fcribe fome proper Remedies against

them.

I. The first of which is Prayer: Which though it must be acknowledg'd to be an univerfal Remedy, and muft in no cafe of Trial be pretermitted; for if any Man lack Wisdom or Grace (of any particular kind whatfoever) Let him ask it of God (faith St. James) who giveth to all Men liberally, and upbraideth not, James i. 5. yet I take it to be more especially needful here. And therefore we must be much in Prayer. If we find ourselves to be affaulted with this kind of Thoughts, we must make it a Part of our conftant Petitions, that God would be pleas'd to cleanfe and purify the Thoughts of our Hearts by the Infpiration of his Holy Spirit: That he would mortify our luftiul Defires, and quench the Fire of Concupifcence in us, that our Souls and Bodies may be the Temple of God. We muft imitate the poor Leper in the Gospel, Who fell down at Jefus's Feet, and worshipped him, faying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canft make me clean! Mat. viii. 2. 'Tis no eafy matter to fubdue this kind of evil Thoughts in fome Complexions: But the Difficulty of fo doing, is greatest to fuch as have lived in an habit of Luft and Uncleannefs; and therefore we must call

in the Affiftance of Heaven, by constant and devout Prayer.

Secondly, Temperance, and Fafting, is a proper Remedy for the fuppreffing of this kind of Evil Thoughts. While the Soul and the Body are fo united, and make up one Compofitum, the Operations of the Soul will be greatly inclin'd, and byafs'd by the Complexion, and Conftitution of the Body; and therefore that must be kept in due Order and Subjection. 201

A pampering and indulging the Flesh, is a great Promoter of Luít; and when the Animal Spirits are intoxicated, the Soul can but feebly exert itself. A Man can hardly preferve himself then from the groffest Acts of Uncleannefs, much lefs from impure Thoughts. And therefore Temperance, and Self-denial, are always neceflary, in order to avoiding unclean Thoughts; Which, as our Saviour faid of the unclean Devil, Go not out but by Fafting and Prayer, Mat. xvii. 21.

c The Mind is calm and ferene when the Body is in a regular Temper. A Man is fit to meditate, and think on God and Heaven, and holy Things, when he is for ber and moderate. And the Reafon of Fafting being made a Duty, is in order to tame the Infolencies of the Flesh; to keep the Thoughts pure, the Reafon clear, and

to

4

to make us more fit for religious Duties. Upon which account the Duties of Selfdenial, and Mortification, are not fó fevere as they may fometimes feem to us, but highly reafonable. Since the Denial of the Gratifications of our fenfual and low Defires, doth bring Satisfaction to the bigber Appetites of the Soul; fince while the Body is kept in due Subjection, the Soul's Liberty and Activity is much the greater. And befides, Heaven is worth triving and denying ourselves for, if it were a Work much more harsh and unpleafant than it is. If this will denominate us of the Number of Chrift's true Difciples, certainly we fhould not ftick at it: And that it will do fo, our Bleffed Lord hath affur'd us, If any Man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his Cross, and follow me, Mat. xvi. 24. Men will reftrain their Appetites, and deny themfelves in a great meafure for fome Temporal and Worldly Ends; why fhould they not do it then to gain eternal Happiness?

St. Paul tells us, That in the ancient Grecian Games, call'd the Olympick Games, those that were the Strivers, or Combatants for the Prize, would be fure to mortify themselves, and keep to a frict and Sparing Diet, thereby to bring down their Flesh, and make their Bodies pliant E 5

and

and athletick. And all that they could hope to get by it, was only a Garland of Flowers, and a little frivolous Honour. And therefore if they would be at the Pains to do fo much for a Reward not worth naming, how much more fhould we do it in order to the avoiding unclean Thoughts, and impure Defires; which will not only binder us in our ftriving for Heaven, but unqualify us for it. Thus the Apoftle argues, Every one that friveth for the Maftery is temperate in all Things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible Crown, but we an incorruptible. I therefore fo run not as uncertainly, fo fight I not as one that beateth the Air: But I keep under my Body, and bring it into Subjection, left that by any means when I have preached to others, I may wot myfelf be a Caft-away, I Cor. ix. 25, &c.

The Third Remedy against unclean Thoughts is, the Confideration that they are of a defiling Nature. They leave a frange Pollution and Filth behind them; and (if indulg'd) very frongly incline to actual Uncleannefs. It is a dangerous Thing to cherish. Thoughts of this kind, to delight in them, and dwell upon them..

For there are none more apt to grow ufurping and ungovernable by Entertainment, than thefe. They do moreover mightily unfit us for holy Duties. They

weaken

weaken the Powers of the Soul to a great degree; and therefore as we value our Souls, as we efteem Heaven, into which no unclean Thing fhall enter, let us labour to avoid them: And this Confideration is proper in order thereunto.

Fourthly, Keeping a ftrict guard over all our Senfes is here particularly neceffary. For 'tis by the Senfes that Luft invades the Soul. And therefore unlefs we have a special Regard to them, we cannot preferve our Souls from being polluted.

Our Eyes therefore fhould be turn'd away from all forbidden Objects;, our Ears be deaf to all obfcene Difcourfes, and the reft of our Senfes fhun every thing that may have the leaft Tendency to this kind of evil Thoughts. A vain Curiofity to be a Spedator, hath fometimes proved fatal, efpecially in two Inftances in the Scriptures, Gen. xxxiv. I, 2. 1 Sam. xi. 2.. And one unguarded Senfe hath ere now proved a Man's Destruction. Therefore if we will approve ourselves to God in Sincerity, and are defirous to attain a right Government of our Thoughts, and avoid this kind of them efpecially, we must be fure to keep a ftrict Watch over all our Senfes.

Fifthly, An having recourfe to the Blood of Jefus, is a great Prefervative againft,and Cure of, unclean Thoughts. This

was