340 DIRECTIONS FOR GETTING AND KEEPING member what I told you before, that the heart and soul of saving faith and love (supposing a belief that the gospel is true) is all in this one act of willingness and consent to have Christ as he is offer- ed. Therefore ifyou doubt ofyour faith and love, it is your own willingness that you doubt of, or else you knownot what you do. Now, methinks, if you took but a sober view of the goodness of God, and the glory of heaven on one side, and of the silly, empty, worthless world on the other side ; and then ask your heart which it will ; and say to yourself, '0 my soul, the God of glory offers thee thy choice ofdung and vanity for a little time, or of the unconceivable joys of heaven forever: which wilt thou choose?' I say, methinks the answer of your soul should presently resolve you, that you do believe, and that you love God above this pres- ent world ! For ifyou can choose him before the world, then you are more willingof him than the world : and if he have more ofyour will, for certain that he háth more of your faith and love. Use therefore, instead of doubting of your faith, to believe till you put it out ofdoubt. And if yet you doubt, study God and Christ, and glory yet better, and keep those objects by consideration close to your heart, whose nature is to workthe heart to faith and love. For certainly objects have a mightypower on the soul ; and cer- tainly God, and Christ, and grace, and glory, are mighty objects; as able to make a full anddeep impression on man's soul, as any in the world; and if they work not, it is not through any imperfection in them, but because they be not well applied, and by considera- tion held upon the heart, that theymay work. Perhaps you will say, that meditation is too bard a work :for .you, and that your mem- ory is so weak that you want matter to meditate upon; or, if you do meditate on these, yet you feel no great motion or alteration on your heart. To this I answer; ifyou want matter, take the help of some book that will afford you matter ; and if you want life in meditation, peruse the most quickening writings you can get. If you have not better at hand, read over (and seriously consider as you read it) those passages in the end of my Book of Rest, which direct you in the exercises of these graces, and give you some matter for your meditation to work upon: and remember, that if you can increase the resolved choice of your will, you increase your love, though you feel not those affectionate workings that you desire. Let me ask you now whether you have indeed taken this course in your doubtings. Ifnot, how unwisely have you done ! Doubt- ing is no cure, but actual believing and loving is 'a cure. If faith and love were things that you would fain get, but cannot, then you had cause enough to fear, and to lie down and rise up in trouble of mind from one year to another. But it is no such matter ; it is so
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