tihvavy of trhe theological ^emmarjp PRINCETON • NEW JERSEY •a^^j)* The Stephen Collins Donation 7//7 THE WORKS PRESIDENT EDWARDS, IN FOUR VOLUMES. A KEFEINT OF THE TVORCESTEK EDITION, VALUABLE ADDITIONS AND A COPIOUS GENERAL INDEX, TO -WHICH, FOR THE FIRST TIME, HAS BEEN ADDED, AT GREAT EXPENSE. A COMPLETE INDEX OF SCRIPTURE TEXTS. EIGHTH EDITION IN FOUR VOLUMES. VOL. III. CONTAINING 1. A Treatise concerning Religious Affections. II. Narrative of Surprising Conver- sions. ILL Thoughts on the Revival in New England. IV. An Attempt to promote Explicit Agreement in Extraordinary Prayer. V. Concerning the Perseverance or Saints. VI. On the notion op the Pre-exist- ENCE of Christ's Human So\"l. VII. Mysteries of Scripture. 7III. Observations upon particular Passages of Scripture. IX. Theological Questions, X. Six Occasional Sermons. NEW-VOKK: PUBLISHED BY LEAVITT & ALLEN, 27 DEY STREET. 185l". OU' CONl'ENTS OF VOL.' III. I. A TREATISE CONCERNING RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS, IN THREE PARTS. Page PART I. Concerning the nature of the Affection?, and their importanse in Re- Hgion .......... 1 PART II. Showing what are no certain Signs that Rehgious Affections are truly- gracious, or tiiat they are not . . . . . . .22 PART III. Showing what are distinguishing Signs of truly gracious and holy Affections . . . . . . . . .63. II. NARRATIVE OF SURPRISING CONVERSIONS . . . 231 III. THOUGHTS ON THE REVIVAL OF RELIGION IN NEW ENG- LAND, 1740. Advertisement ......... 274 The Autlior's Preface ........ 275 PART I. Showing that the extraordinary Work that has of late been going on in the land, is a glorious Work of God .... .27"* PART II. Shov/ing the Obligations that ail are under to acknowledge, eejoice i:i, and promote this V/ork, and the groat danger of the contrary . . 31 PART III. Showing, in many Instances, wherein the Subjects, or zealous Pro- moters of this Work, have been injuriously blamed . . . 333 PART IV. Showing what things are to be corrected or avoided in promoting this Work, or in our behavior under it . . . . , . 349 PART V. Showing positively, what ought to be done to promote this Work . 405 IV. A HUMBLE ATTEMPT TO PROMOTE EXPLICIT AGREE- MENT, &c. PART I. The text opened ; and an Account of the Affair proposed . . 429 PART 11. Motives to a Compliance v/ith what is proposed . . . 439 PART III. Objections Answered . . . . . . .465 Conclusion .......... 505 V. CONCERNING THE PERSEVERANCE OF SAINTS. . . 50» VL REASONS AGAINST DR. WATT'S NOTION OF THE PRE-EX- ISTENCE OF CHRIST'S HUMAN SOUL . . . .533 VII. MYSTERIES OF SCRIPTURE 537 VIII. OBSERVATIONS UPON PARTICULAR PASSAGES OF SCRIP- TURE 547 IX. THEOLOGICAL QUESTIONS 554 X. SIX OCCASIONAL SERMONS SEPi-MON I. The Church's Marriage to her Sons, and her God . . . 559 II. The true Excellency of a Gospel Minister ..... 580 III. Chri-st the Example of Ministers ..... ,593 n^. God's awful Judgment in the Breaking and Withering of the Strong Rods of Communily ........ 604 V. The Sorrows of the Bereaved spread before Jesus .... 61S S VL True Saints, when absent from the Body, are present with the Lord . 64^ \ A TREATISE CONCERNING RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS IN THREE PARTS. INTRODUCTION There is no qiiestion whotsoever, that is of greater importance ■■£ mankind, and lliat it more concerns every individual person to be well resolved in, than this ; What are the dis'dnguisldng qualijications of those that are in favor with God., aiul entitltd to his denial rewards 7 Or, which comes to tiie same thing, }Miat is the nature of true religion'? And wherein do lie the distinguishing notes of tliat virtue and holiness that is acceptable in the sight of God? But though it be of such importance, and though we have clear and abundant light in the word of God to direct us in this matter, yet there is no one point, wherein professing Christians do more differ one from another. It would be endless to reckon up the variety of opinions in this point, that divide the Christian world ; making manifest the truth of tliat declaration of our Saviour, " Strait is the gate and narrow is the Avay, that leads to life, and few there be that find it." The consideration of these tilings has long engaged me to attend to tliis matter, with the utmost diligence and care, and exactness of search and inquiry, that I have been capable of It is a subject on which my mind has been peculiarly intent, ever Bince I first entered on the study of divinity. But as to the success of my inquiries, it must be left to the judgment of tlie reader of the following treatise. I am sensible it is much more difficult to judge impartially of that which is the sub- ject of this discourse, in the midst of the dust and smoke of such a state of controversy, as this land is now in, about tilings of tliis nature. As it is more difficult to write im- partially, so it is more difficult to read impartiall3^ Many w^iil probably be hurt in their spirits, to find so much that appertains to religious affection, here condemned: and perhajps indignation and contempt will be excited in others by finding so much here justined and approved. And it may be, some will be ready to charge me with inconsistence with myself, in so much approving some things, and so much condemn- ing others ; as I have found this has alwaj^s been objected to by some, ever since the beginning of our late controversies about religion. It is a hard thing lo be a hearty zealous friend of what has been good and glorious, in the late extraordinary appear- ances, and to rejoice much in it; and at the same time to see the evil and pernicious tendency of what has been bad, and earnestly to oppose that. But yet, I am humbly nut fully persuaded, we shall never be in the way of truth, nor go on in a way accept- able to God, and tending to the advancement of Christ's kingdom, till we do so. There :s indeed something very mysterious in it, that so much good, and so much bad, should be mixed together in the church of God ; as it is a mysterious thing, and what has puzzled and amazed many a good Christian, that there should be that which is so divine and precious, as the saving grace of God. and the new and divine nature dwell- ing in the same heart, with so much corruption, hypocrisy, and iniquity, in a particu- lar saint. Yet neither of these is more mysterious than real. And neither of them is a new or rare thing. It is no new tldng, that much false religion should prevail, at a time of great reviving of true religion ; and that at such a time multitudes of hypo- crites should spring up among true saints. It was so in that great reformation, and levival of religion, that was in Josiah's time ; as appears by Jer. iii, 10, and iv. 3, 4, and also by tlie great apostasy that there was in .^e land, so soon after his reign. So X INTRODUCTION. it was in that great outpouring of the Spirit upon the Jews, that was in the days of John the Baptist ; as appears by the great apostasy of that people so soon alter so general an awakening, and the temporary rehgious comforts and joys of many : John v. 35, " Ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light." So it was in those great commotions that were among the multitude, occasioned by tiie preaching of Jesus Christ ; of the many that were then called, but few were chosen ; of the multitude that were roused and affected by his preaching, and at one time or other appeared mightily engaged, full of admiration of Christ, and elevated with joy, but few were True disciples, that stood the shock of the great trials that came afterwards, and en- dured to the end. Many were like the stony ground, or thorny ground; and but few, comparatively, like the good ground. Of the whole heap that was gathered great part was chaff, that the wind afterwards drove away ; and the heap of wheat that was left, was comparatively small; as appears abundantly, by the history of the New Testa- ment. So it was in that great outpouring of the Spirit that was in the apostles' days ; as appears by Matth. xxiv. 10—13. Gal. iii. 1, and iv. 11, 15. Phil. ii. 21, and iii. 18, 19, and the two epistles to the Corinthians, and many other parts of the New Tes- tament. And so it was in the great reformation from Popery. It appears plainly to have been in the visible church of God, in times of great reviving of religion, from time to time, as it is with the fruit trees in the spring; there are a multitude of blos- soms, all of which appear fair and beautiful, and there is a promising appearance ol young fruits ; but many of them are but of short continuance ; they soon tall off', and never come to maturity. Not tirat it is to be supposed that it will always be so ; for though there never will, in this world, be an entire purity, either in particular saints, in a perfect freedom from mixtures of corruption ; or in the church of God, without any mixture of hypocrites witli saints, and counterfeit religion, and false appearances of grace with true religion, and real holiness: yet it is evident, that there will come a time of much greater 'purity ii; the church of God, than has been in ages past ; it is plain by these texts of Scripture, Isa. Hi. 1. Ezek. xliv. 6, 7, Joel iii. 17. Zech. xiv. 21. Psal. Ixix. 32, 35,36. Isa. xxxv. 8, 10, chap. iv. 3, 4. Ezek. xx. 38. Psal. xxxvii. 9, 10, 21, 29. And one great reason of it v/ill be that at that time God will give much greater light to his people, to distinguish between true i-eligion and its counterfeits. Mai. iii. 3, " And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteous- ness." With ver. 18, which is a continuation of the prophecy of the same happy times. '• Then sliall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked ; between him that serveth God, and him that serveth him not." It is by the mixture of counterfeit religion Avith true, not discerned and distinguish- eu, that the devil has had his greatest advantage against the cause and kingdom of Christ, all along hitherto. It is by this means, principally, that he has prevailed against all revivings of religion, that ever have been, since 'the first founding of the Christian church. By this, he hurt the cause of Christianity, in and after the apostolic age, much more than by all the persecutions of both Jews and Heathens. The apostles, in ail their epistles, show themselves much more concerned at the former mischief than the latter. By this, Satan prevailed against the reformation, began by Luther, Zuinglius, &c., to put a stop to its progress, and bring it into disgrace ; ten times more, than by all those bloody, cruel, and before unheard of persecutions of the church of Rome. By this, principally, has he prevailed against revivals of religion, that have been in our nation since the reformation. By this he prevailed against New England, to quench the love and spoil the joy of her esjwusals, about a hundred years ago? And I think, I have had opportunity enough to see plainly that by this the devil has pre- vailed against the late great revival of religion in New England, so happy and prom- ising in its beginning. Here, most evidently, has been the main advantage Satan has had against us ; by this he has foiled us. It is by this means, that the daughter of Zion in this land now lies on the ground, m such piteous circumstances as we now behold lier ; with her garments rent, her face disfigured, her nakedness exposed, her limbs broken, and weltering in the blood of her own wounds, and in no wise able to arise ; and this, so quickly after her late great joys and hopes : Lam. i. 17, " Zion spreadeth forth her hands, and there is none to comfort lier: the Lord hath command- ed concerning Jacob, that his adversaries shall be round about him : Jerusalem is as a nicnstruous woman among them." I have seen the devil prevail the same way, asrainst tAvo great revivings of religion in this country. Satan goes on with mankind, as he began with them. He prevailed against our first parenls, and cast them out of par- INTRODUCTION XI adise and suddenly brought all their happiness and glory to an end, by appearing to "be a friend to their happy paradisaic state, and pretending to advance it to higher de- o-rees So the same cunning serpent, tliat beguiled Eve through his subtilty, by per vertm"- us from the simplicity that is in Christ, hath suddenly prevailed to deprive us of thariair prospect, we had a little while ago, of a kind of paradisaic state of the church oi" God in New England. After religion has revived in the church of God, and enemies appear, people that are eno-ao-ed°to defend its cause, are commonly most exposed, where they are least sensible ol' danger. While they are wholly intent upon the opposition that appears openly beibre them, to make head against that, and do neglect careiully to look all around them, the devil comes behind tliem, and gives a fatal stab unseen ; and has opportunity to give a more home stroke, and wound the deeper, because he strikes at his leisure, andliccording to his pleasure, being obstructed by no guard or resistance. And so it is ever likely to be in the church, whenever religion revives remarkably, till we have learned well to distinguish between true and fake religion, between sav- ino- atfections and experiences, and those manilbld fair shows, and glistering appear- ances, by which they are counterfeited ; the consequences of which, when they are not distinguished, are often inexpressibly dreadful. By this means, the devil gratifies him- Beli; by bringing it to pass, that that should be offered to God, by multitudes, under a notion of a pleading acceptable service to him, that is indeed above all things abomi- nable to him. By this means he deceives great multitudes about the state of their souls ; making them think they are sometlnng, v/hen they are nothing ; and eo eter- nally undoes them ; and not only so, but establishes many in a strong confidence o! tlieir eminent holiness, who are in God's sight some of the vilest of hypocrites. By this means, he many ways damps and wounds religion in the hearts of the saints, obscures and deforms it by corrupt mixtures, causes their religious affections wofuUy to degen- erate, and sometimes, for a considerable time, to be like the manna that bred worms and stank ; and dreadfullv ensnares and confounds the minds of others of the saints, and brings them into grea't difficulties and temptation, and entangles them in a wilder- ness, out'^of which they can \>y no means extricate themselves. By this means, iSatan mifhtily encourages the hearts of open enemies of religion, and strengthens iheir I lands, and fills tirem with weapons, and makes strong their fortresses ; when, at the eame time, religion and the church of God lie exposed to them, as a city without walls. By this means,\e brings it to pass, that men work wickedness under a notion of doing God service, and so sin without restraint, yea with earnest forwardness and zeal, and with all their might. By this means, he brings in even the friends of religion, insen- sibly to themselves, to do tlie work of enemies, by destroying religion in a far more effectual manner tlian open enemies can do, under a notion of advancing it. By this means the devil scatters the flock of Christ, and sets them one against another, and Umt with great heat of spirit, under a notion of zeal ibr God ; and religion, by degrees, degenerates into vain jangling ; and during the strife, Satan leads both parties far out of the right way, driving each to great extremes, one on the right hand, and the other on the left, according as he finds they are most inclined, or most easily moved and €waved, till the riffht path in tlie middle is almost wholly neglected. And in the midst of this confusion, the devil has great opportunity to advance his own interest, and make it strong in ways innumerable, and get the government of all into his own hands, and work his own will. And by what is seen of the terrible consequences of this counterfeit religion, when not distinguished from true religion, God's people in genera! have their minds unhinged and unsettled in things of rehgion, and know not where to ^ set their foot, or what to think or do ; and many are brought into doubts, whether diere be any thing in religion; and heresy, and infidelity, and atheism greatly prevail. , , j- i Therefore it greatly concms us to use our utmost endeavors clearly to di.scern, anil have it well settTed and established, wherein true religion does consist. Till this be done, it may be expected, that great revivings of religion will be but of short continu- ance'; till this be done, there is but little good to be expected of all our warm debates. in conversation and from the press, not knowing clearly and distinctly what we ought to contend for. r ui ^ j My design is to contribute my mite, and use my best (however Iceble) endeavors to this end, in the ensuing treatise ; Avherein it must be noted, that my design is some- what diverse from the design of what I have formerlv published, which was to show the dii^ihi^'isMng marks of a ivork of the Spirit of God, including both his common riii^^ '"llTrials are of threefold benefit to true religion. Hereby the truth of it is manifested and it appears to be indeed true rel.gion; they, above all other thin^ have a tendeifcy to distinguish between true rehgion and false, and to cause the dfeence between thenf evidently to appear Hence they are called I i^lllZn? trials in the verse nexlly preceding the text, and m mnumera- by the name o^J^^ ^vh-v the faith and religion of professors, of what sort it is, "^C^^^^^^S^^^^^^' m^nfestedrwhetheritbetrue gold or no ^ Andll^e faith of true Christians being thus tried and proved to be true, is " fourrto praise, and honor, and glory," as in that precedmg verse And then these trials a e of Rirther benefit to true religion ; they not only mant^Lt the trn h of it, but they make its genuine beauty and amiableness re- Sab y to appear. True virtue never appears so lovely, as when it is most Tp ess d ancfthe divine excellency of real Christianity is never exhibited wi h rradvair^aswhen under the greatest trials : then it is that true fa.th appears much^more precious than gold ! And upon this account is found to ^^^td^^aif S^t that such trials are f.^^^^;£^ ^ cumbtaSecle it ; that nothing may be left but ^^^\;;^^\'J2^^^^^^^ tend to ci^use the amiableness of true rehgion to appear to the best advantage, as wl bfoi^ observed ; and not only so, but they tend to mcrease its beauty ^I^abi hing and confirming it, and making it more lively ^nd vigorou and SrS/ine it frSm those things that obscured its lustre and glory As gold that ,s S in the foeTis purged IVom its alloy, and all remainders of dross and comes forth more sSid and belutiM so true faith being tried as gold is tnedm the fire tcors more precious, and'thus also is " found unto praise, and honor, and \r^. nT 1 Vol. Ill 2 RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS. glory." The apostle seems to have respect to each of these benefits, that perse- cutions are of to true rehgion, in the verse preceding the text. And in the text, the apostle observes how true religion operated in the Christians he wrote to, under their persecutions, whereby these benefits of perse- cution appeared in them ; or what manner of operation of true religion, in them, it was, whereby their religion, under persecution, was manifested to be true religion, and eminently appeared in the genuine beauty and amiableness of true religion, and also appeared to be increased and purified, and so was like to be " found unto praise, and honor, and glory, at the appearing of Jesus Christ." And there were two kinds of operation, or exercise of true religion, in them, under their sufferings, that the apostle takes notice of in the text, wherein these benefits appeared. 1. Love to Christ : " Whom having not }'et seen, ye love." The world was ready to wonder, what strange principle it was, that influenced them to expose themselves to so great sufferings, to foisake the things that were seen, and renounce all that was dear and pleasant, which was the object of sense. They seemed to the men of the world about them, as though they were beside themselves, and to act as though they hated themselves ; there was nothing in their view, that could induce them thus to suffer, and support them under, and carry them through such trials. But although there was nothing that was seen, nothing that the world saw, or that the Christians themselves ever saw with their bodily eyes, that thus influenced and supported them, yet they had a supernatu- ral principle of love to something unseen ; they loved Jesus Christ, for they saw him spiritually whom the world saw not, and whom they themselves had never seen with bodily eyes. 2. Joy in Christ. Though their outward sufferings were very grievous, yet their inward spiritual joys were greater than their sufferings ; and these supported them, and enabled them to suffer with cheerfulness. There are two things which the apostle takes notice of in the text concern- ing this joy. 1. The manner in which it rises, the way in which Christ, though unseen, is the foundation of it, viz., by faith ; which is the evidence of thiqgs not seen : " In whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice." 2. The nature of this joy ; " unspeakable and full of glory." Unspeakable in the kind of it ; very different from worldly joys, and carnal delights ; of a vastly more pure, sublime, and heavenly nature, being something supernatural, and truly divine, and so ineffably excellent ; the sublimity and exquisite sweetness of which, there were no words to set forth. Unspeakable also in degree ; it pleasing God to give them this holy joy, with a liberal hand, and in large meas- ure, in their state of persecution. Their joy was full of glory. Although the joy was unspeakable, and no words were sufficient to describe it, yet something might be said of it, and no words more fit to represent its excellency than these, that it was full of glory ; or, as it is in the original, glorijied joy. In rejoicing with this joy, their minds were filled, as it were, with a glorious brightness, and their natures exalted and perfected. It was a most worthy, noble rejoicing, that did not corrupt and de- base the mind, as many carnal joys do ; but did greatly beautify and dignify it ; it was a prelibation of the joy of heaven, that raised their minds to a degree ol heavenly blessedness ; it filleQ their minds with the light of God's glory, and made themselves to shine with some communication of that glory. Hence the proposition or doctrine, that I would raise from these words, is this : Doctrine. True religion, in great part, consists in holy affections. We see that the apostle, in observing and remarking the operations and ex* RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS. 3 crcises of reJigion m the Christians he wrote to, wherein their religion appeared to be true and of the right kind, when it had its greatest trial of what sort it was, being tried by persecu-tion as gold is tried in the fire, and when their reli- gion not only proved true, but was most pure, and cleansed from its dross and mixtures of that which was not true, and when religion appeared in them most in its genuine excellency and native beauty, and was found to praise, and honor, and glory ; he singles out the religious affections of love and joy, that were then m exercise in them : these are the exercises of religion he takes notice of, wiierein their religion did thus appear true and pure, and in its proper glory. Here I would, 1. Show what is intended by the affections. 2. Observe some things which make it evident, that a great part of true religion lies in the affections. I. It may be inquired, what the affections of the mind are 1 I answer : The affections are no other than the more vigorous and sensible exercises of the inclination and will of the soul. God has endued the soul with two faculties : one is that by which it is ca- pable of perception and speculation, or by which it discerns, and views, and judges of things ; which is called the understancUng. The other faculty is that by which the soul does not merely perceive~aiKl view things, but is some way inclined with respect to the things it views or considers ; either is inchned to them, or is disinclined and averse from them ; or is the faculty by which the soul does not behold things, as an indifferent xmaffected spectator, but either as liking or disliking, pleased or displeased, approving or rejecting. This faculty is called by various names ; it is sometimes called the inclination : and, as it has respect to the actions that are determined and governed by it, is called the xdll : and the mind, with regard to the exercises of this faculty, is often called the heart. The exercise of this facult)'' are of two sorts ; either those by which the soul is carried out towards the things that are in view, in approving of them, being pleased with them, and inclined to them ; or those in which the soul op- poses the things that are in view, in disapproving of them, and in being dis- pleased with them, averse from them, and rejecting them. And as the exercises of the inclination and will of the soul are various in their kinds, so they are much more various in their degrees. There are some exercises of pleasedness or displeasedness, inclination or disinclination, wherein the soul is carried but a little beyond a state of perfect indifference. — And there are other degrees above this, wherein the approbation or dislike, pleasedness or aversion, are stronger, wherein Ave may rise higher and higher, till the soul comes to act vigorously and sensibly, and the actings of the soul are with that strength, that (through the laws of the union which the Creator has fixed between the soul and the body) the motion of the blood and animal spirits be- gins to be sensibly altered 5 whence oftentimes arises some bodily sensation, es- pecially about the heart and vitals, that are the fountain of the fluids of the body : from whence it comes to pass, that the mind, w^ith regard to the exer- cises of this faculty, perhaps in all nations and ages, is called the heart. And, it is to be noted, that they are these more vigorous and sensible exercises of this faculty that are called the affections. The will, and the affections of the soul, are not t\vo faculties ; the affections are not essentially distinct from the v^all, nor do they differ from the mere act- ings o-f the will, and inclination of the soul, but only in the liveliness and sensi- ';ieness of exercise. 4 RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS. It must be confessed, that language is here somewhat imperfect, and th' meaning of words in a considerable measure loose and unfixed, and not precise ly limited by custom, which governs the use of language. In some sense, th affection of the soul differs nothing at all from the will tmd inclination, and th will never is in any exercise any further than it is affected ; it is not moved ou of a state of perfect indifference, any otherwise than as it is affected one wa'i or other, and acts nothing any further. But yet there are many actings of th" will and inclination, that are not so commonly called affections : in every thinj we do, wherein we act voluntarily, there is an exercise of the will and inclina; tion ; it is our inclination that governs us in our actions ; but all the actings a the inchnation and will, in all our coznraon actions of life, are not ordinaril^l called affections. Yet, what are commonly called affections are not essentialljl different from them, but only in the degree and manner of exercise. In everj act of the will whatsoever, the soul either likes or dislikes, is either inclined m disinclined to what is in view : these are not essentially different from those affections of love and hatred : that liking or inclination of the soul to a things if it be in a high degree, and be vigorous and lively, is the very same thing witl the affection of love ; and that disliking and disinclining, if in a greater degree, is the very same with hatred. In every act of the will for, or towards something; not present, the soul is in some decree inclined to that thing ; and that inclin-i ation, if in a considerable degree, is the very same with the affection of desire, And in every degree of the act of the will, wherein the soul approves of some-> thing present, there is a degree of pleasedness ; and that pleasedness, if it be in considerable degree, is the very same with the affections of joy or delight. And if I the will disapproves of what is present, the soul is in some degree displeased, and ifi that displeasedness be great, it is the very same with the affection of grief or sorrow. Such seems to be our nature, and such the laws of the union of soul and* body, that there never is in any case whatsoever, any lively and vigorous exer- cise of the will or inclination of the soul, without some effect upon the body, inf some alteration of the motion of its fluids, and especially of the animal spirits. And, on the other hand, from the same laws of the union of the soul and body, the constitution of the body, and the motion of its fluids, may promote the exer- cise of the affections. But yet it is not the body, but the mind only, that is the proper seat of the affections. The body of man is no more capable of be- ing really the subject of love or hatred, joy or sorrow, fear or hope, than the body of a tree, or than the same body of man is capable of thinking and under- standing. As it is the soul only that has ideas, so it is the soul only that is pleased or displeased with its ideas. As it is the soul only that thinks, so it is the soul only that loves or hates, rejoices or is grieved at what it thinks of. Nori are these motions of the animal spirits, and fluids of the body, any thing proper- ly belonging to the nature of the affections, though they always accompany thern, in the present state ; but are only effects or concomitants of the affections that are entirely distinct from the affections themselves, and no way essential to them ; so that an unbodied spirit may be as capable of love and hatred, joy or sorrow, hope or fear, or other affections, as one that is united to a body. The affections and passions are frequently spoken of as the same;' and yet in the more common use of speech, there is in some respect a difference ; and affection is a word that in its ordinaiy signification, seems to be something morQ extensive than passion, being used for all vigorous lively actings of the will oi* inclination ; but passion for those that are more sudden, and whose effects on. the animal spirits are more violent, and the mind more overpowered, and less in its own command RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS. 5 As ;ill the exercises of the inclination and will, are either in approving an-i ikino-, or disapproving and rejecting ; so the affections are of two sorts ', hey are those by which the soul is carried out to what is in view, cleaving to tj t, or seeking it; or those by which it is averse from it, and opposes it. Of the iormer sort are love, desire, hope, joy, gratitude, complacence. Of he latter kind are hatred, fear, anger, grief, and such like ; which it is need- ess now to stand particularly to define. And there are some affections wherein there is a composition of each of the iforementioned kinds of actings of the will ; as in the affection of pity, there is something of the former kind, towards the person suffering, and something of the latter towards what he suffers. And so in zeal, there is in it high appro- aation of some person or thing, together with vigorous opposition to what is conceived to be contrary to it. There are other mixed affections that might be also mentioned, but I hasten to, 11. The second thing proposed, which was to observe some things that ren- der it evident, that true religion, in great part consists in the affections. And here, 1. What has been said of the nature of the affections makes this evident, and may be sufficient, without adding any thing further, to put this matter out of doubt ; for who will deny that true religion consists in a great measure, in vigorous and lively actuigs of the inclination and will of the soul, or the fervent exercises of the heart ? ' , , That religion which God requires, and will accept, does not consist in weak, dull, and lifeless wishes, raising us but a little above a state of indifference : God, in his word, greatly insists upon it, that we be good in earnest, _" fer- vent in spirit," and our hearts vigorously engaged in religion: Rom. xii. 11, " Be ye fervent in spirit, serving the Lord." Deut. x. 12, " And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul ?" and chap. vi. 4, 6, " Hear, 0 Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord : And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy lieart, and with all thy might." It is such a fervent vigorous engagedness of the heart in religion, that is the fruit of a real circumcision of the heart, or true re- generation, and that has the promises of life ;• Deut. xxx. 6, " And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live." If we be not in good earnest in religion, and our wills and inclinations be not strongly exercised, w^e are nothing. The things of religion are so great, that there can be no suitableness in the exercises of our hearts, to their nature and importance, unless they be lively and powerful. In nothing is vigor in the actings of our inclinations so requisite, as in religion ; and in nothing is luke- warmness so odious. True religion is evermore a powerful thing ; and the power of it appears, in the first place in t^ie inward exercises of it in the heart, where is the principal and original seat of it. Hence true religion is called the poicer of godliness, in distinction from the external appearances of it, that are the form of it, 2 Tim. iii. 5 : " Having a form of godliness, but denying the power of it." The Spirit of God, in those that have sound and solid religion, is a spiiit of povs-erful holy affection ; and therefore, God is said " to have given the Spirit of power, and of love, and of a sound mind," 2 Tim. i. 7. And such, when they receive the Spirit of God, in his sanctifying and saving influences, are said to be " baptized with the Holy Ghost, and with fire ;" by reason of the 6 RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS. power and fervor of those exercises the Spirit of God excites in their hearts, whereby their hearts, when grace is in exercise, may be said to " burn within them ;" as is said of the disciples, Luke xxiv. 32. The business of rehgion is from time to time compared to those exercises, wherein men are wont to have their hearts and strength greatly exercised and engaged, such as running, wrestling or agonizing for a great prize or crown, and fighting with strong enemies that seek our hves, and warring as those, that by violence take a city or kingdom. And though true grace has various degrees, and there are some that are but babes in Christ, in whom the exercise of the inclination and will, towards divine and heavenly things, is comparatively weak ; yet every one that has the power of godliness in his heart, has his inclinations and heart exercised towards God and divine things, with such strength and vigor that these holy exercises do prevail in him above all carnal or natural affections, and are effectual to over- come them : for every true disciple of Christ " loves him above father or mother, wife and children, brethren and sisters, houses and lands: yea, than his own life." From hence it follows, that wherever true religion is, there are vigorous exercises of the inclination and will towards divine objects : but by what was said before, the vigorous, lively, and sensible exercises of the will, are no other than the affections of the soul. 2. The Author of the human nature has not only given affections to men, but has made them very much the spring of men's actions. As the affections do not only necessarily belong to the human nature, but are a very great part of it ; so (inasmuch as by regeneration persons are renewed in the whole man, and sanctified throughout) holy affections do not only necessarily belong to true rehgion, but are a very great part of it. And as true religion is of a practical nature, and God hath so constituted the human nature, that the affections are very much the spring of men's actions, this also shows, that true religion must consist very much in the affections. Such is man's nature, that he is very inactive, any otherwise than he is influenced by some affection, either love or hatred, desire, hope, fear, or some other. These affections we see to be the springs that set men agoing, in all the affairs of life, and engage them in all their pursuits : these are the things that put men forward, and carry them along, in all their worldly business ; and especially are men excited and animated by these, in all affairs wherein they are earnestly engaged, and which they pursue vnih vigor. We see the world of mankind to be exceeding busy and active ; and the affections of men are the springs of the motion : take away all love and hatred, all hope and fear, all anger, zeal, and affectionate desire, and the world would be, in a gi'eat measure motionless and dead ; there would be no such thing as activity amongst mankind, or any earnest pursuit whatsoever. It is affection that engages the covetous man, and him that is greedy of worldly profits, in his pursuits ; and it is by the affections, that the ambitious man is put forward in his pursuit of worldly glory; and it is the affections also that actuate the voluptuous man, in his pursuit of pleasure and sensual delights : the world continues, from age to age, in a conti- nual commotion and agitation, in a pursuit of these things; but take away aH affection, and the spring of all this motion would be gone, and the motion itself would cease. And as in worldly things, worldly affections are very much the spring of men's motion and action ; so in religious matters, the spring of their actions is very much religious affection : he that has doctrinal knowledge and speculation only, without affection, never is engaged in the business of religion. 3. Nothing is more manifest in fact, than that the things of rehgion take RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS. 7 hold of men's souls, no further than they affect them. There are multitudes that often hear the word of God, and therein hear of those things that are infinitely- great and impoitant, and that most nearly concern them, and all that is heard seems to be Avholly ineffectual Upon them, and to make no alteration in their disposition or behavior ; and the reason is, they are not affected with what they hear. There are many that oiten hear of the glorious perfections of God, his almighty power and boundless wisdom, his infinite majesty, and that holiness of God, by which he is of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on iniquity, and the heavens are not pure in his sight, and of God's infinite good- ness and mercy, and hear of the great works of God's wisdom, power and goodness, wherein there appear the admirable manifestations of these perfec- tions ; they hear particulaily of the unspeakable love of God and Christ, and of the great things that Christ has done and suffered, and of the great things of another world, of eternal misery in bearing the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God, and of endless blessedness and glory in the presence of God, and the enjoy- ment of his dear love ; they also hear the peremptory commands of God, and his gracious counsels and warnings, and the sweet invitations of the gospel ; I say, they often hear these things and yet remain as they were before, with no sensible alteration in them, either in heart or practice, because they are not affected with what they hear ; and ever will be so till they are affected. — I am bold to assert, that there never was any considerable change wrought in the mind or conversation of any person, by any thing of a religious nature, that ever he read, heard or saw, that had not his affections moved. Never was a natural man engaged earnestly to seek his salvation ; never were any such brought to ciy after wisdom, and lift up their voice for understanding, and to Avrestle with God in prayer for mercy ; and never was one humbled, and brought to the foot of God, from any thing that ever he heard or imagined of his own unworthiness and deserving of God's displeasure ; nor was ever one induced to fly for refuge unto Christ, while his heart remained unaffected. Nor was there ever a saint awakened out of a cold, lifeless frame, or recovered from a declin- ing state in religion, and brought back from a lamentable departure from God, without having his heart affected. And in a word, there never was any thing considerable brought to pass in the heart or life of any man living, by the things of religion, that had not his heart deeply affected by those things. 4. The holy Scriptures do everywhere place religion very much in the affec- tion ; such as fear, hope, love, hatred, desire, joy, sorrow, gratitude, compas- sion, and zeal. The Scriptures place much of religion in godly fear ; insomuch, that it is often spoken of as the character of those that are truly religious persons, that they tremble at God's word, that they fear before him, that their flesh trembles for fear of him, and that they are afraid of his judgments, that his excellency makes them afraid, and his dread falls upon them, and the like: and a cora- pellation commonly given the saints in Scripture, is " fearers of God," or, " they that fear the Lord." And because the fe?v of God is a great part of true god- liness, hence true godliness in general, is very commonly called by the name of the fear of God ; as every one knows, that knows any thing of the Bible. So hope in God and in the promises of his word, is often spoken of in the Scripture, as a very considerable part of true religion. It is mentioned as one of the three great things of which religion consists, 1 Cor. xiii. 13. Hope in the Lord is also frequently mentioned as the character of the saints: Psal, cxM 5, " Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God." Jer. xvii. 7, " Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord^ and 3 RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS. whose hope the Lord is." Psal. xxxi. 24, " Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord." And the like in many other places. Religious fear and hope are, once and again, joined together, as jointly constituting the character of the true saints; Psal. xxxiii. 18, " Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear hira, upon them that hope in his mercy." Psal. cxlvii. 11, " The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy." Hope is so great a part of true religion, that the apostle says, " we are saved by hope," Rom. viii. 24. And this is spoken of as the helmet of the Christian soldier. 1 Thess. v. 8, " And for a helmet, the hope of salvation ;" and the sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, which preserves it from being cast away by the storms of this evil world." Heb. vi. 19, " Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, bcth sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the vail." It is spoken of as a great fruit and benefit which true saints receive by Christ's resurrection : 1 Pet. i. 3, " Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which, according to his abundant mercy, ha'th begotten us again unto a lively hope, by the resur- rection of Jesus Christ from the dead." The Scriptures place religion very much in the affection of love, in love to God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and love to the people of God, and to mankind. The texts in which this is manifest, both in the Old Testament and New, are innumerable. But of this more afterwards. The contrary affection of hatred also, as having sin for its object, is spoken of in Scripture as no inconsiderable part of true religion. It is spoken of as that by which true religion may be known and distinguished ; Prov. viii. 13, " The fear of the Lord is to hate evil." And accordingly the saints are called upon to give evidence of their sincerity by this ; Psal. xcvii. 10, " Ye that love the Lord hate evil." And the Psalmist often mentions it as an evidence of his sincerity ; Psal. 2, 3, " I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes ; I hate the work of them that turn aside." Psal. cxix. 104, " I hate every false way." So ver. 127. Again, Psal. cxxxix. 21, " Do I not hate them, 0 Lord, that hate thee ?" So holy desire, exercised in longings, hungerings, and thirstings after God and holiness, is often mentioned in Scripture as an important part of true reli- gion ; Isa. xxvi. 8, " The desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remem- brance of thee." Psal. xxvii. 4, " One thing have I desired of the Lord, and that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple." Psal. xlii. 1, 2, " As the hartpanteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, 0 God ; my soul thirsteth for God, for the living God : when shall I come and appear before God ?" Psal. Ixiii. 1, 2, " My soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee, in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is ; to see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary." Psal. Ixxxiv. 1, 2, " How amiable are thy tabernacles, 0 Lord of hosts ! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord : my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God." Psal. cxix. 20, " My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times." So Psal. Ixxiii. 25, and cxliii. 6, 7, and cxxx. 6. Cant. iii. 1, 2, and vi. 8. Such a holy desire and thirst of soul is mentioned, as one thing which renders or denotes a man trul}' blessed, in the beginning of Christ's sermon on the mount. Matt. v. 6 : " Blessed are they that do hunger and thirst after righteousness ; for they shall be filled." And this holy thirst is spoken of, as a great thing in the condition of a participatio^n of RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS. 9 the blessings of eternal life ; Rev. xxi. 6, " I will give unto him that is athirst, of the tbuntain of the water of life freely." The Scriptures speak of holy joy, as a great part of true religion. So it is represented in the text. And as an important part of religion, it is often ex- horted to, and pressed, with great earnestness; Psal. xxxvii. 4, " Delight thy- self in the Lord ; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." Psal. xcvii 12, " Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous." So Psal. xxxiii. 1, " Rejoice in the Lord, 0 ye righteous." Matt. v. 12, " Rejoice, and be exceeding glad," Phil, iii. 1, " Finally, brethren, rejoice in the Lord." And chap. iv. 4, " Rejoice in the Lord alway ; and again I say. Rejoice." 1 Thess. v. 16, " Rejoice ever- more." Psal. cxlix. 2, " Let Israel rejoice in him that made him ; let the children of Zion be joyful in their king." This is mentioned among tlie princi- pal fruits of the Spirit of grace ; Gal. v. 21, " The fruit of the Spirit is love," &c. The Psalmist mentions his holy joy, as an evidence of his sincerity. Psal. cxix. 14, " I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches." Religious sorrow, mourning, and bi-okenness of heart, are also frequently spoken of as a great part of true religion. These things are often mentioned as distinguishing qualities of the true saints, and a great part of their character; Matt. V. 4, " Blessed are they that mourn ; for they shall be comforted." Psal. xxxiv. 18, " The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart ; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit." Isa. Ixi. 1,2, " The Lord hath anointed me, to bind up the broken-hearted, to comfort all that mourn." This godly sorrow and brokenness of heart is often spoken of, not only as a great thing in the dis- tinguishing character of the saints, but that in them, which is peculiarly accep- table and pleasing to God ; Psal. li. 17, " The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit : a broken and a contrite heart, 0 God, thou wilt not despise." Isa. Ivii. 15, " Thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy, 1 dwell in the high and holy place ; with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones." Chap. Ixvi. 2, " To this man will I look, even to him that is poor, and of a contrite spirit," Another affection often mentioned, as that in the exercise of which much of true religion appears, \s gratitude ; especially as exercised in thankfulness and praise to God. This being so much spoken of in the book of Psalms, and other parts of the holy Scriptures, I need not mention particular texts. Again, the"holy Scriptures do frequently speak of compassion or mercy, as a very great and essential thing in true religion ; insomuch that good men are in Sc4-ipture denominated from hence ; and a merciful man and a good man are equivalent terms in Scripture ; Isa. Ivii. 1, " The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart ; and merciful men are taken away." And the Scripture chooses out this quality, as that by which, in a peculiar manner, a righteous man is de- ciphered ; Psal, xxxvii. 