You further reprefent thefe rapturous Joys to be the Effect of Self-Esteem. And I readily ac◄ knowledge, that where it is fo, it is always deceitful and vain. The divine Influences are always bumbling to the Soul which enjoys them. They therefore are horribly profane, who impute their own Pride and Vanity to the Spirit of God; and confequently they are miferably deceiving themfelves, whofe joy and Comfort flow from an high Opinion of their imaginary Attainments in Réligion. They are a Smoke in God's Noftrils, who are faying, Stand by thy thyself, come not nigh me, for I am holier than thou.But then, on the contrary, when the humble Soul is lying at God's Foot, felfabafing and felf-condemning, adoring the infinite Riches of God's free Grace to fuch a vile, worthlefs Worm, and rejoicing in Chrift Jefus, without Confidence in the Flesh; these bleffed Effects are worthy of the Spirit of God, by whom they are wrought. And it is always true, that the Believer's Sense of his own Vilenefs, Pollution and Unworthiness, bears Proportion to his joyful Evidences of the divine Favour.

You further object against the false Pretenders you mention," that their Conduct does not justify their joyful Affurance.This indeed is a good Evidence against their high Pretenfions to extraordinary Attainments in Religion.--For I believe, every Chriftian does certainly make the fame Progrefs in Holiness, as he does in well-grounded Comfort and joy. The Objection therefore can no Ways affect thofe with whom this is an experienced Truth; who always find, that their Hope and Joy quicken them in their fpiritual Courfe, invigorate their uties, and enlarge their Defires and Endeavours after a Conformity to the whole Will of God.

I must now leave this Matter to your own Reflections; you yourself must judge the Validity of your Exceptions.--Compare the Picture you have drawn of fome empty enthufiaftical Pretenders to religious Experiences, with the Defcription I have given you of those, who have indeed experienced the divine Life; and confider whether there be any real Similitude, in any Marks and Lineaments of their Countenances.. In thofe is found Pride and Petulance; but in thefe Humility and Self-Abafement In thofe Cenforioufnefs and Uncharitablenefs are the diftinguishing Characters; in thefe a charitable preferring others to themfelves. There you fee Schifm, Contention, and Faction; here is Kindnefs, Peace, and brotherly Love. There imaginary Impulfe; but here the Word of God alone is confidered as the Rule of Life. There Joy and Comfort are confidered as the Evidence of a good State; here they are confidered as the Fruit of good Evidence of Faith in Chrift, and of a renewed Nature. There Religion is fuppofed to confift in Rapture and Extafy; here in fpiritual Affections, and in a heavenly Converfation. There we find Men building their Hope and Comfort upon their imaginary Attainments; but here we find them making Chrift Fefus their only Refuge and Hope. And, to fum up all in a Word, There are high Pretences to religious Experiences, without the Fruits of Holinefs; but here the happy Effects of this Change appear in the Heart and Life, and justify the Profeffion to be true, and the Experiences to be inindeed what they are pretended to be.

Upon the whole, there is nothing more certain, than that the Scriptures do represent what I have fet before you, as the real Characters of the Children of God.It is equally certain, that as an

actual

actual Experience of the renewing Change is, from the Nature of Things, abfolutely necellary to Salvation, fo a Senfe of this Change wrought in us is requifite to true Peace and Comfort; and there can be nothing but a Want of due Attention to this Experience, or Ignorance of the Quality of that Change they have fenfibly experienced, which keeps Believers in Darkness and Doubts about their State. The Subjects of this Work can therefore have no greater Evidence that it is from God, than fenfibly to feel that it every Way answers the original Defcription. What greater Evidence can they have of the Truth of the Gospel, than a fenfible Experience of the Reality of its Doctrines, and the Truth of its Promises, by this wonderful Work of Grace in their own Hearts, which fo vifibly carries the divine Signature both in its Operation and Effects; and is fo manifeftly diftinguished from all falfe Appearances and Pretences? For my own Part, I cannot but look upon the irregular Heats you fpeak of, as affording fome convincing Evidence in Favour of the Caufe I am pleading.hefe Things are foretold in the Scriptures By thefe Things Satan is endeavouring to fupport his own Kingdom, as we may reasonably expect he would do. He knows, that he is most likely to play the fureft Game, when he transforms himself into an Angel of Light. And thefe falfe Appearences ferve for a Foil to difcover the greater Luftre in a true and real Work of divine Grace.

The only Objection against all this, which I can forefee, is that I am philofophifing upon the golden Tooth, and that the Perfons I am characterizing, exist no where, save in my Defcriptions of them. But I need add no more to what I have faid upon this already, than my Atteftation, that I have the

Comfort

Comfort of an inward and intimate Acquaintance with confiderable Numbers of fuch as thofe whose Characters I have defcribed. And if you, Sir, would feek out fuch for your chofen Companions, your Objections would die of themselves; and the Argument I have infifted upon would appear in its proper Light and Strength.

I know not what more can be need fulto be added upon this Subject, but my hearty Prayers, that the Spirit of Truth would lead us both into alt Truth; and that we may know, by fenfible Experience, what is the Hope of Chrift's Calling, and what the Riches of the Glory of his Inheritance in the Saints; which has been justly, though but: weakly and very imperfectly reprefented, in these Letters, from,

SIR,

Yours, &c.

LETTER VII.

Wherein the Doc

trine of GOD's Sovereign Grace is vindicated; and fome Exceptions against it confidered and answered.

SIR,

You

OU can't imagine how much Comfort you have miniftred to me by your last. I greatly rejoice to hear, that "the more strictly you ex"amine the Cause, the greater Evidence you find "of the undoubted Truth and Certainty of the "Chriftian Religion:" But that " you are filled "with Confufion, to think how long you have lived at a Distance from that bleffed Saviour, "who has wrought out fuch a glorious Redemption "for us." And I am not at all furprized, to hear

you

66

you complain, that you cannot entertain clear Apprehenfions of my Difcourfe of experimental. "Religion:" That "though your last Objections 66 are filenced, there are others which fill your "Mind with greater Difficulty, and are of much "greater Importance, if I have given you a juft "View of the Cafe." And that " you cannot tell "how you can ever be brought to a feeling Sense "of the Doctrines of fovereign Grace, which I fo "much infift on, while they appear to you fo in"confiftent with Truth, and fo unreasonable.". I am not, I fay, furprised at this, for we are naturally prejudiced against thefe Doctrines, and are not easily brought to receive them, by reason of the ftrong Bias there is upon our Minds to the contrary Principles. I fhall therefore endeavour to confider your feveral Objections; and, how strong and plaufible foever they may appear, I don't despair of giving you Satisfaction.

You object, that "if we are of ourselves capable "of no qualifying Conditions of the divine Fa"vour, or (to use my own Words) if we must "feel that we lie at Mercy, and that all our own "Refuges, and all our Endeavours in our own "Strength to relieve our diftreffed Souls are fruit❝lefs and vain, you can't tell to what Purpofe any "of our Endeavours are, or what Good it will do "us to use any Means at all for our Salvation."

In order to a clear Solution of this Difficulty, it feems needful to convince you, that this loft, impotent, deplorable State, is the Cafe in Fact of every unrenewed Sinner, whatever Objections we may frame in our Minds against it; and therefore it is neceffary, that he fhould fenfibly perceive the Cafe to be as it truly is. And then, it will be pro

per to fhew you, that the Confequence you draw from this Doctrine is unjust, and even directly con

t