t. Three things makdt diffi-lllt tomortijitour Ihoughu. 2. The Great Duty fuch little naked, i~fant things a~ Thoughts are, that flutter up and down in the Soul, and that a fi1ght ftroak w1\l fcrvc to lay them dead; yet certainly that Chrifrian who by experience knows what it is tO deal with his own Heart' finds it infini~ely u~or~ diffic~lt. to beat ~own one finful Thought from rifing a'nct tumultuaung· w1thm tha1~ 1t IS to keep m many a finful Thought from breaking forth into at\: ; fo t'hat here hes the very ftrefs and hardlhip of Mortification, in fight·. ing again{\: fuch Shadows, fuch Apparitions, fuch little Entities as Thoughts are Now there arc thcfc three things that make this fo very difficult. Firft, Becaufc the firft Bublings of thefe finful Emanations from the Fountain and Spring H~ad ~f. Corruption is not in our Power to hinder. External Atlions fall under Deliberation, a.nd ~hey ufually are fifte~ by Cenfure, and guided by Ad.. vice znd Counfel; and this gtvcs us advantage, either to let them loofe, or to re· ftrain th_cm at our Pleafure. , Bu.t who deliberates of Thoughts, or confults of firft Motions? Thefe firft horn aChngs of the Soul fall not under any previous Con. fiderations to examine or forbid them;and therefore it is not in' our Power to make them good or evil, holy or finful, but according as the Habit and Principle within is, fo they fpontaneouOy !tart 11p; holy Thoughts ~rom a gracious Principle, and finful thoughts from a corrupt one. Nay, thofe tbmgs that are the bcft and moft 'effectual means for Mortification yet cannot keep down finful thoughts they will fwarm and buzze abOut the Soul in praying, in hearing, in the mo!t ho~ ly and ~piritual Du~ies t~at we can perform ; and ~hen we Jhould be wholly taken up to Commumon wuh God, the whole Duty 1t may be is neceffarily fpent in fraying thefe a~ay; and when "'e fhould be inte~1fly and exaltedly fpiricuaJ, all that we can do, Js but to keep our Hearts from bemg long together finful. It fares with us as it fared with Abraham when facrificing, Gen. 1 )· 11. The Text tells m, n;htn the Fowls crmu down upon the Carcaf; of the Sacrifices, th11t Abraham drove them ..way. Thefe Fowls arc our finful Thoughts, they fly in the Air at random, we cannot i1indcr them from lighting, and it may be on our Sacrifices too; all that we can do is to drive them away, that they may not devour, though they do and will pollute. The firfl: rife of finful thoughts we cannot oppofc, their continuance and abiding we may; yea, we ought always fo to compofe our felves in fuch a frame, as that Corruption may not occafionally be itirred in us, yet is impollible altogether to keep our felves from the inward Motions and Efrua.. tions of it. Secondly, Sinful Thoughts lie unefpied and undifcerned by our felves. How often do they fteal away the Heart infenfibly, and carry it very far unto finful Objed:s unawares? That when we refl.eB: back to fee the workings of our Thoughts, we wonder many times l1ow and where they crept in; we find them very bufie, but when they got in we know not, no, nor how long they have continued; unlefs we keep a ftriCl: Guard and a narrow Watch upon our Hearts, thefe fubtle and deceitful Lufts will undermine us, get within and poffefs us e'er we can take notice of them. This is the contirtual vexation of the befi: Chriftians, that even in Duties a vain and impertinent Thought runs away with their Hearts, that the Heat and Warmth of their AffeCtions, the Life, Vigour, and Spiritualnefs of their Souls in Communion with God, is loft oftentimes e'er they perceive it; they at lafi: perhaps find~ut this thieving deceitful Thought, and mourn over it, but yet know not when nor how it entred, no, nor cannot track it fo much as by any Footfi:eps. This lurking deceitful abode of an unperceived Thought, is ~r may be, the fad and jufi: complaint of every Soul among us. The Apofrle cnes out of it, Rom. 7· 2.1. When I would do good, evil is p;cfont with me; 'cis prefent here .I find it, but how or when it rofc, that 1 know not. And then, . Tnirdly, Tis very diffictJlt throughly to convince Men of th~ great gmlt a_nd evil that there is in finful thoughts, and this alfo makes it fo difficult to morttfi.e them becaufe they are but things ofa fmall and minute Being, therefore Men think they carry in them but fmal1 guilt and little danger. Every Man that hath but a rem.. nant of Confcience left in him, will beware of grofs, black and grifly Sins, that carry the brand of Hell and Damnation vifibly ftampt upon their For.ehep.ds; fuch as he who can without ReluClancy comr.1it them, muft JJeeds own Jumfel~ for the apparent Offspring of the Devil: But for an invifible Thought, a NotiOn.,. an airy Idea, a thing next nothing, this certainly can hurt no one; by a mahc10us Thought 1 injure no Man, by a covetous Thought I grind nor extort from no Man;
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