21, " The righteous showeth mercy, and givelh;" and ver. 26, " He is is ever merciful, and lendeth." And Prov. xiv. 21, " He that honoreth the Lord, hath mercy on the poor." And Col. iii. 12, " Put ye on, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies," &c. This is one of those great things by which those who are truly blessed are described by our Saviour ; Matt, v. 7, " Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." And this Christ also speaks of, as one of the weightier matters of the law ; Matt, xxiii. 23, " Wo unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrhes, for ye pay tithe of mint, and anise, and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mer- cy, and faith." To the like purpose is that, Mic. vi, S, " He hath showed thee, 0 man, what is good : and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justice. Vol., in. 2 10 RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS. and love mercy, and walk humbly with thy God ?" And also that, Hos. vi. 6, " For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice." Which seems to have been a text much delighted in by our Saviour, by his manner of citing it once and again, Matt, ix, 13, and xii. 1: Zeal is also spoken of, as a very essential part of the religion of true saints. It is spoken of as a great thing Christ had in view, in giving himself for our redemption ; Tit. ii. 14, " Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." And thisisspoken of, as the great thing wanting in the lukewarm Laodlceans, Rev. iii. 15, 16, 19. I have mentioned but a few texts, out of an innumerable multitude, all over the Scripture, which place religion very much in the affections. But what has been observed, may be sufficient to show that they who would deny that much of true religion lies in the affections, and maintain the contrary, must throw away what we have been wont to own for our Bible, and get some other rule, by which to judge of the nature of religion. 5. The Scriptures do represent true religion, as being summarily compre- hended in love, the chief of the affections, and fountain of all other affections. So our blessed Saviour represents the matter, in answer to the lawyer, who asked him, which was the great commandment of the law Matt. xxii. 37 — 40 : " Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great command- ment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two connnandments hang all the law and the prophets." Which last words signify as much, as that these two commandments comprehend all the duty prescribed, and the religion taught in the law and the prophets. And the apostle Paul does from time to time make the same representation of the matter ; as in Rom. xiii. 8, " He that loveth another, hath fulfilled the law." And ver. 10, " Love is the fulfdling of the law." And Gal. v. 14, "For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." So likewise in 1 Tim. i. 5, " Now the end of the commandment is charity, out of a pure heart," &c. So the same apostle speaks of love, as the great- est thing in religion, and as the vitals, essence and soul of it ; without which, the greatest knowledge and gifts, and the most glaring profession, and every thing else which appertains to religion, are vain and worthless ; and represents it as the fountain from whence proceeds all that is good, in 1 Cor." xiii. through- out ; for that which is there rendered charity, in the original is ayanij, the pro- per English of which is love. Now, although it be true, that the love thus spoken of includes the whole of a sincerely benevolent propensity of the soul towards God and man ; yet it may be considered, that it is evident from what has been before observed, that this propensity or inclination of the soul, when in sensible and vigorous exer- cise, becomes affection, and is no other than affectionate love. And surely it is such vigorous and fervent love which Christ speaks of, as the sum of all reli- gion, when he speaks of loving God with all our hearts, with all our souls, and with all our minds, and our neighbor as ourselves, as the sum of all that was taught and prescribed in the law and the prophets. Indeed it cannot be supposed, when this affection of love is here, and in other Scriptures, spoken of as the sura of all religion, that hereby is meant the act, exclusive of the habit, or that the exercise of the understanding is excluded, which is implied in all reasonable affection. But it is doubtless true, and evi- dent from these Scriptures, that the essence of all true religion lies in holy love j RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS. 11 and that in this divine affection, and an habitual disposition to it, and that Hght which is the foundation of it, and those things which are the fruits of it, con- sists the whole of religion. From hence it clearly and certainly appears, that great part of true rehgion consists in the affections. For love is not only one of the affections, but it is the first and chief of the affections, and the fountain of all the affections. From love arises hatred of those things which are contrary to what we love, or which oppose and thwart us iii those things that we delight in : and from the various exercises of love and hatred, according to the circumstances of the objects of these affections, as present or absent, certain or uncertain, probable or improb- able, arise all those other affections of desire, hope, fear, joy, grief, gratitude, anger, &c. From a vigorous, affectionate, and fervent love to God, will neces- sarily arise other religious affections ; hence will arise an intense hatred and abhorrence of sin, fear of sin, and a dread of God's displeasure, gratitude to God for his goodness, complacence and joy in God, when God is graciously and sensibly present, and grief when he is absent, and a joyful hope when a/"^ future enjoyment of God is expected, and fervent zeal for the glory of God And in like manner, from a fervent love to men, will arise all other virtuous affections towai'ds men. 6. The religion of the most eminent saints we have an account of in the Scripture, consisted much in holy affections. I shall take particular notice of three eminent saints, who have express- ed the frame and sentiments of their own hearts, and so described their own re- ligion, and the manner of their intercourse with God, in the writings which they have left us, that are a part of the sacred canon. The first instance I shall take notice of, is David, that " man after God's own heart;" who has given us a lively portraiture of his religion in the book of Psalms. Those holy songs of his he has there left us, are nothing else but the expressions and breathings of devout and holy affections ; such as an humble and fervent love to God, admiration of his glorious perfections and wonderful works, earnest desires, thirstings, and pantings of soul after God, delight and joy in God, a sweet and melting gratitude to God, for his great goodness, a holy exultation and triumph of soul in the favor, sufficiency, and faithfulness of God, his love to, and delight in the saints, the excellent of the earth, his great delight in the word and ordinances of God, his grief for his own and others' sins, and his fervent zeal for God, and against the enemies of God and his church. And these expressions of holy affection, which the psalms of David are every- where full of, are the more to our present purpose, because those psalms are not only the expressions of the religion of so eminent a saint, that God speaks of as so agreeable to his mind ; but were also, by the direction of the Holy Ghost, penned for the use of the church of God in its public worship, not only in that age, but in after ages ; as being fitted to express the religion of all saints, in all ages, as well as the religion of the Psalmist. And it is moreover to be observed, that David, in the book of Psalms, speaks not as a private peison, but as the Psalmist of Israel, as the subordinate head of the church of God, and leader in their worship and praises ; and in many of the psalms speaks in the name of Christ, as personating him in these breathings forth of holy affection ; and in many other psalms he speaks in the name of the church. Another instance I shall observe, is the apostle Paul ; who was in many respects, the chief of all the ministers of the New Testament ; being above all others, a chosen vessel unto Chiist, to bear his name before the Gentiles, and made a chief instrument of propagating and establishing the Christian church 12 RELIGICrjS AFFECTIONS. in tlie world, and of distinctly revealing the glorious mysteries of the gospel, for the instruction of the church in all agesj and (as has not been improperly thought by some) the most eminent servant of Christ that ever lived, received to the highest rewards in the heavenly kingdom of his Master. By what is said of him in the Scripture, he appears to have been a person that was full of affec- tion. And it is very manifest, that the religion he expresses in his epistles, con- sisted very much in holy affections. It appears by all his expressions of him- self, that he was, in the course of liis life, inflamed, actuated, and entirely swal- lowed up, by a most ardent love to his glorious Lord, esteeming all things as loss, for the excellency of the knowledge of him, and esteeming them but dung that he might win him. lie represents himself, as overpowered by this holy af- fection, and as it were compelled by it to go forward in his service, through all difficulties and sufferings, 2 Cor. v. 14, 15. And his epistles are full of expres- sions of an overpowering affection towards the people of Christ, He speaks of his dear love to them, 2 Cor. xii. 19, Phil. iv. 1, 2 Tim. i. 2; of his " abun- dant love," 2 Cor. ii. 4 ; and of his " affectionate and tender love," as of a nurse towards her children, 1 Thess. ii. 7, 8 : " But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children ; so, being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us." So also he speaks of his -' bowels of love," Phil. i. 8, Philem. 5, 12, and 20. So he speaks of his- " earnest care" for others, 2 Cor. viii. 16, and of his " bowels of pity, or mercy towards them, Phil. ii. 1 ; and of his concern for others, even to anguish of heart," 2 Cor. ii. 4 : " For out of much affliction and anguish of heart, I wrote unto you with many tears ; not that you should be grieved, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you." He speaks of the great conflict of his soul for them, Col. ii. 1. He speaks of great and continual grief that he had in his heart from compassion to the Jews, Rom. ix. 2. He speaks of " his mouth's being opened, and his heart enlarged" towards Chris- tians, 2 Cor. vi. 11 : " 0 ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged." He often speaks of his " affectionate and longing desires," 1 Thess. ii. 8, Rom. i. 11, Phil. i. 8, and chap. iv. 1, 2 Tim. i. 4. Tlie same apostle is very often, in his epistles, expressing the affection of joy, 2 Cor. i. 12, and chap. vii. 7, and ver. 9. 16. Phil. i. 4, and chap. ii. 12, and chap. iii. 3. Col. i. 34. 1 Thess. iii. 9, He speaks of his " rejoicing with great joy," Phil, iv. 10, Philem. i. 7 ; of his " joying and rejoicing," Phil, ii, 1, 7, and " of his rejoicing exceedingly," 2 Cor. vii. 13, and of his being " filled with comfort, and being exceeding joyful," 2 Cor. vii. 4. He speaks of himself as " always rejoic- ing," 2 Cor. vi. 10. So he speaks of the triumphs of his soul, 2 Cor. ii. 14, and of " his glorying in tribulation," 2 Thess. i. 4, and Rom. v. 3. He also expresses the affection of hope ; in Phil. i.*20, he speaks of his " earnest ex- pectation, and his hope." He likewise expresses an affection of godly jealousy, 2 Cor. xi. 2, 3. And it appears by his whole history, after his conversion, in the Acts, and also by all his epistles, and the accounts he gives of himself there, that the affection of zeal, as having the cause of his Master, and the interest and prosperity of his church, for its object, was mighty in him, continually inflaming his heart, strongly engaging to those great and constant labors he went through, in instructing, exhorting, warning, and reproving others, " travailing in birth with them ;" conflicting with those powerful and innumerable enemies who continually opposed him, wrestling with principalities and powers, not fighting as one who beats the air, running the race set before him, continuully pressing forwards through all manner of difficulties and sufferings; so that others RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS. 13 thouoht him quite beside himself. And how full he was of affection, docs fur- ther appear by his being so full of tears : in 2 Cor. ii. 4, he speaks of his " many tears ;" and so Acts xx. 19 ; and of his " tears that he shed continually night and day," ver. 31. Now if any one can consider these accounts given in the Scripture of this great apostle, and which he gives of himself, and yet not see that his religion consisted much in affection, must have a strange faculty of managing his eyes, to shut out the light Avhich shines most full in his face. The other instance I shall mention, is of the apostle John, that beloved dis- ciple, who was the nearest and dearest to his Master, of any of the twelve, and was by him admitted to the greatest privileges of any of them; being not only one of the three who were admitted to be present with him in the mount at his transfiguration, and at the raising of Jairus's daughter, and whom he took with him when he was in his agony, and one of the three spoken of by the apostle Paul, as the three main pillars of the Christian church ; but was favored above all, in being admitted to lean on his Master's besom at his last supper, and in being chosen by Christ, as the disciple to whom he would reveal his wonderful dispensations towards his church, to the end of time ; as we have an account in the Book of Revelation ; and to shut up the canon of the New Testament, and of the whole Scripture ; being preserved much longer than all the rest of the apostles, to set all things in order in the Christian church, after their death. It is evident by all his writings (as is generally observed by divines) that he was a person remarkably full of affection : his addresses to those whom he wrote to being irexpressibly tender and pathetical, breathing nothing but the most fervent love ; as though he were all made up of sweet and holy affection. The proofs of which cannot be given without disadvantage, miless we should transcribe his whole writings. 7. He whom God sent into the Avorld to be the light of the world, and head of the whole church, and the perfect example of true religion and virtue, for the imitation of all, the Shepherd whom the whole flock should follow wher- ever he goes, even the Lord Jesus Christ, was a person who was remarkably of a tender and affectionate heart ; and his virtue was expressed very much in the exercise of holy affections. He was the gi-eatest instance of ardency, vigor jmd strength of love, to both God and man, that ever was. It was these af- fections which got the victory, in tliat mighty struggle and conflict of his af- fections, in his agonies, when " he prayed more earnestly, and offered strong crying and tears," and wrestled in tears and in blood. Such was the power of the exercises of his holy love, that they were stronger than death, and in that great struggle, overcame those strong exercises of tbe natural affections of fear and grief, when he was sore amazed, and his soul was exceeding sorrowful, even wnto death. And he also appeared to be full of affection in the course of his life. We read of his great zeal, fulfilling that in the 69th Psalm, " The zeal of thine house hath eaten me lip," John ii. 17. We read of his grief for the sins of men, Mark iii. 5 : " He looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts ;" and his breaking forth in tears and exclamations, from the consideration of the sin and misery of ungodly men, and on the sight of the city of Jerusalem, which was full of such inhabitants, Luke xix. 41,42: " And, when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, saying. If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the thmgs which belong unto thy peace ! But now they are hid from thine eyes." With chap. xiii. 34, " O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the pro- phets, and stonest them that are sent unto tlree ; how often would I have gath- 14 RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS. ered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not !" We read of Christ's earnest desire, Luke xxii. 15 : " With desire have I desired to eat this passover \yith you before I suffer." We often read of the affection of pity or compassion in Christ, Matt. xv. 32, and xviii. 34 Luke vii. 13, and of his " being moved with compassion," Matt. ix. 36, and xiv. 14, and Mark vi. 34. And how tender did his heart appear to be, on oc- casion of Mary's and Martha's mourning for their brother, and coming to him with their complaints and tears ! Their tears soon drew tears from his eyes ; he was atlected with their grief, and wept with them ; though he knew theii sorrow should so soon be turned into joy, by their brother's being raised from the dead ; see John xi. And how ineffably affectionate was that last and dy- ing discourse, which Jesus had with his eleven disciples the evening before he was crucified ; when he told them he was going away, and foretold them the great difficulties and sufferings they should meet with in the world, when he was gone ; and comforted and counselled them as his dear little children ; and bequeathed to them his Holy Spirit, and therein his peace, and his comfort and joy, as it were in his last will and testament, in the 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th chapters of John ; and concluded the whole with that affectionate intercessory prayer for them., and his whole church, in chap. xvii. Of all the discourses ever penned, or uttered by the mouth of any man, this seems to be the most affec- tionate and affecting. 8. The religionof heaven consists very much in affection. There is doubtless true religion in heaven, and true religion in its utmost purity and perfection. But according to the Scripture representation of the heavenly state, the religion of heaven consists chiefly in holy and mighty love and joy, and the expression of these in most fervent and exalted praises. So that the religion of the saints in heaven, consists in the same things with that religion of the saints on earth, which is spoken of in our text, viz., love, anc "joy unspeakable and full of glory." Now it would be very foolish to pretend, that because the saints in heaven be not united to flesh and blood, and have no animal fluids to be moved (through the laws of union of soul and body) with those great emotions of their souls, that therefore their exceeding love and joy are no affections. We are not speaking of the affections of the body, but of the affections of the soul, the chief of which are love smd joj/. When these are in the soul, whether that be in the body or out of it, the soul is affected and moved. And when they are in the soul, in that strength in which they are in the saints in heaven, the soul is mightily affected and moved, or, which is the same thing, has great affections. It is true, we do not experimentally know what love and joy are in a soul out of a body, or in a glorified body ; i. e., we have not had experience of love and joy in a soul in these circumstances ; but the saints on earth do know what divine love and joy in the soul are, and they know that love and joy are of the same kind with the love and joy which are in heaven, in separate souls there. The love and joy of the saints on earth, is the beginning and dawning of the light, life, and blessedness of heaven, and is like their love and joy there ; or rather, the same in nature, though not the same with it, or hke to it, in degree and circumstances. This is evident by many Scriptures, as Prov, iv. 18 ; John iv. 14, and chap. vi. 40, 47, 50, 51, 54, 58 ; 1 John iii. 15 ; 1 Cor. xiii. 8 — 12. It is ynreasonable therefore to sup- pose, that the love and joy of the saints in heaven, not only differ in degree and circumstances, from the holy love and joy of the saints on earth, but is so en- tirely different in nature, that they are no affections ; and merely because the} have no blood and animal spirits to be set in motion by them, which motion o: RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS. 15 the blood and animal spirits is not of the essence of these affections, in men on the earth, but the effect of them ; aUhough by their reaction they may make some circumstantial difference in the sensation of the mind. There is a sensa- tion of the mind which loves and rejoices, that is antecedent to any effects on the fluids of the body ; and this sensation of the mind, therefore, does not de- pend on these motions in the body, and so may be in the soul without the body. And wherever there are the exercises of love and joy, there is that sensation of the mind, whether it be in the body or out j and that inward sensation, or kind of spiritual sense, or feelino;, and motion of the soul, is what is called af- fection : the soul w^hen it thus feels (if I may say so), and is thus moved, is said to be affected, and especially when this inward sensation and motion are to a very high degree, as they are in the saints in heaven. If we can learn any thing of the state of heaven from the Scripture, the love and joy that the saints have there, is exceeding great and vigorous ; impressing the heart with the strongest and most lively sensation of inexpressible sweetness, mightily moving, animating, and engaging them, making them like a flame of fire. And if such love and joy be not affections, then the word affection is of no use in language. Will any say, that the saints in heaven, in beholding the face of their Father, and the glory of their Redeemer, and contemplating his wonderful works, and particularly liis laying down his hfe for them, have their hearts nothing moved and affected by all which they behold or consider 1 Hence, therefore, the religion of heaven, consisting chiefly in holy love and joy, consists very much in affection ; and therefore, undoubtedly, true religion consists very much in affection. The way to learn the true nature of any thing, is to go where that thing is to be found in its purity and perfection. If we would know the nature of true gold we must view it, not in the ore, but when it is refined. If w^e would learn what true religion is, we must go where there is true religion, and nothing but true religion, and in its highest perfection, without any defect or mixture. All who are truly religious are not of this world, they are strangers here, and belong to heaven ; they are born from above, heaven is their native country, and the nature which they receive by this heavenly birth, is a heavenly nature, they receive an anointing from above ; that principle of true religion which is in them, is a communication of the reli- gion of heaven ; their grace is the dawn of glory ; and God fits them for that world by conforming them to it. 9. This appears from the nature and design of the ordinances and duties, which God hath appointed, as means and expressions of true religion. To instance in the duty of prayer : it is manifest, we are not appointed in this duty, to declare God's perfections, his majesty, holiness, goodness, and all- sufficiency, and our own meanness, emptiness, dependence, and unworthiness, and our wants and desires, to inform God of these things, or to incline his heart, and prevail with him to be willing to show us mercy ; but suitably to affect our own hearts with the things we express, and so to prepare us to receive the blessings we ask. And such gestures and manner of external behavior in the worship of God, which custom has made to be significations of humility and reverence, can be of no further use than as they have some tendency to affect our own hearts, or the hearts of others. And the duty of singing praises to God seems to be appointed wholly to ex- cite and express religious affections. No other reason can be assigned wiiy we should express ourselves to God in verse, rather than in prose, and do it with music, but only, that such is our nature and frame, that these things have a tendency to move our affections. 