Part III, I: Affections Arising from Spiritual, Supernatural, and Divine Influences

I come now to the second thing appertaining to the trial of religious affections, which was proposed, viz. To take notice of some things wherein those affections that are spiritual and gracious do differ from those that are not so.

But before I proceed directly to the distinguishing characters, I would previously mention some tilings which I desire may be observed concerning the marks I shall lay down.

1. That I am far from undertaking to give such signs of gracious affections, as shall be sufficient to enable any certainly to distinguish true affection from false in others; or to determine positively which of their neighbours are true professors and which are hypocrites. In so doing, I should be guilty of that arrogance which I have been condemning. Though it be plain that Christ has given rules to all Christians, to enable them to judge of professors of religion, whom they are concerned with, so far as is necessary for their own safety, and to prevent their being led into a snare by false teachers and false pretenders to religion; and though it be also beyond doubt, that the scriptures do abound with rules, which may be very serviceable to ministers, in counselling and conducting souls committed to their care, in things appertaining to their spiritual and eternal state; yet it is also evident, that it was never God’s design to give us any rules, by which we may certainly know who of our fellow professors are his, and to make a full and clear separation between sheep and goats; but that, on the contrary, it was God’s design to reserve this to himself as his prerogative. And therefore no such distinguishing signs as shall enable Christians or ministers to do this, are ever to be expected to the world’s end. For no more Q is ever to be expected from any signs, that are to be found in the word of God, or gathered from it, than Christ designed them for.

2. No such signs are to be expected, that shall be sufficient to enable those saints certainly to discern their own good estate, who are very low in grace, or are such as have much departed from God, and are fallen into a dead, carnal, and unchristian frame. It is not agreeable to God’s design, (as has been already observed) that such should know their good estate: nor is it desirable that they should; but, on the contrary, every way best that they should not; and we have reason to bless God, that he has made no provision that such should certainly know the state that they are in, any other way than by first coming out of the ill frame and way they are in. Indeed it is not properly through the defect of the signs given in the word of God, that every saint living, whether strong or weak, and those who are in a bad frame, as well as others, can not certainly know their good estate by them. For the rules in themselves are certain and infallible, and every saint has, or has had those things in himself, which are sure evidences of grace; for every, even the least act of grace is so. But it is through his defect to whom the signs are given. There is a twofold defect in that saint who is very low in grace, or in an ill frame, which makes it impossible for him to know certainly that he has true grace, by the best signs and rules which can be given him. First, a defect in the object, or the qualification to be viewed and examined. I do not mean an essential defect; because I suppose the person to be a real saint; but a defect in degree: grace being very small, can not be clearly and certainly discerned and distinguished.

Things that are very small, we can not clearly discern their form, or distinguish them one from another; though as they are in themselves, their form may be very different. There is doubtless a great difference between the body of man, and the bodies of other animals, in the first conception in the womb: but yet if we should view the different embryos, it might not be possible for us to discern the difference, by reason of the imperfect state of the object; but as it comes to greater perfection, the difierence becomes very plain. The difference between creatures of very contrary qualities, is not so plainly to be seen while they are very young; even after they are actually brought forth, as in their more perfect state. The difference between doves and raven, or doves and vultures, when they first come out of the egg, is not so evident; but as they grow to their perfection, it is exceeding great and manifest. Another defect attending the grace of those I am speaking of is its being mingled with so much corruption, which clouds and hides it, and makes it impossible for it certainly to be known. Though different things that are before us, may have in themselves many marks thoroughly distinguishing them one from another; yet if we see them only in a thick smoke, it may nevertheless be impossible to distinguish them. A fixed star is easily distinguishable from a comet, in a clear sky; but if we view them through a cloud, it may be impossible to see the difference. When true Christians are in an ill frame, guilt lies on the conscience, which will bring fear, and so prevent the peace and joy of an assured hope.

Secondly. There is in such a case a defect in the eye. As the feebleness of grace and prevalence of corruption obscures the object, so it enfeebles the sight; it darkens the sight as to all spiritual objects, of which grace is one. Sin is like some distempers of the eyes, that make things to appear of different colours from those which properly belong to them, and like many other distempers, that put the mouth out of taste so as to disenable it from distinguishing good and wholesome food from bad, but every thing tastes bitter.

Men in a corrupt and carnal frame have t heir spiritual senses in but poor plight for judging and distinguishing spiritual things.

For these reasons no signs that can be given, will actually satisfy persons in such a case: let the signs that are given be never so good and infallible, and clearly laid down, they will not serve them. It is like giving a man rules how to distinguish visible objects in the dark; the things themselves may be very different, and their difference may be very well and distinctly described to him; yet all is insufficient to enable him to distinguish them, because he is in the dark. And therefore manv persons in such a case spend time in a fruitless labour, in poring on past experiences, and examining themselves by signs they heir laid down from the pulpit, or that they read in books; when there is other work for them to do, that is much more expected of them; whiph, while they neglect, all their self-examinations are like to be in vain if they should spend never so much time in them. The accursed thing is to be destroyed from their camp, and Achan to be slain; and until this be done they will be in trouble. It is not God’s design that men should obtain assurance in any other way than by mortifying corruption, and increasing in grace, and obtaining the lively exercises of it. And although self-examination be a duty of great use and importance, and by no means to be neglected; yet it is not the principal means by which the saints do get satisfaction of their good estate. Assurance is not to be obtained so much by self-examination, as by action. The apostle Paul sought assurance chiefly this way, even by “forgetting the things that were behind, and reaching forth unto those things that were before, pressing towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus; if by any means he might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.” And it was by this means chiefly that he obtained assurance, 1 Cor. ix. 26, “I therefore so run, not as uncertainly.” He obtained assurance of winning the prize, more by running than by considering. The swiftness of his pace did more towards his assurance of a conquest, than the strictness of his examination. Giving all diligence to grow in grace, by adding to faith virtue, &c. is the direction that the apostle Peter gives us, for “making our calling and election sure, and having an entrance ministered to us abundantly in Christ’s everlasting kingdom;” signifying to us, that without this our eyes will be dim, and we shall be as men in the dark, that can not plainly see things past or to come, either the forgiveness of our sins past, or our heavenly inheritance that is future and far off, 2 Pet. i. 5 — ll.f

■y• The way to know your godliness, is to renew the visible exercises of grace. — The more the visible exercises of grace are renewed, the more

Therefore, though good rules to distinguish true grace* from counterfeit, may tend to convince hypocrites and be of great use to the saints in many respecis, and among other benefits may be very useful to them to remove many needless scruples and establish their hope; yet I am far from pretending to lay down any such rules, as shall be sufficient of themselves without other means, to enable all true saints to see their good estate, or as supposing they should be the principal means of their satisfaction.

3. Nor is there much encouragement in the experience of present or past times, to lay down rules or marks to distinguish between true and false affections, in hopes of convincing any considerable number of that sort of hypocrites, who have been deceived with great false discoveries and affections, and are once settled in a false confidence and high conceit of their own supposed great experiences and privileges. Such hypocrites are so conceited of their own wisdom, and so blinded and hardened with a very great self-righteousness (but very subtle and secret, under the disguise of great humibty) and so invincible a fondness of their pleasing conceit of their great exaltation, that it usually signifies nothing at all to lay before them the most convincing evidences of their hypocrisy. Their state is indeed deplorable, and next to those that have committed the unpardonable sin. Some of this sort of persons seem to be most out of the reach of means of conviction and repentance. But yet the laying down good rules may be a means of preventing such hypocrites, and of convincing many of other kinds of hypocrites; and God is able to convince even this kind, and bis grace is not to be limited, nor means to be neglected. And besides such rules may be of use to the true saints, to detect false affections, which they may have mingled with true; and be a means of their religion’s becoming more pure, and like gold tried in the fire.

certain you will be. The more frequently these actings are renewed, the more abiding and confirmed your assurance will be.

The more mens grace is multiplied, the more their peace is multiplied; 2 Pet. i. 2. “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you, through the knowledge of God and Jesus Christ our Lord.” StoddariFs Way to hnoiv Sincerity and Hypocrisy, p. 139 and 142.

Having premised these things, I now proceed directly to take notice of those things in which true religious affections are distinguished from false.

I. Affections that are truly spiritual and gracious, do arise from those influences and operations on the heart, which are spiritual, supernatural and divine.

I will explain what I mean by these terms, whence will appear their use to distinguish between those affections which are spii’itual, and those which are not so.

We find that true saints, or those persons who are sanctified by the Spirit of God, are in the New Testament called spiritual persons. And their being spiritual is spoken of as their peculiar character, and that wherein they are distinguished from those who are not sanctified. This is evident, because those who are spiritual are set in opposition to natural men and carnal men. Thus the spiritual man and the natural man are set in opposition one to another, 1 Cor. ii. 14, 15, “The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things.” The scripture explains itself to mean an ungodly man, or one that has no grace, by a natural man. Thus the apostle Jude, speaking of certain ungodly men that had crept in unawares among the saints, ver. 4, of his epistle, says, v. 1 9, “These are sensual, having not the Spirit.” This the apostle gives us as a reason why they behaved themselves in such a wicked manner as he had described. Here the word translated sensual in the original is Psychikoi; which is the very same, which in those verses in 1 Cor. chap. ii. is translated natural. In the like manner, in the continuation of the same discourse, in the next verse but one, spiritual men are opposed to carnal men; which the connexion plainly shows means the same, as spiritual men and natural men, in the foregoing verses; “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal;” i. e. as in a great measure unsanctified. That by carnal the apostle means corrupt and unsanctified, is abundantly evident, by Rom. vii, 25, and viii. 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13. Gal. v. 16, to the end. Col. il. 18. Now therefore, if by natural and carnal, in these texts, he intended unsanctified, then doubtless by spiritual, which is opposed thereto, is meant sanctified and gracious.

And as the saints are called spiritual in scripture, so we also find that there are certain properties, qualities and principles, that have the same epithet given them. So we read of a “spiritual mind,” Rom. viii, 6, 7, and of “spiritual wisdom,” Col. i. 9, and of” spiritual blessings,” Eph. i. 3.

Now it may be observed that the epithet spiritual, in these and other parallel texts of the New Testament, is not used to signify any relation of persons or things to the spirit or soul of man, as the spiritual part of man in opposition to the body, which is the material part. Qualities are not said to be spiritual, because they have their seat in the soul, and not in the body: for there are some properties that the scripture calls carnal or Jleshhj, which have their seat as much in the soul as those properties that are called spiritual. Thus it is with pride and self-righteousness, and a man’s trusting to his own wisdom, which the apostle cuMU^k y, fieshly. Col. ii. 18, Nor are things called spiritual because they ~J.

are conversant about those things that are immaterial and not -^

corporeal. For so was the wisdom of the wise men and princes ‘-eC^

of this world, conversant about spirits and immaterial being-s; w which yet the apostle speaks of as natural men, totally ignoranfiZ?’!^ >“4>?^ of those things that are spiritual, 1 Cor. chap. ii. But it is with ‘^a’t^^ relation to the Holy Ghost, or Spirit of God, that persons or things ‘v..::^^^- are termed spiritual in the New Testament. Spirit, as the word L is used to signify the third person in the trinity, is the substantive, “^” i-^-c of which is formed the adjective spiritual, in the holy scriptures,,, ., “■< Thus Christians are called spiritual persons, because they are born ‘’’^^h SiJ^ of the Spirit, and because of the indwelling and holy influences of the Spirit of God in them. And things are called spiritual as related to the Spirit of God, 1 Cor. ii. 13, 14, “Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God.” Here the apostle himself expressly signifies that by spiritual things he means the things of the Spirit of God, and tilings which the Holy Ghost teacheth. The same is yet more abundantly apparent by viewing the whole context. Again, Rom. viii. 6. To be carnally minded is death; to be spiritually minded is life and peace. The apostle explains what he means by being carnally and spiritually minded, in what follows in the 9th verse, and shows that by being spiritually minded, he means a having the indwelling and holy influences of the Spirit of God in the heart, “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his,” The same is evident by all the context. But time would fail to produce all the evidences there are of this in the New Testament.

