happy fubjects of God's converting grace. This has been continually confirmed, by the bleffed experience of the children of God, in all the fucceffive ages of the church.

How agreeably are we furprized, to fee a careless and fecure finner, who was going on in the purfuit of his lufts, hardened against all the folemn warnings, which he had continually received from the word, ordinances, and providences of God; and deaf to all the pathetic admonitions of his godly friends; to fee fuch an one, (I fay) at once, by fome ordinary paffage in a fermon, in a book, or in conversation, thoroughly awaken'd out of his fecurity, and put upon a ferious and lafting enquiry, What he should do to be faved. His confcience can no `more now as at other times, wear off the impreffion ; nor dare he return to his mirth and jollity, to his sen. fual and worldly purfuits. He can no more speak peace to his foul from his general hopes, or his good designs, nor reft in any thing fhort of an intereft in Christ. Thus we fee the promife verified, that Chrift would fend the comforter to convince the world of fin; and find it moft evidently true, that the word of God is quick and powerful, fharper than any two-edged fword. We fee a change made, that no means, no endeavours could ever effect, till a divine power was exerted to bring it about.

How constantly does the thoroughly awakened finner find, by experience, the deficiency of all bis legal attempts to quiet his confcience, and to establish his hopes of the favour of God? He fees his fins too great and numerous, to be expiated by his imperfect performances. He feels his corrupt affections, appetites, and paffions too ftrong for his good purpofes and refolutions. He is deeply fenfible of fo much defect and impurity in the best of his religious duties, as render them utterly unworthy the acceptance of an infinitely pure and holy God. He feels his heart fo hard and his affections fo dead and carnal, that nothing but an Almighty power can quicken them. He knows by experience, that he lies at mercy; and that all his own refuges, and all endeavours in his own ftrength to relieve his diftreffed foul, are fruitless and vain. He finds it indeed the cafe of fallen man, that nothing but coming to Chrift, with

faith in him, and dependance upon him for righteoufness and ftrength, can give reft to his labouring and weary foul. True it is, there are fome convinced finners that wear off their religious impreffions, and ftop fhort of these effects, which I have now defcribed: but thefe confequences are always found in all thofe whofe convictions are abiding and effectual. By thefe they are always neceffitated to fly for refuge to Chrift, and to look to him for that life and peace, which they can find no where else. You will readily allow that my ftation puts me under the advantage of a particular acquaintance with the circumftances of diftreffed fouls: and having converfed with very many under convictions, from time to time, I have always found the above obfervations exactly verified.

How furprising is the change, made in convinced finners, when a ray of divine light fhines into their fouls; and enables them to act faith in Chrift, and to behold the glory of God, in the face of Jefus Chrift! Now thefe mourners in Zion have appointed unto them beauty for afbes, the oyl of joy for mourning, and the garment of praife for the spirit of heaviness, that they may be called trees of righteousness. From this time, they become indeed new creatures, in all fpiritual refpects. Their dif covery of the excellency and fufficiency of Chrift, whereby they were enabled chearfully to truft their eternal interests in his hands, proves a continued fource of love to God and man, and a principle that conftantly inclines them to live foberly, righteously, and godly in this prefent world. We fee this experimentally true, as the fcriptures represent it, that their faith works by love, purifies their hearts, and overcomes the world. There are indeed fome hypocritical pretenders to faith in Chrift, in whom' we do not find these fruits and effects of it: but then there are (thro' the goodness of God) numbers of others, the tenor of whofe future lives does fully evidence, that their faith is fincere; and that it produces all the effects which the fcriptures afcribe to it.

There is no room to impute this work to the irregular fallies of an over-heated imagination, when we fee a tho rough and lasting change both of heart and life. There

is no room to fuppofe, that enthusiasm or fanaticism can have any hand in this change, when we fee the bleffed effects of faith in Chrift every way answer the description given thereof in the gofpel; and when the believer vifi• bly and in reality is become a new man, from the time of his receiving and relying upon the Lord Jefus Chrift, for righteoufnefs and ftrength.

And as bad as the times are, as ftupid and unbelieving as the world in general appears, we have yet repeated examples of the bleffed effects of faith, which I have now defcribed; and of the verification of that precious truth, that to as many as receive the Lord Jefus Christ, to them is given power to become the children of God, even to them who believe in his name.

