OP SPIRITUAL MINDEDNESS. 141 our affections to be entangled with the paint or artifi- cial beauty of any way or means of giving our love to Christ, which are not warranted by the word of truth. Yet I must say, that I had rather be among them, who, in the actings of their love and affections to Christ, fall into some irregularities and excesses in their manner of expressing it (provided their worship of him be neither superstitious nor idolatrous,) than among those who, professing themselves to be Chris- tians, do almost disavow their having any thoughts of or affection to, the person of Christ : but there is no need that we should foolishly run into either of these extremes. God hath, in the scripture, sufficiently provided against them both. He hath both showed us the necessity of our diligent acting of faith and love on the person of Christi and hath limited out ways and means wherebywe may so do. And let our designs be what they will, where in any thing we depart from his prescriptions, we are not under the conduct of his spirit, and so are sure to lose all that we do. Wherefore, two things are required that we may thus think of Christ and meditate on him, according. to the mind and will of God. (1.) That the means of bringing him to mind, be what God hath promised and appointed. (2.) That the continued proposal of him, as the object of our thoughts and meditations, be of the same kind. For both these ends, the superstitious minds of men invented the ways of images and cruci- fixes, with their appurtenances before mentioned. And this rendered all their devotion an abomination. That which tends to these ends among believers, is the promise of the spirit, and the institutions of the word. Would you then think of Christ as you ought, take
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