And it must be here observed, that although it is with relation to the Spirit of God and his influences, that persons and things are called spiritual; yet not all those persons who are subject to any kind of influence of the Spirit of God, are ordinarily called spiritual in the New Testament, They who have only the com-. mon influences of God’s Spirit, are not so called in the places cited above, but only those who have the special, gracious and saving influences of God’s Spirit; as is evident, because it has been already proved that by spiritual men are meant godly men, in opposition to natural, carnal and unsanctified men. And it is most plain, that the apostle by spiritually minded, Rom. viii. 6, means graciously minded. And though the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit which natural men might have, are sometimes called spiritual, because they are from the Spirit; yet natural men, whatever gifts of the Spirit they had, were not in the usual language of the New Testament called spiritual persons. For it was not by mens having the gifts of the Spirit, but by their having the virtues of the Spirit that they were called spiritual; as is apparent by Gal. vi, 1, “Brethren, if any man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness.” Meekness is one of those virtues which the apostle had just spoken of, in the verses next preceding, showing what are the fruits of the Spirit. Those qualifications are said to be spiritual, in the language of the New Testament, which are truly gracious and holy, and peculiar to the saints.

Thus when we read of spiritual wisdom and understanding, (as in Col. i. 9, “We desire that ye may be tilled with the knowledge of his will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding,”) hereby is intended that wisdom which is’acious, and from the sanctifying influences of the Spirit of God. For doubtless, by spiritual wisdom is meant that which is opposite to what the scripture calls natural wisdom; as the spiritual man is opposed to the natural man. And therefore spiritual wisdom is doubtless the same wuth that wisdom which is from above, that the apostle James speaks of, Jam. Hi. 17, “The wisdom that Is from above, is first pure, then peaceable, gentle,” &c. for this the apostle opposes to natural wisdom, ver. 15: “This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual” — the last word in the original is the same that is translated natural, In 1 Cor. ii. 14.

So that although natural men may be the subjects of many influences of the Spirit of God, as is evident from many scriptures, as Numb. xxiv. 2. 1 Sam. x. 10, and xl. 6, and xvi. 14, 1 Cor. xlli. 1, 2, 3, Heb. vi. 4, 5, 6, and many others; yet they are not, in the sense of the scripture, spiritual persons; neltb.er any of those effects, common gifts, qualities or aflections, that are from the influence of the Spirit of God upon them, called spiritual things. The great difference lies in these two things.

1. The Spirit of God is given to the true saints to dwell in them, as his proper lasting abode; and to Influence their hearts, as a principle of new nature, or as a divine supernatural spring of life and action. The scriptures represent the Holy Spirit not only as moving and occasionally influencing the saints, but as dwelling in them as his temple, his proper abode, and everlasting dwelling place, 1 Cor. Hi. 16, 2 Cor. vi. 16, John xlv. 16, 17. And he is represented as being there so united to the faculties of the soul, that he becomes there a principle or spring of new nature and life.

So the saints are said to live by Christ living in them, Gal. ii. R *

20, Christ by his Spirit not only is in them, but lives in them; and so that they live by his life; so is his Spirit united to them as a principle of life in them; they do not only drink living water, but this “living water becomes a well or fountain of water” in the soul, “springing up into spiritual and everlasting life,” John iv. 14, and thus become a principle of life in them. This living water, this evangelist himself explains to intend the Spirit of God, chap. vii. 38, 39. The light of the Sun of righteousness does not only shine upon them, but is so communicated to them that they shine also, and become little images of that Sun which shines upon them; the sap of the true vine is not only conveyed into them, as the sap of a tree may be conveyed into a vessel, but is conveyed as sap is from a tree into one of its living branches, where it becomes a principle of life. The Spirit of God being thus communicated and united to the saints, they are from thence properly denominated from it, and are called spiritual.

On the other hand, though the Spirit of God may many ways influence natural men; yet because it is not thus communicated to them, as an indwelling principle, they do not derive any denomination or character from it; for there being no union, it is not their own. The light may shine upon a body that is very dark or black; and though that body be the subject of the light, yet because the light becomes no principle of light in it, so as to cause the body to shine, hence that body does not properly receive its denomination from it, so as to be called a lightsome body. So the Spirit of God acting upon the soul only, without communicating itself to be an active principle in it, can not denominate it spiritual. A body that continues black, may be said not to have light, though the light shines upon it: so natural men are said “not to have the Spirit,” Jude 19, sensual, or natural (as the word is elsewhere rendered) having not the Spirit.

2. Another reason why the saints and their virtues are called spiritual (which is the principal thing) is, that the Spirit of God, dwelling as a vital principle in their souls, there produces those effects wherein he exerts and communicates himself in his own proper nature. Holiness is the nature of the Spirit of God, therefore he is calletl in scripture the Holy Ghost, Holiness, which is as it were the beauty and sweetness of the divine nature, is as much the proper nature of the Holy Spirit, as heat is the nature of fire, or sweetness was the nature of that holy anointing which was the principal type of the Holy Ghost in the Mosaic dispensation; yea, I may rather say, that holiness is as much the proper nature of the Holy Ghost, as sweetness was the nature of the sweet odour of that ointment. The Spirit of God so dwells in the hearts of the saints, that he there, as a seed or spring of life, exerts and communicates himself, in this his sweet and divine nature, making the soul a partaker of God’s beauty and Christ’s joy, so that the saint has truly fellowship -with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ, in thus having the communion or participation of the Holy Ghost, The grace which is in the hearts of the saints, is of the same nature with the divine holiness, as much as it is possible for that holiness to be, which is infinitely less in degree; as the brightness that is in a diamond which the sun shines upon, is of the same nature with the brightness of the sun, but only that it is as nothing to it in degree. Therefore Christ says, John iii, 6. “That which is born of the Spirit, is spirit;” i. e. the grace that is begotten in the hearts of the saints is something of the same nature with that Spirit, and so is properly called a spiritual nature; after the same manner as that which is born of the flesh is flesh, or that which is born of corrupt nature is corrupt nature.

But the Spirit of God never influences the minds of natural men after this manner. Though he may influence them many ways, yet he never, in any of his influences, communicates himself to them in his own proper nature. Indeed he never acts disagreeably to his nature, either on the minds of saints or sinners. But the Spirit of God may act upon men agreeably to his own nature, and not exert his proper nature in the acts and exercises of their minds. The Spirit of God may act so, that his actions may be agreeable to his nature, and yet may not at all communicate himself in his proper nature, in the effect of that action. Thus, for instance, the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters, and there was nothing disagreeable to his nature in that action, but yet he did not at all communicate himself in that action; there was notlring of the proper nature of the Holy Spirit in that motion of the waters. And so he may act upon the minds of men many ways, and not communicate himself any more than when he acts on inanimate things.

Thus not only the manner of the relation of the Spirit, who is the operator, to the subject of his operations, is different; as the Spirit operates in the saints, as dwelling in them, as an abiding principle of action, whereas he doth not so operate upon sinners; but the Influence and operation itself is different, and the effect wrought exceeding different. So that not only the persons are called spiritual as having the Spirit of God dwelling in them; but those qualifications, affections and experiences, that are wrought in them by the Spirit, are also spiritual, and therein differ vastly in their nature and kind from all that a natural man is or can be the subject of, while he remains in a natural state; and also from all that men or devils can be the authors of. It is a spiritual work in this high sense; and therefore above all other works is peculiar to the Spirit of God. There is no work so high and excellent; for there is no work wherein God doth so much communicate himself, and wherein the mere creature hath, in so high a sense, a participation of God; so that it is expressed in scripture by the saints, “being made partakers of the divine nature,” 2 Pet. i. 4, and “having God dwelling in them, and they in God,” 1 John iv. 12, 15, 16, and chap. iii. 21, “and having Christ in them,” John xvii. 21, Rom. viii. 10, “being the temples of the living God,” 2 Cor. vi. 16, “living by Christ’s life,” Gal. ii. 20, “being made partakers of God’s holiness, Heb. xii. 10, “having Christ’s love dwelling in them,” John xvii. 26, “having his joy fulfilled in them;” John xvii. 13, “seeing light in God’s light, and being made to drink of the river of God’s pleasures,” Psal. xxxvi. 8, 9, “having fellowship with God, or communicating and partaking with him (as the woi-d signifies) 1 John i. 3. Not that the saints are made partakers of the essence of God, and so are godded with God, and christed with Christ, according to the abominable and blasphemous language and notions of some heretics: but, to use the scripture phrase, they are made partakers of God’s fulness, Eph. iii. 17, 18, 19, John i. 16, that is, of God’s spiritual beauty and happiness, according to the measure and capacity of a creature; for so it is evident the word fulness signifies in scripture language. Grace in the hearts of the saints being therefore the most glorious work of God, wherein he communicates the goodness of his nature, it is doubtless his peculiar work, and in an eminent manner above the power of all creatures. And the influences of the Spirit of God in this, being thus peculiar to God, and being those wherein God does, in so high a manner, communicate himself, and make the creature partaker of the divine nature (the Spirit of God communicating itself in its own proper nature) this is what I mean by those influences that are divine, when I say that “truly gracious affections do arise from those influences that are spiritual and divine.”

The true saints only have that which is spiritual; others have nothing which is divine in the sense that has been spoken of. They not only have not these communications of the Spirit of God in so high a degree as the saints, but have nothing of that nature or kind. For the apostle James tells us that natural men have not the Spirit; and Christ teaches the necessity of a new birth, or of being born of the Spirit, from this, that he that is born of the flesh, has only flesh, and no Spirit, John iii. 6. They have not the Spirit of God dwelling in them in any degree; for the apostle teaches, that all who have the Spirit of God dwelling in them, are some of his, Rom. viii. 9 — 11. And a having the Spirit of God is spoken of as a certain sign that persons shall have eternal inheritance; for it is spoken of as the earnest of it, 2 Cor. i. 22, and v. 5, Eph. i. 14, and a having any thing of the Spirit is mentioned as a sure sign of being in Christ, 1 John iv. 13. “Hereby know we that we dwell in him, because he hath given us of his Spirit.” Ungodly men not only have not so much of the divine nature as the saints, but they are not partakers of it; “which implies that they have nothing of it; for a being partaker of the divine nature is spoken of as the peculiar privilege of the true saints, 2 Pet. i. 4. Ungodly men are not “partakers of God’s holiness,” Heb. xii. 10. A natural man has no experience of any of those things that are spiritual. The apostle teaches us, that he is so far from it, that he knows nothing about them, he is a perfect stranger to them, the talk about such things is all foolishness and nonsense to him, he knows not what it means, 1 Cor. ii. 14. “The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him: Neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” And to the like purpose Christ teaches us that the world is wholly unacquainted with the Spirit of God, John xiv. 17., “Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world can not receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him.” And it is further evident, that natural men have nothing in them of the same nature with the true grace of the saints, because the apostle teaches us, that those of them who go farthest in religion have no charity, or true christian love, 1 Cor. chap. xiii. So Christ elsewhere reproves the pharisees, those high pretenders to religion, that they “had not the love of God in them,” John v. 42. Hence natural men have no communion or fellowship with Christ, or participation with him (as these words signify) for this is spoken of as the peculiar privilege of the saints, 1 John i. 3, together with ver. 6, 7, and 1 Cor. i. 8, 9. And the scripture speaks of the

. actual being of a gracious principle in the soul, though in its first beginning, as a seed there planted, as inconsistent with a man’s being a sinner, 1 John iii. 9. And natural men are represented

f in scripture as having no spiritual life, and no spiritual being;

and therefore conversion is often compared to opening the eyes of the blind, raising the dead, and a work of creation (wherein creatures are made entirely new) and becoming new born children.

