Edwards - BX7230 .E4 1746

PART M. ofgracious .4,fttrions. 161 (elves free of:Speech in Prayer, they call it God's being with them ; and this affects them more and fo Their Affeitions are let a going and increafed : When they look not into the Caule of this Freedom of Speech ; which may arife many other Ways befides God's fpiri`- tual Prefence. So tome are much affected with fome apt Thoughts that come into their Minds about the Scripture, and call it the Spirit of God teaching them. So they afcribe many of the Workings of their own Minds, which they have a highOpinion of, and are pleated and taken with, to the fpecial immediate Influences of God's Spirit ; and fo are mightily affected with their Priviledge. And there are fome Inflances of Perfons, in whom it feems manifeft that the firff Ground of their Affection is fome bodily Senfation. The animati Spirits,by fomeCaufe,(& probably fometimes by theDevil) are fuddeni r and unaccountably put into a very agreable Motion, caufing Perfont to feel pleafantly in their Bodies ; the animal Spirits are put into fuct aMotion as is won't to be connected with theExhileration of theMind and the Soul, by the Laws of the Union of Soul and Body, hence feels Pleafure. The Motion of the animal Spirits don't firff arife from any Affection or Apprehenfion of tha Mind whatfoever ; but the very firftThing that is felt, is an Exhileration of the animal Spirits, and a pleafant external Senfation, it may be in their Breafls. Hence. through Ignorance, the Perfon being furprized, begins to think, furee ly this is the Holy Ghoft coming into him. And then the Mind be- gins to be affected and railed : There is firft great Joy ; and then many other Affections, in a very tumultuous Manner, putting ali Nature, both. Body and Mind, into a mighty Ruffle. For though, as I obferved before, 'tis the Soul only that is theSeat ofthe iffiL`tions ; yet this hinders not but that bodily Senfations, may in this Manner, he an Occafion of ilffeeiions in the Mind. And if Men's religions Affections do truly arife from Tome In- ftruction or Light in the Underftanding ; yet the Affection is not gracious, unlefs the Light which is' the Ground of it be fpirituai. Affections may be excited by that Underftanding of Things, which they obtain meerly by humane Teaching, with the common Improve- ment of the Faculties of the Mind. Men may be much affected by Knowledge of Things of Religion that they obtain this Way ; as fomePhilofophers have been mightily affected,& aimoft carried beyond themfelves, by the Difcoveries they have made in Mathematicks and natural Philofophy. So Men may be much affected from common Illuminations of the Spirit of God, in which God afiifts Men's Fa- culties to a greater Degree of that Kind of Underftanding of religious Matters, which they have in fome Degree, by only the ordinary Ex- ercife and Improvement of their own Faculties. Such Illuminations may much affect the Mind ; as in many whom we read of in Scrip- ture, that were once enlightened : But thefe Affections are not fpiritual. M There

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