RESOLUTION I.

I am resolved, by the grace of God, to watch as much over the inward motions of my heart, as the outward actions of my life.

FOR my heart, I perceive, is the womb, in which all sin is first conceived, and from which, my Saviour tells me, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, and lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness; so that, as ever I would prevent the commission of these sins in my life, I must endeavour to hinder their conception in my heart; following the wise man's counsel, to keep my heart with all diligence, because out of it are the issues of life.

Neither is this the only reason, why I should set so strict a watch over my heart, because sinful thoughts lead to sinful acts, but because the thoughts themselves are sinful, yea, the very first-born of iniquity; which though men cannot pry into or discover, yet the all-seeing God knows, and observes, and remembers them, as well as the greatest actions of all my life. And oh what wicked and profane thoughts have I formerly entertained, not only against God, but against Christ, by questioning the justice of his laws, and doubting of the truth of his revelation, so as to make both his life and death of none effect to me! Which that they may never be laid to my charge hereafter, I humbly beseech God to pardon and absolve me from them, and to give me grace, for the remainder of my life, to be as careful of thinking, as of doing well, and as fearful of offending him in my heart, as of transgressing his laws in my life and conversation. To this end

RESOLUTION II.

I am resolved, by the grace of God, to stop every thought at its first entering into my heart, and to examine it whence it comes and whither it tends.

So soon as ever any new thought begins to bubble in my soul, I am resolved to examine what stamp it is of; whether it spring from the pure fountain of living waters

or the polluted streams of my own affections; as also, which way it tends or takes its course-towards the ocean of happiness or the pit of destruction. And the reason of this my resolution, I draw from the experience I have had of the devil's temptations, and the working of my own corruptions; by which I find, that there is no sin I am betrayed into, but what takes its rise from my inward thoughts. These are the tempters that first present some pleasing object to my view, and then bias my understanding and pervert my will, to comply with the suggestions. So that, though the Spirit of God is pleased to dart a beam into my heart at the same time, and show me the odious and dangerous effects of such thoughts, yet, I know not how or why, I find a prevailing suggestion within, that tells me it is but a thought, and that so long as it goes no farther, it cannot do me much hurt. Under this specious color and pretence, I secretly persuade myself to dwell a little longer upon it; and finding my heart pleased and delighted with its natural issue, I give it a little farther indulgence, till at last my desire breaks out into a flame, and will be satisfied with nothing less than the enjoyment of the object it is exercised upon. And what water can quench such a raging fire, as is thus kindled by the devil and blown up by the bellows of my own inordinate affections, which the more I think of, the more I increase the flame? How nearly therefore does it concern me to take up this resolution of setting a constant watch and guard at the door of my beart, that nothing may enter without a strict examination? Not as if I could examine every particular thought that arises in my heart, for by that means I should do nothing else but examine my thoughts without intermis. sion; but this I must do-whensoever I find any thought that bears the face or appearance of sin, I must throw it aside with the utmost abhorrence; and when it comes in disguise, as the devil under Samuel's mantle, or when it is a thought I never conceived before, and know not but it may be bad as well as good, then, before I suffer it to settle upon my spirits, I must examine, as well as I can, whether it be sent from heaven or hell, and what message it comes about, and what will be the issue of it. And thus,

by the divine assistance, I shall let nothing into my heart, but what will bring me nearer to my God, and set me at a greater distance from the evil and punishment of sin.

Neither do I think it my duty only to be so watchful against such thoughts as are in themselves sinful; but,

RESOLUTION III.

I am resolved, by the grace of God, to be as fearful to let in vain, as careful to keep out sinful, thoughts. I Do not look upon vain thoughts as only tending to sin, but as in themselves sinful; for that which makes sin to be sin, is the want of conformity to the will of God; and that vain thoughts are not conformable and agreeable to the divine will, appears in that God himself, by the mouth of his royal prophet, expressly saith, I hate vain thoughts. Again; vain thoughts are therefore sinful, because they have in them nothing that can denominate them good; for as, in a moral sense, there is never a particular individual act, so neither is there any particular thought, but what is either good or bad, in some respect or other. There is not a moment of my life, but it is my duty either to be thinking, or speaking, or doing good; so that whensoever I am not thus employed, I come short of my duty, and, by consequence, am guilty of sin.

