Dirca. IC· Dircll. Il· Diret/. 12· Dire{/. I3· Dire{/. I4• Agninft c11il Tho1tglJtS. ~·orldlin~, that their hr11t[u jhaiJ contimu f/J'f' wcr. _Pfal~ 24· 9· He ~aitl1, Tbe tbougbt nf foolijhmfi ·u fin: 1 he old world was ccndemned bccaufe the zmagmationr of tbczr hcart1 wcrt only evil continu– aL), Gen. 6. 5, And when Go~ calleth a finner, to converfion, he faith, Let the wick_.ed firfa~e hit w.t)', and the _:mri;?,bteoJts man hu tboughts? and let him ~uurn umo the L()rd, ·and he rviU lnve mercy upon bim. Ha. 55· 6, 7· Yo~ fee then tf you arc fubJtCf to God, your 1hougbts mull be obt– dient. §. IO• DirrCt. 9· Remember GodJ continu:zl pre{enct; that all your thouf!.htl are in hi1 fight. He feerh ev<ry filthy thought, and every covctotJs, and proud, and ambitious· thought, and every un– charitable malitious thought. Jf you be not Atheifis, the remembrance of this will fomewhat check and controul your thoughts; that God bcholdeth them. He u;tdt:rjtauderh your tbougbts ajar off Pfalrn 139· 2· .Dotb n~t be tbat pondcreth the heart confidtr it i Prov. 24• 12. JYhertfore think,_ yt evil i~ your IJtartJ, fa1th Chnfl, Mutrh. 9· 4· - §. 1J. Direct. ~o. Eethinl{_ybu fcrioujly what a Governmem yott wo~e!d J:.!ep upon your thougbu if t!Jey were bstt wrtttcn on )'Ottr forebeadJ, or fern to aU tbt~t fie you, )'Ca or hilt open· to· fame perfon whom )'OU reverence. 0 how a(hamed would you then be, that men fhould fee your filthy thoughts )'OUr malicious thoughts, your covetous and deceiving thoughts? And is 110t the t.ye of God t(;~ thoufand times mvre to be reverenced and regarded ? And is not man your God, if you are awed more by m!IJZ than by God ? And if the eye of man can do more to rdlrain you ? • §. 12. Direct. I I· Kerp tmdtr your Confliena&r, that thty may 1101 be rtgurdlcji or infenfible of the fm.liicft fi;r. A tender Confcience feareth evil and idle thoughts; and will fman in the penircnr re.. view of rhough,ts ; But a feared Confcience feeleth nothing, except fame grievous crying fins. A tender Confcimce obeyeth that precept, Prov. 30. 32· If thou baj! done fo•lifhly in lifiing "P tby[elf, ,. if tbu baj! t!JO~tght ~vil, l•y thy hand upon thy mouth. §. 1." · ~ajt out vain and finfitl thought! in tht beginnhtg, hf{ort they fettle tbemfelve.r a>1d n mg of tby heart. They are eafiliej! and fafelirj! refilled in the entrance : Thy heart will give them rooting and grow familiar with them, if they make any flay: Bcfides, it thews the greacer fin, bccaufe there is the lefs refiflance, and the .t11ore confcnt: If the wiU were againH rhem, it would not let them alone fo long. Yea an"d their continuance tendeth to your ruine: l.r is like the continuance of poyfon in your bowels, or fire in your thatch, or a fpie in an armie : As long as they flay they arc working toward your greater mirchief: If th<fc flies flay long, they will blow and multiply : They will make their ncfls, and breed their young, and you will quicldy have a fwarm of fins. §· I 4· Direct. 13. 1, heed left any praaical errur corrupt your undcrftandingr: or lrft )'()1t he en~a~ gcd in any ilJ dtjign: For thtfe rvilJ comm_and Y?ur tl~ou~htr.into & co~rfe of fm(ul. attendance and fir– vice to their eJtdr. He that crreth and thmks h1s fin 1s hu v~rtue or h1s dut)', wtll mduJse. thetbougbtr of it without controul: Yea he will drive on his mind to fuch cogitations; and fical from the au– thorily and word of God, the motives and incentives of his fin: As falfe prophets fpcak againfi God in the name of God, and againfl his word as by the pretended authority of his word; fo an erring mind , will fetch its arguments from God and from the Scriprure , for thofe finful thoughts which are againfr God and Scripture. And if evil thoughts will fa hardly be kept out when we plead the authority of God and his word againfi them, and do the bell we can to hinder them; how will they prevail when you plead the authority of God and the facred Scriptures for them, and take it to be your duty to kindle and p~omotc them. For inflance ; all the finful thoughts by which the RomiOr Clergy are contriving, the {upport of their Kingdom of darknefs in the world, and the continuance of their tyranny in the Church, arc but the produCts of their error, which tells them that all this Orould be done, as pleafing to God, and profitable to the Church. All the bloody thot~.~bts of pcrfecutors, againll the Chur<h and holy ways of Chrill, have been cherifhed by this crroneour tbouy)Jt, John 16. 23. The time cometiJ that whoever kJUnh you, wil11binl{tbat he dotb God [ervicc: and the{e tbingr tbCJ' will do unto y9u, becaufl they have not Jt~own the Father nnr me. All p,mlJ bloody contrivarrces and praCtices againfi the Church, did come tforn this: Act. 26. 9• I ve– rily thought 1vit}J n~y [elf that I ought to do many thingr contrary to the name of Jtfi~ of Nttz!Jreth: n,!Jicb thi11g I alfo did---- All the fcornful and "proacbful tbo11ghtt and rpeecnes of many of the ungodlf, againfi a holy life are hence: 1 Per. 4· 4· 1hey thin~{_ it ftrange tbat you rrm not with tlum to cxcrf; of ryot, jpeakj~g evil of you : The vain babling of hypocrites, who cheat their fouls. wirh idle lip·labour, inflead of the fpiritual fervice from the heart, and the facrifice offoolr, who offer God fome outward thing, while they deny him th~ir hearts, and holy obedience, do proceed from this ; that 1hey tbinl;. to be heard for their much h•bling, Matth. 6. 7• and they conjidtr mt that they doo.tvil: Eccl. 5· ,. All the relf-flattery and prefumption of the ungodly, and conrequcnt!y, all tht:ir ungodly lives, are much from their erroJ<teOUI thoughtJ: He 1hat tbink$th be ir fomething rrbm he is notbing, deceivub himfelf. Gal. 6. 3· 0 come into the light, and forfake your darknefs: For finf\1) thoughts are like hobgoblins and hags, that fly from the light; and like worms and fer– pcnrs, that creep into holes, and crawl and gender in the dark. §. I5• Direct. 14. Remember what· a;z opening of tboztghtr tbcrt rvi.U be when yo11 come in!o the lif..bt, either here hy conVi{iiou, or at the furtbeft at the dMy ()f judgement. Then you ~tll be afh.amcd to fee what lilrh and vaniry you entertained ; and with what drofs and rubb!{b you C\:uft your minds. When the l1ght comes in, what abundance of rhings will you fee to your afio~ nifhment, in the dungeon of your hearts, which now you take no notice oP Remember, that all your
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