bones because of my sin: for mine iniquities are gone over my head as a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me to bear!"

Did he feel no fervour of devotion, no warmth of love, when he said, Psa. xxxix, 3, "My heart was hot within me; while I was musing, the fire kindled, and I spake with my tongue ?" No desire and thirst after * God, when he sung, Psa. xlii, 1, "As the hart panteth after the waterbrook, so panteth my soul after thee, O God?" No dejection or trouble of mind, when he expostulated with himself, Psalm xlii, 11, "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me?" Did he expect no feelings of joy, no sense of the peace of God, when he prayed, Psalm li, 8, "Make me to hear of joy and gladness, that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice? Restore unto me the joy of salvation!" "Let thy loving kindness comfort me: when wilt thou comfort me?" &c, Psalm cxix, 76, 82.

Had he no sense, no inward consciousness, that his affections were set on things above, when he said, " My heart is fixed; my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise?" Did he feel no stirrings of desire, no touches of joy, when he cried, Psa. lxiii, 1, "My soul thirsteth after thee, my flesh longeth for thee as a dry and thirsty land, where no water is. Because thy loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Thus will I bless thee while I live; and my soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness?"

Had he no sense or feeling of the mercy of God, and of his justification, when he said, Psa. lxvi, 16, "Come and hear, all ye that fear the Lord, and I will tell you what he has done for my soul?" Psa. xxxii, 1, 5, "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, &c. I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin?" Psa. ciii, 1, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name; who forgiveth all thy sin, and healeth all thy infirmity ?"

Did he feel no concern for God's glory, when he said, Psa. cxix, 136, 139, "Rivers of water run down mine eyes, because men keep not thy law? My zeal hath even consumed me; because mine enemies have forgotten thy words?" In short, had he felt neither sorrow nor comfort, when he said, Psa. xciv, 19, "In the multitudes of the sorrows of my heart, thy comforts have refreshed my soul?" Or shall we suppose, that the man after God's own heart, in his devotion, was only a wellmeaning enthusiast, of a soft complexion, sometimes cast down by melancholy, at other times carried out by the warmth of his imagination, and often led by impulses into the wild presumption of Ranters ? If you refuse (as I am sure you do) to pass such judgments on David, you cannot help, sir, allowing the reality and the usefulness of feelings in sober religion, in rational devotion.

But let us leave the penitent king to his feelings, and consider what we can make of the weeping prophet. Certainly, sir, we must say that Jeremiah was a melancholy enthusiast, almost falling into despair through the weakness of his nerves and lowness of his spirits, or allow that there is such a thing as feeling godly sorrow in religion, and thereby becoming entitled to the promise of our Lord, Matt. v, "Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted;" unless we run to the other extreme, and account for his rivers of tears, by saying they were

hypocritical tears, such as crocodiles are supposed to shed to bring men into their snare; and yet this must have been the case, if he felt no inward sorrow adequate to the outward demonstrations of his grief.

Were the saints of the New Testament more free from these inward feelings? Just the reverse! At least we ought to judge charitably enough of the Virgin Mary, to suppose that she felt some spiritual joy, when she said, "My soul rejoiceth in God my Saviour;" and of our Lord himself, to believe that he felt some trouble of mind, some deep concern, when he wept over Jerusalem, when he was troubled and wept at Lazarus' grave, when he said, "My soul is troubled unto death;" and when, being in an agony, he offered up prayers with strong crying and tears, yea, with a bloody sweat: surely, sir, such scenes were transacted, not in his weak nerves, or frighted imagination, but in his inmost soul, and consequently we may conclude that he first felt them there.

If we read the Gospels and the Acts, we find frequent mention made of a peace, joy, and love, which people were strangers to, till they received the unction of the Holy One; and that not among apostles only, but among private Christians and illiterate women. The two dis. ciples cried out, Luke xxiv, "How did our heart burn within us!" The twelve, whose hearts were filled with sorrow, John xvi, 6, return to Jerusalem with great joy, Luke xxiv.

At the day of pentecost they were filled with power, boldness, and zeal, which are graces common to all believers, especially preachers : (for what have we to do with the miraculous gifts which it pleased God to confine to the apostolic age?) at least our Church declares, (homily for Whitsunday,) that the Spirit of God engendereth still a burning zeal toward God's word, and giveth all men (not cloven tongues outwardly, but) a tongue, yea, a fiery tongue, so that they may boldly and cheerfully declare the truth in the face of all the world.

