-al death; a governing temper of foul, which befpeaks it dead to all true goodness.

(2.) Spiritual-mindednefs is life; because a man of this difpofition is fitted for the enjoyments and happiness of the fpiritual life. The foul has peculiar pleafures of its own, independent on the body; and they are the moft fublime, and excellent, and fatisfying of all others, of which we are capable. Thefe pleasures of the foul refult from the fenfe of God's favour; from the apprehenfion of the pardon of fin, and the hope of immortal bleffednefs; from a consciousness of the regularity of its own actings, and of victory gained over diforderly appetites, affections and. paffions; from the approbation of his own mind upon ferious examination and. reflection; from the pleasure of doing good, of honouring God, and of ferving a man's generation; from the joyful fenfe of the light of God's countenance, and of communion with him in holy meditation and in the various exercises of religion. Such things as thefe are the jufteft entertainments of the foul: and he who is fpiritually minded, feeks chiefly after thefe; and has a principal relish and delight in thefe, when he can perceive them: and in propor. tion to the degree of his renovation, he is fitted for them, and has his share in them at prefent. This is life indeed. A good man is thus fatisfied from himself, Prov. xiv. 14. while a ftranger intermeddles not with his joy, ver. 10.

But a man under the power of a carnal mind, is incapable of that peace and pleafurewhich are fo relifhing to a fpiritual mind.

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He is but ill-difpofed to difcern and take in that which is fit to adminifter the highest delight to the foul. Such a mind has scarce any room for fpiritual joys to enter; and no in clination to perform thofe acts by which.communion with God is maintained, and the foretastes of heaven are received. The frame of his mind is fet quite otherwise. He wants fuch a principle of lively faith, as gives that realizing view of fpiritual objects, which fills with joy unspeakable, a Pet. i. 8. Nor is he acquainted with that life and fervour in religious exercises, or that purity of heart, which are neceffary to prepare for God's gracious manifeftations to the foul.

Or fuppofe he fhould be able to difcern the grounds of fpiritual pleasure, yet he is no way difpofed to relifh them, or to be made happy by them. Inftead of delighting himself in God, "he fays unto God, depart from me, I defire not the knowledge of thy ways. What is the Almighty, that I fhould ferve him? and whatprofit fhould I have, if I pray unto him ?" Job xxi. 14, 15. He taftes not the fweetnefs of a pardon; he values not the dignity of being a child of God. A Saviour has no form or comelinefs in his eye, that he fhould defire him; nor are all the glad tidings of the Gofpel fo welcome to him, as it would be to hear of an eftate fallen to him, of a successful bargain, or any other prefent gratification which his heart is fet upon. The very vision and enjoyment of the bleffed God in heaven, would be an infipid thing to a man, the turn of whofe foul is wholly to earth.

Carnal

inds account it no better than folly in other people, when they exprefs a delight in God's ordinances, or fpeak of fuch a thing as "hungering and thirfting after righteoufnefs."

The

reafon is, that either matters of a fpiritual nature are in their account merely imaginary, without fubftance and reality; or fome prefent good is much more fuitable to their tafte and inclination. Thus "folly is joy to him. that is destitute of wisdom," Prov. xv. 21.

In the nature of the thing then, and at prefent, what the apoftle fays evidently holds true.

2. This is farther true in refpect of God's fentence and conftitution. To be carnally minded is death; or the way to death, to everlafting wrath and mifery: but to be fpiritually minded, is life and peace; or the way to eternal life and happiness.

(1.) The carnal mind muft iffue in everlafting death. Not that the future punishment will be an extinction of being; happy would it be in comparifon for the men of this world, if that was the cafe : but while they continue in being and fenfe, their condition will juftly deferve the character of death, the fecond death. In the future ftate their spiritual death will be fixed and confummated. The enmity against God, which is now the prevailing character of a carnal mind, will then rife to its utmoft height. All the remains of virtuous. inclination, or of good nature, as we call it, which might seem to be in men here, will be totally extinguished, when they leave the world. in their fins; and " he that was filthy, will be filthy ftill." There will be an intire end of all

that

that looks like felicity. For they will be ftrip ped of all the fenfual enjoyments, in which they placed their happiness on earth; not fo much as a drop of water to cool the tongue will be found there, Luke xvi. 24. And for the true happiness of the heavenly. ftate, they nei, ther will be admitted to a fhare in it, nor will have any tafte for it, if it was within their reach. And befides, this, all which can make mifery confummate, will be inflicted. The wrath of a living God, the fire of hell, the worm of an accufing confcience, and the foci ty of devils and wicked men, then ungrateful enough, fhall concur to their everlasting def truction. The Scripture ufes many phrases and emblems to defcribe that mifery in its horrible nature; and, among the reft, this of death in particular, as the most formidable thing to nature. "Sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death," Jam. i. 15. "The end of these things is death," Rom. vi. 21. "The wages of fin is death," ver. 23. So here,, "to be carnally minded is death," that is,

Without repentance, and a change before they leave the world, men of this character are doomed to eternal death by God the judge of all. If ye live after the flesh, fays the apoftle in this chapter, ver. 13. ye shall die. This is the fentence which God has published against all fuch; which he will never reverfe, and none else can.

Such indeed, by their prefent temper, are fit for no other iffue of things than this. They are "veffels of wrath, fitted for deftruction :" In no fitness to take delight in a better world,

if they fhould be allowed a place there, where all is holy and heavenly; but of a temper already prepared for the miferable world: For they breathe a difaffection to God, which in the height of it is the very temper of the devils. And fometimes men of this make have the beginnings of this fecond death, even while they continue in the body. This is evidently the cafe of fome, when they are given up to ftrong delufions, to their own hearts lufts. And fometimes they are made to feel the lively. forerunners of divine wrath in their confcien- ces, and leave the world with the blackest pre-fages of approaching mifery.. On the other hand,

(2.) The fpiritual mind fhall'iffue in ever-lafting life and peace; that which deferves indeed to be, ftiled life. The fpiritual life is to be perfected. There is a perfect day, to which the path of the juft, like the fhining light, is tending more and more, Prov. iv. 18. What the author of a good work had begun, will then be performed, Phil. i. 6. All tears shall be wiped away from faints, and every uneafinefs cease, for they fhall enter into reft; and be admitted to fulness of joy in God's prefence, and to pleafures for evermore at his right hand, Pfal. xvi.. 11. This is to be the end ofa fpiritual mind; and therefore it may juftly be faid to be life and peace..

By the tenor of the gofpel-covenant, all of this character are entitled to this life." There is no condemnation to fuch as walk after the Spirit," ver. 1. "If ye by the Spirit mortify the deeds of the body, ye fhall live," v. 13: And

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