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when he finds the same change of heart, the same spiritual conflicts, the same joy, peace and comfort of soul, and all these wrought in the very same way and method, which the Scriptures so plainly and particularly describe? Can I doubt of the skill of that physician, or the efficacy of that medicine, whereby I am recovered from a dangerous disease, to health and comfort, exactly in the same method, and by the same sensible and progressive steps, as was foretold me ?

And is not this truth made most clearly evident, not only to the persons themselves, but to all diligent observers, when you find the same experiences reported by all true believers in Christ, and all the same external and visible effects of their faith, conspicuous and open to every one's observation, not in one or two instances only, but in thousands of those who profess to have had these experiences? As we must necessarily acknowledge the skill of that physician, who effectually cures all that submit to his directions and applications: so we are constrained to acknowledge him for our Saviour, who in the very same way and manner, which he has proposed and promised, does actually and effectually save all those who believe in him, and in the way of his appointments trust to him for salvation.

In my former letters, I have laid before you some of the external evidences of Christianity: In this I have given you a brief sketch of those internal evidences which serve to confirm and illustrate the same important cause. By the former, the truth of the Christian religion is laid open to the understanding: by the latter, it is made matter of sensible experience to the heart. That the glorious Redeemer may enable you to feel the force of this reasoning, to your unspeakable comfort here and happiness hereafter, is the prayer of

Sir, Yours, &c.

LETTER VI.

SOME OBJECTIONS AGAINST THE INTERNAL EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY CONSIDERED AND ANSWERED.

SIR-I do not wonder to find you prejudiced against "the extravagant claim to extraordinary experiences in religion, lately made by some who are evidently under enthusiastic heats and delusions." But I cannot see any force at all in your reasoning, that "Because there are many eminent professors of late, who really have nothing in them but heat and show, and yet make as high pretensions to the divine influences, and to special experience of the operations of the Spirit of God in their hearts, as any others can do; therefore all pretences of that kind may justly be suspected to flow from the same cause and to be the offspring of a like irregular fancy, and heated imagination."

Do you indeed think it just arguing, because some men make vain and false shows of what they really are not, that therefore all other professors of religion are hypocrites, as well as they? Will it follow, because some men pretend to literature which they have not, therefore there are no men of learning in the world? Your discovery of false pretenders to religious experiences, does indeed give you just reason to presume, that some others may, but no reason to conclude, that all others must, in the same manner impose upon the world, by mere delusive appearances. If you have discovered any to be false and deceitful in their profession of religious experiences, it must be because you see something in their conduct which contradicts their profession. But what reason does this give you, to suspect those in whose conduct you see nothing which contradicts their profession. If you have reason to conclude the hypocrisy of the former sort, from the evidences which appear against them; you have also reason to conclude the sincerity of the latter sort, from the evidences which appear in

their favour, and which testify the reality of the change they profess. If you have ground to suspect the careless, the loose, the sensual professor, because he is such; by the same way of reasoning, you have ground to conclude in favour of the serious, the watchful, and mortified professor of religion, because he is such. If the licentious and profane, the fraudulent and unjust, the censorious and uncharitable, the despisers and calumniators of their brethren, are therefore to be suspected of false pretences to the divine influences; by the same arguments, they who are so changed as to become remarkably holy and righteous, meek and humble, charitable, benevolent, and beneficent, have a just claim to be esteemed sincere, and be credited in their profession of religious experiences. There are (through the mercy of God) numbers of such yet among us, all of whom have this change in its visible effects obvious to the world: and though some of them may be doubtful of their own state, yet all of them declare, that they have received all their attainments from the Lord Jesus Christ; they have looked to him, and depended upon him for them all; and have always found, that their progress in piety towards God, and in justice, kindness, and charity towards men, has borne proportion to their cheerful dependence upon Christ for righteousness and strength. If some men are liars, yet, others are credible and may be trusted, especially when they give us undoubted evidence of their truth and fidelity. Even so in the present case, if some men are hypocrites, and evidence themselves to be such, we have no reason from thence to suspect the truth of others' profession and experiences, whose wonderful change of life, and whose future conversation, are a continual testimony to the sincerity of the profession they make, and to the credibility of the experiences which they relate.

But it seems you are especially prejudiced against religious experiences, by the "irregular fancy and heated imagination" which you have observed in some pretenders to extraordinary attainments in re

ligion; from whence you seem to argue, that because some of their "pretended experiences are extravagant flights of a disturbed brain, and evidently flow from pride, self-esteem, and uncharitableness towards others, and end in faction, division, and alienation of affection," that therefore, since some of their pretences are manifestly false and airy imaginations, you have just reasons to conclude that all the rest of their pretences are of the same sort, and flow from the same depraved mind.

I acknowledge, Sir, this is one of the most plausible objections, that ever I have heard of, against the internal evidences of Christianity. And, no doubt, our grand adversary, the devil, has had an especial hand in blowing up that false fire, that he may turn away our eyes from the glory of the Lord arisen upon Zion. No doubt, Satan hath transformed himself into an angel of light, in the late extravagant heats which have appeared in some places, that so, by over-doing, he might undo, and might bring reproach on the wonderful work of divine grace, which has made such a glorious progress in these parts of the world. A permission of these dreadful delusions may be esteemed a just judgment of God upon such as have remained careless and secure in a remarkable season of grace, who have resisted the calls of the gospel, the convictions of their consciences, and the strivings of the Holy Spirit, that they might thereby be hardened in their prejudices against vital and experimental religion, and perhaps finally stumble and fall.

But how plausible soever your objection may be, your reasoning is far from conclusive. What inconsistency is there in the supposition, that a true convert may have some very false apprehensions and imaginations? That the same person may have a sanctified heart, and a confused head? And that he may build upon the true foundation, such wood, hay, and stubble, as must be burned up? Our blessed Saviour has undertaken to sanctify the hearts of all those who sincerely trust in him: but has never promised to

make them infallible in all their conduct. If, therefore, from a principle of love to God, these men should zealously endeavour to serve him, and yet, through heated imaginations, or erroneous apprehensions of their duty, in some cases, they should mistake their way, and suppose that they are doing God good service when they are acting counter to the true interests of Christ's kingdom. What then? Is it any absurdity to suppose they may act from a right principle, though in a wrong manner? The error is in their opinions, but not in their wills. Their hearts are engaged in God's service, though their heads mislead them. They may have experienced a real change (in the manner described in my last letter) though through ignorance and mistake their endeavours to serve God are in some instances irregular and sinful. They may have had real experiences in true and vital piety, though at present their imaginations are imposed on by enthusiasm and delusion. These allowances may be made, and ought to be made, for those who hold fast the fundamental principles of Christianity, and practical godliness; and for none but those. There ought to be such allowances made for those, because there is nothing in their character inconsistent with true and vital piety: yet there ought not to be such allowances made for any but those; because Christ has undertaken to lead his sincere followers into all necessary truth. I think I have good reason to conclude, that the case is truly, and in fact, just as I have here described it, with respect to numbers of those who have run into some of those irregularities you complain of. This appears, in that some of those who have been convinced of and penitently bewailed those mistakes, do yet, (their former irregularities notwithstanding) walk worthy their professed experience of a saving change, and approve themselves holy, humble, and charitable Christians. And I have the more hopes of others, who have not yet been convinced of their mistakes, upon account of their having been seduced into these errors, by such zealous leaders, of whose piety they have so great an

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