16 RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS. The same thing appears in the nature and design of the sacraments, which God hath appointed. God, considering our frame, hath not only appointed that we should iDe told of the great things of the gospel, and of the redemption of Christ, and instructed in them by his word ; but also that they should be, as it were, exhibited to our view, in sensible representations, in the sacraments, the more to affect us with them. And the impressing divine things on the hearts and affections of men, is evidently one great and main end for which God has ordained that his word de- livered in the holy Scriptures, should be opened, applied, and set home upon men, \ in preaching. And therefore it does not answer the aim which God had in 1 this institution, merely for men to have good commentaries and expositions on ! the Scripture, and other good books of divinity ; because, although these may i tend as well as preaching to give men a good doctrinal or speculative under- ; standing of the things of the word of God, yet they have not an equal tendency ; to impress them on men's hearts and affections. God hath appointed a par- ticular and lively application of his word to men in the preaching of it, as a fit means to affect sinners with the importance of the things of religion, and their own misery, and necessity of a remedy, and the glory and sufficiency of a reme- dy provided ; and to stir up the pure minds of the saints, and quicken their affections, by often bringing the great things of religion to their remembrance, and setting them before them in their proper colors, though they know them, and have been fully instructed in them already, 2 Pet. i. 12, 13. And particu- larly, to promote those two affections in them, which are spoken of in the text, love and joy : " Christ gave some, apostles ,• and some, prophets ; and some, evangelists ; and some, pastors and teachers ; that the body of Christ might be edified in love," Eph. iv. 11, 12, 16. The apostle in instructing and counselling Timothy x^oncerning the work of the ministry, informs him that the great end of that word which a minister is to preach, is love or charity, 1 Tim. 3, 4, 5. And another affection which God has appointed preaching as a means to promote in the saints, is joy ; and therefore ministers are called " helpers of their joy," 2 Cor. i. 24. 10. It is an evidence that true religion, or holiness of heart, lies very much in the affection of the heart, that the Scriptures place the sin of the heart very much in hardness of heart. Thus the Scriptures do everywhere. It was hard- ness of heart which excited grief and displeasure in Christ towards the Jews, Mark iii. 5 : " He looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for Lhe hardness of their hearts." It is from men's having such a heart as this, that they treasure up wrath for themselves : Rom. ii. 5, " After thy hardness and im- Tienitcnt heart, treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of God." The reason given why the house of Israel would not obey God, was, that they were hard-hearted : Ezekiel iii. 7, " But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee ; for they will not hearken unto me : for all the house of Israel are impudent and hard-hearted." The wick- edness of that perverse rebellious generation in the wilderness, is ascribed to the hardness of their hearts : Psal. xcv. 7 — 10, "To-day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness ; when your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work : forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart," &c. This is spoken of as what prevented Zedekiah's turning to the Lord: 2 Chron. xxxvi. 13," He stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart from turning to the Lord God of Israel." This principle is spoken of, as that from whence men are without the fear of God, and depart from God's RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS. 17 ways : Isa. Ixiii. 17, " 0 Lord, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear ?" And men's rejecting Christ, and op- posing Christianity, is laid to this principle : Acts xix. 9, " But when divers were hardened, and behevcd not, but spake evil of that way before the multi- tude/' God's leaving men to the power of the sin and corruption of the heart, is often expressed by God's hardening their hearts : Rom. ix. 18, " Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.'* John xii. 40, " He hath blinded their minds, and hardened their hearts." And the apostle seems to speak of " an evil heart that departs from the living God, and a hard heart," as the same thing : Heb. iii. 8, " Harden not your heart, as in the provocation," &c. ; ver. 12, 13, " Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God : but exhort one another daily, while it is called to-day ; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." And that great work of God in conversion, which consists in delivering a person from the power of sin, and mortifying corruption, is expressed, once and again, by God's " taking away the heart of stone, and giv- ing a heart of flesh," Ezek, xi. 19, and chap, xxxvi. 26. Now by a hard heart, is plainly meant an unaffected heart, or a heart not easy to be moved with virtuous aflections, like a stone, insensible, stupid, unmoved, and hard to be impressed. Hence the hard heart is called a stony heart, and is opposed to a heart of flesh, that has feeling, and is sensibly touched and moved. \Ve read in Scripture of a hard heart, and a tender heart ; and doubtless we are to understand these, as contrary the one to the other. But what is a tender heart, but a heart which is easily impressed with what ought to affect it ? God commends Josiah, because his heart was tender ; and it is evident by those things which are mentioned as expressions and evidences of this tenderness of heart, that by his heart being tender is meant, his heart being easily moved with religious and pious affection : 2 Kings xxii. 19, " Because thine heart was ten- der, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me, I also have heard thee, saith the Lord." And this is one thing, wherein it is necessary we should " become as little children, in order to our entering into the kingdom of God," even that we should have our hearts tender, and easily af- fected and moved in spiritual and divine things, as little children have in othei things. It is very plain in some places, in the texts themselves, that by hardness of heart is meant a heart void of affection. So, to signify the ostrich's being without natural affection to her young, it is said, Job xxxix. 16, " She harden- eth her heart against her young ones, as though they were not hers." So a per- son having a heart unaffected in time of danger, is expressed by his hardening his heart : Prov. xxviii. 14, " Happy is the man that feareth alway ; but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief" Now, therefore, since it is so plain, that by a hard heart, in Scripture, is meant a heart destitute of pious affections, and since also the Scriptures do so frequently place the sin and corruption of the heart in hardness of heart ; it is evident, that the grace and holiness of the heart, on the contrary, must, in a great measure, consist in its having pious affections, and being easily suscep- tive of such affection. Divines are generally agreed, that sin radically and fundamentally consist in what is negative, or privative, having its root and foundation in a privation or want of holiness. And therefore undoubtedly, if it be so that sin does very much consist in hardness of heart, and so in the want of Vol. in. 3 18 RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS. pious affections of heart, holiness does consist very much in those pious affec- tions. I am far from supposing that all affections do show a tender heart : hatred, anger, vainglory, and other selfish and self-exalting affections, may greatly pre- vail in the hardest heart. But yet it is evident, that hardness of heart and tenderness of heart, are expressions that relate to the affection of the heart, and denote the heart's being susceptible of, or shut up against certain affections ; of which I shall have occasion to speak more afterwards. Upon the whole, I think it clearly and abundantly evident, that true religioK lies very much in the affections. Not that I think these arguments prove, that religion in the hearts of the truly godly, is ever in exact proportion to the degree of affection, and present emotion of the mind : for undoubtedly, there is much affection in the true saints which is not spiritual ; their religious affections are often mixed ; all is not from grace, but much from nature. And though the affections have not their seat in the body ; yet the constitution of the body may very much contribute to the present emotion of the mind. And the degree of religion is rather to be judged of by the fixedness and strength of the habit that is exercised in affection, whereby holy affection is habitual, than by the degree of the present exercise ; and the strength of that habit is not always in proportion to outward effects and manifestations, or inward effects, in the hurry and vehemence, and sudden changes of the course of the thoughts of the mind. But yet it is evident, that religion consists so much in affection, as that without holy affection there is no true religion ; and no light in the understanding is good, which does not produce holy alfection in the heart : no habit or principle in the heart is good, which has no such exercise ; and no external fruit is good, which does not proceed from such exercises. Having thus considered the evidence of the proposition laid down, I proceed to some inferences. 1. We may hence learn how great their error is, who are for discarding all religious affections, as having nothing solid or substantial in them. There seems to be too much of a disposition this way, prevailing in this land at this time. Because many who, in the late extraordinary season, appeared to have great rehgious affections, did not manifest a right temper of mind, and run into many errors, in the time of their affections, and the heat of their zeal; and because the high affections of many seem to be so soon come to nothing, and some who seemed to be mightily raised and swallowed up with joy and zeal, for a while, seem to have returned like the dog to his vomit ; hence religious af- fections in general are grown out of credit with great numbers, as though true religion did not at all consist in them. Thus we easily and naturally run from one extreme to another. A little w-hile ago we w^ere in the other extreme ; there was a prevalent disposition to look upon all high religious affections as eminent exercises of true grace, without much inquiring into the nature and source of those affections, and the manner in which they arose : if persons did but appear to be indeed very much moved and raised, so as to be full of re- ligious talk, and express themselves with great warmth and earnestness, and to be filled, or to be very full, as the phrases were ; it was too much the manner, without further examination, to conclude such persons were full of the Spirit of God, and had eminent experience of his gracious influences. This was the ex- treme which was prevailing three or four years ago. But of late, instead of esteeming and admiring all religious affections without distinction, it is a thing much more prevalent, to reject and discard all without distinction. Herein appears the subtilty of Satan. While he saM' that affections were much in vogue, RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS. 19 ) knowing the greater part of the land were not versed in such things, and had not had much experience of great religions affections to enable them to judge well of them, and distinguish between true and false ; then he knew he could best play his game, by sowing tares amongst the wheat, and minghng false affections with the works of God's Spirit: he knew this to be a likely way to delude and eternally ruin many souls, and greatly to wound religion in the saiiits, and entangle them in a dreadful wilderness, and by and by, to bring all religion into disrepute. But now, when the ill consequences of these false affections appear, and it is become very appaient, tliat some of those emotions which made a glaring show, and were by many greatly admired, were in reality nothing ; the devil sees it to be for his interest to go another way to work, and to endeavor to his utmost to propagate and establish a persuasion, that all affections and sensible emotions of the mind, in things of religion, are nothing at all to be re- garded, but are rather to be avoided, and carefully guarded against, as things y of a pernicious tendency. This he knows is the way to bring all religion to a / mere lifeless formality, and effectually shut out the power of godliness, and every thing which is spiritual, and to have all true Christianity turned out of doors. For although to true religion there must indeed be something else besides affec- tion j yet true religion conists so much in the affections, that there can be no true religion without them. He who has no religious affection, is in a state of spiritual death, and is wholly destitute of the powerful, quickening, saving in- fluences of the Spirit of God upon his heart. As there is no true religion where f there is nothing else but affection, so there is no true religion where there is no religious affection. As on the one hand, there must be light in the understand- ing, as well as an affected fervent heart ; where there is heat without light, there can be nothing divine or heavenly in that heart ; so on the other hand, where there is a kind of light without heat, a head stored with notions and speculations, ,/ with a cold and unaffected heart, there can be nothing divine in that light, that knowledge is no true spiritual knowledge of divine things. If the great things of religion are rightly understood, they will affect the heart. The reason why men are not affected by such infinitely great, important, glorious, and wonderful things, as they often hear and read of, in the word of God, is undoubtedly be- cause they are blind \ if they were not so, it would be impossible, and utterly inconsistent w^ith human nature, that their hearts should be otherwise than strongly impressed, and greatly moved by such things. This manner of slighting all religious affections, is the way exceedingly to harden the hearts of men, and to encourage them in their stupidity and senseless- ness, and to keep them in a state of spiritual death as long as they live, and bring them at last to death eternal. The prevailing prejudice against rehgious af- fections at this day, in the land, is apparently of awful effect to harden the hearts of sinners, and damp the graces of many of the saints, and stun the hfe and power of religion, and preclude the effect of ordinances, and hold us down in a state of dulness and apathy, and undoubtedly causes many persons greatly to offend God, in entertaining mean and low thoughts of the extraordinary work he has lately wrought in this land. And for persons to despise and cry down all religious affections, is the way to shut all religion out of their own hearts, and to make thorough work in ruin- ing their souls. They who condemn high affections in others, are certainly not likely to have high affections themselves. And let it be considered, that they who have but little religious affection, have certainlv but little religion. And they who con- 20 RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS. deriin others for their religious affections, and have none themselves, have no religion. There are false affections, and there are true. A man's having much af- fection, does not prove that he has any true religion : but if he has no affection, it proves that he has no true religion. The right way, is not to reject all affec tions, nor to approve all ; but to distinguish between affections, approving some, and rejecting others ; separating between the wheat and the chaff, the gold and the dross, the precious and the vile. 2. If it be so, that true religion lies much in the affections, hence we may infer, that such means are to be desired, as have much of a tendency to move the affections. Such books, and such a way of preaching the word, and admin- istration of ordinances, and such a way of worshipping God in prayer, and singing praises, is much to be desiied, as has a tendency deeply to affect the hearts of those who attend these means. Such a kind of means would formerly have been highly approved of, and applauded by the generality of the people of the land, as the most excellent and profitable, and having the greatest tendency to promote the ends of the means of grace. But the prevailing taste seems of late strangely to be altered : that pathetical manner of praying and preaching, which would formerly have been admired and extolled, and that for this reason, because it had such a tendency to move the affections, now, in great multitudes, immediately excites disgust, and moves no other affections, that those of displeasure and contempt. Perhaps, formerly the generality (at least of the common people) were in .he extreme, of looking too much to an affectionate address, in public perform- ances : but now, a very great part of the people seem to have gone far into a contrary extreme. Indeed there may be such means, as may have a great ten- dency to stir up the passions of weak and ignorant persons, and yet have no great tendency to benefit their souls : lor though they may have a tendency to excite affections, they may have little or none to excite gracious affections, or any affections tending to grace. But undoubtedly, if the things of religion, in the means used, are treated according to their nature, and exhibited truly, so as tends to convey just apprehensions, and a right judgment of them ; the more they have a tendency to move the affections the better. 3. If true religion lies much in the affections, hence we may learn, what great cause we have to be ashamed and confounded before God, that we are no more affected with the great things of religion. It appears from what has been said, that this arises from our having so little ti'ue religion. God has given to mankind affections, for the same purpose which he has given all the faculties and principles of the human soul for, viz., that they might be subservient to man's chief end, and the great business for which God has cre- ated him, that is, the business of religion. And yet how common is it among mankind, that their affections are much more exercised and engaged in other matters, than in religion ! In things which concern men's worldly interest, their outward delights, their honor and reputation, and their natural relations, they have their desires eager, their appetites vehement, their love warm and af- fectionate, their zeal ardent ; in these things their hearts are tender and sensi- ble, easily moved, dt;eply impressed, much concerned, very sensibly affected, and greatly engaged ; much depressed %vith grief at worldly losses, and highly rais- ed with joy at worldly successes and prosperity. But how insensible and un- moved are most men, about the great things of another world ! How dull are their affections ! How heavy and hard their hearts in these matters ! Here their love is cold, their desires languid, their zeal low, and their gratitude small. RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS. 21 How they can sit and hear of the infinite height, and depth, and length, and breadth of the love of God in Christ Jesus, of his giving his infinitely dear Son, to be oifered up a sacrifice for the sins of men, and of the unparalleled love of the innocent, and holy, and tender Lamb of God, manifested in his dying ago- nies, his bloody sweat, his loud and bitter cries, and bleeding heart, and all this for enemies, to' redeem them from deserved, eternal burnings, and to bring to un- speakable and everlasting joy and glory ; and yet be cold, and heavy, insensible, and regardless ! Where are the exercises of our affections proper, if not here 1 What is it that does more require them 1 And what can be a fit occasion of their lively and vigorous exercise, if not such a one as this ? Can any thing be set in our view, greater and more important ? Any thing more wonderful and surprising 1 Or more nearly concerning our interest ? Can we suppose the wise Creator implanted such principles in the human nature as the affections, to be of use to us, and to be exercised on certain proper occasions, but to lie still on such an occasion as this ? Can any Christian who believes the truth of these things, entertain such thoughts ? If we ought ever to exercise our affections at all, and if the Creator has not unw^isely constituted the human nature in making these principles a part of it, .when they are vain and useless ; then they ought to be exercised about those objects which are most worthy of them. But is there any thing which Chris- tians can find in heaven or earth, so worthy to be the objects of their admira- tion and love, their earnest and longing desires, their hope, and their rejoicing, and their fervent zeal, as those things that are held forth to us in the gospel of Jesus Christ 7 In which not only are things declared most worthy to affect us, but they, are exhibited in the mos't aff'ecting manner. The glory and beauty of the blessed Jehovah, which is most worthy in itself, to be the object of our ad- miration and love, is there exhibited in the most affecting manner that can be conceived of, as it appears, shining in all its lustre, in the face of an incarnate, infinitely loving, meek, compassionate, dying Redeemer, All the virtues of the Lamb of God, his humility, patience, meekness, submission, obedience, love and compassion, are exhibited to our view, in a manner the most tending to move our affections, of any that can be imagined ; as they all had their greatest trial, and their highest exercise, and so their brightest manifestation, when he was in the most affecting circumstances ; even when he was under his last suf- ferings, those unutterable and unparalleled suff(?rings he endured, from his tender love "and pity to us. There also the hateful nature of our sins is manifested in the most affecting manner possible : as we see the dreadful effects of them, in what our Redeemer, who undertook to answer for us, suffered for them. And there we have the most affecting manifestation of God's hatred of sin, and his wrath and justice in punishing it ; as we see his justice in the strictness and m- flexibleness of it ; and his wrath in its terribleness, in so dreadfully punishing our sins, in one who was infinitely dear to him, and loving to us. So has God disposed things, in the affair of our redemption, and in his glorious dispensations, revealed to us in the gospel, as though every thing were purposely contrived in such a manner, as to have the greatest possible tendency to reach our hearts in the most tender part, and move our affections most sensibly and strongly. How great cause have we therefore to be hmnbled to the dust, that we are no more affertp^ ! 