From these things it is evident that those gracious influences which the saints are subjects of, and the effects of God’s Spirit which they experience, are entirely above nature, altogether of a different kind from any thing that men find within themselves by nature, or only in the exercise of natural principles; and are things which no improvement of those qualifications or principles that /

are natural, no advancing or exalting them to higher degrees, and A ‘^ no kind of composition of them, will ever bring men to; because Ty

they not only differ from what is natural, and from every thing r.

that natural men experience, in degree and circumstance, but al- (?

so in kind; and are of a nature vastly more excellent. And this K

is what I mean by supernatural, when I say that gracious affec-. 0

tions are from those influences that are supernatural. f

From hence it follows that in those gracious exercises and affec- w

tions which are wrought in the minds of the saints through the ^/ saving influences of the Spirit of God, there is a new inward per-^

Qeption or sensation of their minds, entirely different in its na- ture and kind, from any thing that ever their minds were the sub- **’^’t.^ y jects of before they were sanctified. For doubtless if God by his mighty power produces something that is new, not only in degree and circumstances, but in its whole nature, and that which could be produced by no exalting, varying or compounding of what was there before, or by adding any thing of the like kind; I say, if. God produces something thus new in a mind, that is a perceiving, (r%U. .4^ [ thinking, conscious thing; then doubtless something entirely uew’’*-*^^:^^ is felt, or perceived, or thought; or, which is the same thing, there “^Hc^H^ ’ is some new sensation or perception of the mind, which is cn-^’^vij/wkj. tirely of a new sort, and which would be produced by no exalting,^ “‘W*^ varying or compounding of that kind of perceptions or sensations

which the mind had before; or there is what some metaphysicians call a new simple ideas’ If grace be, in the sense above described, an entirely new kind of principle, then the exercises of it are also an entirely new kind of exercises. And if there be in the soul a new sort of exercises which it is conscious of, which the soul knew nothing of before, and which no improvement, composition or management of what it was before conscious or sensible of, could produce, or any thing like it; then it follows that the r mind has an entirely new kind of perception or sensation; and here is, as it were, a new spiritual sense that the mind has, or a principle of a new kind of perception or spiritual sensation, which is ill its whole nature different from anv former kinds of sensa- ‘■■^^

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tions of the mind, as tasting is diverse from any of the other senses; and something is perceived by a true saint, in the exercise of this new sense of mind, in spiritual and divine things, as entirely diverse from any thing that is perceived in them by natural men, as the sweet taste of honey is diverse from the ideas men have of honey by only looking on it, and feeling of it. So that the spiritual perceptions which a sanctified and spiritual person has, are not only diverse from all that natural men have after the manner that the ideas or perceptions of the same sense may differ one from another, but rather as the ideas and sensations of different senses do differ. Hence the work of the Spirit of God in regeneration is often in scripture compared to the giving a new sense, giving eyes to see and ears to hear, unstopping the ears of the deaf, and opening the eyes of them that were born blind, and turning from darkness unto light. And because this spiritual sense is immensely the most noble and excellent, and that without which all other principles of perception and all our faculties are useless and vain; therefore the giving this new sense with the blessed fruits and effects of it in the soul, is compared to a raising the dead, and to a new creation.

This new spiritual sense, and the new dispositions that attend it, are no new faculties, but are new principles of nature. I use the word principles for want of a word of a more determinate signification. By a principle of nature, in this place, I mean that foundation which is laid in nature, either old or new, for any particular manner or kind of exercise of the faculties of the soul; or a natural habit or foundation for action, giving a person ability and disposition to exert the faculties in exercises of such a certain kind; so that to exert the faculties in that kind of exercises may be said to be his nature. So this new spiritual sense is not a new faculty of understanding, but it is a new foundation laid in the nature of the soul, for a new kind of exercises of the same fa-I culty of understanding. So that new holy disposition of heart M I that attends this new sense is not a new faculty of will, but a foundation laid in the nature of the soul, for a new kind of exercises of the same faculty of will.

N

The Spirit of God, in all his operations upon the minds of natural men, only moves, impresses, assists, improves, or some way acts upon natural principles; but gives no new spiritual principle. Thus when the Spirit of God gives a natural man visions, as he did Balaam, he only impresses a natural principle, viz. the sense of seeing, immediately exciting ideas of that sense; but he gives no new sense; neither is there any thing supernatural, spiritual, or divine in it. So if the Spirit of God impresses on a man’s imagination, either in a dream, or when he is awake, any outward ideas of any of the senses, either voices, or shapes and colours, it is only exciting ideas of the same kind that he has by natural principles and senses. So if God reveals to any natural man any secret fact; as for instance, something that he shall hereafter see or hear; this is not infusing or exercising anynew spiritual principle, or giving the ideas of any new spiritual sense, it is only impressing in an extraordinary manner, the ideas that will hereafter be received by sight and hearing. So in the more ordinary influences of the Spirit of God on the hearts of sinners, he only assists natural principles to do the same work to a greater degree, which they do of themselves by nature. Thus the Spirit of God by his common influences may assist mens natural ingeniosity, as he assisted Bezaleel and Aholiab in the curious works of the tabernacle: so he may assist mens natural abilities in political affairs, and improve their courage and other natural qualifications, as he is said to have put his Spirit on the seventy elders and on Saul, so as to give him another heart. So God may greatly assist natural mens reason, in their reasoning about secular things, or about the doctrines of religion, and may greatly advance the clearness of their apprehensions and notions of things of religion in many respects, without giving any spiritual sense. So in those awakenings and convictions that natural men may have, God only assists conscience, which is a natural principle to do that work in a further degree, which it naturally does. Conscience naturally gives men an apprehension of right and wrong, and suggests the relation there is between right and

wrong, and a retribution. The Spirit of God assists mens cons sciences to do this In a greater degree, helps conscience against

the stupifying influence of worldly objects and their lusts. And

so many other ways might be mentioned wherein the Spirit acts

upon, assists, and moves natural principles; but after all, it is no

more than nature moved, acted and improved; here is nothing

supernatural and divine. But the Spirit of God in his spiritual

^. influences on the hearts of his saints, operates by infusing or ex-

ercising new, divine, and supernatural principles; principles

I which are indeed a new and spiritual nature, and principles vast-

ly more noble and excellent than all that is in natural men.

From what has been said it follows, that all spiritual and gray. cious affections are attended with, and do arise from some appre-

{/’. n ^^nsion, idea, or sensation of mijid, which is in its whole nature

^“”^/M^-^ different, yea, exceeding different, from all that is, or can be in

^’’’^’£*^^U^^. the mind of a natural man; and which the natural man discerns

tc**,,^ nothing of, and has no manner of idea of (agreeable to 1 Cor.

ii. 14,) and conceives of no more than a man without the sense

of tasting can conceive of the sweet taste of honey, or a man

without the sense of hearing can conceive of the melody of a

tune, or a man born blind can have a notion of the beauty of the

rainbow.

But here two things must be observed, in order to the right understanding of this.

1. On the one hand it must be observed, that not every thing which in any respect appertains to spiritual affections, is new and entirely different from what natural men can conceive of, and do experience; some things are common to gracious affections with other affections; many circumstances, appendages and /effects are common. Thus a saint’s love to God has a great many things appertaining to it, which are common with a man’s atural love to a near relation; love to God makes a man have desires of the honour of God, and a desire to please him; so does a natural man’s love to his friend make him desire his honour, and desire to please him; love to God causes a man to delight in the presence of God, and to desire conformity to God, and the enjoyment of God; and so it is with a man’s love to his friend:

piis and many other things might be mentioned which are common to both. But yet that idea which the saint has of the loveliness of God, and that sensation, and that kind of delight he has in that view, which is as it were the marrow and quintessence of his love, is peculiar and entirely diverse from any thing that a natural man has, or can have any notion of. And even in those things that seem to be common, there is some thing peculiar; both spiritual and natural cause desires after the object beloved; but they be not the same sort of desires: there is a sensation of soul in the spiritual desires of one that loves God, which is entirely different from all natural desires: both spiritual love and natural love are attended with delight in the object beloved; but the sensations of delight are not the same, but entirely and exceedingly diverse. Natural men may have conceptions of many things about spiritual affections; but there is something in them which is as it were the nucleus, or kernel of them, that they have no more conception of, than one born blind has of colours.

It may be clearly illustrated by this: we will suppose two men, one is born without the sense of tasting, the other has it; the latter loves honey, and is greatly delighted in it, because he knows the sweet taste of it; the other loves certain sounds and colours; the love of each has many things that appertain to it which is common; it causes both to desire and delight in the object beloved, and causes grief when it is absent, &c.; but yet that idea or sensation which he who knows the taste of honey has of its excellency and sweetness, that is the foundation of his love, is entirely different from any thing the other has or can have; and that delight which he has in honey, is wholly diverse from any thing that the other can conceive of, though they both delight in their beloved objects. So both these persons may in some respects love the same objects: the one may love a delicious kind of fruit, which is beautiful to the eye, and of a delicious taste; not only because he has seen its pleasant colours, but knows its sweet taste; the other perfectly ignorant of this, loves it only for its beautiful colours; there are many things seen, in some respect, to be common to both; both love, both desire, and both delight:

but the love and desire and delight of the one, is altogether diverse from that of the other. The difference between the love of a natural man and a spiritual man is like to this, but only it must be observed, that in one respect it is vastly greater, viz. that the kinds of excellency which are perceived in spiritual objects, by these different kinds of persons, are in themselves vastly more diverse than the different kinds of excellency perceived in delicious fruit, by a tasting and a tasteless man; and in another respect it may not be so great, viz. as the spiritual man may have a spiritual sense or taste, to perceive that divine and most peculiar excellency but in small beginnings, and in a very imperfect degree.

2. On the other hand it must be observed, that a natural man may have those religious apprehensions and affections, which may be in many respects very new and surprising to him, and what before he did not conceive of; and yet if what he experiences be nothing like the exercises of a principle of new nature, or the sensations of a new spiritual sense; his affections may be very new, by extraordinarily moving natural principles in a very new degree, and with a great many new circumstances, and a new co-operation of natural affections, and a new composition of ideas; this may be from some extraordinary powerful influence of Satan, and some great delusion; but there is nothing but nature extraordinarily acted. As if a poor man that had always dwelt in a cottage, and had never looked beyond the obscure village where he was born, should in a jest be taken to a magnificent ci<y and prince’s court, and there arrayed in princely robes, and set on the throne, with the crown royal on his head, peers and nobles bowing before him, and should be made to believe that he was now a glorious monarch; the ideas he would have, and the affections he would experience, would in many respects be very new, and such as he had no imagination of before; but all this is no more than extraordinarily raising and exciting natural principles, and newly exalting, varying and compounding such sort of ideas, as he has by nature; here is nothing like giving him a new sense.

Upon the whole, I think it is clearly manifest that all truly gracious affections do arise from special and peculiar influences of the Spirit, working that sensible effect or sensation in the souls of the saints, which are entirely different from all that is possible a natural man should experience, not only different in degree and circumstances, but different in its whole nature, so that a natural man not only can not experience that which is individually the same, but can not experience any thing but what is exceeding diverse, and immensely below it in its kind; and that which the power of men or devils is not sufficient to produce the like of, or any thing of the same nature.

I have insisted largely on this matter, because it is of greal importance and use, evidently to discover and demonstrate the delusions of Satan, in many kinds of false religious affections, which multitudes are deluded by, and probably have been in all ages of the christian church; and to settle and determine many articles of doctrine, concerning the operations of the Spirit of God, and the nature of true grace.

Now, therefore, to apply these things to the purpose of the discourse, y’^..,.., — -^’’

From hence it appears that impressions which some have macfe“”^ on their imagination, or the imaginary ideas which they have of God, or Christ, or heaven, or any thing appertaining to religion, have nothing in them that is spiritual, or of the nature of true grace. Though such things may attend what is spiritual, and be mixed with it, yet in themselves they have nothing that is spiritual, nor are they any part of gracious experience.

Here, for the sake of common people, I will explain what is intended by impressions on the imagination and imaginary ideas. The imagination is that power of the mind whereby it can have a conception or idea of things of an external or outward nature, (that is, of such sort of things as are the objects of the outward senses) when those things are not present and be not perceived by the senses. It is called imagination from the word image; because thereby a person can have an image of some external thing in his mind, when that thing is not present in reality, nor any thing like it. All such things as we perceive by our five external senses, seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and feeling are external things: and when a person has an idea or image of any of these sorts of things in his mind, when they are not there, and when he does not really see, hear, smell, taste nor feel them, that is to have an imagination of them, and these ideas are imaginary ideas: and when such kinds of ideas are strongly impressed upon the mind, and the image of them in the mind is very lively, almost as if one saw them or heard them &c. that is called an impression on the imagination. Thus colours and shapes and a form of countenance, they are outward things; because they are that sort of things which are the objects of the outward sense of seeing; and therefore when any person has in his mind a lively idea of any shape or colour or form of countenance, that is to have an imagition of those things. So if he has an idea, of such sort as light or darkness, as he perceives by the sense of seeing, that is to have an idea of outward light, and so is an imagination. So if he has an idea of any marks made on paper, suppose letters and words written in a book, that is to have an external and imaginary idea of such kind of things as we sometimes perceive by our bodily eyes. And when we have the ideas of that kind of things which we perceive by any of the other senses, as of any sounds or voices, or words spoken, this is only to have ideas of outward things, viz. of such kind of things as are perceived by the external sense of hearing; and so that also is imagination: and when these ideas are livelily impressed, almost as if they were really heard with the ears, this is to have an impression on the imagination. And so I might go on and instance in the ideas of things appertaining to the other three senses of smelling, tasting and feeling.

Many who have had such things have very ignorantly supposed them to be of the nature of spiritual discoveries. They have had lively ideas of some external shape and beautiful form of countenance; and this they call spiritually seeing Christ. Some have had impressed upon them ideas of a great outward light; and this they call a spiritual discovery of God’s or Christ’s glory. Some have had ideas of Christ hanging on a cross, and his blood runtiing from his wounds; and this they call a spiritual sight of Christ crucified, and the way of salvation by his blood. Some have seen him with his arms open ready to embrace them; and this they call a discovery of the sufficiency of Christ’s grace and love. Some have had lively ideas of heaven, and of Christ on his throne there, and shining ranks of saints and angels; and this they call seeing heaven opened to them. Some from time to time have had a lively idea of a person with a beautiful countenance smiling upon them; and this they call a spiritual discovery of the love of Christ to their souls, and tasting the love of Christ. And they look upon it a sufficient evidence that these things are spiritual discoveries, and that they see them spiritually, because they say they do not see these things with their bodily eyes, but in their hearts; for they can see them when their eyes are shut. And in like manner the imaginations of some have been impressed with ideas of the sense of hearing; they have had ideas of words, as if they were spoken to them; sometimes they are the words of scripture, and sometimes other words: they have had ideas of Christ’s speaking comfortable words to them. These they have called having the inward call of Christ, hearing the voice of Christ spiritually in their hearts, having the witness of the Spirit, and the inward testimony of the love of Christ, &.c.

The common and less considering and understanding sort of people, are the more easily led into apprehensions that these things are spiritual things, because spiritual things being invisible, and not things that can be pointed forth with the finger, we are forced to use figurative expressions in speaking of them, and to borrow names from external and sensible objects to signify them by. Thus we call a clear apprehension of things spiritually by the name of light; and having such an apprehension of such or such things by the name of seeing such things; and the conviction of the judgment, and the persuasion of the will, by the word of Christ in the gospel, we signify by spiritually hearing the call of Christ. And the scripture itself abounds with such like figurative expressions. Persons hearing these often used, and having pressed upon them the necessity of having their eyes opened, and having a discovery of spiritual things, and seeing Christ in his glory, and having the inward call and the like, they ignorantly look and wait for some such external discoveries and imaginary views as have been spoken of; and when they have them, are confident that now their eyes are opened, now Christ has discovered himself to them, and they are his children; and hence are exceedingly affected and elevated with their deliverance and happiness, and many kinds of affections are at once set in a violent motion in them.

But it is exceedingly apparent that such ideas have nothing in them which is spiritual and divine, in the sense wherein it has been demonstrated that all gracious experiences are spiritual and divine. These external ideas are in no wise of such a sort, that they are entirely and in their whole nature diverse from all that men have by nature, perfectly different from, and vastly above any sensation which it is possible a man should have by any natural sense or principle, so that in order to have them, a man must have a new spiritual and divine sense given him, in order to have any sensations of that sort: so far from this, that they are ideas of the same sort which we have by the external senses, that they are some of the inferior powers of the human nature; they are merely ideas of external objects or ideas of that nature, of the same outward, sensitive kind; the same sort of sensations of mind (differing not in degree, but only in circumstances) that we have by those natural principles which are common to us with the beasts, viz. the five external senses. This is a low, miserable notion of spiritual sense, to suppose that it is only a conceiving or imagining that sort of ideas which we have by our animal senses, which senses the beasts have in as great perfection as we; it is, as it were, a turning Christ, or the divine nature in the soul, into a mere animal. There is nothing wanting in the soul, as it is by nature, to render it capable of being the subject of all these external ideas, without any new principles. A natural man is capable of having an idea, and a lively idea of shapes and colours and sounds when they are absent, and as capable as a regenerated man is: so there is nothing supernatural in them. And it is known by abundant experience, that it is not the advancing or perfecting human nature, which makes persons more capable of having such lively and strong imaginary ideas, but that on the contrary, the weakness of body and mind, and distempers of body, make persons abundantly more susceptive of such impressions.!

As to a truly spiritual sensation, not only is the manner of its coming into the mind extraordinary: but the sensation itself is totally diverse from all that men have or can have in a state of nature, as has been shown. But as to these external ideas, though the way of their coming into the mind is sometimes unusual, yet the ideas in themselves are not the better for that; they are still of no different sort from what men have by their senses; they are of no higher kind, nor a whit better. For instance, the external idea a man has now of Christ hanging on the cross and shedding his blood, is no better in itself than the external idea the Jews, his enemies, had, who stood round his cross and saw this w ith their bodily eyes. The imaginary idea which men have now of an external brightness and glory of God, is no better than the idea the wicked congregation in the wilderness had of the external glory of the Lord at Mount Sinai, when they saw it with their bodily eyes; nor any better than that idea which millions of cursed reprobates will have of the external glory of Christ at the day of judgment, who shall see, and have a very lively idea of ten thousand times greater external glory of Christ than ever yet was conceived in any man’s imagination.:]: Yea, the image of Christ, which men conf “Conceits and whimsies abound most in men of weak reason; children, and such as are cracked in their understanding, have most of them; strength of reason banishes them, as the sun does mists and vapours. But now the more rational any gracious person is, by so much more is he fixed and settled, and satisfied in the grounds of religion; yea, there is the highest and purest reason in religion; and when this change is wrought upon men, it is carried on in a rational way, Isa. 18, John xix. 9.” Flavel’s Preparation for Suffering, chap, vi,

4;” If any man should see and behold Christ really and immediately, this is not the saving knowledge of him. I know the saints do know Christ as if immediately present; they are not strangers by their distance. If others have TioO FIRST SI8N OF

ceive in their imaginations, is not in its own nature of any superior kind to the idea the papists conceive of Christ, by the beautiful and affecting images of him which they see in their churches; (though the way of their receiving the idea may not be so bad) nor are the affections they have, if built primarily on such imaginations, any better than the affections raised in the ignorant people, by the sight of those images, which oftentimes are very great; especially when these images, through the craft of the priests, are made to move and speak and weep, and the like.f Merely the way of persons receiving these imaginary ideas, do not alter the nature of the ideas themselves that are received; let them be received in what way they will, they are still but external ideas, or ideas of outward appearances, and so are not spiritual. Yea, if men should actually receive such external ideas by the immediate power of the most high God upon their minds, they would not be spiritual, they would be no more than a common work of the Spirit of God; as is evident, in fact, in the instance of Balaam, who had impressed on his mind, by God himself, a clear and lively outward representation or idea of Jesus Christ, as” the Star rising out of Jacob, when he heard the words of God, and knew the

seen him more immediately, I will not dispute it. But if they have seen the Lord Jesus as immediately as if here on earth, yet Capernaum saw him so; nay, some of them were disciples for a time, and followed him, John vi. and yet the Lord was hid from their eyes. Nay, all the world shall see him in his glory, which shall amaze them; and yet this is far short of having the saving knowledge of him, which the Lord doth communicate to the elect. So that though you see the Lord so really, as that you become familiar with him, yet Luke xiii. 26, “Lord, have we not eat and drank,” &c. — and so perish.” Shepard’s Parable of the Ten Virgins, P. I. p. 197, 198.

j-” Satan is transformed into an angel of light: and hence we have heard that some have heard voices; some have seen th very blood of Christ droping on them, and his wounds in his side: some have seen a great light shining in the chamber; some have been wonderfully affected with their dreams: some in great distress have had inward witness, “Thy sins are forgiven;” and hence such liberty and joy, that they are ready to leap up and down the chamber. O adulterous generation! this is natural and usual with men; they would fain see Jesus, and have him present to give them peace; and hence papists have his images. Wo to them that have no other manifested Christ, but such an one.” Shepard’s Parable of the Ten Virgins, P. L p. 189.

knowledge of the Most High, and saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance,” Numb. xxiv. 16, 17, but yet had no manner of spiritual discovery of Christ; that Day Star never spiritually arose in his heart, he being but a natural man.

And as these external ideas have nothing divine or spiritual in their nature, and nothing but what natural men, without any new principles, are capable of; so there is nothing in their nature which requires that peculiar, inimitable and unparalleled exercise of the glorious power of God, in order to their production, which it has been shown there is in the production of true grace. There appears to be nothing in their nature above the power of the devil. It is certainly not above the power of Satan to suggest thoughts to men; because otherwise he could not tempt them to sin. And if he can suggest any thoughts or ideas at all, doubtless imaginary ones, or ideas of things external, are not above his power;! for the external ideas men have are the lowest sort of ideas. These ideas may be raised only by impressions made on the body, by moving the animal spirits, and impressing the brain. Abundant experience does certainly show that alterations in the body will excite imaginary or external ideas in the mind; as often in the case of a high fever, melancholy, &c. These external ideas are as much below the more intellectual exercises of the soul, as the body is a less noble part of man than the soul.

And there is not only nothing in the nature of these external ideas or imaginations of outward appearances, from whence we can infer that they are above the power of the devil; but it is certain also that the devil can excite, and often hath excited such ideas. They were external ideas which he excited in the dreams and visions of the false prophets of old, who were under the influence of lying spirits, that we often read of in scripture, as Deut. xiii. 1, 1 Kings xxii. 22, Isa. xxviii. 7, Ezek. xiii. 7. And they

“Consider how difficult, yea and impossible it is to determine that such a voice, vision, or revelation is of God, and that Satan can not feign or counterfeit it: seeing lie hath left no certain marks by which we may distinguish one spirit from another.” FlaveVs Causes and Cures of Menlat Terror.?, Cause 14.

were external ideas that he often excited in the minds of the heathen priests, magicians and sorcerers, in their visions and ec* stacies, and they were external ideas that he excited in the mind of the man Christ Jesus, when he showed him all the kingdoms of the world, with the glory of them, when those kingdoms were not really in sight.

And if Satan, or any created being has power to impress the mind with outward representations, then no particular sort of outward representations can be any evidence of a divine power. Almighty power is no more requisite to represent the shape of man to the imagination than the shape of any thing else: there is no higher kind of power necessary to form in the brain one bodily shape or colour than another: it needs a no more glorious power to represent the form of the body of a man, than the form of a chip or block; though it be of a very beautiful human body, with a sweet smile in his countenance, or arms open, or blood running from the hands, feet and side. That sojt of power which can represent black or darkness to the imagination, can also represent white and shining brightness. The power and skill which can well and exactly paint a straAV, or a stick of wood on a piece of paper or canvass; the same in kind, only perhaps further improved, will be sufficient to paint the body of a man with great beauty and in royal majesty, or a magnificent city paved with gold, full of brightness, and a glorious throne, &c. So it is no more than the same sort of power that is requisite to paint one as the other of these on the brain. The same sort of power that can put ink upon paper, can put on leaf gold. So that it is evident to a demonstration, if we suppose it to be in the devil’s power to make any sort of external representation at all on the fancy (as without doubt it is, and never any one questioned it who believed there was a devil, that had any agency with mankind;) I say, if so, it is demonstrably evident, that a created power may extend to all kinds of external appearances and ideas in the mind. From hence it again clearly appears, that no such things have any thing in them that is spiritual, supernatural and divine, in the sense in which it has been proved that all truly gracious experiences have. And though external ideas, through man’s make and frame, do ordinarily in some degree attend spiritual experiences, yet these ideas are no part of their spiritual experience, any more than the motion of the blood, and beating of the pulse, that attends experiences, are a part of spiritual experience. And though undoubtedly, through mens infirmity in the present state, and especially through the weak constitution of some persons, gracious affections which are very strong, do excite lively ideas in the imagination; yet it is also undoubted, that when persons’ affections are founded on imaginations, which is often the case, those affections are merely natural and common, because they are built on a foundation that is not spiritual; and so are entirely different from gracious affections, which, as has been proved, do evermore arise from those operations that are spiritual and divine.