If we read on, we see three thousand people pricked to the heart by the word, (and consequently feeling the sword of the Spirit in their heart,) Eph. vi, compared with Hebrews, and upon their crying for help, we find them so comforted upon believing the forgiveness of sins through Jesus, that they were enabled to praise God, continue instant in prayer and breaking of bread, and to eat their food with gladness and singleness of heart. And I presume, sir, they felt and enjoyed that gladness of heart: yea, not only believers at Jerusalem felt it, but those of Antioch also, who, Acts xiii, 52, were filled with joy and the Holy Ghost; and the Churches of Judea and Galilee, who walked in the fear of the Lord, and the comfort of the Holy Ghost, Acts ix, 31.

Nor was that a privilege peculiar to the primitive Christians, as all those who have been at the pains of making their calling and election sure, experience daily for the promise was not only to them, but to their children, and to us that are afar off. Had our Church been of another opinion, she would never have bidden us pray, as she does in the collect for Whitsunday, and the Sunday before: "Send us thine Holy Ghost to comfort us, and grant us, by thy Holy Spirit, to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort;" and in that for St. Stephen's day, "Grant that we, being filled with the Holy Ghost, may learn to love our enemies as thy first martyr;" much

less would she have bid us ask for the inspiration of his Holy Spirit, and conclude all our morning and evening prayers by asking the fellowship of the Holy Ghost for ourselves and for all.

But if, because your text was taken out of St. Paul's Epistle, you choose, sir, to let him decide whether feelings ought to have place in sound religion or not, I am willing to stand at the bar before so great a judge, and promise to find no fault with his sentence.

And first, not to mention the various scenes of terror, remorse, shame, desire, hope, joy, love, and admiration, he went through at his conversion, which he could not but feel in his soul; can we suppose, without rashness, that when he speaks of his fears within, the continual sorrow in his heart, the being in much trembling, the breaking of his heart, his preaching, praying, writing with many tears, his being "sorrowful, yet always rejoicing," his longing to be dissolved, his being constrained by the love of Christ, his being refreshed in the Spirit, his bowels and the bowels of the saints being refreshed, his being comforted, yea, "exceeding full of comfort;" his "consolations abounding through Christ," &c. Can we suppose, I say, he felt all along neither sorrow nor consolation, neither fear nor trembling, neither desire nor love? For my part, I believe he felt all this, and more than words can express: I dare no more place him among hypocrites than I dare rank him with enthusiasts.

But where does he exclaim against feeling the power of God, or the powerful operations of his Spirit on the heart? Is it where he says, that the kingdom of God is "not in word but in power;" that this kingdom within us, (if we are believers,) this true inward religion consists "in peace, righteousness, and joy in the Holy Ghost?" That Christians rejoice in tribulation, because the love of God is shed abroad in their hearts by the Holy Ghost given unto them? Is it where he says, he is "not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, because it is the power of God to the salvation of every one that believeth?" That he desired to "know nothing but Jesus and the power of his resurrection?" That his preaching was not with "enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power," that the faith of his hearers might not "stand in the wisdom of man, but in the power of God?" 2 Cor. ii, 24. Or, is it when he calls the exerting of this power in him, his life, saying, "I live not, but Christ lives in me; and the life that I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me?"

Can we suppose that he discountenances feelings in religion when he prays that "the God of hope would fill the Romans, chap. xv, 13, with all joy and peace in believing, that they might abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost?" When he says that "they had not received again the spirit of bondage to fear, but the Spirit of adoption, crying, Abba Father, and witnessing to their spirits that they were the children of God," agreeable to that of St. John, "He that believeth, hath the witness in himself?"

Or does he suppose feelings useless when he gives up a notorious sinner to Satan, for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit, being first troubled, might afterward be saved in the day of the Lord? And when, fearing the wound would be too deep, (for there is a danger in this also,) he desires the Corinthians "to comfort him, lest he should be swallowed

up with overmuch sorrow?" Does it not rather clearly appear, that deep sorrow is necessary to a great sinner, though he would not have him be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow?

Yea, he puts the question out of all doubt when he tells the Corinthians, second Epistle, chap. vii, 10, "that godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation, not to be repented of;" and praises them for "sorrowing after a godly sort, insomuch that when Titus came, they received him with fear and trembling, and refreshed his spirit by the demonstrations that they gave him of their sorrow, indignation, fear, zeal, and vehement desire.

We may then safely conclude, that Paul, in this and other places, is as far from superseding feelings of godly sorrow as feelings of godly joy, when he says to the Philippians, "Rejoice, rejoice in the Lord, and again I say rejoice;" or feelings of vehement desire, when he tells the Romans, that when the "Spirit helpeth our infirmities, he enables us to pray with groanings and desires that cannot be uttered."

