Edwards - BX7230 .E4 1746

50 What are no Signs PART II. for his Salvation ; and earneft Defires of the Coming of God's King- dom, which they fuppofed 7efus was now about to fet up, and (hewed great Hopes and railed Expectations of it, elecîing it would immedi- ately appear, and hence were filled with Toy, by which they were fo animated in their Acclamations, as to make the whole City ring with the Noire of them ; and appear'd great in their Zeal and Forward- nefs to attend Jefus, and afiìtt him without further Delay, now in the Time of the great Feaft of the Par, ver, to fet up his Kingdom. And it is eafy, from Nature, and the Nature of the Affections, to give an Account why, when one Affee`tion is railed very high, that it fhould excite others ; efpecially if the Af edion which is railed high, be that of counterfeit Love, as it was in the Multitude who cried Hofanna. This will naturally draw many other Affections after it. For, as was obferved before, Love is the Chief of the Affections, and as it were the Fountain of them. Let us fuppofe a Perfon who has been for fame Time in great Exercife and Terror thro' Fear of Hell, and his Heart weaken'd with Diftrefs and dreadful Apprehenfions, and upon the Brink of Defpair, and is all at once deliver'd, by being firmly made to believe, thro' fome Delufion of Satan, that God has pardon'd him, and accepts him as the Object of his dear Love, and promifes him eternal Life : as fuppofe thro' fome Vifion, or ftrong Idea or Imagination, fuddenly excited in him, of aPerfon with a beau- tiful Countenance, fmiling on him, and with Arms open, and with Blood dropping down, which the Perfon conceives to be Chrift, with- out any other Enlightning of the Underftanding, to give a View of the fpiritual divine Excellency of Chrift and his Fulnefs, and of the Way of Salvation reveal'd in the Gofpel ; or perhaps by fome Voice or Words coming as if they were fpoke to him, filch as thofe, Son, be ofgoodCheer, thy Sins beforgiven thee, or, Fear not, it is'the Father's good Pleafure to give you theKingdom, which he takes to be immediate- ly fpoken by God to him, tho' there was no preceeding Acceptance of Chrift, or clofingof the Heart with him : I fay, if we fhould fup- pofe fuch a Cafe,what variousPaffions would naturally croud at once, or one after another, into fuch a Perfon's Mind ? It is eafy to be ac- counted for, from meer Principles of Nature, that a Perfons Heart, on fuch an Occafion, fhould be raifed up to the Skies with`Tranfports of Joy, and be fill'd with fervent Affection, to that imaginary God of Redeemer, who he fuppofes has thus refcued him from the Jaws of inch dreadful Deftrudtion, that his Soul was fo amazed with the Fears of, and has received him with inch Endearment, as a peculiar Favourite ; and that now he fhould be fill'd with Admiration and Gratitude, and his Mouth fhould be open'd, and be full of Talk a- bout what he has experienc'd ; and that, for a while, he fhould think and fpeak of fcarce any Thing elfe, and fhould feem to magnify that God who has done fa much for him, and call upon others to rejoice with

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