Concerning Religious Affections, Treatise · Part 3 (1 of 7)

Concerning Religious Affections · Treatise · Part 3 (1 of 7)

p. 88PART III.

Shewing what are distinguishing Signs of truly gracious and holy Affections.

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 Things 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. Tho' it be plain that Christ has given Rules to all Christians, to enable 'em 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 tho' 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 p. 89and eternal State; yet, 'tis 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 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 agreable 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 thro' 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't 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 thro' 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 view'd and examin'd. I don't mean an essential Defect; because I suppose the Person to be a real Saint; but a Defect in Degree: Grace being very small, cannot be clearly and certainly discerned and distinguished. Things that are very small, we can't clearly discern their Form, or distinguish them one from another; tho', 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 Difference becomes very plain. The Difference between Creatures of very contrary Qualities, is not so plainly to be seen while they are very young, even p. 90after they are actually brought forth, as in their more perfect State. The Difference between Doves and Ravens, or Doves and Vultures, when they first come out of the Egg, is not so evident; but as they grow to their Perfection, 'tis exceeding great and manifest. Another Defect attending the Grace of those I am speaking, is its being mingled with so much Corruption, which clouds and hides it, and makes it impossible for it certainly to be known. Tho' 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 fix'd Star is easily distinguishable from a Comet, in a clear Sky; but if we view them thro' 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 from distinguishing good and wholesome Food from bad, but every Thing tastes bitter. Men in a corrupt and carnal Frame, have their spiritual Senses in but poor …light 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 many Persons in such a Case spend Time in a fruitless Labour, in poring on past Experiences, and examining themselves by Signs they hear 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; which, 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 … to be slain; and 'till this be done they will be in Trouble. 'Tis not God's Design that Men should obtain Assurance in any other Way, than by mortifying Corruption, and encreasing in Grace, and obtaining the lively Exercises of it. And altho' Self-Examination be a Duty of great Use and Importance, and by no Means to be neglected; p. 91yet it is not the principal Means, by which the Saints do get Satisfaction of their good Estate. Assurance is not to be obtain'd 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 obtain'd Assurance, 1 Cor. 9. 26. I therefore so run, as not uncertainly. He obtain'd 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, Vertue, &c. is the Direction that the Apostle Peter gives us, for making our Calling and Election sure, and having an Entrance ministred to us abundantly, into Christ's everlasting Kingdom; signifying to us, that without this, our Eyes will be dim, and we shall be as Men in the Dark, and cannot 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. 1. 5,—11.‡‡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 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. 1. 2. Grace and Peace be multiplied unto you, through the Knowledge of God and Jesus Christ our Lord . Stoddard's Way to know Sincerity and Hypocrisy, p. 139, and 142.2 Pet 1:2

Therefore, tho' good Rules to distinguish true Grace from Counterfeit, may tend to convince Hypocrites, and be of great Use to the Saints, in many Respects; 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 p. 92and Privileges. Such Hypocrites are so conceited of their own Wisdom, & so blinded & harden'd with a very great Self-Righteousness, (but very subtil and secret, under the Disguise of great Humility) and so invinceable 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 his 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.

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

1. Affections that are truly spiritual and gracious, do arise from those Influences and Operations on the Heart, which are spiritual, super-natural and divine.

I will explain what I mean by these Terms, whence will appear their Use to distinguish between those Affections which are spiritual, 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. 2. 14, 15. The natural Man receiveth not the Things of the Spirit of God, for they are Foolishness unto him; neither can be know them; because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all Things. The Scripture explains it self 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, Verse 4. of his Epistle, says, Verse 19. These are sensual, having not the Spirit. This the Apostle gives 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 foreign; which is the very same, which in those Verses in 1 Cor. Chap. 2. is translated natural. In p. 93the like Manner, in the Continuation of the same Discourse, in the next Verse but one, spiritual Men are opposed to carnal Men; which the … shews mean the same, as spiritual Men and … in the … Verses; …, … not … spiritual but as unto carnal; i. e. as in a great Measure …. … by carnal the Apostle means corrupt and un… only …, by Rom. 7. 25. and 8. 1, 4. 5. 6, … in these Texts, he intended …; … spiritual, which is opposed there to, is … and ….

And … are called spiritual in Scripture, so we also find that there are certain Properties, Qualities, and Principles, that have … given them. So we read of a spiritual Mind, … and spiritual Wisdom, Col. 1. 9. And of spiritual ….

