Section 21

21 A godly man does spiritual things in a spiritual manner, Philippians 3. 3. We are the Circumcision, which worship God in the spirit: Spirit-worship is Virgin-worship, 1 Peter 2. 5. Ye are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices; not only spiritual for the matter, but the quality. A wicked man either lives in the total neglect of duty, or else discharges it in a dull careless manner; instead of using the world, as if he used it not, he serves God, as if he served him not; a godly man spiritualizes duty, he is not only for the doing of holy things, but for the holy doing of things.

Question. What is it to perform spiritual duties spiritually?

Answer. It consists in three things.

1. To do duties from a spiritual principle, namely a renewed principle of grace: let a man have gifts to admiration, let him have the most melting ravishing expressions, let him speak like an Angel dropped out of heaven, yet his duties may not be spiritual, because he wants the grace of the spirit. Whatever a moral unregenerate person does, is but nature refined, though he may do duties better than a godly man, yet not so well; better as to the matter and elegancy, yet not so well, as wanting a renewed principle. A Crab-tree may bear as well as a Pippin, the fruit may be bigger and fairer to the eye, yet it is not so good fruit as the other, because it does not come from so good a stock; so an unregenerate person may perform as many duties as a child of God, and these may seem to be more glorious to the outward view, but they are harsh and sour, because they do not come from the sweet and pleasant root of grace: a true Saint gives God that wine, which comes from the pure grape of the spirit.

2 To perform duties spiritually, is to do them with the utmost intention; a Christian is very serious, and labors to keep his thoughts close to the work in hand, 1 Corinthians 7. 35. That ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction.

Question. But may not a godly man have roving thoughts in duty?

Answer. Yes, sad experience sets seal to it, the thoughts will be dancing up and down in prayer; the Saints are called Stars, and many times in duty they are wandering stars. The heart is like Quicksilver, which will not fix. 'Tis hard to tie two good thoughts together; we cannot lock our hearts so close, but that distracting thoughts, like wind, will get in. Jerome complains of himself, sometimes says he, when I am about God's service, I am walking in the galleries, or casting up of accounts.

But these wandering thoughts in the godly, are not allowed, Psalm 119. 113. I hate vain thoughts, they come as unwelcome guests, which are no sooner spied, but are turned out of doors.

Question. Whence do these impertinent thoughts arise in the godly?

Answer. 1 From the pravity of nature, they are the mud which the heart casts up.

2. From Satan; the Devil if he cannot hinder us from duty, he will hinder us in duty; when we come before the Lord, he is at our right hand to resist us, Zechariah 3. 1. As when one is going to write, another stands at his elbow and jogs him, that he cannot write even; Satan will set vain objects before the fancy, to cause a diversion: the Devil does not oppose formality but fervency; if he sees we set ourselves in good earnest to seek God, he will be whispering things in our ears, that we can scarce mind what we are doing.

3 These impertinent thoughts arise from the world; these vermin are bred out of the earth, worldly business oft crowds into our duties, and while we are speaking to God, our hearts are talking with the world, Ezekiel 33. 31. They sit before me as my people, but their heart goes after their covetousness. While we are hearing the word, or meditating, one worldly business or other commonly knocks at the door, and we are taken off the duty, while we are in the duty. 'Tis with us as with Abraham, when he was going to worship; the fowls came down upon the sacrifice, Genesis 15. 11.

Question. How may we get rid of these wandering thoughts, that we may be more spiritual in duty?

Answer. 1 Eye God's purity; he is an holy God whom we serve, and cannot endure when we are worshipping him, that we should converse with vanity: Will a King like it, that while his subject is speaking to him, he should be playing with a feather? Will God endure light feathery hearts? How devout and reverent are the Angels, they cover their faces, and cry Holy, Holy.

2 Think of the Grand importance of the duties we are engaged in; as David said, concerning his building an house for God, 2 Chronicles 29. 1. The work is great; when we are hearing the word, the work is great; this is the word by which we shall be judged; when we are at prayer, the work is great, we are pleading for the life of our souls, and is this a time to trifle?

