them now see thefe evils to be offenfive to God, and deftructive to their fouls? Shall we tell them, who under the greatest uneafinefs, enquire at us, what they fhall do to get an intereft and faith in Jefus Chrift, that Satan is deluding them, when they have or fhew any concern this way? In fine, fhall we pray and recommend it to them, to pray to deliver them from fuch delufions? It would be worse than devilish, to treat the Lord's fighing and groaning prifoners at this rate. And yet fuch treatment is a natural confequence of reckoning this the work of the devil, and a delufion.

There are only two other objections I fhall endeavour to take off because they are popular, and have reached even unto us.

The first is taken from the notoriety and obfervablenefs of this work. They object that it cannot be the work of the Holy Ghoft, and any real true converfion which is fo open to public notice, and makes fo much noife; for our Lord faith, Luke xvii. 20. The kingdom of God cometh not with obfervation.

It is matter of wonder, that this objection fhould have its rife from them, who fhould be able, and careful to look beyond the translation to the original, and if they have, its not confiftent with honefty, to make fuch an objection, feeing they cannot but know, that the Greek word refers to fuch earthly pomp, grandeur of equipage, and attendance wherewith earthly kings ufed to make their public appearances, or as our tranflators give the word otherwife upon the margin, with outward fhow. Beza's note upon this fcripture, is both fhort and good, and therefore I give the meaning of it rather in his words than my own. The kingdom of God cometh not with obferva- · 'tion, that is, With any outward pomp and fhew of majefty to be known by: for there were otherwise 'many plain and evident tokens, whereby men might have understood, that Chrift was the Meffias, whofe

kingdom was fo long looked for: but he fpeaketh in this place of thefe figns which the Pharifees dreamed of, who looked for an earthly kingdom of 'the Meffias.' Our Lord doth not in the leaft infinuate that the coming of the kingdom of God in the converfion of Jews and Gentiles was to be filently fet up without noife and unobferved, for this would have been contrary to fact. Did not the Spirit's work of converfion at Samaria quickly reach the ears of the church at Jerufalem? Were not the converfions from Paganism to Christianity with obfervation? Is any notoriously profane and wicked perfon in any congregation convicted, and his life reformed without obfervation? The remark of the Rev. Mr. Cooper in his preface to Mr. Edwards fermon formerly quoted, is very juft: after mentioning the uncommon appearances accompanying this work: he fays, If it were 'not thus the work of the Lord would not be fo much regarded and fpoken of; and fo God would not have 'fo much of the glory of it: nor would the work itfelf be like to fpeed fo faft; for God hath evidently 'made ufe of example and difcourfe in carrying it ' on.'

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May a fovereignly gracious God make his work foon appear to his fervants through the whole land, and his glory unto their children. May the heavenly influence, like lightning, fly from congregation to congregation, alarming every unconverted finner, and filling their hearts and lips with importunate inquires, What fhall we do to be faved."

The fecond objection is taken from these called Camizars a part of the barbaroufly perfecuted and oppreffed Proteftants in France after the revocation of the edict of Nantes. They appeared in the Cevennes, a barren and defert country (it is to be observed that the Affociate Presbytery have been so fond of muftering up different kinds of enthufiafts, that in their late act they have instanced the Camizars and Cevennes as different, though they were the same, and called Cevennes from the country where they moftly ap

peared,) there were a number among them who pretended to inspiration, and if the accounts we have of them be genuine, by that inspiration they gave exhortations to repentance, and foretold several things which the event hath proven falfe. Other things are reported of them that there is reason to believe were fictious. Many of them came over to London about and after the year 1702. The hiftory of whom was given in English by one Lacy, which hath been handed about here by fome enemies to this work of God. They were under frequent bodily agitations, convulfions and extraordinary motions, and it is pretended that their case is the fame with ours, and seeing they were under delusion, this must be a delufion also.

