Antidote Against Distractions, Chapter 7
CHAP. VII. The Evil of Distractions.Cap. 7. The Evil of Distractions.
SECT. I.
THE Evil of Distractions, §. 1.is, 1. In their Nature. 2. In their Effects. Take the former in these demonstrations.
1. These distractions in God's Worship,They are sins against the first Table. are sins against the first Table. And these proportionably are ever greater than those against the second. Though the offence of them be properly against the second Commandment, yet they have a fling against every precept of the first Table *It would be an heinous offence among the incense offered to God to have put brimstone. The prayers are thine …incense, but thy distractions are brimstone, that stink in his nostrils. Chrys. Hom. 73. in Matthew.. For how doth he acknowledge God, that in his very presence offends him? or how dost thou honour, love and delight in him, as the chiefest Good, when thou startest aside from converse with him, to parley with the world and sin? There's the first Commandment broken. Do you worship him according to his will, that thus worship him? If material Images be cast off, and spiritual fornication committed, ye are still breakers of that Commandment. A graven Image in the mind, a worldly or wicked fancy there, where Christ should be, cannot but provoke him to be very angry. There's the second Commandment broken. And these manifestly break the third Commandment, being a palpable taking his great Name in vain. To speak of God, and think of the world: to hold discourse with him, and think of your lusts, is an high taking his Name in vain. As if the wife should be speaking busily with her husband, and at the same time looking at the picture of the Paramour, what rage would this beget in her husband's heart? To make the Name of God a cloak for the things, the nothings of the world, for the worst thing sin, is the saddest sacriledge; and for which he will not hold you guiltless, if he find you griefless. And then the fourth Commandment is broken by a plain rape, and theft committed of God's holy time; that which you *God forbids us to find our pleasure on his holy day, Isa. 58.13. And do we not find our pleasure by our Thoughts? Mr. Angier, p. 125.destinate, at your kneeling down to his service, is purloyned away by these roving thoughts, especially when they invade the Sabbath. For when you seem to give him much, in effect it comes to nothing; sift out the bran of your wandring thoughts, and the flower of cordial service will be next to nothing. And so your time is lost, your duty lost, and danger of your souls loss after all. And thus you see the first Table broken at a blow: It is a sad blow that breaks four Commands at once.
SECT. II.
THE second Evil in their Nature,§. 2. Distractions are heart-sins. is, *Non est reu…, nisi mens sit rea. A principle in Law.That they are heart-sins, Psal. 5.9. There is no faithfulness in their mouths, their inward part is very wickedness. As wounds in the inwards are most dangerous, because hard to come at and cure. Hence it is far easier to cure a swearer of swearing, than a roving heart of its distractions. And as these sins are more dangerous, so are they very displeasing. The heart is God's-Acre, the inclosure he keeps for his own walk and delight. He hath said, Prov. 23.26. My Son, give me thy heart. Now to injure him of his peculiar, to lay the filthy excrements of our sinful distractions under his most blessed nostrils (to speak with most deep reverence and grief) to thrust him out of his Mansion-house on Earth, the heart; this is no small injury, affront, and unkindness. And such a backslider in heart, shall be filled with his own waies, if he fill not the sacred bottles with his tears. And they are *Outward sins are majoris infamiae: Inward sins are majoris rea…ûs. As bleeding inward kills.more heavy to the conscience, in that they meet with no shame or trouble without, which is the ordinary lot of other sins, but are begun and perfected in the heart within; and their guilt is more, because their shame is less. And they do thereupon leave (as such other sins do) a deeper sting of remorse, and horrour of conscience, when the conscience is weake. There is much evil in these, Ezek. 6.9. I am broken with their whorish HEART, which hath departed from me.
§. 3. Distractions are sins in the special Presence of God.SECT. III.
