The Christian-man's calling: or, A treatise of making religion ones business. Wherein the nature…

But Reader, if thou art a child of God, I doubt not but thou delightest to look into thy Fathers will, and weightest every Word in it, as knowing, that in his Testament there is a great charge committed, and a great legacy bequeathed to thee. It is thy daily Companion and Counsellor; thou darest not go without thy cordial, being liable every day to faint; nor without thy weapons, being called every hour to fight. The Scriptures are the light by which thou walkest, and the tools with which thou workest. Let me persuade thee to persevere in this gracious practice: Take the counsel of the Author of it, who is fittest to give Laws for thy carriage towards it: Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, Colos. 3.16. The Word is [Greek or Hebrew], and signifieth to keep house with you: Do not leave thy Bible, as some do, at Church, and hear nothing of it all the week long; but bring it home to thy house, let it dwell with thee: Let not the Word be as a way-faring man, to tarry with thee but for a night, and so be gone; but let it be an inhabitant, one that accompanieth thee to bed and board, and with whom thou conversest continually as thy familiar and intimate friend: Make thine heart (as Jerome saith of Nepotian's, by his assiduous reading and hearing the Scriptures) ⟨p. 202⟩Bibliothecam Christi, The Library of Jesus Christ. I cannot but think that thou hast found the Bible so bountiful a Guest, to pay thee so liberally for its board, that thou hast bid it heartily welcome, and wouldst not part with it for the whole world. Agesilaws is commended, saith Xenophon, because he never went to bed, nor rose up, before he had looked into Homer, whom he called his Sweet-heart: Advise thou with a Divine, at least, as often as he did with a profane Author. Kings have their Counsellors, and great men their Remembrancers: Let Gods testimonies be the men of thy council, Psa. 119.24.

But Reader, if thou art a childe of God, I doubt not but thou delightest to look into thy Fathers will, and weightest every Word in it, as knowing, that in his Testament there is a great charge committed, and a great legacy bequeathed to thee. It is thy daily Companion and Counsellour; thou darest not go without thy cordial, being liable every day to faint; nor without thy weapons, being called every hour to fight. The Scriptures are the light by which thou walkest, and the tools with which thou workest. Let me perswade thee to persevere in this gracious practice: Take the counsel of the Author of it, who is fittest to give Laws for thy carriage towards it: Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly,