at least are not exclusive of any, times and seasons of our lives. Be the way of their proposal what it will, and whenever be the season of it, if our affections are duly improved by spiritual exercises, they are suited unto them, and will be ready to give them entertainment. Hence, or for want hereof, on the other hand, are tergiversations and shiftings in duties, proneness to comply with diversion, all to keep off the mind from closing with, and receiving of, those spiritual things which it is not suited unto. Wherefore, as unto the solemn way of proposing spiritual things unto our minds which is in and by the ordinances of divine worship, when men have a prevalent loathness to engage in them, or when they are satisfied with an outward attendance on them, but not enabled unto a vigorous stirring up of the inward man unto a holy affectionate converse with spiritual and heavenly things, it is because they are carnal. When men can receive the fiery darts of Satan in his temptations into their bosoms, and suffer them to abide there, yea, foster and cherish them in thoughts of the lusts that they kindle, but quickly quench the motions of the Spirit, stirring them up unto the embracing of heavenly things; they are carnal, and carnally minded. When providences of concernment ́ in afflictions, trials, deliverances, do not engage the mind into thoughts of spiritual things, and excite the affections unto the entertainment of them, men are carnal and earthly. When every lust, corruption, or passion, as anger, envy, displeasure at this or that person or thing, can divert the mind from compliance with the proposal of spiritual things that is made unto it, we are carnal.

6

It is otherwise when our affections are conformed unto things spiritual and heavenly. Upon every proposal of this the mind finds a suitableness unto itself, like that which a welldisposed appetite finds unto savoury meat. As the 'full soul loaths the honey-comb,' so a mind under the power of carnal affections hath an aversion unto all spiritual sweetness. But spiritualized affections desire them, have an appetite unto them, readily receive them on all occasions, as those which are natural unto them, as milk is unto new-born babes.

2. Affections so disposed constantly, find a gust, a pleasant taste, a relish in spiritual things. They do in them taste that the Lord is gracious;' 1 Pet. ii. 3. To taste of

God's goodness, is to have an experience of a savoury relish and sweetness, in converse and communion with him. And persons whose affections are thus renewed, and thus improved, do taste a sweet savour in all spiritual things. Some of them, as a sense of the love of Christ, are sometimes as it were too hard for them, and overpower them, until they are 'sick of love,' and do 'rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.' Neither is there any of them however condited with afflictions or mortifications, but it is sweet unto them; Prov. xxvii. 7. Every thing that is wholesome food, that is good nourishment, though it be but bitter herbs, is sweet to him that is hungry. And when by our affections we have. raised up in us a spiritual appetite unto heavenly things, however any of them in their own nature, or in their dispensation, may be bitter to flesh and blood, as are all the doctrines of the cross, they are all sweet unto us, and we can taste how gracious the Lord is in them. When the soul is filled with earthly things, the love of this world, or when the appetite is lost by spiritual sickness, or vitiated and corrupted by any prevalent sin, heavenly things are unsavoury and sapless, or as Job speaks, like the white of an egg wherein there is no taste.' There may be in the dispensation of the word a taste or pleasing relish given unto the fancy; there may be so unto the notional understanding, when the affections find no complacency in the things themselves. But unto them who are spiritually minded unto the degree intended, they are all sweet, savoury, pleasant; the affections taste them immediately, as the palate doth meat.

3. They are a just repository of all graces, and therein the treasury of the soul. There are graces of the Spirit

whose formal direct residence is in the understanding and the will, as faith itself. And therein are all other graces radically comprised; they grow from that root. Howbeit the most of them have their principal residence in the affections. In them are they preserved secure and ready for exercise on all occasions. And when they are duly spiritual, there is nothing that tends to their growth or improvement, to their cherishing or quickening, which they stand in need of continually, and which God hath made provision for in his word, but they readily receive it, lay it up, keep and preserve it. Hereby they come to be filled with grace, with all graces;

for there is room in them for all the graces of the Spirit to inhabit; and do readily comply with the light and direction of faith unto their exercise. When faith discerns and determines that there is any thing to be done or suffered in a way of duty unto the glory of God, the affections thus disposed do not shut up or stifle the graces that are in them, but carefully offer them unto their proper exercise.

These are some of those things which our affections, conformed unto heavenly things, will attain unto. And thus it is with affections spiritually renewed, by being fixed on things spiritual and heavenly, they are more and more conformed unto them, made like them, and become more spiritual and heavenly themselves.