22 RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS. PART II SHOWING WHAT ABE NO CERTAIN SIGNS THAT RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS ARE TRULY GRA- CIOUS, OU THAT THEY ARE NOT. If any one, on the reading of what has been just now said, is ready to acquit himself, and say, " I am not one of those who have no rehgious aft'ections ; I am often greatly moved with the consideration of the great things of religion :" let him not content himself with this, that he has religious affections : for as we observed before, as we ought not to reject and condemn all affections, as though true religion did not at all consist in affection ; so on the other hand, w^e ought not to approve of all, as though every one that was religiously affected had true grace, and was therein the subject of the saving influences of the Spirit of God J and that therefore the right way is to distinguish among religious affec- tions, between one sort and another. Therefore let us now endeavor to do this ; and in order to do it, I would do two things. I. I would mention some things, which are no signs one way or the other, either that affections are such as true religion consists in, or that they are other- wise ; that we may be guarded against judging of affections by false signs. II. I would observe some things, wherein those affections which are spir- itual and gracious, differ from those which are not so, and may be distinguished and known. First, I would take notice of some things, which are no signs that affec- tions are gracious, or that they are not. I. It is no sign one way or the other, that religious affections are very great, or raised very high. Some are ready to condemn all high affections : if persons appear to have their religious affections raised to an extraordinary pitch, they are prejudiced against them, and determine that they are delusions, without further inquiry. But if it be, as has been proved, that true religion lies very much in religious affections, then it follows, that if there be a great deal of true religion, there will be great religious affections ; if true religion in the hearts of men be raised to a great height, divine and holy affections will be raised to a great height. Love is an affection, but will any Christian say, men ought not to love God and Jesus Christ in a high degree ? And will any say, we ought not to have a very great hatred of sin, and a very deep sorrow for it ? Or that we ought not to exercise a high degree of gratitude to God for the mercies we receive of him, and the great things he has done for the salvation of fallen men '? Or that we should not have very great and strong desires after God and holiness ? Is there any who will profess, that his affections in religion are great enough ; and will say, " I have no cause to be humbled, that I am no more affected with the things of religion than 1 am ; I have no reason to be ashamed, that I have no g.reater exercises of love to God and sorrow for sin, and gratitude for the mer- cies which I have received ?" Who is there that will bless God that he is affected enough with what he has read and heard of the wonderful love of God to worms and rebels, in giving his only begotten Son to die for them, and of the dying love of Christ ; and will pray that he may not be affected with them in any higher degree, because high affections are improper, and very unlovely in Christians, being enthusiastical, and ruinous to true religion ? RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS. 23 Our text plainly speaks of great and high afifections when it speaks of" re- joicing with joy unspeakable, and full of glory :" here the most superlative expressions are used, which language will atlbrd. And the" Scriptures often require us to exercise very high allections : thus in the Hrst and great comnjand- ment of the law, there is an accumulation of expressions, as though words were wanting to express the degree in which we ought to love God : " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy mind, and with all thy strength." So the saints are called upon to exercise high degrees of joy : " Rejoice," says Christ to his disciples, " and be exceeding glad," Matt. v. 12. So it is said. Psalm Ixviii. 3, " Let the righteous be glad : let them rejoice before God : yea, let them exceedingly rejoice." So in the same book of Psalms, the saints are often called upon to shout for joy ; and in Luke vi. 23, to leap for joy. So they are abundantly called upon to exercise high degrees of gratitude for mercies, to " praise God with all their hearts, with hearts lifted up in the ways of the Lord, and their souls magnifying the Lord, singing his praises, talking of his wondrous works, declaring his doings, &c." And we find the most eminent saints in Scripture often professing high affections. Thus the Psalmist speaks of his love, as if it were unspeakable ; Psal. cxix. 97, " 0 how love I thy law !" So he expresses a great degree of hatred of sin, Psal. cxxxix. 21, 22 : " Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee ? And am not I grieved with them that rise up against thee ? I hate them with perfect hatred." He also expresses a high degree of sorrow for sin : he speaks of his sins " going over his head as a heavy burden that was too heavy for him : and of his roaring all the day, and his moistm-e being turned into the drought of summer," and his bones being as it were broken with sorrow. So he often expresses great degrees of spiritual desires, in a multitude of the strong- est expressions which can be conceived of; such as " his longing, his soul's thirsting as a dry and thiisty land, where no water is, his panting, his flesh and heart crying out, his soul's breaking for the longing it hath," &c. He expresses the exercises of great and extreme grief for the sins of others, Psal. cxix. 136, " Rivers of water run i!own mine eyes, because they keep not tliy law." And verse 53, " Horror hath taken hold upon me, because of the wicked that forsake thy law." He expresses high exercises of joy, Psal. xxi. 1 : " The king shall joy in thy strength, and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice." Psal. Ixxi. 23, " My lips shall greatly rejoice when 1 sing unto thee." Psal. Ixiii. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, " Because thy loving kindness is better than life; my lips shall praise thee. Thus will I bless thee, while I live : I will lift up my hands in thy name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness ; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips ; when 1 remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. Because thou hast been my help ; therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice." The Apostle Paul expresses high exercises of affection. Thus he expresses the exercises of pity and concern for others' good, even to anguish of heart ; a great, fervent, and abundant love, and earnest and longing desires, and exceeding joy ; and speaks of the exultation and triumphs of his soul, and his earnest ex- pectation and hope, and his abundant tears, and the travails of his soul, in pity, grief, earnest desires, godly jealousy, and fervent zeal, in many places that have been cited already, and which therefore I need not repeat. John the Baptist expressed great joy, John iii. 39. Those blessed women that anointed the body of Jesus, are represented as in a very high exercise of religious affection, on occasion of Christ's resurrection. Matt, xxviii. 8 : " And they departed from the sepulchre with fear and great joy." 24 RELIGIOUS ArFECTIONS. It is often foretold of the church of God, in her future happy seasons here on earth, that they shall exceedingly rejoice : Psal. Ixxxix. 15, 16, " They shall walli, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance. In thy name shall they rejoice all the day : and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted." Zech. ix, 9, *' Rejoice greatly, 0 daughter of Zion ; shout, 0 daughter of Jerusalem : behold, thy king cometh," &c. The same is represented in innumerable other places. And because high degrees of joy are the proper and genuine fruits of the gospel of Christ, therefore the angel calls this gospel, " good tidings of great joy, that should be to all people." The saints and angels in heaven, that have religion in its highest perfection, are exceedingly affected with what they behold and contemplate of God's per- fections and works. They are all as a pure heavenly flame of fire in their love, and in the greatness and strength of their joy and gratitude : their praises are represented, " as the voice of many waters and as the voice of a great thunder." Now the only reason why their affections are so much higher than the holy affections of saints on earth, is, they see the things they are affected by, more according to their truth, and have their affections more conformed to the nature of things. And therefore, if religious affections in men here below, are but of the same nature and kind with theirs, the higher they are, and the nearer they are to theirs in degree, the better, because therein they will be so much the more conformed to truth, as theirs are. From these things it certainly appears, that religious affections being in a very high degree, is no evidence that they are not such as have the nature of true religion. Therefore they do greatly err, who condemn persons as enthusiasts, merely because their affections are very high. And on the other hand, it is no evidence that religious affections are of a spiritual and gracious nature, because they are great. It is very manifest by the holy Scripture, our sure and infallible rule to judge of things of this nature, that there are religious affections which are very high, that are not spiritual and saving. The Apostle Paul speaks of affections in the Galatians, which had been exceedingly elevated, and which yet he manifestly speaks of, as fearing that they were vain, and had come to nothing : Gal. iv. 15, " Where is the blessedness you spoke of? For I bear you record, that if it had been possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me," And in the 11th verse, he tells them, "he was afraid of them, lest he had bestowed upon them labor in vain." So the children of Israel were greatly affected v;itb God's mercy to them, when they had seen how wonderfully he wrought for them at the Red Sea, where they sang God's praise; though they soon forgat his works. So they were greatly affected again at mount Sinai, M'hen they saw the marvellous manifestations God made of himself there ; and seemed mightily engaged in their minds, and with great forwardness made answer, when God proposed his holy covenant to them, saying," All that the Lord hath spoken will we do, and be obedient." But how soon was there an end to aH this mighty forwardness and engagedness of affection ! How quickly were they turned aside after other gods, rejoicing and shouting around their golden calf ! So great multitudes who M'ere affected with the miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead, were elevated to a high degree, and made a mighty ado, when Jesus presently after entered into Jerusalem, exceedingly magnifying Christ, as though the ground were not good enough for the ass he rode to tread upon ; and there- fore cut branches of palm trees, and strewed them in the way ; yea, pulled off their garments, and spread them in the way ; and cried with loud voices, " Ho- sanna to the Son of David, blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord, RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS. 25 hosannu in the hiuhcsl ;" so as to make the whole city ring again, and put aj. into an uproar. We learn by the evangelist John, that the reason why tKe people made this ado, was because they were affected with the miracle of raising Lazarus, John xii. 18. Here was a vast multitude crying Hosanna on this oc- casion, so that it gave occasion to the Pharisees to say, " Behold, the world has gone after him," John xii. 19, but Christ had at that time but few true disci- ples. And how quickly was this ndo at an end ! All of this nature is quelled and dead, when tiiis Jesus stands bound, Avith a mock robe and a crown of thorns, to be derided, spit upon, scourged, condemned and executed. Indeed, there was a great and loud outcry concerning him among the multitude then, as well as befoi-e ; but of a very different kiml : it is not then, Hosanna, hosanna, but Crucify, crucify. And itis the concurring voice of all orthodox divines, that there may be religious affections, which are raised to a very high degree, and yet there be nothing of true religion.* II. It is no sign that affections have the nature of true religion, or that they have not, that they have great effects on the body. All affections whatsoever, have in some respect or degree, an effect on the body. As was observed before, such is our nature, and such are the laws of union of soul and body, that the mind can have no lively or vigorous exercise, without some effect upon the body. So subject is the body to the mind, and so much do its fluids, especially the'animal spirits, attend the motions and exercises of the mind, that there cannot be so much as an intense thought, without an effect upon them. Yea, it is questionable whether an imbodied soul ever so much as thinks one thought, or has any exercise at all, but that there is sonie corresponding motion or alteration ot motion, in some degree, of the fluids, in some part of the body. But univei-sal experience shows, that the exercise of the affections have in a special manner a tendency to some sensible effect upon the body. And if this be so, that all affections have some effect upon the body, we may then well suppose, the greater those affections be, and the more vigor- ous their exercise (other circumstances being equal) the greater will be the effect on the body. Hence it is not to be wondered at, that very great and strong exercises of the affections should have great effects on the body. And therefore, seeing there are very great affections, both common and spiritual ; hence it is not to be wondered at, that great effects on the body should arise from both these kinds of affections. And consequently these effects are no signs, that the affections they arise from, are of one kind or the other. Great effects on the body certainly are no sure evidences that affections are spiritual ; for we see that such effects oftentimes arise from great affections about temporal things, and when religion is no way concerned in them. And if great affections about secular tilings, that are purely natural, may have these effects, I know not by what rule we should determine that high affections about religious things, which arise in like manner from nature, cannot have the like effect. Nor, on the other hand, do I know of any rule any have to determine, that gracious and holy affections, when raised as high as any natural affections, and have equally strong and vigorous exercises, cannot have a great effect on the body. No such rule can be drawn from reason : I know of no reason, why a being affected with a view of God's glory should not cause the body to faint, as well as being affected with a view of Solomon's glory. And no such rule has ♦ Mr. St ^(Idara obsen-es, " That common affections are sometimes stronger than saving." — Guide to Chbist, p. 2.. Vol. III. 4 26 RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS. as yet been produced from the Scripture ; none has ever been found in all the late controversies which have been about things of this nature. There is a great power in spiritual affections : we read of the power which worketh in Christians * and of the Spirit of God being in them as the Spirit of power,! and of the effectual working of his power in them.J But roan's nature is weak : flesh and blood are represented in Scripture as exceeding weak ; and particularly with respect to its unfitness for great spiritual and heavenly operations and ex- ercises, Matt. xxvi. 41, 1 Cor. xv. 43, and 50. The text we are upon speaks of "joy unspeakable, and full of glory." And who that considers what man's nature is. and what the nature of the affections is, can reasonably doubt but that such unutterable and glorious joys, maybe too great and mighty for weak dust and ashes, so as to be considerably overbearing to it ? It is evident by the Scripture, that true divine discoveries, or ideas of God's glory, when given in a great degree, have a tendency, by affecting the mind, to overbear the body ; because the Scrip- ture teaches us often, that if these ideas or views should be given to such a degree, ' as they are given in heaven, the weak frame of the body could not subsist under it, and that no man can, in that manner, see God and live. The know- ledge which the saints have of God's beauty and glory in this world, and those holy affections that arise from it, are of the same nature and kind with what the saints are the subjects of in heaven, differing only in degree and circumstances : what God gives them here, is a foretaste of heavenly happiness, and an earnest of their future inheritance. And who shall hmit God in his giving this earnest, or say he shall give so much of the inheritance, such a part of the future reward, as an earnest of the whole, and no more 1 And seeing God has taught us in his word, that the whole reward is such, that it w^ould at once destroy the body, is it not too bold a thing for us, so to set bounds to the sovereign God, as to say, that in giving the earnest of this reward in this world, he shall never give so much of it, as in the least to diminish the strength of the body, when God has nowhere thus limited himself? The Psalmist, speaking of the vehement religious affections he had, speaks of an effect in his flesh or body, besides what was in his soul, expressly distin- guishing one from the other, once and again : Psal. Ixxxiv. 2, " My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord : my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God." Here is a plain distinction between the heart and the flesh, as being each affected. So Psal. Ixiii. 1, " My soul thirsteth for thee, ray flesh longeth lor thee, in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is." Here also is an evident designed distinction between the soul and the flesh. The prophet Habakkuk speaks of his body's being overborne by a sense of the majesty of God, Hab. iii. 16 : '• When I heard, my belly trembled : my lips quivered at the voice: rottenness enter into my bones, and I trembled in myself" So the Psalmist speaks expressly of his flesh trembling, Psal. cxix. 120 : " My flesh trembleth for fear of thee." That such ideas of God's glory as are sometimes given in this world, have a tendency to overbear the body, is evident, because the Scripture gives us an ac- count, that this has sometimes actually been the effect of those external mani- festations God has made of himself to some of the saints which were made to that end, viz., to give them an idea of God's majesty and glory. Such instances we have in the prophet Daniel, and the apostle John. Daniel, giving an ac- count of an external representation of the glory of Christ, says, Dan. x. 8, " And there remained no strength in me; for my comeliness was turned into corrnp- » Eph. iii. 7. t 2 Tim. i. 7. t EpK. lii. 7, 20, II Eph. i. 19, RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS. 27 tion, and I retained no strenp;th." And the apostle John, p;ivinq; an acanmt of a like manifestation made to liim, says, Rev. i. 17," And when 1 saw him, I fell at his feet as dead." It is in vain to say here, these were only external manifes- tations or symbols of the glory of Christ, which these saints beheld : lor though it be true, that they were outward rejMescntations of Christ's glory, which they beheld with their bodily eyes ; yet the end and use of these external symbols or representations was to give to these prophets an idea of the thing represented, and that was the true divine glory and majesty of Christ, which is his spiritual glory ; they were made use of only as significations of (his spiritual glory, and thus undoubtedly they received them, and improved ihcm, antl were affected by them. According to the end for which God intended these outward signs, they receiv- ed by them a great and lively apprehension of the real glory and majesty of God's nature, which they were signs of; and thus were greatly affected, their souls swallowed up, and their bodies overborne. And I think they are very bold and daring, who will say God cannot, or shall not give the like clear and affecting ideas and apprehensions of the same real glory and majesty of his nature, to any of his saints, without the intervention of any such external shadows of it. Before I leave this head, I would farther observe, that it is plain the Scrip- ture often makes use of bodily effects, to express the strength of holy and spirit, ual affections ; such as trembling,* groaning.f being sick,t crying out.|| pant- ing,'^ and fainting.1T Now if it be supposed, that these are only figurative ex- pressions, to represent the degree of affection : yet I hope all will allow, that they are fit and suitable figures to represent the high degree of those spirit- ual affections, which the Spirit of God makes use of them to represent ; which I do not see how they would be, if those spiritual affections, let them be in never so high a degree, have no tendency to any such things ; but that on the con- trary, they are the proper effects and sad tokens of false aflfections, and the de- lusion of the devil. I cannot think, God would commonly make use of things which are very alien from spiritual affections, and are shrewd marks of the hand of Satan, and smell strong of the bottomless pit, as beautiful figures, to represent the high degree of holy and heavenly affections. III. It is no sign that affections are truly gracious affections, or that they are not, that they cause those who have them to be fluent, fervent, and abun- dant, in talking of the things of religion. There are many persons, who, if they see this in others, are greatly preju- diced against them. Their being so full of talk, is with them a sufficient ground to condemn them, as Pharisees, and ostentatious hypocrites. On the other hand, there are many, who if they see this effect in any, are very ignorant- ly and imprudently forward, at once to determine that they are the true chil- dren of God, and are under the saving influences of his Spirit, and speak of it as a great evidence of a new creature ; they say, " such a one's mouth is now opened : he used to be slow to speak ; but now he is full and free ; he is free now to open his heart, and tell his experiences, and declare the praises of God ; it comes from him, as free as water from a fountain ;" and the like. And especially are they captivated into a confident and undoubting persuasion, that they are savingly wrought upon, if they are not only free and abundant, but very affectionate and earnest in their talk. But this is the fruit of but little judgment, a scanty and short experience ; as events do abundantly show : and is a mistake persons often run into, through » Psal. c.x'ix. 120. Ezra ix. 4. ha. Ixvi. 2, 5. Hab. iii. 16. + Rom. viii. 26. t Cant. ii. .5, and ». 8. II Psal. Lsxxiv, 2. § Psal. xxxviii. 10, and xlii. 1, and cxix. 131. IT Psal. Ixxxiy. 2. and cxix. 81 . 