were the Confequences of their Ignorance. Nay, it must be acknowledg'd that even amongst ourselves, fome have not the Knowledge of God. I fpeak this to your Shame. And until they have, until they do attain to know him in fome Measure, it cannot be imagined that their Thoughts of him should be rectify'd. The more we know God, the more we come to love him, to be tranfported with him, and to have the moft high and noble Thoughts of him.

Now this excellent and useful, and defirable Knowledge of God, is to be obtain'd these two Ways:

I. By his Works,

And, II. By his Word.

First, From our own Obfervation of the ftupendious Frame of the Creation, and the mighty Acts of his Providence: The admirable Order of all Beings; their Ufefulness and Subferviency to Man: The Establishment of Kingdoms and Empires. The Prefervation and Government of his Church: Both his Judgments and his Mercies, &c. Thefe Things, if seriously obferv'd, and confidered, are a great means to make us to know God, and confequently to excite in us high and holy Thoughts of him; and fo to preferve us from all profane, or blafphemous, or unworthy Thoughts of him.

II:

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II. And as we may come to know God by our own attentive Observation of the great Works of his Creation and Providence; fo we may by his moft Holy Word. And indeed thence alone we can fetch our trueft Ideas, and most proper Thoughts of God. The Scriptures are the best Helps to our attaining the Knowledge of him ; wherein in a Majeftick Stile, his glorious Attributes are reprefented to us. His Goodness, Purity, Power, Juftice, Truth, are wonderfully difplay'd in a various manner; by Descriptions, hiftorical Relations, amazing Acts, Prophecies and Predictions, Precepts, and Admonitions, and furprizing Revelations; which no Man can confider as he ought, but he muft needs be infpired with holy and awful Thoughts of the Great God; and admirably preferv'd from all vain, wicked, or profane Thoughts, which prove a great Terror and Affliction to many.

To draw to a Conclufion of this Chapter: A careful and humble Reading and Hearing the holy Word of God together, with a confcientious Attendance upon his Sacraments and other Ordinances, is a very excellent Way to be rid of all profane, or blafphemous Thoughts. For our Hearts by this means are happily feafoned with good Things; and God's holy Spirit con

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vey'd

vey'd to our Souls, and lafting Inclinations to Holinefs are apt to remain in

us.

But because I would not leave these poor Souls, who are apt to be difquieted, and terrify'd with fuch Thoughts as thefe, without fome further Security, Comfort, and Satisfaction, in this Matter,

Be pleas'd further to confider, that tho' it be our Duty to hate and abhor, and tremble at the very first Motion of fuch profane, impious, or blafphemous Thoughts, yet we have no Reafon to be fo terribly affrighted at them, or confounded with them, as many (and thofe good Chriftians) are. For the All-wife God doth frequently fuffer us to be tempted with fuch profane Thoughts for Ends excellent, and beneficial to our own immortal Souls. As to humble us, and make us more strict in the Examination of our own Hearts; more fenfible of the Deceitfulness of them, which is in nothing more difcernable, than in an extravagant Liberty of Thoughts.

Or else it may be to make us more fober in our Understandings; to avoid nice Inquiries into Cafes Myfterious, and fhun all Enthufiaftick Expectations: Or to roufe up the dull and decay'd Powers of our Souls. Or it may be to try our Faith, and other Graces; and to fee whether we will

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will love him, when he thinks fit to withhold his Divine and Spiritual Comforts from our Souls, as well as when he beftows them upon us. Or else to caufe us perhaps to make the Glory of God our highest End in all our Performances, that our Hearts run not upon any mean and low Designs; but the pleafing the Almighty be, as it is, the End of our Being. Or else it may be to ftir us up to the greater Diligence in making our Calling and Election fure; and not to let our eternal Happiness reft upon fuch Uncertainties, as the Generality of Men do theirs, but ftrive to get as much Atlurance of our endlefs Welfare as poffibly we are able, and is confiftent with Faith, Hope, and other Chriftian Virtues. Thefe then being, doubtlefs, fome of the gracious Ends for which God is pleas'd to fuffer us to labour under fuch Thoughts as I have been fpeaking of, and it being oftentimes the cafe of good Chriftians to be afflicted with them, those poor Souls, who happen at any time to be difquieted with them, have great reafon to take Courage, and to be comforted under them.

And let them be affur'd of this, That that which is a Man's Burden, will not be reckon'd as his Sin, Mat. xi. 28. And that if they hate thefe Thoughts more,

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because

because they are difhonourable to God, than because they are grievous and troublefome to themselves; and are by means of them made more Watchful, Circumfpect, and Devout, than they before were; then Satan fhall answer for them, and not they: The Devil fhall be judg'd for all thofe profane and blafphemous Thoughts which they, dejected Souls, were fo much afflicted with the Apprehenfion of, as their

own.

And fo I have difpatched this first Species of evil Thoughts, viz. profane, and blafphemous Thoughts.

T

CHAP. VI.

WHE next kind of evil Thoughts, which deferves our diftinct Confideration, is that of unclean Thoughts. And there feems to be more Danger in thefe, than the former; because there is fomething in corrupt Nature more agree able to them, than to the other: And therefore it is apt more to be pleas'd with them. But to a good Man, to a true Christian, thefe Thoughts are no lefs difquieting and hateful, than the former. And therefore I fhall endeavour to prefcribe