' 8or When a man is on<:c in. .Chri£1:~ bs ijye5:by a principle w1thoqrhjmfdf <.rl ltve by the fai,hoftheSottofGod, (faid 1'~111) )vho/ovedme, andgavekwfeiffor.me_: If we ask, Gal. 2 , 20 • \Vhy will theLor~ have Jlpr lh,cngrh out of our [elves ? wl)y !)'lay not a man have fi fficient habitus) lheng~h in.bimfclf, by which he may be able to out-wred:le lulls, a~doverconw tCJll\ltatt?OS 1-<The ~re~fon is~ BecaJfenoJicftJjhnl/ rejoycet'n it felf, and thcrcfarcC/,·ift is made SanCliftc:mqn unto"' :_ 0 let us believe ;hefe prom1f<1s, and have continual dcpen<l.ancc .on thc.l.Qrd J.~fus Ghnll:. · SE c'r_ 5-' Of the,mflTJ!ler pftrying, or examining our Hearts. THat we may rightly try or examine our hearts, obferve we th~fe Rqles;: . ' r. Ufe .we retircdnelfcwhep \vefallon th1s work: To tl11s;purpofc fa1th the Pfalmift Commune with yo~er owne hearts opyo~trbeds, and befli/1: When we get a- Pfal. 4 • 4 • lone pur~fcly to ltudy our hearts, our hearts will then come to us, they will be more apt ro difcourl£ wrth.us pnvately~ than m a <:rowd; and t~erefore fet ,we fame tune apart out of our publike or particular occafipns to d~al wJth our hearts, as David, who after the pubiiks bJtjinejJe was d~ne, t~<rn.edhome to vsjlf, and to bleiJe Ius own ho!fe_ 2 Sam. 6. ,o; 2 . Try what thoughts are w1thm, and wh1ch way runs the ll:ream of our thoughts: The heart is an houfc ofcommon refort, 1uto wh1ch mult1tudes of thoughrs, like fo many guells, enter, and have free and ol:'en. accelfe : only if it_ be fanchfied, it ordina– rily dil!ils holy, fweet, and ufeful Med1tat10ns out of all ObJects; as the Bef fucks honey out of overy flower, and a.go.od ltomack fucks fweet and wholefome nourilh– ment out of what it takes to it felf; So cloth a holy heart (fa far as fJnctified; convert ond digclt all into fpiritual and ufeful thoughts: But on the contr~ry, if it bewick~d, then a wodd of vain, light, wanton, prophanc, and d1!folute thoughts lodge there, and defile thofe rooms they lodge in; which made the Lord fay to Jerufalem, 0 Jemfalem, wajh thine heart from wicksdnefs, that thost mayeft befaved. How long foa.'l thy Jer 4. 1 .j_1 Vl!in thoughts lodge within thee I . 3· If upon tryal we finde a loathnelfe to entertam holy thoughts, a!ld unll:eadinelfe in them,a mifplacing of them (whi~h diforder is~vanity andlin, be the thought materially never fo good) or if we linde m us many times a takmg thought to f ulfil the lufts Rom. 13 _1 .j. · of the fofl>, a reprefcnting or a<'l:ing o:rer fin in our thoughts ( 0 how much of that precious fand of our thoughts run out th1s way!) then let us humble our felves for thefn; and.thus Agur teacheth, If thou haft donefoolijhly m liftmg up thy[elf, or if tl!ou, haft Prov. 30 . 5>; thought evil, lay thine hand upon thy mouth; ( i) be humbled, be a!hamed of thefe thoughts. 4- After humiliation, we mull: proceed to Judgement : And to that end confider; what will be the fubje<'l: of that great Inquell: at the !aft day? The Apoltle anfwers, Thet·otmfeis of the heart : And who will be the Executioner? even Tho~tghts accufing : 1 Cor. 4- $: 0 then let us prevent this doom, and this execution, by our own Judgment aud Self– condemnation ; let us fentence our hearts, and whip out our evil thoughts, .and give "them their palfe. - 5- Let us watch over, and obferve our hearts ever after: Thoughts will be crow– ,ding in, \yhen we have done all ':re <:al), yet let them know that they palfe not unfeen; where ltntl: watch, and ward )S kept, where Magill:rates, and Mar!hals and Con– fhbles are diligent to examine v.agrant perfons, you fhall have few of them there __ Jh_e reafon that fuch fwarms of vagrant thoughts make their Rendezvouz, and pnffe tn our hearts, 1s, Becaufe there is no ltri<'l: watch'kept we obferve not our kearts with tzll diligence_ ' 6. Set our thoug~ts !n order every morning, fl:renthcn and perfume our ~p~rits with fo~e gr_ac10us Med1tat10ns on Gods Hohnefs,Majell:y,Omniprefencc,Omnrfclence My & jOulwatteth for the Lord(faidDavid)more rhan th'r:y that watchfor the morning;ob[erve it, Pfal. l3 °' • ,_f you pk~fe, when we firll: open our eyes, there ll:and many fuiters; attending on us to fpeak With our thoughts, even as Clients at Lawyers doors ; but.fpeak we firll: with ofur God, and he wdl fay fomcthing to our hearts) and fettle them for all the day a tcr_ d 7- No~ andthenpropofeweto our hearts theie two qucltions: r_ Heart, how _oft thon - a few words, but a very feriaus queltion _: you know this is the firll: quef~ tf~J;I, and the firll: falute that we ufc to one another, H~JV d~yo11 Sirl I would to God . P3 ~t
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