al Physician; but this we cannot prevent, any more than fome other obftinate Diftempers incident to the human Mind; the Law and the Gospel must be enforced according to God's Appointment, and the Event be left with him who can fave by Fire as well as by Water, and is not obliged to give an account of thefe his Matters. But after all, thefe are to be confidered as particular Inftances, and therefore making no Part of a general Rule, for it is far otherwife, for the moft Part, with Perfons who are exercised with strong Fears concerning their spiritual Condition, and who under fuch Circumftances, are not only curable, but in the right way of their Cure, this Sickness being not unto Death, but for the Glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified hereby in the Salvation of their Souls.

Convictions on Account of Sin, (which is the preparative Work for the Gofpel State, or the Kingdom of God within us) may not improperly be termed the Phyfic of the Soul, and in Order to operate efficaciously, it must act powerfully; for that forrowing after a godly Sort which it produces, works great Carefulness, Indignation, vehement Defire and Self-Revenge it penetrates deep, even to the very Foundations, and fometimes, for a while, fpreads a horrible Gloominefs over the Mind, the Party feeling the Sentence of Death in himself and fubfcribing to the Juftice of his own Condemnation. This was certainly the Cafe of David "in that Day of his Complaint, when "the Arrows of "the Lord ftuck faft in his Soul, and his Flefh tremb "led for fear of his Judgments; when he had no Rest " in his Bones by Reafon of his Sin, and all God'sStorms "went over him" The fame is well understood in one degree or other by every experienced Chriftian; and Others would do well to beware, how they ridicule or fpeak lightly of fuch diftreffing Perplexities--- far better would it be for them that they were in the fame Con

dition.

dition. Too many there are, who being entirely ignorant in this Way of God's Dealing with Souls, take upon them the Office of Advifers, and fo are apt in Cafes of this Nature to prefcribe improper Reliefs and falle Comforts; they are for healing the Wound before it is fearched and cleanfed, which caufes it to ulcerate the more, not confidering that this is not a Difeafe which is to be got rid of at any Rate, and the fooner the better, but a State which is to be paffed through, figured by the Journeying of the Ifraelites through the Wilderness from Egypt to Canaan. The Soul is here in its right Way of Difcipline, and placed on the Foot of Mount Sinai under Thundrings, Darkness and Fire, to make it fenfible of its Sir, and of the terrible Majefty of a Sinavenging God, that fo the Law may do itsOffice upon it, as a Miniftration of Condemnation, and act the Part of a Schoolmafter to lead it to Chrift, as its only propitiatory Sacrifice, Righteoufnefs and Salvation. Thus the Way to Sion lies by the burning Mountain of Sinai, and Mofes with his correcting Rod conduct us to Christ through John's Baptifin of Repentance, as this prepares us for the Baptifin of Regeneration. These Perfons then are not mad, as the World fuppofes, but returning Sinners coming to their right Mind, as the prodigal Son is faid to have come to himself, when he became fenfible of his Folly and was brought to Repentance: They are under the Leadings of the Father to the Son, that the Son may prefent them to his Father cleanfed and redeemed by his Blood, and that the holy Ghoft, proceeding from the Father and the Son, may fanctifie them, and make them a peculiar People holy in all Manner of Converfation, and zealous of good Works.

Or if this must be called Madness, let it at least be allowed a lefs dangerous Kind of it than Prefumption and Madness in finning, as a wounded Confcience affords more Hope than a benumbed or feated one. But do you

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herein

herein thew that your Minds are fer upon Righteoufnefs, and that you judge the Thing that is right, O ye Sons of Men! Turn your Eyes to the great Bedlam of the World, where its Votaries are running mad at fuch a Rate after Folly and Riot, where Invention is racked to lull Confcience afleep, and where Millions are rocking themfelves to fpiritual Slumber in the Cradle of Death, and treat every faithful Watchman that founds the Alarm to rouze them from their falfe Peace, as the Enemy of their Repose: Caft your Eyes, I fay, on this Theatre of Vice and Frolick, this Fair of Vanity, where Prince Abaddon holds his perpetual Jubilee, and fay, which of these two Schools, Chriftianity or the World, turns out the greater Number of mad Folks. Which would an Angel pronounce noft rational and found in Mind? The fordid Race of Mammonifts, the giddyTribe of Pleasure-feekers, and the fantastic Crowd of FashionFollowers, or the poor broken-hearted Chriftian lamenting his Sin and Mifery, and in the Power of divine Grace working out his Salvation with Fear and Trembling, and following a defpifed Jefus through Mockery and Derifion to eternal Bleffednefs and Glory? If you are not of the Number of the infatuated, you cannot hefitate à Moment to refolve the Queftion aright; for Wisdom is juftified of her Children.

