The Letter that Sparked Revival (Part IV)
Henry Scougal (1650-1678) — Modernized Edition
This is the conclusion of The Life of God in the Soul of Man by Henry Scougal.
To read the previous chapter, click here.
Part IV (continued)
Throughout this letter, I have set out to explain to you the Divine Life and how precious it truly is.
However, I fear that in reading this you may be tempted to despair.
After all, how can any of us ever attain to this high standard?
You may begin to think to yourself:
“I’m sure that the Divine Life is great and all, or at least in theory. But let’s be practical after all. This is the real world.
I might be able to fake a couple of these traits, or practice them with discipline for a bit, but actually living this way seems impossible.
After all, you said that the Divine Life is given by God, so all my efforts really won’t avail much to achieve it.
I could give all my goods to God, give everything I have to the poor, and yet would still myself taking pride in my generosity. Without love, this would profit me nothing.
I could sell my house and belongings, I could suffer and discipline my body, I could even sacrifice my life, and yet I would still find within me a craving for fame.
There always seem to be worldly desires lurking in my heart, and when I shut them out the door they seem to return through the windows!
The constant barrage on my thoughts cause me to be depressed, seeing how weak I truly am to control myself or even my desires.
At yet at the same time, I simply cannot bear the thought that others might look down on me! My greatest accomplishments have been nothing more than a grab for attention, like a baby crying for the nursing bottle of praise.
Write to me all you want, but you will never truly know how selfish I am.
I am like a door on a hinge, tossing and turning over the years, but never truly able to be unhinged from self-love.
When you tell me about this Divine Life, it’s like you are describing a remote island, impossible to reach from my raft. I may get glimpses of it now and then, and begin to swim hastily towards it, only to be drawn back by the inevitable tide.”
Fear not, reader, for these thoughts come across the mind of all those who truly begin to see how excellent the Divine Life truly is.
They too see the promised land, flowing with milk and honey, and yet find mountains of lusts and prideful thoughts blocking their journey.
But why should they give up?
Why should we give way to such discouraging sentiments?
Let us take heart, my dear friend, and look earnestly for the Divine assistance promised to us in this spiritual warfare.
Greater is He that is for us than all that is in us.
“The eternal God is our refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.
Let us be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might,”
(Deuteronomy 33:27, Ephesians 6:10)
God has a tender heart towards the souls of men, and is more than willing to assist them in conquering the corruptions of the flesh.
He has condescended to our weakness, and declared with an oath that he does not take pleasure in our destruction.
There is no deceit, no pride in the heart of whose name and nature is Love.
He created us at first in a happy and content condition, and yet now we find ourselves fallen from it.
Yet we find that he sent one who is “Mighty to save”, and entrusted to Him the care of our souls.
If this Eternal Son is the captain of our salvation, what enemies dare oppose us?
Is this not the very purpose of his mission and life?
All of his mighty works, the sad troubles that he faced, all of these and more were done with redemption as its end.
This is the very reason why He lived, worked, healed, suffered, bled, and died!
“After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied, by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.” (Isaiah 53:11)
It is impossible that this miraculous effort from heaven should fail. It has already proven faithful and true to thousands before us, those who were once as far from the kingdom of heaven as we could ever imagine ourselves to be.
He is “able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever lives to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7:25)
He is tender and compassionate, knowing all of our weaknesses, and experiencing all of our temptations.
He will not break the weakest reed, nor put out a flickering candle.
He has given us His Holy Spirit, whose sweet and powerful work is moving throughout the entire world and in the hearts of men, reviving them and awakening them to a hunger for the purpose of their creation!
Once He takes hold of a soul and given it the smallest flicker of love for the divine, he will be sure to fan that flame into a roaring fire,
“which many waters shall not quench, neither shall the floods be able to drown it.”
(Song of Songs 8:7)
It will drive away the darkness and corruption of our hearts surely as the sun rises in the morning,
“For the path of the just is as the shining light, which shineth more and more unto the perfect day. They shall go on from strength to strength, till every one of them appear before God in Zion.“ (Proverbs 4:18, Psalms 84:7)
So why should we think it impossible for this Divine Life to prevail in our hearts?
