Page:The Life and Works of Christopher Dock.djvu/234

222 71. — But to be and remain united with God thou must earnestly hate sin, and dampen the sinful inclinations of thy heart with daily penitence, for prevailing sin separates thee from God.

72. — But as God, who is a consuming fire, can have nothing in common with a sinner, thou must turn to the Mediator in full faith and take Him into thy heart.

73. — Where the Mediator, Jesus Christ, dwelleth, there is also His Spirit, that is ever renewing the soul into an image of God.

74. — Let this Holy Ghost work in thy spirit, and it will ever enlighten thy understanding, turn thy will to God, and fill thy conscience with peace and joy.

75. — In this order must thou seek ever to renew the strength of thy spirit.

76. — Employ thy understanding and memory to grasp and retain something useful.

77. — First of all gather a treasure of learning from the word of God, that shows thee the way to reconciliation with God. Besides this, endeavor to learn other useful knowledge.

78. — Accustom thy will ever to choose what is good, and to discard what is evil.

79. — Accustom thy imagination to proper form. Do not imagine the joys of the world lovelier and true Christianity more difficult than they really are.

80. — Learn betimes to curb thy affections and emotions that they do not enslave thee.

81. — Do not disturb thine emotions by a desire for earthly things, vain hopes, unprofitable fear, neither by worldly sorrow nor excessive joy.