“Distraction of mind keeps the heart away from God.” The Puritan Nathanael Vincent wrote those words in the 17th century, which tells us it is a natural condition of the human heart in all ages to struggle to focus without distraction on God and his glory, whether it be in prayer, scripture reading, or listening to the word preached. But if this was true 400 years ago, how much more true must it be today?
As is the case often when reading the Puritans, there are endless fine distinctions that sometimes can weigh the reader down, but it is always worth it to persevere. Vincent exhorts us to consider that the reason we are so easily distracted is because Satan is hard at work in keeping our hearts from attending upon God, simply because he knows how much this will benefit us (56-57). If Satan can turn our attention away from God, what a great victory it is for him.
Vincent calls us to reflect on the fact that our minds actually are capable of great concentration. We would not be easily distracted, for instance, if we were in the presence of some great earthly authority. “What would not be done to a governor is done to the highest, best and greatest king, of whose dreadful name all the earth should stand in awe.” (129)
And yet Vincent is aware of our human weakness, and devotes chapter 14 to the reality that there are legitimate reasons for distraction, one of which is depression. “What earthly father is angry with a child because he does not do those acts of obedience in sickness that he could and would readily do were his health continued?” (151).
Vincent also encourages us to know that there will come a time when distractions will not be a problem for us. “When militant saints come to be triumphant, their distractions, and their complaints because of them, will be at a perpetual end . . . Having once looked on him, they will never care to look off again.” (204). If you’ve never read the Puritans, you are missing out on a truly inspiring spiritual experience.