A man is earthly minded when he looks upon earthly things as the greatest things of all, when he has a high esteem of earthly things as the things. As if it were thus: " Oh, if I had such and such things as others have, oh, how happy I would be! How happy are such and such men that do enjoy such earthly things at their will, in their dwellings, in their furniture, their comings in; oh, these are the excellent things, these are the delightful things. These are the things in which felicity and happiness consist."
When men promise themselves felicity in any earthly things, they mind earthly things. I remember golden-mouthed Chrysostom had a speech about a covetous man who looked upon his money and saw more beauty in his money than in the very sun that shines in the firmament. Men look upon the things of the earth as the most beautiful things in their eyes. Certainly a man is in a distemper when he puts such a high esteem upon any earthly things. This esteem is not according to what God and His saints put upon earthly things. God never puts any great eminency on any earthly thing. He never made any earthly things to be any great conduit or means of conveyance of any great good of Himself unto His creature. If you would know where your heart is, you may know it by this one sign as much as any: what do you count your excellency? According to what any man or woman counts their excellency to consist in, so is their heart. Their hearts are suitable.
[A Treatise on Earthly Mindedness, by Jeremiah Burroughs, pp 7 & 8]
What do you call your excellency?
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