Remains of that excellent minister of Jesus Christ, Mr. Joseph Alleine being a collection…Remaines of that excellent minister of Jesus Christ, Mr. Joseph Alleine being a collection…

Fourthly, Love to the duty, Christians should not only receive the truths of God, but ⟨p. 34⟩receive them in love. The commands of God, like meat that pleaseth the palate, must go down sweetly, duties must not be so much our task as our choice: that which we would rather do than neglect, were we left to our liberty. Beloved, let us not only take up this course as necessary only, but let us love it as an excellent course. Let us not go to this work as a sick man goes to take down a loathsome potion, but as a sound healthy man goes to his ordinary meal.

Fourthly, Love to the duty, Christians should not only receive the truths of God, but ⟨p. 34⟩receive them in love. The commands of God, like meat that pleaseth the pallat, must go down sweetly, duties must not be so much our task as our choyce: that which we would rather do than neglect, were we left to our liberty. Beloved, let us not only take up this course as necessary onely, but let us love it as an excellent course. Let us not go to this work as a sick man goes to take down a loathsome potion, but as a sound healthy man goes to his ordinary meal.

Fifthly, Life, That which a man sets his heart upon he will be lively in, and do it to purpose. Rom. 12. 11. Not slothful in business; but fervent in spirit serving the Lord. Standing water is not wholesome; and wine that hath lost its spirit, is not pleasant. God is a spirit, and they that worship him; must worship him in spirit. He is a most pure act: and he will be served with activity. God would not accept a blind, torn, lame sacrifice under the law; and will he accept of a dead sacrifice under the Gospel? He would not have, the Ass offered to him, because it was a dull sluggish creature. Nor the Snail, because a slow lingering creature. We must not come to duties with dead hearts: with dull, drowsy, sleepy souls. When we are going to our work of communing with our hearts, we should stir up our hearts, call in our thoughts, compose our affections, rub our memories and consciences, till we have fetched life into them. Every faculty of the soul should act its part in this work: And here let me tell you that 'tis