These imaginations do oftentimes raise the carnal affections of men to an exceeding great height :f and no wonder, when the

f There is a remarkable passage of Mr. John Smith, in his discourse on the shortness of a pharisaic rijjhteousness, p. 370, 371, of his select discourses, describing that sort of religion which is built on such a foundation as I am here speaking of. I can not forbear tracing the whole of it. Speaking of a sort of Christians, whose life is nothing but a strong energy of fancy, he says,” Lest their religion might too grossly discover itself to be nothing else but a piece of art, there may be sometimes such extraordinary motions stirred up within them, which may prevent all their own thoughts, that they may seem to be a true operation of the divine life; when yet all this is nothing else but the energy of their own self love, touched with some fleshly apprehensions of divine things, and excited by them. There are such things in our christian religion, when a carnal, unhallowed mind takes the chair and gets the expounding of them, may seem very delicious to the fleshly appetites of men; some doctrines and notions of free grace and justification, the magnificent titles of sons of God and heirs of heaven, ever flowing streams of joy and pleasure that blessed souls shall swim in to all eternity, a glorious paradise in the world to come, always springing up with well scented and fragrant beauties, a new Jerusalem paved with gold, and bespangled with stars, comprehending in its vast circuit such numberless varieties, that a busy curiosity may spend itself about to all eternity. I doubt not but that sometimes the most fleshly and earthly men, that fly in their ambition to the pomp of this world, may be so ravished with the conceits of subjects of them have an ignorant, but undoubted persuasion, that they are divine manifestations, which the great Jehovah immediately malies to their souls, therein giving them testimonies in an extraordinary manner, of his high and peculiar favour.

Again, it is evident from what has been observed and proved of the manner in which gracious operations and effects in the

such things as these, that they may seem to be made partakers of the powers of the world to come. I doubt not but that they might be much exalted with them, as the souls of crazed or distracted persons seem to be sometimes, when their fancies play with those quick and nimble spirits, which a distempered frame of body, and unnatural heat in their heads, beget within them. Thus may these blazing comets rise up above the moon, and climb higher than the sun; which yet, because they have no solid consistence of theii! own, and are of a base and earthly alloy, will soon vanish and fall ilown again, being only borne up by an external force. They may seem to themselves to have attained higher than those noble Christians that are gently moved by the natural force of true goodness: They seem to be pletiiores Deo (i. e. more full of God) than those that are really informed and actuated by the divine Spirit, and do move on steadily and constantly in the way towards heaven. As the seed that was sown in stony ground, grew up and lengthened out its blade faster than that which was sown in the good and fruitful soil. And as the motions of our sense, and fancy, and passions, while our souls are in this mortal condition, sunk down deeply into the body, are many times more vigorous, and make stronger impressions upon us than those of the higher powers of the soul which are more subtle and remote from these mixed animal perceptions: that devotion which is there seated, may seem to have more energy and life in it, than that which gently, and with a more delicate kind of touch spreads itself upon the understanding, and from thence mildly derives itself through our wills and affections. But however the former may be more boisterous for a time, yet this is of a more consistent, spermatical and thriving nature. For that proceeding indeed from nothing but a sensual and fleshly apprehension of God and true happiness, is but of a flitting and fading nature; and as the sensible powers and faculties grow more languid, or the sun of divine light shines more brightly upon us, these earthly devotions, like our culinary fires, will abate their heat and fervour. But a true celestial warmth will never be extinguished, because it is of an immortal nature; and being once seated vitally jn the souls of men, it will regulate and order all the motions of it in a due manner, as the natural heat, radicated in the hearts of living creatures, hath the dominion and economy of the whole body under it. True religion is no piece of artifice; it is no boiling up of our imaginative powers, nor the glowing beats of passion; though these are too often mistaken for it, when in our” heart are spiritual, supernatural and divine, that the immediate. suggesting of the words of scripture to the mind has nothing in it yich is spiritual.

I have had occasion to say something of this already; and what has been said may be sufficient to evince it; but if the reader bears in mind what has been said concerning the nature of spiritual influences and effects, it will be more abundantly manifest that this is no spiritual elfect. For I suppose there is no person of common understanding, who will say or imagine that the bringing words (let them be what words they will) to the mind, is an effect of that nature which it is impossible the mind of a natural man, while he remains in a state of nature, should be the subject of, or any thing like it; or that it requires any new divine sense in the soul; or that the bringing sounds or letters to the mind, is an effect of so high, holy and excellent a nature, that it is impossible any created power should be the cause of it.

As the suggesting words of scripture to the mind, is only the exciting in the mind ideas of certain sounds or letters; so it is only one way of exciting ideas in the imagination; for sounds and letters are external things, that are the objects of the external senses of seeing and hearing. Ideas of certain marks upon paper, such as any of the twenty-four letters, in whatever order, or any sounds of the voice, are as much external ideas, as of any other shapes or sounds whatsoever; and therefore, by what has been already said concerning these external ideas, it is evident they are nothing spiritual; and if at any time the Spirit of God suggests these letters or sounds to the mind, this is a common, and not any special or gracious influence of that Spirit. And

juggl’ings in religion we cast a mist before our own e3’es: but it is a new nature, informing the souls of men; itf is a godlike frame of spirit, discovering itself most of all in serene and clear minds, in deep Immility, meekness, self denial, universal love to God and all true goodness, without partiality, and without hypocrisy, whereby we are taught to know God, and knowing him to love him, and conform ourselves as much as may be to al! that perfection which shines in him.

therefore it ibilows from what has been ah’eady proved, that those affections which have this effect for their foundation, are no spiritual or gracious affections. But let it be observed what [ is that I say, viz. when this effect, even the immediate and extraordinary manner of words of scripture, coming to the mind, is that which excites the affections, and is properly the foundation of them, then these affections are not spiritual. It may be so, that persons may have gracious affections going with scriptures which come to their minds, and the Spirit of God may make use of those scriptures to excite them; when it is some spiritual sense, taste or relish they have of the divine and excellent things contained in those scriptures, that is the thing which excites their affections, and not the extraordinary and sudden manner of words being brought to their minds. They are affected with the instruction they receive from the words, and the view of the glorious things of God or Christ, and things appertaining to them, that they contain and teach; and not because the words came suddenly, as though some person had spoken them to them, thence concluding that God did as it were immediately speak to them. Persons oftentimes are exceedingly affected on this foundation; the words of some great and high promises of scripture came suddenly to their minds, and they look upon the words as directed immediately by God to them, as though the words that moment proceeded out of the mouth of God as spoken to them: so that they take it as a voice from God, immediately revealing to them their happy circumstances, and promising such and such great things to them: and this it is that affects and elevates them. There is KO new spiritual understanding of the divine things contained in the scripture, or new spiritual sense of the glorious things taught in that part of the Bible going before their affection, and being the foundation of it. All the new understanding they have, or think they have, to be the foundation of their affection, is this, that the words are spoken to them, because they come so suddenly and extraordinarily. And so this affection is built wholly on the sand! because it is built on a conclusion for which they have no foundation. For, as has been shown, the sudden coming of the words to their minds, is no evidence that the bringing them to their minds in that manner was from God. And if it was true that God brought the w.ords to their minds, and they certainly knew it, that would not be spiritual knowledge; it may be without any spiritual sense. Balaam might know that the words which God suggested to him, were indeed suggested to him by God, and yet have no spiritual knowledge. So that these affections which are built on that notion, that texts of scripture are sent immediately from God, are built on no spiritual foundation, and are vain and delusive. Persons who have their affections thus raised, if they should be inquired of; whether they have any new sense of the excellency of things contained in those scriptures, would probably say, Fes, withous hesitation: but it is true no otherwise than thus, that when they have taken up that notion, that the words are spoken immediately to them that makes them seem sweet to them, and they own the things which these scriptures say to them, for excellent things and wonderful things. As for instance, supposing these were the words which were suddenly brought to their minds, Fear not, it is your Fatherh good pleasure to give you the kingdom; they have confidently taken up a notion that the words were, as it were, immediately spoken from heaven to them, as an immediate revelation that God was their Father, and had given the kingdom to them, they are greatly affected by it, and the words seem sweet to

them; and oh, they say, “they are excellent things that are contained in those words!” But the reason why the promise seems excellent to them, is only because they think it is made to them immediately; all the sense they have of any glory in them, is only from self-love, and from their own imagined interest in the words; not that they had any view or sense of the holy and glorious nature of the kingdom of heaven and the spiritual glory of that God who gives it, and of his excellent grace to sinful men, in offering and giving them this kingdom of his own good pleasure, preceding their imagined interest in these things, and their being affected by them, and being the foundation of their affection, and hope of an interest in them. On the contrary, they first imagine they are interested, and then are highly affected with

15S FIRST SIGN OF

that, and then can own these things to be excellent. So that the sudden and extraordinary way of the scripture’s coming to their mind is plainly the first foundation of the whole; which is a clear evidence of the wretched delusion they are under.

The first comfort of many persons, and what they call their conversion, is after this manner: after awakening and terror, some comfortable sweet promise comes suddenly and wonderfully to their minds; and the manner of its coming makes them conclude it comes from God to them; and this is the very thing that is all the foundation of their faith and hope and comfort: from hence they take their first encouragement to trust in God and in Christ, because they think that God, by some scripture so brought, has now already revealed to them that he loves them, and has already promised them eternal life, which is very absurd; for every one of common knowledge of the principles of religion, knows that it is God’s manner to reveal his love to men, and their interest in the promises, after they have believed, and not before, because they must first believe before they have any interest in the promises to be revealed. The Spirit of God is a Spirit of truth and not of lies: he does not bring scriptures to mens minds to reveal to them that they have an interest in God’s favour and promises when they have none, having not yet believed: which would be the case, if God’s bringing texts of scripture to mens minds to reveal to them that their sins were forgiven, or that it was God’s pleasure to give them the kingdom, or any thing of that nature, went before, and was the foundation of their first faith. No promise of the covenant of grace belongs to any man, until he has first believed in Christ; for it is by faith alone that we become interested in Christ, and the promises of the new covenant made in him: and therefore whatever spirit applies the promises of that covenant to a person who has not first believed, as being already his, must be a lying spirit, and that faith which is first built on such an application of promises, is built upon a lie. God’s manner is not to bring comfortable texts of scripture to give men assurance of his love, and that they shall be happy before they have had a faith of dependence.! And if the scripture which comes to a person’s mind be not so properly a promise as an invitation; yet if he makes the sudden or unusual manner of the invitation’s coming to his mind, the ground on which he

f Mr. Stoddard in his Guide to Christ, p. 8. says, that “sometimes men, after they have been in trouble a while, have some promises come to them, with a great deal of refreshing; and they hope God has accepted them:” And says that, “In this case, the minister may tell them, that God never gives a faith of assurance, before he gives a faith of dependence; for he never manifests his love until men are in a state of favour and reconciliation, which is by faith of dependence. When men have comfortable scriptures come to them, they are apt to take them as tokens of God’s love: but men must be brought into Chrt, by accepting the offer of the gospel, before they are fit for such manifestations. God’s method is, first to make the soul accept of the offers of grace, and then to manifest his good estate unto him.” And p. 76, speaking of them “that seem to be brought to lie at God’s foot, and give an account of their closing with Christ, and that God has revealed Christ to them, and drawn their hearts to him, and they do accept of Christ,” he says,” In this case, it is best to examine whether by that light that was given him, he saw Christ and salvation offered to him, or whether he saw that God loved him, or pardoned him: for the offer of grace and our acceptance goes before pardon, and therefore much more before the knowledge of it.

Mr. Shepard, in his Parable of the Ten Virghis, Part II. p. 15, says, that “Grace and the love of Christ (the fairest colours under the sun) may be pretended; but if you shall receive, under this appearance, that God witnesseth his love, first by an absolute promise, take heed there; for under lliis appearance you may as well bring in immediate revelations, and from thence come to forsake the scriptures.”

