The Grace and Duty of Being Spiritually Minded

2. There are a multitude of Thoughts in the minds of men, which are vain, useless, and altogether unprofitable. These ordinarily through a dangerous mistake are looked on as not sinful, because as it is supposed, the matter of them is not so. And therefore men rather shake them off for their Folly, than their Guilt. But they arise from a corrupt Fountain, and woefully pollute both the Mind and Conscience. Wherever there are vain Thoughts, there is Sin. Jerem. 4.14. Such are those numberless Imaginations, whereby men fancy themselves to be what they are not, to do what they do not, to enjoy what they enjoy not, to dispose of themselves and others, at their pleasure. That our Nature is liable unto such a pernicious folly, which some of tenacious Fancies have turned into Madness, we are beholding alone to our cursed Apostasy from God, and the vanity that possessed our minds thereon. Hence the Prince of Tyre thought he was a God, and sate in the Seat of God, Ezek. 28.2. So it hath been with others; And in those, in whom such Imaginations are kept unto some better order and bounds, yet being traced unto their Original, they will be found to Spring some of them immediately from Pride, some from sensual Lusts, some from the Love of the World, all from self and the old Ambition to be as God, to dispose of all things as we think meet. I know no greater Misery or Punishment in this World, than the debasing of our Nature to such vain Imaginations; and a perfect freedom from them is a part of the Blessedness of Heaven. It is not my present work to show how sinful they are, let them be esteemed only fruitless, foolish, vain and ludicrous. But let men examine themselves, what number of these vain useless Thoughts night and day, do rove up ⟨p. 56⟩and down in their minds. If now it be apprehended too severe, that mens Thoughts of Spiritual things should exceed them that are employed about their Lawful Callings, let them consider what proportion they bear unto those which are altogether vain and useless: Do not many give more time unto them, than they do unto holy Meditations, without an endeavour to mortify the one, or to stir up and enliven the other? Are they not more wonted to their seasons, than holy Thoughts are? And shall we suppose that those with whom it is so, are Spiritually minded?