Thirdly, It is required that our affections be so set on spiritual things, so as to be a continual spring of spiritual thoughts and meditations. No man can be

so forsaken of reason, as to suppose that he hath any sincere affections for what he thinks little on, or not at all; or that he can have a true affection for any thing which will not stir up and ingenerate in him continual thoughts about it. Let men try themselves as to their relations, or their enjoyments, or the objects of their predominant lusts, and they will find how things exist in their own minds. And, therefore, as all men pretend to love God and Christ, and the ways of God, and yet know in their own hearts that they think little of them, or meditate upon them, both their pretence and religion is vain. Where our affections are duly placed on heavenly things, so that we are indeed spiritually minded, they will be a constant spring of spiritual thoughts and meditations.

Fourthly, When our affections are thus applied to spiritual things, they will be prevalent and victorious against solicitations to the contrary, or allurements to draw them off to any other objects. The work of all our spiritual adversaries is to solicit and tempt our affections, to divert them from their proper object. There are some temptations of Satan that make an immediate impression on the mind and conscience. Such are his injection of diabolical, blasphemous thoughts concerning God, his being, nature, and will; and the distresses to which he reduces men in their consciences, through darkness and misrepresentations of God and his goodness. But the high road and constant practice of all our spiritual adversaries, is by the solicitation of our affections to objects that are in themselves, or in the degree of our affection towards them, evil and sinful. Of the first are all sensual pleasures of the flesh, in drunkenness, uncleanness, gluttony, chambering, and wantonness, with all sorts of sensual pleasures. Of the latter, is all our inordinate love to self, our families, and the whole world, or the things of it. To this end, every thing in the whole world, that may make provision for lust, is

made use of. Herein consists the nature and efficacy of most of those temptations with which we have to conflict. Solicitations they are of our affections, to draw them off from things spiritual and heavenly, and divert them to other things. Hereby our enemies endeavour to beguile us, as the serpent beguiled Eve, with fair and false representations of other beloveds, that our hearts be not preserved, as a chaste virgin, in all their affections for Christ.

And it is almost incredible how apt we are to be beguiled by the specious pretences with which we are solicited.

That our affections in the degree treated about, suppose of love to the world and the things of it, are lawful and allowable, is one of the sophisms and artifices with which many are deluded. This provided they run not out into scandalous excesses, they approve themselves in such a worldly frame of mind, and acting according to it, as renders them fruitless, useless, senseless, and is inconsistent with that prevailing adherence of affections to spiritual things, that ought to be in us. Others are deluded by a pretence, that it is in one instance only they would be spared; it is but this or that object to which they would give the embraces of their affections; in all other things they will be entire for God:-the vanity of which pretence we have spoken to before. Others are ruined by giving place to their solicitations, with respect to any one affection whatever; as suppose it be that of fear. In times of danger for profession, multitudes have lost all their affections to spiritual things, through a fear of losing that which is temporal, as their lives, their liberties, their goods, and the like. When once Satan or the world have gotten, as it were, the mastery of this affection, or a prevalent interest in it, they will not fail to draw all others into a defection from Christ and the gospel. He that loves his life shall lose it.

Wherefore, it is no ordinary nor easy thing to preserve our affections pure, entire, and steady, in their vigorous adherence to spiritual things, against all these

solicitations. Watchfulness, prayer, faith in exercise, and a daily examination of ourselves, are required hereunto. For want of a due attendance to these things, with respect to this end, namely, the preservation of our spiritual affections in their integrity, many, even before they are aware, die away as to all power and vigour of spiritual life.