And in Part I. p. 86, he says, “Is Christ yours? Yes, I see it. How? By any word or promise? No; this is delusion.” And p. 136, speaking of them that have no solid ground of peace, he reckons, “Those that content themselves with the revelation of the Lord’s love without the sight of any work, or not looking to it.” And says presently after, “The testimony of the Spirit does not make a man more a Christian, but only evidenceth it; as it is the nature of a witness not to make a thing to be true, but to clear and evidence it.” And p. 140. Speaking of them that say they have the witness of the Spirit, that makes a difference between them and hypocrites, he says, “the witness of the Spirit makes not the first difference: for first a man is a believer, and in Christ, and justified, called and sanctified, before the Spirit does witness it; else the Spirit should witness to an untruth and lie.”

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believes that he is invited, it is not true fliith; because it is built on that which is not the true ground of faith. True faith is built on no precarious foundation: but a determination that the words of such a particular text were, by the immediate power of God, suggested to the mind at such a time, as though then spoken and directed by God to him, because the words came after such a manner, is wholly an uncertain and precarious determination, as has been now shown; and therefore is a false and sandy foundation for faith; and accordingly that faith which is built upon it is false. The only certain foundation which any person has to believe that he is invited to partake of the blessings of the gospel, is, that the word of God declares that persons so qualified as he is, are invited, and God who declares it, is true and can not lie. If a sinner be once convinced of the veracity of God, and that the scriptures are his word, he will need no more to convince and satisfy him that he is invited; for the scriptures are full of invitations to sinners, to the chief of sinners, to come and partake of the benefits of the gospel; he will not want any new speaking of God to him; what he hath spoken adready will be enough with him.

As the first comfort of many persons, and their affections at the time of their supposed conversion, are built on such grounds as these which have been mentioned; so are their joys and hopes and other affections, from time to time afterwards. They have often particular words of scripture, sweet declarations and promises suggested to them, which by reason of the manner of their coming, they think are immediately sent from God to them at that time, which they look upon as their warrant to take them, and which they actually make the main ground of their appropriating them to themselves, and of the comfort they take in them, and the confidence they receive from them. Thus they imagine a kind of conversation is carried on between God and them; and that God, from time to time, does as it were, immediately speak to them and satisfy their doubts, and testifies his love to them, and promises them supports and supplies, and his blessing in such and such cases, and reveals to them clearly

GRACIOUS AFFECTIONS. 16t

their interest in eternal blessings. And thus they are often elevated, and have a course of a sudden and tumultuous kind of joys, mingled with a strong confidence and high opinion of themselves; when indeed the main ground of these joys and this confidence, is not any thing contained in, or taught by these scriptures, as they lie in the Bible, but the manner of their coming to them; which is a certain evidence of their delusion. There is no particular promise in the word of God that is the saint’s, or is any otherwise made to him, or spoken to him, than all the promises of the covenant of grace are his, and are made to him and spoken to him;t though it be true that some of these promises may be more particularly adapted to his case than others, and God by his Spirit may enable him better to understand some than others, and to have a greater sense of the preciousness and glory, and suitableness of the blessings contained in them.

But here some may be ready to say. What! is there no such thing as any particular spiritual application of the promises of scripture by the Spirit of God? I answer, there is doubtless such a thing as a spiritual and saving application of the invitations and promises of scripture to the souls of men; but it is also certain that the nature of it is wholly misunderstood by m’any persons, to the great ensnaring of their own souls, and the giving Satan a vast advantage against them, and against the interest of religion and the church of God. The spiritual application of a scripture promise does not consist in its being immediately suggested to the

■j-Mr. Shepard, in his Sound Believer, p. 159, of the late impression at IJoston, says, “Embrace in thy bosom not only some few promises, but all.” And then he asks the question, “When may a Christian take a promise without presumption, as spoken to him?” He answers, “The rule is very sweet, but certain — when he takes all the scripture, and embraces it as spoken unto him, he may then take any particular jjromise boldly. My meaning is, when a Christian takes hold and wrestles with God lor the accomplishment of all the promises of the New Testament, when he sets all the commands before him, as a compass and guide to walk after, when he apphes all the threatenings to drive him nearer unto Christ, the end of them. This no hypocrite can do: this the saints shall do: and by this they may know when the Lord speaks in particular unto them.”

thoughts by some extrinsic agent, and being borne into the mind with this strong apprehension, that it is particularly spoken and directed to them at that time; there is nothing of the evidence of the hand of God in this effect, as events have proved, in many notorious instances; and it is a mean notion of a spiritual application of scripture; there is nothing in the nature of it at all beyond the power of the devil, if he be not restrained by God; for there is nothing in the nature of the effect that is spiritual, implying any vital communication of God. A truly spiritual application of the word of God is of a vastly higher nature; as much above the devil’s power, as it is so to apply the word of God to a dead corpse, as to raise it to life; or to a stone, to turn it into an angel. A spiritual application of the word of God consists in applying it to the heart, in spiritually enlightening, sanctifying influences. A spiritual application of an invitation or offer of the gospel consists, in giving the soul a spiritual sense or relish of the holy and divine blessings offered, and also the sweet and wonderful grace of the offerer, in making so gracious an offer, and of his holy excellency and faithfulness to fulfd what he offers, and his glorious sufficiency for it; so leading and drawing forth the heart to embrace the offer; and thus giving the man evidence of his title to the thing offered. And so a spiritual application of the promises of scripture for the comfort of the saints, consists in enlightening their minds to see the holy excellency and sweetness of the blessings promised, and also the holy excellency of the promiser, and his faithfulness and sufficiency; thus drawing forth their hearts to embrace the promiser and thing promised; and by this means giving the sensible actings of grace, enabling them to see their grace, and so their title to the promise. An application not consisting in this divine sense and enlightening of the mind, but consisting only in the word’s being born into the thoughts, as if immediately then spoken, so making persons bejieve on no other foundation, that the promise is theirs, is a blind application, and belongs to the spirit of darkness, and not of light.

When persons have their affections raised after this manner, those affections are really not raised by the word of God; the scripture Is not the foundation of them; it is not any tiling contained in those scriptures which come to their minds, that raise their affections; but truly that effect, viz. the strange manner of the Avord’s being suggested to their minds, and a proposition from thence taken up by them, which indeed is not contained in that scripture nor any other, as that his sins are forgiven him, or that it is the Father’s good pleasure to give him in particular the kingdom, or the like. There are propositions to be found in the Bible, declaring that persons of such and such qualifications are forgiven and beloved of God: but there are no propositions to be found in the Bible, declaring that such and such particular persons, independent on any previous knowledge of any qualifications, are forgiven and beloved of God: and, therefore, when any person is comforted, and affected by any such proposition, it is by another word, a word newly coined, and not any word of God contained in the Bible. f And thus many persons are vainly affected and deluded.

Again; it plainly appears from what has been demonstrated, that no revelation of secret facts by immediate suggestion is any thing spiritual and divine in that sense wherein gracious effects and operations are so.

By secret facts I mean things that have been done or are come to pass, or shall hereafter come to pass, which are secret in that sense that they do not appear to the senses, nor are known by any argumentation, or any evidence to reason, nor any other way,

f “Some Christians have rested with a work without Christ, which is abominable: but after a man is in Christ, not to judge by the work, is first not to judge from a word. For though there is a word which may give a man a dependence on Christ, without feeling any work, nay, when he feels none, as absolute promises; yet no word giving assurance, but that which is made to some work, he that believeth, or is poor in spirit, &c. until that work is seen, has no assurance from that promise.” Shepard’s Parable of the Te?i Viri7i», Part I. p. 86.

“If God should tell a saint that he has grace, he might know it by believing the word of God: but it is not in this way that godly men do know that they have grace: it is not revealed in the word, and the Spirit of God doth not testify it to particular persons” StmldnrrVs .XnUirp of Saving Coit- ■•frsion, p. 84, 8.5, but only by that revelation by immediate suggestion of the ideas of them to the mind. Thus, for instance, if it should be revealed to me that the next year this land would be invaded by a fleet from France, or that such and such persons would then be converted, or that I myself should then be converted, not by enabling me to argue out these events from any thing which now appears in providence, but immediately suggesting and bearing in upon my mind, in an extraordinary manner, the apprehension or ideas of these facts, with a strong suggestion or impression on my mind, that I had no hand in myself, that these things would come to pass: or if it should be revealed to me, that this day there is a battle fought between the armies of such and such powers in Europe; or that such a prince in Europe was this day converted, or is now in a converted state, having been converted formerly, or that one of my neighbours is converted, or that I myself am converted; not by having any other evidence of any of these facts from whence I argue them, but an immediate extraordinary suggestion or excitation of these ideas, and a strong impression of them upon my mind: this is a revelation of secret facts by immediate suggestion as much as if the facts were future; for the facts being past, present, or future, alters not the case, as long as they are secret and hidden from my senses and reason, and not spoken of in scripture, nor known by me any other way than by immediate suggestion. If I have it revealed to me that such a revolution is come to pass this day in the Ottoman empire, it is the very same sort of revelation as if it were revealed to me that such a revolution would come to pass there this day come twelvemonth; because, though one is present and the other future, y.et both are equally hidden from me, any other way than by immediate revelation. When Samuel told Saul that the asses which he went to seek were found, and that his father had left caring for the asses and sorrowed for him, this was by the same kind of revelation as that by which he told Saul that in the plain of Tabor there should meet him three men going up to God to Bethel, (1 Sam. X. 2, 3.) though one of these things was future, and the other was not. So when Elisha told the king of Israel the words that the king of Syria spake in his bed chamber, it was by the same kind of revelation with that by which he foretold many things to come.

It is evident that this revelation of secret facts by immediate suggestions, has nothing of the nature of a spiritual and divine operation in the sense forementioned; there is nothing at all in the nature of the perceptions or ideas themselves, which are excited in the mind, that is divinely excellent, and so far above all the ideas of natural men, though the manner of exciting the ideas be extraordinary. In those things which are spiritual, as has been shown, not only the manner of producing the effect, but the effect wrought is divine, and so vastly above all that can be in an unsanctified mind. Now simply the having an idea of facts, setting aside the manner of producing those ideas, is nothing beyond what the minds of wicked men are susceptible of, without any goodness in them; and they all, either have or will have, the knowledge of the truth of the greatest and most important facts that have been, are, or shall be.

And as to the extraordinaiy manner of producing the ideas or perception of facts, even by immediate suggestion, there is nothing in it but what the minds of natural men, while they are yet natural men, are capable of; as is manifest in Balaam, and others spoken of in the scripture. And therefore it appears that there is nothing appertaining to this immediate suggestion of secret facts that is spiritual, in the sense in which it has been proved that gracious operations are so. If there be nothing in the ideas themselves which is holy and divine, and so nothing but what may be in a mind not sanctified, then God can put them into the mind by immediate power, without sanctifying it. As there is nothing in the idea of a rainbow itself that is of a holy and divine nature; so that nothing hinders but that an unsanctified mind may receive that idea; so God, if he pleases, and when he pleases, immediately and in an extraordinary manner, may excite that idea in an unsanctified mind. So also, as there is nothing in the idea or knowledge that such and such particular persons are forgiven and accepted of God, and entitled to heaven, but what unsanctified minds may have and will have concerning many at the day of judgment; so God can, if he pleases, extraordinarily and immediately suggest this to and impress it upon an unsanctified mind now: there is no principle wanting in an unsanctified mind to make it capable of such a suggestion or impression, nor is there any thing in it to exclude, or necessarily to prevent such a suggestion.

And if these suggestions of secret facts be attended with texts of scripture, immediately and extraordinarily brought to mind, about some other facts that seem in some respects similar, that does not make the operation to be of a spiritual and divine nature. For that suggestion of words of scripture is no more divine than the suggestion of the facts themselves; as has been just now demonstrated: and two effects together, which are neither of them spiritual, can not make up one complex effect that is spiritual.

Hence it follows, from what has been already shown, and often repeated, that those affections which are properly founded on such immediate suggestions or supposed suggestions of secret facts, are not gracious affections. Not but that it is possible that such suggestions may be the occasion or accidental cause of gracious affections; for so may a mistake and delusion; but it is never properly the foundation of gracious affections: for gracious affections, as has been shown, are all the effects of an influence and operation which is spiritual, supernatural and divine. But there are many affections, and high affections, which some have, that have such kind of suggestions or revelations for their very foundation: they look upon these as spiritual discoveries, which is a gross delusion, and this delusion is truly the spring whence their affections flow.

