~piritual Per[ef1ion. to induce us by Guile to chooCe the Tree of Knowledge before the Tree or' Life. We nre rherefore commanded to be doers of the 1-f!ord, not ht:t us only, a'uriving o117 own Sor;lr.That the Spiritual Life may be iocreaCed by the Word, it. mul1 be laid up in the Mmd and Memory, and hid in the Heart. Davrd fays, I have htd thy Word mm7 He.irt, that l ma1 not fin againjl thee. His AlfeClion to the Word caufcd his contin ual Medi. ration of a, rhat H m1gltt be~ l.t vwg ~oot of the ~ ru1rs of Holm~fs 10 then· feafon. .If the re were t he fame care and dd1gence m remcmbrmg and obfcrvu1;1; the Rules of t,fe prefcrib"d by the \V ifdom of God in the Scriptures, as Men ufc in rcn:cmbri ng _and praCli fi ng Rules fo r the recovery of the Health of their Bodies, and 'ris julliy requ1fite there iliould be more, (fincc the Life of the Soul infinitely excds the Li fe of the Body) how holy and blelfed would they be? The Advice of the Roman Phyfician that is conducive for the Health of the Body, is applica.ble to chc Soul ; After a f,{/ Meat 11bjlain from l~boriotts Ac1iom,. that rhe heat PD~ f.:::it~~·rM of the Spr.riti may be concmttnd i n.the .Sioma&hfor Digef!~on; ot.herwife, ifdive~ted andC;i~u:~"""11"' imployed tn Lttbour, the Stomach JVJU be jBed wllh Cmdttus. 1 hus afcer hean ng t he Word, our thoughts iliould not be Ccattered in the World; but we iliould recollc[l and revolve it in ou r Minds, that it may be digellcd into praCtice. 'Tis fa id of the Virgin MArJ, She kept thefo{ay ings, andponderedt!JI'm in her heart. Luk!:: J?. There arc powerfu l Motives to ingage us to a confcientious .a ttendance upon this Duty. Our Saviour tells us, He that hears me, rhat is, wit h fub1eElion of Soul, hath Eternal Life. And in one In!taoce he has declar'd, how much approv'd and acceptable it was to him: For when Mart ha was imploycd about cntenainmg him, and lYlary was attentive to receive his Inftruaions, he faid, lvfaryhas &l·o{ethebetter p:1rt, rhatjball not be tal-en from her. His feeding Mar7 was more pleafing to him, than to be fed by Mart ha. But how many negle[l and defpife this Duty ? Some pretend they knoiV enough; fuch, if they do ~ot want InftruEters, want Remembrancers of rhci r Duty. Ot hers are infet1ed wi th Pndc, and a worfe Leprofie than Nattman's, of whom we read, that when the Prophet fent him a Meffage, that he /b()u/Jgo and rva[h in Jordan [even time;, 1 md he jhMid be clean; he was Jvroth, and [aid, Are not .Abana and . Pharpar, R ivers of Dama{ms, better than the Rivers of l{rael? May l1Jot IVttjb in them, ant! be dean? So there are fame, who being direCled to wafb themfe lves often in the waters of Life, the Scriptures of Divine Infpiration, are apt to think, An: not the Rivers of Greece and Rome, ~he eloquent Difco~rfes of Philofophers, better, m_ore perfcClivc of their '\f inds and AaiDos, than the pia m Rules of the Word? But thiS proc<cds from alf"Cled Ignora nce, and wi lful perverfCnefs; for not only fupernatural DoChines, necdfary to be believed, arc only revea led in the Scripture, but the R ules of M ora l Ducies 1 necelfary for praCl ice, are cl early and compleatly only laid down in it. 13cfides, as e\•ery t hing in Nature has its Venue by the appointment of God , and works for that end for wh ich it was ordain'd ; Co the preaching of the GoCpel was ap. pointed to begin and maintain the Li fe of the Soul, and powerfully works to that end. T he attendance upon it has a Bleffing anncx'd, and the neg leEl: expofCs m Divine D ifpleafure; He that withdra.vs hU Ear from heAring the Law, hU Prayer f/J4/1 be ap abomination. And kt it be fCrioully pondcr'd, there is a time coming, whe n only Prayer can relieve them . I 01all add, that the fe rious reading the Scr ipture, that there may be an impreillon of the CharaClers of its Purity on the Soul, is a Duty of daily revolution. We are commanded, that tht Word of God {bould dwell richiJ in ut , in all wifdom,. As the Sou! quickens the llody by its refidence, and direCls it in all its motions; lo the Word iliould be in the Sou l an inward principle of Life, to direCl and excite, and enable it for the performance of every Duty. This Advice of the Apofile is comprehenfi ve of all other Precepts, aod the elfeaual means of obtaining PerfeClion. Our Reading mull be with obferva ti on ,and applying the Word for our Good: There is a grea t diffcrenccbawecn fjjJ_ ing on the water for Pleafure, and diving in it for Pearls: Some read the Scripcurcs to J?lca fi:: their Minds in the Hillory of t he Creation, and the Wonders of God's powertu! Providence, and the various Evems in t he Kingdoms of rhe \Vorld, recorded in them. But there muft be diligent Enquiry for Spiritua l Trea fures ro enrich the Sou l. How Carelefs arc the mofi of th is Duty? There are abo1•e Eight ThonCand Hours i:l a Year, and how few are employed in Reading the Scriptures, that direa u~ in the Evcriafling \Vay ? The common pretence is necelfar y BufincfS: but all Excvf't:s arc va in againll the Command of God. Is the 111orkinJ!. o11t tmr ·S41vation an indi iferc: nt idle matter? Mul1 the principal Affair of our Life, be Cubordinate to lower Concerns; The
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