In like manner, when by faith men come to embrace heavenly things, through the effectual working of a principle of spiritual life and grace in them, they are every day made more and more heavenly: “The inward man is renewed day by day.” Love is more sincere and ardent, delight is more ravishing and sensible, desires are more en- larged and intense, and by all a taste and relish of heavenly things is heightened into refreshing experience. See Rom. v. 2-5.
_ This is the way whereby one grace is added unto another, 2 Pet. i, 5—7, in degrees. Great is the assimilation between renewed affec- tions and their spiritual objects that by this meaus may be attained.
CHAP. XVL] THE GROWTH OF SPIRITUAL AFFECTIONS. 449
The mind hereby becomes the temple of God, wherein he dwells by the Spirit; Christ also dwelleth in believers, and they in him: “God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him,” 1 John iv. 16.
Love in its proper exercise gives a mutual inhabitation unto God and believers. In brief, he whose affections are set upon heavenly things in a due manner will be heavenly minded, and in the due exercise of them will that heavenly mindedness be increased. The transformation and assimilation that is wrought is not in the objects or spiritual things themselves; they are not changed, neither in them- selves nor in the representation made of them unto our minds; but the change is in our affections, which are made like unto them.
Two cases deriving from this principle and consideration may be here spoken unto, and shall be so,—the first in this, and the other in the following chapter. The one is concerning the slowness and im- perceptibility of the growth of our affections in their assimilation unto heavenly things, with the causes and reasons of it. The other is the decays that frequently befall men in their affections unto spi- ritual things, instead of growing and thriving in them, with the reasons and causes thereof. ;
1, The progress and growth of our affections into spirituality and heavenliness, into conformity unto the things they are set upon, is oftentimes very slow, and sometimes imperceptible; yea, for the most part, it is a hard thing to find it satisfactorily in ourselves or others. Our affections stand like shrubs in the wilderness, which see not when good cometh, and are not like plants in a garden en- closed, which is watered every day. But it is not so without our folly and our sin.
(1.) The folly that keeps many in this condition consists herein: The generality of Christians are contented with their present mea- sures, and design little more than not to lose the ground they have gained. Anda pernicious folly it is, that both ruins the glory of reli- gion and deprives the souls of men of peace and consolation. But so it is) Men have some grounds of persuasion, or at least they hope and suppose they have such grounds, that they are “passed from death unto life,” that they are in a state of grace and acceptance with God. ‘This state they will endeavour to preserve by a diligent performance of the duties it requireth, and the avoidance of such sins as whereby they might make a forfeiture of it; but as for earnest, watchful endeavours and diligence to thrive in this state, to grow in grace, to be changed from glory to glory into the image of Christ, to press forward towards the mark of the high calling, and after per- fection, to lay hold ‘upon eternal life, to be more holy, more humble, more righteous, more spiritually minded, to have their affections VOL. VIL 29
450 OF SPIRITUAL MINDEDNESS. [PART IL
more and more transformed into the likeness of things above, they are but few that sincerely and diligently apply themselves unto it, or unto the means of these things) The measures which they have attained unto give satisfaction unto the church, and reputation in the world that they are professors; and some so speak peace unto their own souls. To be more holy and heavenly, to have their affections more taken up with the things above, they suppose somewhat in- consistent with their present occasions and affairs. By this means hath religion lost much of its glory, and the souls of men have been deprived of the principal advantages of it in this world.
Such persons are like unto men who live in a country wherein they are not only pressed with poverty and all sorts of misery, but are also obnoxious unto grievous punishments, and death itself, if they are taken in it. In this condition, they are told and assured of another country, wherein, so soon as they are arrived, they shall be freed from all fear of danger of punishment; and if they pass farther into it, they shall meet with riches, plenty, and a fair inheritance provided for them, Hereon they betake themselves unto their voy- age to obtain an entrance into it and possession of it; but no sooner do they come within the borders, and so are free from danger, or fear of punishment and death, but they sit down, and will go no farther to enjoy the good things of the country whereinto they are come, And it falls out with many of them, that, through their sloth, negligence, and ignorance, they take up short of the true bounds and limits of the country of liberty and peace which they aimed at, whereby danger and death surprise them unawares. This ruin could not have befallen them had they industriously endeavoured to enter into the heart of the country, and have possessed the good things thereof. At best, being only on the borders, they lead a poor life all their days, exposed to wants and danger.