Heaven taken

1. The less violence for Heaven, the less peace. Our consciences are never at peace in a drowsy state. It is the lively acting of grace makes the heart calm and serene. These two go together, walking in the fear of God, and in the comforts of the Holy Ghost, Acts 9. 31. Christian, if once thou growest remiss in Religion, conscience will chide. If thou belongest to God, he will never let thee be quiet, but will send some affliction or other to awaken thee out of thy security, and make thee recover that active lively frame of heart as once thou hadst.

1. The less violence for Heaven, the less peace. Our consciences are never at peace in a drowsie state. It is the lively acting of grace makes the heart calm and serene. These two go together, walking in the fear of God, and in the comforts of the Holy Ghost, Acts 9. 31. Christian, if once thou growest remiss in Religion, conscience will chide. If thou belongest to God, he will never let thee be quiet, but will send some affliction or other to awaken thee out of thy security, and make thee recover that active lively frame of heart as once thou hadst.

2. You that grow more dead in God's service, and leave your first love, give great advantage to Satan. The less violent ⟨p. 108⟩you are, the more violent he is; the less you pray, the more he tempts: and what a case are you now in? How can grace that is weak and sickly withstand violent temptations; Hence it is, God suffers his own people sometimes to fall into sin, as a just punishment of their lukewarmness, and to make them more zealous and violent for the future.