But to avoid transcribing the greatest part of the apostle's epistles, let us see if he never spoke correctly to the point in question. Upon inquiry, I find him in our translation using thrice the word exclaimed against, and every time very much to the purpose, to show you were mistaken, sir, when you supposed that he discountenances feelings in your text.

The first is in Acts xvii, 27, where he is not ashamed to exhort the wise and learned Athenians "to seek after God, if haply they might feel after him and find him, as he is not far from every one of us." It is true the word in the original means palpare, but it has still a near relation to feel, when it signifies sentire, as it would be absurd to feel after that which cannot be felt, perceived, and found.

A man may properly enough be said "to feel after God," when he is enabled to obey the command of our Church, "Lift up your hearts unto the Lord," and to "find him," and get a sense of his glorious presence, when "the peace of God, passing all understanding, enters and keeps his heart in the knowledge and love of Christ," for "God is love." See 2 Cor. iv, 6.

The second place is Heb. iv, 15, where the apostle represents Jesus Christ himself at the right hand of God, as "touched with the feeling of our infirmity." What, sir, shall we impute our Saviour's being touched with such a feeling in heaven to the weakness of his nerves? Or shall we beg of God to give us hearts to love and dread him, such hearts as may be touched, first, with a feeling of our sins and miseries, and then with such a due sense of his inestimable love, as that they may be unfeignedly thankful?

The third place is Eph. iv, 19, where, after having begun the picture of heathens by saying, that their "understanding was darkened, and that they were alienated from the life of God by the ignorance that was in them, because of the blindness of their hearts," the apostle gives it the last stroke but one by adding they were past feeling.

Past feeling! What? Bodily pain and pleasure? No: for he says that they gave themselves to lasciviousness, the basest pleasure of sense. They were then past feeling in their hearts, ("the blindness of their hearts" being mentioned just before,) past feeling any shame or remorse, past feeling any horror of sin, or dread of the Lord.

David means the same thing when, speaking of stout-hearted sinners, he says that he delights in the Lord, but that their heart is "fat as brawn." According to St. Paul, the veil is still upon their heart, 2 Cor. iii, 17, "their heart was waxed gross," Acts xxviii, 27, yea, "after their hardness and impenitent heart, they heaped upon themselves wrath against the day of wrath," Rom. ii, 5.

It is not, then, without reason that God sums up all inward religion in this glorious promise, Ezek. xi, 19, "I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh," a feeling instead of a callous heart. And it is to be feared, that banishing feeling out of religion, in a zeal against enthusiasm, will not a little countenance people in the hardness of their heart. They feel little enough already, God knows why then should they be encouraged from the pulpit to feel less still, when the horrible consequence is to become past feeling in the end, and then "work all manner of uncleanness with greediness,' as too many baptized heathen daily do, and glory to do?

To the above-mentioned passages, I may add a fourth one which is no less to the purpose. It is the last verse of the fifth chapter to the Hebrews, where strong believers are said to have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. From thence, it appears, that one that is born of God has spiritual senses, (annpia,) just as the natural man has bodily senses. He is endued with spiritual sight and taste. "See and taste how good the Lord is. His love is better than wine, his word sweeter than the honey comb," &c; with a spiritual feeling, whereby, through the power of the Highest overshadowing him, he perceives the presence of him in whom he "lives, moves, and has his being ;" and in particular feels "the love of God shed abroad in his heart through the Holy Ghost given unto him." Yea, with spiritual hearing, so that he hears the voice of the good Shepherd, and hearing it to-day, he "hardens not his heart."

If we

The opening of these spiritual senses in a heart that was past feeling, blind, hard, and deaf before; or the faith, the living faith, whereby a man is born of God, born again of the Spirit, is one and the same thing: and the living by the faith of the just, is nothing else but the exercising conúnually some of these spiritual senses on their proper objects. deny this, what can we make of St. Paul's definition of faith? It is, says he, "the substance of things hoped for, and the [demonstration (ssyxos) the Divine] evidence of things not seen." I say, the Divine evidence, because I speak not of a speculative, human, historical faith, but of the faith unfeigned, the saving, justifying faith, that "works by love;" even that faith which is "of the operation of God," Col. ii, 12, whereby a man "passes from death unto life."

To these passages of the apostle of the Gentiles, I beg leave to add one or two of the apostle of the Jews, 1 Pet. i, 8, "Whom having not seen ye love, and in whom, though now you see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory." Now, sir, could such unspeakable joy be unfelt?

In the next chapter, verse 3, he charges Christians to desire the sincere milk of the word, if so be they had tasted that the Lord is gracious. Agreeable to which is the noted place, Heb. vi, 4, 5, where the apostle represents believers as people "enlightened, that taste the heavenly gift,