224 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[2«"» S. No 64., Mae. 21. '57. 



" BOOK VII. — The Spirit of Love, or the Full Birth, 

 Truth and Life of Regeneration. In Three Parts. — 

 Being in Answer to Two Objections against the Doctrine 

 of the former Discourses, which represents the Deity as 

 mere love. 



"The Objections are thus expressed. First, Th^A the 

 doctrine oi pure and universal love may be too refined and 

 imaginary ; because (says the writer,) ' I find, that how- 

 ever I like it, I cannot attain to it, or overcome all that 

 in my nature which is contrary to it, do what I can ; and 

 so I am only able to be an admirer of that love which I 

 cannot lay hold of. Secondly, Because I find so much 

 said in Scripture, of a righteousness axid justice, a wrath and 

 vengeance of God that must be atoned and satisfied, &c., 

 though I am in love with that description of the Deity 

 which is given in these Discourses, as a being that is all 

 love, yet 1 have some doubt whether the Scripture will 

 allow of it.' Thus stand the objections, the Answers to 

 which respectively occupj' the First and Second parts of 

 the present treatise. — The Third part is a practical 

 evangelical application of the subject ; and conclusion to 

 the whole of the antecedent discourses. 



" Part First. Answer to the First Objection ; which 

 is contained in a Letter from Theophilus to Theogenes. — 

 The nature and perfection of the spirit of love. No man 

 can participate in this spirit, until he lives freely, wil- 

 lingly, and universally according to it. Its indispensable 

 necessity as the means of union between God and man. 

 The state of nature and of man as deprived of the spirit 

 of love by reason of the fall. The process of its recovery 

 by purification. The fundamental reason of this process, 

 opened out in a description of Nature, and its seven pro- 

 perties, as set forth by Behmen : — whence the origin of the 

 Newtonian philosophy. The similitude of these proper- 

 ties in the nature and being of man. All evil the conse- 

 quence of nature working in self, or in a state of separation 

 from God. All good the power and presence of the super- 

 natural Deity, dwelling and working in the properties of 

 Nature. How his presence and the birth of the spirit of 

 love are the same thing. Being a spirit of life, it can 

 rise in one only way, and from one only cause. Its birth, 

 by the kindling of the eternal fire, or opening of the 

 supernatural light in the centre of (nature in) the soul, 

 and consequent transmutation of the soul's natural life. 

 Hence the truth and necessity of tlie Christian redemp- 

 tion, and the doctrine oithe cross, (total denial and death 

 to self). 



" Part Second. Answer to the Second Objection. 

 This set forth in Two Dialogues, between Theophilus, and 

 Theogenes accompanied by a Friend. 



Dialogue I. — The Deity, an infinite source of pure 

 overflowing delight and joy. All nature and creature 

 brought forth to manifest and rejoice in this divine love 

 and happiness. Nothing can be in God which is not in- 

 finite and eternal. What wrath is in itself. It can be no- 

 where but in nature, and that in a state of disorder. The 

 origin of wrath and evil, tlie same. In man at the dis- 

 union of his original two-fold life, of Deity and nature. 

 All man's salvation and good from the manifestation of the 

 life of the Deitj' in the soul. Perpetual inspiration essen- 

 tial to a life of goodness. The ground of salvation, the 

 inspoken word of the divine nature. This, the subject of 

 all revealed dispensations. The earthly self to be re- 

 sisted and renounced. Wrath ascribed to God, because 



understanding, or quintessence of intellectual perception. — 

 Theosophian Colleges are manifestly needful for the scientific 

 culture of the divine plant or image in man, to its true 

 paradisic glory or efflorescence — possessed of perfect clair- 

 voyant understanding and consequent magic omnipotency. 

 Therein should the divine Aixoy&cy oi Animal Magnetism 

 be turned to its true and exalted account. 



the creature has changed its state in nature, therefore 

 must experience God as manifested in the generation of 

 nature. How wrath originates in nature, though this a 

 manifestation of the Deity. God and nature distinguished. 

 Wrath kindled by the will of the creature, when it breaks 

 or loses the union of the seven heavenly properties. The 

 Deity, a supernatural governing love and wisdom, always 

 seeking the restoration of lapsed nature and creature. The 

 texts of Scripture confine the working of wrath to the 

 powers of nature. Vengeance not allowed to man, be- 

 cause that a working with fallen nature. Only to God, 

 who is supernatural. 



" Dialogue II. — The atonement of the Divine wrath or 

 justice, and the extinguishing of sin in the creature, only 

 different expressions for one and the same thing. The 

 analogy of scripture teaches this. The atonement, the 

 one work of regeneration, rightly understood. The sufi^er- 

 ings and death of Christ, the gracious effects of divine 

 love and goodness. In what sense the justice and righte- 

 ousness of God is satisfied thereby. Man's original 

 righteousness from God, his law. No peace till this be 

 perfectly restored, or satisfied. God's being all love does 

 not abate the force of the scripture-denunciations of 

 eternal torments (punishments so called) to those who 

 live and die in sin. The popular doctrine of the vicarious 

 suffering of Christ, erroneous ; and opens a door eitlier to 

 superstition or to infidelity. (Christ's suffering and dying, 

 nothing else but Christ conquering and overcoming all 

 the false good and hellish evil of the fallen state of man. 

 His resurrection and ascension into heaven, though great 

 in themselves, and necessary parts of our deliverance, but 

 the consequences and effects of his sufferings and death 

 — his entering into possession of what he had obtained by 

 them.) The necessity and efficacy of the sufferings and 

 death of Christ, as that which qualified him to become a 

 common father of heavenly life to all that died in Adam. 

 Only acceptable to the love of God on that account. 

 How we, by virtue of Christ's accomplished process, have 

 victory over all the evils of our fallen state, and may rise 

 to the glory of Christ. The Bible to be studied in this 

 simple, adorable light. 



" Part Third. Of the Art of ' Dyiiig to Self,' and at- 

 taining to the 'Spirit of Love.' Or, of the Conversion of 

 the Will with its imagination and desire, wholly to God. 

 Being a Practical Conclusion to the preceding discourses. 



" Dialogue III. — The practical ground of the spirit of 

 love. The good and amiable of this natural life easily 

 mistaken (by mere reasoners and transccndentalists), for 

 the spirit of divine love in the soul. The danger of this 

 delusion. The doctrine, and the spirit of love itself, two 

 very different things. How we are to acquire the spiWi 

 of love. — The Scripture doctrine of election and reproba- 

 tion, in its ground. The figures under which it is repre- 

 sented, Cain and Abel, Esau and Jacob, etc. Nothing 

 elected but the ' seed ' of the new man, or heavenly birth 

 within us ; all else reprobated to death. — Two ways of 

 induction into virtue and holiness. One by rules and pre- 

 cepts, the other by the spirit itself, born in the soul ; the 

 former must precede the latter. What divine love is, and 

 its eflfects within us. All that we are and have from 

 Adam as fallen — all must be given up, if the Irirth of 

 divine love is to be brought forth in us. All our natural 

 contrariety to divine love must be lost and swallowed up 

 in it, as darkness is unperceived in the light. This, the 

 state of the first man previous to the fall. — Concerning 

 darkness and light. The priority and glory of Light; as 

 ALi> power, colour, VIRTUE. In itself invisible and in- 

 comprehensible, and only known by possessing darkness, 

 or substantiality. Light immaterial, though materiality 

 always with visible light. All light, whether in heaven 

 or earth, only so much darkness illuminated. All nature 

 and creature, as such, darkness ; and therefore can only 



