attainable object, it cannot otherwise than fill the heart with ravishing delight.

Wherefore, in all affectionate motions of our hearts toward God, in desiring And such (in all respects superlatively him, or seeking his favour and friendship; such) an object is God: he infinitely be in embracing him, or setting our esteem, yond all other things deserveth our affec- our good-will, our confidence on him ; in tion as most perfectly amiable and desir- enjoying him by devotional meditations able, as having obliged us by innumera- and addresses to him; in a reflexive sense ble and inestimable benefits, all the good of our interest and propriety in him; in that we have ever enjoyed, or that we can that mysterious union of spirit, hereby ever expect, being derived from his pure we do closely adhere to him, and are, as bounty; all things in the world, in com- it were, inserted in him;" in a hearty petition with him, being pitifully mean, complacence in his benignity, a grateful ugly and loathsome; all things, without resentment of his kindness, and a zealhim, being vain, unprofitable, and hurtfulous desire of yielding some requital for to us; so that the Psalmist might well say, it, we cannot but feel very pleasant Who in heaven can be compared unto the transports, assuring to us the truth of that Lord? who among the sons of the migh-saying in the Psalm, They that love thy ty can be likened unto the Lord? Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I can desire beside thee. He is the most proper object of our love; for we chiefly were framed, and it is the prime law of our nature, to love him; our soul from original instinct vergeth toward him as its centre, and can have no rest till it be fixed on him; he alone can satisfy the vast capacity of our minds, and fill our boundless desires.

He, of all lovely things, most certainly and easily may be attained; for whereas commonly men are crossed in their affection, and their love is imbittered from their affecting things imaginary, which they cannot reach, or coy things, which disdain and reject their affection; it is concerning God quite otherwise; for,

He is most ready to impart himself, and will not reject any that cometh unto him; he most earnestly desireth and wooeth our love; he is not only most willing to correspond in affection, but doth prevent us therein, for we love him (saith the apostle) because he first loved us.

He doth cherish and encourage our love by sweetest influences and most comfortable embraces, by kindest expressions of favour, by most beneficial returns, ordering that all things shall work together for good to those who love him and whereas all other objects do in the enjoyment much fail our expectation, he doth ever far exceed it.

▾ Psal. lxxxix. 6; lxxiii. 25.

w Matt. xxii. 38.

* John vi. 37; Psal. lxx. 4; 2 Cor. v. 20; John xiv. 21, 23; Apoc. iii. 20; 1 John iv. 19. Rom. viii. 28; 1 Cor. ii. 9.

name shall be joyful in thee; and disposing us to cry out with the Psalmist, How excellent is thy loving kindness, O Lord! Because thy loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee."

Indeed that celestial flame (kindled in our hearts by the spirit of love) cannot be void of warmth; we cannot fix our eyes upon infinite beauty, we cannot taste infinite sweetness, we cannot cleave to infinite felicity, without we should also perpetually rejoice in the first daughter of love to God, charity toward men; the which in complexion and cheerful disposition doth most resemble its mother: for it doth rid all those gloomy, keen, turbulent imaginations and passions, which cloud our mind, which fret our heart, which discompose the frame of our soul (from burning anger, from storming contention, from gnawing envy, from rankling spite, from racking suspicion, from distracting ambition and avarice.) It consequently doth settle our mind in an even temper, in a sedate humour, in an harmonious order, in that pleasant state of tranquillity, which naturally doth result from the voidance of irregular passions.

And who can enumerate or express the pleasures which do await on every kind, on each act, of charity?

How triumphant a joy is there in any wise doing good; whereby we feed good humour, and gratify our best inclinations; whereby we oblige our brethren, and endear ourselves to them; whereby we

quired in this precept: πάσῃ φυλακῇ τήρει import the whole inward man, the ὁ ἔσω ony zagdiar, Omni custodia serva cor voлos, the man within us, as St. Paul tuum; keep thy heart with all custody; speaketh, the & xquлròs is nagdtas &vôowthat is, with all sorts or with all degrees os, the hidden man of the heart, as St. of care and diligence; so the LXX. in- Peter calleth it, comprehending all the terpreters, and the vulgar Latin following thoughts and imaginations, all the inclinathem, render those words. They may tions and dispositions, all the judgments (2.) taking the particle for a Mem excel- and opinions, all the passions and affeclentia, as they call it, signifying compar- tions, all the resolutions and purposes atively, præ omni custodia serva cor tu- formed within us; in short, all interior, um; keep thy heart above all keeping; whether tendencies to move, or actual that is, especially and more than thou motions of the human soul. For the keepest any other thing: so doth Pagnin scripture (by the way we may observe understand them, not without cause, both it) seemeth to favour that anciently most for the reason subjoined here, because common and current opinion (embraced from it are the issues of life; that is, be- by Aristotle himself, even as true in strict cause it is the principal part and fountain philosophy, although rejected by most of all vital operations, and therefore de- of the latter schools), that the heart, that serveth the best custody; as also for that material part and principal entrail of our in what follows, and in other places of body, is the chief seat of the soul, and imScripture frequently, we are enjoined to mediate instrument of its noblest operakeep our tongues from bad discourse, our tions. However, because the heart in a eyes from wandering after bad objects, man's breast is most inwardly seated, our feet from declining to bad courses; most secluded from sight, guarded from and therefore, probably in comparison to access, fenced from danger, thence whatthese, although needful and inferior cus- ever is inmost, most invisible, most inactodies, we are admonished to this most cessible in any thing, is called the heart especially incumbent custody of our thereof; and all a man's secret thoughts, hearts. They may also (3.) and that inclinations, opinions, affections, designs, probably enough, be taken so as to de- are involved in this name: sometimes note the universality of the object or mat- all, or divers of them conjunctly, are ter of this keeping, or the adequate term called his heart; sometimes any one of and bound thereof; keep thy heart, ò them singly (as there is subject or occanaviùs quààquaros, ab omni re custodien- sion of using the word) is so termed : da, from every thing which it should be instances in every kind are innumerably kept from; that is, from every thing of many, and very obvious; and therefore fensive or hurtful to it: so did Aquila I shall not spend time in producing any; and Theodotion translate the words. but shall suppose that here the word may These senses are all of them good, and be understood in its utmost extent, so as each may fairly pretend to find place in to comprehend all the particulars intimatthe meaning of the words; which of them ed, there being no apparent reason for with most likelihood, I shall not discuss, preferring or excluding any; all of them meaning only to insist upon the substance being capable of moral quality, both simof the precept; the nature of which being ply and immediately in themselves, and duly considered, will infer that it is to consequentially as they may be the prinbe observed according to the manner and ciples of good or bad actions; and bemeasure prescribed, understood according cause all of them may be, need to be, to any of those senses, or according to ought to be, the objects of the keeping all of them conjointly. here enjoined.

But then, what is this keeping? I answer that the word, as applied to this matter, is especially capable of three senses, each of which may be examplified.

1. It may imply to observe, that is, to

todies.

I shall at present only discourse concerning the first of them, which seems in the nature of things, and according to our method of acting, to precede. According to this exposition, when it is said, Keep thy heart with all diligence, we may understand it as if each of us were thus advised: With a most constant and wary care observe all the interior propensions and motions of thy soul; whatever is done or designed within thee, whither thy desires lean, what thy affec tions are stirred by, to what thy judgment of things doth lead thee, with greatest attention and assiduity mark and ponder it.

keep it under a constant view, as it were; there is in practice of these three custo mark or attend unto, to inquire into and study our heart. So, My son, saith the Wise man, give me thy heart, and let thine eyes keep (or observe) my ways: the same word which is here, is there used, both in the Hebrew and Greek, and can there well signify no other custody but that of attending unto; it being the office of the eye only to look and observe. Likewise, Observe (saith God in the law) and hear all these words which I command thee; that is, hear them very attentively and so in divers other places. 2. It may also denote the governance or good management of our hearts, keeping all the motions thereof in due order, within fit compass, applying them to good, and restraining them from bad things: so the Psalmist useth the word, when he saith, I will keep my mouth with a bridle; that is, I will so rule and curb it, that no evil language shall issue from it: so when the Wise Man adviseth to keep our foot when we go to the house of God, by keeping it, he means rightly to guide and order our proceedings, or well to dispose ourselves when we address ourselves to religious performances: so, again, He (saith he) that keepeth the fig-tree, shall eat the fruit thereof; he that keepeth it, that is, he that dresseth and ordereth it to advantage for bearing fruit.

