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the thing; and accordingly, I observe, that impreffions may be stronger, or weaker, or they may minifter more, or less immediate pleasure to the mind; the subject matter impreffed, when confidered abftractedly from the impreffion, may also be confidered as certain, or probable, or neither; and it may be of greater or less importance, or of no importance at all; it may be of concern to fome one, or more, of our species, or of general concern to the whole; it may relate to things fpiritual, or temporal; to things past, prefent, or to come; thefe are fome of the moft material circumftances, which may be fuppofed to attend the cafe, and in which one impreffion may be distinguished from another. But then, as to the fecond enquiry, viz. what circumstances are peculiar to divine impreffons, by which they may be distinguished, and certainly known, from all other impreffions, which may be made upon the mind, this I am utterly at a loss to discover. Whether divine impreffions are fronger, or weaker, than other impreffions; or whether they give more, or less, immediate pleasure to the mind; and fo on this I cannot poffibly come at the knowledge of, as I have no rule to judge by, nor can I have

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any light or information from the case itfelf; fo that after all my care I may be under a delufion, if I admit the fuppofition, that the impreffion was divine; because I have no way by which I can diftinguish, with certainty, divine impreffions from all other impreffions, which may be made upon my mind. And, if this is of neceffity the cafe with me, then, I think, it must be the fame with all other men. And, if I am difqualified for diftinguishing divine impreffions from any other impreffions, which may be made upon my own mind; then, furely, I must be rather more fo with refpect to the impreffions that are made upon the minds of other men. And this, I hope, will be admitted as a fufficient excufe for my not blindly fubmitting to what may be dictated to me as a divine oracle, by those who may confider themselves to have been favoured with divine impreffions, and extraordinary divine illuminations. To fay, that divine impreffions can no other ways be diftinguished, and certainly known, than by an experimental feeling of the thing itself, which feeling cannot be described, or expressed, and therefore, cannot be explained to others; this, I think, is taking fanctuary in darkness, and feems to favour ftrongly of I delufion,

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delufion, or impofition. If, when ideas are impreffed upon the mind, there is fomething felt, which cannot be expressed; then, the question is, how do we certainly know that what is thus felt is of God? And, if we have no rule to judge by, in the present cafe, but are guided by mere imagination; we think it is divine, therefore it is fo; then, this inexpreffible feeling leaves the cafe in the same perplexity and uncertainty as before there is fomething felt, which cannot be defcribed, and what is thus felt is presumed to be by, or from the immediate operation of God, without any thing to ground the prefumption upon; this, I think, is the fum of the evidence, which arifes from thofe inexpreffible feelings abovementioned. Whether God does immediately interpofe, and impress ideas upon the minds of men, or not, is what I cannot certainly determine, with respect to either fide of the question, because I have not wherewith to ground such a determination upon; and, therefore, I shall only obferve, that if God does interpofe, as aforefaid, then, whether this be confidered as a part of the original scheme of God's general providence, by which he proposed to govern the world, by conftantly impreffing

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on men's minds fuch images as each one's respective cafe might render ufeful to him, or whether it be confidered as an act of God's Special providence, for the removing fuch errors and evils, as, thro' the weakness or vileness of men, may have been introduced, and become greatly injurious to mankind; I say, whether a divine interpofition, as aforefaid, be confidered as one, or the other, of these, it feems to be fuitable to, and altogether worthy of the divine wisdom and goodnefs, for the Deity to interpofe, in fuch a way, as that every man may distinguish, with certainty, divine impreffions from all other impreffions, that may be made upon his mind; because, without this, mankind are in a moft unguarded and unfafe ftate, as without it they lie greatly exposed to delufion and impofition, and confequently, to those very errors and evils, which divine impreffions are fuppofed to relieve them from; but then, as this does not appear to have been done, therefore it becomes the more doubtful, whether there be any fuch thing as divine impreffions on men's minds. If it should be faid, that the nature of the thing does not admit of any rule, or way, by which divine impreffions may be distinguished, with certainty,

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tainty, from all other impreffions that may be made upon the mind; and as this is out of the reach of divine wisdom and power to effect, fo it is what we are not to feek after nor expect; if this be the cafe, it will follow, not only that it must always be a matter of uncertainty, whether there be any fuch thing as divine impreffions on mens minds, but also there will be a ftrong prefumption of the contrary; because divine impreffions, without a certain rule, whereby to distinguish them from all other impreffions, cannot instruct and guide, but only perplex and diftress mankind; which, furely, the supreme Deity is not difpofed to do. Suppose it should be ftrongly impreffed upon a man's mind, that it is his duty, and what God requires and expects from him, at the close of every day, to plunge his whole body under water, as a token of his penitence for the fins he had been guilty of the day paft, and of God's mercy in the forgiveness of them; or fuppofe, it fhould be impreffed upon his mind, that it is his duty to cut and wound his body, in fome particular part, at fome certain times, as a token of his abhorrence of himself for his tranfgreffions, and of what he might justly expect, were God severe in punishing him

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