66 OF SPIRITUAL MINDEDNESS. thoughts, to take off from their number, and thereby to lessen their guilt. It deserves not the name of con- viction of sin, which respects only outward actions, and regards not the inward actings of the mind. And this alone will for á season make a great change in the thoughts, especially it will do so when assisted by superstition, directing them unto other objects. These two in conjunction are the rise of all that devotional religion which is in the papacy. Conviction labors to put some stop and bounds to thoughts absolutely evil and corrupt ; and superstition suggests other objects for them, which they readily embrace ; but it is a vain attempt. The minds and hearts of men are continu- ally minting and coining new thoughts and imagina- tions; the cogitative faculty is always at work. As the streams of a mighty river running into the ocean, so are the thoughts of a natural man, and through self they run into hell. It is a fond thing to set a dam be- fore such a river, to curb its streams. For a little space there may be a stop made, but it will quickly break down all obstacles, or overflow all its bounds. There is no way to divert its course, but only by pro- viding other channels for its waters, and turning them thereinto ; the mighty stream of the evil thoughts of men will admit of no bounds or dams to put a stop unto them. There are but two ways of relief from them; the one, respecting their moral evil, the other their natural abundance. The first, by throwing salt into the spring, as Elisha cured the waters of Jericho ; that is, to get the heart and mind seasoned with grace; for the tree must be made good before the fruit will be so. The other is, to turn their streams into new channels, putting new aims and ends upon them, fixing them on new objects; so shall we abound in spiritual
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