A61386:222
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.
THE Tenth Cause of Distractions in our Lords service is,1 Vain thoughts at other times. For,
- 1§. 10. Vain thoughts out of Duties.
1. These displease and disengage the spirit of God; without whose help these Infirmities will crowd in upon us. If you should lodge your noble friend, whom Love only moves to visit you, in the same room with a nasty beggar, may not he take it for a plain affront, and refuse to come near or help you in your need? even so the holy Ghost, your Noblest Friend will take it ill, to be packed into a room with base and beggarly thoughts, and may justly deny that presence and assistance, which we have need of; and without Gods spirit helping us, we cannot pray as we ought, nor keep out Distractions with all our skill. Rom. 8.26. The spirit helpeth our infirmities, and these wanderings are some of those infirmities, which the spirit must help us about, yea and will, if he be not disobliged, but it is far from likely, that we should have that sacred Spirit at our beck in Duty, whom we have distasted all the day long. How ⟨p. 122⟩justly may He say, as it is Jer. 11.15. What hath my beloved to do in my house? or, as the Margin, what is to my beloved in my house, seeing she hath wrought lewdness with many? As if he should say, I know not what to do with thee in my house, or what thou hast to do with me, having roved so extremely with thy heart from me, and been lewd with many. Remember it is the Holy Ghost, who hates a sinful thought any time of day. That man must walk with God in the Day, that will have God draw nigh to him at Night.
1. These displease and disengage the spirit of God; without whose help these Infirmities will crowd in upon us. If you should lodge your noble friend, whom Love only moves to visit you, in the same room with a nasty beggar, may not he take it for a plain affront, and refuse to come near or help you in your need? even so the holy Ghost, your Noblest Friend will take it ill, to be pack't into a room with base and beggarly thoughts, and may justly deny that presence and assistance, which we have need of; and without Gods spirit helping us, we cannot pray as we ought, nor keep out Distractions with all our skill.