It’s nothing more than to return home, restoring them to the natural shape and design of their Creator.
Sin and corruption are but hostile intruders, and their time of occupation is drawing to a close.
The selfish desire you feel, the pride you feel compared to others, all these and more are foreign to the design of your heart.
And yes, we stand rightly condemned when we give way to these desires.
After all, our reason is still strong enough to recognize the destruction of these efforts.
But it also is smart enough to long for something greater, beyond the shallow desires of the world, to reach and receive the affection and desire of the Maker of our souls.
And no sooner than the moment that we begin to wage war on our temptations that all of heaven, the saints and the angels, let loose a roar of enthusiasm.
Even here below, the Church throughout the world is constantly praying for battles such as ours, and the one who hears is not ignorant to their requests.
Dear friend, I encourage you as Elisha once did to his fellow servant:
“Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are against us.”
Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.”
So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.“ (2 Kings 6:16-17)
So shoo! Away! Off now with all these crippling fears and thoughts of despair!
More than half the battle is found in our confidence, and not of ourselves, but in Him who promised:
“Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.” (Deuteronomy 31:8)
Yes, the Divine Life is the work of God alone. We cannot create it ourself.
The Most High must come upon us, and the Holy Spirit must move within us for it to form.
But we should not expect it to happen to us while we were indifferent.
We must not lie around, sinking into the pit of Sin, waiting for Him to change our desires.
Rather we should stir ourselves up in faith, sharpening the tools that he has given us already, and launching ourselves into the fray, resting in the fact that
“our labor shall not be in vain in the Lord.“ (1 Corinthians 15:58)
All of the skill and craft of mankind cannot create new life, nor cause the flower to bloom, for it is the force of nature and Heaven above that produce this effect.
For it is God who “causes the grass to grow, and herb for the service of man“ (Psalm 104:14)
And yet no one will say that the work of the farmer is not needed for this to happen!
In the same way, we must till the soil, uproot the weeds, and water the grounds of our hearts as we earnestly wait for the seed of the Divine Life to take root.
It is true that God has sharply intervened in the lives of those who were far from Him, cutting off their path while they were quite set on being out of His.
But this is certainly not God’s preferred method of dealing with men.
So while He has not limited the ways in which He works, He has clearly marked out the path in which He expects us to seek Him.
It is my goal, therefore, to conclude this letter by laying out that path as clearly as I can.
And if my thoughts seem to differ than others, do not think that I am trying to contradict them any more than how doctors prescribe several solutions for the same disease.
They all may be found useful and good, and each doctor will suggest the cure that he thinks is most effective. He will not, however, claim that his solution is the only cure.
In the same way, God has several ways of dealing with different souls, and I am merely prescribing the approach which has proven most effective in my line of work.
Enough with the qualifications. Let us proceed.
If we want to find life in our soul, partake in the Divine Nature, and have Christ formed in our hearts, we must seriously decide, once and for all, to abandon all forms of sin that we are aware of.
There can be no peace within the city until the rebellion has ceased.
We must lay down each and every weapon with which we wage war against heaven.
We cannot expect our disease to be cured while we mix ourselves hearty doses of poison.
Every deliberate sin that we commit scars our soul. Each willful trespass is a step further from the source of Goodness.
We cannot hope to have our hearts purified from corrupt desires while we are still holding the tools in which we commit them.
We will not be perfect in this surrender, for it would be impossible to renounce in a single moment every way in which we fall short (conscious and unconscious).
But to the degree in which we are able, let us walk.
To the conviction with which you have been given, act.
Our will and our affections will not be perfect in their attempts, but in surrendering them over and over again we will find them strengthened by a foreign power.
Do not think that this battle will be brief.
If will require a great deal of steadfastness, resolution, and grit.
Our corruptions are strong, and they will assault us from every which way as we tug at their roots.
So commit now, and commit to the notion that you will continue to commit.
And in case you are confused as to what kind of sins we are to renounce, let me make a distinction.
We are not warring to fight the passions and vices that others condemn.
We dare not copy their ideas of what a “good man” should do or not do, for these thoughts are tossed to and fro over the years.