Fifthly, Affections thus fixed upon things spiritual and heavenly, will give great relief against the remainders of that vanity of mind with which believers themselves are ofttimes perplexed. Yea, I do not know any thing that is a greater burden to them, nor from which they more groan for deliverance. The instability of the mind, its readiness to receive impressions from things vain and useless, the irregularity of their thoughts, are a continual burden to many. Nothing can give the soul any relief herein, nothing can give bounds to the endless vanity of foolish imaginations, nothing can dry up the springs from whence they arise, or render the soil wherein they grow barren, as to their production and maintenance, but only the growth of spiritual affections, with their continual vigorous actings on heavenly things: for hereby the heart and mind will be so united to them (that which the Psalmist prays for,)-" Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name;" that they will not be ready to depart from them, and give entertainment to vain, empty, foolish imaginations. Thoughts of other things, greater and better than what this world can contain, will be continually arising in the mind, not to be laid aside by any solicitations of vanity. For he that is wise, cannot but know and consider, that the spiritual things which it exerciseth its thoughts about have substance in them, are durable, profitable, always the same; that the advantage, peace, rest, riches, and reward of the soul, lieth in them; but other imaginations, to which the foolish mind is apt to give entertainment, are vain, empty, fruitless, and such as end in shame and trouble.

Again, the vanity of the mind, in an indulgence to fool

ish imaginations, arises from, or is animated and increased by that gust and relish which it finds in earthly things, and enjoyments of them, whether lawful or unlawful. Hence on all occasions, yea, in holy duties, it will be ready to turn aside, and take a taste of them, and sometimes to take up with them; like a tippling traveller, who, though he be engaged in a journey on the most earnest occasion, yet he cannot but be bibbing here and there as he passes by. When men are engaged in important duties, yet if they always carry about them a strong gust and relish of earthly things, they will ever and anon in their thoughts divert to them, either as to such real objects as they are accustomed to, or as to what present circumstances administer to corrupt affections, or as to what they fancy and create in their own minds. And sometimes, it may be, after they have made them a few shorter visits, they take up with them, and lose wholly the work they were engaged in. Nothing, as was said, will give relief, but the vigorous and constant exercise of our affections on heavenly things: for this will insensibly take off that gust and relish which the mind hath found in things present, earthly, and sensual, and make them as a sapless thing to the whole soul. They will so place the cross of Christ, in particular, on the heart, so that the world shall be crucified to it, losing all that brightness, beauty, and savour, which it made use of to solicit our minds to thoughts and desires about it.

Moreover, this frame of spirit alone will keep us on our watch against all those ways and means by which the vanity of the mind is excited and maintained. Such are the wandering and roving of the outward senses. The senses, especially that of the eye, are ready to become purveyors, to make provision for the vanity and lusts of the mind. Hence the Psalmist prays, "Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity." If the eyes rove after vain objects, the mind will ruminate upon them: and another affirms that he had made a covenant with his eyes, to preserve them from fixing on such objects as might solicit lust or corrupt

affections. And it were an useful labour, would this place admit of it, to discover the ready serviceableness of the outward senses and members of the body to sin and folly, if not watched against. Of the same nature is the incessant working of the fancy and imagination, which of itself is evil continually, and all the day long. This is the food of a vain mind, and the vehicle or means of conveyance for all temptations from Satan and the world. Besides, sundry occasions of life and, conversation, are usually turned, or abused to the same end, exciting and exercising of the vanity of the mind. Wherever our affections are fixed on spiritual things, our minds will constantly be under a warning or charge to keep diligent watch against all these things, whereby that vanity, which it so abhors, which it is so burdened with, is maintained and excited. Nor without this prevalency in the mind, will ever a work of mortification be carried on in the soul.

CHAPTER XXI.

How being spiritually minded is life and peace.

HAVING stated wherein this duty of being spiritually minded consists, that which remains is, to manifest how it is life and peace, which is affirmed by the apostle. This shall be done with all brevity, as having passed through that which was principally designed.

And two things are we to inquire into.

I. What is meant by life and peace.

II. In what sense to be spiritually minded is both of them.

I. That spiritual life whereof we are made partakers in this world is threefold, or there are three gospel privileges or graces so expressed.

First, There is the life of justification.

Therein

the just by faith do live; as freed from the condemnatory sentence of the law. So "the righteousness