same time that he is powerfully affected by the greatness and majesty of God, entertains a strong persuasion that this God has adopted him as his child and special favourite, and promises him everlasting glory, this will, according to the principles of nature, have a tendency to raise his joy and praise to a great height.

It is therefore beyond doubt, that too much weight has been laid, by many persons, upon discoveries of the natural perfections of God, operating in this manner, without any real view of his holiness. Experience abundantly corroborates the declarations of Scripture, and the dictates of reason, for there have been many persons who were very far from possessing a proportionate degree of the Christian spirit and temper, or from uniformly producing the fruits of righteousness, who seemed to be overpowered by the greatness and majesty of God. Their discoveries have produced effects directly opposite to those proceeding from truly spiritual and gracious influence.

Not that a sense of the natural perfections of God, is not exceedingly useful and necessary. For as I observed before, this is implied in a mapifestation of the beauty of his holiness. Though unregenerate men may have a sense of the natural perfections of God; yet undoubtedly this view is more common with the saints. Grace enables us to perceive these things in a clearer light than natural men do. It not only enables us to perceive the natural attributes of God, but also that beauty of those attributes, which, according to our way of conceiving of God, is derived from his holiness.

IV. In the production of gracious affections, our minds are so enlightened, that we obtain proper and spiritual views of vine things.

Holy affections are not heat without light, but invariably arise from some information conveyed to the understanding. The child of God is graciously affected, because he sees, and understands something more of divine things than he did before;-something more of God,-of Christ,-and of the glorious things exhibited in the gospel: "Every one that loveth is born of God and knoweth God," 1 John iv. 7. "I pray that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge, and in all judgment," Phil. i. 9. "They have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge," Rom. x. 2. Put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge," Col. iii. 10. "It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and learned of the Father, cometh unto me," John vi. 45. Knowledge, through the influence of the Holy Spirit, softens the heart, elevates the affections, and so opens the way into the kingdom of heaven.

There are seeming religious affections which do not arise from light in the understanding; and these affections, let them be ever so strong, are not spiritual. Such is the nature of man, that he cannot be affected, but by something of which he conceives an idea. But in many persons those conceptions by which they are affected, have nothing in them of the nature of knowledge or information. For instance, when a person is affected by a lively idea, suddenly excited in his mind, of a very beautiful countenance, a vivid light, or some other extraordinary appearance; there is something conceived by the mind, but there is nothing of the nature of instruction. Persons do not become wiser by such conceptions, or know more about God, or a Mediator between God and man,

or the way of salvation by Jesus Christ, or any thing contained in the doctrines of the gospel.

Truly spiritual and gracious affections, arise from the understanding being enlightened as to what is taught respecting God and Jesus Christ; so that we clearly discover the glorious nature of God, and obtain new views of Christ in his fulness and divine excellencies. Those things which relate to the way of salvation by Jesus Christ, are presented to our minds with a new aspect, in consequence of which we now understand those holy and divine doctrines which before were foolishness to us. Such light, communicated to the understanding, is entirely different from lively conceptions of shapes and colours, of brightness and glory, or of voices and sounds. If all gracious affections arise from light in the understanding, those which are produced by mere impressions on the imagination, are not gracious. Hence it also appears, that affections arising from texts of scripture, impressed on the mind, are delusive; at least, when no information is communicated to the understanding by those texts; and when the manner of their coming to the mind, rather than any thing taught by them, is the ground of those affections. When Christ makes his word the means of gracious affections, it is by opening the scriptures to our understandings. "Did not our hearts burn within us," exclaimed the disciples, "while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures ?" Luke xxiv. 32. It appears also that religious affections which are occasioned by the coming of a text of scripture to our minds, must be delusive, when those affections are founded on something supposed to be taught by it, but which in fact is not, nor in any

part of scripture, because such imagined

instruction is nothing but a mistake and misapprehension. As for instance, when persons suppose that they are expressly taught by some passage of scripture, thus coming to their minds, that they in particular are beloved of God, or that their sins in particular are forgiven, this is a mistake, or misapprehension: the scriptures no where refer directly to the individual persons who are beloved of God, and whose sins are pardoned; they only point to the qualities which are the object of the divine approbation, and therefore our interest in his favour is not to be ascertained from scripture in any other way than by a reference to those qualities. Things are not to be learnt from the scriptures, but as they are taught in the scriptures.

In these instances, as well as in some others which might be mentioned, ardent affections arise from ignorance, rather than from knowledge. Some persons, when they enjoy freedom in prayer, believe that God is with them, without examining the cause of that freedom, and this persuasion elevates, and consequently increases their affections. There are many other sources from whence this freedom may rise, besides the spiritual presence of God. Some persons are much affected by striking thoughts which come into their minds about scripture, and which they call the teaching of the Spirit of God. They frequently ascribe the workings of their own minds, to the special and immediate influence of the Holy Spirit. There are instances in which it is evident, that the primary source of affection, is some bodily sensation. The animal spirits, probably, by satanic influence, are suddenly and unaccountably put into a very agreeable motion, so that a pleasant sensation is experienced. The mind is exhilarated, and the soul, throu the laws of union between it and the body, f

pleasure. Hence from ignorance, it is concluded that this proceeds from the Holy Spirit.

And even though our religious affections do arise from some light in the understanding, those affections are not gracious, unless the light which is the cause of them is spiritual. Affections may be excited by that knowledge of divine things which is obtained by mere human teaching, and the common improvement of the mental powers. We may be affected by the knowledge of the things of religion as some persons have been by discoveries in mathematics and natural philosophy. Religious affec tions may be excited by common illuminations of the Spirit of God, as in the case of some persons of whom we read in scripture, who, it is said, were once enlightened.

The scriptures teach us nothing more clearly than that there is a spiritual, supernatural knowledge of divine things, peculiar to the saints. It is certainly a kind of knowledge or perception of divine things of which natural men are destitute, which is spoken of in the following passages: "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spirituallly discerned." 1 Cor. ii. 14. See also to the same purpose, 1 John iii. 6. 3 John 11. John vi. 45. xiv. 19. xvii. 3. "No man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father," but "the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him." Mat. xi. 27.

From hence we may infer wherein spiritual knowledge consists; for if there is in the saints a kind of perception, in its nature quite different from all that natural men can possess; it must, of course, consist in certain ideas, or sensations of mind different from every thing that natural men