A Treatise on Earthly-Mindedness, by Jeremiah Burroughs. An excerpt.
Channel: Take Up The Cross
Date: 2018-03-11

A Treatise on Earthly-Mindedness, by Jeremiah Burroughs. An excerpt.

(For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)
For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death
~ Philippians 3:18-19 & Romans 8:5-6a

From men which are thy hand, O LORD, from men of the world, which have their portion in this life, and whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasure: they are full of children, and leave the rest of their substance to their babes.
~ Psalms 17:14

For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
~ 1 Corinthians 3:3

And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.
~ 2 Peter 2:3

"Who mind Earthly things; who savour, or relish Earthly things, so you may translate the word as well. It is a ge­neral word comprehending the actions and operations, both of the understanding and will: It is in Scripture ap­plied to both, but most commonly to the Actions of the wil and affections; we are particular in Actions of the Will.

"Earthly things - The things that are upon the Earth, whatsoever they be, the Beauty, the Glory, and Parentry of the Earth; the Profits that are Earthly, the Pleasures and Ho­nors of the world; who mind any things inordinatly that are sublunary accommodations. But we carry and behave our selves as free Denizens of the City of Heaven; for so the words in the Original are, if we should thus reade them: Our City whereof we are Citizens, and whereunto we have right, is Heaven.

"But our Conversation, our City Converse, it is of things that are above the earth: when the Apostle would have men to follow their example and not the example of others, in the 17. verse, he uses this as an Argument, saith he, such and such men are enemies to the Cross of Christ, and they make their belly their god, and they mind Earthly things: do not fol­low them, do not hearken what they say to you, they come up and down from house to house, and whisper this and that to you, and would take you off from the ways of God, God hath begun to enlighten you, and to stir your consci­ences, do not let the precious affections of your souls run wast towards them, but be ye followers of us as we are of Christ; for our Conversation is in Heaven with our Lord and Master, there comes in the Argument in the 20. verse. So that being the only scope and meaning of the words, take this Doctrinal Truth.

"That this is the great difference between a wicked man and a godly man; one minds Earthly things: and the other hath his Conversation in Heaven. I intend to handle both these in order."

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