A94156:507
The Christian-man's calling: or, A treatise of making religion ones business. Wherein the nature…
The Christian-man's calling: or, A treatise of making religion ones business. Wherein the nature and necessity of it is discovered. : As also the Christian directed how he may perform it in [brace] religious duties, natural actions, his particular vocation, his family directions, and his own recreations. / By George Swinnock ...
London: printed for T.P., 1662
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Urge thy soul in earnest with these particulars. As Elisha stretching himself upon the young dead child, at last got life and quickening into it; so thou forcing and stretching, as it were, these things upon thy heart, mayst quicken it, how dull and dead soever it is.
Urge thy soul in earnest with these particulars. As Elisha stretching himself upon the young dead child, at last got life and quickning into it; so thou forcing and stretching, as it were, these things upon thy heart, mayst quicken it, how dull and dead soever it is.
Thirdly, if thou wouldst prepare thy self for the Word, entreat God to bless it to thee: The operations of the Spirit must accompany the administration of the Word, or it will be ineffectual: It ⟨p. 217⟩is the Spirit that quickeneth, John 6.63. The fire burneth naturally, and the water cooleth naturally; but if the fire of the Word ever burn up thy corruptions, or the water of the Word refresh thee with real consolations, it must not be by its own nature, but by a Divine power. If thine eye be opened by that eye-salve of Scripture, to see Christ in his native beauty, or thy self in thy natural deformity, God must anoint thine eyes therewith; therefore David beggeth this favour at Gods hand, Open mine eyes, that I may see wonderful things out of thy Law, Psal. 119.18. As good sight as David had, he could not read in Gods Law, without Gods light. If the door of thine heart be opened by this key, to give admission to the King of Glory, Gods hand must turn the key. The Lord opened the heart of Lydia, that she attended to the words of Paul, Acts 16. Paul might have preached his heart out, before Lydia's heart would have opened to let the Word in, if God had not undertaken the work.