"that those who speak with much Zeal and Vigour "Things true in themfelves, yet to others unintelligi"Fle, must be by them reputed no better than Madmen; "And hence it was that Feftus told Paul, that much "Learning had made him mad. Here probably may "be the Ground of that ordinary Saying Nullum

magnum Ingenium fine Admixtura Dementiae; and ac"cording to Analogy it may well be faid, that nullus infignis Chriftianus, &c. that there is no eminent Chrifti"an, that will not feem to have fome Spice of Madness "in him, especially if he be judged by the formal stiff "Pharifee, whofe Postures and Actions are always kept, "as it were, in an outward wooden Frame, as a Child "in a ftanding Stool; his Traditions and cuftomary Opinions being as deeply fcored and carved in his Me"mory, as the outward Shows of Things are fcrawled ❝out in the rude Furrows of an Idiot's Brain: And as "the unfkillful Ruftic would fufpect him fcarce found "in his Senfes, that fhould confidently speak any Thing "that palpably croffed thofe grofs Scrawlings written "in his Imagination: So certainly would the formal "Pharifee not ftick to judge him mad, that fhould with "Zeal and Boldnefs pronounce fuch Things, as were "not parallel nor agreeable to the Prefigurations of his "prejudiced Mind, but most of all, if they were fuch "as are above the Reach of his Apprehenfion: Surely, "the more earnest a true Member of Chrift fhould be "in fuh Points, the more mad he would appear in the "Eyes of the cool, prudential Pharifee.

It is obferved with Regard to this Difpenfation by thofe who have been raifed to it, that it is feldom of any long Duration, being rather a fhort Earnest or Prelibation of the beatific State afforded to pure and holy Souls, than any permanent Difpenfation; and it is ge nerally, if not always, followed by fome humbling Trial; accordingly we read in the Cafe of St. Paul's being caught

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up

up to the third Heaven, that immediately after this Rapt or Vision there was given him a Thorn in the Flesh, the Meffenger of Satan to buffet him, left be should be exalted above Meafure; by which we cannot understand lefs than that he was exercifed with fome fharp bodily Affliction for his Humiliation : And this may help to explain what frequently happens to those who belong to an inferior State, according to their more remote or nearer Approaches to this refpectively, who find their joyous and delectable Intervals fucceeded by Fits of Heavinefs and gloomy Overcafts, whence their Complaints of Aridities, Defertions, &c. which People of a moderate Experience in the divine Life cannot be unacquainted with, tho' many, for Want of Light into the Methods and Reasons of God's Dealings with Souls, are apt to be troubled above Meafure upon thefe Occafions, as tho' fome ftrange Thing happened unto them, not knowing or not confidering, that the fame Afflictions are accomplished in their Brethren, and that they are fent, after they have fuffered a while, to perfect, ftabilish, ftrengthen, fettle them.

It will be proper to obferve here, that the Way to any good Degree of Perfection in the divine Life, lies through great Mortification and Self-denial: Some think it enough to get Doctrines into the Head; but till the Heart is in fome Measure purified by Faith, nothing is rightly done: And in Order to this the Children of Anak, thofe corrupt Paffions and Inclinations that war against the Soul, must be driven out, the Perverfeness of the Will broken, the Understanding fimplified, the Pride of our Hearts pluckt up by the Roots, and all the Cords that bind us to the World and the Things of it untwisted; in a Word, our Idols must be caft out, and every curfed Thing removed that feparates betwixt God and us; for the Pure in Heart and they only shall fee God: It was by this Kind of holy Violence practised on themselves, that the Worthies both of the