Now … that the Epithet spiritual, in th…se and other parallel Texts of the new Testament, is not used to signify … Relation of Persons or Things to the Spirit or Soul of Man, as the spiritual Part: … are not said to be spiritual, because they have their Seat in the Soul, and not in the Body: For there are some Properties … the Scripture calls … or …, which have their … much in the Soul, as these 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 calls …; Col. 2. 18. Nor are Things called spiritual, because they are conversant about those Things that are immaterial, and not corporeal. For so was the Wisdom of the wise Men, and Princes of this World, conversant about Spirits, and immaterial Beings; which yet the Apostle speaks of as natural Men, totally ignorant of those Things that are spiritual, 1 Cor. chap. 2. But it is with Relation to the Holy Ghost, or Spirit of God, that Persons or Things are termed spiritual, in the New-Testament. Spirit, as the Word is used to signify the third Person in the Trinity, is the Substantive, of which is formed the Adjective spiritual, in the holy Scriptures. Thus Christians are called spiritual Persons, because they are born 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. 2. 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 expresly signifies, that by spiritual Things, he means the Things of the Spirit of God, and Things which the Holy Ghost teacheth. The same is yet more abundantly apparent p. 94by viewing the whole Context. Again, Rom. 8. 6. To be carnally minded is Death: But 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 shews 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 Evidence there is of this, in the New-Testamen.

And it must be here observed, that altho' it is with Relation to tho 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 common 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 is meant godly Men, in Opposition to natural, carnal and unsanctify'd Men. And it is most plain, that the Apostle by spiritually minded, Rom 8. 6. means graciously minded. And tho' the extraordinary Gifts of the Spirit, which natural Men might have, are sometimes called spiritual, because they are from the Spirit; ye, natural Men, whatever Gifts of the Spirit they had, were not, … the usual Language of the New-Testament, called spiritual Persons. For it was not by Men's having the Gifts of the Spirit, but by their having the Vertues of the Spirit, that they were called spiritual; as is apparent, by Gal. 6. 1. Brethren, if any Man be overtaken in a Fault, ye which are spiritual restore such an one in the Spirit of Meekness. Meekness is one of those Vertue which the Apostle had just spoken of, in the Verses next preceeding, shewing 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. 1. 9. We desire that ye may be filled with the Knowledge of his Will, in all Wisdom and spiritual Understanding.) Hereby is intended that Wisdom which is gracious, 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 with that Wisdom which is from above, that the Apostle James speaks of, Jam. 3. 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 p. 95Wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual—the last Word in the Original is the same that is translated natural, in 1 Cor. 2. 14.

So that altho' natural Men may be the Subjects of many Influences of the Spirit of God, as is evident by many Scriptures, as Numb. 24 2. 1 Som. 10. 10. and 11. 6. and 16. 14. 1 Cor. 13. 1, 2, 3. Heb. 6. 4, 5, 6. and many others; yet they are not in the Sense of the Scripture, spiritual Persons; neither are any of those Effects, common Gifts, Qualities or Affections, 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. 3. 16. 2 Cor. 6. 16. John 14. 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. 2. 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 don't 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 4. 14. and thus becomes a Principle of Life in them; this living Water, this Evangelist himself explains to intend the Spirit of God, Chap. 7. 38, 39. The Light of the Sun of Righteousness don't 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 it's 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, tho' the Spirit of God may many Ways influence natural Men; yet because it is not thus communicated to them, as an indwelling Principle, they don't 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 tho' 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 don't properly receive its Denomination from it, so p. 96as to be called a lightsome Body. So the Spirit of God acting upon the Soul only, without communicating it self to be an active Principle in it, can't denominate it spiritual. A Body that continues black, may be said not to have Light, tho' the Light shines upon it; so natural Men are said yet to have the Spirit, Jude 19. se…sual, or natural (as the Word is elsewhere render'd) having not the Spirit.

