MY hearts desire for you is, that you may be saved. It hath been a long time in my thoughts after the many signal demonstrations of your love ⟨image 3⟩to me, to show my gratefulness in a way of retaliation; Such as I have, give I you *I do here Dedicate this Manual to you, as a standing Testimonial of that real respect, and zealous affection which I bear towards you. The subject of it you will find to be a Christians delight *and meditation in Gods Law. I have purposely for your sakes laid down several heads, or particulars for your meditations to dilate and run upon, as the attributes, the promises, the love of Christ, &c. If he who by often looking on a Ring with a deaths head, at last grew sober, who knows ⟨image 3⟩but by often meditating on these things your hearts may be brought into a more serious and heavenly frame? Meditation is a holy kind of usury, it is putting out Sermons to use, which brings in no small profit at the years end. Meditation is a duty which carries meat in the mouth of it; My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, while I meditate on thee, Psalm 63.4, 5. There is little written (so far as I know) upon this subject. Most Discourses of this nature digress into ejaculations. I have with the help of God cut out my way thorough the rock, not ⟨image 4⟩finding any path that others had gone in before me; so that I have not offered that to you which cost me nothing; for the stile of it, it is plain; but truth, when it is in the plainest dress, is most comely. The star shines brightest in its native lustre. Divinity hath so much intrinsical beauty, that it needs no art of wit or fancy to set it off. Who goes to embroider a pearl? or paint over gold? this would but embase and eclipse it; It is a sign of a wanton Christian to look most at the fringing and garnishing of a Truth. I wish it be not the sin of many in this City, they like the dressing, but loath the food. The ⟨image 4⟩blew flowers which grow among the corn, make a fine show, and are pleasing to the eye, yet are prejudicial to the Harvest. Rhetorical flourishes may please the fancies of men, but I much question whether they will not lessen Christs spiritual barvest at the end of the world. When men preach rather words than matter; they catch peoples ears, not their souls; they do but court, not convert.
MY hearts desire for you is, that you may be saved. It hath been a long time in my thoughts after the many signal demonstrations of your love ⟨image 3⟩to me, to shew my gratefulnesse in a way of retaliation; Such as I have, give I you *I do here Dedicate this Manual to you, as a standing Testimonial of that real respect, and zealous affection which I bear towards you. The subject of it you will finde to be a Christians delight *and meditation in Gods Law. I have purposely for your sakes laid down several heads, or particulars for your meditations to dilate and runne upon, as the attributes, the promises, the love of Christ, &c. If he who by often looking on a Ring with a deaths head, at last grew sober, who knows ⟨image 3⟩but by often meditating on these things your hearts may be brought into a more serious and heavenly frame? Meditation is a holy kinde of usury, it is putting out Sermons to use, which brings in no small profit at the yeares end. Meditation is a duty which carries meat in the mouth of it; My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatnesse, while I meditate on thee, Psalme 63.4, 5. There is little written (so farre as I know) upon this subject. Most Discourses of this nature digresse into ejaculations. I have with the help of God cut out my way thorough the rock, not ⟨image 4⟩finding any path that others had gone in before me; so that I have not offered that to you which cost me nothing; for the stile of it, it is plaine; but truth, when it is in the plainest dresse, is most comely. The star shines brightest in its native lustre. Divinity hath so much intrinsecal beauty, that it needs no art of wit or fancy to set it off. Who goes to embroyder a pearl? or paint over gold? this would but imbase and eclipse it; It is a signe of a wanton Christian to look most at the fringing and garnishing of a Truth. I wish it be not the sin of many in this City, they like the dressing, but loath the food. The ⟨image 4⟩blew flowers which grow among the corn, make a fine shew, and are pleasing to the eye, yet are prejudicial to the Harvest. Rhetorical flourishes may please the fancies of men, but I much question whether they will not lessen Christs spiritual barvest at the end of the world. When men preach rather words than matter; they catch peoples ears, not their soules; they do but court, not convert.
- *Gratius venit quod facili quam quod plena manu datur Seneca.
- *Nec sine delectu nec intellectu Costerus in Psal. 1.
