PART III. ofgracious Afe5lions. 159 Indeed they have fome newApprehenfions which they had not before. Such is the Nature of Man, that it is impofíible his Mind fhould be affected, unlefs it be by fomething that he apprehends, or that his Mind conceives of. But in many Perfons thofe Apprehenfions or Conceptions that they have, wherewith they are affected, have no- thing of the Nature of Knowledge or Inftruction in them. As for Inflance ; when a Perfon is affected with a lively Idea, fuddenly ex- cited in his Mind, of fome Shape, or very beautiful pleafant Form of Countenance, or fome fhining Light, or other glorious outward Appearance : Here is fomething apprehended or conceived by the Mind ; but there is nothing of the Nature of Inftruction in it : Pc. - fons become never the wifer by fuch Things, or more knowing a- bout God, or a Mediator between God and Man, or the Way of Salvation by Chrift, or any Thing contained in any of the Doctrines of the Gofpel. Perfons by thefe external Ideas have no further Ac- quaintance with God, as to any of the Attributes or Perfections of " left ; if not to all the World, by open Prophanenefs ; yet to 'c the difcerning Eye of living Chriftians, by a formal, barren, 'c unfavoury, unfruitful Heart and Courfe ; becaufe they never cc had Light to Conviction enough as yet. ------'Tis ftrange to cc fee fome People carried with mighty Affection againft Sin 'c and Hell, and after Chrift. And what is the Hell you fear ? cc A dreadful Place. What is Chrift ? They fcarce know fo " much as Devils do ; but that is all. Oh truft them not GC Many have, and thefe will fall away to fome Luft, or Opi- cc nion, or Pride, or World; and the Reafon is, they never had cc Light enough, john 5. 35. john was a burning and fhining " Light, and they didjoy in himfor a Seafon ; yet glorious as it 'c was, they faw not Chrift by it, efpecially not with divine cc Light. Its rare to fee Chriftians full both ofLight and Affec- cc tion. And therefore confider of this ; many aMan has been 'c well brought up, and is of a fweet loving Nature, mild and cc gentle, and harmlefs, likes and loves the belt Things, and his CC Meaning, and Mind, and Heart is good, and has more in cc Heart than in Shew ; and fo hopes all fhall go well with " him. I fay there may lie greateft Hypocrify under greateft cc Affections ; efpecially if they want Light. You (hall be sc hardened in your Hypocrify by them. I never liked violent cc Affections and Pangs, but only fuch as were drop'd in by cc Light ; becaufe thofe come from an external Principle, and cc laft not, but thefe do. Men are not affrighted by the Light cc of the Sun, tho' clearer than the Lightning. " Shepard's Parable Part I. p. 146.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=