reaganmarsh
Puritan Board Senior
Jeremiah Burroughs, concerning being prepared in heart and soul for some duty, act of obedience, or aspect of worship in the Christian life or in public worship, gives a very helpful perspective:
"Yet suppose I find that I am not prepared, and I am grieved and troubled for it... Would I be better to leave the duty for this time, than to fall upon it in such an unprepared manner as this is?
1. First, I would answer that the omission of a duty, or the laying aside of a duty, will never fit the soul for a duty afterwards. It is no way to make your soul more fit afterwards because you have laid it aside for the present. .... Therefore, it is not wisdom to forbear a duty for lack of preparation, because the forbearance will never help further preparation, but will make the soul unfit for duty. Deferring does not make you more fit. Therefore consider that this is but a temptation.
2. This is but a temptation to keep you from it, to tell you that you are not prepared. And if you shall forbear it because you are not prepared, in this thing you gratify the devil, and the devil has what he would have, and so would be encouraged to tempt you at another time... He first labors to make you unfit for it, and then he tempts you to forbear it because you are unfit. This is the subtlety of the devil.
3. ...if anyone performed a duty of worship in that sincerity and strength that he is able to do, through he is not as prepared as he ought, yet it is better to do it than neglect it. .... One duty prepares for another. Though it is not done as I desire it should be done, yet doing it as well as I can at this time will help me to do it better another time -- that is certain. As one sin prepares the heart for another sin, so one duty prepares the heart for another."
-- Jeremiah Burroughs, Gospel Worship, pp. 75-78
"Yet suppose I find that I am not prepared, and I am grieved and troubled for it... Would I be better to leave the duty for this time, than to fall upon it in such an unprepared manner as this is?
1. First, I would answer that the omission of a duty, or the laying aside of a duty, will never fit the soul for a duty afterwards. It is no way to make your soul more fit afterwards because you have laid it aside for the present. .... Therefore, it is not wisdom to forbear a duty for lack of preparation, because the forbearance will never help further preparation, but will make the soul unfit for duty. Deferring does not make you more fit. Therefore consider that this is but a temptation.
2. This is but a temptation to keep you from it, to tell you that you are not prepared. And if you shall forbear it because you are not prepared, in this thing you gratify the devil, and the devil has what he would have, and so would be encouraged to tempt you at another time... He first labors to make you unfit for it, and then he tempts you to forbear it because you are unfit. This is the subtlety of the devil.
3. ...if anyone performed a duty of worship in that sincerity and strength that he is able to do, through he is not as prepared as he ought, yet it is better to do it than neglect it. .... One duty prepares for another. Though it is not done as I desire it should be done, yet doing it as well as I can at this time will help me to do it better another time -- that is certain. As one sin prepares the heart for another sin, so one duty prepares the heart for another."
-- Jeremiah Burroughs, Gospel Worship, pp. 75-78
