The Saints' Everlasting Rest

1. Thou shalt find thy heart as backward to this, I think, as to any work in the world. O what excuses it will make! what evasions it will find out! and what delays and demurs, when it is never so much convinced! Either it will question, whether it be a duty or not? or if it be so to others, yet whether it be so to thee? It will rake up any thing like reason to plead against it; it will tell thee, That this is a work for Ministers that have nothing else to study on; or for Cloisterers or persons that have more leisure then thou hast: If thou be a Minister, it will tell thee, This is the duty of the people; it is enough for thee to meditate for the instructing of them; and let them meditate on what they have heard, as if it were thy duty only to cook their meat, and serve it up, and perhaps a little to taste the sweetness, by licking thy fingers while thou art dressing it for others; but it is they only that must eat it, digest it, and live upon it. Indeed, the smell may a little refresh thee, but it must be digesting it, that must maintain thy strength and life. If all this will not serve, thy heart will tell thee of other business; thou hast this company stays for thee, or that business must be done: It may be it will set thee upon some other duty, and so make one duty shut out another; for it had rather go to any duty then to this. Perhaps it will tell thee, that other duties are greater, and therefore this must give place to them, because thou hast not time for both: Public business is of more concernment; to study, to preach for the saving of souls must be preferred before these private contemplations: As if thou hadst not time to see to the saving of thy own soul, for looking after others! or thy charity to others were so great, that it draws thee to neglect thy comfort and salvation! or, as if there were any better way to fit us to be useful to others, then to make this experience of our doctrine our selves! Certainly Heaven where ⟨p. 783⟩is the Father of Lights, is the best fire to light our candle at, and the best book for a Preacher to study; and if they would be persuaded to study that more, the Church would be provided of more heavenly lights: And when their Studies are Divine, and their Spirits Divine, their preaching will then be also Divine; and they may be fitly called Divines indeed.

1. Thou shalt finde thy heart as backward to this, I think, as to any work in the world. O what excuses it will make! what evasions it will finde out! and what delays and demurs, when it is never so much convinced! Either it will question, whether it be a duty or not? or if it be so to others, yet whether it be so to thee? It will rake up any thing like reason to plead against it; it will tell thee, That this is a work for Ministers that have nothing else to study on; or for Cloysterers or persons that have more leisure then thou hast: If thou be a Minister, it will tell thee, This is the duty of the people; it is enough for thee to meditate for the instructing of them; and let them meditate on what they have heard, as if it were thy duty onely to cook their meat, and serve it up, and perhaps a little to taste the sweetness, by licking thy fingers while thou art dressing it for others; but it is they onely that must eat it, digest it, and live upon it. Indeed, the smell may a little refresh thee, but it must be digesting it, that must maintain thy strength and life. If all this will not serve, thy heart will tell thee of other business; thou hast this company stayes for thee, or that business must be done: It may be it will set thee upon some other duty, and so make one duty shut out another; for it had rather go to any duty then to this. Perhaps it will tell thee, that other duties are greater, and therefore this must give place to them, because thou hast not time for both: Publike business is of more concernment; to study, to preach for the saving of souls must be preferred before these private contemplations: As if thou hadst not time to see to the saving of thy own soul, for looking after others! or thy charity to others were so great, that it draws thee to neglect thy comfort and salvation! or, as if there were any better way to fit us to be useful to others, then to make this experience of our doctrine our selves! Certainly Heaven where