THE third Evil in the nature of them, is, That they are sins in the special Presence of God. We read, Ezek. 8.16. of God, shewing the Prophet with infinite wrath, five and twenty men at the door of the Temple of the Lord, between the Porch and the Altar, with their backs towards the Temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the East, and they worshipped the Sun towards the East. This he highly resented, that in his Temple they should have their faces towards the Sun, and turn their backs on him. This is the manners of a roving heart. In God's own presence he turns his back on God, and his face to the things under the Sun, and those he worships. O infinite patience! that turns not such a soul into a Pillar of Salt, yea, throws it not into a Pit of Brimstone! Ezek. 5.11. Therefore as I live, saith the Lord God, surely (see how he binds it with double strength) because thou hast defiled my Sanctuary with all thy detestable things, and with all thy abominations, therefore I also will diminish thee — A third part shall die with the Pestilence. Which of all thy detestable sins, but thou hast had a fling at in the Sanctuary and Presence of God? now a proud, now a wanton, then a worldly thought. Ah, sayes God, I cannot bear it. He that provokes me to my face, shall feel it *Oras, loqueris ad sponsam; legis, ille tibi loquitur. Hieron. ad Eustoch. tom. 1. p. 142.. Few think these sins have brought the Plague, no more than the Corinthians did their unworthy partaking at the Lord's Table. In his special presence he looks at thee, as I may say, with both eyes, Psal. 90.8. He sets all our iniquities before him, but he places these secret sins in the light of his countenance. O this is an evil thing, and a bitter, that thou shouldest provoke the Lord to his face, and that his fear doth not awe thee, Ier. 31.11. Yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the Lord; this dyes it with a double dye. I am God Almighty, walk before me, and be thou perfect, Gen. 17.1 To believe you are sitting, standing, kneeling before God should make us perfect *Ihi pec…a ubi nescis esse Deum. Bern. de mod. bene viv. Serm. 19.. How demurely doth the Child stand before his Father, the Scholar before his Master? and shall the Child of God only forget himself? the poorest Scholar, before the best of Masters? Famous was that execution, Levit. 10.12. Two of Aaron's Sons came with their Censers, and offered strange fire BEFORE the Lord, which he commanded them not, and there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died BEFORE the Lord. Behold the dreadful hand of God! before him was their sin, before him they were punished. Lord! how terrible art thou in thy holy place! If no place will deter them from sin, no place shall be a sanctuary to them from Judgement. What are distracted thoughts but strange fire? and a *A greater curse goeth with an evil thought in God's service, than if it were another time; times of blessing perverted, are times of greatest curse. Mr. Angier. p. 123.strange punishment may the workers of iniquity have, if timely Repentance prevent not.
SECT. IV.
THE fourth Evil in their Nature,§. 4. Distractions are sins about the most serious business. is, That they are sins about the most serious business *Claudatur contra adversarium pectus, & soli Deo pateat — nec aliud habeamus in corde, & aliud in voce, quasi sit aliud quod magis debeas, cogitare, quam quod cum Deo loqueris. Cyprian. de Orat. Domin.. The most grand affairs under the Sun, are transacted in an Ordinance. I have read of a Noble Man of this Nation, that when his Cause of Life and Death was trying, though he had a pardon in his pocket at the same time, he was irrevocably sentenced, being that while asleep; he was sleeping, while the Judge was sentencing, was not this a gross neglect, and did not he (trow ye) bite his nails, and beat his head, that could not watch, when his head was in question? Sinner, thy head, and life, and soul, and all are in question: thy eternal happiness is handling, or thy dreadful sentence passing, and is this a time to trifle and straggle away from God? If you should come to the elbow of a Counsellor pleading at the Bar, much more of one impeach't for Treason, and tell them, such a companion hath sent for them to the Tavern, or that such a Cock is like to win the Game, the Cattel broken into such a field, such a game at Chess likely to be lost; with what disdain and indignation would they turn back such a message, and cry, Is this time to trouble me with these things? when the very hearing of such an errand may lose my cause, or hazard my life *Consider what a prayer is worth; every thing is worth, according to what we can have for it, why a man may have grace and glory for a …ervent prayer. If you should sell that for a trifle, when another had thousands for the same, wouldest thou not befool thy self? Mr. White of vain thoughts. p. 80.. Are Cocks, or Corn, or Companions, parallel to immortal souls? what are these to the things between God and me? If the dead must not be buried, when Christ calls; nor a man stay to take leave of his friends, how greatly doth he trespass that runs riot after toys and sins, when the great God calls and calls again? We have a clear instance, Luk. 10.41, 42. the Preacher was at Martha's house, and serious in his Sermon: Martha (good woman) was highly cumbred, and distracted with much serving: Mary sate at her Saviour's feet, and heard his word. Saith Martha, I think it much that my Sister must have all the Dainties, and I all the Distractions: Master, rectifie this inequality. Ah, saith our Lord, Martha, Martha, thou art cumbred (or as the word signifies distracted) about many things. But one thing is needful. Mary is imbarked in a most necessary affair, and worldly cumber is improper for an heavenly business. She that's working for her soul, hath work enough at that time. Salvation, Eternal salvation! Eternal salvation of soul and body; these are not things to dally about.
SECT. V.
THE fifth Evil of these rovings of heart,§. 5. Distractions are sins of Hypocrisie. is, That they are sins of Hypocrisie *Nec cum Psalmum dico, attendo cujus Psalmus est. Idcirco magnam injuriam. Deo facio, cùm illum precor ut meam precem exaudiat, quam ego qui fundo non audio; deprecor illum ut mihi intendat, ego verò nec mihi nec illi intendo. Bern. Med. c. 8.. And there can be no little evil in the sin of Hypocrisie. What is Hypocrisie? Matth. 15.7, 8. But the Honour of the lips, and the Distance of the heart, vox & preterea nihil, as it is said of the Nightingale, a sound of words, and no soundness in the heart, that's Hypocrisie; of all sins most odious unto God and man. And though the purpose of the heart be wanting to make it formal, and full Hypocrisie, yet a custom in these will beget that at length, and he that useth to lye in jest, will come at length to lye in earnest, Hos. 11.12. Ephraim compasseth me about with lyes. Oh how often may the Lord say over us, these people compass me about with lyes. What a Generation of Vipers are here! like the Viper that's speckled without, and poisonous within! Moses took a vail, when he spake to Israel, and put it off, when he spake to God. But the Hypocrite doth quite contrary, he shews his best to men, his worst to God, but the Lord sees both the vail, and the face; and it's hard to say, whether he hates more the vail of dissimulation, or their face of wickedness. This, 'tis a disappointing of God, in a sense a deceiving of him, Mal. 1.4. Cursed be the deceiver, that hath in his flock a Male, and voweth and sacrificeth to God a corrupt thing. Yea, sayes God, you have in your flock a Male, you can be serious when you will, but a corrupt thing (it seems) will serve my turn; you disappoint me, you deceive me, you appoint a meeting between an heart and me, and here I come, and the heart is gone; you knock at my door with great earnestness, and when I come, the heart is gone: you are deceivers, and deserve my curse. If this be not repented and reformed, such deceitful Hypocrites must carry away no blessing of mine, but a curse.
A prayer, though but of forty words sincerely made and felt every syllable shall prevail more with God, than a long Oration with half an heart: and the meanest Sermon heard with a prepared, humble, and attentive heart, shall receive a greater blessing, than a better sermon with a worser heart: for God is a spirit, and shews do work nothing with him: he that seems to serve him, and doth not, exasperates him the more. An eye to Heaven, and an heart for Hell, an humble knee, and a haughty spirit, a serious posture, and a frivolous soul, are abominable to the Lord *Thy wandring duties, Satan keeps as bills of Indictment against the great day: what is good in them, he layes before thee now, to quiet thy conscience; but miserable comforters are those which pacifie the conscience, but purifie it not. Mr. White. p. 86..
SECT. VI.
§. 6. Distractions alienate the heart from duties.IN the next place, the Evil of Distractions is seen in the Effects, whereof these are some.
First, They do alienate the heart from holy duties *In this sense they are a curse; for what is a curse but separation from God, think then, when wandring thoughts come to us in holy duties, the curse comes, and when they stay with us, the curse stayes. Mr. Angier. p. 186.. When we miss of God, we have small mind to his service again. It is the comparison of a learned Divine, when there is no marow in the bone, we quickly throw the bone away; even so when the sweet injoyment of God is not found in an Ordinance, which is lost by the roving heart, we shall ere long cast away that Ordinance, except shame or custom restrain us. Now when the soul cares not for prayer, or other Ordinances, it is a sad effect: the Lord may say to thee, with more right and reason, than Dalilah did, Iudg. 16.15. How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me? What love is that without an heart? where the affection is, there the cogitation will be also. I may truly invert this, and say, where the heart is not before, there love will not come after. Let all the soul be seriously bestowed in any duty of prayer, singing, reading, or hearing, and you will be loth to leave that duty, and long to be at it again. O the sweetness therein, and love thereunto! Psal. 119.93. I shall never forget thy precepts, for with them thou hast quickened me. Oh when shall I come and appear before God! O that every day were a Sabbath, then should I be well, as said that famous *Mr. Bruen of Bruen-stapleford. Cestr.Instance of Practical Piety. Hence, with a gracious heart, one duty prepares, and gets a stomach for another. But you shall find, when the heart is out of tune, and beating about the bush, and not half quarter of it with God; O then it is the most wearisome imployment in the world! A man had rather thresh than pray, that hath his heart in the Barn, when he is in prayer. And there is no lively desires, or longings of soul to that business, wherein he felt so little of God. Hence it is so hard to get a worldly family to get together to prayer; Alas! the duty is a distraction to them; when they come, they still leave their hearts behind them; you can make them no penny-worth of an Ordinance, whose hearts do usually run out of an Ordinance.
