Chap. 31. An expoltien upon the ,Boole of J o B. Vert. T. 303 Theft not thou underfand( faith he )that thyNine/ale is a part Nonne in;ePtgit ofthy inaccence; doefl thou not know that the eye puts Adultery Farrernirroen- into this mans mind , and Incefl into another! Doth notthe eye is eft mina ; 3 rein. Szntc. chew this than a h,ufe which his heart prefently covets, and what evill is there which the thoughts ofthe heart are not let out to by the fight of the eyes ? Though blindneffc be in it Idle an evill, et it may be good to us, efrecially by fhadowing all evil! from our fight. Even ?oh couldnot promifehimfelfe, 'ot to think! upon a maide, till he hod made acovenant withhis eyes. Fifthly, Obferve. Inordinate thoughts are fns. ?GI) doth not fay, I have made acovenant with mine eyes, why then fhould I corporally defile or commit ac`ivail fornication with a maide, but, why fnouldI thinke upon a maide ? T he fin of the old world for whichGod brought a deluge upon the whole world, is thus defcribed( gen. 6. S,) end JCod fain that the wickedneffe ofman wasgreat in the earth, and that every imagina- tion ofthe thoughts of his heart was only evill continually. Such as the worke of their hearts was,fuchwas the worke oftheir hands, both ftarke nought;and their evil! thoughts were as much put to their account for finfullnes, as their evil! workes were. A man cannot render himfelfe more vile and foule in the eye of God, by af&ing, then he may doe by thinking ; Hence was that paflìo nate counfel or command in theProphet (7er. 4. 14. ) O 7erio- falem, zoafb thine heartfrom veickednes that thou mayefl be f îved : how longfha/ thy vain thoughts lodge in thee ? As if he had fayd, all thy hopesofbeing faved,or ofefcaping the vengeance ofGod whether temporal! or eternal!, will prove but prefumptious or vaine thoughts, that is, luch as (hall never be anfwered with thy expe&cd fafety or deliverance, while thy heart is thus uncleone by and unwafht from tinfoil or wicked thoughts. The Apoftle `Peter in that dreadfull increpation which he thunders out agoinfr SimonAfagoee Ieemes to make the greate(t doubt of the mercy of God to him about,or that the mercy ofGod would flick mot at the pard_,ningofhis thoughts (Ass8.22.) Repent (faith he ) therefore. of this thy wiclednrffe; and pray God, if perhaps the thought ofthy heart may beforgiven thee. As if he had fayd, 'Tis this vile thought of thy heart , if any thing or above any thing which
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