Book III. OfjESUSCHRIST. 12,3

Chap. IL
God is in the fmall flill Voice\
Difciple.]QPeiZ^^ Lordy for thy Servant i Sam.xiu O heareth. Behold ^ I am thy Pf.jl. cxix. Servant, and the Son of thy Handmaid ^ O give ?nc Un- derHanding , that I may learn thy Commandments, In- cline my Soul to the Words of thy Mouth, which drc^ down as the Rain ufon the tender ^^^^- ^^^'^• Herb, and difiill gently , like Dew upon the Grafs, The Ifraelites indeed befbught Mofes heretofore. Speak thon unto us, and we will hear, hut let not God fpeak ^, to us, left we die. But let it not be fo done ^^ unto me, my God. I rather chufe to make my humble Petition in the Prophet Samuels Form ; Speak, Lord , for thy Servant heareth. Let not Mofes, nor any of the Prophets be my only Inftrud:or, but do thou thy felf alfo vouchfafe to teach me by thy felf. For thou art the Source of all Their Light and Know- ledge. They could not utter Truth without thy In- fpiration and Heavenly Guidance • but Thou art Ef- fential Wifdom and Truth ,• and canft communicate thy felf effedually to my Soul.
Their Words, alas, are Air and empty Sound, but Thine alone are Spirit and Life. Their Expreffions may be proper, their Arguments moving, but unlefs thou break Silence , my Soul will ftill continue deaf and infenfible. They deliver the Words, but thou art the Interpreter, and letteft me into the true and hid- den Senfe of their abftrufe Oracles. Their Books are fealed , and only Thy Hand can open and explain them. From Them wc receive the Command , but only from Thee the Difpofidon to Obey , and the whole Power of performing it. They fhe w the Way,but thou imp^rteft the Strength to walk in ic j All They
J 4 can
iM iPf tl^e imitation Book iii.
can do^ is ftill remote and without us. Thou only en- treft into the Soul, and, by a fecret Conveyance, putt'ft
Truth in the Inward Parts. Faul may I Cor. m. ^lant^ and ApoUos water , but except thou be ffa. iv. pleafed to give the Increafe , the JVord 'will
return uuto thee void^ and accowplijJj no part cf the End, whereto thou fenteft it. The Voice of their Cry pierces our Ears ; but the knowing what they Cry, and the Impreffion upon our Hearts, is thy pe- culiar Gift.
Therefore, I cannot but implore again thy Grace and Mercy, and beg, that Mofes may not fpeak tome, b'jr rhou, my Lord, my God, the Only and Eternal Truth led I die ; Not by the Terrors of thy thun- drin^ Voice , but by the effedual Communications of thy Will. For if I be inftruded and admonifted by the Outward Minillration only , and be not in- wardly difpofed, and zealoufly affected to Obedience, the Advantages of Inftrudion will but aggravate my CondeHination. For this is the difmal Confequence of the Word preached not profiting, when it Ueb. IV. ^j ^^^ mixed with Faith in them that hear it.
And mixed with Faith thou knoweft it cannot be, ex- cept feconded and enforced by the Voice of thy Spi- rit ; except thou incline me to love the Good I know, and enable me faithfully to fulfil the Dodrine I believe. Speak therefore, Lord, I fay again ^ To thee thy Ser- vant Uftens gladly, for Thou haft the Words jehn iv. ^y Eternal Life, Speak powerfully to my
Soul, and carry thy Saving Truths home to my Con- fcience and Affediops, that thy Words may bring Comfort and Peace , Reformation and Holinefs to ^hy attentive Servant, and to thy felf immortal Honour and Praife. '
CHAP.