FART M. J gracious oZCS 4paio92L 145 pally taken and elevated with, is not the Glory of God, or Beauty of Chrift, but the Beauty of their Experiences. They keep thinking with themfelves, What a good Experience .is this ! What a great Difcovery is this ! What wonderful Things have I met with 1 And fo they put their Experiences in the Place of Chrift, and his Beauty and Fullnefs ; and inflead of rejoicing in Chrift Jefus, they rejoice in their admirable Experiences : inftead of feeding and feafi ing their Souls in the View of what is without them, viz. the innate, fweet, refrefhing Amiablenefs of the Things exhibited in the Gofpel, their Eyes are off from thefe Things, or at leaft they view them only as it were Side -ways ; but the Objet} that fixes their Contemplation, is their Experience ; and they are feeding their Souls, and leafing a felfifh Principle with a View of their Difcoveries: They take more Comfort in their Difcoveries than in Chrift difcovered, which is the true Notion of living upon Experiences and Frames ; and not a ufing Experiences as the Signs, on which they rely for Evidence of their good Efate, which fome call living on Experiences : Tho' it be very obfervable, that fome of them who do fo, are moft no- torious for living upon Experiences, according to the true Notion of it. The Aftlaions of Hypocrites are very often after this Manner ; they are firfl, much affe&led with fome Impreflion on their Imagina- tion, or fome Impulfe, which they take to be an immediate Suggef- tion, or Teftimony from God, of his Love and their Happinefs, and high Priviledge in fome Refpea, either with or without a Text of Scripture ; they are mightily taken with this, as a great Difcove- ry ; and hence arife high Affe&ions. And when their Affections are railed, then they view thofe high Affections, and call them great and wonderful Experiences ; and they have a Notion that God is greatly pleafed with thofe Affedions ; and this a{feEls them more , and fo they are affected with their Affeaions. And thus their Af- fe&ions rife higher \and higher, 'till they fometimes are perfectly fwallowed up : And Self-conceit, and a fierce Zeal riles withal ; and all is built like a Caflle in the Air, on no other Foundation but Ima- gination, Self-love and Pride. And as the Thoughts of this Sort of Perfons are, fo is their Talk for out of the Abundance of their Heart; their Mouth fpeaketh. As in their high Affeaions, they keep their E}e upon the Beauty of their Experiences, and Greatnefs of their Attainments ; fo they are great Talkers about themfelves. The true Saint, when under great fpi- ritual Af£ec`lions, from the Fullnefs of his Heart, is ready to be fpeaking much of-God, and his glorious Perfections and Works, and of the Beauty and Amiablenefs of Chrift, and the glorious Things of the Gofpel ; but Hypocrites, in their high Affec`lions, talk more of the Difcovery, than they do of the Thing difcovered ; they are fall L of
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