The Grace and Duty of Being Spiritually Minded - Modernized | Monergism
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ANALYSIS. After an explanation of Romans 8:6, the duty of being spiritually minded is described as including —
1. The exercise of the mind in its thoughts concerning iritual things;
2. The inclination of the mind in its affections towards them; and,
3. The complacency of the mind in them,
chap. I.
The treatise is divided into two parts: —
I. The former relating to the first of these heads, — the nature of spiritual thoughts; II. The latter to the two other heads, — the exercise of spiritual affections.
PART I. As to the character of those thoughts which are the evidence of spiritual mindedness, —
1. They are natural, in the sense of arising from ourselves, and as distinguished from thoughts suggested to the mind by (1.) impressions constraining it to acts opposed to its habitual procedure, and
(2.) outward occasions; such as
[1.] the preaching of the Word,
[2.] prayer, and
[3.] the discourses and remarks of other men
2. They abound us, filling and engrossing our minds, II.-IV. An inquiry follows into the objects of spiritual thoughts; which are, —
1. The dispensations of Providence;
2. Special trials and temptations; and
3. Heavenly and eternal realities. In regard to the latter, —
(1.) The motives inducing us to fix our thoughts on them are mentioned; faith is thereby increased, hope is exercised, preparation is made for the cross, and the mind weaned from the world.
And (2.) Directions for this spiritual exercise are supplied; — the mind must be occupied with right notions of these objects, directed to them with intensity, and led to compare the blessedness of an interest in them with the opposite state of eternal death and misery, V.,VI. The especial objects of ritual contemplation are, —
1. The person of Christ; and,
. God himself, who must in our thoughts, in opposition to atheism, practical infidelity, various inferior degrees and ways of forgetting God, and the indulgence of secret lusts. The thoughts which are characteristic of spiritual affections are delineated,
In our consideration of God, we must think of, —
(1.) His being;
(2.) His omnipresence and omniscience; and,
(3.) His omnipotence, IX. Various counsels are tendered to such as cannot fix their thoughts with steadiness on spiritual and heavenly objects, X
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