A Spiritual Antidote Against Sinful Contagion, Treatise 1 · Duty 21
DUTY XXI.
PErsevere in all these Duties, and be not weary Perseverance in all.in the practice and performance of them: They will be difficult and displeasing to flesh and blood; but yet if you go on unweariedly, you shall finde them sweet. Unweariedly to persevere in examining your heart, in praying unto God, in mortifying of sin, in redeeming time, in holy contemplation of the life to come, is the work of an upright heart, when an Hypocrite might do some of these sometimes.
And that may I not lose my labor in all the rest, I think it necessary to add a few Arguments to press you to unweariedness in all the formentioned duties.
1. Consider, God is never weary of doing good Ten Motives to unweariedness in Duty.to you. God is not weary in hearing your Prayers, and will you be weary in making of them? God is not weary in bestowing, and will you be weary in asking? Unweariedness of God in giving Mercy, should be a lasting engagement ununto us, to unweariedness in performance of duty.
2. Consider, Christ was not weary in suffering any thing for us, and shall we be weary in doing duty unto him? Christ was weary in suffering, but he was not weary of suffering; so though you may be weary sometimes in duty, yet be not weary of duty: Yea, Christ prayed unweariedly, and acted unweariedly, and was most constant in all his undertakings for us; and what is our doing to Christs dying, and our acting for Christ, and for our own Souls, to Christs doing for us?
3. Consider, the Holy Ghost was never weary in striving with your heart, till he had overcome it. He came time after time, and moved upon your heart in the time of your non-conversion, and did unweariedly work till he had subdued your will, and united your heart unto Jesus Christ; and will you be weary in doing of duties unto such a God?
4. Consider, the more unwearied you are in holy duties, the more like you are unto the Angels in Heaven, and the spirits of just men made perfect in glory; they do unweariedly sing Hallelujahs unto God, and the Lamb that sits upon the Throne; and do not you pray, that you may do the Will of God in Earth, as the Angels do in Heaven?
5. Consider, you cannot spend your time better, then in a constant doing of your duty. It will not repent you, when you come to die, that so much of your time was filled up with holy Prayer; in a serious searching of your own hearts, in the believing fore-thoughts of the life to come.
6. Consider, the more unwearied and constant you are in all these duties, the more advantage you shall finde for the present: In the doing of your duty, there is great reward, Psal. 19. 11. great increase Five Advantages by unweariedness in Duty.you shall finde.
First, Of strength and power against your sin. This will be the way to get down your pride and covetousness, &c.
Secondly, Of Heavenly-mindedness; the more your heart is in duty, the more your heart will be in Heaven.
Thirdly, Of Christian experience, and of the dealing of Gods Spirit with your hearts. The more you are in duty, the more God will meet with you, and the more his Spirit will warm and affect your heart.
Fourthly, Of the discoveries of the evil of sin, and of the deceitfulness of your own heart: The more you do examine your self, the more you will perceive the desperate wickedness, and the turnings and windings of your own heart: The more you meditate of the joys of Heaven, the more vile will sin appear unto you, that would deprive you of it.
Fifthly, Of love to God and Christ, and the things above. The more constant you are in holy duties, the more discoveries you shall have of the excellency of God and Christ; and the more you know them, the more you will love them.
7. Consider, the more unwearied and constant you are in holy duties, the greater reward you shall have hereafter, and more degrees of glory. The more wicked men are, the more they shall be tormented; so those that do any thing for God, shall not lose their reward, 1 Cor. 15. 58. And the more degrees of Grace you get, by being constant in holy duties, the more shall be your degrees of glory, 1 Cor. 15. 40, 41.
8. Consider, Wicked men are constant and unwearied in their sinning; and you your selves in time past were constant in your disobedience; and will you not now be constant in duty and obedience? shall others be more unwearied in undoing themselves, then you will be to love your Souls?
9. Consider, the more unwearied and constant you are in holy duties, the better shall you give an account unto God at the last day; when your Lord shall come to reckon with you, what you have been doing; and how you have spent your time he gave you upon Earth; and how you have improved your talents he did intrust you with.
