240 APPEARANCE BEFORE COD DERM. X777, him in secret, and are perpetually' with him in our thoughts ; that we take all proper opportunities to lift up our souls to him in the midst of common affairs, and thus do what we can to make up the loss of the sanc- tuary : But we should be still breathing also after church-worship, and the communion of saints; for God loveth the gates of Zion More than all the dwellings of Jacob, Ps. lxxxvii. 2. III. Remark. O what unhappy clogs these fleshly sinful bodies are to the mind.! How theycontradict the best inclinations, of the soul, and forbid it to fulfil its spiritual desires ! The soul would appear often, before God, but the flesh forbids: The spirit would rejoice to be among christian assemblies, but the body is too often confined by sickness, or by the necessary cares that re- late to this life, this poor animal life, that has so trou-, blesome an influence upon the noblest enjoyments of the mind. The soul would wait upon God whole hours together in praising, in .praying, in hearing the word ;, but the body is weak, Overwhelmed with a little attention, and canbear no more. The soul wrestles and strives against the infirmities of the flesh, and tabours hard to abide with God ; but these very wrestlings and strivings over- come languishing nature ; the impotence of the flesh prevails against the sprightliest efforts and vigour of the mind ; the flesh prevails, and the spirit must yield. Thus we are dragged down from the holy mount of converse. with God, and the soul, who is a-kin to angels, and em -, ployed in their work, must descend, and lie idle, to re- fresh the animal. In vain would the spirit raise all its powers into lively and devout exercise, if the flesh grows faint under a warm affection, it is forced to let go the -holy thought, and quit the divine pleasures of religion, until a better hour return. Sometimes, through drowsiness, and want of natural spirits, we grow stupid and heavy in religious duties,; and have but little sense of that God before whomwe, appear. Sometimes, through excess of spirits, our ima-, gination grows. vain and fluttering, and wanders far away from the God whomwe worship. Ifwe fix our thoughts one minute opon things of the highest importance and the-most awful solen pity; the next flying idea catches tI
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=