202 of SPIRITUAL MINDEDNESS. ties ? Is God in Christ, and the things of the gospel, the ordinary retreat of your souls ? Though you should not be able to carryon an ordinary, stated meditation in your minds, yet you may be spiritually minded. A man may not have a capacity and ability to carry on a great trade of merchandise in the world. The knowledge of all sorts of commodities and seasons of the world, and nations of it, with those contrivances and accounts which belong to such trade, maybe above his comprehension, and he may quickly ruin himself in undertaking such an employment. Yet may the abilities of this man serve him well enough to carry on a retail trade in a private shop, wherein perhaps he may thrive as well, and get as good an estate, as any of those whose greater capacities lead them forth to more large and hazardous employments. So it may be with some in this case. The natural faculties of their minds are not sufficient to enable them to stated meditation. They cannot cast things into that method and order which is required thereto ; nor frame the conceptions of their minds into words significant and expressive ; yet, as to frequency of thoughts of God, and a disposition of mind thereto, they may thrive and be skilful beyond most others of greater natural abilities. Howbeit, because even stated meditation is a necessary duty, yea, the principal way whereby our spiritual thoughts do profitably act themselves, I shall have regard thereto in the following direction ; where- fore, 4. Whatever principle of grace we have in our minds, we cannot attain to a ready exercise of it, in a way of spiritual meditation or otherwise, without great diligence, nor without great difficulty.
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