phemous thoughts, and cannot get rid of them; we must confider that our thoughts are no farther ours, than as we chufe them; that all fin lies in the will, and all will implies choice that those thoughts therefore, which are not our choice, which we reject with a settled averfion and abhorrence, will never be placed to our account. So that our thoughts, how indecent or irregular foever they may be, are rather to be accounted the infirmities of our corrupt nature than our fins properly fo called. If weclofe with any thought that prompts us to evil, fo as to be pleased with it, to delight in it, to think of pursuing it, till it be brought into action ; in that cafe we are no longer to plead our original corruption; for in that very instant we become actual finners, or actual tranfgreffors of the law of God. The mind is paffive in receiving its notices of things, whether pure or impure; but it is active, in its determination, whether to harbour or difcard them. As far as it is paffive, it is entirely innocent; as far as it is active, it is accountable: and it certainly is active, when we dwell upon impure thoughts with complacency; when we strengthen ourselves in wickedness, by cherishing the remembrance of paft guilty joys, and laying fcenes in our imagination for the entertainment of future pleafures. Here then we fee in what the government of our thoughts confifts; they are not criminal till they have the confent of the will; and the foul can with-hold that confent, till it has fufficiently confidered the whole cafe.

If we would keep our hearts in a good frame, and order The method our thoughts to good purposes; our firft and great of govern eft care should be, that we rightly pitch upon our ing them. main defigns; and that we chufe that for the great bufinefs of our lives, that really ought to be fo. For men's 1. By bend heads are fruitful of evafions to reconcile their duing our ty and their intereft, when they come in competithoughts to tion and arguments, fuch as they are, are never good purpofes. wanting to make that appear reasonable, which is agreeable or profitable to us; except where the cafe is very glaring and notorious. He, that earnestly wishes that a thing was lawful, has half confented that it is fo. Difho

nefty

nesty has already crept into his heart, and the tranfition from thence to the head is very quick and sudden. But

2. By mak ing religion

The greatest concernment of all is to approve ourselves to that great God who made us, and difpofes of all our affairs; and who, according as we fincerely endeavour or not endeavour to serve him, will make us either very happy or very miserable, both in this life and the other.

our chief

care.

They that would thus keep their hearts always in a good frame must have a fpecial care to avoid two 3. By athings, viz. idlenefs and loofe company. And a voiding wife man fhould never be at such a pafs as to fay, bad comidleness and I have nothing to do; I do not know how to fpend pany. my next hour: idleness, and having nothing to do, is the mother of most of those vain and unprofitable and finful fancies, in which some men fpend their days. And whereas temptations do now-and-then come into the way of other men; the idle man is forced to feek out temptations for the shipwreck of his virtue. Loofe and impertinent converfation is not much better than idleness; for wherever it is much ufed, it will fo emasculate a man's mind, and take off the edge and vigour of it, as to serious things, that he cannot eafily get it into a good frame again. Evil communications (faith St. Paul) corrupt good manners. And therefore those people, a great part of whofe life is taken up in gadding up and down; in play; in merry meetings; in telling or hearing idle stories, and the like; it is impoffible but their thoughts and inclinations and the whole frame of their hearts will be suitable; that is to fay, very frothy; very light and foolish; not to fay prophane, and wicked, and atheistical too, if the company they much converfe with be of that strain. Let us be as attentive as poffible to the first motions of our minds; and whenever we find that they tend towards fomething that is forbidden, let us stop ending to them as foon as we can. You cannot perhaps, for their first inftance, prevent a fudden paffion of anger from rifing in your minds upon twenty accidents; but as foon as you feel this paffion, you can thus far ftifle it; you can feal up your mouth, so that the paffion shall not vent itself in un

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feemly

feemly words. If any indecent, impure fancies or defires fhould be excited in you upon any occafion, it was not perhaps in your power to keep them from coming into your minds; but it is in your power to withdraw from the temptation that caufeth them, and to endeavour to direct your thoughts to fome other object; at least not to proceed one step in any outward action towards the accomplishing of those defires. Every check, that you give to the first motions of fin, makes the next affault of them the less furious. And, if you do conftantly use yourselves thus to guard and watch over your hearts, you will in time obtain fuch a command over them, that you will not be troubled with a quarter of thofe irregular defires and paffions, which heretofore upon feveral occafions used to be kindled in you. That you may be able not only to keep bad thoughts out of your minds, but also to have a conftant fpring of good ones, converfe with difcreet and pious perfons; read good books, efpecially the holy fcriptures; and take times of meditation and recollection; and, above all, offer fervent and conftant prayers to God. And,

