disquieted? You must, unless hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. What have all your new lovers done for you, that you have entertained in the room of God, Christ, and spiritual things? Speak plainly, have they not defiled, wounded, weakened, distressed you, and brought you into that condition that you know not what you are, nor to whom you do helong? What are your thoughts when you are most yourselves; do you not sometimes pant inwardly, and say, "O that it were with us as in former days!"

If you are no way affected with the remembrance of former things, then either you were never spiritually renewed, and so never had any real communion with God in religious duties; or you are hardened through the deceitfulness of sin, and there is now no way left to make an impression of spiritual things upon your minds. You have truly nothing left in religion, but the fear of hell and trouble of duties.

As for those to whom this frame is a burden, there is no means more effectual to stir them up to endeavours after deliverance, than a continual remembrance

of former things, of those experiences they have had of holy communion with God. This will revive, quicken, and strengthen the things that are ready to die.

2. We should consider also, that though there are many threatenings in Scripture against backsliding and backsliders, yet there are peculiar calls and promises also to those that are in such a state; and know assuredly, that upon your compliance or non-compliance with them, depends your everlasting blessedness or woe. Attend to that divine call and promise in Jer. iii. 12-14. Add to it also the blessed promise, Hos. xiv. 4.: "I will heal their, backslidings, I will love them freely; for mine anger is turned away from them." If you design to live and not die, it must be by yielding obedience unto this call, and pleading this promise before God, mixing it with faith. Here lies your great encouragement and direction, herein is your only relief. As you value your souls, defer not the duty to which you are called, one moment; you know not how soon you may be out of the reach of calls and of promises; and he that can hear them without

stirring up himself sincerely and ardently to comply with them, hath already made a great progress towards that length.

3. As for such persons, who on these considerations do not only desire, but will endeavour also to retrieve themselves from this condition, I shall at present give no advice but this, BE IN EARNEST. As the prophet speaks in another case, if you will return, return and come, make thorough work of it: at one time or other you must do so, or you will perish. Why not now? Why is not this the best season? Who knows but it may be the only time you will have for it? It were easy to multiply all sorts of arguments to this purpose. Trifling endeavours, occasional resolutions and attempts, (like the early cloud and morning dew,) shifting with warnings and convictions by renewed duties, until their impressions are worn out, will ruin your souls. Unless there be universal diligence and permanency in your endeavours, you are undone. Ye shall assuredly know the Lord, if you follow on to know him. Though the progress of our affections, in conformity to spiritual and heavenly things, may be slow, imper

ceptible, yea, totally obstructed for a season; and not only so, but through our negligence, sloth, and sin, may fall under decays, and the soul thereby be guilty of backsliding from God; yet if they are spiritually renewed, in the diligent use of means, they will grow up into an holy assimilation to those things on which they are set, and become more spiritual and heavenly every day.

CHAP. X.

Shewing the proper objects on which spiritual affections are set, with the reasons of their adherence to them.

WE now come to the second thing, requisite to our being spiritually minded; namely, the OBJECT about which our affections are conversant, and to which they do adhere. What this object is, or what are the spiritual things upon which our affections are to be set, hath been indeed already declared, when treating of the objects of our thoughts and meditations;* they are the same: yea, the fixing of our affections upon them, is the spring and cause of our thoughts about them. As all things in religion, both respecting faith and practice; as heaven, and the things that are above-eternal things; as Christ in his mediatorial character and glory at

* In chap. iv. v.

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