Besides, you will find that most people have rather weak convictions regarding the state of their souls, and instead encourage you to “lighten up!”
To be fair, still yet others may be engaged in the same pursuit of the Divine Life, but fighting a disease entirely unique to your own. Their suggestions, prescriptions, and convictions may offer you helpful tools on your journey, but never the map to the destination.
Measure yourself only to by the standard with which you will be judged. To use anything else is would be foolish!
And what is this standard?
“There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day.” (John 12:48)
If we are to keep our way pure, it must be
“by keeping it according to the Word of God” (Psalm 119:9)
That Word, which is
“alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)
By this measure, and only by this measure, will we discover the things which are deceitful and corrupt. These things are barely noticed before the eyes of the world, so let us imitate the Psalmist in saying:
“With regard to the works of man, by the word of your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent.“ (Psalm 17:4)
Let us take to the words of our Savior, especially those found in the sermon on the mount, as our rule and guide.
Let us look to the writings of his chosen apostles, where an unbiased and sound mind will find principles and ethics by which to conduct ourselves.
And most of all, let us never look on and sin as light or inconsequential.
We must reckon each and every trespass to be treason against a holy and righteous God, who commands us to make every effort to enter through the narrow door.
Within the things which we discover to be sinful, we will inevitably find things that will, either through our personality, long habit, or sheer pleasure, be extremely hard to renounce.
In fact, we have good reason to liken it to the pulling out of an eye, or the cutting off of a right hand.
Some, in hearing this, will be discouraged. The sheer weight of the task in front of them will cause them to despair, crying
This is too much, after all!
They are like the fool in the poem, sitting with crossed legs and waiting all day at the river-side till the water finishes running by.
Like a child who stubbornly refuses to give up the toy they no longer play with, so is the soul who clings to the very vice that corrupts it.
We must never surrender, never cease in our struggle with the excuse that:
Maybe, just maybe, one day the Lord will overpower me and do all this work himself.
Let us suppose that we had no assistance in this fight. Even if there were no God, no Heaven, and no source of Love itself, wouldn’t we see how destructive our hearts become when left unchecked?
It’s ironic, how even our obsession with ourselves causes us to see the real dangers of untethered pleasure.
So at the least, let us fight against our flesh with its own weapons, using one natural desire to repel the wickedness of the other.
Let us set before ourselves the sober consequences of our actions, what a fearful thing it is to refuse and rebel against the very one who sustains our every waking moment!
He needs only to withdraw his mercy but for a moment, and we would cease to breath.
Let us frequently remember just how short and unpredictable our lives are here on this earth.
No amount of wealth, friends, or even good deeds will keep us from the grave.
And when that day comes, and we stand before the creator, what will our excuses be?
You didn’t give me enough time?
I thought I could turn to you later?
I thought that this sin stuff wasn’t a big deal?
The answer to these questions will be a complete and exact account, not only of our obvious sins, but of every word we have uttered, and even the most secret thoughts that passed through our mind.
Let us remember the Words of Christ, that one day the foundations of the earth shall be shaken, and the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the skies roll back to reveal the Blessed Lord Jesus, coming not on a donkey but in flaming fire,
“to execute judgment on the people of the world. He will convict every person of all the ungodly things they have done and for all the insults that ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.“ (Jude 1:14-15)
On that day, everything hidden in darkness will be brought to light, and the deeds done in the most complete secrecy shall be laid open for all to see.
All the angels in heaven and every saint who ever lived will see everything that the wicked have done in secret, and agree with God’s perfect judgment.
No matter how rich, famous, or universally loved they once were, all will be made clear.
And for those who persist in evil, rejecting the source of Divine Love, Scripture leaves us with the most terrifying images we can think of. Fire, darkness, weeping, torment, all of these are just metaphors for the full truth.
I know that we aren’t comfortable with this topic these days, and rightly so.
Part of us begins to squirm when we begin to think of eternal punishment.
But how much more awful must it be to actually go through it?
And yet thinking of these things can serve a real purpose: they steer us away from the path that leads to hell.
No matter how much we love our sin, the fear of hell is be enough to wake us up.
