A remedy for wandering thoughts in worship by Richard Steele (Available from Heritage Books or free here) - Conclude Chapter 6.
Firstly Steele suggests that the eleventh cause of wandering thoughts in the ordinances of God is a divided heart. Steele's remedy is to get sincerity and seriousness.
Secondly Steele teaches us that the twelfth cause of wandering thoughts in God's worship is an opinion that there is no great evil in them. To remedy the cause, Steele:
(i) grants that the evil is not so great as in many other sins;
(ii) gives something to answer the opinion;
(iii) gives some advise to cure it.
I appreciated how Steele pointed out that although wandering thoughts are a lesser evil compared to other sins, the frequency of them adds to their sinfulness: 'The commonness of them adds to their sinfulness, though it lessen your sense-thereof. If your neighbour for a time break over your hedge, and tread down your corn, the matter is soon made up, it is but a trespass by chance ; but if he daily do so, and make it his way, you think it is intolerable ; so if a wandering thought stole in once a week, it were a less offence ; but if they will transgress and make a way over God's ground, spoil his garden often in every day, this makes the sin the greater, though the sense of it be the less.'
The sheer frequency of the sin of wandering thoughts in worship is a scary thing to consider.
Next week's reading
Commence Chapter 7 by reading Sections I to V.
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.
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