I don't much wonder at their prizing the comforts of this Earth counting all things else as nothing or imaginary never having experienced the reality of spiritual things and no wonder therefore they dip themselves as much as possible in these things that afford present sensual and vanishing comfort rather than by a serious application of themselves to God in the use of Divine Ordinances which while they are unregenerate can afford no solid ravishing comfort they being as I was while only under the power of Education Nicodemus-like amazed at the litteral meaning how Christians could talk with God and enjoy Communion with an invisible God it being impossible by the greatest reach of the most ingenious fancy to apprehend the state of the Soul with its ravishing sweetness when in fellowship with God and though I have made use of these words of Spirituality and Heavenliness of frame to explicate fellowship with God my design is not thereby to set it forth with words that may make it sensible to unexperiencing Souls these words being understood and felt only by real Believers it is enough that to you of the unregenerate rank I can seal and give testimony to the truth and reality thereof from my certain experience and can lay before you the means God was pleased to make use of to bring me to the sensible enjoyment thereof And if your longing desire to experience it prompt you not to the use of these means by which you may obtain it then in the Day of Judgment you cannot but expect your accusation to run thus Light came into the world but you chus'd rather to walk in darkness according to your carnal Conceits of Divine things and not in the use of Sacred means as others have done to attain a clear comfortable experimental knowledge thereof which you may easily do considering the great condescending encouragement God gives to the smallest sparks of sincere desires and serious endeavours he will by the Spirit of Grace assist you and reveal the secret of his love to your Souls and bring you into his Marvellous Light And as the case of the prophane and of these only under the power of Education fills me with pity so Lazy Christians are greatly to be threatned who know the reality of fellowship with Heaven but instead of keeping themselves in the comfortable and continual enjoyment thereof and thereby to witness its truth in Conversation with others by their involving themselves in the full stream of the pleasures of this Earth they hinder their delightful and constant enjoyment of God and give occasion to others to believe that ravishing comfort of fellowship with God is meerly a Notion and make their own Lives upon the assault of afflictions yea their Dyings too less comfortable and thereby disparage the Truth of the Gospel it may afford you an awful reflection O Lazy Christians who by your great outward enjoyments should be more excited to maintain Communion with God who is the fountain of felicity and to testify that his favour is better than Life and all the fruitions of it but you content your selves with hasty or drowsy performance of Religious Duties Morning and Evening without the Exercise of those Graces and Affections which are the Life of them And by a careless Conversation in the World the impression of Divine things are soon worn out and dye in the diversion of the Soul from God by the free fruition of Temporal things which are to be so temperately used that we may enjoy God When the World is the Idol of Mens Heads and Hearts it Dethrones God and deprives them of the Comforts of his Love and Presence Secondly My Fifteenth experience has made me sensible that the comfort of outward things is more in the expectation than in the possession whereas spiritual comfort is much sweeter in the enjoyment than it is for any Humane Creature possible to imagine unless experienc'd in the Soul My own apprehension and account of a spiritual frame is this That when I am in it my mind is clear free of Clouds or concern of any kind though in the midst of trouble unless it be lest I should not continue in a holy frame While under the alone power of Education I have often suggested to my self O that I were in such a Circumstance my state should be happy but when by the Providence of God I had arriv'd to that Circumstance I found no addition of comfort by it and to speak more plainly my great expectation was confuted by Experience for either I tasted no Happiness in what was so earnestly desir'd or the pleasure was imbitter'd to me by unexpected troubles mixed with it I now am well contented in a State without abounding or wanting relying intirely upon God for all things necessary for my wants Thirdly This Experience has made me sensible of this certain frame in my self That the more of outward comforts I enjoy the more I undervalue them and in the greater esteem I find fellowship with God and that the evidence of special love from God by the enjoyments is in my esteem far more valuable than the most precious or most desireable things that can be obtain'd in this life In the Enjoyments of the world I neither find present satisfaction nor the sweetness in the after-reflection that is in spiritual Enjoyments but what brings Honey has a Sting that vexes more than there is sweetness in it This serious Christians know by experience But Carnalists whose Consciences are Sear'd and whose Experience never reach further than outward Comforts nothing can Sting them but sensible things as Illness after Drinking Rottenness after Whoring and the like affecting their Body It is otherwise in spiritual Fellowship with God it relishes sweetly at the present and in the reflection upon it an evidence to the Soul of Union to Christ for altho' the degree of Joy does not continue yet the reality of Union abides and the new Breathings of Christ's Spirit in his Ordinances revives the Joy Friendship that rational and most comfortable Blessing in humane Society is not now so common on the Earth when Sin abounds the love of many waxeth cold and where it is it affords one of the most solid satisfactions on Earth but it is not compleat wanting much at the same time it is enjoyed neither is it durable but upon a trifle chang'd and former Friendship made fuel to kindle and keep burning everlasting Hatred and Malice A Sixteenth Experience of God's method to train me into Reliance upon himself has been by disappointing me of one favour greatly desired and expected on purpose to introduce a greater The Lord has often issued forth a marvellous Mercy out of the Bosom of a disappointing-Providence and could the effect of this Experience be otherwise than to trust God for all Events attending my life however bad they lookt at the present leaving them to his Will that so if a disappointment occur'd I might not immediately repine but by