Even our strongest cravings will pause when we hear the prophet’s sobering words:
“Who among us can dwell with the consuming fire? Who among us can dwell with everlasting burnings?” (Isaiah 33:14)
But the Lord speaks of it for good reason: He wants those who cling to this world to be shaken awake.
Fear by itself won’t make us holy, but it can keep us from falling deeper into sin.
In fact, it often softens the heart and opens the door for deeper change.
But it’s not enough to have these thoughts once or twice and then make a few good intentions. If we’re not on constant guard, those good intentions will fade.
Sometimes we get a moment of clarity and realize how dangerous sin is, and we vow to change, but soon enough we fall back asleep spiritually, forgetting what we saw. Temptation creeps back in, pushing and pressing us until, without even realizing it, we give in.
Sadly, this is how most people live today: just drifting through life, reacting to whatever comes, rarely stopping to think about what they’re doing or why.
But if we really want to change, we have to be intentional.
We have to pay attention to how we’re living.
We need to be mindful of our words, our thoughts, and emotions that rise in our hearts.
We must constantly ask ourselves:
Where is this thought coming from?
Is this Pride? Anger? Envy?
Will this offend God or hurt someone?
And if you find yourself too busy even to do this, at the very least learn to look up.
Imagine yourself in God’s presence. Picture His eyes on you. Ask for forgiveness.
You’re surrounded by His light before you, behind you, and deep inside your soul.
Living with this awareness of God watching you is one of the most powerful ways to keep yourself from sin. As the Scripture says:
“Those who look to Him are radiant” (Psalm 34:5).
“I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken” (Psalm 16:8).
When we live with our eyes fixed on God, He guides us not with commands or fear, but with His presence, His eyes, and His love.
This is why it is vital that we seriously reflect on our thoughts and actions.
Not only does it lead us to seeking God’s mercy and forgiveness, but it helps us build discipline and habits that prevent us from sinning in the first place.
Although it originally came from a pagan thinker, wise Christians have long encouraged the idea of examining every part of your day before going to sleep.
Look back over everything that happened, rejoice in what you did well, and correct what you did not.
Let the wrecks of today become markers to guide you safely through tomorrow.
This habit is, in truth, one of the most effective arts of godly living. It would do wonders for our spiritual growth and help us hold on to our innocence.
And how much more powerful will this be when we do it in the presence of God, especially concerned with the sins that so easily entangle us (Heb. 12:1).
And as we cry out for assistance, I believe with full confidence that the God who hears the cry of the ravens will pay attention even to such imperfect prayers.
“He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call.” (Psalms 147:9)
We may not ever feel that our hearts have been shaped as they should, and yet it is this very effort that God values the most, rather than our attainment or achievement.
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
(Matthew 5:6)
And while we weep over our sins before God and ask for His help, we start to become more aware of our actions.
“I know that last time I said…”
“I promised that I would stop…”
In this way, prayer becomes a kind of accountability to ourselves, with the help of our conscience.
I have now laid out what I believe the first step to attaining the Divine Life: assessing and restraining our sinful desires before they become outward action. But there is more.
Christian wisdom teaches us to go even further: to deny ourselves pleasures that may not even be sinful.
Why? Because constantly walking the edge of what is “permissible” puts our innocence at risk. Not to mention that denying ourselves helps train our desires to obey.
Think of it like a wise parent who occasionally denies their child a reward or treat. It’s not that they are trying to punish them, but rather looking to show them how to be more self-controlled.
In the same way, someone who wants to kill their pride should learn to turn down even well-deserved praise, and sometimes cease to defend themselves, especially when the criticism is on small matters such as habit or taste.
A person struggling with revenge should avoid telling others about the wrongs they’ve suffered.
If we want to control our speech, we must learn to refrain from speaking (even of innocent things) to grow familiar with silence and solitude.
In short, the practice of saying “no” to our desires weakens their grip on us, sinful or not.
The point of all of this is to give us a healthy perspective on the fleeting pleasures of this world, the things that will slow our progress toward God and heaven. The heart that nourishes Divine Life must be thoroughly convinced of how empty and vain the pleasures of this world really are.
It’s funny.
Almost everyone talks about how hollow worldly enjoyment is.
