Serm. 1E9. in holy Duti:s ? 469 9, A constant heavenlinefs and holinefsof heart; if men were as they fhouldbe,holy, o¡ vdéj , i Pet. 1.14.. In all manner ofconverfati- on ; In folemn duties, good and proper thoughts would be more natu- ral and kindly to us;they ha live in a coniant communion with God,do not find it fuch a tediorvs b,afincfs to converfe with him,if they have any excur f :on of thoughts it is in their daily work,and the offices of the com- men life, which they are ever feafoning with fotnegracioru meditations a..d fhort ejaculations ; When they are in duty they are where they would be ; conflant gravity and ferioufnefs is a great help to them ; Men allow thernfelves a lawlef s liberty io their ordinry converfations,and then is prayer they know not how to gather up their hearts ; fuch as men are out of prayer, fuch they will be in prayer ; We cannot expe& that pangs of devotion fhould come upon us all of a (sudden, and that when w: come reaking from the world, we fhould prefently leap into a hea- venly Pane. o. The next remedy is frequent folemn meditation ;If the under - ffanding were oftner taken up with the things of God , and our thoughts w: re kept in more fregrrent exercife,they would the better come to hand. There is a double advantage comes to us by meditation. I. The foul gets more abundance of heart-warming knowledge, and therefore will not be fo barren and dry, which certainly is a canje of wandring,pfal.45 . r.My heart inditeth a good matter ,and then my tongue is as the pen of a ready Writer; A man that boyleth and concocts truths in his heart hath a greater readinefs of words and a f feelicss,There is agood treafure within him, Mat. 12.35. out of which he may fpend freely * one expr_ffech it thus : He that bath fiore of gold and filver in his Cobbet of pocket, and but a few Brafs farthings, will more readily upon every Prayer. draught come out with gold and falver than brats farthings : So he that bath flocked his heart with holy thoughts will not find carnal mauling: fo rife and frequent. z. By ufe a man gets agreater command over bimfelf ; When we con - ftantl} leave the thoughts at random,and never lay reffraintsupon them, it is in vain to think we (hall keep them in order when we pleafe, fierce Creatures are tame to thofe that ufe to command them ;Every Art is difficult ar firfl, as Writing, Singing, Playing upon an Inftrument, but we get a facility by ufe and exercife : Yeas not only a facility, but a de- light in them, and thofe things that at firfi we though imponible, by a lortle practice grow eat e ; Certainly, * the way of the Lord is ffrength to * Prov.xt.a9. the upright ;and the more we fet our felves to any good thing, the more readily and prepared are we for it. Ooo z How
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