thing desired and not to the Utterance in the Prayer Spiritually perform'd and that by as eminent a Saint as ever liv'd on Earth tho' now gone off the stage of time without the sight of its return yet died in the Faith of my seeing its return but still his Thoughts was upon what he so mightily prest for in his own desire Providentially happening to design a matter of great concern and imparting the design with some passages of Providence exciting me first thereto to this Saint then on Earth he desired some time to think upon the matter ere he return'd his Advice which I found was on purpose to lay the whole affair before the Throne of Grace by repeated Addresses thereto After which he advis'd my undertaking the design from his sense of God's laying it in my way by special conduct of Providence and from his sense of his Petition accepted for Divine Assistance in it and marvellous Effects from it from which I engag'd in the endeavour but all attempts prov'd unsuccessful In the interim of which endeavour my Thoughts in Prayer never fixt to any one Petition concerning it besides Divine conduct in the use of means and Resignation to his Divine Will this endeavour between hopes from this Prayer accepted and discouragement from the unsuccessfulness of attempt continued for many months yet still easie and with amazing Resignation to God's Will till at last such a circumstance fell out as did unalterably obstruct the matter and the return that he applied his Prayer unto notwithstanding of which amongst his last words to me on Earth long after this disappointment he utter'd this Sentence with great exercise of Faith That I should meet with a full discovery of God's design therein and that in answer to his Prayer Prayer accepted and the intimation thereof given will never want its return clearly verified from comparing his Letters and Words to the Events that have attended my life since tho' the disappointment seemed an evidence of his Prayers lost yet really has led into such things as plainly appear his Prayer's return his mistake appearing to be fixing his Spirituality in Prayer with his other evidences of its acceptation to what he so much desir'd to wit the success of an outward endeavour whereas if his Utterance had been recorded reflected upon and compared with Events that even I begun to find from God in my self and did discover to him the mistake might have been prevented In one of his Letters he expresses himself thus It is becoming me with much humble sobriety to speak as to any impression on my Spirit with respect to your business though often I dare say I have had some special assurance from the Lord of his Gracious respect to you so as I could not question the evidence whereof was so full and clear and of so great testimony yet to you hereof in the way of Providence and am at the furthest of persuasion that such a breaking up of Light shall occur as shall be matter both of Joy and farther Establishment and if after such unusual and eminent Evidences he has given of his Respect and Favour to you beyond most in this day would it be strange or grievous if in so great a concern he should take a new trial of your Love and Resignation to him by giving it entirely up to his blessed disposal I know you have settled your Reliance on his Hand in ordering the present matter who has been your God and the God of your youth hitherto In another Letter his Words were You shall see the design of the Lord in this affair however dark it at present appear with that evidence as shall tend to a higher establishment of you in his Way and Truth and clear all former dark steps the greatest experiments of Trust has been most obtain'd in the greatest extremities of his Peoples case In another Letter his Words were Tho' it is not easie to write at such a distance yet I have confidence to say That one day rarely passes without some serious remembrance of you My last acquaintance with you has been amongst the most sweet remarks of my being in England especially as to the blessed way of God round you therein you have been a further strength to my Faith I know not how that matter is with you but I hope I may adventure to say That if ever I knew converse with Heaven here I have often had yea in some special way an answer of Peace and Assurance about the Lord 's Gracious Design of Grace for you and of his further testifying the same to your Soul I hope you are gaining new ground of a nearer acquaintance with the way of the Lord by which you will find that by the greatest tryals he takes of his followers here he then designs the greater tryal of himself and his Truth Now comparing the Words of this Saint express'd concerning the difficulty I was then under to my own experience of Divine Providence round me and to the Workings of Christ's Spirit in me since that time I cannot but confirm his Sense and Faith of Prayer accepted and witness its return to my self By the very words of his Letters the current of his Petitions and seeming Assurance run upon God's witnessing his special