Spiritual Reformers in the 16th & 17th Centuries Part 13

During the most important period of his intellectual and spiritual development, Spinoza spent three years (1660-1663) in the quiet village of Rynsburg, living in close and intimate contact with his Collegiant friends. It was here during these happiest years of his life, in this quiet retreat and surrounded with spiritually-minded men with whom he had much in common, that he wrote his _Short Treatise on G.o.d, Man and His Well-Being_, as well as his _Treatise on the Improvement of the Understanding_, which opens with his account of the birth of his own spiritual pa.s.sion. These intellectual and high-minded Collegiants had their influence upon the philosopher, and he in turn had a deep influence upon them. Peter Balling translated into Dutch in 1664 Spinoza's version of Descartes' _Principia_, and Balling turned to his friend Spinoza for consolation in his great loss occasioned by the death of his child that same year,[31] while the philosopher at his death left all his unpublished ma.n.u.scripts to another life-long intimate Collegiant friend of his, John Rieuwertsz.

_The Light on the Candlestick_, to which we shall now turn for the ripest ideas of the little sect, was written while Spinoza was living among the Collegiants in Rynsburg. It was very quickly discovered by the Quakers, who immediately recognized it as "bone of their bone," and circulated it as a Quaker Tract. It was translated into English in 1663 by B. F.,[32]

who published it with this curious t.i.tle-page: "The Light upon the Candlestick. Serving for Observation of the Princ.i.p.al things in the Book called, _The Mystery of the Kingdom of G.o.d, &c. Against several Professors, Treated of, and written by Will Ames_. Printed in Low Dutch for the Author, 1662, and translated into English by B. F."

The Collegiant author, quite in the spirit and style of Spinoza, urges the importance of discovering a central love for "things which are durable and incorruptible," "knowing thereby better things than those to which the {129} mult.i.tude are link't so fast with love." We have outgrown the "toyes with which we played as children," there is now "no desire or moving thereunto, because we have found better things for our minds"; so, too, "all those things in which men, even to old age, so much delight" would seem like "toyes" if they once discovered the true Light "which abides forever unchangeable," and if through it they got a sight of "those things which are alone worthy to be known." This "true and lasting change," from "toyes" to "the things which are durable and eternal," can come only through an inward conversion. When a new vision begins from within, then the outward action follows of itself, but no man will part with what he judges best till he sees something better, and then the weaker yields to the stronger without any forcing.[33] This whole work of conversion, of transformation, of "lasting change," must have its origin in something within ourselves. We cannot turn from baubles and "toyes" and our "desire for that which is high in the world"

until a Light from some source plainly shows us an eternal reality for which we may "highly adventure the tryal." There is, our author insists, only one place where such a guiding Light could arise, and that is within the soul itself, as an inward and immediate knowledge: "'Tis not far to seek. We direct thee to within thyself. Thou oughtest to turn into, to mind and have regard unto, that which is within thee, to wit, the Light of Truth, the true Light which enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world. Here 'tis that thou must be and not without thee. Here thou shalt find a Principle certain and infallible, through which increasing and going on into, thou mayest at length arrive unto a happy condition.

Of this thou mayest highly adventure the tryal. And if thou happenest to be one of those that would know all things before thou dost begin~.~.~.

know this, Thou dost therein just as those that would learn to read without knowing the Letters. He that will not adventure till he be fully satisfied, shall never begin, much less finish {130} his own salvation.

