The Grace and Duty of Being Spiritually Minded

Believers have other Designs herein, and among the rest, this in the First place, that they may be a fresh made Partakers of Refreshing Comforting Pledges of the Love of God in Christ; and thereby of their Adoption, of the Pardon of their Sins, and acceptance of their Persons. According as they meet with these things, in the Duties of Holy Worship, public, or private, so will they love, value, and adhere unto them. Some Men are full of other Thoughts and Affections, so as that these things are not their principal Design or Desire, or are contented with that measure of them which they suppose themselves to have attained; or at least are not sensible of the need they stand in, to have fresh Communications of them made unto their Souls; supposing that they can do well enough without a renewed Sense of Divine Love every Day; some are so Ignorant of what they ought to design, to look after, in the Duties of Gospel Worship, as that it is impossible they should have any real Design in them. Many of the better sort of Professors are too negligent in this matter. They do not long and pant in the Inward man, after renewed Pledges of the Love of God; They do not consider how much need they have of them, that they may be encouraged and strengthened unto all other Duties of Obedience; they do not prepare their Minds for their Reception of them, nor come with Expectation of their Communication unto them; they do not rightly ⟨p. 245⟩fix their Faith on this Truth, namely, that these Holy Administrations and Duties, are appointed of God in the first place, as the ways and means of conveying his Love and a Sense of it unto our Souls. From hence springs all that Luke-warmness, Coldness, and Indifferency in and unto the Duties of holy Worship, that are growing among us. For if Men have lost the Principal Design of Faith in them, and dis-esteem the chiefest Benefit which is to be obtained by them, whence should Zeal for them, delight in them, or diligence in attendance unto them arise? Let not any please themselves under the Power of such decays; they are Indications of their Inward Frame, and those infallible. Such Persons will grow cold, careless, and negligent, as unto the Duties of public Worship, they will put themselves neither to Charge nor Trouble about them; every Occasion of Life diverts them, and finds ready Entertainment in their Minds;

Believers have other Designs herein, and among the rest, this in the First place, that they may be a fresh made Partakers of Refreshing Comforting Pledges of the Love of God in Christ; and thereby of their Adoption, of the Pardon of their Sins, and acceptance of their Persons. According as they meet with these things, in the Duties of Holy Worship, publick, or private, so will they love, value, and adhere unto them. Some Men are full of other Thoughts and Affections, so as that these things are not their principal Design or Desire, or are contented with that measure of them which they suppose themselves to have attained; or at least are not sensible of the need they stand in, to have fresh Communications of them made unto their Souls; supposing that they can do well enough without a renewed Sense of Divine Love every Day; some are so Ignorant of what they ought to design, to look after, in the Duties of Gospel Worship, as that it is impossible they should have any real Design in them. Many of the better sort of Professors are too negligent in this matter. They do not long and pant in the Inward man, after renewed Pledges of the Love of God; They do not consider how much need they have of them, that they may be encouraged and strengthened unto all other Duties of Obedience; they do not prepare their Minds for their Reception of them, nor come with Expectation of their Communication unto them; they do not rightly