favour to me in the way of Providence and that such breaking up of Light should occur as might establish my Faith in God which blessed be his Name has been the real effect of God's disappointing my desire and endeavour after this outward thing yea has been a mean in God's hand to discover his special Love to my self in affording me a better Mercy in its room and establishing me thereby in a Trust to God as to all things else Besides since these outward attempts since those Letters receiv'd such marvellous occurrences of Providence I have enjoyed with such inward sensible workings of a Divine Spirit informing and comforting my Soul and making progress in that rich Grace of Faith and actual reliance upon God in all things both as to Soul and Body for conduct in the use of means and events following which makes out his Prayer accepted and that his assurance was firmly founded his failure being the misapplying the Prayer thus sweetly put up to a return of what he desired and not to the return exactly answering the Utterance of his Soul when Christ's Spirit breath'd upon his Petitions to God concerning the Lord's Gracious design and testimony thereof to my Soul I have had wonderful establishment no more amazing and assured to him in his actual strength to Petition it than to me in its enjoyment by way of his Prayers return'd It is conceivable by none but those who are strict observers of God's Ways How freely Words fly out of the Mouth of a Soul under a Heavenly ravishing in Prayer How familiarly they are express'd and with what quiet of Mind as to the return that if the Soul out of this frame would desire and do all that
in this Ordinance that I might feel therein what others do or what I have felt in other Duties I should be satisfied if I should never enjoy it there again unbelief still working in me It pleased God in his wonderful Condescention to comply with this desire and thereby to discover the greatness of my weakness as well as the advantage of Reliance upon God in the use of means without limiting him to our desires for in the participating of the next Sacrament I was admitted to such a sweet ravishing Enjoyment that I never had before Experienc'd in that Duty which persuaded me of the Truth of what I have often heard but such a disquieting darkness was consequent both in my Mind and outward Affairs that I by the rich Mercy and Power of God was then help'd sweetly to resign my desire to his Will and to supplicate for his influences as he pleased to dispense them never limiting God to things or times further than as suitable to his Omniscient Will by this Experience I was helpt in all my concerns less as well as greater to cast them at Heaven's Gate to hope in his Mercy for them with this desire only that I might by the Spirit of Grace and Supplication be assisted to make known my Requests to God with Faith and Resignation so as to be accepted of him and in this I find my Hearts Ease I have since esteem'd it Duty and had ardent Desire of Partaking the Lord's Supper every Month. While my Religion was merely from Education I thought once in a year or two enough to partake of this Ordinance but since my regard to my Sovereign's and Saviour's Command Do this in remembrance of me and my performance in Obedience to this Command I have enjoy'd ravishing sweetness in Communion with Christ in this Duty And I shall add That the frequent repeating of this Ordinance is attended with great advantage for by Preparatory Examination I am more fully acquainted with my Spiritual State with my present Corruptions and Graces stronger or weaker and the way how God makes this Duty a mean to suppress the one and raise the other with my Defects in the performance of this Duty and I have a fuller sight of Christ in all-sufficient merits in his Treasures of Grace that are open'd to all that come with Holy Affections to him The serious and frequent renewing our Covenant with Christ in this Ordinance will endear him to us and engage us to live to him who died for us and the warm impression of his love will be maintain'd in our Souls which is too apt to cool and decline unless fed and reviv'd by the frequent Contemplation of our Crucified Saviour Seventhly In the beginning of the Celebration of this Ordinance I have oft been in a cold frame but at the approach of the Elements this frame has chang'd and my Soul has been sweetly carried forth to petition for the imparting the Priviledges of Christ's Body broken and Benefits annext to it and I have found from receiving the Elements the strengthening power of the Spirit verifying our Saviour's Words That his flesh is meat indeed and his blood drink indeed This has been a means to preserve me from Anxieties and to persevere in the frequent Commemorating of Christ's Death prescrib'd in his last Will I also find that the more frequent renewing my Vows makes me more careful to perform them and that it 's more easie to take an account of our Faithfulness to God and our Souls or of our Neglects once every Month than when there is a greater distance between the time of our Receiving and Examining our selves how correspondent our Conversations have been to our Covenant seal'd in that Ordinance Eighthly At the time of partaking this Ordinance I have often desir'd with ardent Affections two Things That I might be spiritually-minded in the whole course of my life and that Holiness may be advancing in my Soul till I arrive at perfection This will be attended with solid Comfort according to the Promise Great peace to those who keep thy law And altho' we are to seek the shining face of God the joyful assurance of his love in the use of his Ordinances yet since the shedding abroad in the Soul the clear Evidences of God's Love is a free Dispensation according to the Divine Pleasure my principal request has been to have a pure Heart and Holy Conversation depending upon God for inward Comfort From which Experiences