itate by snatches, never chewing the cud and digesting their meat,
they may happily get a smackering, for discourse and table-talke; but
not enough to keepe soule & life together, much lesse for strength and
vigour. Such as forsake the best fellowship, and wax strange to holy
assemblies, (as now the manner of many is) how can they but take colde?
Can one coale alone keepe it selfe glowing?

Though it goe not out for want of matter, yet may it bee put out by
sundry accidents; when it is newly kindled, it may be put out with
scoffes and reproaches, if _Peter_ take not heede, and fence himselfe
well against them; but if once throughly growne, such breath will but
spred and encrease it.

It is possible fire may bee oppressed with too much wood, and heat
suffocated with too much nourishment: over-much prayer, reading, and
study, may bee a wearinesse both to flesh and spirit: but it so rarely
happeneth, that I neede not mention it; and yet the soule hath its
satiety. There be some such perchance over-nice men in this sense also,
who have not learned that God will have them mercifull to themselves: It
is often smoothered for want of vent and exercise. Let such as use not
and expresse not their zeale, bragge of their good hearts; surely they
have none such, or not like to have them such. If _Nicodemus_ had not
buried Christ by day, we might have feared his zeale had gone out, for
all his comming by night.

Yet this is not so ordinary, as to extinguish it by the quench-coale of
sinne; grosse sinne every man knowes will waste the conscience, and make
shipwracke of zeale: but I say, the least known evill unrepented of, is
as a theefe in the candle, or an obstruction in the liver. I feare,
_David_ served God but reasonably, till hee published his repentance;
hee that steales his meat, though poverty tempt him, yet giveth thankes
but coldly: zeale and sinne, will soone expell the one or the other out
of their subject; Can you imagine in the same roofe, God and Beliall,
the Arke and Dagon? Lastly, and most commonly, forraine heat will
extract the inward, and adventicious heat consume the naturall.

The Sunne will put out the fire; and so will the love of the world, the
love of the Father, they cannot stand together in intense degrees, one
cannot serve both these matters with such affection as both would have.
Seldome seest thou a man make haste to bee rich, and thrive in religion.
Christs message to _John_ holds true; The poore ar