2. Another Reason why the Saints and their Vertues 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 communicate himself in his own … Nature. Holiness is the Nature of the Spirit of God, therefore he is called 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 …, which was the principal Type of the Holy Ghost in the Mesaick 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 'tis 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 3. 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. Tho' 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 disagreably to his Nature, either on the Minds of Saints or Sinners: But the Spirit of God may act upon Men agreably 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 agreable to his Nature, and yet may not … communicate himself in his proper Nature in the Effect of that Action. Thus, for Instance, the … moved p. 97upon the Face of the Waters, and there was nothing disagreable to his Nature in that Action; but yet he did not at all communicate himself in that Action, there was nothing 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: 'Tis 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 does so much communicate himself, and wherein the meer 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. 1. 4. and having God dwelling in them, and they in God, 1 John 4. 12, 15, 16. and Chap. 3. 21. and having Christ in them, John 17. 21. Rom. 8. 10. being the Temples of the living God, 2 Cor. 6. 16. living by Christ's Life, Gal. 2. 20. being made Partakers of God's Holiness, Heb. 12. 10. having Christ's Love dwelling in them, John 17. 26. having his Joy fulfilled in them, John 17. 13. seeing Light in God's Light, and being made to drink of the River of God's Pleasures, Psal. 36. 8, 9. having Fellowship with God, or communicating and partaking with him (as the Word signifies) 1 John 1. 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 Hereticks; but, to use the Scripture Phrase, they are made Partakers of God's Fullness, Eph. 3. 17, 18, 19. John 1. 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 Fullness signifies in Scripture Language. Grace in the Hearts of the Saints, being therefore the most glorious Work of God, wherein he communicates of 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, p. 98and ma… the Creature Partaker of the divine Nature. (the Spirit of God communicating it self 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 a being born of the Spirit, from this, that He that is born of the Flesh, has only Flesh, and no Spirit, John 3. 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. 8. 9, 10, 11. And an having the Spirit of God is spoken of as a certain Sign that Persons shall have the eternal Inheritance; for 'tis spoken of as the Earnest of it, 2 Cor. 1. 22. and 5. 5. Eph. 1. 24. and an having any Thing of the Spirit is mentioned as a sure Sign of being in Christ, 1 John 4. 13. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, because he hath given us of his Spirit. Ungodly Men, not only han't 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 Priviledge of the true Saints, 2 Pet. 1. 4. Ungodly Men are not Partakers of God's Holiness, Heb. 12. 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. 2. 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 14. 17. Even the Spirit of Truth, when the World cannot receive; because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him. And 'tis 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 furthest in Religion, have no Charity, or true christian Love, 1 Cor. Chap. 13. So Christ elsewhere reproves the Pharisees, those high Pretenders to Religion, that they had not the Love of God in them, John 5. 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 1. 3. together with Verse 6, 7. and 1. Cor. 1. 8, 9. And the Scripture speaks of the p. 99actual Being of a gracious Principle in the Soul, tho' in its first beginning, as a Seed there planted, as inconsistent with a Man's being a Sinner, 1 John 3. 9. And natural Men are represented in Scripture as having no spiritual Light, 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 the Subjects of, & 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 no Kind of Composition of them, will ever bring Men to; because they not only differ from what is natural, and from every Thing that natural Men experience, in Degree and Circumstances; but also in Kind; and are of a Nature vastly more excellent. And this is what I mean by supernatural, when I say, that gracious Affections are from those Influences that are supernatural.

From hence it follows, that in those gracious Exercises and Affections which are wrought in the Minds of the Saints, thro' the saving Influences of the Spirit of God, there is a new inward Perception or Sensation of their Minds, entirely different in its Nature and Kind, from any Thing that ever their Minds were the Subjects 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, thinking, conscious Thing; then doubtless something entirely new is felt, or perceived, or thought; or, which is the same Thing, there is some new Sensation or Perception of the Mind, which is entirely of a new Sort, and which could be produced by no exalting, 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 Idea. If Grace be, in the Sense above described, an entirely new Kind of Principle; then the Exercises of it are also entirely a 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 Mind has an entirely new Kind of Perception or Sensation; and here is, as it were, a new spiritual Sense that the p. 100Mind has, or a Principle of new Kind of Perception or spiritual Sensation, which is in its whole Nature different from any former Kinds of Sensation 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 get 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 & 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 Faculty of Understanding. So that new holy Dispositions of Heart 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.

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 Baiaam, he only impresses a natural Principle, viz. the Sense of seeing, immediately exciting Ideas of that Sense; but he gave no new Sense; neither was there any Thing supernatural, spiritual or divine in it. So if the Spirit of God impresses on a Man's Imagination, either in a p. 101Dream, or when he is awake, any outward Ideas of any of the Senses, either Voices, or Shapes and Colours, 'tis 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 any new spiritual Principle, or giving the Ideas of any new spiritual Sense; 'tis 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 Men's natural Ingeniosity, as he assisted Bezaleel and Aboliah 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, & on Saul, so as to give him another Heart: so God may greatly assist natural Men's 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 Men's Consciences to do this in a greater Degree, helps Conscience against the stupifying Influence of worldly Objects and their Lusts. And so there are many other Ways might be mention'd wherein the Spirit acts upon, assists and moves natural Principles; but after all, 'tis 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 exercising new, divine and supernatural Principles; Principles which are indeed a new and spiritual Nature, and Principles vastly more noble and excellent than all that is in natural Men.

From what has been said it follows, that all spiritual and gracious Affections are attended with, and do arise from some Apprehension, Idea or Sensation of Mind, which is in its whole Nature different, yea exceeding different from all that is or can be in the Mind of a natural Man; and which the natural Man discerns nothing of, and has no Manner of Idea of, (agreeable to 1 Cor. 2. 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.

p. 102But 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 natural 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 Thoughts of God, and 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; and many other Things might be mention'd 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 something peculiar: Both spiritual Love and Natural, cause Desires after the Object beloved; but they ben't 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 Conceptions 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; tho' they both delight in their beloved Objects. So both these Persons may in some Respects love the same Object: The one may love a delicious Kind of Fruit, which is beautiful to the Eye, and of a p. 103delicious Taste; not only because he has seen it's pleasant Colours, but knows it's sweet Taste; the other, perfectly ignorant of this, loves it only for its beautiful Colours: There are many Things seem, 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 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 … and a … 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 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 City and Prince's Court, and there arrayed in princely Robes, and set in 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 is no more, than only 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 it 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 cannot experience that which is individually the same, but can't experience any thing but what is exceeding diverse, and immensely p. 104below 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 great 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 this Discourse.