you may upon good ground fear that when the excuse of neglecting the Sacrament is because of its being a Solemn Ordinance and therefore to be seldom receiv'd is an Error of the Carnal Mind and a Temptation of Satan to divert us from using frequently that means of Grace which confirms our Faith inflames our Love and secures our hope of Glory and makes us more exact and constant and comfortable in the everlasting way I shall conclude this with Advice to those who have not felt those Joyful Emanations in this Ordinance which they have expected and others of the Saints have enjoy'd Be not discourag'd from your Duty but with unfainting perseverance continue in the use of the means of Grace The Lord waits to be gracious to bestow his Comforts in the best season There is sweet Peace in our Obedience to the Divine Commands tho' we have not raptures of Joy And our Obedience is more pleasing to God when notwithstanding all difficulties and discouragements it 's with Conscience to his commanding-Will perform'd than when it 's made easie by sensible Comforts THE APPLICATORY AND SECOND PART OF This Discourse CHristianity as is described in the Gospel is Experienc'd in the Souls of Real Christians in different degrees of Knowledge and Power but the most who are Christians in Profession are strangers to its vital Efficacy The reason of this diversity is Because the most rest in the speculative Notion of the Christian Religion and are contented with the external Character of others others are cleansed and changed by the Truths of the Gospel and are inward Christians Among Christians in Title there are various Divisions and contrary Sentiments according to the Principles of the Education which often cause violent Contentions among them Among real Christians there are Differences but not of so deep a nature Some Christians are weaker by damping of this powerful Principle of Regeneration through too long omission of the means of Grace or by too deep mixing the Thoughts and Affections in the Business of the World or by a levity of Mind in their indulging too free a use of sensitive Pleasures that are innocent in their nature And from these Reasons it is that spiritual Influences are obstructed and the Divine Nature in Christians is not so lively and vigorous as in others who regard their Souls and internal things with great application and diligence sometimes carnal Pride insinuates into those who are real Christians and to maintain their Parties and to be distinguish'd from others
his returns of such Prayers were greatly defer'd And as a condescending help to prevent desponding anxiety quiet of mind concerning the return to be defer'd always accompanied my supplication and the Lord left me not to the Dominion of corrupt nature or of Satan's suggestion Or if either had assaulted me the Divine strength raising me to an actual resignation to his Will at the time fortified me against them Again An Observing Christian sees so much of the depth of Wisdom in God's ways concerning them that it must be strange if he presum'd to confine God to one method when the variousness yea the contrariness of methods to bring about the same end is one great evidence of the Excellency of his Wisdom An observing Believer knows that God tries the strength of Christians various ways in order to their Establishment Not because he is ignorant of the exact measure of their growth in Christianity but from love to them that by their faithful continuance in Prayer deferr'd as to its return the Graces of the Spirit may be excited and exercised both to the honour of God and their inward Comfort For what can be more reviving than to find corruptions weaken'd and grace strengthened which is the sweet issue of many grievous afflictions that are not removed upon our renewed Petitions till we are purified by them Hereafter may some say Since spirituality in Prayer is the Spirit of God's gift and it unexpectedly comes we may lay by Prayer with our own Endeavours and wait as the Quakers say till the Spirit move and then to Pray To this I say Spirituality in Prayer is the alone Gift of Christ's Spirit and it comes when he pleases but by sincere Prayer we obtain this blessed Gift It is not the usual way of God to bestow it in more excellent degrees without our sincere asking it in the humble sense of our need of it The Quakers acknowledge as from converse with some of them I have heard they have an innate Spirit by which they are acted and according to its inward striving so they move in Duties I know in us all there is that innate Principle of Corruption which reigning makes our faculties of Soul and members of Body move as it listeth to evil but a principle of Grace that inspires us with new life in our Duties comes from Heaven and is obtain'd in the use of his Ordinances This does not in the least obscure the Glory of God's Free-Grace for his Spirit excites us to Duties and supplies us with strength to perform them but it directs us to seek God in the ways appointed that we may find him That therefore Christians may rightly judge of this heavenly frame and intercession of the Divine Spirit preparing them to ask from God what he is to return Errors herein proceeding either from mistaking the work of Christ's Spirit helping them to ask or from applying the return to what they ought not I shall give the following marks accompanying such a Prayer and that observ'd from my own personal Experience First A heighth of spiritual Thoughts and Affections throughout in Prayer or in one particular Petition thereof far beyond common seriousness which tho' by words it be almost inexplicable so as to make the unexperiencing Christian comprehend it yet it is easily perceiv'd by the experiencing Christian In this rais'd frame of the Soul either in solemn or ejaculatory Prayer there is such heavenliness of Thought as if the Soul were already in Heaven's Enjoyment And for the comfort of