ed Thoughts into our Minds, is (I fuppose) a matter not questioned: But whether he doth this by working on the Humours of the Body, or stirring up the animal Spirits, or by an immediate applying his Suggestions to the Soul, is not fo cafy to be determin'd. There being a neceffary Dependance of the Operations of the Soul, upon the Texture of the Body and Spirits, it is not improbable that he frequently injects wicked Thoughts that way. But why may he not alfo caft wicked Thoughts into our Hearts, by an immediate Communication? The truth is, we cannot well find out which Method he takes in his Temptations. We are not able to tell how he cafts in wicked Thoughts; we know little or nothing of the intercourse between Beings purely Spiritual: But too plain and true it is, that we are infefted with a multitude of evil Thoughts, and that they do proceed out of the Heart, however they came there. And therefore it will be a more material Enquiry how we shall be able effectually to refift or prevent them. And this cannot be fully done neither in a Treatife of this Nature ; because their kinds are infinite, and their Numbers endlefs. I fhall therefore, according to my propos'd Method,

Confider

C

Confider in thisChapter, fome special kinds of evil Thoughts, and endeavour to apply Remedies against them, to the Satisfaction and Benefit (I hope) of the ferious Reader.

I. Then the first kind of them which I fhall confider is, Profane and Blafphemous Thoughts. Ánd of this fort there is a difmal Variety. I have known fome, and thofe I'm perfuaded very Religious People, who have been extreamly diturb'd with fuch Thoughts concerning God, as have been moft unaccountable, and as abfurd as they are profane.

If I thought fit, I could mention fome of them, which have been fo extravagant, that I fhould think to be rid of them, it were better to contemn and defpife them, than anxiously to be concern'd about them; though with others of them we ought to deal after a different manner. To think aright of Almighty God, and to have fuch Ideas of him in our Minds as are worthy and becoming fo great and fo pure a Majefty, is not only a very confidera-ble part of Religion, but a very comfortable Thing. And I cannot but pity fuch Chriftians as are much afflicted with profane Thoughts. Of this kind of evil Thoughts, there are fome more hideous than others; but yet every Thought of him, which is contrary or unfuitable to

that

that Representation, which by fuch and fuch glorious Attributes he hath made to us of himself in his Holy Word, that I call a profane Thought; or when we conceive of Almighty God under fome grofs Form, or material Shape; or entertain any vile, mean, or indeed any but the highest Conceptions that we are able of him. God is in himself an Infinite, Almighty, and Inconprehenfible Spirit. And tho' he hath fometimes in the Scriptures defcrib'd, and reprefented himself to us by material Figures, or fenfible Objects, yet we are not to think that he is really fuch as he is defcrib'd, but that he condefcends to our Capacity by fuch a Stile and Language. And any other Method of inftructing us in the Nature of himself, would not be fo Intelligible to us. God ufeth this as an cafy and familiar way of teaching us to know him; without which our Notions of him would be very obfcure, and we could know but little of him. And therefore I cannot but wonder at the Imprudence and Luciferian Pride of fuch Men, who deny - all Myfteries, and pretend to know God fo a perfectly to comprehend him, by the dim Light of Natural Reafon alone.

Thus is God reprefented to us fometimes as having Hands, Feet, Eyes, and fuch like organical Parts. Not that he

hath

hath truly fuch; (as the old Hereticks, the Anthropomorphites held, and the Ronianifts now depict him) but we are to understand them in a figurative Senfe. His Hands and his Feet, betoken his Power; his Eyes his Knowledge, and Favour, &c. And therefore to think of him under any material Figure, is a profane Thought, and must by no means be encourag'd. So alfo to think that God is a Liar, or Unmerciful, or Unjuft, &c. is a blafphemous Thought. And indeed, (as I faid) every Thought that is formed in our Minds, which is unfuitable to his Eternity, Authority Purity and Holiness, or any other of his glorious Attributes, is reducible to this first kind of evil Thoughts. Now though these are very dreadful Thoughts, yet they may fometimes come into our Minds thro' the Devil's Subtilty, and our own Careleffness. Nay, 'tis poffible that they may infeft the Minds of good Men, and that too when they are about the higheft Imployments; which may for the prefent ferve to fatisfy thofe poor Souls, who are at any time terrified, and affrighted with a Senfe of them, and take off from that horror that they are apt to conceive in their Minds upon the account of them.

Now

Now the Directions which I would recommend in order to our avoiding any profane and blafpemous Thoughts, are thefe following.

First, That we be fure to avoid an habit of any known Sin, than which there is nothing more minifters to profane and blafphemous Thoughts. For an habit of any known Sin will ftrangely degrade our Thoughts, and leffen our Ideas of God; it being an impoffible thing for any Man to arrive at an habit of wilful and deliberate finning, without frequent grapplings with his own Confcience, and iterated Refiftances of its Checks, and Convictions; without thinking falfly or meanly of God; or elfe putting him quite out of his Thoughts, And bis Judgments far above out of his fight: No wonder that by continuing fo to do, he comes at last to have profane or blafphemous Thoughts of him.

God is an infinite and eteral Spirit, and the most abfolute Being, and Tranfcendency above the higheft of our Thoughts. And if ever we would think rightly and worthily of him, we muft habituate ourfelves to think much upon him, and let our Thoughts of him be according to thefe Representations and Discoveries, which he hath been pleas'd to make of himself