereth may receive strength to bring forth what he ministereth ”

“ And in deed, as such who are most diligent have a near access to God, and he taketh most delight to draw them by his Spirit to approach and call upon him, so when many are gathered together in this watchful mind, God doth frequently pour forth the Spirit of prayer among them and stir them thereunto, to the edifying and building up of one another in love. ”

“ And as this worship is stedfastly preached and kept to, it becomes easy, though it be very hard at first to the natural man, whose roving imaginations and running worldly desires are not so easily brought to silence. And therefore the Lord oftentimes, when any turn towards him, and have true desires thus to wait upon him, and find great difficulty through the unstaidness of their minds, doth in condescension and compassion cause his power to break forth in a more strong and powerful manner. ”

“ Inward prayer is that secret turning of the mind towards God, whereby, being secretly touched and awakened by the light of Christ in the conscience, and so bowed down under the sense of its iniquities, unworthi ness, and misery, it looks up to God, and joining with the secret shinings of the seed of God, it breathes towards him, and is constantly breathing forth some secret desires and aspirations towards him. It is in this sense that we are so frequently in scripture commanded to pray continually, Luke xviii. ”

“ For hence both the ploughing and praying of the wicked is [65] sin; as also whatever a man acts in and from the Spirit and power of God, having his understanding and will influenced and moved by it, whether it be actions religious, civil, or even natural, he is accepted in so doing in the sight of God, and is blessed in them. From what is said it doth [66] appear how frivolous and impertinent their objection is, that say they wait upon God in praying and preaching, since waiting does of itself imply a passive dependence, rather than an acting. ”