We say then, that we exhort every one to turn unto the Light that's in him."[34]

In true Cartesian fas.h.i.+on, he demonstrates why this Light must have its locus within the soul and not in some external means or medium. All knowledge that G.o.d is being revealed in external signs, or through external means, already presupposes a prior knowledge of G.o.d. We can judge no doctrine, no Book to be Divine except by some inward and immediate knowledge of what really is Divine. Without this Light the Scriptures are only Words and Letters. But "if we experience that the Book called the Bible in regard to the Divine doctrine therein comprised hath such a harmony with That [in us] by which G.o.d is known, that He must needs have been the Author of it, there cannot rationally be any more powerful demonstration."[35]

The same principle is true with regard to every conceivable form of revelation which could be made to our outward senses, whether by words, or by miracles, or by any other visible "operations." No finite thing can bring us a knowledge of G.o.d unless we already have within us a sufficient knowledge of Him to make us able to appreciate and judge the Divine character of the particular revelation; that is to say, we must already have G.o.d in order either to seek Him or to find Him; or, as Balling puts it, "Unless the knowledge of G.o.d precedes, no man can discern Him." G.o.d is, therefore, the prius of all knowledge: "The knowledge of G.o.d must first be, before there can be knowledge of any particular things,"[36] and G.o.d must be a.s.sumed as present in the soul before any basis of truth or of religion can be found. "The Light is the first Principle of Religion; for, seeing there can be no true Religion without the knowledge of G.o.d, and no knowledge of G.o.d without this Light, Religion must necessarily have this Light for its first Principle."[37]

"Without thyself, O Man," he concludes, "thou hast no {131} means to look for, by which thou mayest know G.o.d. Thou must abide within thyself; to the Light that is in thee thou must turn thee; there thou wilt find it and nowhere else. G.o.d is nearest unto thee and to every man. He that goes forth of himself to any creature, thereby to know G.o.d, departs from G.o.d. G.o.d is nearer unto every man than himself, because He penetrates the most inward and intimate parts of man and is the Life of the inmost spirit. Mind, therefore, the Light that is in thee."[38]

This Light--the first Principle of all Religion--is also called in this little Book by many other names. It is "the living Word," "the Truth of G.o.d," "the Light of Truth"; it is "Christ"; it is the "Spirit."[39] As a Divine Light, it reproves man of sin, shows him that he has strayed from G.o.d, accuses him of the evil he commits. It leads man into Truth, "even though he has never heard or read of Scripture"; it shows him the way to G.o.d; it gives him peace of conscience in well-doing; and, if followed and obeyed, it brings him into union with G.o.d, "wherein all happiness and salvation doth consist."[40] It operates in all men, though in many men there are serious "impediments" which hinder its operations--"the lets to it are manifold"--but as soon as a man turns to it and cleanses his inner eye--removes the "lets"--he discovers "a firm foundation upon which he may build stable and enduring things: A Principle whereby he may, without ever erring, guide the whole course of his life, how he is to carry himself toward G.o.d, his Neighbour and himself."[41] The writer, having thus delivered his message, wishes to have it distinctly understood that he is not trying to draw his readers to any new sect, or to any outward and visible church. "Go to, then, O Man," he says, "whoever thou art, we will not draw thee off from one heap of men to carry thee over unto another, 'tis somewhat else we invite thee to! We invite thee to Something which may be a means to attain thy own {132} salvation and well-being members.h.i.+p in the invisible Church."

Such is the teaching of this strange little book, written by the friend of Spinoza, and revealing the maturest expression of this slowly developing spiritual movement, which began with Hans Denck and flowed uninterruptedly through many lives and along many channels and burst out full flood in England in "the Children of the Light," who were known to the world as Quakers.

[1] Three important books on this subject are C. B. Hylkema, _Reformateurs_ (Haarlem, 1902); Dr. Heinrich Heppe, _Geschichte des Pietismus und der Mystik in der reformirten Kirche, namentlich der Niederlande_ (Leiden, 1879); and Wilhelm Goeters, _Die Vorbereitung des Pietismus in der reformierten Kirche der Niederlande_ (Leipzig, 1911).

[2] The biographical details of his life are given in a Preface to the three-volume edition of his collected works, published in Amsterdam in 1631.

