send forth sweet water and bitter f." But woe be to those in whom " this earthly, sensual, devilish, wisdom" is foundg: they cannot on earth, nor will they in heaven, be found accept- able worshippers before God. Pray then, brethren, to our common Father, that your souls may be filled with more holy dispositions ; and that, " being made like-minded one towards another, according to Christ Jesus, ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus ChristV]
3. How conducive to piety is an intimate ac- quaintance with the Holy Scriptures !
[In reading the Holy Scriptures, we should aim particu- larly at our own spiritual improvement : and, in that view, we should notice with peculiar care the spirit that is inculcated in the precepts, and the disposition that is exercised by the saints of God. If we are not principally attentive to this object, we shall lose more than half the benefit that would result to us from the perusal of them. It is probable, that, in the many hundred times that we may have read the 69th Psalm, we never noticed the very point mentioned by St. Paul, notwithstanding he has taken such care to direct our attention to it ! Alas ! it is to little purpose to read the Scriptures, if we do not read them with a practical application of them to our own souls. But if we read them in this way, behold, what unspeakable benefit we may derive from them ! Brethren, let not a day pass without treasuring up in your minds some passage that shall lead you into a fuller knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, and a more entire conformity to his image. We are told, that " whatsoever things were written aforetime, were written for our learning1:" and we see in the application of the prophecy before us, what valuable instruction is to be drawn from that sacred source. Treat every passage then in this way. Treasure it up in your minds : consider all that it either expresses or implies : and apply it to your souls for your more abundant edification in faith and love. So shall you grow up into Christ as your living Head, and progressively " be changed into his image, from glory to glory, by the Spirit of the Lord."]
f Jam. iii. 9—12. g Jam. iii. 14, 15.
h ver. 5, 6. > ver. 4.