It is not thus with them whose affections bave only an occasional change wrought upon them by the means before described, but are not spiritually renewed. Yea, on the contrary, such persons do design to debate spiritual things, to bring down heavenly things into a conformity with their affections, which, however changed, are not spiritual, but carnal. To evince this, we may observe,

1. These affections are under the light and conduct of such notions in the mind and understanding, as do not give a clear distinct representation of them in their own nature unto them. For where they are not themselves spiritually renewed, there the mind itself is carnal and unrenewed. And such a mind discerneth not the things of God, nor can do so, because they are spiritually discerned.' They cannot be discerned aright in their own beauty and glory, but in and by a spiritual saving light which the mind is devoid of. And where they are not thus represented, the affections cannot receive, or cleave unto them as they ought, nor will ever be conformed unto them.

2. Those notions in such persons are oft-times variously influenced and corrupted by fancy and imagination. They are merely puffed up in their fleshly minds; that is, they are filled with vain, foolish, proud imaginations about spiritual things, as the apostle declares, Col. ii. 18, 19. And the work of fancy in a fleshly mind, is to raise up such images of spiritual things as may render them suitable unto natural unrenewed affections.

3. This in the progress of it produceth superstition, false

worship, and idolatry. For they are all of them an attempt to represent spiritual things in a way suited unto carnal unrenewed affections; hence men suppose themselves to be excited by them unto love, joy, fear, delight, in the things themselves, when they all respect that false representation of them, whereby they are suited unto them as carnal. These have been the spring of all false worship and idolatry in the Christian world.

1. The mind and affections have been changed and tinctured with devotion by some of the means we have before insisted on. Herein they will one way or other be exercised about spiritual things, and are ready to receive impressions from any thing that superstition can impose upon them.

2. They are by error and false information set at liberty from the only rule of their actings and exercise, that is, the word of God. Men satisfied themselves, that so their affections were engaged about things spiritual and heavenly, it was no matter at all, whether the way of their exercise was directed by the Scripture or no. Having thus lost their guide and their way, every ignis fatuus,' every wandering meteor, allures them to follow its conduct into foolish superstitions. Nothing almost is so ridiculous, nothing so horrid and difficult, that they will not embrace under the notion of things spiritual and heavenly.

3. The carnal minds of men, having no proper distinct apprehensions and notions of spiritual things in their own nature, do endeavour to represent them under such notions and images as may suit them unto their carnal unrenewed affections. For it is implanted almost indelibly upon them, that the end of all knowledge of spiritual things is to propose them unto the embraces of the affections. It were easy to manifest that from these three corrupt springs, arose that flood of idolatry and false worship which spread itself over the church of Rome, and with whose machinations the minds of men are yet too much replenished.

4. Where it is not thus, yet carnal affections do variously debase spiritual things, to bring them into a conformity with themselves. And this may proceed so far, until men think! wickedly, that God is altogether like unto them. But I shall not insist on these things any farther.

Lastly, Where affections are spiritually renewed, the person of Christ is the centre of them; but where they are changed only, they tend unto an end in self. Where the new man is put on, Christ is all in all ;' Col. iii. 10, 11. He is the spring, by his Spirit, that gives them life, light, and being; and he is the ocean that receives all their streams. God, even the Father, presents not himself in his beauty and amiableness as the object of our affections, but as he is in Christ, acting his love in him; 1 John iv. 8, 9. And as unto all other spiritual things, renewed affections cleave unto them, according as they derive from Christ, and lead unto him; for he is unto them all and in all.' It is he whom the souls of his saints do love for himself, for his own sake, and all other things of religion in and for him. The air is pleasant and useful, that without which we cannot live or breathe. But if the sun did not enlighten it, and warm it with its beams, if it were always one perpetual night, and cold, what refreshment could be received by it? Christ is the Sun of Righteousness,' and if his beams do not quicken, animate, and enlighten the best, the most necessary duties of religion, nothing desirable would remain in them. This is the most certain character of affections spiritually renewed. They can rest in nothing but in Christ; they fix on nothing but what is amiable by a participation of his beauty; and in whatever he is, therein do they find complacency. It is otherwise with them whose affections may be changed, but are not renewed. The truth is, and it may be made good by all sorts of instances, that Christ, in the mystery of his person, and in the glory of his mediation, are the only things that they dislike in religion. False representations of him by images and pictures they may embrace, and delight in false notions of his present glory; greatness and power may affect them; a worship of their own devising they may give unto him, and please themselves in it: corrupt opinions concerning his office and grace may possess their minds, and they may contend for them; but those who are not spiritually renewed, cannot love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity: yea, they have an inward secret aversation from the mystery of his person and his grace. It is self which all their affections centre in, the ways whereof are too long here to be declared.

This is the first thing that is required to render our affec