44 7 hat are no Signs PART II. put themfelves into fuch Raptures, as the .fnabaptifis in Germany, and many other raving Enthufiatfs like them, have been the Subjects of. And befides, it is to .be confider'd, that Perfons may have thofe Imprefi'ions on their Minds, which may not be of their own produ- cing, nor from an evil Spirit, but from the Spirit of God, and yet not be from any favving, but a common Influence of the Spirit of God : And the Subjects of fuch imprefíîons, may be of the Number of thofe we read of, Heb. 6. 4, 5. That are once enlightned, and tajle of the heavenly Gift, and are made Partakers of the Holy Gho r, aid tajie the good Word of God, and the Power of the World to come ; and yet may be wholly unacquainted with thofe better Things that accompany Sal- vation, fpoken of ver. 9. And where neither a good nor evil Spirit have any immediate Hand, Perfons, efpeceially fuch as are of a weak and vapoury Habit of Body, and the Brain weak, and eafily fufceptive of Impref- ftons, may have ftrange Apprehenfions and Imaginations, and firong Affections attending them, unaccountably arifing, which are not vo- luntarily produced by themfelves. We fee that fuch Perfons are lia- ble to fuch Imprefiîons, about temporal Things ; and there is equal Reafon, why they fhould about fpiritual Things. As a Perfon who is afleep, has Dreams, that he is not the voluntary Author of; fo many fuch Perfons, in like Manner, be the Subjects of involuntary Imprefiions, when they are awake. V. 'Tis no Sign that religious Affe6}ions are truly holy and fpi- ritual, or that they are not, that they come with Texts of Scripture, remarkably brought to the Mind. 'Tis no Sign that Affeaions are not gracious, that they are occa- fion'd by Scriptures fo coming to Mind ; provided it be the Scripture itfelf, or the Truth which the Scripture fo brought contains and teaches, that is the Foundation of the Affe6tion, and not meerly or mainly, the fudden and unufual Manner of it's coming to the Mind. But on the other Hand, neither is it any Sign that Affections are gracious, that they arife on Occafion of Scriptures brought fuddenly and wonderfully to the Mind ; whether thofe Affections be Fear, or Hope, Joy, or Sorrow, or any other. Some feem to look upon this, as a good Evidence that their Affections are faving ; efpecially if the Affections excited are Hope or Joy, or any other which are pleaf- ing and delightful. They will mention it as an Evidence that all is right, that their Experience came with the Word, and will fay, "There « were fuch and fuch fweet Promifes brought to my Mind : They 64 came fuddenly, as if they were ui oke to me : I had no Hand in c bringing fuch a Text to my own Mind ; I was not thinking of 64 any Thing leading to it ; it came all at once, fo that I was furpri- cc fed. I hadnot thought of it a longTiine before; I did not know 64 at
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