OF SPIRITUAL MINDEDNESS. 97 as those which are excellent and glorious in them- selves. The direction thereon is, that we would make heavenly things, the things of the future state of blessedness and glory, a principal object of our thoughts; that we would think much about them; that we would meditate much upon them. Many are discouraged herein by their ignorance and darkness, by their want of due conceptions, and steady appre- hensions of invisible things. Hence one of these two thingsbefal them, when theywould meditate on things above: 1. The glory of them, the glory of God in them, being essentially infinite and incomprehensible, doth immediately overwhelm them and, as it were, in a moment put them to an utter loss, that they cannot frame one thought in their minds about them : or, 2, they want skill and ability to conceive aright of invisi- ble things, and to dispose of them in such order in their minds, as that they may sedately exercise their thoughts about them. Both these shall be afterwards spoken unto : at present I shall only say that, Whosoever shall sincerely engage in this duty, ac- cording to what he hath, and shall abide constant therein, will make such a refreshing progress in his apprehension of heavenly things, as he will be greatly satisfied with. We are kept in darkness, ignorance, and unsteadiness of meditations about them, not from the nature of the things themselves, but from our own sloth, negligence, and readiness to be turned aside by apprehensions of difficulties, of the lion in the way; wherefore I shall consider two things : 1. What are theprincipal motives to this duty of fixing our thoughts on the things that are above, and the advantages which we receive thereby : 2. Give some directions how, and 9
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