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

The Eleventh Consideration.

The last that I shall name is this, That all that are Professors of Religion, they are dead to the world, or should be so: nay, if you be truly Religious you are so, by profession you do profess your selves to be dead unto the world. The Scripture makes this argument to take off mens hearts from the things of this world, in the 3. Colos. 2, 3. Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth: why? for you are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. Ye are dead, the Apostle writes to the Colossians, and yet he tells them that they were dead; the Scripture speaks much of the death of the Saints: As it's said of women that lived in pleasures in Timothy, that they were dead while they lived: so it may be said of Christians that they are dead while they live, dead to the world, I am crucified to the world (saith the Apostle) and we are dead with Christ, I find that some interpret that Scripture in the 1. Cor. 15. 29. Else what shall they do that are baptized for the dead? they interpret it thus, That all those that came in, which were Heathens and converted to Christianity and were baptized, they were baptized for dead men; that is, by their baptism; now there was a profession that they did profess themselves from that time for ever as dead men to the world, baptized for the dead; you have it in some of your books over the dead, but the word is, for, and so it is translated in this last translation, For dead men: your baptism is administered unto you as a sign of your profession, to be as dead men unto the world, so I find some carry it. This is the profession of Christians to be as dead men to the world; Oh do not dishonour your profession of Religion, for indeed there is a greater evil (as we said) for professors of Religion to be earthly minded than for any others, and ⟨p. 80⟩yet how many are guilty of this? It's an observation of Luther, when God revealed himself to Abraham and told him, that he would multiply his seed; he made use of two similitudes, one was this, That he would make his seed as the stars of Heaven, and at another time God saith, that he would make his seed as the sand upon the sea shore; Now saith Luther, by these two expressions there is signified two sorts of Abraham's seed, there are some that are as the stars of Heaven, that are heavenly minded; There are others that are as the sand of the Sea: