IERM. IiI.] INWARD WITNESS TO CHRISTIANITY. 35 t you read of Jonathan, in the day when he was faint in pursuing his enemies, he tasted of the honey, and his eyes were enlightened, 1 Sam. xiv. 27. Just so will it be with the soul that bath tasted of the gospel of Christ, this food of eternal life ; he will discover it in his lan- guage, in his behaviour; and it is a shame to those that profess to be believers, that in all things they look so much like the men of this world, and do not discover it in their lives, and witness what they have in their hearts, even the beginning of eternal life : If we are the epistle of Christ, we shall be, in some measure, known and read of all men, 2 Cor. iii. 2, 3. Christianity in the soul, eternal life begun in the heart, will be like the sweet ointment of the right-hand, that bewrays itself, and cannot be hid, Prov. xxvii. 16. Ye christians, ye are the light of the earth, ye believers are the salt of the world ; ye must not appear like others,- ifyou would be like yourselves ; the honour of God your Saviour de- mands some sensible and important difference. Ye must not be too much like the world, if ye mean to give glory or evidence to the religionof Christ, Johnxv. 19. Rom. xii. 2. III. Though this inward evidence of the truth ofchris- tinity be of a spiritual nature, and spring from pious experience, yet it is a very rational evidence also, and may be made out and justified to the strictest reason. It is no vain, fanciful, and enthusiastic business; for while every believer feels the argument working strong in his heart and soul, he finds also the convincing force of it upon his understanding; While he feels his inward powers sweetly inclined to virtue and holiness, which by nature had strong inclination to sensuality and sin, and knows that this was wrought in him purely by the gos- pel of Christ; he cannot but infer, that must be a di- vine principle which has such divine effects. He knows that he was once blind and dead in trespasses and sins, but now he is awake, and alive to God and to righte- ousness ; he is born again, he dwells, as it were, in a new world, there is a mighty and surprising change past upon him, even from death to life ; and thence he con- cludes, by the justest rules of reasoning, that it must be a doctrine of divine wisdom and power, that gave A2
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