1. If God call a man to any Duty, there is a Principle within closing with the Command without, and moving the Soul freely and spontaneously to duty, Psal. 27.8. If God say, Seek my face, such an heart echoes to the call, Thy face ⟨p. 57⟩Lord will I seek. And this is it which is called, The writing of Gods Law in the heart, Jer. 31.33. and must needs be a mighty advantage; for now its work is its delight and wages, Psal. 19.11. The Command to such a Soul is not grievous, 1 John 5.3. And by this it's kept from tiring in duty, and being weary of its work; as you see what pains Children can take at play, how they will run and sweat, and endure knocks and falls, and take no notice of it; put them upon any manual labour, and they cannot endure half so much. When our work is our delight, we never faint nor tire at it. This inclination to God is to the Soul as wings to a Bird, or sails to a Ship. This carries the Soul easily through every duty. O there is a vast difference betwixt a man that works for wages, and one whose work is wages to him. And here you may at once see wherein the principal difference betwixt the Hypocrite and the real Christian lies in the performance of duty; and also have a true account of the reason why one perseveres in his work to the end, when the other flags. Why, here is the true account of both; the one is moved to duty from a natural inclination to it, the other is forced upon it by some external motives: For the Hypocrite takes not delight in the spiritual and inward part of duty, but is secretly weary of it, Mal. 1.13. only his ambition and self-ends put him upon it as a task. But now the upright heart goes to God as his joy, Psal. 43.4. and saith, It is good for me to draw nigh to God, Psal. 73. ult. When the Sabbath comes, (that Golden Spot of the Week) oh how he longs to see the beauty of the Lord in his Ordinances! Psal. 27.4. and when engaged ⟨p. 58⟩in the Worship of God, he cannot satisfy himself in bodily service, or to serve God in the oldness of the letter. He knoweth that this persuasion cometh not of him that called him, Gal. 5.7, 8. He labours to engage his heart to approach to God, Jer. 30.21. And hence those mountings of heart, and violent sallies of the desires heaven-ward. And thus you see one rare advantage to glorify God actively, flowing from the inclination of this new Creature.
1. If God call a man to any Duty, there is a Principle within closing with the Command without, and moving the Soul freely and spontaneously to duty, Psal. 27.8. If God say, Seek my face, such an heart ecchoes to the call, Thy face ⟨p. 57⟩Lord will I seek. And this is it which is call'd, The writing of Gods Law in the heart, Jer. 31.33. and must needs be a mighty advantage; for now its work is its delight and wages, Psal. 19.11. The Command to such a Soul is not grievous, 1 John 5.3. And by this it's kept from tiring in duty, and being weary of its work; as you see what pains Children can take at play, how they will run and sweat, and endure knocks and falls, and take no notice of it; put them upon any manual labour, and they cannot endure half so much. When our work is our delight, we never faint nor tire at it. This inclination to God is to the Soul as wings to a Bird, or sails to a Ship. This carries the Soul easily through every duty. O there is a vast difference betwixt a man that works for wages, and one whose work is wages to him. And here you may at once see wherein the principal difference betwixt the Hypocrite and the real Christian lies in the performance of duty; and also have a true account of the reason why one perseveres in his work to the end, when the other flags. Why, here is the true account of both; the one is moved to duty from a natural inclination to it, the other is forced upon it by some external motives: For the Hypocrite takes not delight in the spiritual and inward part of duty, but is secretly weary of it, Mal. 1.13. only his ambition and self-ends put him upon it as a task. But now the upright heart goes to God as his joy, Psal. 43.4. and saith, It is good for me to draw nigh to God, Psal. 73. ult. When the Sabbath comes, (that Golden Spot of the Week) oh how he longs to see the beauty of the Lord in his Ordinances! Psal. 27.4. and when ingaged ⟨p. 58⟩in the Worship of God, he cannot satisfie himself in bodily service, or to serve God in the oldness of the letter. He knoweth that this perswasion cometh not of him that called him,
