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{The Application
Application for the Godly
The Right Improvement of Holy Duties
Vigorously Strive to Enjoy Perceptible Communion with God}
Whenever you set yourselves to your duties, resolve to vigorously strive to enjoy such perceptible communion with God that you may return from them with some advantage to your spirits. Resolve with Him, “I will never go away from You, except I go with You.” Whenever I come before the Lord, I will never go away without Him.
The reason why we do not thrive more from duties is because we do not meet our God in them. God never meets with His saints without sending them away with some marks of His goodness on them.
The reason why we seldom meet with God in our duties is because we do not intently and longingly look for His appearance. God waits for your coming, Soul, and if it is not your fault, you may see His face before you leave. And if you see God in a duty, you will not leave without some impressions of God on your heart.
When Moses came down from the mountain where he had seen the Lord, his face was shining. There was something of the glory of God on his countenance. Israel could plainly see that Moses had met with God; they could see the beams of divine glory in his face. Oh, how sad it is that Christians should return from duty with no more of God in their faces or upon their spirits than is usually the case. Many times, we come from our Bibles or prayer closets with spirits no different from when we come out of our shops or barns. Nobody would ever think we have been praying or conversing with God because we bring out with us so little savor of God on our hearts.
Brethren, whenever you let your pitchers down into the wells of salvation, do not be content to bring them up empty. Be so conversant with God in your duties that you come out laden, as the bee from the flower, with the honey and sweetness of your duties. And take advice to endeavor to obtain these blessings not only in your secret duties or only in your solemn public duties, on Sabbaths, humiliation-days, or thanksgivings, but in your family duties, in your reading, singing, and praying; yes, even in those shorter prayers and praises before and after meals. Whenever you draw near to God, look to see God, taste God, and get something of God down into your hearts. And then …
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