Here it may be proper to observe, that it is exceedingly manifest from what has been said, that what many persons call the witness of the Spirit, that they are the children of God, has nothing in it spiritual and divine; and consequently that the affections built upon it are vain and delusive. That which many call the witness of the Spirit, is no other than an immediate suggestion and impression of that fact, otherwise secret, that they are converted, or made the children of God, and so that their sins are pardoned, and that God has given them a title to heaven. This kind of knowledge, viz. knowing that a certain person is converted, and delivered from hell, and entitled to heaven, is no divine sort of knowledge in itself This sort of fact is not that which requires any higher or more divine kind of suggestion, in order to imjDress it on their mind, than any other fact which Balaam had impressed on his mind. It requires no higher sort of idea or sensation for a man to have the apprehension of his own conversion impressed upon him, than to have the apprehension of his neighbour’s conversion, in like manner impressed: but God, if he pleased, might impress the knowledge of this fact, that he had forgiven his neighbour’s sins, and given him a title to heaven, as well as any other fact, without any communication of his holiness: the excellency and importance of the fact do not at all hinder a natural man’s mind being susceptible of an immediate suggestion and impression of it. Balaam had as excellent, important and glorious facts as this, immediately impressed on his mind, without any gracious influence; as, particularly, the coming of Christ, and his setting up his glorious kindgom, and the blessedness of the spiritual Israel in his peculiar favour, and their happiness living and dying. Yea, Abimelech, king of the Philistines, had God’s special favour to a particular person, even Abraham, revealed to him. Gen. xx. G, 7. So it seems that he revealed to Laban his special favour to Jacob, see Gen. xxxi. 24, and Psal. cv. 15. And if a truly good man should have an immediate revelation or suggestion from God, after the like manner, concerning his favour to his neighbour or himself, it would be no higher kind of influence; it would be no more than a common sort of influence of God’s Spirit, as the gift of prophecy and all revelation by immediate suggestion is; see 1 Cor. xiii. 2. And though it be true that it is not possible that a natural man should have that individual suggestion from the Spirit of God that he is converted, because it is not true; yet that does not arise from the nature of the influence, or because that kind of influence which suggests such excellent facts, is too high for him to be the subject of; but purely from the defect of a fact to be revealed. The influence which immediately suggests this fact, when it is true, is of no different kind from that which immediately suggests other true fact«: and so the kind and nature of the influences is not above what is common to natural men, with good men.

But this is a mean, ignoble notion of the witness of the Spirit of God given to his dear children, to suppose that there is nothing in the kind and nature of that influence of the Spirit of God, in imparting this high and glorious benefit, but what is common to natural men, or which men are capable of, and be in the mean time altogether unsanctified and the children of hell; and that therefore the benefit or gift itself has nothing of the holy nature of the Spirit of God in it, nothing of a vital communication of Spirit. This notion greatly debases that high rud most exalted kind of influence and operation of the Spirit, which there is in the true witness of the Spirit.f That which is called the witness of the Spirit, Rom. viii. is elsewhere in the New Testament called the seal of the Spirit, 2 Cor. i. 22, Eph. i. 13, and iv. 13, alluding to the seal of princes annexed to the instrument by which they advanced any of their subjects to some high honour and dignity, or peculiar privilege in the kingdom, as atokenof their special favour. Which is an evidence that the influence of the Spif The late venerable Stoddard, in his younger time, falling in with the opinion of some others, received this notion of the witness of the Spirit, by way of immediate suggestion; but in the latter part of his life, when he had more thoroughly weighed things, and had more experience, he entirely rejected it, as appears by his treatise of the nature of saving conversion, p. 84. “The Spirit of God doth not testify to particular persons that they are godly. — Some think that the Spirit of God doth testify it to some; and they ground it on Rom. viii. 16, The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.’ They think the Spirit reveals it by giving an inward testimony to it; and some godly men think they have had experience of it: but they may easily mistake; when the Spirit of God doth eminently stir up a spirit of faith, and shed abroad the love of God in the heart, it is easy to mistake it for a testimony. And that is not the meaning of Paul’s words. The Spirit reveals things to us by opening our eyes to see what is revealed in the word; but the Spirit doth not reveal new truths, not revealed in the word. The Spirit discovers the grace of God in Christ, and therefore draws forth special actings of faith and love, which are evidential; but it doth not work in way of testimony. If God do but help us to receive the revelations in the word, we shall have comfort enough without new revelations.”

rit of the Prince of princes, in sealing his favourites, is far from being of a common kind; and that there is no efiect of God’s Spirit whatsoever, which is in its nature more divine; nothing more holy, peculiar, inimitable, and distinguishing of divinity. As nothing is more royal than the royal seal; nothing more sacred that belongs to a prince, and more peculiarly denoting what belongs to him; it being the veiy end and design of it to be the most peculiar stamp and confirmation of the royal authority, and great note of distinction, whereby that which proceeds from the king, or belongs to him, may be known from every thing else. And therefore undoubtedly the seal of the great King of heaven and earth enstamped on the heart, is something high and holy in its own nature, some excellent communication from the infinite fountain of divine beauty and glory; not merely a making known a secret fact by revelation or suggestion; which is a sort of influence of the Spirit of God, that the children of the devil have often been the subjects of. The seal of the Spirit is a kind of effect of the Spirit of God on the heart, which natural men, while such, arc so far from a capacity of being the subjects of, that they can have no manner of notion or idea of it; agreeably to Rev. ii. 17: “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth, saving he that receiveth it.” There is all reason to suppose that what is here spoken of, is the same mark, evidence, or blessed token of special favour, which is elsewhere called the seal of the Spirit.

What has misled many in their notion of that influence of the Spirit of God we are speaking of, is the word loitness, its being called the witness of the Spirit. Hence they have taken it, not to be aiy effect or work of the Spirit upon the heart, giving evidence from whence men may argue that they are the children of God; but an inward immediate suggestion, as though God inwardly spoke to the man, and testified to him, and told him that he was his child by a kind of a secret voice or impression: not observing the manner in which the word, witness or testimony, is often used in the New Testament, v.^here such terms often signify, not only a mere declaring and asserting a thing to be true, but holding forth evidence from whence a thing maj’ be argued, and proved to be true. Thus Heb. ii. 4. “God is said to bear witness, with signs and wonders, and divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost.” Now these miracles, here spoken of, are called God’s witness, not because they are of the nature of assertions, but evidences and proofs. So Acts xiv. 3. “Long time therefore abode they speaking boldly in the Lord, which gave testimony unto the word of his grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands.” And John v. 36. “But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me that the Father hath sent me.” Again, chap. x. 25. “The jik works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me.” So the water and the blood are said to bear witness, 1 John, v. 8, not that they spoke or asserted any thing, but they were proofs and evidences. So God’s works of providence, in the rain and finiitful seasons, are spoken of as witnesses of God’s being and goodness, i. e. they are evidences of these things. And when the scripture speaks of the seal of the Spirit, it is an expression which properly denotes, not an immediate voice or suggestion, but some work or effect of the Spirit, that is left as a divine mark upon the soul, to be an evidence by which God’s children might be known. The seals of princes were the distinguishing marks of princes: and thus God’s seal is spoken of as God’s mark. Rev. vii. 3. “Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads;” together with Ezek. ix. 4. “Set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that are done in the midst thereof.” When God sets his seal on a man’s heart by his Spirit, there is some holy stamp, some image impressed and left upon the heart by the Spirit, as by the seal upon the wax. And ’ this holy stamp, or impressed image, exhibiting clear evidence to the conscience, that the subject of it is the child of God, is the very thing which in scripture is called the seal of the Spirit, and the witness or evidence of the Spirit. And this image enstamped by the Spirit on God’s children’s hearts, is his own image; that is the evidence by which they are known to be God’s children, that they have the image of their Father stamped upon their hearts by the Spirit of adoption. Seals anciently had engraven on them two things, viz. the image and the name of the person whose seal it was. Therefore when Christ says to his spouse, Cant. viii. 6. “Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm;” it is as much as to say let my name and image remain impressed there. The seals of princes were wont to bear their image, so that what they set their seal and royal mark upon, had their image left on it. It was the manner of princes of old to have their image engraven on their jewels and precious stones; and the image of Augustus engraven on a precious stone, was used as the seal of the Roman

emperors, in Christ’s and the apostles’ times. t And the saints are the jewels of Jesus Christ, the great potentate, who has the possession of the empire of the universe; and these jewels have his image enstamped upon them, by his royal signet, which is the Holy Spirit. And this is undoubtedly what the scripture means by the seal of the Spirit; especially when it is stamped in so fair and clear a manner, as to be plain to the eye of conscience; which is what the scripture calls our spirit. This is truly an effect that is spiritual, supernatural, and divine. This is in itself of a holy nature, being a communication of the divine nature and beauty. That kind of influence of the Spirit which gives and leaves this stamp upon the heart, is such that no natural man can be the subject of any thing of the like nature with it. This is the highest sort of witness of the Spirit, which it is possible the soul should be the subject of. If there were any such thing as a witness of the Spirit by immediate suggestion or revelation, this would be vastly more noble and excellent, and as much above it as the heaven is above the earth. This the devil cannot imitate; as to an inward suggestion of the Spirit of God, by a kind of secret voice speaking, and immediately asserting and revealing a fact, he can do that which is a thousand times so like to this, as he can to that holy and dif See Cliambcr’s Dictionaiy, under the word r.xGRtviM;.

vihe effect, or work of the Spirit of God, which has now been spoken of.f

I Mr. Shepard is abundant in militating against the notion of mens know* ing their good estate by an immediate witness of the Spirit, without judging by any effect or work of the Spirit wrought on the heart, as an evidence and proof that persons are the children of God. Parab, P. I. p. 134; “Knowing your election of God? How so? Immediately? Some divines think angels see it not so, and that it is peculiar to God so to do; but mediately; for our word came in power and in much assurance, to make you enlarged for God, to turn you from idols unto God, &c.” — Again, in the same page, “It is heaven to cleave to him in every command; it is death to depart from any command. Hereby know we that we are in him. If it were possible to ask of the angels, how they know they are not devils? they would answer, The Lord’s will is ours. So here, how do you know that you have not the nature of devils, and so in a state of devils, bound there until the judgment of the great day? because God hath changed our vile natures, and made our wills like unto his glorious will.” And p. 135, “The major is the word, the minor experience, and the conclusion the Lord’s Spirit’s work quickening your spirits to it. Now, say some, how do you know this? Thus you may be mistaken; for many have been deceived thus. Grant that; and shall a child not take bread when it is given to him, though dogs snatch at it? And p. 137, If you look to a spirit without a work whilst you do seek consolation, you can not avoid the conderrination of the word. You say the Spirit has spoken peace to you; but do you love Christ? I look not to that, but to the Spirit. Why the word saith,” He that loves him not, let him be Anathema.” So is the league between your sins and your souls broken? Ans. I look not to that. Why John saith, “he that committeth sin is of the devil.” Are you new creatures? I look not to that. Why the Word saith, “unless you be born again you can not enter into the kingdom of God.” Page 176, 177,” A man saith, I have Christ; and so hath not they. I ask, where is the Spirit? You have the deed; where is the seal? You have the testator; where is the executor? the spirit in you? Yes, I have it; it has witnessed Christ is mine. Ans. It has witnessed, but what has it wrought? where is the power of his death, killing thy lusts? where is the life of the Spirit of Jesus in you, where is the oil in your vessel? Truly I look for the Bridegroom; but I regard not that; neither are others to regard it in way of evidence. Then I say the chief evidence is destroyed in the churches. I have known many that have had assurances; yet never saw them prove right, until it witnessed this was here. What should be the cause of this, and that men should make blusters in the churches because of this, as though it was building on works? In several men they are several. 1. An aptness to out run the truth and fall from one extreme to another. 2. The apostacy of eminent professors, who have been deceived in their evidencing thus. 3. Corrupt experience

Another thing which is a full proof that the seal of the Spirit is no revelation of any fact by immediate suggestion, but is grace itself in the soul, is, that the seal of the Spirit is called in the scripture, the earnest of the Spirit. It is very plain that the seal

4. A heart that never felt the bitterness and bondage of sin as the greatest evil.” Page 215, 216, “The peace, and joy, and assurance of that glory, which eye never saw, in the saints, it is from the witness of the Spirit of glory; not only because thai God is their God, but because Ihey are his people. It is, 1 say, from the witness of God in his word; not from themselves, nor from man only, that they approve me; nor from dreams and diabolical breathings; but from the Spirit of God; he brings tidings of it; and from such a spirit (that you may know it) that not only shows you God is your God, and so you rejoice because “of this, for thus it is with many a carnal heart, and he hath peace, being in horror, from this, the Lord loves me: but he makes you to rejoice because you are the Lord’s people, because he hath changed your heart, now the peace is found, and joy is right: and here I would try the peace of any man.” Part II. p. 168, 169, “All the heirs of the promises, as heirs that have legacies left them, they go to the will of the deceased father; and that comforts, that they hold to, that is sure such a one will have it, if his name be there. IJut if one shall say, such a one hath promised me such lands: Is it in his will? No: but since he died, as 1 was taking a pipe, he came to me. O be not deceived!”

