A guide to godliness or a Treatise of a Christian life showing the dutiesA guide to godlynesse or a Treatise of a Christian life shewing the duties

Lastly, if we would preserve the purity of our hearts, our care must be to have them continually taken up in holy exercises, either about the general ¹duties of Christianity, or the special duties of our callings: of the former sort are the diligent and attentive hearing and reading of the Word, which is a special means of our sanctification, as our Saviour noteth, and of the strengthening of our faith, by which our hearts are purified; and also prayer at ordinary times either public or private, receiving the Sacrament, holy conferences one with another singing Psalms, and doing the works of righteousness unto all, upon all occasions, and the works of mercy unto those, who do in any respect stand in need of our help: of the other sort are inward ejaculations, and lifting up our hearts in our secret prayers at all times, and upon all occasions, and holy meditations of Gods mercies or our own miseries, or on the means whereby we may be enriched with all grace, and enabled unto the performance of holy duties. For this privilege the heart hath above all other parts, that whereas they cannot exercise their duties, but when fit opportunity is offered, as the ear cannot hear the Word, but when it is preached, nor the hand perform works of mercy, but when it hath means to do them, and fit subjects to work upon, the heart needeth never to be idle and out of holy exercise: but even when our bodies are taken up with the works of our callings, or honest recreations, we may