This is that the Lord spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified," Lev. x. 3. "A man who is praying," says Bernard, "should behave himself as if he were entering into the court of heaven, where he sees the Lord on his throne, surrounded with ten thousand of his angels and saints ministering unto him." When thou comest from a duty in which thy heart has been toying and wandering, thou mayest say, "Verily God was in this place, and I knew it not.' Suppose all the impertinencies and vanities which have past through thine heart in duty were written out, and interlined with thy petitions, couldest thou have the face to present them to God? Should thy tongue but utter all the thoughts of thy heart in prayer, would not men abhor thee? But thy thoughts are vocal to God, Psal. cxxxix. 2. If thou wert petitioning the king for thy life, would it not provoke him to see thee playing with thy bandstrings, or catching at every fly that lights upon thy clothes, whilst thou art speaking to him about such serious matters? O think seriously on that scripture, Psalm 1xxxvii. 7; "God is greatly to be feared in the assemblies of his saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are round about him!" Why did God ascend in thunderings and lightnings, and dark clouds upon Sinai? Exod. xix. 16, 18. Why did the mountains smoke under him; the people quake and tremble round about him, yea, Moses himself not exempted; but to teach the people, this great truth in Heb. xii. 28, 29; "Let us have grace whereby we may serve him acceptably, with reverence and godly fear, for our God is a consuming fire!" Present God thus before thee, and thy vain heart will quickly be brought to a more serious frame. 5. Maintain a praying frame of heart in the intervals of duty. What is the reason our hearts are so dull, careless, and wandering, when we come to hear or pray, but because there, have been such long intermissions in our communion with God, by reason whereof the heart is out of a praying frame? If that spiritual warmth, those holy impressions we carry from God in one duty, were but preserved to kindle another duty, it would be of marvellous advantage to keep the heart intent and serious with God. For this purpose those intermediate ejaculations betwixt stated and solemn duties, are of most sweet and excellent use. By these one duty is as it were linked to another, and so the soul wraps up itself in a chain of duties. That Christian seldom misses his mark in solemn duty, who shoots up many of these darts in the intervals of duty. It is an excellent commendation Christ bestows upon the spouse, Cant. iv. 11, "Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honey-comb." On which text one gives this sweet note; "The honey-comb drops actually but sometimes, but it always hangs full of sweet drops ready to fall." If our ejaculations were more, our lamentations upon this account would be fewer. 6. Endeavour to engage and raise thy affections to God in duty, if thou wouldest have thy distractions cured. A dropping eye and a melting heart are seldom troubled as others are on this account. When the soul is intent on any work, it gathers in its strength, and bends all its thoughts about it; and when it is deeply affected, it will be intent. The affections command the thoughts to go after them. Deadness causes distraction, and distraction increases deadness. Could you but look upon duties as the galleries of communion in which you walk with God, where your souls may be filled with those ravishing and matchless delights which are in his presence, your soul would not offer to stir from thence. It is with the heart in duty, as it is with those who dig for golden ore; they try here, and finding none, they try there; and so go from place to place, till at last they hit upon the rich vein, and there they sit down. If thy heart could but once find the rich vein in duty, it would dwell and abide there with delight and constancy. "O how I love thy law! it is my meditation day and night!" Psal. cxix. 97. The soul could dwell day and night upon its knees, when once its delights, loves, and desires are engaged. What is the reason your hearts are so wandering, especially in secret duties? why are you ready to be gone, almost as soon as you are come into the presence of God, but because your affections are not engaged? 7. Mourn over the matter to God, and call in assistance from heaven, when vain thoughts assault thy heart in duty. When the messenger of Satan buffeted Paul, by wicked injections, as it is supposed, he goes to God, and mourns before him, 2 Cor. xii. 8. Never slight wandering thoughts in duty as small matters. Follow every vain thought with a deep sigh, turning thee to God with such words as these-Lord, I came hither to speak with thee; and here a busy devil and a vain heart conspiring together have set upon me. O my God, what a heart have I! Shall I never wait upon thee without distraction? When shall I enjoy an hour of free communion with thee? Help me, my God, this once. Do but display thy glory before mine eye, and my heart shall quickly be recovered. Thou knowest I came hither to enjoy thee, and shall I go away without thee? See how the heart of thy poor child works towards thee, strives to get near thee, but cannot. My heart is aground; " come thou north-wind, blow south-wind," O for a fresh gale now from thy Spirit, to set my affections afloat!