2. The taste intended follows hereon ; wherein consists the hfe and substance of the experience pleaded for. And this taste is a spiritual sense of the goodness, power, and efficacy of the word and the things contained in it, in the conveyance of the gi"ace of God unto our souls, in the instances mentioned, and others of a like nature ; for in a taste, there is a sweetness unto the palate, and a satisfaction unto the appe- tite. By the one in this taste, our minds are refreshed; and by the other, our souls are nourished ; — of both believers have an experience. And this is let into the mind by spiritual light, without which no- thing of it is attainable. " God, who commanded light to shine out of darkness," shine into your hearts, to give the light of the know- ledge of his glory " in the face of Jesus Christ," 2 Cor. iv. 6.
3. To complete the experience intended, there follows hereon a conformity in the whole soul and conversation unto the truth of the word, or the mind of God in it, wrought in us by its power and effi- cacy. So the apostle expresses it, Eph. iv. 20-24, " If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus : that ye put off concerning the former conversation, the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be re- newed in the sphit of your mind ; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness."
Hereupon follows our last principle, which is the immediate foun- dation of the ensuing discourse, or that Avhich is to be confirmed; and it is this: —
Principle V. The loss of an experience of the power of religion hath been the cause of the loss of the truth of religion; or it hath been the cause of rejecting its substance, and setting up a shadow or image in the room of it.
This transformation of all things in religion began and proceeded on these grounds. Those who had the conduct of it were always possessed of the general notions of truth, which they could not forego "without a total renunciation of the gospel itself. But, having lost all experience of this power in themselves, they wrested them unto things quite of another nature,— destructive to the truth, as well as devoid of its power; hereon it came to pass that there was a dead image made and set \vp of religion in all the parts of it, called by the name of that which was true and living, but utterly lost. All experience, I say, of the poAver and efficacy of the mystery of the gospel, and the
550 THE CHAMBER OF IMAGERY.
trutli of it, in communicating the grace of God unto the souls of men, being lost, retaining the c/eneral notion of it, they contrived and framed an outward image or representation of them, suited unto their ignorance and supei'stition. Thus was the tiaith of religion once al- most totally lost in the world, as we shall see ; neither will it ever be lost any other way, or by any other means. When churches or nations are possessed of the truth and the profession of it, it is not laws, nor fines, nor imprisonments, nor gibbets, nor fires, that shall ever dis- possess them or deprive them of it. Whilst an experience of the power of religion continued in the primitive times, all the bloody rage and cruelty of the world, all the craft of Satan, and the subtlety of seducers, who abounded, did utterly fail in attempting to deprive Christians of the tiiith, and the profession of it. But when this began to decay and be lost amongst them, they were quickly deceived, and draA\Ti off from the simplicity of the gospel. Upon the reformation of religion in these parts of the world, — when the truth was received in the love and ])ower of it, and multitudes had experience of the spiritual benefit and advantage which they received thereby, in liberty, holiness, and jieace, — all the jorisons, tortm-es, swords, and fires, that were applied unto its extirpation, did nothing but diffuse the profession of it, and root it more firmly in the minds of men. It cannot be lost but by another wa}^, and other means. The Jesuits and their associates have been, for a hundred years, contriving methods and arts for the dispos- sessing nations and churches of the truth which they have received, and the introducing the Romish superstition. They have Aviitten Tjooks about it, and practised according to their principles, in every kingdom and state of Europe who own the Protestant religion. But the folly of most of their pretended arts and devices unto this end hath been ridiculous and unsuccessful; and what they have added hereunto of force hath been divinely defeated. There is but one ivay, one effectual engine to deprive any people of the i^rofession of the truth which they have once received ; and that is, by leading them into such profancness and ignorance, as whereby they may lose all experience of its power and efiicacy in communicating the gi'ace of God unto their souls, and therein all sense of the advantage which they might haA'e had by it. When this is done, men will as easily lay aside the profession of religion as burdensome clothes in summer.