From hence it appears that Impressions which some have made 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. Tho' 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 the 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 ben't 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 Kind of 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 don't 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 Kind of Ideas are strongly impress'd 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 Imagination of those Things. So if he has an Idea of such Sort of 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 p. 105Letters 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 impress'd, 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 impress'd 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's hanging on the Cross, and his Blood running from his Wounds; and this they call a spiritual Sight of Christ crucify'd, 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 open'd to them. Some from Time to Time have had a lively Idea of a Person of 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 don't 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 impress'd with Ideas of the Sense of Hearing; they have had Ideas of Words, as if they were spoke 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 Things 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 considerate 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 p. 106a clear Apprehension of Things spiritual by the Name of Light; and an having such an Apprehension of such or such Things, by the Name of seeing such Things; and the Conviction of the Judgment, and the Perswasion of the Will, by the Word of Christ in the Gospel, we signify by spiritually hearing the Call of Christ: And the Scripture it self abounds with such like figurative Expressions. Persons hearing these often used, and having press'd upon them the Necessity of having their Eyes open'd, 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 open'd, 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 exceeding 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 vasily above any Sensation which 'tis 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 are some of the inferiour Powers of the humane Nature; they are meerly 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 'tis 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 meer Animal. There is nothing wanting in the Soul, as it is by Nature, to render it incapable 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 regenerate Man is: So there is nothing supernatural in them. And 'tis known by abundant Experience, that 'tis not the advancing or perfecting humane 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 p. 107of Body, makes Persons abundantly more susceptive of such Impressions ‡‡Conceits and Whimseys abound most in Men of weak Reason; Children, and such as are crack'd in their Understandstanding 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 fix'd 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, Isai. 1. 18. John 19. 9. Flavel's Preparation for Sufferings, Chap. 6.Isa 1:18John 19:9.

As to a truly spiritual Sensation, not only is the Manner of its coming into the Mind extraordinary, but the Sensation it self is totally diverse from all that Men have, or can have, in a State of Nature, as has been shewn. But … to these external Ideas, tho' the Way of their coming into the Mind … 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 it self, than the external Idea that the Jews his Enemies had, who stood round his Cross and saw this with 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 bodily Eyes; or 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 ††If any Man should see, and behold Christ really, 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 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 6. 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 tho' you see the Lord so really, as that you become familiar with him, yet Luke 13. 26. Lord, have we not eat and drank, —and so perish. Shepard's Par. of the ten Virgins, P. I. p. 197, 198.John 6Luke 13:26; yea, the p. 108Image of Christ, which Men conceive in their Imaginations, is not in its own Nature, of any superiour Kind to the Idea the Papists conceive of Christ, by the beautiful and affecting Images of him which they see in their Churches; (tho' 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, thro' the Craft of the Priests, are made to move, and speak, and weep, and the like **Satan is transformed into an Angel of Light: And hence we have heard that some have heard Voices; some have seen the very Blood of Christ dropping on them, and his Wounds in his Side; some have seen a great Light shining in the Chamber; some 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 Par. of the ten Virgins, P. I. p. 198.. Meerly the Way of Persons receiving these imaginary Ideas, don't 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 impress'd 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 Knowledge of the most High, and saw the Vision of the Almighty, falling into a Trance, Numb. 24. 16, 17. But yet had no Manner of spiritual Discovery of Christ; that Day-Star never spiritually rose 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, p. 109are capable of; so there is nothing in their Nature which requires that peculiar, inimitable and unparallel'd Exercise of the glorious Power of God, in order to their Production, which it has been shown there is in the the Production of true Grace. There appears to be nothing in their Nature above the Power of the Devil. 'Tis 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 ††Consider how difficult, yea and impossible it is to determine that such a Voice, Vision or Revelation is of God, and that Satan cannot feign or counterfeit it; seeing he hath left no certain Marks by which we may distinguish one Spirit from another. Flavel's Causes and Cures of mental Errors, Cause 14.; 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 case of a high Fever, Melancholly, &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. 13. 1. 1 Kings 22. 22. Isai. 28. 7. Ezek. 13. 7. Zech. 13. 4. And they were external Ideas that he often excited in the Minds of the heathen Priests, Magicians and Sorcerers in their Visions and Extasies; and they were external Ideas that he excited in the Mind of the Man Christ Jesus, when he shewed 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 Man, than the Form of a Chip or Block; p. 110tho' it be of a very beautiful human Body, with a sweet Smile in his Countenance, or Arms open, or Blood running from Hands, Feet, and Side: That Sort 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 Straw, or a Stick of Wood, on a Piece of Paper or Canvas; 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, pav'd with Gold, full of Brightness, and a glorious Throne, &c. So 'tis 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 … it has been proved that all truly gracious Experiences have. And tho' external Ideas, thro' 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 tho' undoubtedly, thro' Men's Infirmity in the present State, and especially thro' the weak Constitution of some Persons, gracious Affections which are very strong, do excite lively Ideas in the Imagination; yet 'tis also undoubted, that when Person's Affections are founded on Imaginations, which is often the Case, those Affections are meerly 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 ††There is a remarkable Passage of Mr. John Smith, in his Discourse on the Shortness of a Pharisaic Righteousness, 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 cannot forbear transcribing the whole of it. Speaking of a Sort of Christians, whose Life is nothing but a strong Energy of Fancy, he says, Least their Religion might too grosly discover it self 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, touch'd 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 it self 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 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 distemper'd 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 their own, and are of a base and earthly Alloy, will soon vanish and fall down again, being only born 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 be pleniores 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 lengthen'd out it's 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, sank 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 subtil, and remote from these mixt 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 it self upon the Understanding, and from thence mildly derives it self thro' 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 slitting & 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 extinguish'd, because it is of an immortal Nature; and being once seated vitally in 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 Oeconomy 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 Heats of Passion; tho' these are too often mistaken for it, when in our Jugglings in Religion we cast a Mist before our own Eyes: But it is a new Nature, informing the Souls of Men; it is a godlike Frame of Spirit, discovering it self most of all in serene and clear Minds, in deep Humility, 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 our selves as much as may be to all that Perfection which shines in him.: And no wonder, when the p. 111Subjects of them have an ignorant, but undoubting Perswasion, that they are divine Manifestations, which the great Jehovah immediately p. 112makes 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 Heart are spiritual, supernatural and divine, that the immediate suggesting of the Words of Scripture to the Mind, has nothing in it which is spiritual.