28 RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS. their trusting to their own wisdom and discerning, and making their own rotions their rule, instead of the holy Scripture. Though the Scripture be full of rules, both how we should judge of our own state, and also how we should be con- ducted in our opinion of others ; yet we have nowhere any rule, by which to judge ourselves or others to be in a good estate, from any such effect : for this is but the religion of the mouth and of the tongue, and what is in the Scrip- ture represented by the leaves cf a tree, which, though the tree ought not to be without them, yet are nowhere given as an evidence of the goodness of the tree. That persons are disposed to be abundant in talking of things of religion, may be from a good cause, and it may be from a bad one. It may be because their hearts are very full of holy affections ; " for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh :" and it may be because persons' hearts are very full of religious affection which is not holy ; for still out of the abundance of the heart the mc^uth speaketh. It is very much the nature of the affections, ot whatever kind they be, and whatever objects they are exercised about, if they are strong, to dispose persons to be very much in speaking of that which they are affected with : and not only to speak much, but to speak very earnestly and fervently. And therefore persons talking abundantly and very fervently about the things of religion, can be an evidence of no more than this, that they are very much affected with the things of religion; but this may be (as has been already shown) and there be no grace. That which men are greatly affected with, while the high affection lasts, they will be earnestly engaged about, and will be likely to show that earnestness in their talk and behavior ; as the greater part of the Jews, in all Judah and Galilee, did for a while, about John the Baptist's preaching and baptism, when they were willing for a season to rejoice in his light ; a mighty ado was made, all over the land, and among all sorts of persons, about this great prophet and his ministry. And so the multitude, in like manner, often manifested a great earnestness, a mighty engagedness of spirit, in every thing that was external, about Christ and his preaching and miracles, " being astonished at his doctrine, anon with joy receiving the word," follovring him sometimes night and day, leaving meat, drink, and sleep to hear him : once following him into the wilderness, fasting three days going to hear him ; some- times crying him up to the clouds, saying, " Never man spake like this man !" being fervent and earnest in what they said. But what did these things come to, in the greater part of them ? A person may be over full of talk of his own experiences ; commonly fall- ing upon it, everywhere, and in all companies ; and when it is so, it is rather a dark sign than a good one. As a tree that is over full of leaves seldom bears much fruit ; and as a cloud, though to appearance very pregnant and full of water, if it brings with it overmuch wind, seldom affords much rain to the dry and thirsty earth ; which very thing the Holy Spirit is pleased several times to make use of, to represent a great show of religion with the mouth, without an- swerable fruit in the life : Prov. xxv. 24, " Whoso boasteth himself of a false gift, is like clouds and wind without rain." And the apostle Jude, speaking of some in the primitive times, that crept in unawares among the saints, and hav- ing a great show of religion, were for a while not suspected, " These are clouds (says he) without water, carried about of winds," Jude ver. 4 and 12. And the apostle Peter, speaking of the same, says, 2 Pet. ii. 17, " These are clouds without water, carried with a tempest." False affections, if they are equally strong, are much more forward to de- RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS. 89 dare themselves, than true : because it is the nature of false rehgion, tc affect show and observation ; as it was with the Pharisees.* IV. It is no sign that afiections are gracious, or that they are otherwise, that persons did not make them themselves, or excite them of their own con- trivance, and by their own slrengtli. There are many in these days, that condemn all affections wliich are excited in a way tliat the subjects of them can give no account of, as not seeming tff be the fruit of any of their own endeavors, or the natural consequence of tlie facul- ties and principles of human nature, in such circumstances, and under such means ; but to be from tbe influence of some extrinsic and supernatural power upon their minds. How gre.itly has the doctrine of the inward experience, or sensible perceiving of the immediate power and operation of the Spirit of God, been reproached and ridiculed by many of late ! They say, the man- ner of the Spirit of God is to co-operate in a silent, secret, and undiscernible way with the use of means, and our own endeavors ; so that there is no distinguish- ing by sense, between the influences of the Spirit of God, and the natmal oper- ations of the faculties of our own minds. ♦ And it is true, that for any to expect to receive the saving influences of the Spirit of God, while they neglect a diligent improvement of the appointed means of grace, is unreasonable presumption. And to expect that the Spirit of God will savingly operate upon their minds, without the Spirit's making use of means, as subservient to the effect, is enthusiastical. It is also uncloubtedly true, that the Spirit of God is very various in the manner and circumstances of his operations, and that sometimes he operates in a way more secret and gra- dual, and from smaller beginnings, than at others. But if there be indeed a power, entirely difl;erent from, and beyond our power, or the power of all means and instruments, and above the power of nature, which is requisite in order to the production of saving grace in the heart, according to the general profession of the country ; then, certainly it is in no wise unreasonable to suppose, tliat this effect should very frequently be pro- duced after such a manner, as to make it very manifest, apparent, and sensible that it is so. If grace be indeed owing to the powerful and efficacious operation of an extrinsic agent, or divine efficient out of ourselves, why is it unreasonable to suppose it should seem to be so to them w-ho are the subjects of it ? Is it a strange thing, that it should seem to be as it is ? When grace in the heart in- deed is not produced by our strength, nor is the effect of the natural power of our own faculties, or any means or instruments, but is properly the workman- ship and production of the Spirit of the Almio^hty, is it a strange and unaccount- able thing, that it should seem to them who are subjects of it, agreeable to truth, and not right contrary to truth ; so that if persons tell of effects that they are conscious to in their own minds, that seem to them not to be from the natural power or operation of their minds, but from the supernatural power of some • That famous experimpntal divine, Mr. Shepherd, says, " A Pharisee's trumpet shall be hrard to the town's end ; whtn simplicity walks through the town unsfen. Hence a man will sometimes covertly com- mend himself (and myse//" ever comes iii), and tells you a long siory of conversion ; and a hundred to one if some lie or other slip not out with it. Why, the secret meaning is, I pray admire me. Hence complain of wants and weaknesses : Pray think what a broken-hearted CIrristian 1 am." Parab. of the Ten Virgiti*. Part I pages 179, 180. And holy Mr. Flavel says thus : " O reader, if thy heart were right with God, and thou didst not cheat thyself with a vain profession, thou wouldst have frequent business with God, which thou wouldst be loth thy dearest friend, or the wife of thy bosom should be privy to. Non est religio, tiii omnia paleiii. Reli- gion doth not lie open to all, to the eyes of men, 01)served duties maintain our credit ; but secret duties maintain our life. It was the sayiiij of a hetithen, al)oui his secret correspondency with his friend. What nerd the world br acquainted with it * Thou awl I are theatre aiough to each nther. There are inclosed pleasures in relieion, which none but renewed spiritual souls do feelingly understand." FlaveVt Touchstone of Smearity, Chap 11. Sect. 2. 30 RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS. other agent, it should at once be looked upon as a sure evidence of tlieir being under a delusion, because things seem to them to be as they are ? For this is the objection which is made : it is looked upon as a clear evidence, that the apprehensions and affections that many persons have, are not really from such a cause, because they seem to them to be from that cause : they declare that what they are conscious of, seems to them evidently not to be from themselves, biTt from the mighty power of the Spirit of God ; and others from hence con- demn them, and determine what they experience is not from the Spirit of God, but from themselves, or from the devil. Thus unreasonably are multitudes treated at this day by their neighbors. If it be indeed so, as the Scripture abundantly teaches, that grace in the soul is so the effect of God's power, that it is fitly compared to those effects which are farthest from being owing to any strength in the subject, such as a genera- tion, or a being begotten, and resurrection, or a being raised from the dead, and creation, or a being brought out of nothing into being, and that it is an effect wherein the mighty power of God is greatly glorified, and the exceeding great- ness of his power is manifested ;* then what account can be given of it, that th(» Almighty, in so great a work of his power, should so carefully hide his power, that the subjects of it should be able to discern nothing of it 1 Or what reason or revelation have any to determine that he does so 1 Tf we may judge by the Scripture this is not agreeable to God's manner, in his operations and dispensa- tions ; but on the contrary, it is God's manner, in the great works of his power and mercy which he works for his people, to order things so as to make his hand visible, and his power conspicuous, and men's dependence on him most evident, that no flesh should glory in his presence,! that God alone might be exalted,! and that the excellency of the power might be of God and not of man,§ and that Christ's power might be manifested in our weakness,|| and none might say mine own hand hath saved me.1T So it was in most of those temporal sal- vations which God wrought for Israel of old, which were types of the salvation of God's people from their spiritual enemies. So it was in the redemption of Israel from their Egyptian bondage ; he redeemed them with a strong hand, and an out- stretched arm ; and that his power might be the more conspicuous, he suffered Israel first to be brought into the most helpless and forlorn circumstances. So it was in the great redemption by Gideon ; God would have his army diminished to a handful, and they without any other arms than trumpets and lamps, and earthen pitchers. So it was in the deliverance of Israel from Goliath, by a stripling with a sling and a stone. So it was in that great work of God, his calling the Gentiles, and converting the Heathen world, after Christ's ascension, after that the world by wisdom knew not God, and all the endeavors of philosophers had proved in vain, for many ages, to reform the world, and it was by every thing become abundantly evident, that the world was utterly helpless, by any thing else but the mighty power of God. And so it was in most of the conver- sions of particular persons, we have an account of in the history of the New Testament : they were not Avrought on in that silent, secret, gradual, and insensi- ble manner, which is now insisted on ; but with those manifest evidences of a supernatural power, wonderfully and suddenly causing a great change, which in these days are looked upon as certain signs of delusion and enthusiasm. The Apostle, in Eph. i. IS, 19, speaks of God's enlightening the minds of Christians, and so bringing them to believe in Christ, to the end that they might know the exceeding greatness of his powder to them who believe. The words * Eph. i. 17—20 t 1 Cor. i. 27, 28, 29. tisa. ii. 1-17. §2Cor. iv.", J2Cor. xii.9. IT Judg. vu. 2 RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS. 31 are, " Tlie eyes of your utulorstanding being enlightened ; that ye may know •what is tlie hope ol' his calling, and wliat the riches of the glory of his inherit- ance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty ])Ower," &c. Now when the apostle speaks of their being thus the subjects of his power, in their enlight- ening and ellectual calling, to the end that they might know what his mighty power was to them who believe, he can mean nothing else than, " that they might know by experience." But if the saints know this power by experience, ihen they feel it and discern it, and arc conscious of it ; as sensibly distinguish- able from the natural operations of their own minds, which is not agreeable to a notion of God's operating so secretly, and undiscernably, that it cannot be known thai; they are the subjects of the influence of ariy extrinsic power at all, any otiierwise than as they may argue it from Scripture assertions ; which is a dit- lerent ihing from knowing it by experience. So xiuii it is veiy unreasonable and unscriptural to determine that affections are nci iron, the gracious operations of God's S])irit, because they are sensibly not from ihb persons themsehes that are the subjects of them. On the other hand, it is no evidence that affections are gracious, that they are not properly produced by those who are the subjects of them, or that they arise in their minds in a manner they cannot account for. There are some who make this an argument in their own favor ; when "ang of what they have experienced, they say, " I am sure I did not make it myself; it was a fruit of no contrivance or endeavor of mine; it came when I thought nothing of it ; if 1 might have the world for it, I cannot make it again when 1 please." And hence they determine that what they have experienced, must be from the mighty influence of the Spirit of God, and is of a saving nature ; but very ignorantly, and without grounds. What they have been the subjects of, may indeed not be from themselves directly, but may be from the operation of an invisible agent, some spirit besides their own : but it does not thence follow, that it was from the Spirit of God. There are other spirits who have influence on the minds of men, besides the Holy Ghost. We are directed not to believe every spirit, but to try the spirits, whether they be of God. There are many false spirits, exceeding busy with men, who often transform themselves into angels of light, and do in many wonderful ways, wath great subtilty and power, mimic the operations of the Spirit of God. And there are many of Satan's operations, which are very distinguishable from the voluntary exercises of men's own minds. They are so, in those dreadful and horrid suggestions, and blasphemous injections with which he folloAvs many persons ; and in vain and fruitless frights and terrors, which he is the author of. And the power of Satan may be as immediate, and as evident in false comforts and joys, as in terrors and horrid suggestions ; and oftentimes is so in fact. It is not in men's power to put themselves in such raptures, as the Anabaptists in Germany, and many other raving enthusiasts like them, have been the subjects of. And besides, it is to be considered that persons may have those impressions on their minds, which may not be of their own producing, nor from an evil spirit, but from the Spirit of God, and yet not be from any saving, but a com- mon influence of the Spirit of God ; and the subjects of such impressions may be of the number of those we read of, Heb. vi. 4, 5, " that are once enlightened, and taste of the heavenly gift, and are made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and taste the good woitl of God, and the power of the world to come ;" and yet may be wholly unacquainted Avith those " better things that accompany salvation," spoken of ver. 9. 32 RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS. And where neither a good nor evil spirit have any immediate hand, ])ersons, especially such as are of a Aveak and vapory habit of body, and the brain weak and easily susceptive of impressions, may have strange apprehensions and im- aginations, and strong affections attending them, unaccountably arising, which are not voluntarily produced by themselves. We see that such persons are liable to such impressions about temporal things ; and there is equal reason, why they should about spiritual things. As a person who is asleep has dreams that he is not the voluntary author of; so may such persons, in like manner, be the sub- jects of involuntary impressions, when they are awake. V. It is no sign that religious affections are truly holy and spiritual, or that they are not, that they come with texts of Scripture, remarkably brought to the mind. It is no sign that affections are not gracious, that they are occasioned by Scrip- tures so coming to mind ; provided it be the Scripture itself, or the truth which the Scripture so brought contains and teaches, that is the foundation of the affection, and not merely, or mainly, the sudden and unusual manner of its coming to the mind. But on the other hand, neither is it any sign that affections are gracious, that they arise on occasion of Scriptures brought suddenly and wonderfully to the mind ; whether those affections be fear or hope, joy or sorrow, or any other. Some seem to look upon this as a good evidence that their affections are saving, especially if the affections excited are hope or joy, or any other which are pleas- ing and delightful. They will mention it as an evidence that all is right, that their experience came with the word, and will say, " There were such and such sweet promises brought to my mind : they came suddenly, as if they were spoken to me : I had no hand in bringing such a text to my own mind ; I was not thinking of any thing leading to it ; it came all at once, so that I was surprised. I had not thought of it a long time before ; I did not know at first that it was Scripture ; I did not remember that ever I liad read it." And it may be, they will add, " One Scripture came flowing in after another, and so texts all over the Bible, the most sweet and pleasant, and the most apt and suitable which could be devised ; and filled me full as I could hold : I could not but stand and ad- mire : the tears flowed ; I was full of joy, and could not doubt any longer." And thus they think they have undoubted evidence that their affections must be from God, and of the right kind, and their state good : but without any manner of grounds. How came they by any such rule, as that if any affections or ex- periences arise with promises, and comfortable texts of Scripture, unaccountably brought to mind, without their recollection, or if a great number of sweet texts follow one another in a chain, that this is a certain evidence their experiences are saving 1 Where is any such rule to be found in the Bible, the great and only sure directory in things of this nature ? What deceives many of the less understanding and considerate sort of peo- ple, in this matter, seems to be this ; that the Scripture is the word of God, and has nothing in it which is wrong, but is pure and perfect; and therefore, those experiences which come from the Scripture must be right. But then it should be considered, affections may arise on occasion of the Scripture, and not proper- ly come from the Scripture, as the genuine fruit of the Scripture, and by a right use of it ; but from an abuse of it. All that can be argued from the purity and perfection of the word of God, with respect to experiences, is this, that those experiences which are agreeable to the word of God, are right, and cannot be otherwise ; and not that those affections must be right, which arise on oc- casion of the word of God coming to the mind. RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS. , 33 What evidence is there that the devil cannot bring texts of Scripture to the mind, and misapply them to deceive persons 1 There seems to be nolliing in this which exceeils the power of Satan. It is no wc:k of sucli mighty power, to bring" sounds or letters to persons' minds, that we have any reason to suppose nothing short of Omnipotence can be suHicient for it. If Satan has power to bring any words or sounds at all to persons' minds, he may have power to bring words contained in the Bible. Tiiere is no higher sort of power required in men, to make the sounds which express the words of a text of Scripture, Uian to make the sounds which express the words of an idle story or song. And so the same power in Satan, which is sufficient to renew one of those kinds of sounds in the mind, is sufficient to renew the other : the different signification, which depends wholly on custom, alters not the case, as to ability to make or revive the sounds or letters. Or will any suppose, that texts or Scriptures are such sacred things, that the devil durst not abuse them, nor touch them ? In this also they are mistaken. He who was bold enough to lay hold on Christ him- self, and carry him hither and thither, into the wilderness, and into a high mountain, and to a pinnacle of the temple, is not afraid to touch the Scripture, and abuse that for his own purpose ; as he showed at the same time that he was so bold with Christ, he then brought one Scripture and another, to deceive and tempt him. And if Satan did presume, and was permitted to put Christ him- self in mind of texts of Scripture to tempt him, what reason have we determine that he dare not, or will not be permitted, to put wicked men in the mind of texts of Scripture, to tempt and deceive them? And if Satan may thus abuse one text of Scripture, so he may another. Its being a very excellent j^lace of Scripture, a comfortable and precious promise, alters not the case, as to his courage or ability. And if he can bring one comfortable text to the mind, so he may a thousand ; and may choose out such Scriptures as tend most to serve his purpose; and may heap up Scripture promises, tending, accoiding to the perverse application he makes of them, wonderfully to remove the rising doubts, and to confirm the false joy and confidence of a poor deluded sinner. We know the devil's instruments, corrupt and heretical teachers, can and do pervert the Scripture, to their own and others' damnation, 2 Pet. iii. 16. We see they have the free use of Scrijjture, in every part of it : there is no text so precious and sacred, but they are permitted to abuse it, to the eternal ruin of multitudes of souls ; and there are no weapons they make use of with which tliey do more execution. And there is no manner of reason to determine, that the devil is not permitted thus to use the Scripture, as well as his instruments. For when the latter do it, they do it as his instruments and servants, and through his instigation and influence: and doubtless he does the same he instigates others to do ; the devil's servants do but follow their master, and do the same work that he does himself And as the devil can abuse the Scripture, to deceive and destroy men, so may men's own folly and corruptions as well. The sin which is in men, acts like its father. Men's own hearts are deceitful like the devil, and use the same means to deceive. So that it is evident, thpft any person may have high affections of hope and joy, arising on occasion of texts of Scripture, yea, precious promises of Scrip- ture coming suddenly and remarkably to their minds, as though they were spoken to them, yea, a great multitude of such texts, following one another in a wonderful manner ; and yet all this be no argument that these affections are di- vine, or that they are any other than the effects of Satan's delusions. And I would further observe, that persons may have raised and joyful affec- VoL. III. 5 34 RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS. tions, which may come with the word of God, and not only so, but from the word^ and those affections not be from Satan, nor yet properly from the corruptions of their own hearts, but from some influence of the Spirit of God with the word, and yet have nothing of the nature of true and saving religion in them. Thus the stony ground hearers had great joy from the word ; yea, which is represent- ed as arising from the word, as growth from a seed ; and their atfections had, in their appearance, a very great and exact resemblance with those represented by the growth on the good ground, the diiference not appearing until it was dis- covered by the consequences in a time of trial: and yet there was no saving religion in these affections.