ESSAY. 327 obvious appearances round about us, the walls; the doors, the windows, the furniture of the place, or the persons present, im- press our senses, and often turn away the thoughts from the sacred work. We forget God to pursue the creature, even in his own awful presence, and in the midst of our solemn devotions. A curious ear shall wrap up the soul in the melody of the song, till it has lostthe divine sense and meaning. A vain and wander- ingeye roves among the faces, the postures, and the dress of our fellow -worshipers, and calls the mind away from prayer and,: devout attention. Oh how often does the criminal indulgence of these sensitive powers carry the soul afar off' from God and religion ! How does it break off many a holy meditation in a moment ! What long intervals does it make in our addresses to our Creator, and interline our prayers with folly and sin ! So when we are employed in any business of the civil life, thatis our proper present duty, our senses glance at some other object, and draw thesoul away to a quite different work, which is sinful at that season ; though perhaps it might be the duty of the next hour, or the proper business of the morrow. And where is the man that has not reasonto complain often of this sort of temp- tations every day, while his spirit dwells in this house of flesh ? 5. Consider further, that most of the temptations thatwe meet with, even when theoutward objects are absent, arise from the images ofthem remaining in the brain ; which is, as it were, the shop, or storehouse, of the memory and the fancy. The im- pressions which those objects made on the outward senses, when they were present, are conveyed to the brain, and laid up there, ready to appear at the first call of the mind, when these objects are withdrawn. But they oftentimes also startout unbidden, and a whole scene of'wickedness is spread all over the imagination, before the soul is aware ; and sometimeswhen the soul expressly forbids it too : 'risen the corrupt appetites are kindled, and sinful passions awake again. Thus the temptations return, and solicit the spirit to sin, even when the objects are afar off, and out of reach : For fancy and memory are but the pictures of sense ; it is sight and hearing at second hand. Now if the soul seeks and calls for these tempting visions to appear, or if it indulges these impure exercises of the imagination ; if it delights itself in these criminal ideas when they happen to arise, and please itself with these painted shapes of iniquity, then it too frequently repeats the sin, and renews its own guilt and defilement. *Sùch is thecomposition of our natures, that the images on the brain, the traces and footsteps of past sensations, and the springs_ of fancy and passion are linked together by unknown and un- perceived ties: so that when one is touched and awakened, a whole train of images appears- at once, and awakens alI those fancies, and those guilty passions, which were linked and eon.
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