3 Come with affection to duty; the nature of love, is to fix the mind upon the object; he who is in love, his thoughts are still upon the person he loves, and nothing can take them off. He that loves the world, his thoughts are ever intent upon it; were our hearts more fired with love, they would be more fixed in duty; and O! what cause have we to love duty? Is not this the direct road to heaven? Do we not meet with God here? Can the spouse be better than in her Husband's company? Where can the soul be better, than in drawing nigh to God?

4 Consider the mischief that these vain distracting thoughts do; they fly-blow our duties, they hinder fervency, they show high irreverence, they tempt God to turn away his ear from us; how do we think God should mind our prayers, when we ourselves scarce mind them?

3 To do duties spiritually, is to do them in faith, Hebrews 11. 4. By faith Abel offered a better sacrifice than Cain. The holy oil for the Tabernacle, had several spices put into it, Exodus 30. 34. Faith is the sweet spice, which must be put into duty: 'Tis a wrong to God, to doubt either of his Mercy or Truth; a Christian may venture his soul upon the public faith of heaven.

Use 1 How far are they out of the way of Godliness, who are unspiritual in their worship? who do not duties from a renewed principle, and with the utmost intention of soul, but merely to stop the mouth of conscience: many people look no farther than the bare doing of duties, but never mind how they are done. God doth not judge of our duties by the length, but by the love: when men put God off with the dreggish part of duty, may not he say as Isaiah 58. 5. Is it such a Fast that I have chosen? Are these the duties I required? I called for the heart and spirit, and you bring nothing but the Carcass of Duty, should I receive comfort in this?

Use 2. Let us show ourselves godly, by being more spiritual in duty; 'tis not the quantum, but the quale; 'tis not how much we do, but how well. A Musician is commended not for playing long, but for playing well: We must not only do what God appoints, but as God appoints: O how many are unspiritual in spiritual things? They bring their services, but not their hearts; they give God the skin, not the fat of the offering: God is a Spirit, John 4. 24. And it is the spirituality of duty he is best pleased with, 1 Peter 2. 5. Spiritual Sacrifices acceptable to God: The spirits of the Wine are best; so is the spiritual part of duty, Ephesians 5. 19. Making melody in your hearts to the Lord: It is the heart makes the Music; the spiritualizing of duty gives life to it; without this, it is dead praying, dead hearing, and dead things are not pleasing; a dead flower has no beauty, a dead breast has no sweetness.

Question. How may we do to perform duties in a spiritual manner?

Answer. 1. Let the Soul be kept a Virgin; lust does besot and dispirit a man; beware of any tincture of uncleanness, James 1. 21. Wood that is full of sap will not easily burn; and an heart steeped in sin, is not fit to burn in holy devotion. Can he be spiritual in worship, who feeds carnal lust? Hosea 4. 11. Whoredom and wine, and new wine, take away the heart. Any sin lived in takes away the heart; such a one has no heart to pray, or meditate: The more alive the heart is in sin, the more it dies to duty.

2. If we would be spiritual in duty, let us revolve these two things in our mind.

1. The profit which comes from a duty performed in a spiritual manner; it enfeebles Corruption, it increases Grace, it defeats Satan, it strengthens our Communion with God, it breeds peace of Conscience, it procures Answers of Mercy, and it leaves the heart always in a better tune.

2. The danger of doing duties in an unspiritual manner, they are as if they had not been done; for what the heart does not do, is not done: Duties slubbered over, turn Ordinances into Judgements: Therefore many, though they are often in duty, they go away worse from duty: If Physic be not well made, and the ingredients rightly tempered, it is as bad as poison for the body: So if duties are not well performed, they leave the heart more hard and sinful than before.

Duties unspiritual oft create Judgements temporal, 1 Chronicles 15. 13. The Lord our God made a breach upon us, for that we sought him not after the due order. Therefore God makes breaches in Families and Relations, because persons worship him not in that manner and due order which he requires.

3. If we would have our duties spiritual, we must get our hearts spiritual; an earthly heart cannot be spiritual in duty: Let us beg of God a spiritual palate, to relish a sweetness in holy things; for want of spiritual hearts, we come to duty without delight, and go away without profit: If a man would have the wheels of his Watch move regularly, he must mend the Spring. Christian, if you would move more spiritually in duty, get the Spring of your heart mended.

