2dly. The affections of the heart and mind in duties be- long to the performance of them in the inward manner. The prescriptions and commands of God for attendance hereunto are innumerable, and the want hereof renders
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every duty an abomination unto him. A sacrifice without a heart, without salt, without fire, of what value is it? No more are duties without spiritual affections. And herein is the mind to keep the charge of God ; to see that the heart which he requires be tendered to him. And we find also that God requireth especial affections to accompany special duties. * He that giveth with cheerfulness ;' which if they are not attended unto, the whole is lost.
[4.] The mind is to attend unto the ends of duties ; and therein principally the glory of God in Christ. Several other ends will sin and self impose upon our duties : espe- cially two it will press hard upon us with: first, satisfaction of our convictions and consciences ; secondly, the praise of men. For self-righteousness and ostentation, are the main ends of men that are fallen off from God in all moral duties whatsoever. In their sins they endeavour for to sa- tisfy their lusts ; in their duties, their conviction and pride. These the mind of a believer is diligently to watch against, and to keep up in all a single eye to the glory of God, as that which answers the great and general rule of all our obedience ; ' Whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God.' These and the like things, I say, which are commonly spoken unto, is tlie mind of a believer obliged to attend diligently and constantly unto, with respect unto all the particular duties of our walking before God. Here then lies no small part of the deceit of sin ; namely, to draw the mind off from this watch, to bring an inadvertency upon it, that it shall not in these things keep the watch and charge of the Lord. And if it can do so, and thereby strip our duties of all their excellencies which lie in these con- cernments of them, that the mind is to attend unto, it will not much trouble itself nor us about the duties themselves. And this it attempts several ways.
1st. By persuading the mind to content itself with ge- nerals, and to take it off from attending unto things in particular instances. For example ; it would persuade the soul to rest satisfied in a general aim of doing things to the glory of God, without considering how every particular duty may have that tendency. Thus Saul thought that he had fulfilled his own duty, and done the will of God, and sought his glory in his war against Amalek, when for want of at-
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tendance to every particular duty in that service, he had dishonoured God, and ruined himself and his posterity. And men may persuade themselves, that they have a gene- ral design for the glory of God, when they have no active principle in particular duties tending at all that way. But if, instead of fixing the mind by faith on the peculiar ad- vancing the glory of God in a duty, the soul content itself with a general notion of doing so, the mind is already di- verted and drawn off from its charge by the deceitfulness of sin. If a man be travelling in a journey, it is not only required of him, that he bend his course that way, and so go on ; but if he attend not unto every turning, and other occurrences in his way, he may wander and never come to his journey's end. And if we suppose that in general we aim at the glory of God, as we all profess to do, yet if we attend not unto it distinctly upon every duty that occurs in our way, we shall never attain the end aimed at. And he who satisfies himself with this general purpose, without acting it in every special duty, will not long retain that purpose neither. It doth the same work upon the mind in reference unto the principle of our duties, as it doth unto the end. Their principle is, that they be done in faith, in the strength of Christ; but if men content themselves that they are believers, that they have faith, and do not labour in every particular duty to act faith, to lead their spiritual lives in all the acts of them by the faith of the Son of God, the mind is drawn off from its duty. It is particular actions wherein we express and exercise our faith and obedience ; and what we are in them, that we are, and no more.
2dly. It draws off the mind from the duties before- mentioned, by insinuating a secret contentment unto it from the duty itself performed, as to the matter of it. This is a fair discharge of a natural conscience. If the duty be per- formed, though as to the manner of its performance it come short almost in all things of the rule, conscience and con- viction will be satisfied. As Saul, upon his expedition against Amalek, cries to Samuel, 'Come in, thou blessed of the Lord, I have done the commandment of the Lord.' He satisfied himself, though he had not attended as he ought to the whole will of God in that matter. And thus was it with them, Isa, Iviii. 8. 'Wherefore have we fasted, say