SECT. VII.
§. 7. Distractions affront the Majesty of God.THE second Effect of Distractions, is, That they much affront the Majesty of God *Videtur enim deridere Deum, sicuti si alicui homini loqueretur, & non attenderet ad ea quae ipse proserret. Aquin. 22 ae. q. 83. art. 13.. It was an high affront to God, Act. 7.39. that his people, after they had had experience of him, yet in their hearts turned back into Egypt. This is the wisdom of a roving heart, they say. Come, we like not this blessed presence of, nor work in our hearts: let's walk into the world again, Ezek. 11.21. But as for them, whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things, I will recompence their way upon their own heads, saith the Lord God. Here one detestable thing offers it self, and there another: for every thing that draws the heart from God, its chief good, is therein detestable: Now when the heart walks after them, that is the right vein of distractions. Where the heart walks after every trifle, that puts up finger, he shall have enough of his waies, saith the Lord. Must I stand for a sta…e, when he is aiming at other matters? must the great God wait on a simple Worm, till he can be at leisure to speak with him? shall the worst of evils be courted, while the chief of goods is slighted, and yet even then pretend to service? As if some miserable Scullion at the Court had made great means to possess the King with his low condition, and when the King is come to speak with him, he lyes sweeping the sink, or scouring the spit, and there lets his Prince wait on him to no purpose; may not he justly say, when I come next to meet you, you'st know the difference between the Majesty of a King, and the sordidness of a Scullion *Divinum auxilium est implorandum non remissè, nec mente huc vel illuc evagante, eo quod tali… non solum non impetrabit quod petit, sed etiam magi… Deum irritabit. Basil. Instir. ad rit. perfect.. Just so, poor soul, do thou and I, obtain leave to approach our heavenly Lord and King, and when he expects the heart earnestly to sollicit her great affairs, she is roving away, and bestowed in the Kitchin, or worse, while the great and holy God stands waiting to be gracious. What Father but would take it for a great indignity, to see his Son stopping his ears, or whistling, or playing with Flyes, while he is reading his last Will and Testament to him, or giving him order about his greatest affairs? And is not God greater than a Father? and can he with his honour, abate such a child his punishment, if he do not humbly cry him mercy, and study to offend no more? Though divine vengeance be not alwaies so visible, as a Parents Rod, yet it is as real and more heavy. A poor man cannot escape, with his affronts of a great God.
SECT. VIII.
§. 8. Distractions hinder the benefit of Ordinances.THE third Effect of Distractions, is, That they hinder the benefits of an holy duty. God seldom thinks of those prayers, that we think not of our selves, Isa. 64.7. And there is none that calleth on thy Name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: The Lord counts such prayers as none at all, when a man doth not stir up himself to his business, & non entis nulla est operatio *What is the reason that Christians are so much shadows rather than substance, when they come to forgive injuries, depend on God, &c. but because their service of God is more in shew, than in substance, according to that threatning, Isa. 29.13, 14. Mr. Angier p. 188.. That which in God's account hath no being, can have no working. The benefits of Ordinances are many and great: they are like the medium to sensation, as the air to the eye, or ear; there is no seeing nor hearing without it: so are Ordinances to the soul: they are the Conduits to convey God's grace to us, and our desires to him: when a dirty distraction gets in, the Conduit is stopt, and the soul starved. And in this sense God's Name (which should be most sacred and dear to us) is most palpably taken in vain. When we use a great solemnity to no effect, magno conatu nugas agimus. The wind and tide to serve, and yet the soul to sleep; the Mariner to be at Dice or Cards, till the opportunity be lost, what a great evil is this… when our voyage is for life and death? If you could by the expence of one serious hour gain a Lordship, would you not be intense and earnest that hour? would you not fume at the company, that would divert you, and disdain any ordinary business that would interrupt you? O stay, and let me alone this hour, for I am busie. Now by the *Hoc negotium plus gemitibus quam sermonibus agitur plu… fle… quam affatu. Bernard.cordial management of one serious hour in prayer, reading, hearing, or meditation; you may, yea shall infallibly gain at least one grain of grace, which is worth more than a Kingdom, yea, than a whole World. And is not that an evil thing, and bitter, that then interrupts you, and frustrates your gainful imployment, whereby it comes to pass that you get nothing? Pearls are dealing, and you get nothing. Orient graces in the hand of God, ready to give, and you none of them, who would entertain, that can be rid of such companions?