young Observers I must acknowledge that my spirituality of frame in Prayer the real preparation of Christ's Spirit to ask and certainly evidential of God's return was at first observ'd to be much less in degree tho' the same in nature than now it is one degree of experimental Knowledge preparing for farther degrees This brings to my Thoughts the gradual rise of Christians meetness for Heaven by Christ's Spirit in his common way of working by the use of means of which observing Christians are sweetly sensible Secondly Another mark of Christ's Spirit 's intercession in Prayer as token of God's acceptance thereof and his return thereto is when with an Address so spiritually perform'd goes along a comfortable quiet of mind concerning the Event tho' the praying-Believer be encompast with Afflictions A calm composure of mind in our trust upon the gracious Will and Wisdom of God to dispose of all things concerning us is our Duty but 't is the Gift and Work of the Holy Spirit who is stiled the Comforter We must observe in the Word of God what he Commands us to do he promises to enable us to do He Commands us That Sin should not reign in our mortal bodies and he has Promised That Sin shall not have dominion over us In like manner God Commands us To be careful for nothing but by supplication to lay our requests before God And certainly freedom from anxiety and disquiet and a full possession of the Soul in Patience concerning any thing in commending our Affairs to God by Prayer is the product of the Divine Spirit and not from the natural temper and stayedness of the Mind And where the Christian actually experiences it in Prayer he may safely conclude himself influenc'd by a Divine Spirit not only in raising his frame to ask but leaving it at God's footstool as to the Event and that as presaging of God's returning favour and introductive of his blessing The Promise of God is the foundation of this Trust Psal 37.5 Commit thy way unto the Lord and he shall bring it to pass The habit of Resignation may be in the Soul but 't is drawn forth into exercise by the renewed influences of the Spirit Thirdly You may judge of the intercession of Christ's Spirit in your Souls in addressing God by Prayer by the passages of Providence that bring about the return of this Prayer In the Observation whereof the speciality of a Divine Hand in the Providences bringing the return about is as discoverable as immediateness of a Divine Spirit influencing the Soul to ask with calm and resign'd submission as to the Event The observing Christians do often see these two joyned together and each illustrating one another where others do not or hardly are at the pains to observe the one or the other And what the Psalmist in the first ver of the 116th Psal in the fifth ver of the 118th Psalm and in the 121st Psalm finds that Prayers return observ'd and the passages of Providence discovering or bringing it about is powerful in bringing his Soul to the actual exercise of love to Reliance upon Admiration and Praise of God I love the Lord because he has heard my supplication I called to the Lord and he heard me therefore shall I see my desire and he is now my strength and my song I will praise thee for thou hast heard me and art become my salvation The unobserving Christian therefore of Prayer's return and of
be debated first but rather let your arguings succeed to your experience unless they be such Mysteries as are meerly to be credited according to Divine Revelation and uncapable of man's comprehension in this life and then in God's method of working and watering Grace you 'll obtain a full discovery of Self-insufficiency the need of a Redeemer to look to and depend upon God's revealed Word in conjunction with his Divine Spirit as your chief helps hereto An Arminian to plead his own power is like the prophane and meer Professor mocking and doubting of fellowship with God in Prayer It is the Arminian's want of Grace or at least the want of the observation of steps that has led to their Grace and its growth that keeps them still exalting of Self and it 's the others never experiencing communion with God in Prayer that make them ridicule it Put Self to the tryal Arminian whether you can in your strength work Grace try it and do not delay till a dying hour And if you find you can't then bring to the tryal another strength even that of a Divine Spirit in the use of means recorded in this applicatory part and then you 'll follow Christ's Command and become as a little Child obedient in the use of God's means to help forward the right knowledge of him and your selves and shall be enabled to get out of Self-confidence into a reliance upon a more Divine Foundation even Christ's Spirit the Gift given to the Christians in the world upon Christ's leaving the Earth and his Ascension to Heaven By Prayer and Observation therewith you will soon discover Socinianisms Falshood as it has sprung from Arminianism by so much exalting Self so the discovery of the vanity of the latter soon lays open in Christian experience the delusion of the former Let a Christian but observe the difficulty of laying aside Self-trust even after God's most establishing Experiences dethroning it and the proneness of his mind to admix Self in Duties rightly perform'd The difficulty of putting on Self-denial and of being cloath'd with that glorious Grace of Faith yea the means made use of by God to uncloath us of the one and to adorn us with the other The Observation I say of all these in a Christian will soon convince us of our insufficiency and encline us to exalt Christ as the Object of the Soul's trust and adoration for the destroying of that branch of Socinianism even the denial of the Godhead of our blessed Redeemer Besides Scripture plainness the attributing to Christ all the uncommunicable perfections of the Deity is proof against them Will all the Socinians Sophistry on earth make me disbelieve