21 A godly man doth spiritual things in a spiritual manner,1 Phil. 3. 3. Wee are the Circumcision, which worship God in the spirit: Spirit-worship is Virgin-worship, 1 Pet. 2. 5. Ye are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual2 sacrifices; not only spiritual for the matter, but the quality; a wicked man either lives in the total neglect of duty, or else dischargeth it in a dull careless manner; in stead of using the world, as if he used it not, (1 Cor. 7. 30) hee serves God, as if hee served him not; a godly man spiritualizeth duty, hee is not only for the doing of holy things, but for the holy doing of things.
Quest. What is it to perform spiritual duties spiritually?
Answ. It consists in three things.
- To do duties from a spiritual principle, viz. a renewed principle of grace: let a man have gifts to admiration, let him have the most melting ravishing expressions, let him speak like an Angel dropped out of heaven, yet his duties may not be spiritual, because he wants the grace of the spirit; whatever a moral unregenerate person doth, is but nature refined, though he may do duties better than a godly man, yet not so well; better as to the matter and elegancy, yet not so well, as wanting a renewed principle; a Crab-tree may bear as well as a Pippin, the fruit may be bigger and fairer to the eye, yet it is not so good fruit as the other, because it doth not come from so good a stock; so an unregenerate person may perform as many duties as a childe of God, and these may seem to be more glorious to the outward view, but they are harsh and sower, because they do not come from the sweet and pleasant root of grace: a true Saint gives God that wine, which comes from the pure grape of the spirit.
2 To perform duties spiritually, is to do them with the utmost intention; a Christian is very serious, and labours to keep his thoughts close to the work in hand, 1 Cor. 7. 35. That ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction.
Quest. But may not a godly man have roving thoughts in duty?
Answ. Yes, sad experience sets seal to it, the thoughts will bee dancing up and down in prayer; the Saints are called Stars, and many times in duty they are wandring stars. The heart is like Quick-silver, which will not fix. ‘Tis hard to tye two good thoughts together; we cannot lock our hearts so close, but that distracting thoughts, like winde, will get in. Hierom3 complains of himself, sometimes saith he, when I am about Gods service, I am walking in the galleries, or casting up of accounts.
But these wandring thoughts in the godly, are not allowed, Psa. 119. 113. I hate vain thoughts, they come as unwelcome guests, which are no sooner spied, but are turned out of doors.
Quest. Whence do these impertinent thoughts arise in the godly?
Answ. 1 From the pravity of nature, they are the mud which the hear casts up.
- From Satan; the Devil if he cannot hinder us from duty, thee will hinder us in duty; when we come before the Lord, he is at our right hand to resist us, Zac. 3. 1. As when one is going to write, another stands at his elbow and jogs him, that he cannot write even; Satan will set vain objects before the fancy, to cause a diversion: the Devil doth not oppose formality but fervency; if he sees we set our selves in good earnest to seek God, he will bee whispering things in our ears, that wee can scarce minde what wee are doing.
3 These impertinent thoughts arise from the world; these vermine are bred out of the earth, worldly business oft crouds into our duties, and while we are speaking to God, our hearts are talking with the world, Ezek. 33. 31. They sit before me as my people, but their heart goes after their covetousness. While we are hearing the word, or meditating, one worldly business or other commonly knocks at the door, and we are taken off the duty, while we are in the duty. ‘Tis with us as with Abraham, when he was going to worship; the fowles came down upon the sacrifice, Gen. 15. 11.
Quest. How may wee get rid of these wandring thoughts, that we may be more spiritual in duty?
Answ. 1 Eye Gods purity; hee is an holy God whom wee serve, and cannot endure when wee are worshipping him, that wee should converse with vanity: Will a King like it, that while his subject is speaking to him, hee should bee playing with a feather? will God endure light feathery hearts? how devout and reverend are the Angels, they cover their faces, and cry Holy, Holy.
2 Think of the Grand importance of the duties we are engaged in; as David said, concerning his building an house for God, 2 Chron. 29. 1. The work is great; when wee are hearing the word, the work is great; this is the word by which we shall be judged; when we are at prayer, the work is great, wee are pleading for the life of our souls, and is this a time to trifle?
3 Come with affection to duty; the nature of love, is to fix the minde upon the object; he who is in love, his thoughts are still upon the person he loves, and nothing can take them off. Hee that loves the world, his thoughts are ever intent upon it; were our hearts more fired with love, they would be more fixed in duty; and O! what cause have we to love duty? is not this the direct road to heaven? do we not meet with God here? can the spouse be better than in her Husbands company? where can the soul be better, than in drawing nigh to God?
