of some persons who are singular, and that of particular and singular persons: the next difficulty is, to find out how a person who acts so irrationally in religion, as he does in nothing else, can act so rationally in this important part of his conduct, which is religion, and which is, according to Timothy's account, going from year's end to year's end without any sense of his folly. In the first five pages Timothy lost both his Christian and his timorous souls; and in these last five pages he seems, like Abraham's ram, to be hung by the horns. However, I have not lost sight of my friend, though he has lost sight of himself.

Quot. This, however, renders it the more easy to distinguish between the formal and the sincere worshipper.

Answ. We must pay particular attention to this, reader, that we may live and learn. The difference between an irrational worshipper, who is rational in his worship; and between some persons who are singular, and singular persons; make it easy to distinguish between the formal and the sincere soul. This must pass for another undoubted evidence of Timothy's Christian; and to us an undoubted evidence of the author's un certainty in spiritual things.

Quot. Worship is a kind of touchstone; in and by this may be perceived who those are that worship in the Spirit, and who those are that are secure in the form.

Answ. This is no criterion, Timothy. Judas,

Demas, Alexander the coppersmith, Phygellus, Hermogenes, and Hymeneus, these were not secure in a form, nor did they worship God in the Spirit; they preached, prayed, and worshipped with spiritual gifts, and yet were nothing but outer-court worshippers: nor is it a matter to be so easily discerned by the weak and timorous, I mean the difference between men of great spiritual gifts, and men of real spiritual grace.

Quot. Many who understand by experience something of David's frame, yet are timorous, and fear to conclude themselves true worshippers.

Answ. And there is cause enough for it. For we see clearly in the word of God, that despairing hypocrites have had their horrible and terrible frames, under a sense of sin and wrath, as well as the saints; and that the way-side hearers have had their joyful and zealous frames; and such frames as these pass current in our days among many preachers and professors for the genuine experience of a work of grace, though we know it is not that experience that worketh hope: for the experience of pardon, of godly sorrow, of repentance, and of a broken and contrite heart, is not to be found in it.

Quot. I would recommend it to such to take particular notice how impossible it is for unregenerate men, though zealous for the form of religion, to worship God in the Spirit, as they evidently see Christians worship; and to observe that

nothing short of a real change can fit carnal men for worshipping God.

Answ. This will produce no satisfactory evidence, friend Timothy. Many made this a criterion respecting the state of the Sardine church: they took particular notice of her worship and worshippers; and they thought, as Timothy does, that nothing short of a real change could fit them for such worship as she paid to God, and they judged her to be a warm, zealous, and lively church, and spread her fame and name far and near as such, but they were all wrong: "And unto the angel of the church in Sardis, write, These things saith he that hath the seven spirits of God, and the seven stars: I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead." And as this was her real state, it is plain that her observers and admirers, who spread her fame, must be as destitute of light as she was of life, or as blind as she was dead. Besides, it is not every babe in babe in grace that can see the difference that there is between those who worship God in the Spirit, and those who worship with only spiritual gifts: the one is a sheep, the other is nothing but a wolf in a sheep's skin. We have a great number of preachers and professors in London, who pass for spiritual worshippers among many simple souls; and I think we shall have no small harvest if a third part of them are found at last to be of the highly-favoured number that worship God in spirit and in truth.

Quot. The understandings of such are not only dark, but their internal frame of heart is altogether unfit for such an exercise.

Answ. This is not true: the stony ground and thorny ground hearers, heard the word, and with joy received it, and sprung up into a profession suddenly, and their frames carried them on so rapidly that they outran all the rest, and fairly distanced the real godly themselves; but when they came to trial, the last was first, and the first last.

Quot. The objections some serious Christians are ready to make on account of finding themselves so frequently out of frame for worship, is only to make it evident that though their state is immutable, yet their frame is very uncertain; and this is what all experience.

Answ. The foolish virgins found themselves out of frame for worship when their lamps went out, and so did the stony ground hearers when their joys withered away; and so did the Arminian friend when detected at the feast for appearing without a wedding garment; but this is not that part of the experience of God's children that worketh hope.

Quot. The reason why such numbers go on their way drooping, with their hands hanging down, is, in some measure, occasioned by their not attending to that experience which is recorded in the word of God.

Answ. Timothy himself affects to attend to

the experience recorded in the word, but he cannot discover nor describe it, and all for the want of experience in his own heart; for it is the heart of the wise that teacheth his mouth: besides, the kingdom stands not in the word of experience, nor does it stand in the letter, but in the power of the Spirit as felt on the heart.

Quot. If we lightly esteem the means which God himself hath appointed, no wonder if the enemy gets an advantage over us.

Answ. Many are led lightly to esteem the means of grace, because there is no grace to be found in the means; what refreshment can be expected from a cloud without rain; what sure navigation from a wandering star; or what satisfaction from a well without water?

Quot. A Christian may be as sensible of the desires of his soul, as of the cravings of his body, but he frequently sees not how these prove himself to be born of God.

Answ. This doetrine would be rejected by every woman in the pains of child-birth in all the world; she desires and cries for deliverance, but friend Timothy would find it hard work to persuade her that the birth is over; and, when once she is delivered, she will give a better account of it than he can. Even so every troubled soul, that hath fear and torment, longs and desires for pardoning love, which casts out fear, and makes the birth clear. But their desiring this is no proof of their birth; nor can it be, for they are not born