sin in the world.

The evil heart, in the Scripture, is the corrupt affections of it, with the imaginations of the mind, whereby they are excited and acted. These are they, which at this time fill the whole world with wickedness, darkness, confusion, and terror. And we may learn what is their force and efficacy, from these effects. So the nature of the plague is most evident, when we see thousands dying of it every week.

4. They are the way and means whereby the soul applies itself to all sinful objects and actings. Hence are they called our members, our earthly members; because, as the body applies itself to its operations by its members, so doth the soul apply itself to what belongs to it, by its affections.

5. They will not be under the conduct of the light, or convictions of the mind. Rebellion against the light of the mind, is the very form whereby their corruption acts itself. Let the apprehensions of the mind, and its notions of good and evil, be what they will, they reject them, and lead the soul in pursuit of their inclinations. Hence no natural man whatever, doth in any measure answer the light of his mind, or the convictions of his understanding; but he sees and ap. proves of better things, following those that are worse. And there is no greater spiritual judgment, than for men to be given up to themselves and their own evil affections.

Many other instances might be given of the greatness of that depravation under which our affections are fallen by sin; these may suffice for our present purpose.

In general, this depravation of our affections by nature, may be reduced to two heads.

1. An utter aversion from God, and all spiritual things. In this lies the spring of all that dislike of God and his ways, that the hearts of men are filled with. Yea, they do not only produce an aversion from them, and dislike of them, but they fill the mind with an enmity against them. Therefore, men say in their hearts unto God, "Depart from us; for we de

sire not the knowledge of thy ways.

What is the Al

mighty, that we should serve him? or what profit shall we have, if we pray unto him?"

2. An inordinate cleaving unto things vain, earthly, and sensual; causing the soul to engage in the pursuit of them, as the horse rushes into the battle.

Whilst our affections are in this state and condition, we are far enough from being spiritually minded, nor is it possible to engage them to an adherence, or delight in spiritual things.

In this state, they may be two ways wrought upon, and yet not so renewed, as to be serviceable to this end.

(1.) There may be various temporary impressions made on them. Sometimes there is so by the preaching of the word. Hereon men may hear it with joy, and do many things gladly. Sometimes it is so by judgments, dangers, sicknesses, apprehensions of the approach of death. These things take men off, for a season, from their greedy delight in earthly things, and the pursuit of the interest of lust, in making provision for the flesh. On many other occasions, by great variety of causes, there may be temporary impressions made on the affections, that shall seem for a season to have turned the stream of them. And thereon we have many, who every day will be wholly, as it were, for God, resolved to forsake sin, and all the pleasures of it; but the next, return to all their former excesses. For this is the effect of those impressions, that, whereas men ordinarily are predominantly acted by love, desire, and delight, which lead them to act according to the true natural principles of the soul, now they are for a season acted by fear and dread, which put a kind of force on all their inclipa tions. Hereon they have other thoughts of good and evil, of things eternal and temporal, of God and their own duty, for a season. And hereon some of them may, and do persuade themselves, that there is a change in their hearts and affections, which there is not; like a man who persuades himself that he hath lost his ague, because his present fit is over, The

next trial of temptation carries them again to the world and sin.

There are sometimes sudden impressions made on spiritual affections, which are always of great advantage to the soul, renewing its engagements unto God and duty. So was it with Jacob, Gen. xxviii. 16-20. So it is often with believers in hearing the word, and other occasions. On all of them they renew their cleavings to God with love and delight. But the effect of these impressions on unrenewed affections, are neither spiritual nor durable. Yea, for the most part, they are but checks, given in the providence of God, unto the raging of their lusts.

There

(2.) They are liable to a habitual change. To this the experience of all ages gives testimony. may be a habitual change wrought in the passions and affections of the mind, as to the inordinate and violent pursuit of their inclinations, without any gracious renovation of them. Education, philosophy, or reason, long afflictions, spiritual light, and gifts, have wrought this change. So Saul, upon his call to be king, became another man. Hereby persons, naturally passionate and furious, have been made sedate and moderate; and those who have been sensual have become temperate; yea, and haters of religion to be professors of it. All these things, and many more of the like nature, have proceeded from a change wrought upon the affections only; whilst the mind, will, and conscience, have been totally unsanctified.

By this change, where it is alone, no man ever became spiritually minded. For as there are two parts of the depravation of our affections-that by which they are turned from God, and that by which they inordinately cleave to other things; their change principally, if not only, respects the latter. They are brought into some order with respect to present things. The mind is not continually tossed up and down by them, as the waves of the sea, that are troubled and cast up mire and dirt. They do not carry them into vicious sensual actions, but they allow them to make virtue in moderation, sobriety,

temperance, fidelity, and usefulness in various ways, to be their design. And it is admirable to think what degrees of eminence in moral virtue, upon this one principle of moderating the affections, to which even many among the Heathen attained. But is their aversion to God and spiritual things, in the true spiritual notion of them, not cured by this change? At least, this change may be, and yet this cure not be wrought.

Again, This alteration only turns the stream of men's affections, it does not change the nature of them. They are the same in their spring and fountain as ever, only they are habituated to another course than to what of themselves they are inclined. You may take a young whelp of the most fierce and savage creatures, as of a tyger or a wolf, and by custom or usage, make it as tame and harmless as any domestic creature. But although it may be turned to quite another way or course of acting than to what it was of itself inclined, yet its nature is not changed. And, therefore, frequently on opportunity, or provocation, it will fall into its own savage inclination; and having tasted of the blood of creatures, it will never be reclaimed. So it is with the depraved affections of men with respect to their change; their streams are turned, they are habituated to a new course, their nature is not altered, at least not from rational to spiritual, from earthly to heavenly. Yet this is that which was most beautiful and desirable in nature, the glory of it, and the utmost of its attainments. He who has, by any means, proceeded to such a moderation of his affections, as to render him kind, benign, patient, useful, preferring public good before private, inordinate, and temperate in all things, will rise up in judgment against those, who, professing themselves to be under the conduct of the light of grace, do yet, by being morose, angry, selfish, worldly, manifest that their affections are not subdued by the power of that grace. Wherefore, that we may be spiritually minded, there is yet another work on our affections required, which is their internal renovation, by which not only

the course of their actings is changed, but their nature is altered and spiritually renewed. I mean that which is expressed in that great evangelical promise: "The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf, and the young lion, and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain." change and alteration is promised in the natures, principles, and first inclinations of the worst and most savage sinners, who pass under the power of gospel grace.

A

And

This is that duty which is required of us: "And be ye renewed in the spirit of your minds." There is a renovation of the mind itself, by the communication of spiritual saving light and understanding; see Rom. xii. 2. Ephes. i. 17, 18. But the spirit of the mind, by which it is enlivened, led and disposed to its actings, is to be renewed also. The spirit of the mind is, in this place, opposed to the old man, which is cor. rupt, according to deceitful lust, or depraved affections, ver. 22. These, therefore, are that spirit of the mind which incline, bend, and lead it to act suitably to its inclination, which is to be renewed. when our affections are inclined by the saving grace of the Holy Spirit, then are they renewed, and not till then. No other change will give them a spiritual renovation. By this, those things which are only, in themselves, natural affections, become, in them that believe, fruits of the Spirit. "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace," &c. They continue the same as they were in their essence, substance, and natural powers, but are changed in their properties, qualities, inclinations, whenever a new nature is given to them. So the waters at Marah were the same waters still before and after their cure. But of themselves and in their own nature they were bitter, so that the people