The Grace and Duty of Being Spiritually Minded

By grace our Minds are renewed; that is changed and delivered from this frame; but they are so partially only. The Principle of Vanity is no longer predominant in us, to alienate us from the life of God, or to keep us in Enmity against him. Those who are so renewed do not walk in the Vanity of their Minds as others do, Ephes. 4.17. They go up and down in all their ways and occasions with a Stream of vain Thoughts in their Minds. But the remainders of it, are effectually Operative ⟨p. 170⟩in us, in all the actings of our minds towards God affecting them with Uncertainty and Instability. As he who hath received a great wound in any principal part of his Body, though it may be so cured, as that death shall not immediately ensue thereon; yet it may make him go weak and lame all his days, and hinder him in the Exercise of all the powers of Life. The Vanity of our Minds is so cured, as to deliver us from spiritual death; but yet such a wound, such a weakness doth remain, as both weakens and hinders us in all the operations of Spiritual life. Hence those who have made any progress in Grace, are sensible of their Vanity, as the greatest Burden of their Souls, and do groan after such a complete Renovation of their Minds, as whereby they may be perfectly freed from it. This is that which they principally regard in that complaining desire, Rom. 7.24. O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death? Yea they groan under a sense of it every day; nor is any thing such a trouble unto them, observing how it defeats them in their designs to contemplate on Heavenly things; how it frustrates their best Resolutions to abide in the spiritual actings of Faith and Love; how they are imposed on by it with the Thoughts of things which either in themselves or in their consequences they most abhor; nothing are they so afraid of, nothing is so grievous and burdensome unto them, nothing do they more groan for deliverance from. When there is War in any place, it behoveth them that are concerned, to have an Eye and regard unto all their Enemies, and their Attempts against them. But if they are Vigilant and diligent in their Opposition unto those that are without, that visibly contend with them, and in the mean time Neglect such as traitorously act within among themselves, betraying their Counsels, and weakening their Strength, they will be undoubtedly ruined.