21. A godly man does spiritual things in a spiritual manner. Philippians 3:3: We are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God. Spirit-worship is worship in its purest form. 1 Peter 2:5: You are being built up as a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices. These sacrifices are not only spiritual in their subject matter but in their quality. A wicked man either neglects duty entirely or performs it in a dull and careless way. Instead of using the world without being enslaved by it, he serves God as if he were not serving God at all. A godly man brings spiritual quality to his duties — he is not only concerned with doing holy things but with doing them in a holy way.

Question: What does it mean to perform spiritual duties spiritually?

Answer: It involves three things.

1. To perform duties spiritually is to do them from a spiritual principle — namely a renewed principle of grace. A man may have remarkable gifts, the most moving and beautiful expressions, speaking like an angel — and yet his duties may not be spiritual, because he lacks the grace of the Spirit. Whatever a moral, unregenerate person does is only refined nature. Such a person may perform duties that appear better than a godly man's — more refined in style and appearance — but they are not as good, because they lack a renewed principle. A crab apple tree may produce fruit that is bigger and fairer to the eye than a pippin, but it is not as good fruit because it does not come from as good a root. In the same way, an unregenerate person may perform as many duties as a child of God, and these may appear more impressive to an outside observer, but they are harsh and bitter because they do not flow from the sweet root of grace. A true saint gives God wine pressed from the pure grape of the Spirit.

2. To perform duties spiritually is to do them with full concentration. A Christian is deeply serious and works to keep his thoughts focused on what he is doing. 1 Corinthians 7:35: That you may give undivided devotion to the Lord.

Question: But can a godly man not have wandering thoughts during worship?

Answer: Yes — sad experience confirms it. Thoughts will dance about in prayer. The saints are called stars — and in worship they are often wandering stars. The heart is like mercury, which will not stay still. It is hard to hold two good thoughts together. We cannot lock our hearts so tightly that distracting thoughts, like wind, cannot find a way in. Jerome confessed: Sometimes when I am engaged in God's service, I find myself walking in the galleries or adding up accounts.

But for the godly, these wandering thoughts are not welcomed. Psalm 119:113: I hate double-minded thoughts. They arrive like unwelcome guests — and are shown the door as soon as they are noticed.

Question: What causes these distracting thoughts in the godly?

Answer: 1. From the corruption of our nature — they are the mud the heart throws up.

2. From Satan. If the devil cannot keep us from duty, he will try to disrupt us in duty. When we come before the Lord, Satan is at our right hand to oppose us, as Zechariah 3:1 says. Just as someone standing at your elbow jogs your arm while you try to write — making it impossible to write clearly — so Satan places distracting images before the imagination to draw us away. The devil does not oppose outward formality — he opposes genuine fervency. When he sees us setting ourselves sincerely to seek God, he whispers things in our ears so that we can barely focus on what we are doing.

3. These distracting thoughts arise from the world. They breed from earthly concerns. Worldly business frequently crowds into our acts of worship, and while we are speaking to God our hearts are talking about something else. Ezekiel 33:31: They sit before Me as My people, but their heart is set on their gain. While we are hearing the Word or meditating, some worldly concern commonly knocks at the door and pulls our attention away from the duty we are in the middle of. It is as it was with Abraham when he prepared to worship — the birds came down upon the sacrifice and he had to drive them away. Genesis 15:11.

Question: How can we get rid of these wandering thoughts and be more spiritual in worship?

Answer: 1. Keep in mind God's holiness. He is a holy God, and He cannot endure for us to entertain vain thoughts while we are worshiping Him. Would a king be pleased if, while a subject was speaking to him, the subject began playing with a feather? Will God accept flighty, distracted hearts? How reverently the angels approach — they cover their faces and cry: Holy, holy.

2. Think about the immense importance of the duties you are engaged in. As David said about building the house of God: The work is great. 2 Chronicles 29:1. When we are hearing the Word, the work is great — this is the Word by which we will be judged. When we are in prayer, the work is great — we are pleading for the life of our souls. Is this a time to be careless?

