All grace and spiritual strength is originally seated in the nature of God, verse 28. But what relief can that afford unto us who are weak, feeble, fainting? He will act suitably unto his nature in the communication of this grace and power, verse 29. But how shall we have an interest in this grace, in these operations? Wait on him in the ordinances of his worship, verse 31. The word as preached
CHAP. XV.] DELIGHT IN THE DUTIES OF DIVINE WORSHIP. 441
is the food of our souls, whereby God administereth growth and strength unto them, John xvii. 17.“ Desire,” says he, “ the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.” But what encourage- ment have we thereunto? “If so be,” saith he, “ ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious,” 1 Pet. ii. 2, 3. If, in and by the dispensation of this word, you have had experience of the grace, the goodness, the kindness of God unto your souls, you cannot but desire it and de- light in it; and otherwise you will not do so. When men have sat some good while under the dispensation of the word and in the en- joyment of other ordinances, without tasting in them and by them that “the Lord is gracious,” they will grow weary of it and them. Wherefore, prayer is the way of his appointment for the application of our souls unto him to obtain a participation of all needful grace; which, therefore, he has proposed unto us in the promises of the covenant, that we may know what to ask, and how to plead for it. In the sacraments the same promises are sealed unto us, and the grace represented in them effectually exhibited. Meditation confirms our souls in the exercise of faith about it, and is the especial opening of the heart unto the reception of it. By these means, I say, doth God communicate all supplies of renewing, strengthening, and sanc- tifying grace unto us, that we may live unto him in all holy obedi- ence, and be able to get the victory over our temptations. Under this apprehension do believers approach unto God in the ordinances of his worship. They come unto them as the means of God’s com- munication unto their souls. Hence they cleave unto them with de- light, so far as their affections are renewed. So the spouse testifieth of herself, “I sat down under his shadow with great delight,” Cant. ii. 3. In these ordinances is the protecting, refreshing presence of Christ. This she rested in with great delight.
8. As they come unto them with these designs and ewpectations, so they have experience of the spiritual benefits and advantages which they receive by them, whichmore and more. engageth them unto them in their affections with delight. All these things, those who have a change wrought in their affections, but not a spiritual
’ renovation, are strangers unto. They neither have the design before
mentioned in coming to them, nor the experience of this efficacy now proposed in their attendance on them. But these benefits are great: as, for instance, when men find the worth and effect of the word preached on their souls, in its enlightening, refreshing, strength- ening, transforming power; when they find their hearts warmed, their graces excited and strengthened, the love of God improved, their desponding spirits under trials and temptations relieved, their whole souls gradually more and more conformed unto Christ; when
they find themselves by it extricated out of snares, doubts, fears,
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temptations, and brought unto sanctification and rest,—they cannot but delight in the dispensation of it, and rejoice in it as the food of their souls, And it is a great hinderance unto the increase of spiri- tual life, and obstruction unto fruitfulness, thankfulness, and conso- lation, when we are negligent in our meditation about the benefits that we receive by the word and the advantages which we have thereby; for whilst it is so with us, we can neither value the grace of God in granting this inestimable privilege nor perform any duty with respect unto it in a right manner. This renders it an especial object of our affections as spiritually renewed. That secret love unto, and heavenly delight in, the statutes and testimonies of God, which David expresseth Ps. cxix., arose from the spiritual benefit and advantage which he received by them, as he constantly declares. And the sole reason, on the other hand, why men grow so careless, negligent, and cold, in their attendance unto the preaching of the word, is because they have no experience of any spiritual benefit or advantage by it. They have been brought unto it by one means or another,—mostly by conviction of their duty; their minds have been variously affected with it, unto a joy in the hearing of it and readi- ness unto sundry duties of obedience: but after a while, when a sense of those temporary impressions is worn off, finding no real spiritual benefit by it, they lose all delight in it, and become very indifferent as unto its enjoyment. The frame which such persons at length arrive unto is described, Mal. i. 13, and 11.14. None can give any greater evidence of the decay of all manner of grace in them, or of their being destitute of all saving grace, than when they apos- tatize from some degree of zeal for, and delight in, the dispensation of the word of God, into such a cursed indifferency as many are overtaken withal. It cannot be otherwise; for seeing this is a way and means of the exercise of all grace, it will not be neglected but where there is a decay of all grace, however men may please them- selves with other pretences, And when they are thus ensnared, every foolish prejudice, every provocation, every wanton opinion and imagi- nation, will confirm them in, and increase, their gradual backsliding. And as it is with believers as unto the hearing of the word in ~ general, so it is as unto the degrees of advantage which they find by it. When men have enjoyed the dispensation of the word in a peculiar manner, spiritual and effectual, if they can be content to forego it for that which is more cold and lifeless, provided it pos- sesseth the same time and outward form with the other, it is no great evidence that their souls do prosper. It is therefore those alone who have a sense of the efficacy of the word on their souls and consciences unto all the holy ends of it, who cleave unto it with spiritual love and delight, They continually remember what holy