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forget also thine own people and thy father's house; that is, come into the faith of Abraham, who forsook his country and his father's house, to follow God whithersoever he pleased. But he proposeth this for their encouragement, ver. 11. So shall the King greatly desire thy beauty, for he is thy Lord, and worship thou him. The love of the great King is an abundant satisfactory recompense for parting with all things in this world. So when Abraham's servant was sent to take Rebekah for a wife unto Isaac, he required that she should immediately leave father and mother, brothers, and all enjoyments, and go along with him; but withal, that she might know herself to be no loser thereby, he not only assured her of the greatness of his master, but also at present he gave her jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment; Gen. xxiv. 53. And when our Saviour requires that we should part with all for his sake and the gospel, he promiseth a hundred-fold in lieu of them, even in this life; namely, in an interest in things spiritual and heavenly. Wherefore, without an assiduous meditation on heavenly things, as a better, more noble, and suitable object for our affections to be fixed on, we can never be freed in a due manner from an inordinate love of the things here below!

It is sad to see some professors who will keep up spiritual duties in churches and in their families, who will speak and discourse of spiritual things, and keep themselves from the open excesses of the world; yet when they come to be tried by such duties as intrench on their love and adherence unto earthly things, quickly manifest how remote they are from being spiritually minded in a due manner. Were they to be tried, as our Saviour tried the young man who made such a profession of his conscientious and religious conversation; Go sell what thou hast, give to the poor, and follow me;' something might be pleaded in excuse for their tergiversation. But alas! they will decline their duty when they are not touched unto the hundreth part of their enjoyments.

*"*'I bless God, I speak not thus of many of my own knowledge; and may say with the apostle unto the most unto whom I usually speak in this manner, But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak; Heb. vi. 9. Yea, the same testimony may be given of many in this city, which the same

apostle gives unto the churches of Macedonia; 2 Cor. viii. 1-3. 'Understand the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia, how that in a great trial of affliction, the abundance of their joy and their poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. For to their power, and beyond their power, they were willing of themselves.' There hath been nothing done amongst us, that may or can be boasted of, yet considering all circumstances, it may be there have not been more instances of true evangelical charity in any age or place for these many years. For them who have been but useful and helpful herein, the Lord remember them for good, and spare them according to the multitude of his mercies. It is true, they have not, many of them, founded colleges, built hospitals, or raised works of state and magnifiFor very many of them are such, as whose deep poverty comparatively hath abounded unto the riches of their liberality. The backs and bellies of multitudes of poor and needy servants of Christ have been warmed and refreshed by them, blessing God for them. Thanks be to God,' saith

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the apostle in this case, for his unspeakable gift ;' 2 Cor. ix. 15. Blessed be God, who hath not left the gospel without this glory, nor the profession of it without this evidence of its power and efficacy. Yea, God hath exalted the glory of persecutions and afflictions. For many, since they have lost much of their enjoyments by them, and have all endangered continually, have abounded in duties of charity beyond what they did in the days of their fulness and prosperity. So'out of the eater there hath come forth meat.' And if the world did but know what fruits in a way of charity and bounty, unto the praise of God and glory of the gospel, have been occasioned by their making many poor, it would abate of their satisfaction in their successes.

But with many it is not so. Their minds are so full of earthly things, they do so cleave unto them in their affections, that no sense of duty, no example of others, no concernment of the glory of God or the gospel can make any impressions on them. If there be yet in them so much life and light of grace, as to design a deliverance from this woful condition, the means insisted on must be made use of.

Especially this advice is needful unto those who are rich, who have large possessions, or abound in the goods of this

world. The poor, the afflicted, the sorrowful are prompted from their outward circumstances, as well as excited by inward grace, frequently to remember and to think of the things above, wherein lies their only reserve and relief against the trouble and urgency of their present condition. But the enjoyment of these things in abundance, is accompanied with a two-fold evil, lying directly contrary unto this duty.

1. A desire of increase and adding thereunto. Earthly enjoyments enlarge men's earthly desires; and the love of them grows with their income. A moderate stock of waters, sufficient for our use, may be kept within ordinary banks. But if a flood be turned into them, they know no bounds, but overflow all about them. The increase of wealth and riches enlargeth the desires of men after them beyond all bounds of wisdom, sobriety, or safety. He that labours hard for his daily bread, hath seldom such earnest vehement desires of an addition unto what he hath, as many have who already have more than they know how to use, or almost what to do withal. This they must have more, and the last advantage serves for nothing but to stir them up to look out for another. And yet such men would on other accounts be esteemed good Christians, and spiritually minded, as all good Christians are.

