Gods husbandry

Now the sauce of the soul, in which by dipping its morsels, it may provoke its desires after ⟨p. 148⟩holiness and virtue, is the renewing of sorrow for sins past, and present. And when a good man findeth himself to grow dull in holy desires, if he will set a little time apart, to call himself to account for his sins past, and to consider the greatness and multitude of them, the heavy punishment he hath deserved, and Christ hath suffered for them, the exceeding great dishonour he hath done to God by them, and how exceeding vile and base they have made him; and heerehence to enforce himself to be sad and heavy, and to sigh and groan for these offences of his; This will quicken his spiritual desires, this will revive and stir up his longings, and make him earnestly covetous after grace.

Now the sawce of the soule, in which by dipping its morsels, it may prouoke its desires after ⟨p. 148⟩holinesse and vertue, is the renewing of sorrow for sinnes past, and present. And when a good man findeth himselfe to grow dul in holy desires, if he will set a little time apart, to call himselfe to account for his sinnes past, and to consider the greatnesse and multitude of them, the heauy punishment he hath deserued, and Christ hath suffered for them, the exceeding great dishonour he hath done to God by them, and how exceeding vile and base they haue made him; and heerehence to inforce himselfe to be sad and heauy, and to sigh and grone for these offences of his; This will quicken his spirituall desires, this will reuiue and stirre vp his longings, and make him earnestly couetous after grace.

But exercise is needful to get a stomach;¹ and the souls exercise is to set it self on work about good duties, to stir up frequent acts of virtue within it self, often bending his heart in love to God-ward, melting it in compassion toward the afflicted, enlarging it in congratulation to those of Gods Saints that are in good estate, and so in other virtues, especially when we have been taught any good work in the Word, to watch the next opportunity of doing that duty, and to set our selves, for some good space of time together, principally to look to the practice of some principal virtue, the love and fear of God, joy in the holy Ghost, godly sorrow, confidence in God, and the like. This addressing ones self to the practice of good duties, will beget a desire of grace. And this is the second thing