* VT. It is no evidence that religious affections are saving, or that they are otherwise, that there is an appearance of love in them. There are no professing Christians who pretend, that this is an argument against the truth and saving nature of religious affections. But, on the other hand, there are some who suppose, it is a good evidence that aff (actions are from the sanctifying and saving influences of the Holy Ghost. — Their argument is that Satan cannot love j this affection being directly contrary to the devil, whose very nature is enmity and malice. And it is true, that nothing is more excellent, heavenly, and divine, than a spirit of true Christian love to God and men : it is more excellent than knowledge, or prophecy, or miracles, or speaking with the tongue of men and angels. It is the chief of the graces of God's Spirit, and the life, essence and sum of all true religion ; and that by which we are most conform- ed to heaven, and most contrary to hell and the devil. But yet it is ill argu- ing from hence, that there are no counterfeits of it. It may be observed that the more excellent any thing is, the more will be the counterfeits of it. Thus there are many moie counterfeits of silver and gold, than of iron and copper : there are many false diamonds and rubies, but who goes about to counterfeit common stones ? Though the more excellent things are, the more difficult it is to make any thing that shall be like them, in their essential nature and inter- nal virtues ; yet the more manifold will the counterfeits be, and the more will art and subtilty be displayed, in an exact imitation of the outward appearance. Thus there is the greatest danger of being cheated in buying of medicines that are most excellent and sovereign, though it be most difficult to imitate them with any thing of the like value and virtue, and their counterfeits are good for noth- ing when we have them. So it is with Christian virtues and graces ; the sub- tilty of Satan, and men's deceitful hearts, are wont chiefly to be exercised in counterfeiting those that are in highest repute. So there are perhaps no graces that have more counterfeits than love and humility ; these being virtues wherein the beauty of a true Christian does especially appear. But with respect to love ; it is plain by the Scripture, that persons may have a kind of religious love, and yet have no saving grace. Christ speaks of many professing Christians that have such love, whose love will not continue, and so shall fail of salvation, Matt. xxiv. 12, 13 : " And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." Which latter words plainly show, that those spoken of before, whose love shall not endure to the end, but wax cold, should not be saved. Persons may seem to have love to God and Christ, yea, to have very strong * Mr. Stoddard in his Guide to Christ, speaks of it as a common thing, for persons while in a natural condition, and before they have ever truly accepted of Christ, to have Scripture promises come to thera, with a great deal of refreshing : which they take as tokens of God's love, and hope that God has acceptei' them ; and so are confident of their griod estate Pages 8, 9. Impression anno 1735. RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS. 35 and violent affections of this nature, and yet have no grace. For this was en- dently the case with many graceless Jews, such as cried Jesus up so high, fol- lowing him day and night, without meat, drink, or sleep ; such as said, " Lord, 1 willlbllow thee whithersoever thou goest," and cried, " Hosanna to the Son of David."* ' The apostle seems to intimate, that there were many in his days who had a counterfeit love to Christ, in Eph. vi. 24 : " Grace he with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity." The last word, in the original, signifies in- corniption ; which shows, that \\>e apostle was sensible that there were many who had a kind of love to Christ, whose love was not pure and spirit-ual. So also Christian love to the peo])le of God may be counterfeited. It is evident by the Scripture, that there may be strong affections of this kind, with- out saving grace ; as there were in the Galatians towards the Apostle Paul, when they were ready to pluck out their eyes and give them to him ; although the apostle expresses his lear that their affections \yere come to nothing, and that he had bestowed upon them labor in vain. Gal. iv. 11, 15. Vil. Persons having religious atlections of many kinds, accompanying one another, is not sufficient to determine whether they have any gracious affec- tions or no. Though false religion Is wont to be maimed and monstrous, and not to have that entireness and symmetry of parts, which is to be seen in true religion : yet /here may be a great variety of false affections together, that may resemble gracious affections. It is evident that there are comiterfeits of all kinds of gracious affections ; as of love to God, and love to the brethren, as has been just now observed ; so of godly sorrow for sin, as In Pharaoh, Saul, and Ahab, and the children of Israel in the wilderness, Exod. ix. 27, 1 Sam. xxiv. 16, 17, and xxvl. 21, 1 Kings xxi. 27, Numb. xiv. 39, 40 ; and of the fear of God, as in the Samari- tans° " who feared the Lord, and served their own gods at the same time," 2 Kings xvil. 32, 33 ; and those enemies of God we read of, Psal. Ixvi. 3, who, "through the greatness of God's power, submit themselves to him," or, as it is in the Hebrew, " lie unto him," i. e., yield a counterfeit reverence and submis- sion. So of a gracious gratitude, as in the children of Israel, who sang God's praise at the Red Sea, Psal. cvi. 12 ; and Naaman the Syrian, after his miracu- lous cure of his leprosy, 2 Kings v. 15, &c. So of spiritual joy, as in the stony ground hearers, Matt. xili. 20, and par- ticularly many of John the Baptist's hearers, John v. 35. So of zeal, as In Jehu, 2 Kings x. 16, and in Paul before his conversion, Gal. i. 14, Phil. Hi. 6, and the unbelieving Jews, Acts xxii. 3, Rom. x. 2. So graceless persons may have earnest religious desires, which may be like Baalam's desires, which he ex- presses under an extraordinary view that he had of the happy state of God's people, as distinguished from all the rest of the world, Numb, xxiii. 9, 10. They may also have a strong hope of eternal life, as the Pharisees had. And as men, while in a state of nature, are capable of a resemblance of all kinds of religious affections, so nothing hinders but that they may have many of them together. And what appears in fact, does abundantly evince that it is very often so indeed. It seems commonly to be so, that when false affections are raised high, many false affections attend each other. The multitude that attended * Agreeaiile to this, Mr. Stoddard obsorves, in his Guide to Christ, that some sinners have pangs of affection, and give an account that they find a spirit of love to God, and of thoir aiming at the gloiyof God, having that which has a great resembUinec of saving grace ; and that sometimes their common affections are stronger than saving. And supposes, that sometimes natural men may have such violent pangs of false affection to God, that they may lliink. tientselves willing to be danuied. Pages 21, and Go. 36 RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS. Christ into Jerusalem, after that great miracle of raising Lazarus, seem to have been moved with many religious affections at once, and all in a high degree. They seem to have been filled with admiration, and there w^as a show of a high affection of love, and also of a great degree of reverence, in their laying their garments on the ground for Christ to tread upon ; and also of great grati- tude to him, for the great and good works he had wrought, praising him with loud voices for his salvation ; and earnest desires of the coming of God's king- dom, which they supposed Jesus was now about to set up, and showed great hopes and raised expectations of it, expecting it would immediately appear ; and hence were filled with joy, by which they were so animated in their acclama- tions, as to make the whole city ring with the noise of them ; and appeared great in their zeal and forwardness to attend Jesus, and assist him without fur- ther delay, now in the time of the great feast of the passover, to set up his king- dom. And it is easy, from nature, and the nature of the affections, to give an account why, when one affection is raised very high, that it should excite others ; especially if the affection which is raised high, be that of counterfeit love, as it was in the multitude who cried Hosanna. This w ill naturally draw many other affections after it. For, as was observed before, love is the chief of the affec- tions, and as it were the fountain of them. Let us suppose a person who has been for some time in great exercise and terror through fear of hell, and his heart weakened with distress and dreadful apprehensions, and upon the brink of despair, and is all at once delivered, by being firmly made to believe, through some delusion of Satan, that God has pardoned him, and accepts him as the ob- ject of his dear love, and promises him eternal life ; as suppose through some vision, or strong idea or imagination, suddenly excited in him, of a person with a beautiful countenance, smiling on him, and with arms open, and with blood dropping down, which the person conceives to be Christ, without any other en- lio-htening of the understanding, to give a view of the spiritual divine excellency of Christ and his fulness ; and of the way of salvation revealed in the gospel : or perhaps by some voice or words coming as if they were spoken to hiui, such as these, " Son, be of good cheer, thy sins be forgiven thee ;" or, " Fear not, it is the Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom," which he takes to be immediately spoken by God to him, though there was no preceding accept- ance of Christ, or closing of the heart with him : I say, if we should suppose such a case, what various passions would naturally crowd at once, or one after another, into such a pei-son's mind ! It is easy to be accounted for, from mere principles of nature, that a person's heart, on such an occasion, should be i-aised up to the skies with transports of joy ; and be filled wuth fervent affection, to that imaginary God or Redeemer, who he supposes has thus rescued him from the jaws of such dreadful destruction, that his soul was so amazed with the fears of, and has received him with such endearment, as a peculiar favorite ; and that now he should be filled with admiration and gratitude, and his mouth should be opened, and be full of talk about what he has experienced ; and that, for a while, he should think and speak of scarce any thing else, and should seem to magnify that God who has done so much for him, and call upon others to rejoice with him, and appear with a cheerful countenance, and talk with a loud voice : and however, before his deliverance, he was full of quarrellings against the justice of God, that now it should be easy for him to submit to God, and own his un- worthiness, and cry out against himself, and appear to be very humble before God, and lie at his feet as tame aa a lamb; and that he should now confess his unworthiness, and cry out, " Why me ? Why me ?" (Like Saul, who when Samuel told him that God had appointed him to be king, makes answer, " Aia RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS. 37 not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my iamily the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin ? Wherefore then speakest thou so to me ?" Much in the language of David, the true saint, 2 Sam. vii. 18, " Who am I, and what is my father's house, that thou has brought me hither- to ?") INor is it to be wondered at, that now he should delight to be with them w^ho acknowledge and applaud his happy circumstances, and should love all such as esteem and admire him and what he has experienced, and have violent zeal against all such as would make nothing of such things, and be disposed openly to separate, and as it were to proclaim war with all who be not of his party, and should now glory in his sufferings, and be very much for condemn- ing and censuring all who seem to doubt, or make any difiiculty of these things ; and while the warmth of his affections lasts, should be mighty forward to take pains, and deny himself, to promote the interest of the party who he imagines favors such things, and seem earnestly desirous to increase the number of them, as the Pharisees compassed sea and land to make one froselyte* And so I might go on, and mention many other things, which will naturally arise in such circumstances. He must have but slightly considered human nature, who thinks such things as these cannot arise in this manner, without any supernatural inter- position of divine power. As from true divine love flow all Christian affections., so from a counterfeit love in like manner naturally flow other false affections. In botli cases, love is the fountain, and the other affections are the streams. The various faculties, principles, and affections of the human nature, are as it were many channels from one fountain : if there be sweet water in the fountain, sweet water will from thence flow out into those various channels ; but if the water in the foun- tain be poisonous, then poisonous streams will also flow out into all those chan- nels. So that the channels and streams will be alike, corresponding one \vith another ; but the great difference will lie in the nature of the water. Or, man's nature may be compared to a tree, with many branches, comirrg from one root : if the sap in the root be gootl, there will also be good sap distributed through- out the branches, and the fruit that is brought forth will be good and whole- some ; but if the sap in the root and stock be poisonous, so it will be in many branches (as in the other case), and the fruit will be deadly. The tree in both cases may be alike ; there may be an exact resemblance in shape ', but the dif- ference is found only in eating the fruit. It is thus (in some measure at least) oftentimes between saints and hypocrites. There is sometimes a veiy great si- mihtude between true and false experiences, in their appearance, and in what is expressed and related by the subjects of them : and the difference between them is much like the difference between the dreams of Pharaoh's chief butler and ba- ker ; they seemed to be much alike, insomuch that when Joseph interpreted the chief butler's dream, that he should be delivered from his imprisonment, and restored to the Idng's favor, and his honorable office in the palace, the chief baker had raised hopes and expectations, and told his dream also ; but he was wofully disappointed ; and though his dream w^as so much like the happy and well boding dream of his companion, yet it was quite contrary in its issue. VIII. Nothing can certainly be determined concerning the natiire of the affec- tions, by this, that comforts and joys seem to follow awakenings and convictions of conscience, in a certain order. * " Ass(H-i;iting with godly men does not prove that a man has grace : Ahithophel was David's com- paniiu. Sorrows for the afflictions of the church, and desires for the conversioa of souls, do not prove it. These ihiiigs may be found in carnal men, and so can be no evidence of grace." — Stoddard's Natuti of Saving Conversion, p. 82. 38 RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS. Many persons seem to be prejudiced against affections and e.xperijences that come in such a method, as has been much insisted on by many divines ; first, such awakenings, fears, and awful apprehensions, followed with such legal humblings, in a sense of total sinfulness and helplessness, and then, such and such light and comfort ; they look upon all such schemes, laying down such methods and steps, to be of men's devising; and particularly if high affections of joy follow great distress and terror, it is made by many an argument against those affections. But such prejudices and objections are without reason or Scripture. Surely it cannot be unreasonable to suppose, that before God deli- vers persons from a state of sin and exposedness to eternal destruction, he should give them some considerable sense of the evil he delivers from ; that they may be delivered sensibly, and understand their own salvation, and know something of what God does for them. As men that are saved are in two exceeding dif- ferent states, first a state of condemnation, and then in a state of justification and blessedness : and as God, in the work of the salvation of mankind, deals with them suitably to their intelligent rational nature ; so its seems reasonable, and agreeable to God's wisdom, that men who are saved should be in these two states sensibly ; first, that they should, sensibly to themselves, be in a state of condemnation, and so in a state of woful calamity and dreadful misery, and so afterwards in a state of deliverance and happiness ; and that they should be first sensible of their absolute extreme necessity, and afterwards of Christ's suf- ficiency and God's mercy through him. And that it is God's manner of dealing Avith men, to " lead them into a wilderness, before he speaks comfortably to them," and so to order it, that they shall be brought into distress, and made to see their own helplessness and abso- lute dependence on his power and grace, befi)re he appears to work any great deliverance for them, is abundantly manifest by the Scripture. Then is God wont to " repent himself for his professing people, when their strength is gone, and there is none shut up or left," and when they are brought to see that their false gods cannot help them, and that the rock in whom they trusted is vain, Deut. xxxii. 36, 37. Before God delivered the children of Israel out of Egypt, they were prepared for it, by being made to " see that they were in an evil case," and " to cry unto God, because of their hard bondage," Exod. ii. 23, and v. 19. And before God wrought that great deliverance for them at the Red Sea, they were brought into great distress, the wilderness had shut them in, they could not turn to the right hand nor the left, and the Red Sea was before them, and the great Egyptian host behind, and they were brought to see that they could do nothing to help themselves, and that if God did not help them, they should be immediately swallowed up ; and then God appeared, and turned their cries into songs. So before they were brought to their rest, and to enjoy the milk and honey of Canaan, God " led them through a great and terrible wilderness, that he might humble them and teach them what was in their heart, and so do them good in their latter end," Deut. viii. 2, 16. The woman that had the issue of blood twelve years, was not delivered, until she had first " spent all her living on earthly physicians, and could not be healed of any," and so was left helpless, having no more money to spend ; and then she came to the great Phy- sician, without any money or price, and was healed by him, Luke viii. 43, 44. Before Christ would answer the request of the woman of Canaan, he first seem- ed utterly to deny her, and humbled her, and brought her to own herself worthy to be called a dog ; and then he showed her mercy, and received her as a dear child. Matt. xv. 22, &c. The Apostle Paul, before a remarkable deliverance, was " pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that he despaired even RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS. 39 of life ; but had the sentence of death in himself, that he might not trust in him- self, but in God that raiseth tlu; dead," 2 Cor. i. 8, 9, 10. There was first a great tempest, and the ship was covered with the waves, and just ready to sink, and the pea/ lo the Learneiu, \ 75, 76. 44 RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS. certain sign that a person is converted ; so a being without it, is no evidence that a person is not converted. For though it might be made evidvmt to a demon- stration, on Scripture principles, that a sinner cannot be brought heartily to receive Christ as his Saviour, who is not convinced of his sin and misery, and of his own emptiness and helplessness, and his just desert of eternal condemna- tion; and that therefore such convictions must be some way implied in what is wroufht in his soul ; yet nothing proves it to be necessary, that all those things which are implied or presupposed in an act of faith in Christ, must be plainly and distinctly wrought in the soul, in so many successive and separate w^orks of the Spirit, that shall be each one plain and manifest, in all who are truly con- verted. On the contrary (as Mr. Shepard observes), sometimes the change made in a saint, at first work, is like a confused chaos ; so that the saints know not w^hat to make of it. The manner of the Spirit's proceeding in them that are born of the Spirit, is very often exceeding mysterious and unsearchable : we, as it were, hear the sound of it, the effect of it is discernible ; but no man can tell whence it came, or whither it went. And it is oftentimes as difRcult to know the way of the Spirit in the new birth, as in the first birth ; Eccl. xi. 5, " Thou knowest not what is the way of the Spirit, or how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child ; even so thou knowest not the works of God, that worketh all." The ingenerating of a principle of grace in the soul, seems in Scripture to be compared to the conceiving of Christ in the womb, Gal. iv. 19. And therefore the Church is called Christ's mother. Cant. iii. 11. And so is every particular believer. Matt. xii. 49, 50. And the conception of Christ in the womb of the blessed vir'gin, by the power of the Holy Ghost, seems to be a designed resemblance of the conception of Christ in the soul of a believer, by the power of the same Holy Ghost. And we know not what is the way of the Spirit, nor how the bones do grow, either in the womb, or heart that conceives this holy child. The new creature may use that language in Psal. cxxxix. 14, 15, " I am fearfully and wonderfully made ; marvellous are thy works, and that ray soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret." Concerning the generation of Christ, both in his person, and also in the hearts of his people, it may be said, as in Isa. liii. 8, " Who can de- clare his generation ?" We know not the works of God, that worketh all. " It is the glory of God to conceal a thing" (Prov. xxv. 2), and to have "his path as it were in the mighty waters, that his footsteps may not be known ;" and especially in the works of his Spirit on the hearts of men, which are the high- est and chief of his works. And therefore it is said, Isa. xl. 13, " Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counsellor hath taught him ?" It is to be feared that some have gone too far towards directing the Spirit of the Lord, and marking out his footsteps for him, and limiting him to certain steps and methods. Experience plainly shows, that God's Spirit is unsearchable and untraceable, in some of the best of Christians, in the method of his operations, in their conversion. Nor does the Spirit of God proceed discernibly in the steps of a particular established scheme, one half so often as is imagined. A scheme of what is necessary, and according to a rule already received and es- tablished by common opinion, has a vast (though to many a very insensible) influence in forming persons' notions of the steps and method of their own ex- periences. I know very well what their way is; for I have had much oppor- tunity to observe it. Very often, at first, their experiences appear like a con- fused chaos, as Mr. Shepard expresses it : but then those passages of their ex- perience are picked out, that have most of the appearance of such particular steps that are insisted on ; and these are dwelt upon in the thoughts, and these RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS. 45 are told of from time to time, in the relation tliey give: these parts grow brighter ami brighter in their view ; ami others, being neglected, grow more and more obscure : and what they have experienced is insensibly strained to bring all to an exact conformity to the scheme that is established. And it be- comes natural for ministers, who have to deal with them, and direct them that insist upon distinctness and clearness of method, to do so too. But yet there has been so much to be seen of tlie operations of the Spirit of God, of late, that they who have had much to do with souls, and are not blinded with a seven-fold vail of prejudice, must know that the Spirit is so exceeding various in the manner of his operating, that in many cases it is impossible to trace him, or find out his w'ay. What we have principally to do with, in our inquiries into our own state, or directions we give to others, is the nature of the effect that God has brought to pass in the soul. As to the steps which the Spirit of God took to bring that effect to jiass, we may leave them to him. We are often in Scripture express- ly directed to try ourselves by the nature of the fruits of the Spirit; but no- where by the Spirit's method of producing them.