PART II. to dinguilb Ajetions. 45 64 at firft that it was Scripture ; I did not remember. that ever I had " read it." And it may be, they will add, 44 One Scripture came 64 flowing in after another, and fo Texts all over the Bible, the thou fweet and pleafant, and the molt apt and fuitable, which could CG be deviled ; and fill'd me full as I could hold : ' I could not but " 'land and admire : The Tears How'd ; I was full of Joy, and " could not doubt any longer." And thus, they think they have undoubted Evidence, that their Affections muff he from God, and of the right Kind, and their State good : But without any Manner of Grounds. How come they by any fuch Rule, as that if any Af- fcaions or Experiences arife with Promifes, and comfortable Texts of Scripture, unaccountably brought to Mind, without their Recol- leaion, or if a great Number of fweet Texts follow one another in. a Chain, that this is a certain Evidence their Experiences are faving ? Where is any fuch Rule to be found in the Bible, the great and only fure Directory in Things of this Nature ? What deceives many of the lets underftanding and confiderate Sort of People, in this Matter, feems to be this ; That the Scripture is the Word of God, and has nothing in it which is wrong, but is pure and perfcét : And therefore, thole Experiences which come from the Scripture mull be right. But then it fhould be confidered, Affections may arife on occa ion of the Scripture, and not properly comefrom the Scripture, as the genuine Fruit of the Scripture, and by a right Ufe of it ; but from an Abufe of it. All that can be argued from the Pu- rity and Perfe&ion of the Word of God, with Refpe& to Experi- ences, is this, that thofe Experiences which are agreable to the Word of God, are right, and can't be otherwife ; and not that thofe Af feaions mull be right, which arife on Occafion of the Nord of God, coming to the lVIind. What Evidence is there that the Devil can't bring Texts of Scrip- ture to the Mind, and mifapply them, to deceive Perfons ? There learns to be nothing in this which exceeds the Power of Satan. 'Tis no Work of fuch mighty Power, to bring Sounds or Letters to Per- fons Minds, that we have any Reafon to fuppofe ; nothing fhort of Omnipotence can be fufficient for it. If Satan has Power to bring any Fords or Sounds at all to Perfons Minds, he may have Power to bringWords contained in theBihle. There is no higherSort ofPower re- quired inMen,to make theSounds which exprefs thelA'ords of aText of Scripture,than to make the Sounds which exprefs the Words of an idle Story or Song. And fo the famePower inSatan,which is fufficient to re- new one of thofe Kinds of Sounds in the Mind, is fufficient to re- new the other : The different Signification, which depends wholly on Cullom, alters not the Cafe, as to Ability to make or revive the Sounds or Letters. Or will any fuppofe, that Texts of Scripture are fuch facred Things, that the Devil durft not abufe them, nor touch them ? In this allo they are miffaken, He who was bold enough.
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