Old

Old and New Testament, in all Ages of the Church, have laid hold on the Kingdom of Heaven, been favoured with fuch rich Communications from God, and enabled to work fuch Wonders, as furpafs the Belief of many in this degenerate incredulous Age: And that a preparatory Difcipline of Strictness and Severity is neceffary, in Order to qualify us for any extraordinary Vouchfafements of Illumination and Grace, we may learn from the Schools inftituted among the Jews for the Training up of Perfons for the prophetic Office, where they were educated in great Abstraction from the World, in the Government of their Paffions and the Mortification of their natural Propenfions, that being fo difengaged from the common Impediments of a holy Life, they might be more at Liberty for Devotion and the Contemplation of heavenly Things, and by fuch previous Exercifes become fit Inftruments for the holy Spirit, and more receptive of heavenly Wisdom. Thus come they out holy Enthufiafts, Men of God furnished to every good Word and Work, Scribes well instructed unto the Kingdom of Heaven, and fearless of giving Offence in the Way of Duty, even before Kings, being no lefs qualified for Reproof and Correction than for Doctrine and Inftruction in Righteoufnefs, Patterns thefe for all Perfons of a religious Character, whether they live in Colleges, or are in Kings Houfes; whether they attend on those who go clothed in Purple and fine Linnen, and fare fumptuoufly every Day, or are called forth to a more promifcuous Employment of their Office: For tho' the. Difpenfation of Prophecy as it refpects the foretelling future Events, has of a long Time ceafed in the Church, yet the Character of Prophets in the Capacity of Expounders and Declarers of God's Word and Will, and as Denouncers of his Judgments on all impenitent, even the most dignified, Öffenders, is never to ceafe in it, neither is the Lord's Hand fhortened, that it cannot ex

tend Comfort and Courage, Light and Direction for these Purposes now as formerly: But alas! Our Hearts are ftrained, that they cannot receive it as they ought, and we are fo entangled, as to Many of us, with fuch an evil Covetoufnefs after the Things of this Life, fo ftudious to feek the Honour that cometh of Man more than the Honour that cometh of God, that we want Boldness to hold the Faith of our Lord Jefus Chrift without Respect of Perfons: For let Men be never fo highly titled or charactered, let their Pretenfions to Learning be what they will, and their Acquaintance with Creeds, Canons and Commentators never fo extenfive, yet fo long as they continue Men of this World, and follow the Things of it, fo long as their Affections are fet on Things beneath, and their Hearts unfurrendred to God, they are no better than dry Bones as to the divine Life, without Marrow or Moiffure; and as they cannot in fuch a State receive the Things of the Spirit of God, not having fpiritual Senfes exercifed thereto, fo will thefe Things of Course appear Foolishness unto them in Others, and they will speak evil of that which they know not.

I am here led to fay a Word concerning Inspiration, and to obferve, that this best of God's Gifts to Men (however theBelief of this may be deemed Enthufiaím by Some) is the certain Priviledge, in one Degree or other,. of every true Chriftian: for the Gofpel-Faith is nothing lefs than a fupernatural Light and Power communicated to the Soul from the Father of Lights; and every faving Grace in us is, in its Measure, a real Participațion of the divine Nature. The prevailing Prejudice against the Doctrine of Infpiration thus held, arifes in Part from a grofs Mifconception, concerning fome fuppofed phyfical Distance between God and the Soul, whereas nothing is nearer to God than the Soul of Man in the original Conftitution of its Nature; nor is it now feparated from him by Distance of Place, but only by the Condition

Condition of its Existence in Sin. In Proportion then as it is purified by Faith from Sin, and gives itfelf up to the Drawings of the Father thro' his Spirit, fo far it advances in its Union and Communion with God, and comes into Fellowship with the Father and the Son: So that the Light of divine Truth fhining in our Hearts, and all holy Tempers and Difpofitions of the Soul are by the Infpiration of God, and real Emanations from the Fountain of Light and Love. For this Infpiration we are taught to pray in the Service of the Church; but few feem to mean any Thing by the Word, and the Learned by their falfe Gloffes and Interpretations of the Scriptures on the one Hand, and by exalting the Sufficiency of human Reason on the other, have fo explained away this important Doctrine of all Religion both natural and revealed, that we no longer wonder, that the Belief of all internal Operations of God in the Soul is treated as Enthusiasm or Fanaticifm. It is by thefe fuperficial Dealers in the Letter, that we have feen the Life of the Letter taken away, the beggarly Elements of human Ideas fet up in the Room of the Light of God in the Soul, and the Scriptures difgraced by opprobrious Comparifons drawn between them and heathenifh Compofitions, as if one main Excellency of the facred Writings confifted in outdoing Homer in Imagery, or DemoAthenes in Oratory: But fuch degrading Encomiafts would do well to remember, that he whofe Character is that of being the Wifdom of God, and who in the Days of his fleshly Appearance fpake as never Man fpake, made no Account of human Eloquence; and that the Authority with which he fpake, confifted not in the Sublimity of Figures, or the Elegance of Diction, but in Demonftration of the Spirit and Power from on High.

A diftinct Confideration of the Nature of Enthufiafm is at this Time the more requifite, inasmuch as the anonymus Author before referred to, in his Work on this (D) a Subject