his Godhead when I have experienc'd that in the worship and adoration of Christ the Grace of God that has converted me from Sin to Holiness is then in exercise GOD is a jealous GOD and will not part with that Prerogative of Adoration no more to meer man than to vain Images and yet Who are the sanctified ones in Christ who are the Persons Paul judg'd meet to write unto in his first v. of his first ch of his first Epistle to the Corinthians even such who call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord not nominally so but such a Lord as is made the object of Adoration in the Gospel Churches none else being fit Members to make up a Christian Church and all denying Christ's Godhead and this Adoration due to his Name exclude themselves from being fit matter for a Gospel Church My Adoration of Christ as God I observe most solemn and with an intire trust in him when I am in a heavenly frame of Soul in private Prayer being then certain that the exercise of Adoration to Christ is the true effect of God's Divine Spirit influencing my Soul Often in meditation in participating the Lord's Supper the admiration and adoration of Christ as God blessed for ever has been kept up with great warmth and spirituality in the Soul To the Socinians I would put this Question If ever in a private Prayer to God in participation of the Lord's Supper or upon a sick and in appearance dying Bed they experienced a heavenly ravishing frame of Soul and if they have what exercise of thought in either of these three Circumstances concerning Christ and themselves then seiz'd them I dare answer That if really influenced with a heavenly frame Arminius with honour to Self and Socinus with his disparagement of Christ were low as the dust in their Opinion then How unsuitable are those who deny Christ this Tribute on earth to reign with him in Heaven when the Mystery of the Trinity the Mystery of Redemption by God the Son and the Mystery of Conversion by God the Spirit shall be perfectly unfolded when the admiration and adoration of God for his infinitely wise and condescending Mercy in delivering man must be in frequent exercise This is the most excellent beneficial and comfortable object of a Christian's Faith Contemplation and Affection We can only see it here through a Glass darkly in the full sight is the perfection and felicity of the Saints in Glory But the serious thoughts of redeeming love in our present state fills the Soul with a Joy unspeakable and glorious God constituted man at first with all the necessary faculties of Body and Mind and with their beautiful Ornaments that man by considering the excellent Goodness of his Maker might Glorifie him and not meerly please himself in his own Perfections and the fruition of Paradise In like manner a gracious Soul is renewed to Christ's Image in Conversion not that the doing of it may be proclaim'd as his own work and Glory thereby derogated from the Godhead of Christ and his Blessed Spirit Man is made meet for Heaven by Grace growing in his Soul on Earth And does he pass that perfecting change at the day of Judgment and is he admitted to these glorious Visions in Heaven for the admiration of himself No He will know that as the Creation of Man was the product of the Counsel and Power of the Deity as it 's declared in these words Let us make man so the Conversion of man from the power of Sin to Holiness is the sole effect of the free Mercy and Power of God and for the honour of his Grace Pride first discover'd it self in our fatal fall and has continued to show it self in arrogating to our selves what is entirely due to God but the perfected Spirits of Just men know how unworthy and unprepared they were to see God in his full Glory They continually pay the humble Homage of Praise to him that sits upon the Throne whose Spirit sanctified them and to the Lamb by whose Sacrifice and Satisfaction Heaven was opened to them Can a meer man receive the Hallelujahs above and rob the Father of the Praise of the Triumphant Saints in Heaven With what faces will those who deny the Deity of Christ look upon a Redeemer glorified as
means by which much of God's Spirit may be communicated to their Souls and thereby God's Word experienc'd as certain and their Reliance upon it as the foundation of their Faith evidently to themselves and others brought forth Such I say seem more necessary than the Sermon or Book inlarging upon a Divine Truth with such fine Oratorical and Philosophical Style as may itch the Ear of the Christian with establishment of its own Notions in Religious Theory and of the illiterate with an opinion of the Preacher or Writer's great and learned Gifts indangering both through obtain'd applause not only of Pride but of keeping Reason out of its due place and if this has not brought forth many unneccessary Heats at this day I am greatly mistaken Reason is that noble Principle distinguishing us from all other inferiour Creatures and tho' Corrupted yet capable of being restor'd to greater Perfection and Stability than when Man was Created at first perfect but capable of falling God has made provision of suitable helps to advance and to bring forth this Perfection but the Pride of Corrupted Man is such that as at first it prompted him to affect an Equality with God so now it prompts him to the vain imagination of himself as sufficient without Divine helps to regain his perfect State and obtain by his own knowledge the understanding of all necessary Divine Truths and by his own strength the performance of all necessary Duties And if this has not brought forth the undervaluing of Reveal'd Religion by the Deists the undervaluing of Christ by the Socinians and the undervaluing of a Divine Spirit exposing him as no help neither his Spiritual Influences as strength to work out our Salvation by I am as much mistaken Experimental Religion cuts off all these difficulties For the more a Christian observes