A discourse of the work of the Holy Spirit in prayer with a brief…

Again, As the whole of this kind of Prayer is useless as to the Benefit and Edification of the Church or any member of it; so it is impossible there should ever be any certainty about the Raptures wherein it is pretended to consist, but they must everlastingly be the subject of contention and dispute. For who shall assure me that the ⟨p. 198⟩Persons pretending unto these Duties or Enjoyments are not mere pretenders? Any man that lives, if he have a mind unto it, may say such things, or use such expressions concerning himself. If a man indeed shall pretend and declare that he doth, or enjoyeth such things as are expressed in the Word of God as the Duty or privilege of any, and thereon are acknowledged by all to be things in themselves true and real, and likewise attainable by Believers, he is ordinarily, so far as I know, to be believed in his Profession, unless he can be convicted of falsehood by any thing inconsistent with such Duties or Enjoyments. Nor do I know of any great Evil in our credulity herein, should we happen to be deceived in or by the Person so professing, seeing he speaks of no more than all acknowledge it their Duty to endeavour after. But when any one shall pretend unto spiritual actings or Enjoyments which are neither prescribed nor promised in the Scripture, nor are investigable in the Light of Reason, no man is upon this mere profession obliged to give credit thereunto; Nor can any man tell what evil effect or Consequences his so doing may produce. For when men are once taken off from that sure Ground of ⟨p. 199⟩Scripture, and their own understandings, putting themselves afloat on the uncertain Waters of fancies or conjectures, they know not how they may be tossed; nor whither they may be driven. If it shall be said, that the Holiness and Honesty of the Persons by whom these especial privileges are enjoyed, are sufficient Reason why we should believe them in what they profess; I answer, they would so in a good measure, if they did not pretend unto things repugnant unto Reason and unwarranted by the Scripture, which is sufficient to crush the Reputation of any mans Integrity. Nor can their Holiness and Honesty be proved to be such, as to render them absolutely impregnable against all Temptations, which was the preeminence of Christ alone.

Again, As the whole of this kind of Prayer is useless as to the Benefit and Edification of the Church or any member of it; so it is impossible there should ever be any certainty about the Raptures wherein it is pretended to consist, but they must everlastingly be the subject of contention and dispute. For who shall assure me that the