tions and works. They are all as a pure heavenly flame of fire, in their love, and in the greatness and strength of their joy and gratitude: their praises are represented." as the noise of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder." Now, the only reason why their affections are so much higher than the holy affections of saints on earth is, they see the things by which they are affected, more according to their truth, and have their affections more conformed to the nature of things. And, therefore, if religious affections in men here below, are but of the same nature and kind with theirs, the higher they are, and the nearer they are to theirs in degree, the better; because therein they will be so much the more conformed to truth, as theirs are.

From these things it certainly appears, that religious affections being in a very high degree, is no evidence that they are not such as have the nature of true religion. Therefore they do greatly err, who condemn persons as enthusiasts, merely because their affections are very high.

And, on the other hand, it is no evidence that religious affections are of a spiritual and gracious nature, because they are great. It is very manifest by the holy Scripture, our sure and infallible rule to judge of things of this nature, that there are religious affections which are very high, that are not spiritual and saving. The apostle Paul speaks of affections in the Galatians, which had been exceedingly elevated, and of which yet he manifestly speaks, as fearing they were vain, and had come to nothing-"Where is the blessedness you spake of? for I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, you would have

plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me." And he tells them," he was afraid of them, lest he had bestowed upon them labour in vain." The children of Israel were greatly affected with God's mercy to them, when they had seen how wonderfully he wrought for them at the Red Sea, where they sang God's praise, though they soon forgat his works. They were greatly affected again at Mount Sinai, when they saw the marvellous manifestations God made of himself there: and, when God proposed his holy covenant to them, with great forwardness made answer, saying, "All that the Lord hath spoken will we do, and be obedient."

But how soon was there an end to all this mighty forwardness and engagedness of affection! how quickly were they turned aside after other gods, rejoicing and shouting around their golden calf! So great multitudes, who were affected with the miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead, were elevated to a high degree, and made a mighty ado, when Jesus presently after entered into Jerusalem, exceedingly magnifying Christ, as though the ground were not good enough for the ass he rode to tread upon; and therefore cut down branches of palm-trees, and strewed them in the way; yea, pulled off their garments, and spread them in the way; and cried with loud voices, "Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest." We learn, by the evangelist John, that the reason why the people made this ado, was because they were affected with the miracle of raising Lazarus. Here was a vast multitude crying Hosanna on this occasion, so that it gave occasion to the Pharisees to say, "Behold the world

is gone after him;"-but Christ had at that time but few true disciples. And how quickly was this ado at an end !—all this is quelled and dead, when this same Jesus stands bound, with a mock robe and a crown of thorns, to be derided, spit upon, scourged, condemned, and executed. Indeed there was a great and loud outcry concerning him, among the multitude then, as well as before; but of a very different kind: it is not then, Hosanna, Hosanna, but Crucify, Crucify!

And it is the concurring voice of all orthodox divines, that there may be religious affections,* which are raised to a very high degree, and yet have nothing of true religion.

CHAPTER II.

It is no sign that Affections have the nature of true Religion, or that they have not, that they have great effects on the Body.

ALL affections whatsoever, have, in some respect or degree, an effect on the body. Such is our nature, and such are the laws of union of soul and body, that the mind can have no lively or vigorous exercise, without some effect upon the body. So subject is the body to the mind, and so much do its fluids, especially the animal spirits, attend the motions and exercises of the mind, that there cannot be so much

* Mr. Stoddard observes, "That common affections are sometimes stronger than saving."-Guide to Christ, p. 21.

as an intense thought, without an effect upon them. Yea, it is questionable, whether an imbodied soul ever so much as thinks one thought, or has any exercise at all, but there is some corresponding motion, or alteration of motion, of the fluids, in some part of the body. But universal experience shows, that the exercise of the affections have, in a special manner, a tendency to produce some sensible effect upon the body. And if all affections have some effect on the body, we may well suppose, the greater those affections are, and the more vigorous their exercise, (other circumstances being equal,) the greater will be the effect on the body. Hence it is not to be wondered at, that very great and strong exercises of the affections should have great effects on the body. And, therefore, since there are very great affections, both common and spiritual, it is not to be wondered at, that great effects on the body should arise from both these kinds of affections. And, consequently, these effects are no signs that the affections from which they arise are of one kind or the other.

Great effects on the body are no sure evidences that affections are spiritual; for we see that such effects often arise from great affections about temporal things, in which religion is no way concerned. And if great affections about secular things, that are purely natural, have these effects, I know not by what rule we should determine, that high affections about religious things, which arise in like manner from nature, cannot have the like effect.

Nor, on the other hand, do I know of any rule they have to determine, that gracious and holy affections, when raised as high as any natural affections,

and have equally strong and vigorous exercises, cannot have a great effect on the body. No such rule can be drawn from reason: I know no reason why being affected with a view of God's glory should not cause the body to faint, as well as being affected with a view of Solomon's glory. No such rule has been produced from the Scripture; and none has ever been found, in all the late controversies which have been about things of this nature. There is a great power in spiritual affections: we read of the power which worketh in Christians,* and of the Spirit of God being in them, as the Spirit of power,† and of the effectual working of his power in them,‡ yea, of the working of God's mighty power in them.§ But man's nature is weak: flesh and blood are represented in Scripture as exceedingly weak, and particularly with respect to its unfitness for great spiritual and heavenly operations and exercises. The text speaks of " joy unspeakable, and full of glory." And who that considers what man's nature is, and what the nature of the affections are, can reasonably doubt but that such unutterable and glorious joys may be too great and mighty for weak dust and ashes, so as considerably to overbear it? It is evident by the Scripture, that true divine discoveries, or ideas of God's glory, when given in a great degree, have a tendency, by affecting the mind, to overbear the body; because the Scripture often teaches us, that if these ideas or views should be given to such a degree as they are given in heaven, the weak frame of the body could not subsist under it, and that no man can, in that man

* Eph. iii. 7. + 2 Tim. i. 7. + Eph. iii. 7, 20.

§ Eph. i. 19.