Notwithstanding what I have hitherto faid concerning 5. By dif- the diligence with which we are to keep our crction. hearts, yet this is always to be remembered, that with our diligence we must be careful to join difcretion: My meaning is this; we must have a care not to extend our thoughts immoderately, and more than our tempers will bear, even to the best things. And the way to do that is not to put them too much, or too long, upon the stretch at any one time; but to relax them when there is occafion, and to let them run out and entertain themselves upon any thing that comes next to hand fo long as it is innocent.

a fenfe of

God's pre

Another excellent rule for the good government of our And, 6. By thoughts is always to live under a conftant fenfe lining under of God's prefence and infpection: For he, that made the eye, fhall he not fee? And, if he do fee fence. fhall he not punish? Hell and destruction are before the Lord! How much more then are the hearts of the children of men? And, if it be so much shame to disclofe our wicked, prefumptuous, vain, trifling, and vicious

thoughts

thoughts to our fellow-creatures, as most men account it to be, left they upbraid or punish them for it; how much more should they be ashamed and dread to admit fuch thoughts, which are criminal in the fight of God, when they believe he fees and is able to punish them? And,

II. Above all, it will be found of exceeding great ufe to be cloathed with HUMILITY: not that fawning hu- Of humimility of outward expreffion and behaviour, which ty. covers a falfe and proud heart; but that humility which confifts in the inward frame and difpofition of the mind, and in a right judgment, in the main, of ourselves: which retainsa deep fenfe that God created us out of nothing, and that fin reduceth us to a state worse than nothing without the mercies of God, and the merits of our Saviour; and which admonisheth a man of his own corruption and fubordination, and duty to God and Man, whose fruits are to be discerned best in a relative view: For, with regard to fuperiors in civil ftations in the world, true humility confifts in In what it obeying them willingly in all things juft and law- confifts. ful; in fubmitting to the authority even of the froward and unworthy; in not defpifing their perfons, expofing their weakneffes, or infulting over their infirmities. With regard to fuperiors in natural abilities, true humility confifts, not in fubmitting our understandings to them blindly and implicitly, but in being willing and defirous to be inftructed and informed by them; in not envying them the advantages God has given them above ourselves; nor repining, but on the contrary rejoicing, at their being preferred or honoured, according to the proportion of their true merit and capacity. With regard to fuperiors in religious improvements, humility confifts likewife in rejoicing to fee the practice of virtue, and the advancement of the kingdom of God upon earth; not grieving, but taking pleasure, to find fuch perfons highly esteemed in the world, and propofing them to ourselves as examples and patterns for our imitation. With regard to our equals, true humility confifts in civil and affable, in courteous and modeft behaviour; patiently permitting our equals (when it fhall fo happen) to be preferred before us; not thinking ourselves injured, when others but of equal merit chance to be more esteemed; willingly fubmitting,

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for peace fake, to many things, if not very unreasonable; yet otherwife fuch as in our own judgment we should not chufe to think beft of. With regard to our inferiors, humility confifts in affuming to ourselves no more than the difference of men's circumstances, and the performance of their respective duties, for preserving the regularity and good order of the world, neceffarily required. With regard to inferiors in natural abilities, or accidental advantages in the world, fuch as learning and knowledge, riches, plenty, and the like, humility confifts in confidering, that poffibly they have some other gifts which may be wanting in us; and in being willing to communicate to them the advanta→ ges we enjoy, that they may be the better for the things wherewith God hath bleffed us. The true humility of a rich man confists in being willing to affift them by relieving their neceffities, endeavouring to make the condition of the meaneft easy and supportable to themselves. And in like manner, the true humility of perfons endued with more learning and knowledge than others confifts in being willing to communicate what they know, and in fincerely defiring that all others may attain the fame knowledge with themselves. Towards our inferiors in refpect of religious improvements, true humility confifts in being rightly fenfible of our own many infirmities, even thofe of us who may be apt to imagine ourselves to have made the greatest improvements, and in being fincerely follicitous for the welfare and the falvation of all men; it confifts in endeavouring to influence men towards religion, by meeknefs rather than by power; in not affecting to gain the empty applause of men by an outward oftentation of greater piety than others; in condescending to thofe beneath us, and not difdaining even to yield to them in indifferent things: in bearing their infirmities patiently and without frowardness; in forbearing to judge or defpife those that differ from us in opinion; in taking care not to offend, by haughty and prefumptuous behaviour, fuch perfons as by meeknefs might be prevailed upon to believe in Chrift, or fuch as by kind treatment might be kept from departing into divifions; in taking heed not to impofe needlefs difficulties upon thofe under our power:

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