tafte, what belongs to the material world into which he enters.

II. Thefe declarations of the Lord, his pro❤ phets, and apostles, need no confirmation. Nevertheless, to fhew you, Sir, that I do not miftake their meaning, I fhall add the teftimony of our own excellent Church. As fhe ftriftly agrees with the fcripture, fhe makes alfo frequent mention of fpiritual fenfations, and you know, Sir,, that fenfations neceffarily fuppofe fenfes. She

prays, that God would "give us a due Jenfe of his. ineftimable love in the redemption of the world, by our Lord Jefus Chrift." She begs, that he would "make us know and feel there is no other name than that of Jefus, whereby we muft: be faved." She affirms, that true penitents; feel the burden of their fins intolerable;"+ that godly perfons feel in themselves the workings of Chrift's Spirit;" that "the Lord fpeaks presently to us in the fcriptures, to the great and endless comfort of all that have any feeling of God in them at all;" that " godly men felt, inwardly, the Holy Ghost inflaming their hearts with the fear and love of God, and that they are miferable wretches, who have no feeling of God within them at all:" And, that: "if we feel the heavy burden of our fins preffing our fouls, and tormenting us with the fear of death hell and damnation, we muft fteadfastly behold Chrift crucified, with the eyes of our heart."**

Our Church farther declares, that "true Dd 3 faith

*Thanksgiving. Office for the Sick.

+Communion.

***

$17 Article. Hom, on certain places of fcripture. Hom. on the Paffion.

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faith is not in the mouth and outward profeffion only, but liveth and firreth inwardly in the heart, and that if we feel and perceive fuch a faith in us, we must rejoice:"* That " correction, though painful, bringeth with it a taste of God's goodnels:" That, "if after contrition, we feel our confciences at peace with God, through the remiffion of our fin, it is God, who worketh that great miracle in us;" and fhe prays, that, as this knowledge and feeling is not in ourselves, and, as by ourselves, it is not poffible to come by it, the Lord would give us grace to know these things, and feel them in our hearts." She begs, that "God would affift us with his Holy Spirit, that we may hearken to the voice of the good Shepherd." She fets us upon afking continually, that the Lord would "lighten our darkness," and deliver us from the two heavieft plagues of Pharaoh," blindness and hardness of heart." And, fhe affirms, that if we will be profitable hearers of the fcriptures, we must keep under our carnal fenfes, taken by the outward words, fearch the inward meaning, and give place to the Holy Ghoft," whofe peculiar office it is to open our fpiritual fenfes, as he opened Lydia's heart.**

If I did not think the teftimony of our bleffed Reformers, founded upon that of the facred writers, of sufficient weight to turn the fcale of your fentiments, I could throw in the declarations of many ancient and modern divines. To inftance

Hom. on the fear

*Hom on Faith ft and 3d Part. of Death, 2d Part. Hom. for Rogation week 3d Part. Hom. on Repent. 2d Part. Even. prayer and Litany. **Hom. on certain Places of Scrip.

inftance in two or three only. St. Cyrill, in the xiii Book of his Treafure, affirms, that, "men know Jefus is the Lord, by the Holy Ghoft, no otherwife than they, who tafle honey, know it is fweet, even by its proper quality." Dr. Smith of Queen's Coll. Cambridge, in his felect difcourfes, obferves, after Plotinus, that "God is beft difcerned vоεcã Tη áp by an intellectual touch of him." We muft, fays he,

fee with our eyes, to use St. John's words; we must hear with our ears, and our hands must handle the word of life, έτι γὰρ ψυχῆς αισθησις τις for the foul hath its fenfe as well as the body." And Bishop Hopkins, in his treatife on the new birth, accounts for the Papifts denying the knowledge of falvation, by faying," It is no wonder, that they who will not truft their natural fenfes in the doctrine of tranfubftantiation fhould not truft their fpiritual ones in the doctrine of affurance."

III. But instead of proving the point by multiplying quotations, let me intreat you, Sir, to weigh the following obfervations in the balance of Reason.

1. Do not all grant, there is fuch a thing as moral fenfe in the world, and that to be utterly void of it, is to be altogether unfit for focial life? If you had given a friend the greateft proofs of your love, would not he be inexcufable, if he felt no gratitude, and had abfolutely no fenfe of your kindness. Now, if moral fenfe and feeling are univerfally allowed, between man and man, in civil life, why fhould it appear incredible, or irrational, that there fhould be fuch a thing, between God and man, in the divine life?

**

****

4. To conclude, if material objects cannot be perceived by man in his present ftate, but through the medium of one or other of his bodily fenfes, by a parity of reason, spiritual objects cannot be discovered, but through one or other of the fenfes, which belong to the inward man. God being a Spirit, cannot be worshipped in truth, unless he is known in Spirit. You may as foon imagine, how a blind man, by reafoning on what he feels or taftes, can get true ideas of light and colours, as how one, who has no fpiritual fenfes opened, can, by all his reafoning and gueffing, attain an experimental knowledge of the invifible God.

Thus, from the joint teftimony of SCRIPTURE, of our CHURCH, and of REASON, it appears, that fpiritual fenfes are a bleffed reality. I have dwelt fo long on the proof of their existence for two reasons. First, They are of infinite use in religion. Saving faith cannot subfist and a& without them. If St. Paul's definition of that grace be juft, if it is "the fubftance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not feen," it must be a principle of spiritual life, more or lefs, attended with the exercise of these fenses; according to the poetic and evangelical lines of Dr. Young

"My heart awake, FEEL the great truths: TO FEEL is to be fired, And to believe, Lorenzo, is to FEEL."

Till profeffors fee the neceffity of believing, in this manner, they reft in a refined form of godlinefs. To the confidence of the Antinomians, they may, indeed, join the high profeffion of the foolish virgins. They may even crown their partial affent to the truths of the gospel with the zeal of Pharifees, and the regularity of moralifts: but ftill they ftop fhort of the new creation, the new birth, the life of God in the foul of man. Nay more, they ftumble at some of the most important truths of Chriftianity, and think the discoveries, that found believers have of Chrift and the spiritual world, are enthusiastical delufions, or, at leaft, extraordinary favours, which they can very well do without. Thus, even while they allow the power of godliness in others, they reft satisfied without experiencing it in themselves.

Secondly, What I fhall write will depend very much on the existence of fpiritual fenfes; and if this letter convinces you, that they are opened in every new born foul, you will more eafily believe, Chrift can and does manifeft himfelf by that proper medium; and my letters on divine manifestations will meet with a lefs prejudiced reader.

That Emmanuel, the light of the world, may direct me to write with foberness and truth, and you to read with attention and candour, is the fincere prayer of, Sir, Yours &c.

SECOND