[3] The t.i.tle of this work is _Zedekunst, dat is, Wellevens Kunst, vermits waarheydts kennisse vanden Mensche, vande Zonden ende vande Deughden. Nu aldereerst beschreven in't Neerlandtsch_. Coornhert's _Wercken_ (1631), i. fol. 268-3353.

[4] Two of his powerful pleas for the freedom of the mind are, _Epitome processus de occidendis haereticis et vi conscientiis inferenda_ (Gouda, 1591), and _Defensio processus de non occidendis haereticis_ (Hannover, 1593).

[5] Gottfried Arnold, _Kirchen- und Ketzer-Historien_, ii. p. 378, sec. 3.

[6] See Chap. VI.

[7] _Zedekunst_, chaps. i. and ii.

[8] _Zedekunst_, chaps. iv. and v.

[9] Wercken, iii. fol. 413-427. See also "Hert-Spiegel G.o.dlycker Schrifturen," _Wercken_, i. fol. 1-44.

[10] _Wercken_, iii. fol. 413-427.

[11] See Arnold, _op. cit._ ii. p. 380, sec. 8.

[12] His views in this particular are very similar to those of Schwenckfeld.

[13] Arnold, _op. cit_. pp. 381-382.

[14] _Wercken_, i. fol. 554 ff.

[15] The best history of the Collegiants is J. C. Van Sloe's _De Rijnsburger Collegianten_ (Haarlem, 1895).

[16] One of the most tragic consequences of the controversy was the martyrdom of John of Barneveldt, the political head of the Remonstrants.

Hugo Grotius was thrown into prison, but escaped through the bold ingenuity of his wife.

[17] Adam Boreel's teaching is set forth in his treatise, _Ad. legem et testimonium_ (Amsterdam, 1643). Information upon his life and teaching is given in Arnold, _op. cit._ ii. 386-387; in Hylkema, _Reformateurs_; and in Walter Schneider, _Adam Boreel_ (Giessen, 1911).

[18] Henry More's _Annotations upon the Discourse of Truth_ (London, 1682), pp. 271-276.

[19] Stoupe, _La Religion des Hollandois_ (Paris, 1673), translated into English under the t.i.tle _The Religion of the Dutch_ (London, 1680). The extract is from p. 82 of the French edition and pp. 26-28 of the English edition.

[20] Sewel, _History of the People called Quakers_ (Phila. edition, 1823), ii. p. 368.

[21] _Journal_, (ed. 1901), ii. p. 310.

[22] _Journal_, ii. p. 401.

[23] _Ibid._ ii. pp. 401-402.

[24] Simeon Friderich Rues, _Mennoniten und Collegianten_ (Jena, 1743), p. 244.

[25] See E. S. Haldane, _Descartes, His Life and Times_ (1905), pp. 51-53.

[26] The autobiographical account of this experience is given in the opening of part ii. of the _Discourse on Method_.

[27] Descartes' famous argument is found in Meditations III. and IV. of his _Meditations on First Philosophy_, first published in 1641. For an illuminating interpretation of the entire movement, see Edward Caird's Essay on Cartesianism in _Essays on Literature and Philosophy_ (1892), ii. pp. 267-383.

[28] Spinoza, _Short Treatise on G.o.d, Man, and his Well-Being_, Wolf's edition (London, 1910), p. 102.

[29] _Ibid._ p. 40.

[30] _Ethics_, part ii. Preface.

[31] See Spinoza's _Correspondence_, Letter No. x.x.x.

[32] Benjamin Furley, a Quaker merchant of Colchester, then living in Rotterdam.

[33] _The Light upon the Candlestick_, p. 8, freely rendered.

[34] _The Light upon the Candlestick_, pp. 3-4.

[35] _Op. cit._ p. 10. He uses also the Cartesian argument that there must at least be as much reality in the cause as there is in the effect, p. 12.

[36] _Op. cit._ p. 12.

[37] _Ibid._ p. 6.

[38] _The Light upon the Candlestick_, pp. 12-13.

[39] _Ibid._ pp. 4 and 9.