As a man under a languishing sickness, or when he is chastened with strong pain, so as that his soul abhorreth bread, and his daily meat, can remember what appetite he had, with what gust and relish he was wont to take in his food in the days of his health, which makes him to know that there is such a condition, and to desire a return unto it : so is it with a sin-sick soul ; it can find no relish, no gust, no sweetness in spiritual things; he finds no savour in the bread of the word, nor any refreshment in the ordinances of the gospel, which yet in themselves are daily meat, 'a feast of fat things, and of wine well refined.' Yet doth it remem- ber former days, when all these things were sweet unto him. And if he have any spark of spiritual life yet remaining, it
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will stir him up to seek with all diligence after a recovery. How is it with you who are now under spiritual decays ; who find no taste or relish in spiritual things ; unto whom the word is not savoury, nor other ordinances powerful ? Call to mind how it hath been with you in former days ; and what ye found in these things ; ' if so be,' saith the apostle, ' that ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.' If you have not, it is to be feared that you have never yet had the least sin- cere love unto spiritual things ; for where that is, it will give a spiritual relish of them. If you have, how is it you can give yourselves rest one moment, without an endeavour after the healing of your 'Lacksliding ?
3. It is required that our affections be so set on spi- ritual things, so as to be a continual spring of spiritual thoughts and meditations. No man can be so forsaken of reason, as to suppose that he hath any sincere affections for what he thinks little on, or not at all ; or that he can have a true affection for any thing which will not stir up, and in- generate in him continual thoughts about it. Let men try themselves as unto their relations, or their enjoyments, or the objects of their predominant lusts, and they will find how things are stated in their own minds. And therefore, whereas all men pretend to love God and Christ, and the ways of God, and yet know in their own hearts, that they little think of them, or meditate upon them, both their pre- tence and religion is vain. Where our affections are duly placed on heavenly things, so as that we are indeed spi- ritually minded, they will be a constant spring of spiritual thoughts and meditations. But this also hath been before spoken unto.
4. When our affections are thus applied unto spiritual things, they will be prevalant and victorious against soli- citations unto the contrary, or allurements to draw them off unto any other objects. The work of all our spiritual adversaries, is to solicit and tempt our affections, to divert them from their proper object. There are some temptations of Satan that make an immediate impression on the mind and conscience. Such are his injection of diabolical blasphemous thoughts concerning God, his being, nature, and will ; and the distresses which he reduceth men unto in their con- sciences, through darkness, and misrepresentations of God
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482 THE GRACE AND DUTY OF
and his goodness. But the higli road and constant practice of all our spiritual adversaries, is by the solicitation of our affections unto objects that are in themselves, or in the de- gree of our affections towards them, evil and sinful. Of the first are all sensual pleasures of the flesh, in drunkenness, uncleauness, gluttony, chambering, and wantonness, with all sorts of sensual pleasures. Of the latter is all our inordi- nate love unto self, our families, and the whole world, or the things of it. Unto this end, every thing in the whole world, that may make provision for lust, is made use of. Herein consists the nature and efficacy of most of those temptations which we have to conflict withal. Solicitations they are of our affections to draw them off from things spiritual and heavenly, and to divert them unto other things. Hereby do our enemies endeavour to beguile us, as the serpent be- guiled Eve ; with fair and false representations of other be- loveds, that our hearts be not preserved, as a chaste virgin, in all their affections for Christ.
And it is almost incredible how apt we are to be beguiled by the specious pretences wherewith we are solicited.
That our affections in the degree treated about, suppose of love unto the world and the things of it, are lawful and allowable, is one of the sophisms and artifices wherewith many are deluded. Hereon, provided they run not out into scandalous excesses, they approve of themselves in such a worldly frame of mind, and acting according unto it, as renders them fruitless, useless, senseless, and is inconsistent with that prevailing adherence of affections unto spiritual things, that ought to be in us. Others are deluded by a pre- tence, that it is in one instance only they would be spared, it is but this or that object, they would give out the embraces of the affections unto, in all other things they will be entire for God ; the vanity of which pretence we have spoken unto before. Others are ruined by giving place unto their soli- citations, with respect unto any one affection whatever. As suppose it be that of fear. In times of danger for profession, multitudes have lost all their affections unto spiritual things, through a fear of losing that which is temporal, as their lives, their liberties, their goods, and the like. When once Satan or the world have gotten, as it were, the luastery of this affection, or a prevalent interest in it, they will not fail to