taught in the Word of God.

It is not every affecting view that men have of the things of religion
that is this spiritual and divine light. Men by mere principles of
nature are capable of being affected with things that have a special
relation to religion as well as other things. A person by mere nature,
for instance, may be liable to be affected with the story of Jesus
Christ, and the sufferings He underwent, as well as by any other
tragical story; he may be the more affected with it from the interest
he conceives mankind to have in it; yea, he may be affected with it
without believing it; as well as a man may be affected with what he
reads in a romance, or sees acted in a stage play. He may be affected
with a lively and eloquent description of many pleasant things that
attend the state of the blest in heaven, as well as his imagination
be entertained by a romantic description of the pleasantness of
fairy-land, or the like. And that common-belief of the truth of the
things of religion, that persons may have from education or otherwise,
may help forward their affection. We read in Scripture of many that
were greatly affected with things of a religious nature, who yet are
there presented as wholly graceless, and many of them very ill men. A
person therefore may have affecting views of religion, and yet be very
destitute of spiritual light. Flesh and blood may be the author of
this; one man may give another an affecting view of divine things but
common assistance: but God alone can give a spiritual discovery of
them.

But I proceed to show positively what this spiritual and divine light
is.

And it may be thus described: a true sense of the divine excellency of