SPIRITUAL PEACE AND COMFORT. 283 form to take us up with, and consisteth not much in the exercise of common gifts, but in the exercise of special grace, and the breathings of the Spirit, and searchings, pantings, and strivings ofa gracious soul towards God. (I do not speak of the heartless re- peating of bare words, learned by rote, and either not understood, or not uttered from the feeling of the soul.) 2. To serious med- itation also is the soul very backward ; that is, either to meditate on God, and the promised glory, or any spiritual subject, to this end that the heart may be thereby quickened and raised, and graces exercised, (though to meditate on the same. subject, only to know or dispute on it, the heart is nothing near so backward ;) or else to meditate on the state of our own hearts, by way of self-examina- tion, or self-judging, orself-reprehension, or self-exciting. 3. Also to the duty of faithful dealing with each other's souls, in secret re- proofand exhortation, plainly (though lovingly) to tell each other of our sins and danger, to this the heart is usually very backward; partly through a sinful bashfulness, partly for want of more belie '- ing, lively apprehensions of our duty, and our brother's danger, and partly because we are loath to displease men and lose their favor, it being grownso common formen tofall out withthose (if not hate them) that deal plainly and faithfully with them. 4. Also to take reproof, as well as to give it, the heart is very backward. Even godlymen, through the sad remainders of their sinfulness, do too commonly frown, and snarl, and retort our reproofs, and study presentlyhow to excuse themselves, and put it by, or how to charge us with somethingthat may stop our mouths, and make the reprov- er seem as bad as themselves. Though they dare not tread our reproofs under feet, and turn again, and all to rend us, yet they oft show the remnants of a dogged nature, though when they review their ways it costs them sorrow. We must sugar and butter our words, and make them liker to stroking than striking, liker an ap- proving than a reproving them, liker a flattery than faithful dealing, and yet when we have all done, they go down very hardly, and that but half way, even with many godly people when they are under a temptation. 5. The like may be said of all those duties whichdo pinch upon our credit or profit, or tend to disgrace us, or impoverish us in the world ; as the confessingof a disgraceful fault; the free giving to the poor or sacred uses, according to our estates ; the parting with our own right or gain for peace ; the patient suffer- ing of wrong, and forgiving it heartily, and loving bitter, abusive enemies, especially the running upon the stream of men's displeas- ure, and incurring the danger of being utterly undone in our worldly state, (especially if men be rich, who do therefore as hardly get to heaven as a camel through a needle's eye ;) and above all, the laying down of our lives for Christ. It cannot be expected that
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