Two treatises of Mr. Jeremiah Burroughs. The first of earthly-mindedness

Earthly-mindedness is a dishonour to God, and a scandal to Religion. What! shalt thou profess an interest in Christ? and are there no higher things to be had in God than such base things as thy heart is upon? What! doest thou hold forth the everlasting Gospel in thy hand to others; and doest openly profess a nearness to God more than others; and is there no difference between the workings of thy heart and the workings of others after the things of this world? Oh! how does this darken the excellency of Grace! if there be any grace at all: it very much clouds it; as the mixing of earth and drossy stuff with pure mettle, it takes away the excellency of the pure mettle; so the mixing of earth with the profession of Religion, blemisheth the beauty and splendour of the profession of Religion: Thou wilt never be the man or woman that is like to convince any by thy Conversation: thou art never likely to be a means to draw any to the love of the ways of godliness, because there is so much darkness and earthliness in thy Conversation: Oh will they say, Indeed, he or she makes a great blaze in the world, and talks much of Religion, and of Ordinances, and such things, but as worldly as any, and grovelling in the earth as much as any; people that are standers by will think that profession is but a mere verbal thing, or a mock-show, when as they see as much earthliness in your conversation as in the conversation of those that are without: you do bring an ill report on the things of God, as the Spies did ⟨p. 46⟩on the Land of Canaan. Whereas every professor of Religion should endeavour to put a lustre upon Religion, and to make the ways of God to be beautiful, amiable, and glorious in the eyes of all that do behold them: But now, to give a lye to your Gospel-profession by your Earthly conversation, is a very great scandal to the Name of Christ that is upon you and to his Gospel that you seem to stand up for. Oh! there's a great evil in this, and a very ill report comes upon the ways of Religion by this means; many that have had little religion in them, yet have some kind of generousness of spirit, so that they scorn such base sordidness as some sorts of Professors are given unto. Oh! for shame let not those that have only common gifts of nature, and education outstrip you, that seem to be the followers of Christ;