Ralph Erskine (The Rent Vail of the Temple), Sermons 1:105:
Here we soon weary of praying and preaching; we soon weary of sermons and sacraments. I doubt not but many here may be wearied to the heart with this day’s work. Indeed little wonder that the carnal heart say, What a weariness is this work? For, as one says, “you may take a carnal man, tie him to a post, and then kill him with praying and preaching only.” But even the spiritual man himself, while he hath a wearying body of death about him, he wearies of ordinances, he wearies of God’s service; but in heaven, within the vail, they shall serve him without wearying or fainting, Rev. 22:3; there his servants shall serve him. Their weary service here is hardly to be called a service; but there his servants shall serve him indeed. O! will it not be a mystery, and a great wonder, if we, who cannot pray half an hour to an end, and hardly hear an hour to an end, but we will be toiled as if we had done some marvellous work, shall be brought to heaven, and never weary of the service of heaven? Here is comfort, believer: you shall, through all the years of eternity, praise him, and never weary.
Here we soon weary of praying and preaching; we soon weary of sermons and sacraments. I doubt not but many here may be wearied to the heart with this day’s work. Indeed little wonder that the carnal heart say, What a weariness is this work? For, as one says, “you may take a carnal man, tie him to a post, and then kill him with praying and preaching only.” But even the spiritual man himself, while he hath a wearying body of death about him, he wearies of ordinances, he wearies of God’s service; but in heaven, within the vail, they shall serve him without wearying or fainting, Rev. 22:3; there his servants shall serve him. Their weary service here is hardly to be called a service; but there his servants shall serve him indeed. O! will it not be a mystery, and a great wonder, if we, who cannot pray half an hour to an end, and hardly hear an hour to an end, but we will be toiled as if we had done some marvellous work, shall be brought to heaven, and never weary of the service of heaven? Here is comfort, believer: you shall, through all the years of eternity, praise him, and never weary.
