OF SPIRITUAL MINDEDNESS. 227 love to all things here below. Do you, therefore, find your affections ready to be engaged to, or too much entangled with the things of this world l Are your desires of increasing them, your hopes of keep- ing them, your fears of losing them, your love to them, and delight in them, operative in your minds, possessing your thoughts, and influencing your con- versations l Turn aside a little, and by faith contem- plate the life and death of the Son of God; a blessed glass will it be, where you may see what contemptible things they are which you perplex yourselves about. Oh ! that any of us should love or esteem the things of this world, the power, riches, goods, or reputation of it, who have had a spiritual view of them in the cross of Christ ! Perhaps it will be said, that the circumstances mentioned were necessary to the Lord Christ, with re- spect to the especial work he had to do, as the Saviour and Redeemer of the church : and, therefore, it doth not thence follow that we ought to be poor, and want all things, as he did. I confess it doth not; and, there- fore, do all along make an allowance for honest indus- try in our callings. But this follows unavoidably hereon, that what he did forego and trample on for our sake, that ought not to be the object of our affec- tions ; nor can such affections prevail in us, if he dwell in our hearts by faith. Secondly. He hath done the same in his dealings with the apostles, and generally with all that have been most dear to him, and instrumental to the inter- est of his glory in the world, especially since life and immortality were brought to light by the gospel. He had great work to do by the apostles, and that of the greatest use to his interest and kingdom. The laying
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