Again, in his Sound Rehever, there is a long discourse of sanctification as the chief evidence of justification, from p. 221, for many pages following, I shall transcribe but a very small part of it.

“Tell me how you will know that you are justified. You will say, by the testimony of the Spirit. And can not the same Spirit shine upon your graces, and witness that you are sanctified, as well? 1 John iv. 13, 24. 1 Cor. ii. 12. Can the Spirit make the one clear to you and not the other? Ojbeloved, it is a sad thing to hear such questions, and such cold answers also, that sanctification possibly may be an evidence. May be! is it not certain? Assuredly to deny it is as bad as to affirm that God’s own promi.ses of favour are not true evidences thereof, and consequently that they are lies and untruths.”

Mr. Flavel also much opposes this notion of the witness of the S[)irit by immediate revelation. Sacramental Meditations, Med. 4, speaking of the sealing of the Spirit, he says, “In sealing the believer he does not make use of an audible voice, nor the ministry of angels, nor immediate and extraordinary revelations; but he makes use of his own Sfraces implanted in our* hearts, and his own pi-omises, written in the scrijiturc: and in this method, he usually brings the doubting, trembling heart ofabchcverto rest and comfoi’t.” Again, ibid.” Assurance is j)roduced in our souls by the reflective acts of faith; the Spirit helps us to reflect upon what has been done

y of the Spirit is the same thing with the earnest of the Spirit by 2 Cor. i. 22. “Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts;” and Eph. i. 13, 14, “In whom, after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased possession unto the praise of his glory.” Now the earnest is part of the money agreed for, given in hand, as a token of the whole, to be paid in due time; a part of the promised inheritance granted now, in token of full possession of the whole hereafter. But surely that kind of communication of the Spirit of God, which is of the nature of eternal glory, is the highest and most excellent kind of communication, something that is in its own nature spiritual, holy and divine, and far from any thing that is common: and, therefore, high above any thing of the nature of inspiration, or revelation of hidden facts by sugby him formerly upon our hearts; hereby we know that we know him, 1 John ii. 3. To know that we know is a reflect act. Now it is impossible there should be a reflex, before there hath been“a direct act. No man can have the evidence of his faith before the habit is infused and the vital act performed. The object matter, to wJiich the Spirit seals, is his own sanctifying operation.” Afterwards, ibid, he says, “immediate ways of the Spirit’s sealing are ceased. Mo man may now expect, by any new revelation or sign from heaven, by any voice or extraordinary inspiration, to have his salvation sealed; but must expect that mercy in God’s ordinary way and method, searching the scriptures, examining our own hearts, and waiting on the Lord in prayer. The learned Gerson gives an instance of one that had been long upon the borders of despair, and at last sweetly assured and settled: he answered A’aii ex nova aliqxia revelatione; not by any new revelation, but by subjecting my understanding to, and comparing my heart with the written word. And Mr. Roberts, in his Treatise of the Covenants, speaks of another that so vehemently panted after the sealings and assurance of the love of God to his soul, that for a long time he” earnestly desired some voice from heaven; and sometimes, walking in the solitary fields, earnestly desired some miraculous voice from the trees or stones there. This was denied him; but, in time, a better was afforded, in a scriptural way. Again, ibid. “This method of sealing is beyond all other methods in the world. For in miraculous voices and inspirations, it is possible there may subesse falsum, be found some cheat or impostures of the devil: but the Spirit’s witness in the heart, suitable to the revelation of the scripture, can not deceive us,”

“•estion of the Spirit of God, which many natural men have had. What is the earnest and hcgianing of glory but grace itself, especially in the more lively and clear exercises of it? It is not prophecy, nor tongues, nor knowledge, but that more excellent divine thing, “charity that never faileth,” which is a prelibation and beginning of the light, sweetness and blessedness of heaven, that world of love or charity. It is grace that is the seed of glory and dawning of glory in the heart, and therefore it is grace that is the earnest of the future inheritance. What is it that is the beginning or earnest of eternal life in the soul, but spiritual life; and what is that but grace? The inheritance that Christ has purchased for the elect, is the Spirit of God; not in any extraordinary gifts, but in his vital indwelling in the heart, exerting and communicating himself there, in his own proper, holy, or divine nature; and this is the sum total of the inheritance that Christ purchased for the elect. For so are things constituted in the affair of our redemption, that the Father provides the Saviour or purchaser, and the purchase is made of him; and the Son is the purchaser and the price; and the Holy Spirit is the great blessing or inheritance purchased, as is intimated, Gal. iii. 13, 14, and hence the Spirit often is spoken of as the sum of the blessings promised in the gospel, Luke xxiv. 49, Acts i, 4, and chap, ii. 38, 39, Gal. iii. 14, Eph, i, 13. This inheritance was the grand legacy which Christ left his disciples and church, in his last will and testament, John, chap. xiv. xv. xvi. This is the sum of the blessings of eternal life, which shall be given in heaven. (Compare John vii. 37, 38, 39, and John iv. 14, with Rev. xxi. 6, and xxii. 1,17.) It is through the vital communications and indwelling of the Spirit that the saints have all their light, life, holiness, beauty, and joy in heaven; and it is through the vital communications and indwelling of the same Spirit that the saints have all light, life, holiness, beauty and comfort on earth; but only communicated in less measure. And this vital indwelling of the Spirit in the saints, in this* less measure and small beginning, is “the earnest of the Spirit, the earnest of the future inheritance, and the first fruits of the Spirit,” as the apostle calls no FIRST SIGN OF

it, Roni. viii, 22, where, by “the first fruits of the Spirit,” the apostle undoubtedly means the same vital, gracious principle that he speaks of in all the preceding part of the chapter, which he calls Spirit, and sets in opposition to ilesh or corruption. Therefore this earnest of the Spirit, and first fruits of the Spirit, which has been shown to be the same with the seal of the Spirit, is the vital, gracious, sanctifying communication and influence of the Spirit, and not any immediate suggestion or revelation of facts by the Spirit.!

And indeed the apostle, when in that, Rom. viii. 16, be speaks of the Spirit’s bearing witness with our spirit that we are the children of God, does sufficiently explain himself, if his words were but attended to. What is here exjiressed is connected with the two preceding verses, as resulting from what the apostle had said there, as every reader may see. The three verses together arc thus, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they arc the sons of God: For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry, Abba Father: The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirits that we are the children of God.” Here, what the apostle says, if we take it together, plainly shows that what he has respect to, when he speaks of the Spirit’s giving us witness or evidence that we are God’s children, is his dwelling in us, and leading us, as a sgirit of adoption, or spirit of a child, disposing us to behave towards God as to a Father. This is the witness or evidence which the apostle speaks of that we are children, that we have the spirit of children, or spirit of adoption. And what is that but the spirit of love? There are two kinds of spirits the apostle speaks of, the spirit of a slave, or the spirit of bondage,

f “After a man is in Christ, not to judge by the work, is not to judge by the Spirit. For the apostle makes the earnest of the Spirit to be the seal. — Now earnest is part of the money bargained for; the beginning of heaven, of the light and life of it. He that sees not that the Lord is his by that, sees no God of his at all. Oh, therefore,, do not look for a Spirit without a word to reveal, nor a word to reveal without seeing and feeling of some work first. 1 thank the Lord I do but pity those that think otherwise. If a sheep of Christ, O wonder not.” SfiepanPs Far. P. L p. 26.

that is fear; and the spirit of a child, or spirit of adoption, and that is love. The apostle sajs, we have not received the spirit of bondage, or of slaves, which is a spirit of fear; but we have received the more ingenuous noble spirit of children, a spirit of love, which naturaliv disposes us to go to God as children to a father, and behave towards God as children. And this is the evidence or witness which the Spirit of God gives us that we are his children. This is the plain sense of the apostle; and so, undoubtedly, he here is speaking of the very same way of casting out doubting and fear and the spirit of bondage, which the apostle John speaks of, 1 John iv. 18, viz. by the prevailing of love, that is the spirit of a child. The spirit of bondage works by fear, the slave fears the rod: but love cries, Abba Father; it disposes us to go to God, and behave ourselves towards God as children; and it gives us clear evidence of our union to God as his children, and so casts out fear. So that it appears that the witness of the Spirit the apostle speaks of, is far from being any whisper, or immediate suggestion or revelation; but that gracious holy effect of the Spirit of God in the hearts of the saints, the disposition and temper of children, appearing in sweet childlike love to God, which casts out fear, or a spirit of a slave.

And the same thing is evident from all the context: it is plain the apostle speaks of the Spirit, over and over again, as dwelling in the hearts of the saints, as a gracious principle, set in opposition to the flesh or corruption: and so he does in the words that immediately introduce this passage we are upon, ver. 13;” For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye, through the Spirit, do mortify the deeds of the flesh, ye shall live.

Indeed it is past doubt with me, that the apostle has a more special respect to the spirit of grace, or the spirit of love, or spirit of a child, in its more lively actings; for it is perfect love, or strong love only, which so witnesses or evidences that we arc children, as to cast out fear, and wholly deliver from the spirit of bondage. The strong and lively exercises of a spirit of childlike, evangelical, humble love to God, give clear evidence of the soul’s relation to God as his child, which does very greatly and directly satisfy the soul. And though it be far from being true, that the soul, in this case, judges only by an immediate witness, without any sign or evidence; for it judges and is assured by the greatest sign and clearest evidence; yet in this case the saint stands in no need of multiplied signs, or any long reasoning upon them. And though the sight of his relative union with God, and his being in his favour, is not without a medium, because he sees it by that medium, viz, his love; yet his sight of the union of his heart to God is immediate. Love, the bond of union, is seen intuitively: the saint sees and feels plainly the union between his soul and God; it is so strong and lively that he can not doubt of it. And hence he is assured that he is a child. How can he doubt whether he stands in a childlike relation to God, when he plainly sees a childlike union between God and his soul, and hence does boldly, and as it were naturally and necessarily cry, Abba Father?

And whereas the apostle says, the Spirit bears witness with our spirits; by our spirit here, is meant our conscience, which is called the spirit of man, Prov. xx. 27; “The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly.” We elsewhere read of the witness of this spirit of ours, 2 Cor. i. 12; “For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience.” And 1 John iii. 19, 20, 21; “And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence towards God.” When the apostle Paul speaks of the Spirit of God bearing witness with our spirit, he is not to be understood of two spirits that are two separate, collateral, independent witnesses; but it is by one that we receive the witness of the other. The Spirit of God gives the evidence by infusing and shedding abroad the love of God, the spirit of a child in the heart, and our spirit, or our conscience, receives and declares this evidence for our rejoicing.

Many have been the mischiefs that have arisen from that false and delusive notion of the witness of the Spirit, that it is a kind o[ inward voice, suggestion, or declaration from God to man, that he is beloved of him, and pardoned, elected, or the like, sometimes with, and sometimes without a text of scripture; and many have been the false and vain (though very high) affections that have arisen from hence. And it is to be feared that multitudes of souls have been eternally undone by it. I have therefore insisted the longer on this head. But I proceed now to a second characteristic of gracious affections.