That the two characters may the more clearly appear, I will set them before you,
I. In a distinct and separate view —
The carnal man will follow carnal things —
[There is in man, by nature, a carnal principle only. Whatever be his feelings, or whatever his pursuits, he is in- fluenced by no other principle than that which he has in common with the whole human race : and the objects of his pursuit are such only as that principle affects. In a word, he seeks nothing beyond the things of time and sense. Pleasure, riches, honour, are, in his estimation, the great sources of happiness to man ; and they alone are deemed worthy of his attention. His pleasures may be more or less refined; but, whether they be of an intellectual or corporeal nature, his end in pursuing them is the gratification of his own taste. As in the animal creation there is a diversity of pursuit, but the same end ; so in men one may affect the sports of the field, another the indulgence of his appetites and passions, and another the investigations of science ; but still self-pleasing is alike the prin- ciple of all. So also, in the pursuit of riches or honour, the immediate efforts of men will be suited to the sphere in which they move : but the king upon a throne, and the beggar upon a dunghill, however wide asunder the objects of their pursuit may be, will be wrought upon in the same way by the things which appear to be within their reach, and will shew that they are alike under the influence of a principle that is purely carnal. Even in the things which have respect to religion, a carnal man will still feel no higher principle than self: self-seeking, self- pleasing, self-righteousness, and self-dependence, will be found at the root of all that he does in waiting upon God. He has no real delight in any religious exercise ; and all his conformity to religious observances is a mere tribute to self, rather than to God : it is a price paid for self-esteem, and for the esteem of those around him.]
The spiritual man, on the other hand, will follow
spiritual things —
[There is in him, as we have said, a principle infused into his soul by the Spirit of God, and operating to the production of a new and spiritual life. The person who has received this new nature will affect objects and employments suited to it. Acceptance with God will be the first great object of his pursuit. In comparison of this, nothing under heaven will be of any value. The care of the soul will be, in his estimation, the one thing needful. Hence he will devote much time to reading the Scriptures and to prayer. The great work of