“Money can’t buy happiness”
“Owning stuff won’t fulfill you”
But how many of us truly believe this?
The truth is that we believe it with our tongues, but won’t let it sink into our hearts.
We can say “their just things after all” and yet what do we find but these very same “things” dominating our thoughts, actions, and affections. They begin to crowd out the voice of conscience and set root for all kinds of sin.
And if you’re like me, reader, you might have moments of clarity, bursting up to the surface for air and gasping:
“I’ll never fall for this again!”
But these resolutions usually don’t live very long.
The desires we thought we had abandoned creep back in through a side door.
Some new trinket catches our eye, and even after we’ve been disappointed a thousand times, we find ourselves giving in again.
A different tune over the same old dream is enough to make us expect that this time it will be different.
Reader, let us set before ourselves the task of always examining our intentions. Will a few fleeting moments of pleasure, a wad of green paper, or the fleeting praise of fickle crowds ever satisfy an immortal soul?
Haven’t you already tried these?
Are they going to bring any more pleasure tomorrow than they would today?
And if they did, what a sad life that would be. Flitting back and forth, to and fro, chasing pleasures like wisps of smoke, never able to be content, for you might miss the next great pleasure, after all.
But you dear reader, know all of this already. We’ve spoken at length about how little enjoyment you find in cheap distractions, and how the world has begun to teach you through experience that these things are not sufficient for happiness.
Even in chasing the attention and love of others, the Lord has marked out in his providence that you should be restrained from things that you want, and has even removed these people from your life at times.
Rest assured, all of this has been done so that you may grow in your love and dependency in the Lord, unbothered by trivial pursuits and rival affections.
So after we have learned to gain some control over our natural cravings for worldly things, we must now turn to the practices that more directly awaken and nurture the Divine Life within us.
First and foremost, we should do our best to carry out the duties that faith requires, the things that are done by the work of God’s Spirit. Even if our heart isn’t fully in them yet, we should at least work to bring our outward behavior into line with what’s right.
We may not feel a burning love for God yet, but we should still declare our loyalty to Him and faithfully attend worship, listen to His Word, speak of Him with honor, praise His goodness, and encourage others to love and obey Him too!
Even if we lack compassion or a generous spirit, we should still look for every chance to help our neighbors.
If we struggle with pride, we should deliberately practice humility in how we carry ourselves. These outward actions, by themselves, may not seem significant, but they prepare the way for deeper, genuine change.
The apostle Paul says, “bodily exercise profits little,” (1 Timothy 4:8) but he does not say that it is useless.
Doing what we can with our actions now invites God to give us mercy, and He often blesses our weak efforts and makes them fruitful.
When true love, humility, and the other fruits of the Spirit start to take root in our hearts, they’ll grow much faster if we’ve already trained our muscles to practice them outwardly.
And we shouldn’t fear being called hypocrites just because our actions are ahead of our feelings, we’re not pretending to be better than we are, but aiming to become better than we are.
After all, what happens in our hearts shapes us the deepest, so we should focus on inner devotion the most.
Let’s consistently work on lifting our hearts to God, even if we can’t honestly say we love Him above all else.
We can at least confess that we should, and that our greatest joy would be to do so.
We should grieve over the shame that foolish people bring to His name, and rejoice that He is worshipped perfectly in heaven no matter how many times they mock Him here below.
We should give generously to all men, wishing them well and blessed, in the hopes that the Lord will care for their every need and turn their hearts toward Him.
We must continue to surrender ourselves to His will, telling Him that although our stubborn hearts resist, we know that His will is good.
In doing these things reader, you will soon find a strange sensation begin to overtake you.
You may find yourself overcome with a strange sense of lightness and peace, despite none of your external circumstances changing.
You may find yourself beginning to grow rather fond of these activities, and what once was a burden may become a treasure.
And in this way, the Divine Life begins to trickle into the heart.
Another way to cultivate this heavenly transformation is to seriously and deeply consider the truths of our faith and their importance.
For most people, their belief in spiritual truths is weak and half-hearted. It usually comes not from real conviction, but from a lazy habit of going along with whatever religion is popular where they live.