p. 113I 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 Effect. For I suppose there is no Person of common Understanding who will say or imagine, that the bringing Words (let 'em 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 therefore it follows from what has been already proved, that those Affections which have this Effect for their Foundation, are no spiritual or gracious Affections.—But let it be observed what it is that I say, viz. When this Effect, even the immediate and extraordinary Manner of Words of Scripture's 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 tho' some Person had spoke them to 'em, thence concluding that God did as it were immediately speak to 'em. Persons oftentimes are exceedingly affected on this Foundation; the Words of some great and high Promises of Scripture come suddenly to their Minds, and they look upon the Words as directed immediately p. 114by God to them, as tho' 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 'em their happy Circumstance, and promising such and such great Things to them: And … that … elevates them. There is no new spiritual … … in the Scripture, or n…w spiritual … of the glorious Things … in that Part of the Bible, going before their Affection, and being the Foundation of it: All the n…w Understanding they have, or think they have, to be the Foundation of their Affection, is this, that the Words are … to them, because they c…me so … and extraordinarily. And so this Affecttion is built wholly on the …; because it is built on a Conclusion … which they have …. For, as has been shown, the sudden coming of the Words to their Minds, is no Evidence that the bringing 'em to their Minds in that Manner, was from God. And … was true that God brought the Words to their Minds, and they certainly know … that would … the spiritual Knowledge▪ it may be without any spiritual … … might know that the Words which God … 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 or no spiritual Foundation, and are vain and …. Persons who have their Affections thus raised, if they should be enquired … whether they have any new Sense of the Excellency of Things contained in th…se Scriptures, would probably say, … without Hesitation: But it is true no otherwise than …, that when they have taken up that Notion, that the Words are spoken immediately to them, that makes them seem sweet to 'em, and they … the Things, which those Scriptures say to 'em, for excellent Things, and wonderful Things. As for Instance, supposing these were the Words which were suddenly brought to their Minds, Fear not,…mdash;it … give you … Kingdom; they having confidently taken up a Notion that the Words were as it were immediately spoken from Heaven to them, … an immediate Revelation, that God was their Father, and had given the Kingdom to them, they are greatly affected by it, and the Words from sweet to 'em; and oh, they say, they are excellent Things that are … in those Words! but the Reason why the Promise seems excellent to 'em, 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 or his excellent Grace to sinful Men, in offering and giving them this Kingdom, of his own good Pleasure, preceeding their imagined Interest in p. 115these 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 that, and then can own these Things to be excellent. So that the sudden and extraordinary Way of the Scriptures 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 Terrors, some comfortable sweet Promise comes suddenly and wonderfully to their Minds; and the Manner of its coming makes 'em 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 'em that he loves 'em, 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 don't bring Scriptures to Men's 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 Men's 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. There is no Promise of the Covenant of Grace belongs to any Man, 'till he has first believed in Christ; for 'tis by Faith alone that we become interested in Christ, and the Promises of the new Covenant made in him: And therefore whatever Spirit applics 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 Dependance ††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 'em, 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 Dependance; for he never manifest… his … 'till Men are in a State of Favour and Reconciliation, which is by Faith of Dependance. When Men have comfortable Scriptures come to them, they are apt to take them as Tokens of God's Love; but Men m…t be brought into Christ, 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 … good … unto him. And … speaking of them that seem to be brought to be as God's Fo…t, and give an Account of their … with Christ, and that God has revealed Christ to them. And drawn their Hearts to him, and that 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 pardon'd him: For the Offer of Grace and our Acceptance … before Pardon, and therefore, much more before the Knowledge of it. …. Shepard, in his Parable of the ten Virgins, 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 this Appearance, yo 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 Prom se! 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 'tis 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.. And if the Scripture which comes p. 116to 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 believes that he is invited, it is not true Faith; 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 tho' then spoken and directed by God to …, because the Words came after such a Manner, is wholly an p. 117uncertain and precarious Determination, as has been now shewn; 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 cannot lie. If a Sinner be once convinced of the Veracity of God, and that the Scriptures are his Word, he'll 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 won't want any new speaking of God to him, what he hath spoken already 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 'em, 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 'em; 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 'em, and satisfy their Doubts and testifies his Love to 'em, and promises 'em Supports and Supplies, and his Blessing in such and such Cases, and reveals to 'em clearly 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 p. 118Bible, but the Manner of their … 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 Promise of the Covenant of Grace are his, and are made to him, all spoken to him ††Mr. Shepard, in his Sound Believer, p. 159. of the late Impression at Boston, 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 Promise boldly. My Meaning is, when a Christian takes …old, and wrestles with God for 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 applies all the Threatnings 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.: Tho' it be true that some of these Promises may be more peculiarly 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 Pr…tiousness, and Glory, and … of the Blessings contained in them.

