glory and wonderfulness of the dying love of Christ;
and some with the sufficiency and preciousness of His blood, as offered
to make an atonement for sin; and others with the value and glory of His
obedience and righteousness. In some the excellency and loveliness of
Christ, chiefly engages their thoughts; in some His divinity, that He is
indeed the Son of the living God; and in others, the excellency of the
way of salvation by Christ, and the suitableness of it to their
necessities.

Some have an apprehension of these things so given, that it seems more
natural to them to express it by sight or discovery, others think what
they experience is better expressed by the realizing conviction, or a
lively or feeling sense of heart; meaning, as I suppose, no other
difference but what is merely circumstantial or gradual.

There is, often, in the mind, some particular text of Scripture, holding
forth some evangelical ground of consolation; sometimes a multitude of
texts, gracious invitations and promises flowing in one after another,
filling the soul more and more with comfort and satisfaction. Comfort is
first given to some, while reading some portion of Scripture; but in
some it is attended with no particular Scripture at all, either in
reading or meditation. In some, many divine things seem to be discovered
to the soul as it were at once; others have their minds especially
fixing on some one thing at first, and afterwards a sense is given of
others; in some with a swifter, and others a slower succession, and
sometimes with interruptions of much darkness.

The way that grace seems sometimes first to appear, after legal
humiliation, is in earnest longings of soul after God and Christ: to
know God, to love Him, to be humble before Him, to have communion with
Christ i