They don’t want to cause conflict with the faith of their culture, and since everyone around them is Christian, they’re happy to be called Christian too.
But few actually take the time to study the truth claims of Christianity or reflect on how weighty and life-changing they really are. This is why these truths have so little effect on how people feel and live today.
These shallow, lifeless thoughts aren’t strong enough to stir the will or guide our actions. So we must make an effort to strengthen our minds with a firm, living faith, and to tangibly feel the reality of spiritual things.
We need to dwell on these truths until we are fully convinced and deeply moved by them.
We must push our hearts to rise above what we see and focus on things unseen, until we are unshaken in the reality and of spiritual things, and that they will be the only thing that lasts after all fades away.
When we look around and see the beauty and order of creation, let us think of the Almighty wisdom and goodness that first made all this, and that still sustains it.
When we think about ourselves, let’s remember that we are not just cleverly arranged particles but bodies that carry a divine spark within us, capable of knowing, loving, and delighting in others and most importantly, our Creator.
Though now it’s weighed down by this heavy body, this spark will one day be set free, just as easily as we take off old clothes that we no longer need.
Let’s consistently lift our minds above the sin, misery, and foolishness of the earth and instead think of the greater and more glorious world, where innocent beings live with pure joy and boundless love, forever in God’s presence.
And let’s remember how the blessed Son of God came down into this lower world to live among us and die for us, so He could bring us into that same joy. (John 15:11)
Think of how He trampled down the pain of death, threw opened the gates of heaven to all who believe, and now sits at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
Even now, He still intercedes for us!
He hears our prayers, brings them before the Father, and visits His church with the power of His Spirit, just as the sun continually sends out its light and warmth to the earth.
Thinking of these truths is the most proper way that we ought to lay a solid foundation for our faith. Let me suggest a few specific topics for meditation that will help nurture different aspects of this life.
First, to set ablaze our souls for the Love of God, let’s think of how excellent His nature is, and how deeply He loves and cares for us. In our early years, we may know only a little about God’s perfections, yet even that little should fill us with wonder and love, stirring our hearts as well as our minds.
We are not creatures ruled only by what we can see, for we still find ourselves deeply loving and admiring men and women of history and fiction who we’ve never laid eyes on, just from knowing their character.
Think about it: What is it that draws us to them?
It’s not just their appearance or physical beauty alone, because if it was, we’d fall in love with statues, portraits, or flowers.
Physical traits may please the eye, but what truly captures the heart is the glimpse of an inner quality.
A noble mind, a kind spirit, a witty humor, or genuine goodness.
Our eyes see only the signs of these traits, not the traits themselves, yet our understanding perceives what is beneath the surface.
If our hearts respond so strongly to glimpses of goodness in other people, how much more should we be moved by the infinite goodness, wisdom, and power of God, which shines through everything He has made?
Should we become captivated by faint reflections of His beauty in people, and yet ignore the Source itself?
That would be unreasonable blindness.
Everything lovely in a friend or a saint should not consume our affection, but lift it higher.
If there’s so much sweetness in a single drop, imagine the sweetness of the fountain! If a single ray dazzles us, what must the sun be like in its full glory?
And we can never say that God is too far away for us to love or know Him.
“He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being.”
(Acts 17:28)
We can’t open our eyes without seeing signs of His glory, and whenever we turn our thoughts toward Him, we will always find Him waiting for us, eager to draw near.
Let’s lift our minds to grasp as much as we can of His nature. Let’s think on what His works show us and what His Word reveals. Most of all, let’s focus on the clearest picture of God we have: His own Son, who is
“the brightness of His glory and the exact image of His being.”(Hebrews 1:3)
Jesus shows us both what God is and what we are meant to be. As we see Him described in the Gospels, we see divine perfection wrapped in human weakness.
The more clearly we fix our thoughts on this, the more our hearts will be moved. As the mind sees, so the heart feels, and as we meditate, the inner flame of love will grow.
Above all, think deeply about God’s love and kindness toward us. Nothing wins our hearts more than knowing we are loved. Even the affections of an ordinary person touches us, but what should it do to our hearts to know that the perfect and glorious King of heaven cares for us?