To fatisfy fuch who have been practifed upon: I would have them to obferve firft, that as those bodily agitations are no evidence of perfons being under any operations of the Spirit of God, elfe all the perfons under convulfions, cramps, hifterifms, &c. would be fuch: fo upon the other hand they are no evidence that these thus affected are under a fpirit of delufion; for several of the prophets of old had fometimes extraordinary motions upon their bodies; and many have them in the way of bodily diseases, which phyficians fay proceed from natural causes. So that the bodily agitations confidered in themselves are no fymptoms of perfons being under the influence either of a good or bad spirit.

There is the greatest disparity and unlikeness between the cafe of the Camizars and these affected among us. The Camizars had their bodily agitations from a fupernatural power, as they declare in the forefaid book of Lacy's. The diftreffes upon the bodies of our people proceed in a natural way, from the great fear of God's wrath, wherewith their minds are feized, because of a state of unbelief they are deeply convinced of. The Camizars pretended inspiration, and if what they declared of themselves be true, they

understood not fometimes what they uttered, neither did they remember it afterwards. Their organs

were moved and ufed in fpeaking, by fome fupernatural power, without their own will and influence of their natural powers. None of our people ever pretended in the leaft to inspiration, they give a rational account of themselves, know and remember what they fay and do. The Camizars continued many years under their bodily agitations whenever their pretended infpirations feized them, and thefe did not proceed from any apprehenfion of the wrath of God due to them because of their fins. Our people are delivered from these bodily diftreffes, which do not return upon them again, when they are delivered from their fears. Among the Camizars their pretended infpired teachers were only affected, and that while they were uttering their revelations. Amongst us only fome of our hearers, who through the power of the Holy Spirit, are by the word convinced of their fin and danger. The exhortations of the Camizars to repentance and amendment of life, were without any mixture of the gofpel concerning Jefus Christ, and the principles, means, and motives to repentance revealed therein. In ours a work of conviction is distinctly carried on to a work of saving converfion in many, according to the doctrine of the gofpel, and by the influence thereof.

After this fair stating of the difference between the Camizars and the fpiritually diftreffed amongst us, I leave it to the impartial reader to judge whether there is the leaft shadow of reafon to compare this work to the delufion of the Camizars. And if it be not the most unfair dealing to do fo in a general way to the ftumbling of weak people, while they themselves cannot but know if they looked at all into the history of thefe people, that there is no fuch likeness between their cafe and that of ours as to warrand the objection. There are now, bleffed be the Lord, many

inftances in several corners of this church, of a saving work of converfion witneffing that this is the work of the Spirit of God, and that the kingdom of God is come nearer to us than ever.

I hope my reader will bear with my taking occafion from this objection to expoftulate a little with my brethren of the Seceffion, who compare this work of the Holy Spirit to the delufion of the Camizars.

My dear brethren, my hearts defire and prayer to God for you is, That he may open your eyes, to fee the many mistakes you labour under, give you repentance to the acknowledging of the truth, and forgive the thoughts of your heart, and the words of your lips uttered now both against God, and your brethren, flandering your own mother's fons. Whatever bitter names you and your party give us, whatever bitter reproaches you caft upon us, and how much foever you magnify yourselves against us, faying to us, Bow down, that we may go over; we take all patiently: and there are thousands of witneffes, that we return you bleffing for curfing, and pray for you who defpitefully ufe us. We would lay our bodies as the ground, and as the street for you to go over, if it could in the leaft contribute, to remove your prejudices, and advance the kingdom of our dear Redeemer: but we cannot look upon the guilt you have brought yourfelves and many others under, without the deepest grief; and upon the oppofition you give us in our moft fincere and hearty endeavours, to recover finners out of the snare of the devil, and win them to Jefus Chrift, without the moft zealous concern.

I had a paper tranfmitted to me by the Monday's poft entitled, Act of the Affociate Prefbytery, anent a public faft, dated at Dunfermline, the 15th of July. 1742, full of great fwelling words, altogether void of the Spirit of the meek and lowly Jefus, and the most heaven daring paper, that hath been published by fet of men in Britain these hundred years past.

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