2. It is the external part of duties without the enjoyment of God in them, that makes them to be so heavy and so burdensome unto you; because you do not get into the spiritual part of religious part of religious performances. To pray indeed and not to meet with God in prayer, to fit and hear, to fast and afflict the body without communion with God, this is that which is the cause of this tediousness in Religion you do so much cry out against; but in the internal part of Religion, in loving of God, in believing on Christ, in meeting with God, in the desires of the Soul after God there is sweetness, and when it is thus with the Soul, it finds not duty to be a burden; but there the Soul could dwell, there it could with pleasure stay and make its abode. Nay there is more true delight in denying the pleasures of the flesh, than in fulfilling of them. These things you have no experience of, but ask God's people, and they will tell you, this is so; enquire of them and they will assure you this is so; and should you be thus prejudiced against what you do not know? If you did know, ⟨p. 69⟩your prejudice would quickly be removed. You engage in the matter of a duty, and do not mind the manner of it, and that increaseth your prejudice against it: Come then love God in Prayer, mourn for Sin in Prayer; were you able and subjects capable of applying promises to yourselves, promises of pardon, and promises of Heaven, as your own, in reading and hearing of the Word, then it would be sweet and pleasant. Tho' you in your unconverted state do not find it to be so, yet do not say, it is not so, but believe them that have had experience, and come over to God and Christ indeed, and then with the Samaritans you will say, John 4.42. as they unto the Woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying, for we have heard him our selves, and know that he is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world. Or you will find, as the Queen of Sheba said concerning Solomon, 1 Kin. 10.4.5. She said unto the King, it was a true report that I heard in my own Land of thy acts, and of thy wisdom. 7. Howbeit, I believed not the Words until I came and mine eyes have seen it; and behold the half was not told me; thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame, which I heard. Happy are thy men, happy are ⟨p. 70⟩these thy servants which stand continually before thee, and hear thy wisdom.
2. It is the external part of duties without the enjoyment of God in them, that makes them to be so heavy and so burdensome unto you; because you do not get into the spiritual part of religious part of religious performances. To pray indeed and not to meet with God in prayer, to fit and hear, to fast and afflict the body without communion with God, this is that which is the cause of this tediousness in Religion you do so much cry out against; but in the internal part of Religion, in loving of God, in believing on Christ, in meeting with God, in the desires of the Soul after God there is sweetness, and when it is thus with the Soul, it finds not duty to be a burden; but there the Soul could dwell, there it could with pleasure stay and make its abode. Nay there is more true delight in denying the pleasures of the flesh, than in fulfilling of them. These things you have no experience of, but ask God's people, and they will tell you, this is so; enquire of them and they will assure you this is so; and should you be thus prejudiced against what you do not know? If you did know, ⟨p. 69⟩your prejudice would quickly be removed. You engage in the matter of a duty, and do not mind the manner of it, and that encreaseth your prejudice against it: Come then love God in Prayer, mourn for Sin in Prayer; were you able and subjects capable of applying promises to yourselves, promises of pardon, and promises of Heaven, as your own, in reading and hearing of the Word, then it would be sweet and pleasant. Tho' you in your unconverted state do not find it to be so, yet do not say, it is not so, but believe them that have had experience, and come over to God and Christ indeed, and then with the Samaritans you will say, John 4.42. as they unto the Woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying, for we have heard him our selves, and know that he is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world. Or you will find, as the Queen of Sheba said concerning Solomon, 1 Kin. 10.4.5. She said unto the King, it was a true report that I heard in my own Land of thy acts, and of thy wisdom. 7. Howbeit, I believed not the Words until I came and mine eyes have seen it; and behold the half was not told me; thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame, which I heard. Happy are thy men, happy are ⟨p. 70⟩these thy servants which stand continually before thee, and hear thy wisdom.
