It is a matter of complaint too common, as well as too well founded, that the bulk of Christians in the present age are very deficient in spirituality, and come far short of the primitive Christians in a close walk with God. We lament over our unfruitfulness, our want of growth in grace and increasing conformity to Christ. Complaints of this kind, if they arise from the integrity of our hearts, are necessary and proper; but complaining alone will not effect a cure. We may sigh and go backward to the last period of our lives. One necessary means of effecting a cure is to inquire into the cause or causes of the complaint. An investigation of this nature may, through a Divine blessing, answer some good end upon the minds of those whose desire it is to be searched and tried, that every evil way may be detected.

It is not here intended to inquire into all the different causes of unfruitfulness, but only to point out a few of those which are the most obvious. That which I shall insist upon in this paper is, The want of a proper regard to the word of God. It has been the pleasure of God to “magnify his word more than all his name;” and if we are under the influence of a right spirit, we shall magnify it too. It is by the knowledge of its sacred truths that we are freed from the slavery of sin, and our spirits sanctified. In it, as in a glass, “we behold the glory of the Lord, and are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, by the Spirit of God.”

In almost all the remarkable declensions in the church of God, a neglect of the Scriptures has been at the root. On the contrary, in all the seasons of revival and reformation, the Scriptures have been the grand means of their being brought about. During the long and wicked reign of Manasseh, the book of the law of the Lord was lost, was lost even in the temple; and then it was that idolatry prevailed: when Josiah came to the throne, and a reformation was brought about, the lost book was found, and read, and regarded. During the captivity, the word of God seems to have been neglected. In the times of Ezra and Nehemiah, a glorious reformation was brought about; but by what means? The sum of the account is this: Ezra and his companions stood upon a pulpit of wood, read the law, and gave the meaning; and the people understood the law, and wept bitterly, and entered into a covenant with their God. Religion was reduced to a low state at the time of our Lord’s coming; and one cause assigned for it was, that the Pharisees, by their traditions, had “made void the law of God.” On the contrary, the glorious revival which then succeeded, by the ministry of John the Baptist, Christ, and his apostles, was by means of their disseminating the true knowledge of God as revealed in the Scriptures. It is true, they themselves were inspired, but yet even the Lord Jesus Christ appealed to the word, calling upon his hearers to “search the Scriptures.” To what can we attribute the great antichristian apostacy, but to a disregard of the word of God? The original cause, as prophetically given us by the apostle himself, was this, “Because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved, God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.” The foundation of popery was laid in a disregard to the Bible, and an overweening attachment to traditions and unscriptural ceremonies. As the apostacy ripened, the Scriptures were neglected; and at length, when it arrived to its height, they were utterly discarded, being absolutely forbidden to be read by the common people even in their own language. On the contrary, by what means was the glorious Reformation effected? Was it not by translating, exposing, and preaching the Scriptures? From the foregoing facts, we ought at least to suspect that a want of regard to the Holy Scripture lies at the foundation of our departures from God.

There are several ways in which a want of proper regard to God’s word is discovered. I shall mention three in particular:—

First, By a neglect of reading, meditating, and praying over it. We have great advantages for knowing the mind of God. He hath told us all his heart. Our advantages are superior, not only to heathens, who walk in the dark, without a revelation, but to those of the church of God itself in any former period. Old Testament saints valued the Scriptures “more than thousands of gold and silver,” more than their necessary food; and yet they had but a small part of the sacred canon to what we have. That which has crowned all, and brought life and immortality to light, was then wanting. The most glorious of all the displays of God has been added since their death. Christians themselves, in former ages, had not our advantages. Till the art of printing was discovered, it must have been very difficult for many families to obtain a Bible; and no doubt a great number of Christians, who were generally a poor people, were denied the pleasure of having those sacred books in their families. Since then circumstances are altered; we have now, through a kind providence, the most easy access to the Scriptures. But whether we have more of a spiritual understanding into the mind of God than our predecessors had may be questioned; yea, whether the word of God, upon the whole, is read more now by Christians than it was then, may be a matter of doubt. Does not its being common and easy of access seem to diminish its value in our eyes? Are we not apt to think light of it, as Israel did of the manna when rained in plenty round their tents?

