When someone truly has the Holy Spirit, he loves to exercise devotion in prayer by attending church, reading, etc. But there is a counterfeit conversion from Satan that he gives in order to bring discredit to the people of God and lead souls astray. This is a type of false religion, and also leads people to have a great zeal in religious things. So that seeing someone spending a lot of time in church, in prayer, and another religious duties is *not* proof for *or* against a genuine work of the Spirit of God. However, if someone is not interested in services and devotions to the Lord, that indicates a lack of influence of the Holy Spirit.
Edwards, The Religious Affections pp 91-93:
It is no certain sign that the religious affections which persons have are such as have in them the nature of true religion, or that they have not, that they dispose persons to stere much time in religion, and to be zealously engaged in the external duties of worship.
This has, very unreasonably, of late been looked upon as an argument against the religious affections which some have had, that they spend so much time in reading, praying, singing, hear. ing sermons, and the like. It is plain from the Scripture that it the tendency of true grace to cause persons to delight in such religious exercises. True grace had this effect on Anna the pro. phetess: Luke ii. 37,
” She departed not from the temple, but
served God with fastings and prayers night and day.” And grace had this effect upon the primitive Christians in Jerusalem: Acts ii. 46. 47,
« And the continuing daily with one accord in the
temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God.” Grace made Daniel delight in the duty of prayer, and solemnly to attend it three times a day, as it also did David: Psal. Iv. 17,
“Evening, morning, and at noon will I pray.” Grace makes the saints delight in singing praises to God: Psal. cxxxv. 3,
“Sing
praises unto his name, for it is pleasant.” And exlvii. 1, ” Praise ye the Lord, for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant, and praise is comely.” It also causes them to delight to hear the word of God preached: it makes the gospel a joyful sound to them, Psal. Ixxxix. 15, and makes the feet of those who publish these good tidings to be beautiful: Isa. li. 7, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth ровите ” рос і во то посе ста сво. сол в ува
and the ingrave l destredof the Lord al tre day cod a 0, One dial in the house Lot, and to inqude. try is.
I masa dine beauty of die Kord. bid aro inguino in is tag.
Perloser My soul longeth, yea, vound are tho for the course. ot pord- Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the sna the Lores for herself, where she may lay her young. even think low a, O Lord of hosts, my King and my Grads Blessed are ting alar divel in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Blessey thale man in whose heart are the ways of them, who passing Through the valley of Baca- go from strength to strength, every throufthem in Zion appeareth before God.* Vor. 10, A day my thy courts is better than a thousand.”
This is the nature of true grace. But yet, on the other hand, that persons are disposed to abound and to be zealously engaged in the external exercises of religion, and to spend much time in them, is no sure evidence of grace; because such a disposition is found in many that have no grace. So it was with the Israelites of old, whose services were abominable to God; they attended the “new moons, and Sabbaths, and calling of assemblies, and spread forth their hands, and made many prayers,” Isa. i. 12-15.
So it was with the Pharisees; they ” made long prayers, and fasted (wice a weck.” False religion may cause persons to be loud and earnest in prayer: Isa. Ivili. 4,
“Ye shall not fast as ye do this
day, to cause your voice to be heard on high.” That religion which is not spiritual and saving may cause men to delight in regious duties and ordinances: Isa. Ivili. 2, ” Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righte ousnes, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask in re he ordinances of justice; they take delight in approach ing a God” It may cause them to take delight in hearing the word of God preached, as it was with Ezekiels hearers: Ezek. mith ay, at And they come unto thee as the people comei. but hiy win before thee as my people, and they hear thy word, love surilmordothem: for ith their a obey they show much are thur heir heatt goeth after their coveroushes. And la, thou at uno them as a very lovely song of etousnes hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not.” So it was with Herod; he heard John the Baptist gladly, Mark vi, 20. So it was with others of his hearers; “for a season they rejoiced in his light,” John v. 35.
So the stony ground hearers heard the word with joy.
Experience shows that persons from false religion may be inclined to be exceeding abundant in the external exercises of re-ligion; yea, to give themselves up to them, and devote almost their whole time to them. Formerly a sort of people were very numerous in the Romish church, called recluses, who forsook the world, and utterly abandoned the society of mankind, and shut themselves up close in a narrow cell, with a vow never to stir out of it, nor to see the face of any of mankind any more (unless that they might be visited in case of sickness), to spend all their days in the exercise of devotion and converse with God. There were also in old time great multitudes called Hermits and An-chorites, that left the world to spend all their days in lonesome deserts, to give themselves up to religious contemplations and exercises of devotion; some sorts of them having no dwellings but the caves and vaults of the mountains, and no food but the spontaneous productions of the earth. I once lived for many months next door to a Jew (the houses adjoining one to another), and had much opportunity daily to observe him; who appeared to me the devoutest person that ever I saw in my life; a great part of his time being spent in acts of devotion, at his eastern window, which opened next to mine, seeming to be most earnestly engaged, not only in the daytime, but sometimes whole nights.
High Plains Parson 