A Christian Directory

It must captivate every thought to Christ, and kill every lust and pleasure which is against his will; and put a new and heavenly life into the soul: It must possess men with deep and lively apprehensions of the great things of eternity: It is not wavering dull Opinions, that will raise and carry on the soul, to such vigorous, constant, victorious action, as is necessary to salvation. When the Gospel cometh to the Heart, to do this great prevailing work, then these men are impatient of the search and smart, and presently have done with it. They are like Children, that love the Book for the gilding and fineness of the Cover, and take it up as soon as any: but it is to play with, and not to learn: They are weary of it when it comes to that. At first many come to Christ with wonder, and will needs be his servants for something in it that seemeth fine: till they hear that the Son of Man hath not the accommodation of the Birds or Foxes; and that his doctrine and way hath an enmity to their worldly fleshly interest, and then they are gone. They first entertained Christ in complement, thinking that he would please them, or not much contradict them: But when they find that they have received a guest, that will rule them, and not •e ruled by them, that will not suffer them to take their pleasure, nor enjoy their riches, but hold them to a life which they cannot endure, and even undo them in the world, he is then no longer a guest for them. Whereas if Christ had been received as Christ, and Truth and Godliness deliberately entertained for their well-discerned Excellency and Necessity, the deep rooting would have prevented this Apostasy, and cured such Hypocrisy.

It must captivate every thought to Christ, and kill every lust and pleasure which is against his will; and put a new and heavenly life into the soul: It must possess men with deep and lively apprehensions of the great things of eternity: It is not wavering dull Opinions, that will raise and carry on the soul, to such vigorous, constant, victorious action, as is necessary to salvation. When the Gospel cometh to the Heart, to do this great prevailing work, then these men are impatient of the search and smart, and presently have done with it. They are like Children, that love the Book for the gilding and sineness of the Cover, and take it up as soon as any: but it is to play with, and not to learn: They are weary of it when it comes to that. At first many come to Christ with wonder, and will needs be his servants for something in it that seemeth fine: till they hear that the Son of Man hath not the accommodation of the Birds or Foxes; and that his doctrine and way hath an enmity to their worldly fleshly interest, and then they are gone. They first entertained Christ in complement, thinking that he would please them, or not much contradict them: But when they find that they have received a guest, that will rule them, and not e ruled by them, that will not suffer them to take their pleasure, nor enjoy their riches, but hold them to a life which they cannot endure, and even undo them in the world, he is then no longer a guest for them. Whereas if Christ had been received as Christ, and Truth and Godliness deliberately entertained for their welldiscerned Excellency and Necessity, the deep rooting would have prevented this Apostacie, and cured such Hypocrifie.