of himself in his experienced failures the less room and lower station self-strength obtains in his Affections the more he finds of Christ's Spirit unexpectedly and powerfully bearing home Scripture-Truths to his personal experience formerly unacquainted with tho' often Notionally heard of the lower esteem Reason must have as by its self incapable rightly to understand Gospel Mysteries And tho' in our day we have some so openly confident as in Print to tell us That nothing is Mysterious in the Gospel against God's own Word the Seals of Martyrdom and against the Experience of all the Saints of the Earth endeavouring thereby to act Factorship for Satan by whose pleasing suggestion of Mans Reason and Strength in himself to be relied on without any other help to believe or to do what is necessary for the obtaining Heaven hereafter and a secure undisturb'd quiet of Mind here I must believe that that Creature has never yet been under any other discovery of Gospel-Truth than what was the effect of notional Knowledge and that continuing in the same State he can hardly expect to be a Member of that Triumphant Society whose Eternity will be taken up in the Admiration and the Praise of that Mysterious method of Redeeming Man from a state of Corruption and Misery to a state of Perfection and Glory above the prospect whereof we only now enjoy darkly through a Glass and yet the views thereof that upon this Earth we sometimes experimentally have are known by all Experiencing Christians both to be Mysterious far above Nature's foresight or enjoyment through it self and rendring the Creature unexpressible astonishment in its approach upon the Soul though the Protestant Nations abound with such Errors yet they neither derogate from God and his Word or afford darkness to Christian Professors who have experienc'd the reality of both upon their Souls but expose themselves to them as Christians certainly ignorant of God and his Word whatever fine Notional Flourishes in Print or Discourse they express and also draw forth Christians pity towards them and help Believers to advance their praising God who has made them in the use of means to differ from others Experimental Religion makes us become as little Children and esteem our selves so low as to lay all our depraved Faculties at God's Footstool and using them not alone by way of Reliance but with the help of God's Divine Spirit in the use of means We have for many years enjoyed so much of the Gospel but alas in Notion only that I have stood in a maze to hear the Discourse of some illiterate People concerning the Notions of Christianity and to see their Zeal debating their Preachers Notions with that hear as if they had been throwing Fire-Balls one to another till Fire has been kindled amongst Assemblies of Professors when at the same time experimental Religion has never been called in as a help to unloose their difficulties At the time of hearing some such differences my own Experience in Christianity has made me discover that either their Debates could be resolv'd in various Words or that if means made use of by God as helps to the People or Preachers Soul for their experiencing of Divine Mysteries had been more prest upon the People with that enlargement which their own Experience might have afforded no such Debates would have risen and People and Preachers should be better known in our day and whether God's Honour the establishment of his Truth self-applause or outward Interest were at the foundation of such hot Zeal When once in the use of means a Christian finds the evidences of Sanctification he shall then make the current of his Zeal run towards further evidence of its reality and further growth in it advising others not to debate whether Justification or Sanctification precede whether certain Conditions must precede qualifying to be united to Christ or union to Christ before any thing of Holiness in our nature appear but to walk in the use of God's means and in them to obtain the application of Christ and all his Priviledges by the help of his blessed Spirit and so both Conditions themselves and a renew'd State by your Union to Christ may sensibly appear at the same time By the observation of the means thus blessed and the steps of advancement in this newness of Nature is brought forth not only establishment to themselves but a capacity of instructing and comfirming others upon surer ground than that of stretch of Wit and Notional Theory Our Debates concerning Free-Grace and Works carry along with them too much of Self and too little of Divine Experience and I 'm sure too much of fiery Constitution the experienc'd Christian finds enough in himself to keep both in their just Bounds according to Scripture Rule and imagines the Debates unneccessary and bringing forth of no other Fruit than that of Faction Dishonouring God and exposing Christianity as uncertain to those that are ignorant thereof The Experiencing Christian finds that the more of the Free-Grace of God in Christ appear in his Experience the more love to God is kindled in his Soul the more of true Sanctified Love the greater desire he
