2. Though there may such deadness fall upon them, yet still there is a willing bent of the heart towards God. Gi'aces that live may not always be lively : there is a living faith and a lively failh ; and there may be deadness in the children of God, though there be not an utter death. Look, as our saviour found in his own ex[)erience when he was to suffer for us, just so it is with us when we conae to perform duty. In Christ the manhood sank by a just aversatiou at the gi-eatness of his sufferings ; therefore, Mat. xxvi. 41, ' The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak ; ' the flesh — that is, the manliood — is not able to bear such a brunt, though the spirit had freely given it up. So the inward man goes out to God freely, though there be the outward reluctation of the carnal man : Rom. vii. 22, ' I delight in the law of God after the inward man.' Though there were strugglings, yet the bent of his heart was toward God. This will appear, because the childi-en of God in such indis})ositions are not idle, but seek ; they are seriously dis- ])leased with the distempers and uncomfortableness of their souls, as iip})ears by their strugglings with God and striving with themselves. By their strugglings with God: Ps. cxix, 28, 'Strengthen thou me according to thy word ; ' and vei-. 32, ' I will run the way of thy com- mandments, when thou shalt enlarge mine heart.' When they have ielt their straits and deadness, tiiey would fain be set free ; and so, by their striving with themselves, weariness and deadness may seize upon the heart in prayer, but then a christian bestirs himself. Always you shall find when the children of God are calling upon God they are calling upon themselves; there are resuscitations and awakenings of their drowsy souls. Therefore it is said, Isa. Ixiv. 7, ' There is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee.' Thei-e must not only be a calling u})un God, but a stirring up ourselves: Ps. Ivii. 8, saith David, 'Awake up, my gloiy; awake, psaltery and harp : I myself will awake early.' It is not a sign of no grace to be troubled with indispositions ; but it is a sign of no grace to I'est in them.
Seco7iJhj, May not wicked men by high impulses be raised into extraordinary quickness in duties of worship ? and whence comes this ?
Ans. This may be, and there are many causes of it in a hypocrite. It n)ay come from the constraints of carnal ends: delight may carry us on freely in the outward part of worship ; joy is the strength of the soul. We are more ready in that which we delight in. In supersti- tious men it comes sometimes from fanatic delusions and transporta- tions. False experience may whet the wit, though the heart be not made the more humble or holy. And sometimes, in carnal men in distiess, it may come from unsound fervour of carnal aftections, and they nniy seek their earthly comforts with a great deal of earnestness. The n)otioris of lust are always violent and rapid ; and a carnal spring may send forth a high tide of affection. You know it is said, Hos. vii. 14, ' They howl upon their beds for their corn, wine, and oil ; ' their
VkR. 4.] SEKMONS UPON HEBREWS XL 463
prayers may be sliarpened to howling when they are pleading for the concei-nnients of the belly. But most usually it doth arise ironi the quickness and vivacity of nature. In youth, where there hath not been a great waste of spirits, usually there is a kind of natural vehelnenc3^ And some men we see are of temper fierce and earnest ; and they may seem very affectionate and loud in language, vehement in expression, and all this out of the eagerness of the bodily spirits, and mere heat and contention of nature ; but all this while they have no spiritual af- fections. As I liave read of Graccus, that was so earnest in s[)eech that one was wont to come to hira and sound a retreat to his spirit, ut revocaret eum a niraia contentione dicendi — that he might call him from loo great a contention of s{)eech. It is with many men now as with a bell, which is cairied by its own sway. Now it is a dangerous follv to mistake evei-vthiug for grace. I confess there is a great deal of use of this vivacity of natin-e, it serves to deliver and set off vehe- ment affections ; but lungs and sides must not be mistaken for grace, and the agitations of the bodily spirits for the impressions of the Holy Ghost. Men may work themselves into a great heat and veliemency by the mere stirring of their bodily humours ; and it is easy for men of an affectionate temper to put on a passion, though their hearts be not affected , as. corrupt lawyers can plead on either side with a like earneslness. We cheat ourselves with common operations. Parts can furnish the tongue with matter, and an eager spirit can supply the room of christian affections. As a man by overmuch contention of speech may seem to be mightily transported and raised, in declain)ing auainst sin, when in the meantime he hath no true indiirnat ion airairist it, and so is but ' like sotuiding brass or a tiukliug cymbal,' 1 Cor. xiii. 1. There are men that cannot contain themselves in prayer when they are but a little iieated and agitated, and yet have no raisetlness of affec- tion, no earnest pursuits and leachings- forth after God in their souls ; it is the travail of the body only, and not the travail of the soul. David supposelh that there may be crying to God with the tongue when the heait regards iniquity ; Ps. Ixvi. ]8, ' If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear rne.' There may be a forcing of nature into expressions when no serious indignation is kindled in the heart against sin, and an aversion of heart to holiness. St Austin made zealous prayers that God woidd mortify his lusts ; but his heart would always object, Noli modo, &c. — Lord, do not hear me just now ; J am afraid lest God should hear me. At least their hearts do not pray in prayer, notwithstanding this outward veliemency of their tongue.