PART II. to d ingztifh 4feelions. 79 cholly, doarinal Ignorance, Prejudices of Education, wrong Inftrue- tion, falle Principles, peculiar Temptations, &c. Fear is call out by the Spirit of God, no other Way than by the prevailing of Love : Nor is it ever maintained by his Spirit, when Love is afleep. At fuck a Time, in vain is all the Saint's Self-Exa- minations, and poring on pall Experience, in order to eflablifb his Peace,and get Affurance. For it is contra'y to theNature ofThings, as God bath conf+ituted them, that he ihouid have Affurance at fuch a Time. They therefore, do diredfly thwart God's wife and gracious Confti- tution of Things, who exhort others to be confident in their Hope, when in dead Frames ; tinder a Notion of living by Faith, and not by Sight, and trufling God in the Dark, and living upon Chilli', and not upon Experience; ; and warn them not to Doubt of their good Eilate, leaf+ they fnould be guilty of the dreadful Sin of Unbelief. And it has a direa Tendency to eltablifh the moil prefumptuousHypocrites, and to prevent their ever calling their State in Qiel+ion, how much -foever Wickednefs rages, and reigns in their Hearts, and prevails in their Lives ; under a Notion of honouring God, by hoping againfr Hope, and confidently mating in God, when Things look very dark. And doubtlefs waft has been the Mifchief, that has been done this Way. Perfons can't be laid to forfakeChriff, and live theirExperiences of the Exercifes of Grace, meerly becaufe they take them and ufe them as Evidences of Grace ; for there are no other Evidences that they can or ought to take. But then may Perfons be Paid to live up- on their Experiences, when they make a Righteoufnefs of them ; and inffead of keeping their Eye on God's Glory, and Chrift's Ex- cellency, they turn their Eyes off thefe-Gbjeas without :them; on to themfelves, to entertain their Minds, by viewing their own :Attain-, ments, and high Experiences, and the great Things they have met with, and are bright and beautiful in their own Eyes, and are rich and encreafed "withGoods, in their ownApprehenfìons, and think that God has as admiring an Efteem of them, on the fame Account, as they have of themfelves : This is living on Experiences,. and not on Chrift ; and is more abominable in the Sight of God, than the profs Immoralities of thole who make no Pretences to Religion. - But this is a far different. Thing from a meet. improving Experiences as Evi- dences of an Interco in a glorious Redeemer. But to return from this Digreffion, I would mention .one Thing more under the general Head that.í am upon. XII. Nothing can be certainly concluded concerning the Nature of religious Afedlions, that any are.the Subjeas of, from this, that the outward Manifeffations of them; and the ,gelationrPerfons, give of them..
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