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fects have been produced. As far therefore as a fanc tifying change in the hearts and lives of men has been effected, fo far muft we acknowledge this to be a work of God: and a display of the divine power of our blessed Saviour. The miracles of divine grace, which might be wrought by Judas, were as bright a difcovery of the Redeemer's power and goodness, as thofe were which were wrought by the other apofiles.

But you tell me, that' many of these new converts • pretend to mighty experiences of divine impulfes, rap. tures, extafies, and the like: but fhew forth no mo ral virtues, nor true love either to God or man.' Well, Sir, what follows from this? Are there not many others, who make no pretenfion to fuch mighty experiences of divine impulfes, raptures, &c. that do fhew forth all moral virtues; and have a true love both to God and man? Is it a good argument, that because there are fome mere enthufiafts, who pretend to fuch experiences which the fcriptures do not make the character oftiue Christians, therefore they are all mere enthufiafts, even who pretend to fuch experience as the fcriptures do make the character of all true Chriftians? What is Chriftianity concerned with the extafies and heats of fuch men as you speak of? Where are thefe extatical heats defcribed in the Gospel, as the marks of the children of God? Be their experiences allowed to be according to their pretences, what follows from thence, but that if they have no moral virtues, these men's religion is vain, it is all enthufiaftical, unfcriptural, and without any foundation? But then on the other hand, the experiences which I have before defcribed, are fuch as the fcriptures do make the marks and characters of the children of God: and many there are that make no pretences to divine impulfes, raptures, or extafies, who profefs to have had thefe experiences, and juftify their profeflion, by living in the love both of God and man. Now, I pray, how are fuch concerned in the enthufiafm of which you complain? Do not the experiences of thefe witnefs for them, as much as the experiences of the others witness against them? Here is a vifible and effectual change wrought in them, (just fuch a change as the fcriptures describe) by which

they are brought into a conformity to the divine nature, and live worthy their profeffion and character. Chrift has promised the fanctification of the fpirit to his people, who depend upon him for it: and what greater evidence can there be of the faithfulness of the promife, than to fee and feel its accomplishment?

But you further observe, that the demeanor of ma"ny of these pretenders to religious experiences, is directly contrary to that morality, beneficence, and charity, which are the ornament and glory of human na❝ture.' And is not this a strong confirmation of my argument? I appeal to you yourself, Sir, whether you be not acquainted with many others, that pretend to the religious experiences which I bave defcribed, who are the brightest patterns of thofe graces and virtues which are the ornament and glory of human nature. Here then is a plain and visible criterion, by which it may be known whofe experiences are, and whose are not, from the Spirit of God.

They are (you fay) indeed converted, but it is to ' pride and vanity, to self-esteem and self-applause.' But are there not many others, who are converted to deep humility, felf-loathing, and felf condemning?

They are changed (you fay) but it is to bitterness, ' reviling, cenfuring, and judging their neighbours who are much better than they. I allow this charge to be agreeable to their pretended experiences; but then, don't you fee (bleffed be God, I am fure I have feen) many others changed to meeknefs, kindness, and love, and brought to esteem others much better than themselves?

Their boasted experiences (you add) only animate 'them to divifions, factions, and feparations.' But is this the cafe of all, who make a profeffion of religious experiences? No; we have caufe to be thankful, the cafe is quite otherwise.

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They are (you fay) often elated with rapturous joys and exults, which feem to be the product of nothing but felf-esteem, and an irregular heated imagination." Here you inquire. Muft I efteem thefe to be the joys of the Holy Ghot, of which your last letter speaks? 'If not, how fhall I know, that all pretences of this kind are not equally fictitious and imaginary? This (I

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confefs) deferves fome attention. For perhaps no one thing has raised fuch prejudices in the minds of men against fpiritual and religious experiences, as thofe airy raptures and causeless exults, that in some instances have been feen of late.

I would therefore obferve to you, that your own representation of thofe joyful tranfports, of which you complain, is fufficient to diftinguish them from thofe joys of the Holy Ghoft, of which I wrote to you. You rightly obferve, that thefe falfe raptures are the product of an exalted imagination. But you have no room to conclude this to be the cafe with respect to thofe fpiritual joys and comforts, of which I wrote in my last. I have known a wretched despicable beggar, cover'd with rags and vermin, who imagin'd himself a king's fon, and expected to be treated accordingly; But how vain and ludicrous foever his imaginations were, I never thought it an argument, that there are no kings fons in the world. He might probably entertain more tranfporting apprehenfions of his imagin'd royalty, than they who really poffefs that dignity, which he fo vainly pretended to. But muft these latter be rejected as vain pretenders, because of the craz'd imagination of fuch a miferable vagary!