4 Consider the mischief that these vain distracting thoughts do; they fly-blow our duties, they hinder fervency, they shew high irreverence, they tempt God to turn away his ear from us; how do we think God should minde our prayers, when we our selves scarce minde them?
3 To do duties spiritually, is to do them in faith, Heb. 11. 4. By faith Abel offered a better sacrifice than Cain.4 The holy oyle for the Tabernacle, had several spices put into it, Exod. 30. 34. Faith is the sweet spice, which must be put into duty: ‘Tis a wrong to God, to doubt either of his Mercy or Truth; a Christian may venture his soul upon the publick faith of heaven.
Use 1 How far are they out of the way of Godliness,5 who are unspiritual in their worship? who do not duties from a renewed principle, and with the utmost intention of soul, but meerly to stop the mouth of conscience: many people look no farther than the bare doing of duties, but never mind how they are done. God doth not judge of our duties by the length, but by the love: when men put God off with the dreggish part of duty, may not he say as Isa. 58. 5. Is it such a Fast that I have chosen? Are these the duties I required? I called for the heart and spirit, and you bring nothing but the Carkass of Duty, should I receive comfort in this?
Use 2. Let us show our selves godly,6 by being more spiritual in duty; (Exhort) ‘tis not the quantum, but the quale; ‘tis not how much we do, but how well. A Musitian is commended not for playing long, but for playing well: We must not only do what God appoints, but as God appoints: O how many are unspiritual in spiritual things? they bring their services, but not their hearts; they give God the skin, not the fat of the offering: God is a Spirit, Ioh. 4. 24. And it is the spirituality of duty he is best pleased7 with, 1 Pet. 2. 5. Spiritual Sacrifices acceptable to God: The spirits of the Wine are best; so is the spiritual part of duty, Eph. 5. 19. Making melody in your hearts to the Lord: It is the heart makes the8 Musick; the spiritualizing of duty gives life to it; without this, it is dead praying, dead hearing, and dead things are not pleasing; a dead flower hath no beauty, a dead breast hath no sweetness.
Quest. How may we do to perform duties in a spiritual manner?
Answ. 1. Let the Soul be kept a Virgin; lust doth besot and dis-spirit a man; beware of any tincture of uncleanness, Iam. 1. 21. Wood that is full of sap will not easily burn; and an heart steeped in sin, is not fit to burn in holy devotion. Can he be spiritual in worship, who feeds carnal lust? Hos. 4. 11. Whoredome and wine, and new wine, take away the heart. Any sin lived in takes away the heart; such an one hath no heart to pray, or meditate: The more alive the heart is in sin, the more it dies to duty.
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If we would be spiritual in duty, let us revolve these two things in our mind.
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The profit which comes from a duty performed in a spiritual manner; it infeebles Corruption, it encreaseth Grace, it defeats Satan, it strengthens our Communion with God, it breeds peace of Conscience, it procures Answers of Mercy, and it leaves the heart always in a better tune.
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The danger of doing duties in an unspiritual manner, they are as if they had not been done; for what the heart doth not do, is not9 done: Duties slubbered over, turn Ordinances into Judgements: Therefore many, though they are often in duty, they go away worse from duty: If Physick be not well made, and the ingredients rightly tempered, it is as bad as poyson for the body: So if duties are not well performed, they leave the heart more hard and sinful than before.
Duties unspiritual oft create Judgements temporal, 1 Chron. 15. 13. The Lord our God made a breach upon us, for that we sought him not after the due order. Therefore God makes breaches in Families and Relations, because persons worship him not in that manner and due order which he requires.
- If we would have our duties spiritual, we must get our hearts spiritual; an earthly heart cannot be spiritual in duty: Let us beg of God a spiritual pallat, to relish a sweetness in holy things; for want of spiritual hearts, we come to duty without delight, and go away without profit: If a man would have the wheels of his Watch move regularly, he must mend the Spring. Christian, if thou wouldst move more spiritually in duty, get the Spring of thy heart mended.
Footnotes
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21 Character. ↩
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Templum dei est vir pius, & ubicunque locorum fuerit, altare in corde suo ponere potest. ↩
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Aut per[…] porticus de ambulo, […]ut de faenore computo, &c. ↩
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[…]. ↩
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Vse 1. ↩
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Vse 2. ↩
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Nobis cum Deo est negotium, cui nihilo minus cum carne dissidium quam igni cum aqua. ↩
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Non chordula musica sed cor. ↩
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Quiequid cor non facit non fit. ↩