I have the longer infifted on the Subject of Experiences, as well because all true Religion muft both begin and end here, as becaufe very few of our Theological Writers touch upon thefe Matters; and therefore whilst Some lay down excellent Rules for the practical Life, enforce the Obligations to a regular and decent Discharge of all the Parts of external Worship, or imbue the Mind with found and wholesome Doctrines, et others be permitted, according to the Length of their Line, to launch out farther into the Deep, and there let down their Net for a Draught: Thus, whilft Some are inftruc

red

ted in the Principles or Rudiments of the Doctrine o Chrift, and others are led on unto Perfection: Whilft we deal out Milk to Babes, ftrong Meat to thofe that are of riper Age, and fpeak the Wildom of God in a Myftery to them that are perfect, the whole Body is edified in Love, and every Man hath Praise of God.

It is very certain, that the greatest Part in every Age and Place have stopt fhort of the Truth and Substance, by refting in the Outfide of Things; and therefore St. Paul, that great Preacher of inward and fpiritual Religion, takes much Pains both with Jew and Gentile, to convince them of their grofs Ignorance and Error in this Particular; for if the latter were in general ignorant of the true God, the former worshiped Him not in Spirit and in Truth; if the latter bowed down to Stocks and Stones, the former idolized their Forms of Wor ship instead of Worshiping God, through their Forms; and fo all had finned and come fhort of the Glory of God. The Fems esteemed themselves the Chofen, the Temple of the Lord, and the Seed of the Covenant, and they pleaded their Circumcifion, their Priesthood, their Temple-Services and their Ordinances of divine Inftitution as the Marks of their Election: And a peculiar People they certainly were, and chofen to diftinguifhed Favours and Privileges, but no otherwife elected to Salvation, than as they continued in the Grace and walked in the Light and Love of God; «for he was "not a Few which was one outwardly, neither was that "Circumcifion which was outward in the Flesh; but "he was a Few which was one inwardly, and Circum"cifion was that of the Heart, in the Spirit and not in "the Letter;" the outward Ordinance reprefenting to them that Corruption of our Nature by original Sin, which was to be cut off and renounced, and that they were to be a fpiritual People, holy to the Lord, and "born again, not of the Will of the Flesh, nor of the ❤ Will of Man, but of God.

And

And here we cannot but lament among the many fad Effects of the Fall, its having introduced fuch Groffnefs and Darkness into the Mind of Man, that it fo hardly elevates itself to the Confideration of heavenly Things. From this Propenfity to Matter and Senfe Idolatry first took its Rife Men wanted Objects of Worship, that they could fee with their bodilyEyes,& fo adored the Hoft of Heaven, or Images of their own making: And hence it is, that among those who profefs to worship the true God, fo many are wholly taken up with what is external in Religion: "See what Manner of Stones and great "Buildings are here!" faid one of the Difciples to our "Lord: "And Jefus anfwering faid unto him: Seeft [admireft] thou thefe great Buildings; There (hall “ not be left one Stone upon another, that shall not be "thrown down.

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And as there is an outfide Worship void of the Spirit of Devotion, which availeth not, fo likewife there is an outfide Knowledge in Religion, without the Spirit of Wifdom that profiteth not; for it is not a literal or hiftorical Understanding of the Scriptures that makes wife unto Salvation: The Art of Criticism and Skill in Languages may make a fair Show in the Flefh, and procure us the Reputation of learned Men, but. unless the Spirit give an affecting and cdifying Interpretation of them, they will be but as a fealed Book to us in Things pertaining to God. St. Paul difclaims all human Knowledge and Self-Ability, confidered feparately from the divine Teachings of the Spirit, as infufficient for the Work of the Ministry --- "Our Sufficiency, fays he, is of God, "who has made us able Minifters of the New Tefta"ment, not of the Letter, but of the Spirit." These Things rightly confidered, there will be little need of an Apology for infifting, and that ftrenuously, upon the Neceffity of the inward and fpiritual Life, the Kingdom of God within us, as that divine Source from which

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