it was that Fob made a covenant with his eyes, that he would not look upon a maid, chap. xxxi. 1. And Solomon gives the advice, Prov. xxiii. 31. Look not upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth its colour in the cup, and moveth itself aright. There is corruption enough in the greatest faints on earth, to be wrought upon by objects of temptation, to the drawing them into evil thoughts, and even into finful compliances.

4. Not fuch as arife from men's particular callings and manner of life. Men may have a multitude of thoughts about their worldly bufineffes and occafions of life, which yet give no due measure of the inward frame of their hearts. Thus, the farmer's thoughts more readily tend towards his affairs in the field, and the merchant's towards his warehoufe: And thus, a minifter, whofe work and calling it is to study the Scriptures, and pry into the eternal truths of revealed religion, cannot but have many thoughts about things fpiritual and divine. Nevertheless, thefe thoughts do not, on the one hand, evidence the minister to be in a good eftate, nor the farmer and merchant to be in a bad estate. Men may be forced by their very occupations to dwell much in their thoughts upon fome particular fubjects. According to their fecular employments, fuch fhall their thoughts be, by a kind of neceffity. It were a delufion of the devil for a minister to judge himself a really good man, merely because things of a spiritual and divine nature are the common fubject of his thoughts, and the frequent theme of his meditations. Such may arise in his mind from the very nature of the station of life, wherein Providence has placed him.

5. Not fuch as arise from attendance upon, and the performance of, religious duties. There are many duties of religion, which God calls us to attend upon, and to be in the exercise of, which, from their own nature, do excite fpiri

tual

tual thoughts within us, but these thoughts are no proper teft by which to try ourfelves, and determine what our fpiritual ftate is. As,

(1.) Godly conference. The religious difcourfe of others may produce pious thoughts in an unregenerate perfon. He shall even be inwardly pleafed with the matter of their converfation, and join in with them with fenfible delight and complacency, and it may be, talk as judicionfly and entertainingly upon the heavenly fubject as any one present: And yet after all, be a most filthy finner. Thus, Judas was often present when our Lord was discourfing in private with his twelve disciples, concerning the wondrous things of the kingdom of heaven, and doubtless had many pious thoughts fpringing up in his mind at fuch feafons, and was much affected with the bleffed entertainment of our divine Redeemer; but yet, what a devil incarnate he proved to be! Thofe good thoughts which may move within us, while we are difcourfing with others about divine things, may not arife from within ourfelves, nor be a natural emanation from our hearts, but purely occafional, from the discourse itself. Like travellers at an inn, they may find a welcome place and kind entertainment in our minds for a feason, but on a sudden they are gone and we scarce hear any more of them,

(2.) Reading God's word. A man may devote fome part of every day for this bleffed exercife of reading the Sacred Scriptures with much attention, both with his family, and in his clofet; and at fuch feafons, find many devout thoughts ftirring in his mind; and yet he himself be far from the kingdom of heaven. Strong convictions may fet in upon the performance of this great duty of our holy religion; and how ftrongly foever his mind may act at such a feafon, in pious thoughts, all may be a mere occafional impreffion upon his mind from the outward performance of

VOL. II.

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the

the duty. Though perfons may diligently, from day to day, perform this duty, as a task they have enjoined themfelves, and find it helpful for the exciting their affections in spiritual thoughts, yet they themselves may not be spiri tually minded. The weight of fcripture truths in themfelves, the near concernment they have to us, or even the method in which they are penned down; nay, the very tone of the voice with which they are pronounced, shall greatly affect the foul, and excite many pious thoughts and inclinations in us. But all this doth not prove us real faints. Publicans and finners may feel the fame, may experience the fame. Our Lord when on earth, took up a bible, and read a moving paffage from the Prophecies of Isaiah, and the evangelift tells us, That all the congregation wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth, Luke iv. They had pleasing thoughts of divine things raised in their minds by our Saviour's reading that portion of holy writ. And yet, a few minutes after, they attempted to murder him; and perhaps, were fome of those who cried out, Crucify him, crucify him; for it was a mixed multitude. from all parts of Judea, that made the cry, it being the time when the paffover was celebrated.

