492 The NATURE and PowER plains that his people had forgotten him, that is, grew unmindful of his love and grace, which was the beginningof their apollacy. [2.1 By unframing the foul, fo that it fhall have.formal, weary, power- lefs thoughts of thofe things, which fhoold prevail with it unto .diligence in thankful obedience. The apoftle cautions us, that in dealing with God, we fhould ufe reverence andgodlypar, becaufe of his purity, holinefs, and majefty, Heb. xii. 28, 29. And this is that which the Lord himfelf fpake in the deftruaion of Nadab and Abibu, I will be fanáified in them that come to a¡e, Levit. x. 3. He will be dealt withal in an awful, holy, reverent manner, So are we to deal with all the things ofGod, wherein or where- by we have communionwith him. The foul is to have a great reverence of God in them. When men begin to take.them into flight and common thoughts, not ufing and improving them unto the utmoft, for the ends whereunto they are appointed, they lofe all their beauty, and glory, and power towards them. When we have any thing to do, wherein faith or lovetowards God is to be exercifed, we mull do it with all our hearts, with all our minds, ftrength, and fouls, not flightly and perfunctorily, which God abhors, he loth not only require that we bear his love and grace in re- membrance,but that,as much as in us Beth, we do it according to the worth and excellency of them. It was the fin of Hezekiah, that he rendered not again according tothe benefits done to him, 2 Chron. xxxii. 2g. So whiltt we confidergolpel truths, theuttermoft endeavour of the foul ought to be, that we may be changed into the fame image or likenefs, 2 Cor.iii., r8. that is, that they may have their full power and effeE upon us. Oiherwife, James tells us what our beholding the glory of the Lord in a gfais, there mentioned by the apoftie, that is, reading or hearing the mind of God in Chrift, revealed in the golpel, comes unto, chap. i. ver. 23, 24. It isbut like unto a man beholding bis natural face in aglafs, for he beholdetb himfelf andgoeth away, andfiraightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. It makes no impreffion upon him, begets no idea nor image of his likenefs in his imagination, becaufe he doth it only flightly, and with a tranfient look. So is it with men that will indeed thinkof golpel truths, but in a flight manner, without endeavouring with all their hearts, minds, and ftrength, to have them ingrafted upon their fouls, and all the effects of them produced in them. Now this is the way of finners, in their firft en- gagements unto God. They never think of pardoning mercy, but they la- bour to affect their whole fouls with it, and do ftir up thenifelves unto fui- table alfeflions and returns of confiant obedience. They think not of the excellency of Chrift, and fpiritual things, now newly difcovered unto them in a faving light, but they preis with all their might after a farther, a fuller enjoyment of them. This keeps them humble and holy, this makes them thankful and fruitful. But now if the utmoft diligence and carefulnefs be not ufed to improve and grow in this wifdom, to keep up this frame, in- dwelling fin working by the vanity of the minds of men, will infenfbly bring them to content themfelves with flight and rare thoughts of thefe things, without a diligent fedulous endeavour to .give them their due im- provement upon the foul. As men decay herein, fo they will affuredlp' decay and decline in thepower of holinefs, and dole walking with God. The fprings being ftop'd. or tainted, the fireams will not run fo fwiftly, at leaft, not fo fweetly as formerly. Some by this meansunder an uninter- rupted profeffion, infenfibly wither almoft into nothing. They talk of religion and fpiritual things as much as ever they did in their lives, and perform duties with as much conftancy as ever they did, but yet have poor lean ftarvling fouls, as to any real and effectual communion with God.
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