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high, but their affections are low ; they speak much, but do little.1 As drums, and trumpets, and ensigns in a battle make a great noise and a fine show, but act nothing, so these counterfeit friends will compliment highly, bow handsomely, speak plausibly, and promise lustily, and yet have neither a hand nor heart to act anything cordially or faithfully. From such friends it is a mercy to be delivered, and therefore king Antigonus was wont to pray to God that he would protect him from his friends; and when one of his council asked him why he prayed so, he returned this answer, Every man will shun and defend himself against his professed enemies, but from our professed or pretended friends, of whom few are faithful, none can safe-guard himself, but hath need of protection from heaven. But for all this, there are some that are real friends, faithful friends, active friends, winter friends, bosom friends, fast friends ; and for their sakes, especially those among them that have been long, very long, under the smarting rod, and in the fiery furnace, and that have been often poured from vessel to vessel, have I once more appeared in print to the world.
Eighthly and lastly, There hath not any authors or author come to my hand, that hath handled this subject as I have done ; and therefore I do not know but it may be the more grateful and acceptable to the world ; and if by this essay others that are more able shall be provoked to do more worthily upon this subject, I shall therein rejoice, 1 Thes. i. 7, 8, 1 Cor. ix. 1, 2. I shall only add, that though much of the following matter was preached upon the Lord's visitation of my dear yoke-fellow, myself, and some other friends, yet there are many things of special concernment in the following tract, that yet I have not upon any accounts communicated to the world. And thus I have given you a true and faithful account of the reasons that have prevailed with me to publish this treatise to the world, and to dedicate it to yourselves.
II. Secondly, The second thing promised was, the giving of you a little good counsel, that you may so read the following discourse, as that it may turn much to your soul's advantage ; for, as many fish ami catch nothing, Luke v. 5, so many read good books and get nothing, because they read them over cursorily, slightly, superficially ; but he that would read to profit, must then,
First, Read and look up for a blessing : ' Paul may plant, and A polios may water,' but all will be to no purpose, except ' the Lord give the increase,' 1 Cor. iii. 6, 7. God must do the deed, when all is done, or else all that is done will do you no good. If you would have this work successful and effectual, you must look off from man and look up to God, who alone can make it a blessing to you. As without a blessing from heaven, thy clothes cannot warm thee, nor thy food nourish thee, nor physic cure thee, nor friends comfort thee, Micah vi. 14 ; so without a blessing from heaven, without the precious breath- ings and influences of the Spirit, what here is done will do you no good, it will not turn to your account in the day of Christ ; and therefore cast an eye heavenwards, Haggai i. 6. It is Seneca's observation, that the husbandmen in Egypt never look up to heaven for rain in the time of drought, but look after the overflowing of the banks of Nilus, as the
1 0 my friends. I have never a friend, said Socrates. A friend is a very mutable creature, suitli l'luto.
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only cause of their plenty. Ah, how many are there in these days, who, when they go to read a book, never look up, never look after the rain of God's blessing, but only look to the river Nilus ; they only look to the wit, the learning, the arts, the parts, the eloquence, &c, of the author, they never look so high as heaven ; and hence it comes to pass, that though these read much, yet they profit little.
Secondly, He that would read to profit must read and meditate. Meditation is the food of your souls, it is the very stomach and natural heat whereby spiritual truths are digested. A man shall as soon live without his heart, as he shall be able to get good by what he reads, without meditation. Prayer, saith Bernard, without meditation, is dry and formal, and reading without meditation is useless and unprofitable.1 He that would be a wise, a prudent, and an able experienced statesman, must not hastily ramble and run over many cities, countries, customs, laws, and manners of people, without serious musing and pondering upon such things as may make him an expert statesman ; so he that would get good by reading, that would complete his knowledge, and perfect his experience in spiritual things, must not slightly and hastily ramble and run over this book or that, but ponder upon what he reads, as Mary pondered the saying of the angel in her heart. Lord ! saith Austin, the more I meditate on thee, the sweeter thou art to me ; so the more you shall meditate on the following matter, the sweeter it will be to you. They usually thrive best who meditate most. Medi- tation is a soul-fattening duty ; it is a grace-strengthening duty, it is a duty-crowning duty. Gerson calls meditation the nurse of prayer ; Jerome calls it his paradise ; Basil calls it the treasury where all the graces are locked up ; Theophylact calls it the very gate and portal by which we enter into glory ; and Aristotle, though a heathen, placeth felicity in the contemplation of the mind. You may read much and hear much, yet without meditation you will never be excellent, you will never be eminent Christians.
Thirdly, Read, and try what thou readest ; take nothing upon trust, but all upon trial, as those 'noble Bereans' did, Acts xvii. 10, 11. You will try and tell2 and weigh gold, though it be handed to you by your fathers ; and so should you all those heavenly truths that are handed to you by your spiritual fathers. I hope upon trial you will find nothing but what will hold weight in the balance of the sanctuary ; and though all be not gold that glisters, yet I judge that you will find nothing here to glister, that will not be found upon trial to be true gold.
Fourthly, Read and do, read and practise what you read, or else all your reading will do you no good. He that hath a good book in his hand, but not a lesson of it in his heart or life, is like that ass that carrieth burdens, and feeds upon thistles.3 In divine account, a man knows no more than he doth. Profession without practice will but make a man twice told a child of darkness ; to speak well is to sound like a cymbal, but to do well is to act like an angel [Isidore]. He
1 Animse viaticum est meditatio. — Bernard. Lectio sine meditatione arida est, raedi- tatio sine lectione erronea est ; oratio sine meditatione livida est. — Augustine.
3 Augustine, speaking of the Scripture, saith, Verba vivenda, non loquenda.
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