But an upright heart hath very high and pure aims in duty ; " The ** desire of their soul is to God." Isa. xxvi. 8. " Their soul follows " hard after God," Psal. Ixiii. 8. " One thing have I desired of the " Lord, that I will seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the " Lord all the days of my life, to see the beauty of the Lord, and to " enquire in his temple," Psal. xxvii. 4. These are the true eagles that play at the sun, and will not stoop to low and earthly objects. Alas ! If the enjoyment of God be missed in a duty, it is not the greatest enlargement of gifts will satisfy ; he comes back like a man that hath taken a long journey to meet his friend upon important business, and lost his labour ; his friend was not there.
2. Secondly^ The engagements of men's hearts to God in duties will tell them what they are ; the hypocrite takes little heed to his heart, Isa. xxix. 13. They are not afflicted really for the hardness, deadness, unbelief and wanderings of their hearts in duty, as upright ones are : nor do they engage their hearts, and labour to get them up with God in duty? as his people do. " I have entreated thy fa- " vour with my whole heart," sait*h David, Psal. cxix. 58. They are not pleased in duty until they feel their hearts stand towards God like a bow in its full bent. I say, it is not always so with them ; what would they give that it might be so ? But, surely, if their souls in duty be empty of God, they are filled with trouble and sorrow.
3. Thirdly .^ The conscience that men make* of secret, as vv'ell as public duties, will tell them what their hearts and graces are ; whe- ther true or false. A vain professor is curious in the former, and either negligent, or, at best, formal in the latter ; for he finds no inducements of honour, applause, or ostentation of gifts, externally moving him to them ; nor hath he any experience of the sweetness and benefit of such duties internally to allure and engage his soul to them.
The hypocrite therefore is not for the closet, but the synagogue, Matth. vi. 5, 6. Not but that education, example, or the impulse of conscience, may sometimes drive him thither ; but it is not his daily delight to be there ; his meat and drink to retire from tlie clam- our of the world to enjoy God in secret. It is the observation of their duties is the great inducement to these men to perform them ; and, verfiy, saith our Lord, ver. 2. " they have their reward," accyjiTi, they have it away, or they have carried off all the benefit and advantage that ever they shall have by religion. Much good may it do them with their applause and honour, let them make much of that airy reward, for it is all that ever they shall have.
But now for a soul truly gracious, he cannot long subsist without secret prayer. It is true, there is not always an equal freedom and delight, a like enlargement and comfort in those retirements ^ but yet he cannot be without them ; he finds the want of his secret, in his public duties : If he and his God have not met in secret, and had
568 UELIGIOUS DUTIES ARE HEAllT^ISCOTERIES.
some communion in the morning, lie sensibly finds it in the deadness and unprofitableness of his heart and life all the day after.
4. Fourthly^ The spirituality of our duties tries the sincerity of our graces : An unregenerate heart is carnal, whilst engaged in duties that are spiritual. Some men deceive themselves in thinking they are spiritual men, because their employments and calling is about spiritual things, Hosea ix. 7. This indeed gives them the denomina- tion, but not the frame of spiritual men ; and others judge them- selves spiritual persons, because they frequently perform and attend upon spiritual duties : But, alas, the heart and state may be carnal notwithstanding all this. O, my friends, it is not enough that the object of your duties be spiritual, that they respect an holy God; nor that the matter be spiritual, that you be conversant about holy things; but the frame of your heart must be spiritual ; an heavenly temper of soul is necessary, and what are the most heavenly duties without it.?
The end and design you aim at must be spiritual, the enjoyment of God, and a growing conformity to him in holiness ; else multiply duties as the sand on the sea-shore, and they all will not amount to one evidence of your sincerity. " God is my witness whom I serve *' with my spirit,"" saith the apostle, Rom. i. 9. He seems to appeal to God in this matter. I serve God in my spirit, and God knows that I do so ; I dare appeal to him that it is so ; he knows that my heart is with him, or would be with him in my duties: The arms of my faith do either sensibly grasp, or are stretched out towards him in* my duties. O how little favour do gracious hearts find in the most' excellent duties, if God and their souls do not sensibly meet in them !
Certainly, reader, there is a time when God comes nigh to men in duty, when he deals familiarly with men, and sensibly fills their souls with unusual powers and delights. The near approaches of God to their souls are felt by them, (for souls have their senses as well as bodies) and now are their minds abstracted and marvellously refined from all that is material and earthly, and swallowed up in spirtual excellencies and glories.
These are the real prclibations, or foretastes of glory, which no man can by words, make another to understand, as he himself doth that feels them.
These seasons, I confess, do but rarely occur to the best of Chris- tains, nor continue long when they do : * Alas ! this wine is too strong for such weak bottles as we are. ' Hold, Lord, (an holy man * said once,) it is enough, thy poor creature is a clay vessel, and can ' hold no more :' This is that joy unspeakable, and full of glory, which is mentioned, 1 Pet. i. 7, 8. Something that words cannot
* It is a sweet hour, and it is but an hour, (a thing of short continuance:) The relish of it is exceeding sweet, but is not often that Christians taste it. Bernard*
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describe. These seasons are the golden spots of our lives, when we are admitted to these near and ineffable views and tastes of God : Possiblv some poor Christians can say but little to these things; their sorrows are exercised in duties more than their joys; they are en- deavouring to mount, but the stone hangs at the heel ; they essay, but cannot rise to that height that others do, who are got up by their labouring faith into the upper region, and there display their wings, and sing in the sun-beams: But though they cannot reach this height, yet have they no satisfaction in duties wherein there is no intercourse betwixt God and their souls.