Leoking tmt o 1 ef tH. Book. IV. 5a 2 . Let us be humbled fo:: our great inconformity to this copy , what an excellent patterne is here before us? and howJar, ho,; infinitely do we come il:wrt of this bleffed patterne ? 0 alas ! if Chrift will not own me, unlelfe he fee his image written upon me, what will become ofmy poore foul ? why Chrift was meek, and humble, and lowly in fpirit; Chrift was holy, and heavenly; Chrift ever went about doing good; and now when I come co ex<tmine my own heart according to this original, I finde naturally a meer antipathy, a co'ntrariety, I am as oppoGce to Chrift as hell and heaven; 1. For my thoughts, within I am full of pride, and malice ; I am full of the fpirit of the world; what is , there in my heart but a world ofpailions, rebellions, darknelfe, and deadnelfe of fpirit co good ? and, 2. If the fountaine be fo' muddy, can I expect cleare ftreams ? what wordi are chefe, that come inany a time from me? Chrift would not fpeak .an idle word, but howmany idle, evil, Gnful words comedayly flowing from my lips? out ofthe abundance Qf the mouth the heart fjeaketh; and ifi may guelfe at my heart by my 'fOrds, where was my heart this Sabbath~ and the other Sabbath, when my difcourfe was all on my calling, or on the world, or it may be on my lufts, or on my Dalilahs, on my right-hand-fins, or on my right-eye-fins? and, 3. What actio~s are thefe fo frequently performed by me? if I muft reade my llace by my converfation , whofe imt-~ge and fuperfcription uthu ? the !aft oath I fware, the !aft blafphemy I belched out, the laft act of drunkennelfe, idolatry,adultery I committed, (or ifthefefins are not fit to be named). the !aft piece of wroAg I did my neighbour, the !aft pranke ofpride I played on this ftage of the world, the !aft expence of time when I did no good in the world, neither to my felfe nor others, the !aft omiffton ofg'ood, a; well as commiffion of evil; 0 my foul, whofe image is this? is it the image of Chrift, or ofSathan ? if the wodl fcholar in the fclwole iliould write thus untowardly afrer his copy, would he not be 11iliamed? if in my heart and life I obferve fo many blots, and ftaines, fo great inconformity, and di11i militude to the life ofChrift, how iliould I bu~ lye in the duft ? 0 wo is me ' what a vaft difproportion is betwixt Chrifts life and mine? why thu§ 0 my foul, iliouldft thou humble thy felfe; each morning, each prayer, each meditation, each felfeexamination, iliouldfr chou fetch new, fre{h, dear, particular Xx x c?.ufes
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