Order and Condition. Orfe 'tis the Whisper of fome good Angel commiflioned 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 blast and infect the whole World. "Tis an Afphaltites, a Dead-Sea, which fends up moft noxious Vapours. 'Tis from the Heart that all the Evil in the World originally proceeds: And therefore 'tis a moft natural Piece of Advice, that whenever we behold any Evil in any Part, or Inftance of the whole Creation, we prefently lay our Hand upon our Breaft, look into ourselves, and examine our own Heart. 'Tis Folly to lay the Blame upon this and that, and t'other Thing, when we should trace the Evil to its Fountain-head. "Tis moft true that all the vile and finful Thoughts, the baseft and most 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, 'tis not fo eafy to determine. The accurfed Enemy

of

of our Sou doth (no doubt) lay hold on all Opportunities to caft into our Minds wicked Thoughts; and is very watchful of the Tomes and Seafons, when to corrupt and debauch our Souls, and make them yet more vile than naturally they are. And therefore these wicked Thoughts which many timerous Souls imagine to be their own, may be rationally prefumed to be his. There are indeed fome Marks which probably may ferve to diftinguish the Devil's Injections, from our own Cogitations. As when they are monftroufly prophane and blafphemous: When they affault us all of a fudden with a tempeftuous Vehemence, filling us with Terror and Amazement. Or elfe when they are fuch Thoughts as contradict all the Intereits of Human Nature; as when a Man thinks of murdering and deftroying himfelf. Such a Thought cannot well be fuppofed to be the Iffue of the Heart itfelf, 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 eafy matter to know which are our own, or which are the Devil's. As for thofe that are the immediateRefult of the Heart, the Devil is very quick and ready to improve them. And for those which are C

the

the Devil's Injections, our capt Hearts are too willing to comply with them: fo that we must think ourselves equally obliged to guard ourselves against the one and the other. And there is fomething unquestionably in our Power in order to it. We can do fomething towards it; unless we will look upon ourselves as Machines, and so destroy both Reason and Religion at once. I will agree that by an Hypochondriack, or fome other Difeafe; or by a long Series and Habit of finning, which is a Disease more inveterate and harder to be cured, that the Oeconomy of the Soul and Spirits may be fo broken and hattered, that the Power of Thinking is become very weak and impaired; and that the Laffitudes of the Soul are as great almost as thofe of the Body. But yet think there are few Cafes, but a Man can do fomething in order to a regular Thinking. Few Men are arrived to fo great a Degree of either, as to be able to do nothing towards it: though it must be granted fome can do much more than others. Our bleffed Lord, when he was upon Earth, did not give useless Descriptions of Things, and deal with Men otherwise than rational Creatures. And therefore I cannot but fuppofe that when he fhews them that out of the Heart proceed evil

I

Thoughts,

Thoughts, was to this end that they fhould endeavour to govern and subdue them.

Now we may lay down this as a certain Truth, (viz.) that evil Thoughts whatfoever they be, do not endanger our Eternal Salvation further than we comply with them. They are not our Sins further than we indulge them. But totally to hinder them I think is a Thing impraЯicable. It is impoffible but that fuch Offences willcome. And I believe the holíeft Men find it fo, fo long as they are in a World where there are so many Objects, and in a State where there are fo many Imperfections. But yet when wicked Thoughts arife in our Minds, we may certainly chufe whether we will harbour and embrace them This we may do, as long as we have any Liberty of Will left: So much is unquestionably in our Power. Though 'tis confeffed they will make frequent Returns upon us, and every now and then with great Importunity prefent themfelves to us, though but the laft Moment we thruft them out. Like an importunate Creditor, or an impertinent Guest, they will obtrude themselves upon us, do what we can, and if we tell them we have never fo great and weighty Bufinefs, they will ftill be troublesome and haunt us, C 2 while

or not.

while we are actually ingaged in it: Nay, will purfue us even to the Sanctuary, and affault us at the Altar of God. Yet if we as often thruft the mout as they return, they will never be charged upon us. For 'tis a giving them Encouragement, and a Compliance with them, that makes us criminal. Then alone Thoughts will be imputed to us as our Sins, when we are pleased with them, or when we do not abominate and caft them out as foon as they come into our Minds, as foon as we have Power to discover that they are finful. "Tis true the Devil may continue to difquiet and disturb the Peace and Tranquility of our Confciences, by his wicked Injections, and putting into our Minds evil Thoughts: But though they are our Grief and Moleftation, yet they (being refifted) are his Sins; and God will judge him for them, and fpare and pity us. God knows whereof we are made, and remembreth that we are but Duft. The Bleffed Jefus affum'd our Nature, and therefore well knows how to compaffionate us in fuch Circumftances. He was himself follicited by the accurfed Tempter, Mat. iv. but he did not yield to him, but refifted him; and if we follow our Lord's Example, and do fo too, if he doth not presently flee from us, yet 'tis not our Sin, but Unhappiness,