-Couldst thou but thus affectionately bewail thy distractions to God, thou mightest obtain help and deliverance from them. He would say of Satan and thine imperious lusts, Who are these that set upon my child in my work and presence? 8. Look on the success and sweetness of thy duties, as very much depending on the keeping of thy heart close with God in them. These two things, the success and sweetness of duty, are as dear to a Christian as his two eyes; and both of these must necessarily be lost, if the heart be lost in duty. "Surely God heareth not vanity, neither doth the Almighty regard it," Job xxxv. 13. The promise is made to a heart engaged; "Then shall ye seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your hearts," Jer. xxix. 13. Well then, when thou findest thy heart under the power of deadness and distraction, say to thy soul, O what do I lose by a careless heart! My praying times are the choicest parts, the golden spots of all my time. Could I but raise this heart to God, I might now obtain such mercies as would afford matter for a song to all eternity. 9. Look upon it as a great discovery of the sincerity or hypocrisy of your hearts, to be either careful or careless in this matter. Nothing will startle an upright heart more than carelessness here. What, shall I give way to a customary wandering of heart from God? Shall the spot of the hypocrite appear upon my soul? They indeed can drudge on in the round of duty, never regarding the frames of their hearts, Ezek. xxxiii. 31, 32; but shall I do so? When men come into the presence-chamber, and the king is not there, they bow to the empty chair. O never let me be satisfied with empty duties! Never let me take my leave of a duty" until mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!" 10. It will be of special use to keep thine heart with God in duties, to consider what influence all thy duties have on thy eternity. These are your seed-times, and what you sow in your duties in this world, you must expect to reap the fruits of in another world. If you sow to the flesh, of that you shall reap corruption; but if to the Spirit, life everlasting. O my soul, answer seriously, wouldst thou be willing to reap the fruit of vanity in the world to come? Darest thou say, when thy thoughts are roving to the ends of the earth in duty, when thou scarcely mindest what thou sayest or hearest, Now, Lord, I am sowing to the Spirit; now I am providing and laying up for eternity; now I am seeking for glory, honor, and immortality; now I am striving to enter in at the strait gate; now I am taking the kingdom of heaven by a holy violence? O such a consideration as this should make the multitudes of vain thoughts that press in upon the heart in duty, to fly seven ways before it. SECTION VII-A Season of Injury. The seventh season calling for more than common diligence to keep the heart, is when we receive injuries and abuses from men. ruption of man in his fallen state, that one man is become a wolf, a tiger, to another. They are, as the prophet complains, Hab. i. 14, "as the fishes of the sea, and as the creeping things, that have no ruler over them." And as wicked men are cruel and oppressive one to another, so they conspire together to abuse and wrong the people of God; as the same prophet complains, ver. 13, the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he." Now when we are thus abused and wronged, it is hard to keep the heart from revengeful motions, to make it meekly and quietly to commit its cause to him that judgeth righteously; to exercise no other affection than pity towards them who abuse us. Surely the spirit that is in us lusteth to revenge; but it must not be so. You have choice helps in the gospel to keep down your hearts from such sinful motions against your enemies, and to sweeten your embittered spirits. Such is the depravity and cor The seventh case then shall be this-How a Christian may keep his heart from revengeful motions, under the greatest injuries and abuses from men. The gospel indeed allows a liberty to vindicate our innocency and assert our rights, but not to vent our corruptions and invade God's right. When therefore thou findest thy heart begin to be inflamed by revengeful motions, presently apply the following remedies; and the first is this 1. Urge upon thy heart the severe prohibitions of revenge by the law of God. 66 Remember that this is forbidden fruit, how pleasant and luscious soever it be to our vitiated appetites. O, says nature, revenge is sweet. O but, says God, the effects thereof shall be bitter. How plainly has God interdicted this flesh-pleasing sin! "Say not, I will recompense evil," Prov. xx. 22. Say not I will do so to him as he hath done to me," Prov. xxiv. 29. pence to no man evil for evil," Rom. xii. 17. Avenge not yourselves, but rather give place to wrath," Rom. xii. 17. Nay, this is not all; but in Prov, xxv. 21, we read "If thine enemy be hungry give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty give him water to drink." The word "Recom 66 |