The Grace and Duty of Being Spiritually Minded

It is sad to see some Professors who will keep up spiritual Duties in Churches and in their Families, who will speak and discourse of Spiritual Things, and keep themselves from the open Excesses of the world; yet when they come to be tried by such Duties as entrench ⟨p. 93⟩on their Love and adherence unto Earthly Things, quickly manifest how remote they are from being Spiritually-minded in a due manner. Were they to be tried, as our Saviour tried the young man who made such a profession of his conscientious and religious conversation; Go sell what thou hast, give to the poor, and follow me; something might be pleaded in excuse for their Tergiversation. But alas! they will decline their Duty when they are not touched unto the hundredth part of their enjoyments.

It is sad to see some Professors who will keep up spiritual Duties in Churches and in their Families, who will speak and discourse of Spiritual Things, and keep themselves from the open Excesses of the world; yet when they come to be tryed by such Duties as entrench ⟨p. 93⟩on their Love and adherence unto Earthly Things, quickly manifest how remote they are from being Spiritually-minded in a due manner. Were they to be tryed, as our Saviour tryed the young man who made such a profession of his conscientious and religious conversation; Go sell what thou hast, give to the poor, and follow me; something might be pleaded in excuse for their Tergiversation. But alas! they will decline their Duty when they are not touched unto the hundredth part of their enjoyments.

I bless God, I speak not thus of many of my own knowledge; and may say with the Apostle unto the most unto whom I usually speak in this manner; But Beloved we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany Salvation, though we thus speak, Heb. 6.9. Yea, the same Testimony may be given of many in this City, which the same Apostle gives unto the Churches of Macedonia,