To apply this to the prefent cafe, I readily allow that all thofe joys and comforts which flow from the imagination only, are always but airy and chimerical, false and delufive. Thus, for inftance, fome will rejoice and triumph, from only imagining themselves favourites of heaven; fome from being able to paint upon their imagi nations the miracles, fufferings, refurrection, or afcenfion of Chrift; fome from an imaginary idea of the final appearing of Chrift, and their own future glory, and the like; yet all this while the poor fouls forget, that there is one thing wanting, in order to make their joys reasonable and fubftantial; and that is good evidence of their interest in that Saviour, and his glorious falvation, of which they entertain fuch pleafing imaginations. They who have this evidence (in the manner defcribed in my laft) have a dubftantial foundation of comfort and joy, from having that falvation actually begun in their fouls, which is the pledge and earneft of their eternal inheritance ; while the others are like to find themfelves as much deluded

in their expectation of future happiness, as they are in the foundation of their hopes.

You further reprefent these rapturous joys to be the effect of self-esteem. And I readily acknowledge, that where it is fo, it is always deceitful and vain. The divine influences are always humbling to the foul which enjoys them. They therefore are horribly prophane, who impute their own pride and vanity to the Spirit of God, and confequently they are miferably deceiving them felves, whose joy and comfort flow from an high opinion of their i maginary attainments in religion. They are a smoke in God's noftrils, who are faying, ftand by thyfeif, come not nigh me: for I am holier than thou. But then on the contrary, when the humble foul is lying at God's foot, felf-abafing and felf-condemning, adoring the infinite riches of God's free grace to such a vile, worthlefs worm; and rejoicing in Chrift Jefus without confidence in the flesh; thefe bleffed effects are worthy of the Spirit of God, by whom they are wrought. And it is always true, that the believer's fenfe of his own vilenefs, pollution, and unworthiness, bears proportion to his joyful evidences of the divine favour.

You further object against the falfe pretenders yeu mention, that their conduct don't justify their joyful affurance.' This is indeed a good evidence against their high pretenfions to extraordinary attainments in religion. For I believe, every Christian does certainly make the fame progrefs in holiness, as he does in well grounded comfort and joy. The objection therefore can no ways affect those with whom this is an experienced truth, who always find, that their hope and joy quicken them in their spiritual course, invigorate their duties, and enlarge their defires and endeavours after a conformity to the whole will of God.

I must now leave this matter to your own reflections; you yourself muft judge the validity of your exceptions. Compare the picture you have drawn of fome empty, enthufiaftical pretenders to religious experiences, with the defcription I have given you of thofe, who have indeed experienced the divine life: and confider whether there be any real fimilitude, in any marks and lineaments of their countenances. In thofe is found pride and pe

tulance: but in thefe, humility and felf-abasement. In thofe, cenforiousness and uncharitableness are the diftin. guishing characters; in these, a charitable preferring others to themselves. There you fee fchifm, contention, and faction; here is kindness, peace, and brotherly love. There imaginary impulfe, but here the word of God a lone, is confider'd as the rule of life. There joy and comfort are confider'd as the evidence of a good state; here they are confider'd as the fruit of good evidence of faith in Chrift, and of a renewed nature. There religion is fuppofed to gift in rapture and extafy; here in fpiritual affections, and in a heavenly conversation. There we find men building their hope and comfort on their imaginary attainments: but here we find them making Chrift Jefus their only refuge and hope. And to fum up all in a word, There are high pretences to religious experiences without the fruits of holiness; bot here the happy effects of this change appear in the heart and life; and juftify the profeffion to be true, and the experiences to be indeed what they are pretended to be.

Upon the whole, there is nothing more certain than that the fcriptures do reprefent what I have fet before you, as the real characters of the children of God. It is equally certain, that as an actual experience of the renewing change is, from the nature of things, abfolutely neceffary to falvation, fo a fenfe of this change wrought in us, is requifite to true peace and comfort; and there can be nothing but a want of due attention to this expe rience, or ignorance of the quality of that change they have fenfibly experienced, which keeps believers in darknefs and doubts about their ftate. The fubjects of this work can therefore have no greater evidence that it is from God, than fenfibly to feel that it every way an fwers the original defcription. What greater evidence can they have of the truth of the Gofpel, than a fenfible experience of its doctrines, and the truth of its promifes, by this wonderful work of grace in their own hearts, which fo visibly carries the divine fignature both in its operation and effects; and is fo manifeftly diftinguished from all false appearances and pretences? For my own part, I cannot but look upon the irregular heats, you fpeak of, as affording fome convincing evidence in fa

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