The Fountain of Life Opened

Inference 2.

Have the believing meditations of Christ,¹ and his sufferings, such heart melting influences; the surely, then proper order of raising the affections, is to begin at the exercise of faith. It grieves me to see how many poor Christians tug at their own dead hearts, endeavouring to raise and affect them, but cannot. They complain, and strive; strive and complain; pump and draw, but no love to the Lord comes; no brokenness of heart comes. They go to this ordinance and that; to one duty and another; hoping that now the Lord will affect it and fill the sails: but come back disappointed, and ashamed like the troops of Tema. Poor Christian, hear me one word; possibly it may do thy business, and stand thee in more stead than all the methods thou hast yet used. If thou wouldst indeed get an heart Evangelically melted for sin, and broken with the kindly sense of the grace and love of Christ; thy way is not to force thy affections, nor to vex thy self, and go about complaining of an hard heart; but set thy self to believe, realize, apply, infer, and compare by faith as you have been directed: and see what this will do. They shall look upon me whom they have pierced and mourn. This is the true way, and proper method to raise the heart, and break it.

Have the believing meditations of Christ,¹ and his sufferings, such heart melting influences; the surely, then proper order of raising the affections, is to begin at the exercise of faith. It grieves me to see how many poor Christians tug at their own dead hearts, endeavouring to raise and affect them, but cannot. They complain, and strive; strive and complain; pump and draw, but no love to the Lord comes; no brokenness of heart comes. They go to this ordinance and that; to one duty and another; hoping that now the Lord will affect it and fill the sails: but come back disappointed, and ashamed like the troops of Tema. Poor Christian, hear me one word; possibly it may do thy business, and stand thee in more stead than all the methods thou hast yet used. If thou wouldst indeed get an heart Evangelically melted for sin, and broken with the kindly sense of the grace and love of Christ; thy way is not to force thy affections, nor to vex thy self, and go about complaining of an hard heart; but set thy self to believe, reallize, apply, infer, and compare by faith as you have been directed: and see what this will do. They shall look upon me whom they have pierced and mourn. This is the true way, and proper method to raise the heart, and break it.