.:_.. The Lift of Faith. 509 li quenceall this is, and howmuch hurt fuch zealous ignorance cloth; both in the Teachers and the people, the thing it fell cloth plainly fli:w; and the fad experience of this age doth thew it more plainly, in Ranters, O akcrs, and other true Fanaticks, and in many women, and other weak perfons, of better principles than theirs. And it is an unfafe courfe which many fuchweak perfons life, to think in their troubles that every text of Scripture which cometh into their mind, or every conceit of their own is a fpecial fuggeflion ofthe Spirit of God : You (hall ordina- rily hear them fay, [Such a text wie brought to me, or was jet wpm my heart, and. jucb a thing was jet upon my mind] when two to one, it was no otberwife brought unto them, nor let upon them, than any other ordinary thoughts are , and had no fpecial or extraordinary operation of God in it at all. Though it is certain that every good thought which cometh into our minds, is Tome gall of the working ofGods Spirit, as eve- ry good word, and every good work is and it is certain that fornetimes Gods Spirit doth guide and comfort Chriflians as a remembrancer, by bringing informing and .comforting texts and do6trines to their remembrance; yet it is a dangerous thing to think that ail judo fuggeffions or thoughts are from tome ¡pt. cialor extraordinary worltpfthe Spirit, or that every text that cometh intoour minds, is brought thither by the Spirit of God at all. The reafons are thefe I. Satan can bring a text or truth to our remembrance for his own ends, as he did to Chrifl, Matth. q.. in his tempta- tions. 2. Our own paßons or running thoughts, may light upon force text or truth accidentally, as they do on other things which fo come in. 3. When the Spirit Both in an ordinary way help us in re mtmbringor meditating on any text or holy do&rine, he Both it according to our capacity and difpofitien,and not in the way of infallible injpiration, and therefore there is much of our weaknejs and errorir ufuallymixt with the Spirits help, in the pr.odua As when you hold the hand ot; a &iild in writing, youwritenot fo well by his hand, as by your own alone, but S it 3 your
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