46 SERMONS upon Seim. VII. 3. For Aïdions: Men are known by their confiant exercife, what they purfue and feek after ; whether their life be a Ewing to the fiefh, or a forting to the fpirit, Gal. 6. 8. Ill. The Reafons to prove it. That we may fix the Reafons, we muff again in a Ihorter method confider what minding implieth. It implieth our favour, and our walk; or, to divell it from the Metaphor, our Af etlions and Endeavours: fo the Reafons will be Two, fuitable to there Two Notions. r. As minding implieth our favour and afïlions ; mens gufi is according to their conflitutions, and the bait difcovereth the Temper: for pleafure is applìcatio convenien- tir convenienti; when the Objeû and the Faculty fuit, things pleafe us, and are minded by us, as they are agreeable to our humour, Luke 16. 25. Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime haft received thygood things. Carnal men have their good things, and the children of God their good things : Our relifh is agreeable to our Nature ; A Fifh bath fmall pleafure on the dry Land, or a beafl at Sea: A fief illy creature can arife no higher than a flefhly inclination moveth it: therefore mens complacency and difplacency, fheweth of what Nature they are : The Nature is hidden, but the Operations and Afeäionr diG cover it. 2. As it implieth our mall¿, and endeavour; mens A &ions are according to their predo- minant Principle; as the Tree is, fo is the Fruit, Mar. 7. 18. everygood tree bringeth forth good fruit, but a corrupt tree bringeth forth corrupt fruit ; and as a man is, fo his Work will be; for the courfe of his life; fheweth the conflitution of his foul : fuch as the man is, fo will his Works be. Can a man be faid to be after the Spirit, that only look - eth after thofe things which pleafe the fences, and fcarce admitteth a ferions thought of' God, or the life to come? Or, on the other fide, can he be Paid to be after the Flefh, that maketh it his bufinefs to tame the Flefh, and his work to pleafe and enjoy God? 3. From both : Things that fiait with the difpofition and inclination of our hearts, do banifh all love of contrary things : As the carnal minding is oppofte'to the fpiritual minding, and quencheth and weakneth it more and more; fo the fpiritual minding wea- keneth the inclinations, and retrencheth the interefis of the Flefh, Gal. ;. 16. Walk in the [pint, and ye fhall not fulfil the lufls of the ftefb. There is no fuch care of minding the things of the Flefh, as by diverfion to nobler Objedts, and obeying an higher Principle. Our Affeétions cannot lie idle; while we are awake to the World, we fleep to God; and while we are dead to the Spirit, we are alive to the Flefh; and fo on the contrary. SERMON VII. Proceeed now to the Application of the former Dilcourfe: 'SE r. To put us upon ferionsfelfreftetíion, of what fort are we? after the Flefh, or after the Spirit ? I pray let us go to a thorough fearch and tryal; and to deal more plainly in it, 1. Confider there are Three forts of Perfons in the World : a. Some are wholly carried away by the defires of the Flefb, and leek their happinefs here, but negleer things to come. The cafe is clear, that they are after the Flefh, and fo for the prefent in a fiate of Death and Damnati- on : And they had need to look to it betimes; for to be carnally minded is death; meri- torn e% effcbbivè : They provoke God to deny them life, whom they defpife for their lulls fake, and difpenfe with their duty to him, to fatisfie Come foolifh and inordinate clef-ire: And efeilivè, they have no found belief, nor delire of the World to come : and
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