The Grace and Duty of Being Spiritually Minded

2. As they will not, so they dare not think of God. They will not, because of the Power of their Lusts; they ⟨p. 141⟩dare not, because of their Guilt. No sooner should they begin to think of him in Good Earnest, but their sin would lose all its desirable forms and appearances, and represent it self in the Horror of Guilt alone. And in that condition all the Properties of the Divine Nature are suited to increase the Dread and Terror of the sinner. Adam had heard Gods voice before with Delight and satisfaction; But on the hearing of the same voice after he had sinned, he hid himself and cried that he was afraid. There is a way for men to think of God with the Guilt of sin upon them, which they intend to forsake; but none for any to do it with the Guilt of sin which they resolve to continue in. Wherefore of all these sorts of Persons it may be said, that God is not in all their Thoughts, and therefore are they far enough from being spiritually minded. For unless we have many Thoughts of God, we cannot be so. Yea moreover there are two things required unto those Thoughts which we have of God, that there may be an Evidence of our being so.

2. As they will not, so they dare not think of God. They will not, because of the Power of their Lusts; they ⟨p. 141⟩dare not, because of their Guilt. No sooner should they begin to think of him in Good Earnest, but their sin would lose all its desirable forms and appearances, and represent it self in the Horror of Guilt alone. And in that condition all the Properties of the Divine Nature are suited to encrease the Dread and Terror of the sinner. Adam had heard Gods voice before with Delight and satisfaction; But on the hearing of the same voice after he had sinned, he hid himself and cryed that he was afraid. There is a way for men to think of God with the Guilt of sin upon them, which they intend to forsake; but none for any to do it with the Guilt of sin which they resolve to continue in. Wherefore of all these sorts of Persons it may be said, that God is not in all their Thoughts, and therefore are they far enough from being spiritually minded. For unless we have many Thoughts of God, we cannot be so. Yea moreover there are two things required unto those Thoughts which we have of God, that there may be an Evidence of our being so.