The Grace and Duty of Being Spiritually Minded

1. There are such as are exercised about their Callings and lawful occasions. These are numberless and endless; especially among a sort of men who rise early and go to bed late, and eat the Bread of carefulness, or are particularly industrious and diligent in their ways. These thoughts men approve themselves in, and judge them their Duty, as they are in their proper place and measure. But no Heart can conceive the Multitude of these Thoughts, which partly in Contrivances, partly in Converse, are engaged and spent about these things. And the more men are Immersed in them, the more do themselves and others esteem them diligent and Praise-worthy. And there are some who have neither necessity nor occasion to be engaged much in the Duties of any especial Calling, who yet by their Words and Actions declare themselves, to be confined almost in their thoughts unto themselves, their Relations, their Children, and their self concerns, which though most of them are very Impertinent, yet they justify themselves in them. All sorts may do well to Examine what proportion their Thoughts of Spiritual things do bear unto those of other things. I fear with most it will be found to be very small, with many next to none at all. What evidence then can they have that they are Spiritually minded, that their principal Interest lies in things above? It may be it will be asked, whether it be necessary that men should think as much and as often about things Spiritual and Heavenly, as they do about the lawful Affairs of their Callings. I say more, and more often, if we are what we profess our selves to be. Generally it is the best sort of men, as to the things of God and Man, who are busied in their Callings, some of one sort, some of another. But even among the best of these, many will ⟨p. 53⟩continually spend the strength of their Minds and vigour of their Spirits, about their Affairs all the day long; and, so they can pray in the Morning and Evening, with some Thoughts sometimes of Spiritual things occasionally administered, do suppose they acquit themselves very well. As if a man should pretend that his great Design is, to prepare himself for a Voyage unto a far Country, where is his Patrimony and his Inheritance: But all his Thoughts and Contrivances are about some few Trifles, which if indeed he intend his Voyage he must leave behind him;

1. There are such as are exercised about their Callings and lawful occasions. These are numberless and endless; especially among a sort of men who rise early and go to bed late, and eat the Bread of carefulness, or are particularly industrious and diligent in their wayes. These thoughts men approve themselves in, and judge them their Duty, as they are in their proper place and measure. But no Heart can conceive the Multitude of these Thoughts, which partly in Contrivances, partly in Converse, are ingaged and spent about these things. And the more men are Immersed in them, the more do themselves and others esteem them diligent and Praise-worthy. And there are some who have neither necessity nor occasion to be ingaged much in the Duties of any especial Calling, who yet by their Words and Actions declare themselves, to be confined almost in their thoughts unto themselves, their Relations, their Children, and their self concerns, which though most of them are very Impertinent, yet they justifie themselves in them. All sorts may do well to Examine what proportion their Thoughts of Spiritual things do bear unto those of other things. I fear with most it will be found to be very small, with many next to none at all. What evidence then can they have that they are Spiritually minded, that their principal Interest lyes in things above? It may be it will be asked, whether it be necessary that men should think as much and as often about things Spiritual and Heavenly, as they do about the lawful Affairs of their Callings. I say more, and more often, if we are what we profess our selves to be. Generally it is the best sort of men, as to the things of God and Man, who are busied in their Callings, some of one sort, some of another. But even among the best of these, many will