The sacred Scripture is a rich mine abounding with substantial treasures; but it is a mine that must be worked. If we would read it to advantage, it must be with prayer and meditation. “My son,” said the wise man, “if thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.” A blessing is pronounced upon the man “who meditates in God’s law by day and by night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, which bringeth forth fruit in its season.” If any think to excuse themselves by alleging that they were never taught to read; I answer, if they were interested in a common will, or testament, they would never think of remaining ignorant of its contents. If they could not read, they would procure some person to read it to them; or if that could not be done, rather than not know its real meaning, they would be at some considerable pains to learn to read it themselves. Now shall all this regard be shown to a common will, and that spontaneously of our own accord; and no more respect be paid to the invaluable testament of our dying Redeemer? Where then is the sincerity of our religious profession? “Where a man’s treasure is, there will his heart be also.”

Secondly, By not reading it for the ends and purposes for which it was written. What those ends are, we are expressly informed in the book itself. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God; and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” To read the Scripture for doctrine is to learn our religious sentiments from it, and form them by it. So far as we are under the influence of prejudice, or receive systems on human authority; and go to the Scripture not so much with a desire to be instructed in what we know, as to strengthen ourselves in what we have already imbibed, be it right or wrong; so far we exercise a sinful disregard to the Scriptures, and may justly be given up of God to our own deceits. If we read the word of God to any good purpose, we must suppose beforehand that we do not know every thing, that we are liable to error in judgment and evil in practice; how else shall we read it for reproof or for correction?

If we set up our own reason, so as to resolve to admit of nothing as Divine truth but what shall be within its comprehension, we despise God’s word, and cannot be said to read it either for doctrine or correction. It is not enough that we “call no man master;” we must have “one Master, even Christ.” Our own reason is also another word for our own creed; and we are as much in danger of being ruined by our own creed as by that of another man. It matters not by what name we call it, our reason or our creed; if the infallible dictates of the Holy Spirit are to give way to this, adieu to all religion. Where such presumption begins, it may truly be said, religion ends.

In reading the preceptive part of Scripture, it will be but of little use to us, unless we read it with an intention and determination, through Divine assistance, to form our conduct by it. To read for instruction in righteousness is the same thing as searching to know what is the good, perfect, and acceptable will of God, with a design to do it, let it grate ever so much with our carnal inclinations. It answers but a poor end to read a chapter once or twice a day in the family, merely for the sake of decency, without so much as an intention of complying with what shall be found to be the mind of God.

If our judgment or conduct is formed by dreams, visions, or supposed immediate revelations from heaven, and not by the plain meaning of the word of God as it stands in our Bibles, then do we slight the word of God, and God may justly give us up to our own delusions. It is no just plea in behalf of these supposed revelations, that they often come in the words of Scripture. If we infer any thing from certain words of Scripture being impressed upon our mind, either in favour of ourselves, or for the guiding of our conduct, which cannot be proved to have been the meaning of Scripture independent of that impression, it is no other than real enthusiasm, and will in the great day be found to be a disregard and perversion of the Scripture itself.

Thirdly, By forming a low opinion of the importance of the truths contained in it. It seems to be very much the spirit and opinion of the present age, that it matters not how polluted the fountain is, if the streams are but pure; but the question is whether the streams can be pure, if the fountain is polluted. Actions materially good and beneficial to society may flow from a heart at essential variance with the doctrines of revelation; but it wants proof that any action can be truly good and acceptable in the sight of God, unless it originate in evangelical principle. On the contrary, the Scripture is express, that “without faith it is impossible to please God.”

Some good people have contracted a strange prejudice against the doctrines of the gospel, accounting them dry and uninteresting matters. They like experimental religion the best, they tell us. But I do not understand the distinction of religion into doctrinal and experimental after this sort. I would ask such a person, What is experimental religion? Is it any other than the influence of truth upon the mind by the agency of the Holy Spirit? You love to feel godly sorrow for sin; so do I: but what is godly sorrow for sin but the influence of truth upon your heart? Is it not the consideration of the great evil of sin, its contrariety to what ought to be, its being committed against light, love, &c., that dissolves your heart in grief? Were you not to realize these truths, it would be impossible for you to weep over your sin. But you love to feel joy and peace in believing; so do I: but must you not have an object to believe in? Take away the great doctrine of the atonement, and all your faith, joy, and peace are annihilated. Much the same might be said of other gospel doctrines; instead of being opposed to experimental religion, they are essential to its existence. That some doctrinal sermons have been dry and uninteresting is granted; but that must have been the fault of either the preacher or the hearer. If Scripture doctrines were delivered in their native simplicity, and heard with a heart suitable to their importance, they could not be dry; they must be like the doctrine of Moses, which “dropped as the rain upon the grass, and as the dew upon the tender herb.”

