the external evidences of Chriftianity: in this I have given you a very brief sketch of thofe internal evidences, which ferve to confirm and illuftrate 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 caufe, and to be the offspring of a like irre'gular fancy and imagination.'

Do you indeed think it just 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 fome 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 experi. ences, does indeed give you just reason 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 religious experiences, it must be because you see something in their conduct, which contradicts their profeffion. But what reafon does this give you, to fufpect those in whose conduct you fee nothing which contradicts their profeffion. If you have reason to conclude the hypocrify of the former fort from the evidences which appear against them; you have also 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, becaufe 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 esteemed fincere, and to be credited in their profeffion of religious experiences. 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 attainments 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 justice, kindness, and charity towards men, has borne proportion to their chearful dependance, upon Christ for righteousness and strength. If fome men are liars, yet others are credible, and may be trufted, efpecially when they give us undoubted evidences of their truth and fidelity. Even fo in thé prefent cafe, if some men are hypocrites, and evidence them felves to be fuch, we have no reason from thence to fufpect the truth of others profeffion and experiences, whofe wonderful change

of life, and whole future converfation, are a continual testimony to the fincerity of the profeffion they make, and to the credibility of the experiences which they relate.

But it seems, you are especially prejudiced against religious experiences, by the irregular fancy and heated 'imagination,' which you have obferv'd in fome preten. der to extraordinary attainments in religion; from whence you feem to argue, that because some of their preten⚫ded experiences are extravagant flights of a disturbed 'brain, and evidently flow from pride, felf-esteem, and uncharitableness towards others, and end in faction, divifion, and alienation of affection,' that therefore, fince fome of their pretences are manifeftly falfe and airy imaginations, you have juft reafon to conclude, that all the reft of their pretences are of the fame fort, and flow from the fame depraved mind.

I acknowledge, Sir, this is one of the moft plaufible objections that ever I heard of, againft the internal evidences of Chriftianity. And no doubt our grand adverfary the devil has had an efpecial hand in blowing up this falfe fire, that he may turn away our eyes from the glory of the Lord arifen upon Zion. No doubt Satan hath transformed himself into an angel of light, in the late extravagant heats which have appeared in fome places, that fo by overdoing, he might undo, and might bring reproach on the wonderful work of divine grace, which has made fuch a glorious progrefs in thefe parts of the world. A permitlion of thefe dreadful delufions may be efteemed a just judgment of God upon fuch as have remained careless and secure in a remarkable feafon of grace, who have refifted the calls of the Gofpel, the convictions of their confciences, and the strivings of the Holy Spirit that they might thereby be hardened in their prejudices against vital and experimental religion, and perhaps finally ftumble and fall.

:

But how plaufible foever your objection may be, your reafoning is far from conclufive. What inconfiftency is there in the fuppofal, that a true convert may have fome very falfe apprehenfions and imaginations? that the fame perfon may have a fanctified heart, and a confufed head? and that he may build upon the true foun

dation, fuch wood, hay, and stubble, as must be burnt up? Our bleffed Saviour has undertaken to fanctify the hearts of all those who fincerely truft in him; but has never promised to make them infallible in all their conduct. If therefore from a principle of love to God, these men should zealously endeavour to ferve him, and yet through heated imaginations, or erroneous apprehenfions of their duty, in fome cafes, they should mistake their way, and fuppofe that they are doing God good fervice, when they are acting counter to the true interest of of Chrift's kingdom, what then? Is it an abfurdity, to fuppofe they may act from a right principle, though in a wrong manner? The error is in their opinions; but not in their wills. Their hearts are engaged in God's fervice, though their heads mislead them. They may have experienced a real change (in the manner describ. ed in my last letter) though through ignorance and miftake, their endeavours to serve God are in some instances irregular and finful. They may have had real experiences in true and vital piety, at prefent, though their imaginations are impofed on by enthufiafm, and delufion. These allowances may be made, and ought to be made, for those who hold faft the fundamental principles of Chriftianity and practical godlinefs; and for none but those. There ought to be fuch allowances made for those; because there is nothing in their character inconfiftent with true and vital piety: yet there ought not to be such allowances made for any but thofe ; because Chrift has undertaken to lead his fincere followers into all neceffary truth. I think, I have good reason to conclude, that the cafe is truly, and in fact, juft as I have here described it, with respect to numbers of those who have run into fome of those irregularities you complain of. This appears, in that fome of thofe, who have been convinced of and penitently bewailed those mistakes, do yet (their former irregularities-notwithstanding) walk worthy their profeffed experience of a faving change; and approve themselves holy, humble, and charitable Chriftians. And I have the more hope of others, who have not yet been convinced of their mistakes, upon account of their having been feduced into thefe errors, by fuch zea

lous leaders, of whofe piety they have fo great an opinion. But you'll perhaps enquire, what I can fay for those leaders, who have influenced others to thefe irregular heats? To which I must answer, that as far as I am acquainted with them, I have reason for a much better o pinion of the hearts of fome of them, than of their heads; and muft bear them witnefs, that they have a zeal of God, tho' not in every thing according to knowledge.

But fuppofing, as you fuppofe, that fome of the chief ' of thefe preachers were very wicked men, who cloak⚫ed their evil intentions under a fhew of zeal and extra'ordinary piety, the better to infnare poor unwary fouls ' into their delufions, to promote divifions and conten tions in the land, and to compass their covert defigns:' My argument is, on this fuppofal, fo much the ftronger. Herein the power and love of the great Redeemer are fo much the more conspicuous, that he has outfhot Satan with his own bow; and over-ruled those attempts, for the promotion of his own kingdom and intereft, which were levelled against it. Nothing is more vifible, than that great numbers of poor finners have been awakened; and brought to fly to Chrift for refuge. Nothing is more apparent than that the confequence of this has (in numerous instances) been the renovation of their lives, and their converfion from a carelefs, finful, fenfual life, to a life of holiness, righteousness, kindness, and charity. In these therefore the grace of our Lord Jefus Chrift is become glorious; whatever covered defigns any of the inftruments were acted by. If thefe preached Chrift even of envy and ftrife, what then? notwithstanding every way, whether in pretence or in truth, Chrift was preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice. It is remarkable that the great doctrines of the Gofpel, particularly touching the mifery of our natural flate, the neceffity of an intereft in Chrift, and the way of falvation by faith in him, were preached by them all (whatever human imaginations were mixed with them) and these had their effect in a peculiar manner. Our bleffed Saviour has therein bleffed his own institutions; and accomplished the defigns of his grace, whoever and whatever were the inftruments, by whom thefe glorious ef