arguments give fuch a certainty of the truth of religion as experience does.

(2) When wickedness profpers and piety is oppreffed, experimental religion keeps a man from being led away with the error of the wicked, Mal. iii. 16.

(3.) When many ftumbling-blocks are laid in the way, efpecially in divifions and church-contentions, which make many wicked men think there is no reality in religion at all; yet the righteous, in fuch a time, shall hold on his way.

This is a very weighty point; and to illustrate it a little further, I will,

1. Give evidence that experimental religion is very rare. 2. Point out fome caufes of it.

3.

Shew how it may be obtained.

4. Prefs you to feek after it by fome confiderations.

. First, I am to give evidences that experimental religion is very rare in our day.

1. The little relifh that men have of the word either preached or read. Experience makes the word favoury: hence David fays, I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil,. Pfal cxix. 162. How many are there to whom the word is taftelefs as the white of an egg? Their fancy may be tickled by the difcovery of fomething which they knew not before; but alas! they have no inward fenfation of the thing wrapt up. in the words of truth.

;.

2. The little knowledge of the word by experience. The beft commentary on the ills of the heart is the word, and the best commentary on the word is experience. These reflect light one upon another. The experimental Chriftian reads. his heart in the word; he gets it opened and anatomized there, Heb. iv. 12. 13. It is the looking-glafs wherein he fees it. And he understands the word by experience, John ii. 17. &. vii. 16. The doctrine of truth is according to godlinefs, and godlinefs in the practice of it makes truth fhine the more into the foul.

3. The little precife and nice walking there is among profef. fors, Eph. v. 14. Chriftians fhould walk circumspectly; and it is the native effect of experimental religion, If. xxxviii. 15. And the reafon is plain: The experimental Christian finds how a wrong ftep will provoke the Spirit to depart, and how communion with God cannot be kept up in a loose and irregular way, Pfal. lxvi. 18. He fees how finall a thing expofeth to the dint of the threatening, and that the way of getting the promife told out to him is the way of tender walking, which counts no fin little. But alas for that miferable latitude

mens curiosity, but a matter of practice. Mens
lies at the ftake, which can never be brought to
iffue by a fpeculative knowledge, more than
cured by the knowledge of a remedy witho
An unexperimental profeffor is like a fe
entertains thofe about him with fine
of medicines, but in the mean time
want of application of them.

2. The fweet of religion lies in the pfalmift fays, My foul fball fatness, Pfal. Ixiii. 5.

No ma

nefs of honey like him that
that feels the power of it.
lefs to him; to another
why, but because he fe
xix. 11. Religion wo
it we could by exper
it would be a rewar
3. All the pro
rience of it, Ma
have in their h

ledge withou painted fire

Ah! whar

religion is very ra

Mal.. 16.

mbling blocks are laid'in son way, &

Shurch-contentiorA, WECS SLAAP TR

hall hold on his way.

d to illuftrate it a ela.

Akeeps a man from beRG SÅ ANY WANTA

Sive fuch a certainty of the trachd m- ya a "

the experimental Kuruledge of "29. ng

skedness profsers and sie waria ru

ich fays

- fat down on er world, we have Dade one fpeak, that he

arity that prevails among all ranks, day wherein it was more unfeasonable. gion prevail, we would be waiting on the of his judgements, as the church did, If, ver a wh God help us! Scotland's ftroke feems to be may do the dark, with feet of wool, that we will never cine found of till we feel its iron hands. It is very like Ligharful furprife is abiding us. The difpenfations of our thee in their own nature roufing difpenfations; but we are I'

at all awakened by them, more than we were when there

not a pin in our tabernacle loofed. There are different pinions and practices in thefe matters; but whofe heads fo ver are righteft, we think the hearts of all parties are wrong, And among all our unhappy differences, we have a more un happy agreement in a fpirit of flumber that has feized all toge ther. And what thall be the end of these things?

Secondly, I fhall point out fome of the caufes of the fcarcity of experimental religion.

r. The Lord has a controverfy with our mother, and therefore has withdrawn, and it fares the worfe with the children, She was fome time Hephzibah, and her land Beulah; but now her gold is become drofs, and her wine mixed with water. She has forgotten her husband, and has been gadding after other lovers. She hath caft herfelf into a loathfome difeafe; her kindly heat and warmth is gone; any thing of it that is left

Of the experimental Knowledge of Chrift. 599

ck out to the outward parts, leaving a key-cold heart And, by all appearance, the will not be cured, till of her.

iritual fenfes are dulled with the lufcious fweets d. Farms and merchandise take away peoe marriage-fupper, Matth. xxij. 4. 5. The of the things of the world to catch prowhen they would get upward, their ny of us, I trow, when our worldly 'tual incomes were more. Or if ir fpirits are fo embittered, that ligion.

Of the experimental Knowledge of Crit.

597

e fuch a certainty of the truth of religion as ex

nefs profpers and piety is oppreid, exman from being led away with the

16.

entions, which make ma

ocks are laid in the way, e

in religion at all; yet

is wav.

it a little fur

Sufinefs, but just a by-hand whofe abode is in the earth;

e above ground, it haftes in again ement. They will fay their prayers

Morning; but for walking with God in

des, they know nothing about it. Their re

when duties are over. They are like a man that

nc indeed, but he jufts vomits it up again when he ot it, giving it no time to work, Gen. vi. 9. Religion's ance-customers will never grow rich by it.

