Some, it may be, will say that they complained before that they cannot get their minds fixed on these things) Weakness, weariness, darkness, diversions, occasions, do prevalently obstruct their abiding in such thoughts. I shall speak farther unto this afterward. At present I shall only suggest two things: —First, If you cannot attain, yet continue to follow after. Get your minds in a perpetual endea- vour after an abode in spiritual thoughts. Let your minds be rising towards them every hour, yea, a hundred times a-day, on all occa- sions, in a continual sense of duty; and sigh within yourselves for deliverance when you find disappointments, or a not-continuance in them. It isthe sense of that place, Rom. viii. 23-26. Secondly, Take ‘care you go not backwards and lose what you have wrought. If you neglect these things for a season, you will quickly find yourselves neglected by them. So I observe it every day in the hearing of the word. Whilst persons keep up themselves to a diligent attendance on it, where they find it preached unto their edification, they find great delight in it, and will undergo great difficulties for the enjoy- ment of it;—let them be diverted from it for a season, after a while it grows indifferent unto them; any thing will satisfy them that‘pretends unto the same duty.
344 OF SPIRITUAL MINDEDNESS. [PART I.
CHAPTER VII.
Especial objects of spiritual thoughts on the glorious state of heaven, and what belongs thereunto—First, of Christ himself—Thoughts of heavenly glory in opposition unto thoughts of eternal misery—The use of such thoughts—Ad- vantage in sufferings.
Ir will be unto our advantage, having stated right notions of the glory of the blessed state above in our minds, to fix on some parti- culars belonging unto it as the especial objects of our thoughts and meditations. As,— :
I. Think much of him who unto us ts the life and centre of all the glory of heaven; that is, Christ himself. I shall be very brief im treating hereof, because I have designed a peculiar treatise on this subject, of beholding the glory of Christ, both here and unto eter- nity. At present, therefore, a few things only shall be mentioned, because on this occasion they are not to be omitted. The whole of the glory of the state above is expressed by being “ ever with the Lord, where he is, to behold his glory;” for in and through him is the beatifical manifestation of God and his glory made for evermore, and through him are all communications of inward glory unto us. The present resplendency of heavenly glory consists in his mediatory ministry, as J have at large elsewhere declared ;* and he will be the means of all-glorious communications between God and the church unto eternity. Wherefore, if we are spiritually minded, we should fix our thoughts on Christ above, as the centre of all heavenly glory. To help us herein, we may consider the things that follow:—
1. Faith hath continual recourse unto him, on the account of what he did and suffered for us in this world; for thereon pardon of sin, justification, and peace with God, do depend. This ariseth, in the first place, from a sense of our own wants. But love of him is no less necessary unto us than faith in him; and although we have powerful motives unto love from what he did and was in this world; yet the formal reason of our adherence unto him thereby is what he is in himself as he is now exalted in heaven. If we rejoice not at the remembrance of his present glory, if the thoughts of it be not frequent with us and refreshing unto us, how dwelleth his love in us?
2. Our hope is that ere long we shall be ever with him; and if so, it is certainly our wisdom and duty to be here with him as much as we can. It is a vain thing for any to suppose that they place their chiefest happiness in being for ever in the presence of Christ,
* See Meditations on the Glory of Christ, vol. i—Ep. * See the author's treatise on the Person of Christ, vol. i. p. 252.—Ep.
CHAP. VIL] OBJECTS OF SPIRITUAL THOUGHTS IN HEAVEN. 345
who care not at all to be with him here as they may. And the only way of our being present with him here is, by faith and love acting themselves in spiritual thoughts and affections. And it is an absurd thing for men to esteem themselves Christians who scarce think of Christ all the day long; yet some, as one complained of old, scarce ever think or speak of him but when: they swear by his name. I have read of them who have lived and died in continual contempla- tion on him, so far as the imperfection of our present state will admit; I have known them, I do know them, who call themselves unto a reproof if at any time he hath been many minutes out of their thoughts; and it is strange that it should~be otherwise with them who love him in sincerity. Yet I wish I did not know more who give evidences that it is a rare thing for them to be exercised in seri- ous thoughts and meditations about him; yea, there are some who are not averse upon occasions to speak of God, of mercy, of pardon, of his power and goodness, who, if you mention Christ unto them, with any thing of faith, love, trust in him, they seem unto them as a strange thing. Few there are who are sensible of any religion be- yond what is natural. The things of the wisdom and power of God in Christ are foolishness unto them. Take some directions for the discharge of this duty:—In your thoughts of Christ, be very careful that they are conceived and directed according to the rule of the word, lest you deceive your own souls, and give up the conduct of your affections unto vain imaginations. Spiritual notions befalling carnal minds did once, by the means of superstition, ruin the power of religion. A conviction men had that they must think much of Jesus Christ, and that this would make them conformable unto him; but having no real evangelical faith, nor the wisdom of faith to exercise it in their thoughts and affections in a due manner, nor understanding what it was to be truly like unto him, they gave up themselves unto many foolish inventions and imaginations, by which they thought to express their love and conformity unto him. They would have images of him, which they would embrace, adore, and bedew with their tears) They would have crucifixes, as they called them, which they would carry about them, and wear next unto their hearts, as if they resolved to lodge Christ always in their bosoms. They would go in pilgrimage to the place where he died and rose again, through a thousand dangers, and purchase a feigned chip of a tree whereon he suffered, at the price of all they had in the world. They would endeavour, by long thoughtfulness, fastings, and watch- ings, to cast their souls into raptures and ecstasies, wherein they fancied themselves in his presence. They came at last to make themselves like him, in getting impressions of wounds on their sides, their hands, and feet. Unto all these things, and sundry others of