The Life ofFaith. 4 9 Dire&. 2. Make it therefore your care and work.to g t Faith, and to ure it; and thinknot that God muff reveal her mind to you, as in vifionr, while you idly negirbi your proprr rrark; Be.. lieving is the ñ1Ì1 part of your trade of life; arid the pra&ice ofit mutt be your conffant bufnefs. It is not living ordinarily by fenfe, and looking when God will cast in the light ofFaith extraordinarily, which is indeed the life of Faith t Nor is it f.-eming to tir up Faith in a Prayer or Sermon, and looking no more after it all the day: This is but to give God a faluta- tion, and not to dwell and walk with him : And to give Hea- ven a complemental vifit fometimes, bat not to have your convcrfation there, z Cor. 5.7, 8. Diret$. 3. Be not too feldom in folitary meditation. Though it be a duty which melancholy perlons are dilabled toper.. form, in any fet, and long, and orderly manner ; yet it is to nèedful to thofe who are able, that the greatct works of Faith are tobe managed by it. How should things unfèen be apprehended fo as to affc&our hearts, without any ferious ex- ercise of our thoughts ? How should we search into myticrics ofthe Gofpci, or converse with God, or walk in Heaven, or fetch either joyes or motives thence, without any retired ffu- dious contemplation ? If you cannot meditate or think, you cannot believe. Meditation abftradeth the mind from vani- ty, and lifteth it up above the world, and fettcth it about the work, of Faith which by a mindlcfs, thoughtlels, or worldly foul, can never be performed, 2 Cor., 4. 16, 57, 18.Phil. 3. zo. Mat. 6. au Col, 3. t, 3. Dire8, 4. Let the Image of the Life of Chriff, and boa Mar- tyrs, and belief} fervants, be deeplyprintedonyour minds. That you may know what the way is which you have to go, and what patterns they be which you have to imitate; think how much they were above things fènfitive, and how light they fet by all the pleafures, wealth and 'glory of this world. Therefore the Holy Ghofi Both fct before us that cloud of witncffcs, and catalogue of Martyrs, in Heb. s a. that ex#mple, may help us, and we may fee with how good companywe go, in the life of Faith, Paul had well tudied the example of Chritt, whenhe took;pleafurein infirmities, and gloryed only inthc Crofs, to El bafc and aflla&ed in this world, for the t1 3, hopes
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