OF SPIRITUAL MINDEDNESS. 367 danger for profession, multitudes have lost all their affections to spiritual things, through a fear of losing that which is temporal, as their lives, their liberties, their goods, and the like. When once Satan or the world have gotten, as it were, the mastery of this af- fection, or a prevalent interest in it, they will not fail to draw all others into a defection from Christ and the gospel. He that loves his life shall lose it. Wherefore it is no ordinary nor easy thing to pre- serve our affections pure, entire, and steady in their vigorous adherence to spiritual things, against all these solicitations. Watchfulness, prayer, faith in ex- ercise, and a daily examination of ourselves are re- quired hereto. For want of a due attendance to these things, and that with respect to this end, namely, the preservation of our spiritual affections in their integri- ty, many, even before they are aware, die away as to all power and vigor of spiritual life. Fifthly.. Affections thus fixed upon things spiritual andheavenly, will give great relief against the remain- ders of that vanity of mind which believers themselves are ofttimes perplexed with. Yea, I dó not know any thing that is a greater burden to them, nor which they more groan for deliverance from. The instability of the mind, its readiness to receive impressions from things vain and useless, the irregularity of their thoughts, are a continual burden to many. Nothing can give the soul any relief herein, nothing can give bounds to the endless vanity of foolish imaginations, nothing can dry up the springs from whence they arise, or render the soil wherein they grow barren, as to their production and maintenance, but only the growth of spiritual affections, with their continual vi- gorous actings on heavenly things : for hereby the
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