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liberty, and cherished with hope, has soon flowed out to their
abundant satisfaction and increase.
There is no one thing that I know of which God has made such a means of
promoting His work amongst us, as the news of others' conversion. This
has been owned in awakening sinners, engaging them earnestly to seek the
same blessing, and in quickening saints. Though I have thought that a
minister declaring his judgment about particular persons' experiences,
might from these things be justified; yet I often signify to my people
how unable man is to know another's heart, and how unsafe it is to
depend merely on the judgment of others. I have abundantly insisted,
that a manifestation of sincerity in fruits brought forth, is better
than any manifestation they can make of it in words alone: and that
without this, all pretences to spiritual experiences are vain. This all
my congregation can witness. And the people in general have manifested
an extraordinary dread of being deceived; being exceeding fearful lest
they should build wrong. Some of them have been backward to receive
hope, even to a great extreme, which has occasioned me to dwell longer
on this part of the narrative.
Conversion is a great and glorious work of God's power, at once changing
the heart, and infusing life
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