It should overwhelm us with awe, melt our hearts, and ignite our entire soul.
God’s Word is full of declarations of His love, and His works all around us prove it.
He gave us life and renews that gift every moment.
He placed us in a rich, beautiful world and generously provides for all our needs.
He sends rain from heaven, brings food from the earth, and supplies us year after year.
He fills our lives with countless comforts and pleasures, satisfying every sense and faculty.
His watchful care surrounds us every second, even when we sleep without a thought for Him or ourselves.
And to ensure that that we wouldn’t take these blessings for granted, thinking they cost Him nothing, God did something even more astonishing: He showed His love through suffering as well as giving.
Since He could not suffer in His divine nature, He took on ours.
The eternal Son of God wrapped Himself in human weakness, leaving the company of holy angels who adored Him perfectly, to live among a stubborn, rebellious people, offering Himself as a sacrifice for them to forgive and secure their joy forever.
There’s an old poem about the god of love: after trying every arrow and failing to pierce a stubborn heart, he finally put himself in the bow and shot himself into the lover’s chest, finally winning him over.
In a way, that story reflects what God did for us. He poured out blessing after blessing on a stubborn world, and when that wasn’t enough to win our hearts, He gave up Himself.
The Gospels tell us the story of His love. Every effort, every hardship, every pain Jesus endured was the undeniable proof of it.
But oh, that final, dreadful scene! Can we remember His suffering and ever doubt His love, or hold back ours?
Here, reader, is where we should focus our most serious and heartfelt thoughts, so that
“Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.“
(Ephesians 3:17-19)
We should also think on the specific ways God has shown us His favor and love.
How patiently He endures our rebellion and sin, how He waits and works so kindly to win us back.
We ought to keep a long list of the special blessings and deliverances we’ve received from Him, especially those that are so obvious that we can see they were not random luck but clear sign that God cares for us and answers our prayers.
We shouldn’t sour these thoughts with skepticism or harsh suspicions, doubting their validity or imagining that they were given just to increase our guilt and worsen our punishment in the end.
No, my friend.
God is love.
He takes no pleasure in the destruction of His creatures.
If people abuse His goodness, turning His grace into an excuse for sin and so sink deeper into guilt and misery, that is because of their own stubborn resistance.
His kindness is always intended to draw us, not repel.
If thinking of these things naturally ignite in us a love for God, that love will naturally lead us to grow in the other branches of the Divine Life, so I won’t speak long on them.
Love for others will grow in our hearts when we remember who they are to God and how they are made in His image.
They are not just creatures, but the careful work of His own hands.
He cares for deeply for them and desires that they all might see eternity.
Even the most ignorant, despicable enemies you see today are still made in the image of the Most High, and until they appear before Him in final judgement, He calls us to recognize them as His own and to love them sincerely.
You yourself know that when you love someone, you begin to care for those that are close to them.
In the same way, love for God should naturally overflow to those whom He loves when we see how much they mean to Him.
Every human soul is more precious to Him than the entire material world, and He did not think the blood of His Son too high a price for their reconciliation.
Again, all people bear the mark of their creator, and yet some bear God’s image more clearly in their wisdom and virtue.
But for others, that image is tarnished and hard to see.
But it is not completely erased.
Every person has been given a rational, immortal soul, capable of the highest goodness and wisdom. Even if their souls are twisted by pride and sin, that should stir us to have compassion for them instead of quenching our love.
When we meet someone rude, deceptive, foolish, or proud, it’s not easy to love them as they appear. But if we see these faults as diseases of their soul which is still capable of great goodness, our disgust turns to pity.
We see them as we would a beautiful body bruised by wounds or disease.
We hate the sickness but still love the person.
For the next branch, let us seek purity by detaching ourselves from the shallow pleasures of this life and reminding ourselves of the dignity and worth of our souls.
Think of how shameful it is for such a noble creation to be enslaved by basic cravings or distracted by foolish, empty amusements, losing our taste for true spiritual joy!
When we remember who we are and what we were made for, it should give us a right view of ourselves, inspiring us to be cautious even with the most innocent pleasures.