But here, some may be ready to …, What, is there no such Thing as any particular … Application of the Promises of Scripture by the Spirit of God? I answer, There is doubtless such a Thing as a spiritual and … Application of the … as and Promises of Scripture to the Souls of Men: But it is also certain, that the Nature of it is wholly misunderstood by many Persons, to the great … 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 was not consist in its being immediately suggested to the … by some … Agent, and being borne into the Mind with this strong Apprehension, that it is particularly spoken and … to them at that Time: There is nothing on the Evidence of the Hand of God in this Effect, as Events have proved in many … Instances; and it is a … of a spiritual Application of Scripture; there is nothing in the Nature of it at all beyond the Power of the Devil, if he … by God; for there is nothing in the Nature of the Effect that …s spiritual, implying any vital Communication of God. A truly spiritual Application of the Word of God is of a vastly …igher Nature: as much above the Devil's Power, as it is, so to apply the Word of p. 119God 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 enlightning, 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 offer'd, and also the sweet and wonderful Grace of the Offerer, in making so gracious an Offer, and of his holy Excellency and … to fulfill 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 … spiritual, Application of the Promises of Scripture, for the Comfort of the Saints, consists in enlightning 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 … and Enlightning of the Mind, but consisting only in the Words … borne into the Thoughts, as if immediately then spoken, so making Persons believe, on no other Foundation, that the Promise is th…'s; 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; 'tis not any Thing contained in those Scriptures which come to their Minds, that raise their Affections; but truly that Effect, … the strange Manner of the Words 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 … 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 precious 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 coin'd, and not any Word of God contained in the Bible. ††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 tho' there is a Word, which may give a Man a Dependance 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. 'Till that Work is seen, has no Assurance from that Promise. Shepard's Parable of the ten Virgins. 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. Stoddard's Nature of saving Conversion, p. 84, 85.And thus many Persons are vainly affected and deluded.

p. 120Again, it plainly appears from what has been demonstrated, That no Revelation of secret Facts by immediated 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 don't appear to the Senses, nor are known by any Argumentation, or any Evidence to Reason, nor any other Way, but only by that Revelation by immediate Suggestion of the Ideas of them to the Mind. Thus for Instance, if it should be reveal'd 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 my self 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 'em 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 reveal'd to p. 121me, 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 twelve-month; because, tho' one is present and the other future, yet 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. 10. 2, 3.) tho' 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.

'Tis evident that this Revelation of secret Facts by immediate Suggestion, has nothing of the Nature of a spiritual and divine Operation, in the Sense fore-mentioned: 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, …ar above all the Ideas of natural Men; tho' the Manner of exciting the Ideas be extraordinary. In those Things which are spiritual, as has been shown, not only the Manner of producing Effect, but the Effect wrought is divine, and so v…ly 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 'em; 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 extraordinary 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 'em 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 there is 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 p. 122sanctified Minds may have and will have concerning many at the Day of Judgment; so God can it he pleases, extraordinarily and immediately suggest this to, and impre… 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 them to exclude, or necessarily to prevent such a Suggestion.

