DI sure as having better opportunity than others to be acquainted with your conversation. 5. Next consider in what manner you must open your grief, if you would have cure. (1.) Do it as truly as you can. Make the matter neither better nor worse than it is. Especially take heed ofdealing like Ananias, pretending to open all, (as he did to give all,) when you do but open some common infirmities, and hide all the most disgraceful distempers of your heart, and sins of your life. The vomit of confession must work to the bottom, and fetch up that hidden sin, which is it that continueth your calamity. Read Mr. T. Hooker, in his "Soul's Preparation," concerning this confession, who shows you the danger of not going to the bottom. (2.) You must not go to a minister to be cured merely by good 1ox5 FOR GETTING AND KEEPING words, as wizards do by charms ; and so think that all is well when he bath spoken comfortably to you. But. you must go for direc- tions for your own practice, that so the cure may be doneby lei- when you come home. Truly most, even of the godly that I have known, do go to a minister for comfort, as silly people to to a physician for physic. If the physician could stroke them whole, or give them a pennyworth of some pleasant stuff that would cure all in an hour, then theywould praise him. But, alas ! the cure will not be done, 1. Without cost. 2. Nor without time and patience. 3. Nor without taking down unpleasing medicines; and so they let all alone. So you come to a minister for advice and comfort, and youlook that his words should comfort you be- fore he leaves you, or, at least, some short, small direction to take home with you. But he tells you, ifyou will be cured, you must 454 snore resolve against that disquieting corruption and passion ; you must more meekly submit to reproof; you must walk more watch- fully and conscionably with God add men ; and then you must not give ear to the tempter, with many the like. He gives you, as I have done here, a bill of thirtyseveral Directions, and tells you, you must practice all these. O, this seems a tedious course ; you are never the nearer comfort for hearing these; it must be by long and diligent practicing them. Is it not a foolish patient that will come home from the physician and say, ' I have heard all that he said, but I am never the better ? So you say, I have heard all that . the minister said, and I have never the more comfort.' But have you done all that he bid you, and taken all the medicine that he gave you? Alas! the cure is most to be done by yourself, (under Christ,) when you come home. The minister is but the physician, #o direct you what course to take for the cure. And then, as silly people run from one physician to another, hearing what all can say,
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