Tempt. V. He would destroy faith and hope, and make you doubt whether you shall get any thing by duty.
Direct. V. But, 1. Why should God command it, and promise us his blessing if he meant not to perform it? 2. Remember God's infiniteness, and omnipresence, and all-sufficiency: he is as verily with thee, as thou art there: he upholdeth thee: he showeth by his mercies, that he regardeth thee; and by his regarding lower things: and if he regard thee, he doth regard thy duties. It is all one with him to hear thy prayers, as if he had never another creature to regard and hear. Believe then, and hope and wait upon him.
Tempt. VI. Sometimes the tempter will promise you more by holy duty, than God doth, and make you expect deliverance from every enemy, want, and sickness, and speedier deliverance of soul, than ever God promised; and all this is, to make you cast away all as vain, and think God faileth you, when you miss your expectations.
Direct. VI. But God will do all that he promiseth, but not all that the devil or yourselves promise. See what God promiseth in his word. That is enough for you. Make that and no more the end of duties.
Tempt. VII. The tempter usually would draw you from the heart and life of duty, by too much ascribing to the outside: laying too much on the bare doing of the work, the giving of the alms, the hearing of the sermons, the saying the words, the handsome expression, order, manner; which in their places are all good, if animated with spirit, life, and seriousness.
Direct. VII. Look most and first to the soul in duty, and the soul of duty. The picture of meat feedeth not; the picture of fire warmeth not; fire and shadows will not nourish us: God loveth not dead carcasses instead of spiritual worship: we regard not words ourselves, further than they express the heart. Let the outer part have but its due.
Tempt. VIII. He tempteth you to rest in a forced, affected, counterfeit fervency, stirred up by a desire to take with others.
Direct. VIII. Look principally at God and holy motives, and less at men, that all your fire be holy, fetched from heaven.
Tempt. IX. He would keep you in a lazy, sluggish coldness, to read, and hear, and pray as asleep, as if you did it not.
Direct. IX. Awake yourselves with the presence of God, and the great concernment of what you are about, and yield not to your sloth.