Againftfpiritual rvickedneffe, 249 he heares , to repeate them ; yee then he keeps the power and favour of them inhis fpirit; as when fugar is difiolved in wine, you cannot tee it , but you may tafte it ; when meat is eaten and digefted,it is not to be found as it was received, but the min is cheered and ftrerigthened by it, more able to walke and work thenbefore , by which you may know it is not loft : fo you malitafte the truths-the Chritlian heard in his fpirit, fee them in his life. Perhaps if you askehimwhat the particulars were the Minifier had about faith,mortification, repentance,and the like, he cannot tell you; yet this you may finde , his heart is more broken for fin,more enabled to relyon the promifes , and now weaned from the world. As that good woman anfwered one,that coming from Sermon ask'c her what fhe remembred of the Sermon?faid,fhe could not at prefent recal much,but the heard that which should make her reforrne tome things as loon as fhe came home. Secondly, meditate on what thou heareft; by this David got 2. more wifdome then his teachers. Obferve what truth , what Scripture is cleared to thee in the Sermon more then before, take fore time in fecret to converfe with it,and make it there- by familiar to thy underftanding. Meditation to the Sermon is what the harrow is to the feed, it covers thofe truths, which elfe might have been picks or wafht away. I am afraid there are many proofs turned down at a Sermon , that are hardly turnedup, and lookt on any more,when theSermon is done;and if fo, you make others believe you are greater traders for your fouls, then you are indeed ; as if one should conic to a fhop and lay by a great deal of rich ware, and when he bath done, goes away, and never calls for ir. 0 take heed of fuch do- ings. The hypocrite cheats himfeif worft at laft. Thirdly, difcharge thy memory of what is finIu1. We wipe 3. our table-book , and deface what is there fcribled, before we can write new. There is fuch a contrariety betwixt the truths of God and all that is frothy and finful,that one puts out the other;ifyou would retain the one, you muff let the other go. K k CHAP.
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