10. Consider, The Devil is unwearied in tempting men to sin; it is his constant daily work; and if you be weary in resisting him in a way of holy, constant duties, he will get a great advantage against you.
And that you may attain to this unwearinedness in holy duties, take these directions.
First, Make duty your delight: That which Five Helps to unweariedness in Duty.men delight in, they are not so soon weary of. Wicked men delight not in praying unto God; and therefore are weary in it, and weary of it. Davids delight was in the Word of God, and therefore he was unwearied in the study of it, Psal. 1. 2.
Secondly, Look upon duty as your priviledge; it is your real priviledge, that you may pray to God, that you may look into his Word. Hypocrites that do their duties as a task, do groan under the performance of them.
Thirdly, Get an inward principle suitable unto your work. Those that pray and do other duties, being moved thereto by outward Motives, will be unconstant in the performance of them: But those that do them from an inward principle, will persevere in the practice of them. An unholy heart, will be burdened with holy work; a carnal heart, will be weary of spiritual duties.
Fourthly, Be convinced of the absolute necessity of these duties, and perseverance in them; they are necessary, because they are commanded; and they are necessary, as they are means leading you to your highest end; firmly believe, that it is the unwearied Christian that shall be the onelyonly, happy, and successful Christian. It is unweariedness and perseverance that will crown all your labors, Ezek. 18. 24.
Fifthly, Endeavor after communion, and fuller, and more intimate acquaintance with God in all your duties. A Christian, as such, cannot be weary of those duties in which he enjoyeth fellowship with God: But when a man hath nothing but the duty, and nothing of God, God meets him not in Prayer; God discovereth nothing of himself to him in Meditation; it must needs be irksome unto such to be employed in those duties. Can a Believer be weary of that Ordinance, in which he enjoyeth God? or doth he not say, it is good for me to be here? It is good for me to draw near to God. But then you must not take up with any thing short of true communion with God, which when you have it, it will
1. Leave a lasting engagement upon your Ten Signs of true Communion with God in Duty.heart, to walk close with God after duty.
2; It will make you prize Duties and Ordinances above the outward enjoyments of this World.
3. It will make sin exceeding vile in your eyes.
4. It will make you very humble and willing in your own apprehensions.
5. It will wonderfully enflame your hearts with love to God.
6. It will darken the glory of this World in your eyes.
7. It will make you exceeding desirous, that others should be brought unto the participation of the same fellowship with God.
8. It will raise your appretiation and esteem of the Lord Jesus Christ, through whom you have this fellowship with the Father.
9. It will make you pitty and commiserate the ungodly World, that are feeding upon Husks, when there is such delighting joys to be had, in and from God in holy duties.
10. It will set your Soul a longing after the full fruition of God in the Highest Heavens.
This is true communion with God indeed, and take up with nothing short of such enjoyment of God, and then you will make it your greatest delight to serve God. And these duties, which to carnal men are sapless and empty things, will be to you as meat and drink. And if Death finde you so doing, no question it will be your out-let from all miseries, and an in-let to all happiness. To all such, the day of Dissolution, shall be the day of Coronation; when the Body shall be said in the Grave, the Soul shall be carried into Glory. And though some of Gods people may fall in a time of such general calamity, that men may refuse to accompany their Dead-bodies to the Grave, yet the holy Angels shall not deny to conduct their Souls to Eternal happiness. That is the place we are praying for, waiting, longing, and looking for. Oh my Friends, what will it be to be with God; where you shall never feel sin, nor sickness more; where you shall delight, and love, and joy, and praise him to all eternity! where we shall reap the fruit of all our labors; not that we deserve any thing from God, but all shall be freely conferred upon us.
My Friends, I being something remote from you, can serve you (not in the same way as formerly) but by praying for you, and directing a few lines unto you; which I hope you will take from me, as an expression of my real love unto your Souls: And that God would affect your hearts in the reading of them, and enable you and me to live in the constant practice of these Christian duties, shall be the unfeigned Prayers of
Your Real Friend and Servant in the Lord.
ROM. 15. 30.
Now I beseech you for the Lord Jesus Christs sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in your Prayers to God for me, and my Family, that God would preserve us in this day of his great displeasure.