And now, Sir, if you'll review what has been faid, don't it evidently appear, that he who believeth on the Son of God, hath the witness in himself, when he finds the fame change of heart, the fame fpiritual conflicts, the fame joy, peace, and comfort of foul, and all these wrought in the very fame way and method, which the fcriptures fo plainly and particularly defcribe? Can I doubt of the fkill of that phyfician, or the efficacy of that medicine, whereby I am recovered from a dangerous disease, to health and comfort, exactly in the fame method, and by the fame fenfible and progreffive steps,as was foretold me?

And is not this truth made most clearly evident, not only to the perfons themselves, but to all diligent obfer. vers, when they find the fame experiences reported by all true believers in Chrift, and all the fame external and vifible effects of their faith, confpicuous and open to eve ry one's obfervation, not in one or two instances only, but in thousands of thofe who profefs to have had these experiences? As we muft neceffarily acknowledge the fkill of that physician, who effectually eures all that submit to his directions and applications: fo are we conftrained to acknowledge him for our Saviour, who in the very fame way and manner, which he has propofed and promifed, does actually and effectually fave all thofe who believe in him, and in the way of his appointments trust to him for falvation.

In my former letters, I have laid before you fome af

the external evidences of Christianity in this I have given you a very brief sketch of thofe internal evidences, which serve to confirm and illustrate the fame important cause. By the former, the truth of the Chriftian religion is laid open to the understanding: by the latter it is made matter of fenfible experience in the heart. That the glorious redeemer may enable you to feel the force of this reasoning to your unfpeakable comfort here, and happiness hereafter, is the prayer of,

Sir,

Yours, &c.

LETTER VI. Wherein fome OBJECTIONS against the INTERNAL EVIDENCES of CHRISTIANITY are confidered and answered.

I

SIR,

Do not wonder to find you prejudiced against the extravagant claim to extraordinary experiences in religion, lately made by fome who are evidently under enthufiaftick heats and delufions.' But I cannot fee any force at all in your reasoning, that, because there are many eminent profeffors of late, who really have nothing in them but heat and fhew, and yet make as high pretenfions to the divine influences, and to fpe⚫cial experience of the operations of the Spirit of God in their hearts, as any others can do: therefore all preten⚫ces of that kind may juftly be fufpected to flow from the fame cause, and to be the offspring of a like irre⚫gular fancy and imagination.'

Do you indeed think it juft arguing, because fome men make vain and falle fhews of what they really are not, that therefore all other profeffors of religion are hypocrites, as well as they? Will it follow, because some men pretend to literature which they have not, that therefore there are no men of learning in the world? Your discovery of falfe pretenders to religious experiences, does indeed give you juft seafon to prefume, that fome others may, but no reason to conclude, that all o thers must, in the fame manner impofe upon the world,

by mere delufive appearances. If you have difcovered any to be falfe and deceitful, in their profeffion of reli gious experiences, it must be because you fee fomething in their conduct, which contradicts their profeffion. But what reafon does this give you, to fufpect thofe in whofe conduct you fee nothing which contradicts their pro feffion. If you have reafon to conclude the hypocrify of the former fort from the evidences which appear a gainst them; you have alfo reason to conclude the fincerity of the latter fort, from the evidences which appear in their favour, and which testify the reality of the change. they profefs. If you have ground to fufpect the careless, the loofe, the fenfual profeffor, because he is fuch: by the fame way of reafoning, you have ground to conclude in favour of the ferious, the watchful, and mortified profeffor of religion, because he is fuch. If the licentious and prophane, the fraudulent and unjuft, the cenforious and uncharitable, the defpifers and calumniators of their brethren, are therefore to be fufpected of a falfe pretence to the divine influences: by the fame argument, they who are fo changed as to become remarkably holy and righteous, meek and humble, charitable, benevolent, and beneficent, have a juft claim to be efteemed fincere, and to be credited in their profeflion of religious expe riences. There are (through the mercy of God) num. bers of fuch yet among us, all of whom have this change in its vifible effect obvious to the world: and though fome of them may be doubtful of their own ftate, yet all of them declare that they have received all their attain. ments from the Lord Jefus Chrift; they have looked to him, and depended upon him for them all; and have always found, that their progrefs in piety towards God, and in juftice, kindnefs, and charity towards men, has borne proportion to their chearful dependance, upon Chrift for righteousness and ftrength. If fome men are fiars, yet others are credible, and may be trusted, efpecially when they give us undoubted evidences of their truth and fidelity. Even fo in the prefent cafe, if fome men are hypocrites, and evidence themfelves to be fuch, we have no reason from thence to suspect the truth of o hers profeffion and experiences, whose wonderful change