SECT. IX.
§. 9. Distractions deprive the soul of its comfort.THE fourth Effect of these Distractions, is, That they deprive the soul of its purest comforts. The highest, truest, and purest joys and comforts, meet the soul in the service of God, Cant. 2.3, 4. I sate under his shadow with great delight. (There are then delights, and great ones too in the waies of God) And his fruit was sweet to my tast. (If thou hast any spiritual tast, his fruit will be sweet to it.) He brought me to the banquetting house: God's house is his banquetting-house, and every Ordinance is a rare Feast to the soul, that doth spiritually manage it: Now these idle wandrings of the heart; first, by their Disturbance, then by their Guile, do damp and deprive the soul of the comforts thereof. Just as a black cloud doth hide from you, the bright and warming beams of the Sun. How often have you mist of those joyes of the Holy Ghost, sweeter than the musick of the Spheres, by these vain thoughts? with what sweet content do you look back on a Duty, where communion hath been held between God and you? and what a folly is it to lose an hour, and neither reap pleasure not profit by it *Thy prayers will tire thee out, for thou hast only the difficult part of duty; thou crackest the shell, but eatest not the kernel: like one that wants an excellent Book, whose sense or language he understands not, which is a great trouble, whereas he that understands both, is much delighted. Mr. White of Thoughts.?
There is fatness in God's house, and Rivers of pleasures with him, but he shall have leanness in his soul, that gives way to these, and of all those Rivers drinks not a drop, not one drop of true comfort and pleasure. O what an Heaven do negligent sinners lose! how many gracious smiles, blessed tokens, coelestial raptures, the dainty Diet of Angels, and all through the idleness of the soul! Psal. 63.5. My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, (I am full, brim full of joy and comfort, my heart runs over, and) my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips. Now all these gleams of sweet comfort and refreshing, are stollen away by these thievish Distractions. For an upright heart, and an attentive, would seldom want the sweet comforts, that usually accompany sincerity and seriousness. He that can keep his meditations fixt on the right object, his meditation shall be sweet; and where should the Lord make his Servants joyful, but in the house of prayer?
SECT. X.
§. 10. Distractions grieve away the Holy Ghost.THE fifth Effect of Distractions in the Worship of God, is, That they grieve away the Holy Ghost. It is true what the blessed Apostle hath said, Rom. 8.26. The Spirit helpeth our infirmities, and so helps against these, when they are but infirmities, mourn'd for, and striven against, but when they are contracted habits, then they grieve and quench the holy Spirit *foreign.. The Greek word in that Scripture, signifies to take and heave up a thing over against you, to heave with you. I but now, if our spirits instead of helping, shrink away, and heave none, this promise will do us no good. If we leave the business wholly to God's Spirit, without our diligent co-operation, he will leave it to our spirits, without his divine co-operation. The Holy Ghost will dwell only with an holy heart, and these Idols in the heart, do heartily trouble that sweet Spirit, Ezek. 14.3. Son of man, these men have set up their Idols in their heart, and put the stumbling block of their iniquity before their face, should I be inquired of at all by them? Read on, and you'l see what consequence this is of. What are worldly and sinful distractions, but Idols in the heart? what are abused objects of the eye, or ear, but the stumbling-blocks of iniquity before the face? and how can the holy Spirit dwell in such a soul, or abide such doings? Luther somewhat sayes, that the Holy Ghost dwells not in Babel, but is Salem; that is, delights not in the heart, where is nothing but confusion, (that's the english of Babel) but in the heart where there is quiet, peace, and freedom, (that's the meaning of Salem.) In Salem also is his tabernacle, and his dwelling place in Sion, Psal. 76.2. The unkindness offered is very great: as if you should earnestly importune some noble friend, to accompany and help you in some arduous affair, and he comes to go with you, once and again; and still, when you should come along, and promote your own business, you steal away about some trivial matters, and leave your noble friend in the lurch: This is the very case, you humbly impor…une the holy Spirit of God, to help you in the service of God; and he most graciously comes to help you, but one distraction or other charms away your heart, and the Holy Ghost is left alone. And thus the Holy Ghost is so oft sinned against, till at length he is sinned away. And thus you see the evil of Distractions, which is the seventh Point to be handled.