Divine meditations and holy contemplations. By that reverend divine R. Sibbes D.D. Master of…Divine meditations and holy contemplations. By that reverende divine R. Sibbes D.D. Master of…

A sincere heart that is burdened with sin, desires ⟨p. 18⟩§34not heaven so much, as the place where he shall be free from sin, and to have the Image of God and Christ perfected in his soul, and therefore a sincere spirit comes to hear the Word, not so much because an eloquent man preacheth, as to hear divine truths, because the evidence of Spirit goes with it, to work those graces. You cannot still a child with any thing but the Breast, so you cannot still the desires of a Christian, but with divine Truths, as Isaiah 26. 8. The desires of our souls is to thy name and to the remembrance of thee.

A sincere heart that is burdened with sinne, desires ⟨p. 18⟩§34not heaven so much, as the place where he shall be free from sinne, and to have the Image of God and Christ perfected in his soule, and therefore a sincere spirit comes to heare the Word, not so much because an eloquent man preacheth, as to heare divine truths, because the evidence of Spirit goes with it, to worke those graces. You cannot still a child with any thing but the Breast, so you cannot still the desires of a Christian, but with divine Truths, as Esay 26. 8. The desires of our soules is to thy name and to the remembrance of thee.

There is a thousand ⟨p. 19⟩§35things that may hinder good success in our affairs, What man can apply all things to a fit issue, and remove all things that may hinder? Who can observe Persons, Times, Places, Advantages, and Disadvantages, and when we see these things there is naturally a passion, that it robs us of our knowledge; as when a man sees any danger, there is such a fear or anger, that he is in a mist. So that unless God give a particular success, there is none. As it is in the frame of a mans body, it stands upon many joints, if any of these be out of frame it hinders all the rest.