A61386:173
An antidote against distractions, or, An endeavour to serve the church, in the daily…An antidote against distractions, or, An indeavour to serve the church, in the daily…
An antidote against distractions, or, An endeavour to serve the church, in the daily case of wanderings in the worship of God by Richard Steele M.A. and minister of the Gospel.An antidote against distractions, or, An indeavour to serve the church, in the daily case of wandrings in the worship of God by Richard Steele M.A. and minister of the Gospel.
London: printed for Elizabeth Calvert, 1667
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
SECT. IV.
1The fourth cause of Distractions in God's Worship is Luke-warmness*. He that is intense in any thing hath few thoughts to spare. Distractions are but the idlings of the hea•t, he that runs, looks at nothing but the goal; though he meet passengers, or pass by Palaces, he is in earnest, and stops at nothing: it is he that walks at leisure, that turns his eye to every trifle, and descants on every object, he's not in haste at all. Even so the zealous Soul, though he forgets not those things that are behind, yet reaching forth to the things that are before, presseth towards the mark, he hath business in hand that concerns Eternity, he cannot stand to whisper with every passenger, nor trifle with every object. It is the luke-warm heart that is prone to that. He can pray to God, and dress himself at once, he can hear God and talk with ⟨p. 83⟩men, speak about heaven and contrive about the earth, and, in a word, serve God and Mammon at a time. Good Jacob was little troubled with wandering thoughts, Hos. 12.3, 4. when he had by his strength power with God, yea, he had power over the Angel and prevailed, for he wept and made supplication. Tears are the best charms to chase away Distractions. While you sweat, and weep, and pray, wandering thoughts will flee away*.