And truly, the more spiritual the heart is, the more it is troubled about the vanity and wildness of it. O what a sad thing it is ! that thy nobler soul must lackey up and down after a vain and roving fancy, that such a beggar should ride on horse-back, and such a prince run after on foot ; that it should call off the soul from attendance upon God, when it is most sweetly engaged in communion with him, to prosecute such vanities as it will stai't at such times before it ! beg ear- nestly of God that the power of sanctification may once come upon it. Some Christians have attained such a degree of sanctification of their fancies, that they have had much sweetness left upon their hearts by the spiritual workings of it in the night-season : When thy fancy is more mortified, thy thoughts will be more orderly and fixed.
Help 4. I/' thou wouldst keep thy heart from those vain ea:ciirsions^ realize to thyself hyjaith^ the holy and awful presence of God in duti&s.
If the presence of a grave man will compose us to seriousness, how much more the presence of an holy God ? Thinkest thou thy soul durst be so gay and light, if the sense of a divine eye were upon it ? Remember the place where thou art is the place of his feet, Isa. Ix. 13. act faith upon the omnisclency of God. " All the churches shall know that I am he that searcheth the " heart, trieth the reins, and I will give to every one of you " according to your works,'" Rev. ii. 23. " All things are na- " ked and open to the eyes of him with whom we have to do,"' Heb. iv. 12. Realize his infinite holiness ; into what a serious, composed frame did the sight of God, in his hohness, put the spirit of the prophet ? Isa. vi. 5. Labour also to get upon thy heart due apprehensions of the greatness of God, such as Abraham had. Gen. xviii. 27. " I that am but dust and ashes have taken upon me " to speak to God." And lastly, remember the jealousy of God, how tender he is over his worship. Lev. x. 3. " And Moses said to " Aaron, 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 glo- " rified."
' A man that is praying (saith Bernard) should behave himself as ' if he were entering into the court of heaven, where he sees the ' Lord upon his throne, surrounded with ten thousand of his angels ' and saints ministering unto bim."' When thou comest from a duty in which thy heart hath 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
46G MOW TO KEEP The heaet froji wandering in duty.
duty were written out, and interlined with thy petitions, couldest thou have the face to present to God ? Should thy tongue but ut- ter all the thoughts of thy heart in prayer, would not men abhor thee ? Why 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 sadly upon that scripture. Psalm Ixxxvii. 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 light- nings, and dark clouds upon Sinai ? Exod. xix. 16 — 18. Why did the mountains smoke under him ? The people quake and tremble round about him, yiea, Moses himself not exempted ? but to teach the people, that great truth, 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 I""* Present God thus before thee, and thy vain heart will quickly be reduced to a more serious frame.
Help 5. Maintain a 'praying frame of heart in the intervals of duty. What is the reason our hearts are so dull, careless and wan- dering, 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 ft'om God in one duty, were but preserved to kindle another duty, it would be of marvel- lous advantage to keep the heart intent and serious with God.
To 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, as it were, wraps up itself in a chain of duties. That Christian seldom misses his mark in solemn duty, that 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 hps, O my spouse, drop as the honey- '*^ comb.'^ Upon 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.
Help 6. EiUdeavour to engage and raise thy affections to God in duty, if thou wouldest ha've thy distractions cured.
A dropping eye, and a melting heart, are seldom troubled as others are upon this account : When the soul is intent upon any work, it gathers in its strength, and bends all the 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 distrac- tion increases deadness; Could you but look upon duties as the galle- ries of communion in which you walk with God, where your souls
HOW TO KEEP THE HEART FROM WANDERING IN DUTY. 467
may be filled with those ravishing and matchless delights that 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 that dig for golden ore ; they try here, and finding none, try there ; and so go from pladb to place, till at last they riit upon the rich vein, and there they sit down. If thy heart could but once hit 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 shuffling, 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 ?
Help 7. Mourn over the matter to God, and call in assistance Jrom heaven, when vain thoughts assault thy heart in duty.