A Divine Cordial

Quest. How may we keep our love from going out?

Answ. Watch your hearts every day; take notice of the first declinings in grace; observe your selves when you begin to grow dull and listless, and use all means for quickening; be much in prayer, meditation, holy conference. When the fire is going out you throw on fuel: So when the flame of your love is going out, make use of Ordinances, and Gospel-promises, as fuel to keep the fire of your love burning.

¹3. Let me exhort Christians to increase in love to God; let your love be boiled up higher, Phil. 1.9. And this I pray, that your love may abound, [Greek or Hebrew]. more and more. Our love to God should be as the light of the morning; first there is the Crepusculum or day-break, then it shines brighter to the full ⟨p. 139⟩Meridian. They who have a few sparks of love should [Greek or Hebrew] blow up those divine sparks into a flame. A Christian should not be content with so small a dram of grace, as may make him scruple whether he hath any grace or no, but should be still improving the stock. He who hath a little gold would have more; you who love God a little, labour to love him more. A godly man is like a dropsy man, the more grace he drinks in, the more he thirsts: He is contented with a very little of the world, yet he is never satisfied, but would have more of the Spirits influence, and labours to add one degree of love to another. To persuade Christians to put more Oil to the Lamp, and increase the flame of their love, let me propound these four divine Incentives.