He requires the whole heart, and will have it or none.
BEING SPIRITUALLY MINDED. 401
The chief work of a Christian is to make all his affections in all their operations subservient unto the life of God; Rom. vi. 17. And he who is wise will keep a continual watch over those wherein he finds the greatest reluctancy thereunto. And every affection is originally sanctified according unto the use it is to be of, in the life of holiness and obedience.
To be entire for God, to follow him wholly, to cleave unto him with purpose of heart, to have the heart circumcised to love him, is to have all our affections renewed and sanc- tified, without which we can do none of them. When it is otherwise, there is a double heart, a heart, and a heart which he abhors. 'Their heart is divided, now shall they be found faulty;' Hosea x. 2.
So it is in the other change mentioned. Whatever is or may be wrought upon our affections when they are not spi- ritually renewed, that very change, as unto the degree of it, is not universal ; it doth not affect the whole mind in all its powers and affections, until a vital prevailing principle and habit of grace is implanted in the soul. Sin will not only radically adhere unto all the faculties, powers, and affections, but it will, under any change that may befall them, refer the rule and dominion in some of them unto itself. So was it with the young man that came unto our Lord Jesus Christ to know what he should do to obtain eternal life ; Mark x. 17—22.
Thus there are many, who in other things are reduced unto moderation, sobriety, and temperance; yet there re- raaineth in them the love of money in a predominant degree, which to them * is the root of all evil,' as the apostle speaks : some seem to be religious, but they bridle not their tongues, through anger, envy, hatred, and the like ; their religion is in vain.
The most of men, in their several ways of profession, pretend not only unto religion, but unto zeal in it, yet set no bounds unto their affections unto earthly enjoyments. Some of old, who had most eminently in all other things subdued their passions and affections, were the greatest enemies unto, and persecutors of, the gospel.
Some who seem to have had a mighty change wrought in them by a superstitious devotion, do yet walk in the spirit of Cain towards all the disciples of Christ, as it is with the VOL. xiii. 2 D
402 THE GRACE AND DUTY OF
principal devotionists of the church of Rome ; and elsewhere we may see some go soberly about the persecution and de- struction of other Christians. Some will cherish one secret lust or other, which they cannot but know to be pernicious unto their souls. Some love the praise of men, which will never permit them to be truly spiritually minded : so our Saviour testifieth of some, that they could ' not believe, be- cause they loved the praise of men.' This was the known vice of all the ancient philosophers. They had many of them, on the principles of reason and by severe exercise, subdued their affections unto great moderation about tem- porary things ; but, in the mean time, were all of them slaves to vain glory and the praise of men, until by the public observation of it, and some contradictions in their lives unto their pretences unto virtue, they lost that also among wise and considerative men. And generally, if men, not spiritually renewed, were able to search themselves, they would find that some of their affections are so far from having any change wrought in them, as that they are a quiet habitation for sin, where it exerciseth its rule and dominion.
2. There is a universality that is objective in spiri- tual things, with respect unto the renovation of our affec- tions ; that is, affections, spiritually renewed, do fix them- selves upon, and cleave unto, all spiritual things in their proper places, and unto their proper ends. For the ground and reason of our adherence unto any one of them, are the same with respect unto them all. That is their relation unto God in Christ. Wherefore when our affections are renewed, we make no choice in spiritual things, cleaving unto some and refusing others, making use of Naaman's restraint ; but our adherence is the same unto them all in their proper places and degrees. And if, by reason of darkness and ig- norance, we know not any of them to be from God, as for instance, the observation of the Lord's day, it is of unspeak- able disadvantage unto us. An equal respect is required in us unto all God's commands. Yet there are various dis- tinctions in spiritual things. And thereon a man may, and ought to, value one above another, as unto the degrees of his love and esteem, although they are to be sincere with respect unto them all.
BEING SPIRITUALLY MINDED. 403
1. God himself, that is, as revealed in and by Christ, is, in the first and chiefest place, the proper and adequate object of our affections, as they are renewed. He is so for himself, or his own sake alone. This is the spring, the centre, and chief object of our love. He that loves not God for himself, that is, for what he is in himself, and what from himself aloiie he is, and will be, unto us in Christ, which considerations are inseparable, he hath no true affection for any spiiitual thing whatever. And not a few do here deceive themselves, or are deceived, which should make us the more diligent in the examination of ourselves. They suppose that they love heaven and heavenly things, and the duties of di- vine worship, which persuasion may befall them on many grounds and occasions, which will not endure the triak But as unto God himself, they can give no evidence that they have any love to him, either on the account of the glorious excellencies of his nature, with their natural relation unto him and dependance on him, nor on the account of the ma- nifestation of himself in Christ, and the exercise of his grace therein. But whatever may be pretended, there is no love unto God, whereof these things are not the formal reason, that proceeds not from these springs. And because that all men pretend that they love God, and defy them that think them so vile as not to do so, though they live in open enmity against him and hatred of him, it becomes us strictly to exa- mine ourselves on what grounds we pretend so to do. Is it because indeed we see an excellency, a beauty, a desirable- ness, in the glorious properties of his nature, such as our souls are refreshed and satisfied with the thoughts of by faith, and in whose enjoyment our blessedness will consist, so that we always rejoice at the remembrance of his holiness ; is it our great joy and satisfaction that God is what he is ; is it from the glorious manifestation that he hath made of himself and all his holy excellencies in Christ, with the com- munication of himself unto us in and by him ? If it be so indeed, then is our love generous and gracious, from the re- novation of our affections. But if we say we love God, yet truly know not why, or upon principles of education, and because it is esteemed the height of wickedness to do other- wise, we shall be at a loss when we are called unto our trial. This is the first object of our affections.