But what are these vain thoughts I am thus resolving against? Why, all wanderings and distractions in prayer or in hearing the word of God; all useless, trifling, and impertinent thoughts, that do not belong to nor further. the work I am about, the grand affair of my salvation, may properly be called vain thoughts. And alas! what swarms of these are continually crowding into my heart! How have I thought away whole hours together about I know not what chimeras, whereof one scarce ever depends upon another; sometimes entertaining myself with the pleasures of sense, as eating and drinking, and suchlike earthly enjoyments; sometimes building castles in the air, and clambering up to the pinnacle of wealth and honor, which I am not half way got up to, but down I fall again into a fool's paradise!

Or if I chance, at any time, to think a good while upon

one thing, it is just to as much purpose as the man's thoughts were, which I have sometimes heard of and smiled at, who having an egg in his hand, by a sort of chimerical climax, improved it into an estate; but while he was thus pleasing himself with these imaginary products, down dropped the egg, and all his hens, and cattle, and house, and land, that he had raised from it, vanished in the fall. These and such like are the vain thoughts that I must for the future endeavour to avoid; and though it will be impossible for me wholly to prevent their first entering into my mind, yet I resolve, by the grace of God, not to harbour, or dwell upon, or delight myself in them. then, notwithstanding they are in some sense sinful, yet they will not be imputed to me as such, provided I use my utmost endeavours to avoid them. Which that I may be the better able to do,

RESOLUTION IV.

And

I am resolved, by the grace of God, to be always exercising my thoughts upon good objects, that the devil may not exercise them upon bad.

THE soul, being a spiritual substance, is always in action, and its proper and immediate act is Thinking, which is as natural and proper to the soul, as extension is to the body. It is that, upon which all the other actings of the soul are grounded; so that neither our apprehensions of nor affections to any object, can be acted without it. And hence it is, that I think the soul is very properly defined, "Substantia cogitans," a thinking substance; for there is nothing else but a spirit can think, and there is no spirit but always doth think. And this I find, by experience, to be so true and certain, that if at any time I have endeavoured to think of nothing, as I have sometimes done, I have spent all the time in thinking upon that very thought.

How much therefore doth it concern me to keep my soul in continual exercise upon what is good! For be sure, if I do not set it on work, the devil will; and ifit do nat work for God, it will work for him. I know sinful objects are more agreeable to a sinful soul; but, I am

sure, holy thoughts are more conformable to a holy God▸ Why therefore should I spend and ravel out my thoughts upon that which will destroy my soul? No, no; I shall henceforth endeavour always to be employing my thoughts upon something that is good, and therefore to have good subjects constantly at hand to think upon, as the attributes of God, the glory of heaven, the misery of hell, the merits of Christ, the corruption of my nature, the sinfulness of sin, the beauty of holiness, the vanity of the world, the immortality of the soul, and the like—and likewise to take occasion from the objects I meet or converse with in the world, to make such remarks and reflections, as may be for my advantage and improvement in my spiritual affairs. For there is nothing in the world, though it be never so bad, but what I may exercise good thoughts upon; and my neglect, in this kind, has been the real occasion of all those vain thoughts that have hitherto possessed my soul. I have not kept them close to their work, to think upon what is good, and therefore they have run out into those extravagances which, by the blessing of God, in the performance of these resolutions I shall endeavour to avoid.

It is indeed a singular advantage of that high and heavenly calling, in which the Most High, of his wisdom and goodness, has been pleased to place me, that all the objects we converse with, and all the subjects we exercise our thoughts upon, are either God and heaven, or something relating to them; so that we need not go out of our common road to meet with this heavenly company, good thoughts. But then I do not account every thought of God or heaven, which only swims in my brain, to be a good and holy thought, unless it sinks down into my heart and affections; that is, unless to my mediations of God and another world, I join a longing for him, a rejoicing in him, and a solacing myself in the hopes of a future enjoyment of him. Neither will this be any hindrance, but a furtherance to my studies; for, as I know no divine truths as I ought, unless I know them practically and experimentally, so I never think I have any clear apprehensions of God, till I find my affections are inflamed