cover the Faces of the Wicked and Ungodly, the Pharifaical Profeffors, and the crafty Hypocrites; when all the fecret Filth of their Hearts, Thoughts, and Imaginations, fhall be exposed to the View of Angels and Men, and thrown back in their Faces; when the gaudy Disguise fhall be taken off, and Sinners appear to be what they really are. Which is a

most astonishing Confideration, and such as should awaken us all to the utmost Diligence and Watchfulness in the well-governing our Thoughts.

Having thus briefly fhewn you the great Benefit and Advantage of well-governing our Thoughts (which deferved to be much more largely handled, but that I would not burden your Thoughts while I am attempting to inftruct you how to govern them) I proceed to discourse on the third Thing laid down.

CHAP. III.

The Source of Evil Thoughts; the Obligation to reftrain them; and our Ability fo to do.

COME now in the next Place to fhew, That evil Thoughts arife out of the Heart, and proceed from thence; which lays an Obligation on us of reftraining and governing them; and how far we are able fo to do. Our Saviour here affures us,

that out of the Heart proceed evil Thoughts. The Heart (i. e. the Soul) of Man is a Sink of Corruption and Uncleannefs. It is desperately wicked. It is Pandora's Box, which lets fly innumerable Plagues and Mischiefs. It is naturally the Source of Wickedness. And let a Man but look into himself, and furvey his own Heart, he will see the greatest Cause to bewail his Corruptions, and find that there is nothing more deserves his Complaints, and Tears, than his own Heart. What a Peft, what an Enemy doth he always carry about with him! It is not an open Enemy, but a familiar Friend, that doth him the greatest Hurt and Dishonour. The Snake is lurking in his own Breast; and while he is looking and gazing abroad, this most perfidious and deadly Foe is a domestic one. His own Heart is the worst of Traitors to him, and the most implacable Enemy that he hath cannot do him half that Mischief which he receives from himself. It is upon this Account St. Paul exclaims, O wretched Man that I am! Rom. vii. 24. And David, Create in me a clean Heart, O God, and renew a right Spirit within me! Pfal. li. 10. Create in me-It is a Work of Omnipotence; and That God alone Who made the Worlds, and raised all Things out of nothing, can renew the Heart, and purify the Soul from its natural Filth and Corruption. It is the Holy Spirit is that Fire that muft purge and re

fine the droffy Mass. Acts ii. 3. The Divine Grace alone can restore Health and Vigour to the corrupt, depraved, degenerate Heart of Man ; and That will never be wanting to our fincere Endeavours. It will operate with our Endeavours, but not without them. Something is in our Power, in order to it; and let us do that, and the reft the Grace of God will fupply. And one of the greatest Incentives to make us use our utmost Endeavours is, the serious Confideration of the Sinfulness and Corruption of our own Heart. It is neceffary therefore that we do not take a flight and tranfient View only; but be engaged in a deep and accurate Investigation of ourselves; fearch every Corner of that Cell, every Recefs of that Labyrinth, with as much Earneftnefs as the Jews did for Leaven, Exod. xii. And upon an impartial View, we shall find our Lord's Words verified; Out of the Heart proceed all evil Thoughts. No Good, properly fo called, proceeds from thence, but what is the Effect of the Operations of the Bleffed Spirit of God. It is not the natural Iffue of the Soul, but the Product of His Heavenly Inspirations, Who is continually striving with Man, and endeavouring to confecrate and hallow all his Thoughts and Affections, that so he may be acceptable to God. Every good Thought, every religious Flight, or facred Defire, is stirred up by Him, is His immediate

Suggestion, Who is wrestling with the stubborn and rebellious Powers of our Souls, and with our impure Imaginations, to reduce them into their proper Order and Condition. Or else it is the Whisper of fome good Angel commiffioned by Him, who is willing to perform a godlike Act of Charity to us, that we may raise up our Minds to their proper Object; and lends us Wings to mount up to the highest Heaven withal. For the Heart of Man naturally is full of Evil, and out of it proceed all kind of wicked Thoughts, and vain Imaginations. It difembogues fuch impure Steams and contagious Exhalations, as blaft and infect the whole World. It is an Afphaltites, a Dead-Sea, which fends up moft noxious Vapours. It is from the Heart that all the Evil in the World originally proceeds; and therefore it is a most natural Piece of Advice, that whenever we behold any Evil in any Part, or Inftance, of the whole Creation, we presently lay our Hand upon our Breaft, look into ourselves, and examine our own Heart. It is folly to lay the Blame upon this and that Thing, when we should trace the Evil to its Fountain-head. It is moft true that all the vile and finful Thoughts, the baseft and moft abominable Lufts, proceed from the Heart; but when they are bred out of the Corruption, and Putrefaction of the Heart itself, and when caft into it by the Devil, it is not so easy to de

termine. The accurfed Enemy of our Souls doth (no doubt) lay hold on all Opportunities to caft into our Minds wicked Thoughts; and is very watchful of the Times and Seafons, when to corrupt and debauch our Souls, and make them yet more vile than naturally they are. And therefore thefe wicked Thoughts which many timorous Souls imagine to be their own, may be rationally prefumed to be his. There are indeed fome Marks which probably may serve to distinguish the Devil's Injections, from our own Cogitations. As when they are monftrously profane and blafphemous; when they affault us all of a fudden with a tempestuous Vehemence, filling us with Terror and Amazement; or else when they are fuch Thoughts as contradict all the Interests of Human Nature; as when a Man thinks of murdering and destroying himself. Such a Thought cannot well be fuppofed to be the Iffue of the Heart itself, though very corrupt, but rather thrown in by the Devil, Who was a Murderer from the Beginning. But I fay as to the greater Part of evil Thoughts, it is no easy matter to know which are our own, or which are the Devil's. As for those that are the immediate Result of the Heart, the Devil is very quick and ready to improve them. And for those which are the Devil's Injections, our corrupt Hearts are too willing to comply with them; fo that we must