Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Some tools for self-examination

Found this in my morning reading. It’s based on something from Proverbs.

The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,
while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.


If you would know [be able to recognize] a sluggard [a lazy person] in the things of heaven, compare him with one that is slothful [lazy] in the things of this world.

As,
1. He that is slothful is loth [unwilling] to set about the work he should follow: so is he that is slothful for heaven.

2. He that is slothful is one that is willing to make delays: so is he that is slothful for heaven.

3. He that is a sluggard, any small matter that cometh in between, he will make it a sufficient excuse to keep him off from plying his work: so it is also with him that is slothful for heaven.

4. He that is slothful doth his work by the halves; and so it is with him that is slothful for heaven. He may almost, but he shall never altogether obtain perfection of deliverance from hell; he may almost, but he shall never, without he mend, be altogether a saint.

5. They that are slothful, do usually lose the season in which things are to be done: and thus it is also with them that are slothful for heaven, they miss the season of grace.

And therefore,
6. They that are slothful have seldom or never good fruit: so also it will be with the soul‑sluggard.

7. They that are slothful they are chid [rebuked] for the same: so also will Christ deal with those that are not active for him.

 John Bunyan

So how are you doing when it comes to working at the things of heaven?