* Many do greatly err in their notions of a clear work of conversion; calling that a clear vvorlc, where the successive steps of inlluence, and method of experience are clear : whereas that indeed is the clearest work (not where the order of doing is clearest, but) where the spiritual and divine nature of the work done, and effect v)roug/U, is most clear. IX. It is no certain sign that the religious affections which persons have are such as have in them the nature of true religion, or that they have not, that they dispose persons to spend much time in religion, and to be zealously en- gaged in the external duties of worship. This has, very unreasonably of late, been looked upon as an argument against the religious affections which some have had, that they spend so much time in reading, praying, singing, hearing sermons, and the like. It is plain from the Scripture, that it is the tendency of true grace to cause persons to delight in such religious exercises. True grace had this effect on Anna the pro- phetess : Luke ii. 27, " She departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day." And grace had this effect upon the primi- tive Christians in Jerusalem : Acts ii. 46, 47, " And they continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God." Grace made Daniel delight in the duty of prayer, and solemnly to attend it three times a day, as it also did David : Psal. Iv. 17, " Evening, morning, and at noon will I pray." Grace makes the saints delight in singing praises to God: Psal. cxxxv. 3, " Sing praises unto his name, for it is pleasant." And cxlvii. 1, " Praise ye the Lord ; for it is good to sing praises unto our God ; for it is pleasant, and praise is comely." It also causes them to delight to hear the word of God preached: it makes the gospel a joyful sound to them, Psal. Ixxxix. 15, and makes the feet of those who publish these good tidings to be beautiful : Isa. lii. 7, " How ♦ Mr. Shepard, speaking of the soul's closing with Christ, says, " As a child cannot tell how his soul comes into it, nor it may be when ; but afterwards it sees and feels that life ; so that he were as bad as a beast, that should deny nn immortal soul ; so here." — Parablenf the Ten Viripns, Part IF. p. 171. " If the man do not know the time of his conversion, or first closing with Christ ; the minister may not draw any peremptory conclusion from thence, that ho is not godly." — Stoddard's Guide to Christ, p. 83. " Do not think there is no compunction, or sense of sin, wrought in the soul, because you cannot s« clearly discern and feel it ; nor the time of the working, and first beginning of it. 1 have known many that hive come with their compl;iinls, that they were never humbled, they never felt it go ; yet there it hath been, and many times they have seen it, by the other spectacles, and blessed (rod for it." — Shepard's Sound Believer, page 38. The late impression in Boston. 46 RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS. beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings !" &c. It makes them love God't public worship : Psal. xxvi. S, " Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honor dwelleth." And xxvii. 4, " One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple." Psah Ixxxiv. 1, 2, &c., " How amiable are thy tabernacles, 0 Lord of hosts ! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord. — Yea, the sparrow hath found a house, and the swallow a nest for hei-self, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, 0 Lord of hosts, iny King and my God. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house : they will be still praising ihee. Blessed is the man in whose heart are the ways of them, who passing through the valley of Baca — go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God." Ver. 10, " A day in thy courts is better than a thousand." This is the nature of true grace. But yet, on the other hand, persons' being disposed to abound and to be zealously engaged in the external exercises of re- hgion, apd to spend much time in them, is no sure evidence of grace ; because such a disposition is found in many that have no grace. So it was with the Is- raelites of old, whose services were abominable to God ; they attended the " new moons, and Sabbaths, and calling of assemblies, and spread forth their hands, and made many prayers," Isa. i. 12 — 15. So it was with the Pharisees; they " made long prayers, anliat i'ov their sakes he sanctified himself; and that liLs will was, that they should be with him in his glory ; and tells his Father, tliat he spake those things in his prayer, to the end, that his joy might be fidfiUed in them, verse 13. By these things it is evident, that it is agreeable to Christ's designs, and the con- trived ordering and disposition Christ makes of things in his church, that there should be sufficient and abundant provision made, that his saints might have full assurance of their future glory. The Apostle Paul, through all his epistles speaks in an assured strain ; ever speaking positively of his special relation to Christ, his Lord, and Master, and Redeemer, and his interes-t in, and expectation of the future reward. It would be endless to take notice of all places that might be enumerated ; I shall men- tion but three or four : Gal. ii, 20, " Christ liveth in me ; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me ;" Phik i. 21, " For rne to live is Christ, and to die is gain ;" 2 Tim. i. 12, " I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day ;" 2 Tim. iv. 7, 8, " 1 have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me at that day," And the nature of the covenant of grace, and God's declared ends in the appointment and constitution of things in that covenant, do plainly show it to be God's design to make ample provision for the saints having an assured hope of eternal life, while living here upon earth. For so are all things ordered and contrived in that covenant, that every thing might be made sure on God's part. " The covenant is ordered in all things and sure :" the promises are most lull, and very often repeated, and various ways exhibited ; and there are many wit- nesses, and many seals ; and God has confirmed his promises with an oath. And God's declared design in all this, is, that the heirs of the promises might have an undoubting hope and full joy, in an assmance of their future glory. Heb. vi. 17, 18, " Wherein God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath : that by two immutable things, in v.-hich it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before us." But all this would be in vain, to any such purpose, as the saints' strong consolation, and hope of their obtaining future gloiy, if their interest in those sure promises in ordinary cases was not ascertainable. For God's pro- mises and oaths, let them be as sure as they will, cannot give strong hope and comfort to any particular person, any further than he can know that those pro- mises are made to him. And in vain is provision made in Jesus Christ, that believers might be perfect as pertaining to the conscience, as is signilied, Heb. ix. 9, if assurance of freedom from the guilt of sin is not attainable. It fiu-ther appears that assurance is not only attainable in some very extra- ordinary cases, but that all Christians are directed to give all diligence to make their calling and election sure, and are told how they may do it, 2 Pet. i. 5 — 8. And it is spoken of as a thing very unbecoming Christians, and an argument of something very blamable in them, not to know whether Christ be in them or no : 2 Cor. xiii. 5, " Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates'?" And it is implied that it is an argument of a very blamable negligence in Christians, if they practise Christianity after such Vol. Ill 7 50 RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS a manner as to remain uncertain of the reward, in 1 Cor. Ix. 26 : "I therefore so run, as not uncertainly." And to add no more, it is manifest, that Christians' knowing their interest in the saving benefits of Christianity is a thing ordinarily attainable, because the apostle tells us by what means Christians (and not only the apostles and martyrs) were wont to know this : 1 Cor. ii. 12, " Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God ; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God." And 1 John ii. 3, " And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his command- ments." And verse 5, " Hereby know we that we are in him." Chap. iii. 14, " We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren ;" ver. 19, " Hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall as- sure our hearts before him ;" ver. 24, " Hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us." So chap. iv. 13, and chap. v. 2, and verse 19. Therefore it must needs be very unreasonable to determine, that persons are hypocrites, and their affections wrong, because they seem to be out of doubt of their own salvation, and the aflfections they are the subjects of seem to banish all fears of hell. On the other hand, it is no sufficient reason to determine that men are saints, and their affections gracious, because the affections they have are attended witli an exceeding confidence that their state is good, and their affections divine.* Nothing can be certainly argued from their confidence, how great and strong soever it seems to be. If we see a man that boldly calls God his Father, and commonly speaks in the most bold, familiar, and appropriating language in prayer, " My Father, my dear Redeemer, my sweet Saviour, my Beloved," and the like ; and it is a common thing for him to use the most confident expressions before men, about the goodness of his state ; such as, " I know certainly that God is my Father ; I know so surely as there is a God in heaven, that he is my God ; I know I shall go to heaven, as well as if I were there; I know that God is now manifesting himself to my soul, and is now smiling upon me ;" and seems to have done for ever with any inquiry or examination into his state, as a thing sufficiently known, and out of doubt, and to contemn all that so much as inti- mate or suggest that there is some reason to doubt or fear whether all is right ; such things are no signs at all that it is indeed so as he is confident it is.f Such an overbearing, high-handed, and violent sort of confidence as this, so affecting to declare itself with a most glaring show in the sight of men, which is to be seen in many, has not the countenance of a true Christian assurance : it savors * " O professor, look carefully to your foundation : ' Be not high minded, but fear.' You have, it may be, done and suffered many things in and for religion ; you have excellent gifts and sweet comforts ; a warm zeal for God, and high confidence of your integrity : all this may be right, for aught that' I, or (it may be) you know ; but yet, it is possible it ma> be false. You have sometimes judged yourselves, and pronounced yourselves upright ; but remember your final sentence is not yet pronounced by your Judge. And what if God weigh you over again, in his more equal balance, and should say, Mene Tekel, ' Thou art weighed in the balance, and art found wanting V What a confounded man wilt thou be, under such a sentence ! Qace splendent in concpectu hoininis, sordent in cojtspectu judicis ; things that are highly esteemed of men, are an abomination in the sight of God : He seeth not as man secth. Thy heart may 3»e false, and thou not know it : yea, it may be false, and thou strongly confident of its integrity." — Fla- veVs Touchstone of Sincerity, chap. ii. sect. 5. " !Some hypocrites are a great deal more confident than many saints." — Stoddard's Discourse on the Way to know Sincerity and Hypocrisy, p. 128. I "Doth the work of faith, in some believers, bear upon its top branches the full ripe fruits of a blessed assurance ? Lo, what strong confidence, and high built persuasions, of an interest in God, have sometimes been found in urisanctified ones ! Yea, so strong may this false assurance be, that they dare boldly venture to go to the judgment seat of God, and there defend it. Doth the Spirit of God fill the heart of the assured believer with joy unspeakable, and full of" glory, giving him, through faith, a preliba- tion or foretaste of heaven itself, in th.:;se first fruits of it ? How near to this come.s what the Apostlo Bupposeis may be found in apostates !" — FlaveVs Husbandry Spiritualized, chap. xii. RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS. 61 more ot the spirit of the Pharisees, who never doubted but that they were samtS) and the most eminent of saints, and were bold to go to God, and corae up near to him, and lift up their eyes, and thank him for the great distinction he had made between thenr and other men ; and when Christ intimated that they were blind and graceless, despised the suggestion : John ix. 40, " And some of the PhariseCiJ which were with him, heard these words, and said unto him. Are we blind also?'' If they had more of the spirit of the publican, with their con- fidence, who, in a sense of his exceeding unworthiness, stood afar off, and durst not so much as lift up his eyes to hea\en, but smote on his breast, and cried out of himself as a sinner, their coniideuce would have more of the aspect of the confidence of one that hmnbly trusts and hopes in Christ, and has no confidence in himself. If we do but consider what the hearts of natural men are, what principles they are under the dominion of, what blindness and deceit, what self-flattery, self-exaltation, and sell-confidence reign theie, we need not at all wonder that their high opinion of themselves, and confidence of their happy circumstances, be as high and strong as mountains, and as violent as a tempest, when once conscience is Winded, and convictions killed, with false high affections, and those forementioned principles let loose, fed up and prompted by false joys and comforts, excited by some pleasing imaginations, impressed by Satan, trans- forming himself into an angel of light. When once a hypocrite is thus established in a false hope, he has not those things to cause him to call his hope in question, that oftentimes are the occasion of the doubting of true saints ; ■ds,Jirst, he has not that cautious spirit, that great sense of the vast importance of a sure foundation, and that dread of being deceived. The comforts of the true saints increase awakening and caution, and a lively sense how great a thing it is to appear before an infinitely holy, just and omniscient Judge. But false comforts put an end to these things and dreadfully stupify the mind. Secondly, The hypocrite has not the knowledge of his own blindness, and the deceitfulness of his own heart, and that mean opinion of his own understanding, that the true saint has. Those that are delud- ed with false discoveries and aflections, are evermore highly conceited of their light and understanding. Thirdly, The devil does not assault the hope of the hypocrite, as he does tlie hope of a true saint. The devil is a great enemy to a true Christian hope, not only because it tends greatly to the comfort of him that hath it, but also because it is a thing of a holy, heavenly nature, greatly tending to promote and cherish grace in the heart, and a great incentive to strictness and diligence in the Christian life. But he is no enemy to the hope of a hypo- crite, which above all things establishes his interest in him that has it. A hypo- crite may retain his hope without opposition, as long as he lives, the devil never disturbing it, nor attempting to distmb it. But there is perhaps no true Chris- tian but what has his hope assaulted by him. Satan assaulted Christ himself upon this, whether he were the Son of God or no : and the servant is not above his Master, nor the disciple above his Lord ; it is enough for the disciple, that is most privileged in this world, to be as his Master. Fourthly, He who has a false hope, has not that sight of his own corruptions, which the saint has. A true Christian has ten times so much to do with his heart and its corruptions, as a hypocrite : and the sins of his heart and practice, appear to him in their blackness ; they look dreadful ; and it often appears a very mysterious thing, that any grace can be consistent with such corruption, or should be in such a heart But a false hope hides corruption, covers it all over, and the hypocrite looks clean and bright in his own eyes. 52 riELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS. There are two sorts of hypocrites : one that are deceived with their outward morahty and external rehgion ; many of whom are professed Arminians, in the doctrine of justification : and the other, are those that are deceived with false discoveries and elevations ; who often cry down works, and men's own right- eousness, and talk much of free grace ; but at the same time make a righteous- ness of their discoveries and of their humiliation, and exalt themselves to heaven with them. These two kinds of hypocrites, Mr. Shepard, in his exposition of the Parable of the Ten Virgins, distinguishes by the name of legal and evangeli- cal hypocrites ; and often speaks of the latter as the worst. And it is evident that the latter are commonly by far the roost confident in their hope, and with the most difficulty brought off from it : I have scarcely known the instance of such a one, in my life, that has been undeceived. The chief grounds of the confidence of many of them, are the very same kind of impulses and supposed revelations (sometimes with texts of Scripture, and sometimes without) that so many of late have had concerning future events ; calling these impulses about their good estate, the witness of the Spirit ; entirely misunderstanding the nature of the witness of the Spirit, as I shall show hereafter. Those that have had visions and impulses about other things, it has generally been to reveal such things as they are desirous and fond of: and no wonder that persons who give heed to such things, have the same sort of visions or impressions about their own eternal salvation, to reveal to them that their sins are forgiven them, that their names are written in the book of life, that they are in high favor with God, &c., and espe- cially when they earnestly seek, expect, and wait for evidence of their election and salvation this way, as the surest and most glorious evidence of it. Neither is it any wonder, that when they have such a supposed revelation of their good estate, it raises in them the highest degree of confidence of it. It is found by abundant experience, that those who are led away by impulses and imagined revelations, are extremely confident : they suppose that the great Jehovah has declared these and those things to them ; and having his immediate testimony, a strong confidence is the highest virtue. Hence they are bold to say, 1 know this or that — I know certainly — I am as sure as that I have a being, and the like ; and they despise all argument and inquiry in the case. And above all things else, it is easy to be accounted for, that impressions and impulses about that which is so pleasing, so suiting their self-love and pride, as their being the dear children of God, distinguished from most in the world in his favor, should make them strongly confident; especially when with their impulses and revela- tions they have high aflfections, which they take to be the most eminent exer- cises of grace, I have known of several persons, that have had a fond desire of something of a temporal nature, through a violent passion that has possessed them ; and they have been earnestly pursuing the thing they have desired should come to pass, and have met with great difficulty and many discouragements in it, but at last have had an impression, or supposed revelation, that they should obtain what they sought ; and they have looked upon it as a sure })romise from the Most High, which has made them most ridiculously confident, against all manner of reason to convince them to the contrary, and all events working against them. And there is nothing hinders, but that persons who are seeking their salvation, may be deceived by the like delusive impressions, and be made confident of that, the same way. The confidence of many of this sort of hypocrites, that Mr. Shepard calls evangelical hypocrites, is like the confidence of some mad men, who think they are kings ; they will maintain it against all manner of reason and evidence. And in one sense, it is much more immovable than a truly gracious assurance ; RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS. 53 a true assurance is not upheld, but by the soul's being kept in a holy frame, and grace maintained in lively exercise. If the actings of grace do much decay in the Christian, and he ialls into a lilckss frame, he loses his assurance: but this kind of confidence of hypocrites will not be shaken by sin; they (at least some of them) will maintain their boldness in their hope, in the most corrupt frames and wicked ways; which is a sure eviilence of their delusion.* And here 1 cannot but observe, that there are certain doctrines often preached to the people, which need to be delivered with more caution and explanation than they iiequenlly are ; for, as they are by many understood, they tend greatly to establish this delusion and false confidence of hypocrites. The doctrines 1 speak of are those of " Christians living by faith, not by sight ; their giving glory to God, by trusting him in the dark ; living upon Christ, and not upon experiences ; not making their good frames the foundation of their faith ;" which are excellent and important doctrines indeed, rightly understood, but corrupt and destructive, as many understand them. The Scripture speaks of living or walking by faith, and not by sight, in no other way than these, viz., a being governed by a respect to eternal things, that are the objects of faith, and are not seen, and not by a respect to temporal things, which are seen ; and believing things revealed, that we never saw with bodily eyes ; and also living by faith in the promise of future things, without yet seeing or enjoying the things promised, or knowing the way how they can be fulfilled. This will be easily evident to any one who looks over the Scriptures, which speak oi faith in opposition to sight ; as 2 Cor. iv. 18, and v. 7, Heb. xi. 1, 8, 13, 17, 27, 29, Rom. viii. 24, John xx. 29. But this doctrine, as it is understood by many, is, that Christians ought firmly to be- lieve and trust in Christ, without spiritual sight or light, and although they are in a dark dead frame, and, for the present, have no spiritual experiences or dis- coveries. And it is truly the duty of tliose who arc thus in darkness, to come out of darkness into light and believe. But that they should confidently believe and trust, while they yet remain without spiritual light or sight, is an anti-scrip- tural and absurd doctrine. The Sciipture is ignorant of any such faith in Christ of the operation of God, that is not founded in a spiritual sight of Christ. That believing on Christ, which accompanies a title to everlasting life, is a " seeing the Son, and believing on him," John vi. 40. True faith in Christ is never exercised, any further than persons " behold as in a glass the glory of the Lord, and have the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ," 2 Cor. iii. IS, and iv. 6. They into whose minds " the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, does not shine, believe not," 2 Cor. iv. 5. That faith, which is without spiritual light, is not the faith of the children of the light, and of the day ; but the presumption of the children of darkness. And therefore to press and urge them to believe, without any spirit- ual light or sight, tends greatly to help forward the delusions of the prince of darkness. Men not only cannot exercise faith without some spiritual light, but they can exercise faith only just in such proportion as they have spiritual light. Men will trust in Go