138 ®x SPIßITiTAL MINDEDNESS. and he will be the means of all glorious communica. tions between God and the church to eternity. Wherefore, if we are spiritually minded, we should fix our thoughts on Christ above, as the centre of all heavenly glory. To help us herein we may consider the things that follow. (1.) Faith hath continual recourse to him on the ac- count of what he did and suffered' for us in this world : for thereon, pardon of sin, justification and peace with God, do depend. This ariseth, in the first place, from a sense of our own wants. But love of him is no less necessary to us than faith in him. And althoughwe have powerful motives to love, from what he did and was in this world, yet the formal reason of our adher- ence to him thereby, is what he is in himself, as he is now exalted in heaven. If we rejoice not at the re- membrance of his present glory, if the thoughts of it be not frequent with us, and refreshing to us, how dwelleth his love in us 1 (2.) Our hope is that, ere long, we shall be ever with him; and if so, it is certainly our wisdom and duty to be here with him as much as we can. It is a vain thing for any to suppose, that they place their chiefest happiness in being forever in the presence of Christ, who care not at all to be with him here, as they may. And the only way of our being present with him here, is by faith and love, acting themselves in spiritual thoughts and affections; and it is an ab- surd thing for men to esteem themselves Christians, who scarce think of Christ all the day long. Yet some, as one complained of old, scarce ever think or speak of him, but when they swear by his name. I have read of them, who have lived and died in con- tinual contemplation on him, so far as the imperfection
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