(3.) The public preaching of God's word. The difpenfation of God's word in our folemn affemblies, is ufeful, and is even appointed of God, for the infufing and exciting of holy thoughts and affections. But its operation is diverse. In fome perfons it ftirs up the inward principle of the mind to act in holy thoughts, according to its own fanctified difpofition and prevalent inclination. In others, it only occafionally fuggefts fuch thoughts unto the minds of men, as fpring merely from the notion of the things fuggefted to them. Now, though the word preached be oftentimes really beneficial and advantageous, even in this respect, yet fuch thoughts occafionally excited by it, do not prove perfons to

be

be truly holy. The good thoughts such persons have, may not proceed from any principle in themselves. Multitudes. attend with fome diligence to the word preached, and hear it with fome joy, and increase in literal knowledge and understanding, and yet neither get any real good by the word, nor can they, from the impreffions it makes upon them, justly conclude themselves among the number of his faints. These are those whom our Lord has clearly described in Matth. xiii. 20, 21. He that received the feed in ftony places, the fame is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while; for when tribulation or perfecution arifeth because of the word, by and by he is offended. How greatly persons may be affected in the delivery of God's word, and how far they may be moved by it towards a clofing in with its truths, fo as that one would be ready to judge, that they were really fincere and upright Chriftians, while, at the fame time, they are but rotten hypocrites, may be seen by the example of the Jews of old, in Ezek. xxxiii. 31, 32. They come unto thee as the people cometh, and they fit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they do them For with their mouth they fhew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetoufnefs. And lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely fong of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an inftrument; for they hear thy words, but they do them not. Many may be led to frequent and pleafing thoughtfulness upon religious fubjects by the taking oratory of a preacher, and yet, at laft, all the feeming goodnefs fhall be but like the morning cloud and early dew, which quickly vanishes away.

not.

(4.) Prayer. One principle end of prayer is to ftir up, and draw forth, the principle of grace in mens' hearts, unto a due exercise in holy thoughts of divine things. It is feemingly impoffible but that this duty fhould occafion de

vout thoughts to arife in mens' minds. Nevertheless, fuch thoughts are no infallible evidence of real holiness. We may be full of them, and yet be full of fin. This is true. with refpect to our own prayers, and the prayers of others.

1. Our own prayers. Unlefs a man accustom himself to read prayers out of a book, or to use a set form of words, it cannot be but that many spiritual thoughts fhall be stirring in his mind while he is in the performance of this holy duty. Yet, thefe do not prove him a gracious perfon.-For, fometimes they arise merely from the exercise of gifts. There is not the least acting of grace in them. An hypocrite, eminent in gifts, fhall even go far beyond a real faint in the external performance of the duty of prayer, in fluency, copiousness and earneftness. We read of fome, who made many prayers, and doubtlefs with much external fhew of devotion, whofe hands were yet full of blood, Ifaiah i. 15. It is an astonishing thing, and yet, what daily experience gives evidence to the truth of, that persons shall conftantly abide in the duty of prayer, with fervency, both in their families and elsewhere, and yet live in known fins. Whatever fpiritual thoughts fuch men may have in and by their prayers, they cannot be numbered among God's faints, Their devout thoughts do not arife from, nor are they the natural productions of, the frames of their hearts. It is chiefly, if not wholly, from the exercife of gifts. Demas was a preacher in thofe days, when there were no fet forms of prayer used in public worship, so that, without fcruple, a multitude of pious thoughts arofe in his mind, while praying in God's house; and yet, what a worldling, what an apoftate, he proved to be! Sometimes, they arise merely from the intense actings of natural affections. A soul, full of trouble, fhall pour forth a most earnest prayer for deliverance; and all this fhall be from nothing but the vehement actings of natural affections about the things prayed

for.