[Excess of trouble may, for a time, distract and over- whelm the soul. Our Lord himself seems to have experienced somewhat of thisd. Our prayers, perhaps, are never more acceptable, than when they are offered in broken accents, in sighs, and groans e.]
But we have reason to apprehend that we are weary in well-doing,
1. When we do not make a progress in our reli- gious course —
[We cannot stand still in religion : we must advance or decline. There are seasons when we grow rather in humility than in the more lively graces ; but if we neither shoot our branches upward, nor our roots downward, it must be ill with usf.]
2. When we are habitually formal in religious
duties —
[The best of men find cause to lament an occasional deadness ; but no true Christian can be satisfied in such a state g. Habitual formality therefore proves, either that we have never been truly in earnest, or that we are in a state of miserable declension11.]
3. When we do not carry religion into our worldly
business —
[As long as we are in the world, we must perform the duties of our station ; but if our souls be prospering, we shall maintain a sense of religion even when we are not actually engaged in the offices of it1.]
4. When our consciences are not tender —
[It is essential to a Christian to hate evilk: he strives to " avoid even the appearance of evil." He will in no wise allow one sinful temper or inclination1.]
We cannot be too much on our guard against such a state.
To confirm what has been spoken, let me add, II. A word of encouragement —
d John xii. 27. e Rom. viii. 26.
f 2 Pet. iii. 18. Heb. vi. 7, 8.
g Nine times in the 119th Psalm does David cry, " Quicken me, O Lord"—
\Phil. iii. 3. ' Prov. xxiii. 17.
k Rom. xii. 9. ' Acts xxiv. 16.