3. Come to duty with love. The nature of love is to fix the mind on its object. A person in love keeps thinking about the one he loves — nothing can pull those thoughts away. The person who loves the world has his thoughts constantly running toward it. If our hearts were more on fire with love, they would be more fixed in worship. And what cause do we have to love worship? Is this not the direct road to heaven? Do we not meet with God here? Can a wife be in a better place than in her husband's company? Where can the soul be better than when drawing near to God?

4. Consider the harm these wandering thoughts do. They contaminate our duties, hinder fervency, show deep irreverence, and tempt God to turn His ear away. How do we expect God to attend to our prayers when we ourselves barely attend to them?

3. To perform duties spiritually is to do them in faith. Hebrews 11:4: By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain. The holy oil made for the tabernacle had several spices blended into it, as Exodus 30:34 records. Faith is the sweet spice that must be mixed into duty. To doubt either God's mercy or His truth is an offense against Him. A Christian may safely stake his very soul on the public faithfulness of heaven.

Application 1: How far from godliness are those who are unspiritual in their worship. They do not perform duties from a renewed principle or with genuine focus — they simply go through the motions to quiet their conscience. Many people look no further than the bare doing of duties and never think about how they are done. God does not judge our duties by their length but by their love. When people offer God only the lifeless shell of duty, may He not say as in Isaiah 58:5: Is this the fast I have chosen? Are these the duties I required? I called for the heart and spirit — and you bring nothing but the empty form. Should I take comfort in this?

Application 2: Let us demonstrate our godliness by being more spiritual in our duties. It is not how much we do but how well. A musician is praised not for playing long but for playing well. We must not only do what God commands but do it as God requires. How many people are unspiritual in spiritual things? They bring their performances but not their hearts. They give God the skin, not the richest part of the offering. God is Spirit, as John 4:24 says. And it is the spiritual quality of duty He is most pleased with. 1 Peter 2:5: Spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God. The spirit drawn from wine is the strongest part — and the spiritual element of duty is the best part of it. Ephesians 5:19: Making melody to the Lord with your heart. It is the heart that makes the music. Bringing a spiritual quality to duty gives it life. Without this, it is dead praying, dead hearing — and dead things are not pleasing. A dead flower has no beauty; a flower without fragrance has no sweetness.

Question: How can we perform our duties in a spiritual manner?

Answer: 1. Keep the soul pure and undefiled. Lust dulls and deadens a person. Beware of any stain of impurity. James 1:21. Wood soaked with sap does not burn easily — and a heart steeped in sin is not fit to burn in holy devotion. Can a person be spiritual in worship while feeding on carnal lust? Hosea 4:11: Whoredom, wine, and new wine take away the heart. Any sin that is lived in takes the heart away from God. Such a person has no heart to pray or meditate. The more alive the heart is toward sin, the more it dies toward duty.

2. If we want to be spiritual in duty, let us keep two things in mind.

First, the benefit of a duty performed spiritually. It weakens corruption, increases grace, defeats Satan, strengthens our communion with God, produces peace of conscience, brings answers of mercy, and always leaves the heart in a better condition.

Second, the danger of performing duties in an unspiritual manner. Such duties are as if they had not been done at all — because what the heart does not do is not truly done. Duties sloppily performed turn ordinances into judgments. This is why many who are frequently at worship come away worse for it. If medicine is not properly prepared and the ingredients not rightly balanced, it is as harmful as poison. In the same way, if duties are not performed rightly, they leave the heart harder and more sinful than before.

Unspiritual duties often bring earthly judgment. 1 Chronicles 15:13: The Lord our God broke out against us, because we did not seek Him according to the rule. This is why God makes breaches in families and relationships — because people do not worship Him in the manner and order He requires.

3. If we want our duties to be spiritual, we must get our hearts into a spiritual condition. An earthly heart cannot be spiritual in worship. Let us ask God for a spiritual taste — the ability to find sweetness in holy things. Without spiritual hearts we come to duty without delight and leave without benefit. If a man wants the wheels of his watch to move rightly, he must repair the spring. Christian, if you want to move more spiritually in duty, get the spring of your heart repaired.