PART III. of. gracious 4fè lions. III Subjc&s of them have an ignorant, but undoubting Perft+vafion, that they are divine Manifeflations, which the great Jehovah immeeiately makes he fags, " Leaf their Religion might too grofly difcover it fell <E to be nothing elfe but a Piece of Art, there may be fometimes <E fuch extraordinary Motions furred up within them, which « may prevent all their own Thought <, that they may feem to <E be a true Operation of the divine Life when yet all this is. <E nothing elle but the Energy of their own Self-Love, touch'd <E with fome flefhly Apprehenfions of divine Things, and ex-, << cited by them. There are fuch Things in our chriflian Re- .1. ligion, when a carnal, unhallowed Mind takes the Chair, << and gets the expounding of them, may feem very delicious to G: the flefhly Appetites of Men ; fome Doecrines and Notions EE of free Grace and Juflification, the magnificent Titles of ,, Sons of God and Heirs of Heaven, ever flowing Streams of << Joy and Pleafure that bleffed Souls {hall fwim in to all Eter- ,, pity, a gloriousParadife in theWTorld to. come, always fpring- E< ing up with well-fcented and fragrant Beauties, a new 7eru- <E fàlem paved with Gold, and befpangled with Stars, compre- EE bending in its vaft Circuit fuch numberlefs Varieties, that a << bufy Curiofity may fpend it fell about to all Eternity. I « doubt not but that fometimes the molt flefhly and earthly ,, Men, that fly in their Ambition to the Pomp of this World, << may be fo ravifhed with the Conceits of fuch Things as thefe, « that they may feem to be made Partakers of the Powers <E of the World to come. I doubt not but that they <E might be much exalted with them, as the Souls of crazed or « diffra6ted Perfons feem to be fometimes, when their Fancies s< play with thofe quick and nimble Spirits, which a diffemper'd E< Frame of Body, and unnatural Heat in their Heads, beget within them. Thus may thefe blazing Comets rife up above « the Moon, and climb higher than the Sun ; which yet, be- cs caufe they have no folid Confiffence of their own, and are of « a bale and earthly Alloy, will foon vanifh and fall down « again, being only born up by an external Force. They may « feem to themfelves to have attained higher than thofe noble <E Chriflians, that are gently moved by the natural Force of <r true Goodnefs : They feem be pleniores Deo, [ i. e. more << full of God j than thofe that are really informed and aaua- « ted by the divine Spirit, and do move on ffeadily and con- ,, fiantly in the Way towards Heaven. As the Seed that was < fown in ftony Ground, grew up, and lengthen'd out it'sBlade <E fader,
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