38 What are no Signs PART IIo III. 'Tis no. Sign that AfF &ions are truly gracious Aff°lions, or th.tt they are not, that they cause thofe who have them, to be fluent, f ry -nt and abundant, in talking of the Things of Religion. There are many Perfons, who if they fee this in others, are greatly prejudiced againft them. Their being fo full of Talk, is with them, a fufficient Ground to condemn them, as Pharifees, and offentatious Hypocrites. On the other Hand, there are many, who if they fee this Effea in any, are very ignorantly and imprudently forward, at once to determine that they are the true Children of God, and are un- der the faving Influences of his Spirit, and fpeak of it as a great Evi- dence of a new Creature : They fay fuch an one's Mouth is now open'd : He u ed to beflow to fpeak ; but now he isfull and free : He isfree now to open his Heart, and tell his Experiences, and declare the Praifes of God ; it comes from him,as free as Water from a Fountain, and the like. And efpecially are they captivated into a confident and undoubting Perfwafion that they are favingly wrought upon, if they are not only free and abundant, but very affectionate and earneft in their Talk. But this is the Fruit of but little Judgment, a fcanty and fhort Ex- perience ; as Events do abundantly thew : and is a Miftake, Perfons often run into, through their truffing to their own Wisdom and Dif- cerning, and making their own Notions their Rule, instead of the holy Scripture. Tho' the Scripture be full of Rules, both how we fhould judge of our own State, and allo howwe should be conducted in our Opinion of others ; yet we have no where any Rule, by which to judg ourfelves or others to be in a good Estate, from any such Ef- fect : For this is but the Religion of the Mouth and of the Tongue, and what is in the Scripture reprefented by theLeaves of a Tree,which tho' the Tree ought not to be without them, yet are no where given as an Evidence of the Goodnefs of the Tree. That Perfons are difpofed to be abundant in talking of Things of Religion, may be from a good Caufe, and it may be from a bad one. It may be becaufe their Hearts are very full of holy Affections ; for out of the Abundance of the Heart, the Mouth fpeaketh : And it may be becaufe Perfons Hearts are very full of religious Affection which is not holy ; for fill out of the Abundance of the Heart the Mouth fpeaketh. It is very much the Nature of the Affections, of what- ever Kind they be, and whatever Objects they are exercifed about, if they are strong, to difpofe Perfons to be very much in fpeaking of that which they are affected with ; and not only to fpeak much, but to fpeak very earnefily and fervently. And therefore Perfons talking a- bundantly and very fervently about the Things of Religion, can be an Evidence of no more than this, that they are very much affected with the Things ofReligion ; but this may be, (as has been already shown) and there be no Grace. That which Men are greatly affected with, while the high Affec`Iion fails, they will be earnealy engaged about,
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