scudderpage295

Page 295

always in the sense of your own insufficiency, and in the power of God's might; then all the fore-mentioned duties will be performed with less difficulty and more fruit and comfort.

Yet because in all these duties you travel heavenward up the hill, and your passage is against wind and tide, and with a strong opposition of enemies in the way; you must never look to perform them without sense of much difficulty and little progress in comparison of what you aim at in your desires. It concerns you therefore to ply your oars, and to apply yourselves by all means, to work out your salvation with fear and trembling; I mean, with fear to offend in any of the afore-mentioned duties, not in fear that you have no grace, because you cannot perform them as well as you should, and would, Phil. ii. 12. For since you feel and bewail your dulness, deadness, and unprofitableness in holy services, it argues that you have life, because no man feels corruption, and dislikes it, by corruption, but by grace. I am sure that such as have no true grace, can, and do daily, fail in all these duties, but either they find not their failings, or if they do, yet they complain not of them with grief and dislike. If you heartily grieve, because you do no better, your desires to do as you should do, are a true sign of grace in you, Neh. i. 11. For this duty is always well done, in God's account, where there is truth of endeavour to do well, and true grief that it is done no better.

And whereas you say, that by reason of want of spiritual life in holy duties, you have been made to neglect them altogether, I pray, what have you got thereby, but much grief, and uneasiness? But tell me, how is it with you? are you pleased with yourself in your neglect; or is it so that you can have no peace in your heart until you set yourselves diligently to do those duties again, as well as you can? If so, it is a sign that you are not quite destitute of saving grace.

(6.) Doubts of sanctification from sudden dulness after duties.

Others, when they have been at holy exercises, and