It also helps to think more of heaven and delight in the everlasting joy at God’s right hand.
“Everyone who has this hope purifies himself, just as He is pure.” (1 John 3:3)
When heaven fills our thoughts, we become strangers and pilgrims here, resisting the cravings that wage war against our souls.
Our eyes are fixed on unspeakable glory to come, but be mindful that your idea of heaven does not become a fantasy of some sensual paradise.
Such thoughts will only trap you deeper in fleshly desires.
Instead, think of heaven the right way.
The pure, spiritual happiness of seeing, loving, and delighting in God Himself.
When that fills our minds, everything else looks small and worthless by comparison. We gladly reject cheap pleasures that would rob us of such glory or take our eyes off it.
Now let us come to the last branch, namely, humility.
We can never have to much of this.
All our flaws, hidden secrets, and sins should rightly deflate our pride.
The only reason why people think well of us in public is because they are blind to the thoughts and desires within us.
If these were to be broadcast for all to see, even on our best days, everyone would see how twisted and hateful we can be. Even if we are successful in hiding our faults from others, we can never hide them from ourselves, and an honest reflection of this should deflate any remaining pride we have.
Religious people think worse of themselves more than anyone else, not because they don’t know other people’s sins, but because they see more of their own faults and failures.
But as a wise writer once said, the deepest and purest humility doesn’t come just from seeing our own sins and weaknesses, but from quietly contemplating God’s perfect purity and goodness.
Our flaws stand out most clearly in that brilliant light, and nothing makes us feel smaller than when we see them for what they truly are.
The humility that comes from self-examination will be uncomfortable, but there remains a far greater pain for the one who does not see himself as flawed.
One last thing, Reader.
One final, powerful means in obtaining holiness is fervent, sincere prayer.
Holiness is God’s greatest gift, and He promises to supply it with His Holy Spirit to those who ask. The more we pray, the more we draw close to Him and open ourselves to heaven’s light. Then the Sun of Righteousness shines directly into our souls, chasing away the darkness and stamping His image on our hearts.
I won’t go into detail about how to pray (there are many books on this) but I will say this much:
There is spoken prayer, which is needed in church and sometimes in private,
There is silent prayer, where we speak no words aloud but form them in our minds,
And then there is a mental prayer, where our soul gathers as much as it can to lift itself toward God in longings greater than words, falling in silent adoration.
We then are reminded of the weight of our sins, and we mourn in sorrow too deep for words.
Finally, we desperately reach for Him with burning desire, and these throbs of love and longing achieve much more than any arrangement of spoken words.
This mental prayer proves to be the most effective in purifying the soul, and is the greatest secret of the Divine Life.
After all, Paul himself may be referring to such a thing when he says
“the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” (Romans 8:26-28)
Yet I do not recommend this sort of prayer to the point of neglecting the others. For we all have many things to pray for, and the attention to the many requests for others keeps our mind attuned to the Will of our Father.
Prayer can be much more than this silent gaze of the soul.
But it should never be less than it.
In closing, I will add just one more aid in your quest: be sure to be consistent and sincere in taking Communion. The Lord’s Supper is especially given to nourish and deepen the spiritual life within us.
All the other exercises of the Divine Life come together in this sacred meal. We confess our sins, renew our commitments, lift our minds above the world, and find grace to the fullest strength.
Here the soul launches its strongest, holiest prayers toward heaven. Neglecting the Lord’s Supper (or taking it lightly) is often why our faith remains so weak and stunted.
It is time that I put a close to this letter, which has grown far longer than I first intended.
If even a few of these thoughts help you in the slightest, I will count it a great joy.
I trust you will receive them kindly, as the sincere effort of someone eager to offer what he owes another in Christ.
God Bless.
Henry Scougal (1650–1678) was a Scottish theologian, minister, and professor of divinity at King’s College, University of Aberdeen. Fluent in Latin, Hebrew, and several Asian languages, he was known for his love, intellect and piety. Scougal died of tuberculosis at the age of 28, leaving behind a brief but powerful legacy of a life devoted to Christ and His Kingdom.
Zurbarán, Francisco de. Allegory of Charity. Circa 1655, Museo del Prado, Madrid.