calls upon Christian wives to apply thereto, that if any obey not the word, they also may, without the word, be won by the converfation of the wives, 1 Pet. 3. 1. And certainly, whoever are made partakers of that extraordinary grace of God, and tranflated out of darkness into his marvellous light, will labour, by the reflected rays of divine love, alio to enlighten, enflame and make others partake of the fame happiness with themselves. And who can conceive any thing more holy, more praife worthy than this?

holinefs.

CIV. This is that generous holiness, which the Means aSpirit of grace powerfully operates in the elect, and dapted to which he promotes by the ufe of various means. Tho' promote the use of these means is required of man, yet their efficacy depends on the bleffing of God alone. Nor indeed, is it without the interpofition of God, that man can and will favingly ufe those' means. For daily experience teacheth us, how dull and languid we ufually are in thofe things, when the influence of the fpirit either ceafes, or is but fmall. Among those means of fanctification, the following deferve to be most recommended.

the word

CV. We juftly give the first place to the word of MeditaGod, and the devout meditation of it. God fantifieth tion of us through his truth, his word is truth, John 17. 17: f God. for as it proceeds from the Holy Spirit, the characters of the divine holinefs, are imprinted upon it, and as, in every part, it fends forth the most fragrant odour of holiness, fo it infpires the pious reader with it, tho' perhaps he may not understand all, that he readeth : which Chryfoftom has likewife obferved in Orat. 3. in Lazur. Even tho' thou doeft not thoroughly understand the contents, yet even the reading begets a very great degree of fanctification.

CVI. And whatever is contained in the word of Thewhole God, is directed to this end. The of the law, rected to ofit diprecepts which exhibit the exacteft delineation of holiness, are adapted to inflame the foul with love to it, Pf. 119. 8, 9, 10. The threatenings annexed to the law, and

R 4

the

that end.

Therefore to be used

with care.

the recorded instances of thofe judgments, by which God has punished fin, are fo many powerful dehortations from it, I Cor. 10. 6, 11. The very ample promifes made to godliness and the bleffings, wherewith the liberal goodness of the deity has enriched the godly, who love and worthip him, are fo many incentives to holinefs, Ifa. 52. 2, 3. The examples of the Saints both teach, and allure at the fame time. Heb. 12. 1. Their very ftumblings and falls remind us of our weakness, inculcate humility, teach us to take heed. to ourselves, and point out what things we ought to avoid, Neb. 13. 26. But nothing more effectually perfuades to piety, than the doctrine of grace revealed in the Gofpel, Tit. 2. 12; and whoever abufe it to lafivioufnefs never knew the truth, as it is in Jefus : for the word of the truth of the Gofpel, in all the world bringeth forth fruit, fince the day they heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth, Col. 1. 5, 6.

CVII. But in order to obtain this fruit of holiness from the word of God, it is, ft. To be diligently, daily and carefully attended to, and as Chryfoftom fpeaks, it is to be read, with a myftic filence, or profound attention John. 5. 39. 2dly. Diligently heard: for, the public preaching of the word has very excellent promifes, Rom. 10. 14, 15, 17. 3dly. When read and heard, it is to be laid up in the inward treasure of the foul, there to be kept as the most valuable treasure, Job. 23. 12. Pf. 119. 11. Luke 2. 19. 4thly, But it is not to be kept in fome remote corner of the memory; there to rot in mouldinefs and duft, but at times it is to be brought forth, and made the object of holy meditation: whereby the foul, by ruminating and fucking as it were, attracts and turns, into its own fubftance,that quickening and nourishing juice, that is to be found in the word of God, Pf. 1.2. Los 1. 8. 5thly. It is expedient to have always, at hand, fome powerful ftriking paffages of fcripture, wherewith we may be armed against the attacks of fin, and excited to duty. This was what the Lord

meant

meant when he ordered Ifrael to bind his word as a fign upon their hand, and to be as frontlets between their eyes, Deut. 6. 8. Why between their eyes? To be a rule of life continually before their mind. Why bound upon their hand? To put them in mind, that knowledge was to be reduced to practice.

fome

affaults of

CVIII. Very wifely, indeed, did the emperor Anto- Expedient nine address himself thus, Lib. 3. §. 13: as furgeons to have have always their instruments ready for fome unexpected powerful operation, fo have thou at hand thy philofophical princi- paffages in ples, in order to diftinguish between things divine and readiness human. Similar to this is what Seneca has de Benefic. against the Lib. 7. c. I. Demetrius the cynic was wont to say very fin. well: that it is more beneficial to have a few precepts of wisdom in readiness for practice, than to learn a great deal, and not have it at hand for use. And c. 2. Our Demetrius orders the proficient to hold these things faft, and never let them go; nay, to imprint them on his mind, and make them a part of himself; and, by daily meditation to bring himself to that pitch, that what is useful fhall fpontaneously occur, and what is wanted fhall, upon all occafions, directly prefent itself. What they spoke concerning the precepts of wisdom, which Epictetus called póxerpa Bonnuala, ready aids, we may affirm concerning fome ftriking paffages of Scripture, which it is expedient to have in fuch readinefs, that, on any occafion, they may fpontaneously caft up to the mind.

