PART III. of gracious A aions. 335 brings Opinions and Notions to the Teft of Fa& ; fo is that properly called experimental Religion, which brings religious AffeEiions and Intentions, to the like Teft. , There is a fort of external religious Practice, wherein is no inward Experience ; which no Account is made of in theSight of God ; but it is efteemed good for nothing. And there is what is called Experi- ence, that is without Practice, being neither accompanied, nor fol- lowed with a chriftian Behaviour ; and this is worfe than nothing. Many Perfons feem to have very wrong Notions of chriftian Experi- ence, and fpiritual Light and Difcoveries. Whenever a Perfon finds within him, an Heart to treat God as God, at the Time that he has the Trial, and finds his Difpofition effectual in the Experiment, That is the molt proper, and moft diftinguifhing Experience. And to have at fuch a Time that Senfe of divine Things, that Apprehenfion of the Truth, Importance and Excellency of the Things of Religion, which then fways and prevails, and governs his Heart andHands ; this is the molt excellent fpiritual Light, and thefe are the rnoft diftinguifhing Difcoveries. Religion confifts much in holy Affection ; but thee Exercifes of Affe&ion which are moft diftinguifhing of true Religion, are thefe practical Exercifes. Friendfhip between earthly Friends confifts much in Affection ; but yet thofe firong Exercifes of Affec- tion, that actually carry them through Fire and Water for each other, are the higheft Evidences of true Friendfhip. There is nothing in what has been laid, contrary to what is afferted by fome found Divines ; when they fay, That there are no Pure Evi-. dances of Grace, but the Acts of Grace. For that don't hinder but that thefe operative, productive Acts, thofe Exercifes of Grace that are effectual in Practice, may be the higheft Evidences, above all o- ther Kinds of Acts of Grace. Nor does it hinder but that, when there are many of thefe Acts and Exercifes, following one another in a Courfe, under various Trials, of every Kind, the Evidence i; Rill heighten'd ; as one Mt confirms another. A Man by once feeing his Neighbour, may have good Evidence of his Prefence : But by feeing him from Day to Day, and converfing with him in a Courfe, in various Circumftances, the Evidence is eftablifbed. The Difci- ples, when they firft taw Chrift, after his Refurre&ion, had good Evi- dence that he wrs alive : But by converfing with him for forty Days, andhisJhewing himfelfto 'em alive, by many infallible Proofs, they had yet higher Evidence. The c< The more thefe vifible Exercifes of Grace are renewed, the cc more certain you will be. The more frequently thefeA&ings cc are renewed, the more abiding and confirmed your Affurance sc will
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