2. They draw the heart to value and esteem them, as those which bring in their satisfaction, and make them to differ from those whom they see to be poor and miserable. Now these things are contrary unto, and where they are habitually prevalent, inconsistent utterly with, being spiritually minded. Nor is it possible, that any who in the least degree are under their power, can ever attain deliverance, unless their thoughts are fixed, and their minds thereby possessed with due apprehensions of invisible things and eternal glory.

These are some few of those many advantages which we may obtain by fixing our thoughts and meditations, and thereby our affections on the things that are above. And there are some things which make me willing to give some few directions for the practice of this duty. For whatever else we are and do, we neither are nor can be truly spiritually minded, whereon life and peace depend,

unless we do really exercise our thoughts unto meditations of things above. Without it all our religion is but vain. And as I fear, men are generally wanting and defective herein in point of practice; so I do also, that many, through the darkness of their minds, the weakness of their intellectuals, and ignorance of the nature of all things unseen, do seldom set themselves unto the contemplation of them. I shall therefore give some few directions for the practice of this duty.

CHAP. VI.

Directions unto the exercise of our thoughts on things above; things future, invisible and eternal; on God himself, with the difficulties of it, and oppositions unto it, and the way of their removal. Right notions of future glory stated.

We have treated in general before of the proper objects of our spiritual thoughts as unto our present duty. That which we were last engaged in, is an especial instance in heavenly things; things future and invisible, with the fountain and spring of them all in Christ and God himself. And because men generally are unskilled herein, and great difficulties arise in the way of the discharge of this part of the duty in hand, I shall give some especial directions concerning it.

1. Possess your minds with right notions and apprehensions of things above, and of the state of future glory. We are in this duty to look at the things which are not seen;' 2 Cor. iv. 16. It is faith only whereby we have a prospect of them; for 'we walk by faith and not by sight.' And faith can give us no interest in them, unless we have due apprehensions of them. For it doth but assent and cleave unto the truth of what is proposed unto it. And the greatest part of mankind do both deceive themselves, and feed on ashes in this matter. They fancy a future estate, which hath no foundation but in their own imaginations. Wherefore the apostle, directing us to seek and mind the things that are above', adds for the guidance of our thoughts, the consideration of the principal concern

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ment of them, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God;' Col. iii. 1, 2. He would lead us unto distinct apprehensions of those heavenly things, especially of the presence of Christ in his exaltation and glory. Wherefore the true notion of these things which we are to possess our minds withal, may here be considered.

All that have an apprehension of a future state of happiness do agree in this matter, that it contains in it, or is accompanied with, a deliverance and freedom from all that is evil. But in what is so, they are not agreed. Many esteem only those things that are grievous, troublesome, wasting and destructive unto nature to be so; that is, what is penal, in pain, sickness, sorrow, loss, poverty, with all kind of outward troubles, and death itself, are evil. Wherefore they suppose that the future state of blessedness will free them from all these things, if they can attain unto it. This they will lay in the balance against the troubles of life, and sometimes it may be against the pleasures of it, which they must forego. Yea, persons profane and profligate, will, in words at least, profess, that heaven will give them rest from all their troubles. But it is no place of rest for such persons.

Unto all others also, unto believers themselves, these things are evil, such as they expect a deliverance from in heaven and glory. And there is no doubt, but it is lawful for us, and meet that we should contemplate on them, as those which will give us a deliverance from all outward troubles, death itself and all that leads thereunto. Heaven is promised as rest unto them that are troubled ;' 2 Thess. i. 7. It is our duty, under all our sufferings, reproaches, persecutions, troubles, and sorrows, to raise up our minds unto the contemplation of that state, wherein we shall be freed from them all. It is a blessed notion of heaven, that God shall therein wipe away all tears from our eyes', Rev. vii. 17. or remove far from us all causes of sorrow. And it would be unto our advantage, if we did accustom our minds more unto this kind of relief than we do; if upon the incursion of fears, dangers, sorrows, we did more readily retreat unto thoughts of that state wherein we shall be freed from them all; even this most inferior consideration of it, would render the thoughts of it more

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