their Duty perform'd never seriously question in themselves whither any other thing than there petition of words in such serious a manner as the strength of Education and others discourse concerning God's greatness had brought them to was either necessary or actually in their Prayers or ever examin'd after Prayer was over whether it had return or not How this way of living should train a Soul to the experience and knowledge of access to and enjoyments with God in Prayer I know not speaking as to God's common way of bestowing such comfortable priviledges purchased by Christ for us To instruct you therefore from the Experience of God with my self O prophane and meer professing Christians I would with much sincerity and love 〈◊〉 â—ur selves beg your steps in the following 〈◊〉 When you are designing any matter or endeavouring the interest of this or the other mean to bring forth your purposed end resolve to address the Lord by Prayer for his guidance of you to the use of right means and his blessing the means to bring about your design unless inconsistent with his Honour and your Interest And if you are hinder'd from solemn Address make use of your Thoughts and dart them up to him with the same Petitions Mind not only the words in your solemn Prayer and your thoughts in Ejaculation but consider the frame of your Mind in both whether serious or not if as serious as when speaking to this or the other help to carry on your design at your first enterance I suppose not your acquaintance with spirituality of frame and if your frame be thus serious mind the issue of your affair if it be according to your Desire and Prayer impute not your success altogether to your outward help of this mean and the other but let Heaven's Blessing accompanying your diligent use of means have room in your Thoughts if not as chief yet as necessary and therefore you will improve this passage thus observ'd with a resolution to address God more seriously than ever in your next undertaking and accordingly perform your serious Prayer to him for his Divine Assistance which meeting with a sensible return you will improve with a more fixedness in your resolution to Petition him in all your after-concerns and with giving of him now the place of principal Agent with your means which will lay a foundation not only for a resolution and performance of Prayer and that seriously to God in all Occurrences but make a fair step towards the founding a Faith of Reliance upon God yea an endeavour of pleasing God to interest your selves in his favour and a perusal of the Scriptures to know the Will of God and the way of doing it and going on in this way of Prayer and Observation with such suitable improvement you know not neither is it in the power of the greatest exercise of a rational Soul to foresee or imagin aforehand what great and mysterious things may be laid before you to observe to wit of a Christian's advancement from the first step of Seriousness to a Reliance upon God as the alone power to be trusted to with such means he allows of and has witnessed his pleasure in by working with them for the bringing about such Events as are sought from natural strength by others but by them in Petitioning the Agency of his Power I don't mean by repeating of Words by way of Form and Rule given you in your Education but thorough a sense of the great advantage of his favour and a sincere desire to obtain it a carrying out of your desire with thoughts and words suitable to the present height of your longings which lays you in the way of meeting with the breathings of Christ's Spirit to help your infirmities and to raise your frame to such a posture of heavenliness as you never knew before unless by the hearing of the ear and will soon unfold what a dark state you have been in that all the seriousness you had in Prayer was no other than the strength of education and that there is something else in the Christian Religion you have never yet been senble of more suitable to the feeling of the Soul than to the utterance of the greatest Orator on earth The Spirit of God has express'd in the Scriptures these Mysteries in a stile suited to our understanding but when the same Spirit bears them home to the sensible feeling of a Christian what addition is given to the Christian's understanding of them and true Faith in them I go not therefore about to express these experienced Mysteries in a better stile for your understanding but to put you in a way of obtaining their experience upon your Souls by the working of a Divine Spirit in the use of common means You lose your labour in endeavouring to understand them in their saving efficacy by your natural reason without the help of a Divine Spirit and his internal Revelation What can better unfold or express the breathings of Christ's Spirit upon a Soul in its holy frame and performance of any Religious Duty than its resemblance to the blowing of the wind upon our Bodies which though sensibly felt yet is mysterious as to the parts of the Heavens from whence it blows or the way of its blowing upon us In like manner though the Spirit of God breathing upon a Soul in praying to God comes often suddenly like a gale of wind refreshing the Soul's dead frame with a ravishing heavenly life and power thoughts desires and all the affections being then carri'd heavenward like a Ship towards its Harbour with sweet delight therein and an actual undervaluing of the richest treasures and pleasures on earth in the balance with this comfortable sweetness for the time enjoy'd the continuance whereof would afford the Soul a Heaven on earth yet the Spirit of God in the excellency of his Divine Nature and in his method of thus changing the frame of the Soul is incomprehensible by the reach of human reason and to the experienc'd Soul there is but a discovery of him in his blessed effects and operations and a sight of him through a Glass darkly till that blessed change pass upon them and they obtain a perfect meetness to see and to understand him as he is No wonder therefore the prophane or meer professing Christian attempting to comprehend God's Word as to the work of the Spirit of God in planting Grace or watering it with constant influences to keep it in exercise find themselves at a loss how to understand it and therefore never feeling its effects upon their Souls either look upon it as Chimaera and the Being of the Spirit of God or his blessed operations of converting and spiritualizing a Soul to be only Notions of a melancholy Brain How many are there at this day who mock at the Spirit of God and the Divinity of our Blessed Redeemer and ridicule expressions of fellowship with him as canting discourse for they never receiv'd the precious