Edwards - BX7230 .E4 1746

PART II. to djingujh A, fjeclions. 49 that their Affections were come to nothing, and that he had beflowed upon them Labour in vain, Gal. 4. I I, 15. VII. Perfons having religious AfFe lions of many Kinds, accom- panying one another, is not fufficient to determine whether they have any gracious Affe&ions or no. Tho' falle Religion is wont to be maimed and monftrous, and not to have that Entirenefs and Symmetry of Parts, which is to be feen in true Religion ; yet there may be a great Variety of falle Affections together, that may refemble gracious Affections. 'Tis evident that there are Counterfeits of all Kinds of gracious Af- feaions ; as of Love to God, and Love to the Brethren, as has been jufi now obferved : fo ofgodly Sorrowfor Sin, as in Pharaoh, Saul, and Ahab, and the Children of Ifrael in the Wildernefs ; Exod. 9. 27. I Sam. 24. 16, 17. and 26. 21. I Kings 21. 27. Numb. 14.. 39, 4o. and of the Fear of God, as in the Samaritans, who feared the Lord, and ferved their own Gods at the fame Time ; 2 Kings 17. 32, 33. and thofe Enemies of God we read of Pfal. 66. 3. who through the Great- nets of God's Power, fubmit themfelves to him, or, as it is in the He- brew, lie unto him, i. e. yield a counterfeit Reverence and Submiffion fo of a gracious Gratitude, as in the Children of Ifrael, who fang God's Praife at the red Sea, Pfal. Io6. I2. and Naaman the Syrian, after his miraculous Cure of his Leprofy, 2 Kings 5. 15, &c. So offpiritual Toy, as in the ftony- ground Hearers, Matth. 13. 20. and particularly many offohn theBaptj'sHearers, j ohn5.35.So ofZeal, as in 7ehu, 2 Kings io. 16. and in Paul before his Converfion, Gal. 1. 14. Phil.3.6. and the unbelieving7ews, Ills 22.3. Rom. Io.2. So gracelefs Perfons may have earneft religious Defires, which may be like Balaam's Defires, which he exprefFes under an extraordinary View that he had of the happy State of God's People, as diftinguifhed from all the reft of the World, Numb. 23. 9, 1 o. They may alto have a ffrong Hope of eternal Life, as the Pharifees had. And as Men, while in a State of Nature, are capable of a Refem- blance of all Kinds of religious Affections, fo nothing hinders but that they may have many of them together. And what appears in Fact does abundantly evince that it is very often fo indeed. It feems com- monly to be fo, that when falle Affaions are railed high, there are many falle AfFeetions attend each other. The Multitude that atten- ded Chrift into ;ferufalem, after that great Miracle ofraifing Lazarus, feem to be moved with many religious Affe&ions at once, and all in a high Degree. They feem to be filled with Admiration, and there was a Shew of an high Affection of Love, and alto of a great Degree of Reverence, in their laying their Garments on the Ground, for Chrift to tread upon ; and alto of great Gratitude to him, for the great and goodWorks he had wrought, praifing him with loud Voices foe-

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