confidera

CIX. Secondly. The attentive confideration of the 2. The atLord Jefus is a moft powerful mean of fanctification. tentive The vileness and hideous nature of fin no where more tion of the clearly appears, than in the meannefs, humilitation Lord Jeand fufferings of Chrift. For, what was it that fus: in cloathed the Lord of glory with the contemptible whom form of a fervant? What overwhelmed the mighty (1) The lyon of the tribe of Judab with horrour and anguifh, deformity that he was almoft ready to fink under them? What of fin. rouzed the cruel bands of hell to arms against him? What turned the flowing rivers cf heavenly con

folations

appears,

(2). His

py, or

love to men.

folations into the moft melancholy drynefs? What mixed those bitterest of bitters in the cup of the divine fury, with which the Son of God's love was almoft ftruck with aftonishment and amaze? Sin, certainly, was the cause of all, Ifa. 53. 5. Who can reflect on this, and not be inflamed with the most irreconcilable hatred to it? Will he not endeavour to avenge himself of that hideous monfter, which fo cruelly afflicted his most beloved Lord, and which, unlefs it be first flain, will, with the fame fiercenefs, rageagainst all thofe, that give it a favourable entertainment? Who can prevail on himself to be again enslaved by that tyrant, from whofe chains, burning with hell-fire, he seriously believes and confiders, he could not have been delivered but by the accurfed death of the Son of God? And thus the meditation of the fufferings of Chrift makes us, that, being dead to fin, we should live unto righteousness.

I Pet. 2. 24.

which

may

CX. Nor did the incredible love of God towards unfpeak wretched mortals ever, on any occafion, more eviable phiJanthro- dently prefent itself to view, than in Chrift Jefus ; melt down the moft frozen hearts, and kindle them into the brightest flames of mutual returns of love; for the love of Christ conftraineth us, &c. 2 Cor. 5. 14, 15. Whoever is deeply engaged in the meditation of this, will he not cry out with admiration?" waft thou, moft loving Jefus, fcorched "no lefs in the flames of thy love for me, than in "thofe of the divine wrath against my fins, and "fhall I be lukewarm in returns of love to thee? "Didit thou die for my falvation, and fhall I not live to thy glory? Didft thou defcend to hell on my account, and shall not I at thy command, cheerfully walk in the way to heaven? Didit thou give thyfelf up for me to be tormented with hellpains, and I not render myfelf to thee, to bear thy yoke, which is eafy, and thy burden, which is light?" It cannot be expreffed, how much the

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pious foul, while intent on fuch meditations as these, will be difpleafed with his own lukewarmnefs; and wifh he had a foul a hundred-fold more capacious, to be all filled with the love of Christ.

virtue.

CXI. And never does virtue or holiness itself charm (3). The us with a more beautiful afpect than in Chrift, which, excellent we have also formerly intimated is feen painted in the beauty of law, but here alive and breathing: in fuch a manner, that the more frequently it is viewed by the eyes of the mind, it transforms the beholder into the fame image, 2 Cor. 3. 18. When Mofes had been admitted to familiar converfe with God, in the holy mount, where he spent forty days, the skin of his face fhone with fuch effulgence, that the eyes of the Ifraelites could not bear it, Exod. 34. 29, 30. Thus it is with thofe, who view Jefus the king of glory in his beauty, with open face. The rays of the heavenly fpirit, plentifully iffuing from him, pervade the inmoft parts of the foul, and conciliate to them a new vigour of fpiritual life. To which the intent contemplation of the Lord Jefus greatly contributes. The oftner that a believer beholds him in fpirit, the more clearly he knows his perfections, of which his holiness is the ornament. The more clearly he knows them, the more ardently he loves them. The more ardently he loves them, the more like to them he defires to become. For, love afpires after a likeness to the beloved: nay, in love itself there is already a great fimilitude: for, God is love, 1 John. 4. 8. Moreover, the more ardently he loves God, he will both the more frequently, the more willingly and attentively behold him; and thus often running round that circle of beholding and loving, for ever returning into itself, he gains, by every act, a new feature of this moft glorious image.

CXII. Thirdly to this contemplation of the Lord 3. ExerJefus add the practice of devout prayer, by which we cife of may draw from the most exuberant fullness of Chrift, prayer. and which he is ever moft ready to import, and grace

for