There is another prejudice against the doctrines of the gospel in the minds of many people. They imagine them to be unfriendly to practical religion. That practical religion may be neglected through an excessive attachment to favourite opinions is allowed; but if we imbibe and inculcate the truths of the gospel according to the lovely proportion in which they stand in the Bible, and adhere to them, not because we have once imbibed them, but because God hath revealed them, such a reception of the truth and adherence to it, instead of enervating practical godliness, will be found to be the life of it. Doctrinal, experimental, and practical religion are all necessarily connected together; they can have no existence separate from each other. The influence of truth upon the mind is the source of all our spiritual feelings, and those feelings are the springs of every good word and action.

The above are some of the different ways in which we are liable to be wanting in our regard to the word of God; and, in proportion as these prevail, it is natural to suppose we shall be wanting in spirituality and communion with God: instead of growing in grace, we shall dwindle like the unwatered plant in the drought of summer. This may be expected on two accounts. First, As an awful chastisement for our sin in such disregard. God’s word is indited by his Holy Spirit; a want of proper regard to that word must therefore be one of those evil things by which the Spirit of God is grieved; and where that is the case, it is natural to suppose he will withdraw his reviving, fructifying influences, the consequence of which will ever be a discernible want of spirituality. I call this an awful chastisement; and such it is, because of a spiritual kind. As the Holy Spirit is the sum of spiritual good, so his withdrawment is the completion of every spiritual evil. When David was threatened with the loss of all that was dear to him, he deprecated this more than any thing beside: “Take not thy Holy Spirit from me!” “Woe unto them,” saith the Lord, “if I depart from them!” Secondly, As a natural consequence of it. God’s word is that to those who “meditate in it by day and by night” which “the rivers of waters” are to a tree planted by their side. It is that by means of which they “bring forth fruit in their season.” From the want of a spiritual and experimental acquaintance with God’s word proceeds a want of religious principle; and this seems to be the case of multitudes of professors in the present age. From want of religious principle proceeds a more than ordinary liability to errors in judgment: the house that was empty, though swept and garnished, was ready for the reception of unclean spirits. From errors in judgment proceed errors in spirit and conduct; if once the truths of God sink into disesteem, his precepts in the spirituality of them will not continue to be regarded. Little sins, as they are accounted, will be indulged, and the most difficult and self-denying duties neglected. And then, if things come to this, that we give way a little, we shall soon go further; want of universal obedience will soon lead to a universal want of obedience; and thus, if infinite mercy prevent not, we shall wax worse and worse. This is no other than the high road to apostacy, towards which it is to be feared great numbers of professors are verging, and in which great numbers are already walking! Happy should I be if any one by these hints might be led to reflection, and recover himself out of the snare of the devil, by whom he is led captive at his will!

I have only one thought more to add. If a regard to the word of God is of such great importance to Christians, what must it be to ministers! A defection in a private character nearly terminates in himself; but a defection in a minister may affect many thousands. If as ministers we sink into a disregard for Divine truth, to say the least, we shall not preach it with that ardour which is necessary, if at all. It becomes us to tremble, and to inquire whether the defections among our people be not owing in part to the wholesome truths of God being withheld from them, or delivered in a languid and careless manner; and, if so, it behoves us further to consider how we shall endure that cutting rebuke, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me; seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children!”

Fuller, A. G. (1988). “On Spiritual Declension and the Means of Revival,” Miscellaneous Tracts, Letters, and Essays. The Complete Works of Andrew Fuller: Expositions—Miscellaneous (J. Belcher, Ed.; Vol. 3, pp. 615–620). Sprinkle Publications.