First, on principles of reason. For how easy is it to suppose, that a strong, lively and sudden apprehension of the heinousness of sin, the wrath of God, and the bitter pains of eternal death, should affect the body as well as the soul, during the present laws of vital union; should interrupt or disturb the ordinary circulations, and put nature out of its course? Yea, we may question, whether while this union subsists, it be possible for the mind to be affected, in so violent a degree, without some or other of those bodily symptoms following? It is likewise easy to account for these things, on principles of scripture. For when we take a view of them in this light, we are to add to the consideration of natural causes, the agency of those spirits who still excel in strength, and as far as they have leave from God, will not fail to torment whom they cannot destroy; to _tear_ those _that are coming_ to Christ. It is also remarkable, that there is plain scripture precedent of every symptom which has lately appeared. So that we cannot allow even the _conviction_ attended with these to be _madness_, without giving up both reason and scripture. *14. I grant, fourthly, That touches of extravagance, bordering on madness may sometime attend severe conviction. And this also is easy to be accounted for, by the present laws of the animal œconomy. For we know, fear or grief, from a temporal cause, may occasion a fever and thereby a delirium. It is not strange then that some, while under strong impressions of grief or fear, from a sense of the wrath of God, should for a season _forget_ almost all things else, and scarce be able to answer a common question: that some should _fancy_ they see the flames of hell, or the devil and his angels around them: or that others, for a space, should be _afraid_, like _Cain, whosoever meeteth me will slay me_. All these, and whatever less common effects may sometimes accompany this conviction, are easily known from the natural distemper of madness, were it only by this one circumstance, that whenever the person convinced tastes the pardoning love of God, they all vanish away in a moment. Lastly, I have seen one instance (I pray God I may see no more such!) of real, lasting madness.