And if these Suggestions of secret Facts be attended with … of Scripture, immediately and extraordinarily brought to Mind, about some other Facts that seem in some Respects similar, that don't 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 his been just now demonstrated: And two Effects together, which are neither of them spiritual, can't make up one complex Effect, that is spiritual.

Hence it follows, from what has been already shewn, 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 … 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 shewn, 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 'tis exceeding 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 …. That which may 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 'em 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 it self. This Sort of Fact, is not that which requires any higher or more divine Kind of Suggestion, in order to impress it on the Mind, than any other Fact which Balaam had impress'd on his Mind. It requires no higher Sort of Idea or Sensation, for a Man to have the Apprehension of his own Conversion impress'd upon him, than to have the Apprehension of his Neighbour's Conversion, in like Manner, impress'd: But God, if he pleased, might impress the Knowledge of this Fact, that he had forgiven p. 123his 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, don't at all hinder a natural Man's Mind being susceptible of an immediate Suggestion and Impression of it. Balaam had as excellent, and important, and glorious Facts as this, immediately impress'd on his Mind, without any gracious Influence; as particularly, the coming of Christ, an his setting up his glorious Kingdom, and the Blessedness of the spiritual Israel in his peculiar Favour and their Happiness living and dying. Yea Abim…ech King of the …, had God's special Favour to a particular Person, even Abraham, revealed to him, Gen. 2…. 6, 7. So it seems that he reveal'd to Laban his special Favour to …, see Gen. 31. 24. and Psal. 125. 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 or 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. 13. 2. And tho' 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 don't arise from the Nature of the …, or because that Kind of Influence which suggests such excellent Facts, … high for him to be the Subject of; but purely … the … a Fact to be …. The Influence which immediately suggests this Fact, when it is true, is of no different Kind from that which immediately suggests other true Facts: And so the Kind and Nature of the Influence, 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 Benefits 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 it self has nothing of the holy Nature of the Spirit of God in it, nothing of a vital Communication of that Spirit. This Notion greatly debases that high and most exalted Kind of Influence and Operation of the Spirit, which there is in the true Witness of the Spirit ††The late venerable Stoddard in his younger Time, falling in with the Opinion of some others, receiv'd 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. 8. 16. The Spirit it self heareth Witness with our Spirit, that we are the Children of God. They think the Spirit reveals it by giving on 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 sheds 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 thereby 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.Rom 8:16That p. 124which is called the Witness of the Spirit, Rom. … is elsewhere in the new Testament called the Soul of the Spirit, 2 Cor. 1. 22, … 1. 13. and 4. 13. alluding to the Seal of Princes, annexed to the …, by which they advanced any of their Subjects to … my high Honour and Dignity, or peculiar Privilege in the Kingdom, as a Token of their special Favour. Which is an Evidence that the … of the Spirit of the Prince of Princes, in sealing his Favourites, … far from being of a common Kind; and that there is no Effect of God's Spirit whatsoever, which is in its Nature more divine; nothing more holy, peculiar, inimitable and distinguishing of … 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 very 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; and not meerly 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 p. 125natural Men, while such, are so far from a Capacity of being the Subjects of, that they can have no Manner of Notion or Idea of it; agreeable to Rev. 2. 17. To him that overcometh, will I give to cat 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 WITNESS, it's being called the Witness of the Spirit. Hence they have taken it, not to be any Effect or Work of the Spirit upon the Heart, giving Evidence, from whence M…n may argue that they are the Children of God; but an inward … Suggestion, as tho' God inwardly spoke to the Man, and … to him, and told him that he was his Child, by a Kind of a secret …, or Impression: Not observing the … in which the Word Witness, or Testimony is often used in the New Testament; where such Terms often signify, not only a meer declaring and affecting a Thing to be true, but holding forth Evidence from whence a Thing may be argued and proved to be true. Thus, Heb. 2. 4. God is said to hear Witness, with Signs and Wonders, and diverse …, and Gifts of the Holy Ghost. Now th…se Miracles, here spoken … are called God's Witness, not because they are of the Nature of Affections, but Evidences and Proofs. So Act 14. 3. … they speaking boldly in the Lord; which gave … Word of his Grace; and granted Signs and Wonders to be … Hands. And John 6. 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. 10. 25. The 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 5. 8. not that they spake or asserted any thing, but they were Proofs and Evidences. So God's Works of Providence,, in the Rain and fruitful Seasons, are spoken of as Witnesses of God's Being and Goodness, i. e. They were 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. 