The Soul's Preparation for Christ

The first is this, when we have conceived aright of sin, and the nature thereof, and the punishment due thereunto, then do not rest in the bare consideration of these things, but never leave the heart, be still musing of these things, and bring these blessed truths home to the soul, & bind these things on the will and affections; hold them and fasten them there, force them upon the soul, that the heart may not make an escape: take notice of it, it is a rule I would have you consider ⟨p. 110⟩of, never leave meditating till you find your heart so affected with the evil, as your mind & judgement conceived of the evil before; namely, let the heart feel that evil it conceived, let the soul feel that gall to be in sin which the mind apprehended to be in it: you see these sins loathsome and abominable, make the heart feel them, and be affected with them; the heart will fly off now, therefore it is the cunning of a Christian to lay at the heart, and pursue it continually, and hold these truths to the soul, and at last it may be under the dint of the blow, and the power of God makes the soul feel and find, and be apprehensive of the gall, and bitterness, and vileness of the evil, as before it conceived it so to be; It is not enough for a man to exercise himself in the meditation of sin, but a man must bring his soul in subjection under the power of that meditation, a man must not only chew his meat, but he must swallow it also, if he mean to have it nourish him: meditation is when the heart swalloweth down these sins, that is, when he labours so to be affected with sin, and the nature of it, as it doth require. Meditation in this case is like the beleaguering of a City, when a City is wisely & strongly beleaguered, and beset round about, they do two things: first, they batter it from without as much as they can; and secondly; they cut off all provision and relief from coming in, and so the city being partly battered from without, as much as they can, and being hindered from all relief coming in, in conclusion when they ⟨p. 111⟩see the enemy is strong, and no provision can come to them, they are content to yield the City, and render up themselves;

The first is this, when we have conceived aright of sinne, and the nature thereof, and the punishment due thereunto, then doe not rest in the bare consideratiō of these things, but never leave the heart, be still musing of these things, and bring these blessed truthes home to the soule, & binde these things on the wil and affections; hold them and fasten them there, force them upon the soule, that the heart may not make an escape: take notice of it, it is a rule I would have you consider