The silent soul, with sovereign antidotes against the most miserable exigentsThe silent soul, with soveraign antidotes against the most miserable exigents

Fourthly, Read and do, read and practise what you read, or else all your¹ reading will do you no good; he that hath a good book in his hand, but not a lesson of it in his heart, or life, is like that Ass that carries rich burdens, and feeds upon thistles. In divine account a man knows no more than he doth; Profession without practice will but ⟨image 11⟩make a man twice told a child of darkness; to speak well, is to sound like a Cymbal,² but to do well, is to act like an Angel; he that practiseth what he reads, and understands, God will help him to understand,³ what he understands not; there is no fear of knowing too much, though there is much fear in practising too little; the most doing man, shall be the most knowing man; the mightiest man in practice, will in the end prove the mightiest man in Scripture. Theory is the guide of practice, and practice is the life of Theory. Salvian relates,⁴ how the Heathen did reproach some Christians, who by their lewd lives made the Gospel of Christ to be a reproach; where (said they) is that good Law which they do believe? where are those rules of godliness which they do learn? they read the holy Gospel, and yet are unclean; they hear the Apostles writings, and yet live in drunkenness; they follow Christ, and yet disobey Christ; they profess a holy Law, and yet do lead impure lives: Ah! how may many Preacher stake up sad complaints against many Readers in these days? they read our ⟨image 11⟩works, and yet in their lives they deny⁵ our works, they praise our works, and yet in their conversations they reproach our works, they cry up our labours in their discourses, and yet they cry them down in their practices: Yet I hope better things of you, into whose hands this Treatise shall fall. The Samaritan woman did not fill her pitcher with water, that she might talk