7. 3. Hurt not the Earth, neither the Sea, or the Trees, 'till we have sealed the Servants of our God in their Foreheads; totogether with Ezek. 9. 4. Set a Mark upon the Foreheads of the Men p. 126that … and … for all the … that are done in the … thereof. When God … his Seal on a Man's Heart by his Spirit, there is some holy Stamp, some Image impress'd and left upon the Heart by the Spirit, as by the Seal upon the Wax. And this holy Stamp, or impress'd 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 instamp'd 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 stamp'd 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. 8. …. Set me as a Seal upon thine Heart, as a Seal upon thine …; it is as much as to say, Let my Name and Image remain imprest there. The Seals of Princes were wont to be it their Image; so that what they set their Seal and royal Mark upon, had their Image left … it. It was the Manner of Princes of old to have their Image engraven on their Jewels & precious Stones; and the Image of … engraven on a precious Stone, was used as the Seal of the Roman Emperors, in Christ's and the Apostles Times. ‖‖See Chambers's Dictionary, under the Word ….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 enstamped in so fair and clear a Manner, as to be plain to the Eye of Conscience; which is what the Scripture calls … Spirit. This is, truly an Effect that is spiritual, supernatural, and divine. This is, in it self, 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 p. 127like to this, as he can to that holy and divine Effect, or Work of the Spirit of God, which has been now spoken of.‡‡Mr. Shepard is abundant in an … against the Notion of Men's knowing their … Estate by an immediate Witness of the Spirit, without judging by any Effect or Work of the Spirit wro't on the …, is an Evidence and Proof that Persons are the Children of God. Part I. p. 134. Knewing your Election of God. How … Immediately Some Divines think … see it not …, and that it's peculiar to God so to do; … … for … Word came in Power, and in much … to … for God, to turn you from … unto God, &c. Again in the same PageIt's Heaven to … in every Command; it's Death to depart from any Command. Hereby know we that we are in …. If it … to ask of the Angels, how they know they are not Devil, they would answer, the Lord's Will …. So … know you have not the Nature of Devils, … in a State of Devils, bound there 'till the Judgment or … Because God hath changed our … Nature, … Wills like unto his glorious Will. And p. 135. The Major is the Word, the Miner Experience, and the … 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's given him, tho' Dogs snatch at it. And p. 137. If you look to a Spirit without a Work, whilst you do seek Consolation, you cannot avoid the Condemnation 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 cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. Page 176, 177. A Man saith, I have Christ; and so have 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, 'till it witnessed this was here. What should be the Causes of this, and that Men should make Blusters in the Churches because of this, as tho' it was building on Works? In several Men they are several. 1. An Aptness to out-run the Truth, and to fall from one Extream to another—. 2. The Apostacy of eminent Professors, who have been deceived in their evidencing thus.—3. Corrupt Experience.—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, 'tis from the Witness of the Spirit of Glory; not only because that God in their God, but because they are his People. 'Tis I 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 shews you God is your God, and so you rejoice, because of this; for thus 'tis 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 … 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 an one shall have it, if his Name be there. But if one shall say, such a One hath promised me such Lands; is it in his Will? No; but since he died, as I was taking a Pipe, he came to me: Oh be not deceived! Again in his Sound Believer 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 cannot the same Spirit shine upon your Graces, and witness that you are sanctified, as well? 1 John 4. 13, 24. 1 Cor. 2. 12. Can the Spirit make the one clear to you, and not the other? Oh Beloved, 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? … to deny it, is as bad as to affirm that God's own Promises 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 Spirit by immediate Revelation. Sacramental Meditations, Med. 4. speaking of the Sealing of the Spirit, he says, In Sealing the Believer, he doth not make use of an audible Voice, nor the Ministry of Angels, nor immediate and extraordinary Revelations; but he makes use of his own Graces, implanted in our Hearts, and his own Promises, written in the Scripture: And in this Method, he usually brings the doubting trembling Heart of a Believer to Rest and Comfort. Again, Ibid. Assurance is produced in our Souls by the reflexive Acts of Faith: The Spirit helps us to reflect upon what hath been done by him formerly upon our Hearts; hereby we know that we know him, 1 John 2. 3. To know that we know, is a reflex 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 insused, and the vital Act perform'd. The Object Matter, to which the Spirit seals, is his own sanctifying Operation. Afterwards, Ibid. he says, Immediate Ways of the Spirit's Sealing are ceased. No Man may now expect, by any new Revelation, or Sign from Heaven, by any Voice, or extraordinary Inspiration, to have his Salvation seal'd; 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, Non ex nova aliqua 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, 'tis possible there many subesse falsum, be found some Cheat, or Impostures of the Devil; but the Spirit's Witness in the Heart, suitable to the Revelation in the Scripture, cannot deceive us.1 John 4:131 John 4:241 Cor 2:121 John 2:3