bring forth good Fruit, nor can we gather Figs from Thorns, or Grapes from Thistles: evil Thoughts, Lufts, foolish Imaginations, are the natural genuine Spawn of a wild dishonest Mind. When I was a Child, faith St. Paul, I thought as a Child, I fpake as a Child; but when I became a Man, I put away childish things. As it is impoffible for a wife Man, after he is arrived to years of Understanding, and his Mind is furnished with the Knowledg of the best and worthieft things, to please himself with those filly Fancies and childish Imaginations, which were the Entertainment and Diverfion of his younger rawer Years; fo'tis no less impossible for any one who is deeply touched with the things of God, and hath a due sense of those things which are more excellent, to endure fuch, filly worldly extravagant Thoughts as poffeffed his Soul, and pleafed him in the days of his Ignorance and Folly. How do I love thy Law? faith David; it is my Meditation day and night. This is the first Rule, Look after your Heart and Affections.

2. And more particularly; confider what Care and Art wicked Men ufe to prevent good Thoughts, and let us ufe the fame Diligence and Endeavours to hinder evil and wicked Thoughts and Motions. There is no Man, efpecially that lives in any place where Religion is profefs'd, and in any tolerable Credit, that can go on in a Courfe of Sin without fome Regret and Remorfe: fometimes his Confcience will find a time to fpeak to him; the natural Notions of a God and a future State

will ever and anon be stirring, and are apt to disturb the Repofe and Jollity of the most fecure and hardned Sinner. Now to one refolvedly wicked, fuch Thoughts of a Judg, a future Account, and everlasting Punishment, cannot but be very uneafy and unwelcome : and therefore doth he ftrive all that he can to ftifle fuch chilling Thoughts in their very first Rife, to filence or drown the Whispers of his Confcience; he would fain even run away from himself, he chufes any Diverfion, Entertainment or Company, rather than attend to the Dictates of his own Mind and Reafon; is afraid of nothing fo much as being alone and unemployed, left fuch ghaftly and frightning Apprehenfions fhould croud in upon him; he keeps himself therefore always in a hurry and heat, and by many other Artifices endeavours to fhut all fuch cool and fober Thoughts out of his Mind; till by often quenching the Motions of God's good Spirit, and refifting the Light and Voice of his own Confcience, he by degrees lofes all Senfe of Good and Evil, all good Principles are laid asleep within him, and he arrives at his wifh'd-for happy State of finning without disturbance or interruption.

Now if we would but ufe equal Diligence and Watchfulness to prevent or expel evil Thoughts, we fhould find just the fame effect, that in time our Minds would become in a

great measure free from their Sollicitations and Importunity would we but presently reject them with the greatest Difdain and Indignation, use all manner of means to fix our Minds

on more innocent and useful Subjects, avoid all Occafions, or Provocations, or Incentives to evil Thoughts, as carefully as wicked Men do reading a good Book, or keeping of good Company, we certainly fhould find in a thort time our Minds no longer pefter'd or troubled with them; we should begin to lose all Savour and Relish of thofe Sins we formerly delighted in by their being for fome confiderable time kept out of our Minds, there would arife a Strangeness between them and us, and they would become as uncafy to us, as now they are pleafant and grateful.

3. Would you prevent evil Thoughts? Above all things avoid Idlenefs: the Spirits of Men are bufy and restless; something they must be doing and what a number of monstrous, giddy, frothy, improbable Conceits do daily fill our Brains merely for want of better Employment? No better way therefore to prevent evil Thoughts, than never to be at leifure for them. I went by the Field of the flothful, faith Solomon, and lo it was all grown over with Thorns and Nettles. And therefore indeed thofe are most of all concern'd in this Difcourse about Thoughts, whom Providence hath placed in fuch a Station, as that they are under no neceffity of minding any particular Calling for the gaining of a Livelihood; for whom God hath provided a Subfiftence without their own labouring and working for it : fuch as these are in manifeft danger of confuming a great part of their time in idle and unprofitable, if not leud and wicked Imaginations:

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having little elfe to do, the Devil or their own vain Fancies will find work for them; and when Confideration and Argument alone are not able to drive out thefe wicked inward Companions, yet Bufinefs will. And therefore I know nothing more advisable, than that we fhould be always ftored with fit Materials and Subjects to exercise our Thoughts upon, such as are worthy of a reasonable Creature, that is endued with an immortal Soul that is to live for ever. Those who are most bufy, have fome little Spaces and Intervals of time in which they are not employed. Some Mens Business is such, as tho it employs their Hands, and requires bodily Labour, yet doth not much take up their Thoughts, nor need their Minds be very intent upon it ; now all fuch fhould constantly have in their Hearts a Treasure of innocent or useful Subjects to think upon, that so they may never be at a lofs how to employ their Minds: for many of our evil Thoughts are owing to this, that when our time hangs upon our hands, we are to feek what to think of. Let us therefore every one refolve thus with our felves: The first Opportunity of leifure I have, the firft vacant Hour, I will fet my felf to confider of fuch or fuch a good Subject, and have this always in readiness to confront and oppose to any wicked or evil Thoughts that may fue for entrance or admiffion. For if we do thus, Temptations will always find our Minds full and prepoffeffed; and it is a hard cafe, if neither the vifible nor invifible World, neither

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neither God's Works, nor Providences, nor Word can fupply us with matter enough for our Thoughts, unlefs we feign extravagant Conceits, or repeat our old Sins in our Minds, or tickle our felves with wild Suppofitions of things that never were, nor are ever like to be.

4. Another Rule I would give, is this, that we should live under the due Awe of God's continual Prefence with us, and bear this always in our Minds, that the pure and holy God, the Judg of the World, before whofe impartial Tribunal we must all fhortly stand, is conscious to every fecret Thought and Imagination that paffes thro our Minds, and that he knows them altogether; that God is in us all, Ephef. 4. 6. One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all: That he is prefent in the most inward Corners and Receffes of our Hearts, and knows every one of those things that come into our Minds. Now who of us is there but muft confefs, that if his Thoughts were all known and open to other Men; if his Parents, his Friends, his Neighbours, or Enemies could have certain cognizance of them; he should be infinitely more careful about them than he is, fhould not allow himself that Liberty and Freedom which he now takes; fhould be as watchful that his Thoughts appear to other Men orderly, rational and virtuous, as he is now that his Words and Actions may be fuch? And while we profefs to believe that the transcendent Majesty of Heaven and Earth is acquainted with all our private