4. People's not holding hand to any attainment they make in religion, like the flothful man not roafting that which he took in hunting, Prov. xii. 27. They are, it may be, at fome pains to earn fomething in religion, but they put it in a bag with holes. Sometimes they are in a fair way to gain experience of religion, they get fome tafte of it, but then they do not follow on, Hof. vi. 3. The fpark is kindled, but they let it go out; they do not feed it, and prefently they have a cold coal to blow at again.

5. Lafly, Formality in religion, when people content themfelves with outward worfhip, doing the work, but make it not their business to worship God in the Spirit; by faith in him, love, dependence, fear, hope, patience, &c. It is thefe and the like graces that bring in the experimental knowledge of Chrift and religion into the foul. Thefe are they that get forward to God, even to his throne. And duties without them are use lefs and vain, like liquor that has loft all the fpirits. Thirdly, come to fhew how we may become experi.nental Chriftians.

1. Let us labour to be Chriftians indeed, and lay the foun-. dation well in a ferious and fincere clofing with Jefus Christ. That is to fay, Let us, under a conviction of the reality and neceffity of religion, give away and confecrate purfelves to the

that prevails in the walk of the generation, who take such a woful liberty in their words and actions, as we may fay with the prophet, Mic. vii. 1. 2. Wo is me, for I am as when they have gathered the fummer fruits, as the grape gleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat my foul defired the firft-ripe. fruit. The good man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood: they hunt every man his brother with a net.

4. The little advantage religion has by the conferences of profeffors. People may go into many companies ere they get one from whence they may come forth with a heart more inflamed with love to God and Chrift, and the practice of godlinefs, because they can meet with few like him who faid, Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my foul, Pfal. lxvi. 16. Alas! there is little of heaven in the converfe of Chriftians at this day, which fays there is but little of it in their hearts. We have fat down on time-things; and as for the matters of another world, we have little relith of them. A philofopher bade one speak, that he might fee him, Col. iii. 16.

5. Laftly, The general fecurity that prevails among all ranks, though we never faw the day wherein it was more unfeasonable. Did experimental religion prevail, we would be waiting on the Lord in the way of his judgements, as the church did, If. xxvi. 8. 20. God help us! Scotland's ftroke feems to be walking in the dark, with feer of wool, that we will never. hear the found of till we feel its iron hands. It is very like. fome fearful furprife is abiding us. The difpenfations of our day are in their own nature roufing difpenfations; but we are not at all awakened by them, more than we were when there was not a pin in our tabernacle loofed. There are different opinions and practices in thefe matters; but whofe heads foever are righteft, we think the hearts of all parties are wrong, And among all our unhappy differences, we have a more unhappy agreement in a fpirit of flumber that has feized all ther. And what thall be the end of these things? Secondly, I fhall point out fome of the caufes of the fcarcity of experimental religion.

toge-.

r. The Lord has a controverfy with our mother, and therefore has withdrawn, and it fares the worfe with the children. She was fome time Hephzibah, and her land Beulah; but now her gold is become drofs, and her wine mixed with water. She has forgotten her husband, and has been gadding after other lovers. She hath caft herfelf into a loathfome difeafe; her kindly heat and warmth is gone; any thing of it that is left

has ftruck out to the outward parts, leaving a key-cold heart within. And, by all appearance, the will not be cured, till blood be let of her.

2. People's fpiritual fenfes are dulled with the lufcious fweets of a prefent world. Farms and merchandise take away people's appetites for the marriage-fupper, Matth. xx. 4. 5. The devil makes birdlime of the things of the world to catch profeffors, that they find, when they would get upward, their feet stick in the mire. Many of us, I trow, when our worldly incomes were lefs, our fpiritual incomes were more. Or if the world go against people, their fpirits are fo embittered, that they find no fweetness at all in religion.

3. Religion is not made people's business, but just a by-hand work. Men are like the mole whofe abode is in the earth; and though fometimes it come above ground, it haftes in again to its hole, to be in its element. They will fay their prayers indeed, evening and morning; but for walking with God in the interval of duties, they know nothing about it. Their religion is over when duties are over. They are like a man that takes phyfic indeed, but he jufts vomits it up again when he has got it, giving it no time to work, Gen. vi. 9. Religion's chance-cuftomers will never grow rich by it.

4. People's not holding hand to any attainment they make in religion, like the flothful man not reafting that which he took in hunting, Prov. xii. 27. They are, it may be, at fome pains to earn fomething in religion, but they put it in a bag with holes. Sometimes they are in a fair way to gain experience of religion, they get fome tafte of it, but then they do not follow on, Hof. vi. 3. The fpark is kindled, but they let it go out; they do not feed it, and presently they have a cold coal to blow at again.

5. Lafly, Formality in religion, when people content themfelves with outward worfhip, doing the work, but make it not their bufinefs to worship God in the Spirit; by faith in him, love, dependence, fear, hope, patience, &c. It is thefe and the like graces that bring in the experimental knowledge of Chrift and religion into the foul. Thefe are they that get forward to God, even to his throne. And duties without them are use lefs and vain, like liquor that has loft all the fpirits. Thirdly, I come to fhew how we may become experi.nental Chriftians.

1. Let us labour to be Chriftians indeed, and lay the foundation well in a ferious and fincere clofing with Jefus Chrift. That is to fay, Let us, under a conviction of the reality and neceffity of religion, give away and confecrate purselves to the