the Ufe of the Holy Scriptum. ftat e of our Body ; · and when Corruptions arc once ftirred, we may ti:!ereby eafi~ ly know the State and Condition of our Souls. Thirdly, The fame Word that doth thus occalional1y fl:ir up Sin, is the befl: Me:Jns to beat it down . You may perceive by this, there is fomewhat in the Word that is cxtreamly con trary to their Sins, fince they do fo rife and arm againft it ; their great is Enemy upon them, and this Alarn:t that they take, is but before their overthrow. It may be the Mud is only fbrred that it might be caft out, and their Hearts c\eanfed from ~t. Be not difcouraged therefore, for there is no Means in the World fo appofite to the deftruCtion and fubduin g of Sin ar the Scripture, though at firft it may feem inftead of fubduing of S1ns to ftrengthen them. ·I Six thly, Many are difcouraged from ftudying the Scriptures, becaufe their Memo~ ries arc fo treacherous and unfaithful they can retain nothing; when they have read Ehe Scripture, and would recoll ect what they have read, they can give no account of it ei ther to themfelves or others. Nothing abides upon them, and therefore they thi nk it were as good give over as thus 'ontinually pour Water into a Sieve, and i nculcateTruths upon fuch a leaky Memory, where all runs out. This is indeed the Complaint of many. But, Firft, This lhould pu t thee on a more frequent and diligent ftudy of the Scri - pt ure than difcourage t hee from it. More Pains will fupply this DefeCt:; thou 111uft the oftner prompt, and the ofmer examine thy felf, the more forgetful thou art. Memory is the Soul's ~ward, and if thou findeft it unfaithful, call it the oftner to account. But ftlll fo llowing it Line upon Line, and Precept upon Precept, and continually inftil fomewhat into it. A Veffcl fet under the fall of a Spri ng, cannot leak faftcr than it is fupplied. A 'onftant dropping of this Heavenly Do<Trine into the Memory, will keep it that though it be leaky, yet it neve r fhall be empty. Secondly, Scripture·Truths when they do not inrich the Memory, yet they may purifie the Heart. We muft not meafure the Benefit we receive from the Word according to what of it remains, but according to what etfe& it le~ves behind. Lightning you know, than which nothing fooner vanilheth away, yet it often breaks and melts the hardeft and moft firm Bodies in its fudden Pa!fage. Such is the irrefiftible force of the Word; the Spirit often darts it through us; it fe ems but like a Flafh and gone, and yet iE may break and melt down our hard Hearts before it, when it leaves no impreffion at all upon our Memories. I have heard of one who returning from an affeB:ing Sermon highly commended it to fame, and being demanded what he remembred of it, anfwered. Truly I remember nothing at all, but onlJ 1vhile I heard it, it made me refol-ve to li-ve better thaf! 1 t'Vtr ha-ve done, and {o by God's Grlice I will. Here was now a Sermon loft to the Memory but not to the Affe8:ions. To the fame Purpofe, l have fomewhere read a Story of one that complained to an aged Holy-man, that he was much difcollraged from reading the Scripture becaufehis Memory was fo 11ippery he could faften nothing upon it that he read. Th: old Hermit (for fo as 1 remember be was defcribed) bid him take an earthen Pitcher and fill it with Water; when he had done it, he bid him empty it again, and wipe it clean that nothing !hould remain in it, which when the other had done, and wondred to what t his tended; Now, f aith he, though there be nothing of the Water remai ning to it, yet the Pitcher is cleaner than it was before: So though thy Memory retain nothing of the \V'ord thou rcadeft, yet thy Heart is the cleaner for its very Paffage through. Thirdly , N ever fear your Memory ; only pray for good and pious Affections. AffeCtion to the Truths we read or hear, makes the Memory retentive of them, Moft Mens Memories are like Jett, or Eletl:rical Bodies, that attract and hold fait only Straws or F eathers, or fuch vain and lighc Things, difcourfe to them the Affairs of the World , or fame idle and romantick Story, their Memories retain this as faithfull y as if it were ingraven on Leaves of Brafs. Whereas the great important Truths of the Gofpel, the great Myfteries of Heaven, and Concern· ments of Eternity, leave no more Impreffion upon them, than Words on the Air in which they are fpoken; whence is this, but only that the one fort work themfelves into the Memory through the intereft they have got in the Affections wh ich the other cannot do. Had we but the fame Delight in Heavenly Objects,' did we but receive the Truth in the love of it, and mingle it with Faith in the hearing, X X X X X th ii
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