It is a peculiar excellency of human nature, which seemeth more to distinguish a man from any inferior rank of creatures than bare reason itself, that he can reflect upon all that is done within him, can discern the tendencies of his soul, is acquainted with his own purposes. Some shadows of other rational operations are discoverable in beasts; and it is not easy to convince them who, from plausible experiments, do affirm them sometimes to syllogize: but no good reason or experience can, I suppose, make it probable that they partake of this reflexive faculty; that they do ever regard or remark upon their own imagina3. Again, keeping may be taken for tions; they seem always to march directpreserving, guarding, securing from mis-ly forward with a blind impetuousness tochief or damage; which indeed is the most common use of the word, and therefore we need no instancing to countenance it. Now any of these senes may be in-power in order to the preservation of their tended here, or all of them together; and they indeed are in the nature of the thing so coherent, or so mutually dependent one on the other, that any one of them can hardly be practised without the rest: for without heedfully observing our heart, we cannot well govern it; and an ill governed heart cannot easily be attended to; and without both watchful observation and skilful management of it, we cannot guard it from evil; and reciprocally without guarding it, we cannot well rule it, or duly mind it: such a complication

ward some pleasing object, without attending to the fancy that guides them, or the appetite which excites them: neither indeed do they seem to need any such

life, or gratifying of their sense, which are the main ends they were designed and fitted for. But man being designed by his Maker, disposed by the frame of his nature, and obliged by a law imposed on him, not to follow casual impulses from exterior objects, nor the bare conduct of his imagination, nor the sway of his natural propensities; but to regulate as well the internal workings of his soul, as his external actions, according to certain laws or rules prescribed him, to settle his thoughts upon due objects, to bend his inclinations into a right frame, to constrain his affections within due bounds, to rectify his judgments of things, to ground purposes upon honest reasons, and di

his

This is, then, our duty recommended by the Wise Man: To be continually, with extreme diligence, looking inward upon ourselves, observing what thoughts spring up within us; what imaginations find most welcome harbour in our breasts; what objects most affect us with delight or displeasure (what is it that we love and readily embrace; what we distaste and presently reject ;) what prejudices do possess our minds; wherefore we propose to ourselves such uudertakings, conversing with ourselves, and, as it were, discoursing in this manner: What is it that I think upon? are my thoughts serious, seasonable, and pure? Whither do I propend? are my inclinations compliant to God's law and good reason? What judgments do I make of things? are my apprehensions clear, solid, sure, built upon no corrupt prejudice? What doth most easily stir me, and how is my heart moved? are my affections calm, and orderly, and well placed? What plots do I contrive, what projects am I driving on? are my designs good, are my intentions upright and sincere? Let me thoroughly inquire into these points, let me be fully satisfied in them: thus should we continually be doing. The holy scripture doth often bid us to judge ourselves; to examine our works; to search and try; to weigh, to heed, to watch over our ways: If (saith St. Paul) we would judge (discern, or distinguish) ourselves, we should not be judged; that is, we should avoid those miscarriages which bring the divine judgments upon us: and, Let us (saith the Prophet Jeremy) search and try our ways, and turn unto the Lord; and, I said, I will take heed to my ways (saith the Psalmist ;) and, Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established, is the Wise Man's advice. Search our ways, and ponder our paths; this implies that we first do examine and weigh our hearts, for there our ways begin, thence is motion derived to our feet and to our hands also; all our actions depend as effects of them, all do receive their moral quality thence:

rect them unto lawful matters: it is need- | heart is, requireth an extraordinary appli ful that he should have this power of dis- cation of mind in observing it with judg cerning whatever moveth or passeth with- ment and fruit. in him; what he thinks upon, whether he inclines, how he judgeth, whence he is affected, wherefore he doth resolve without this power he could not be a moral agent, not able to perform any duty, not properly subject to any law, not liable to render an account of his doings: did he not perceive his own thoughts, how could he dispel them, when they are bad or vain? might he not observe his own inclinations, how could he strive to restrain them or to reform them, when they draw to unlawful practices? were he not sensible of his affections, how could he endeavour to reduce or compose them, when they become exorbitant or tumultuous? were he not conscious of his own opinions, how could he weigh and examine them? how could he conform his actions to them, or practise according to the dictates of his conscience? It is therefore plainly needful that man should be endued with this power, for that without it he can neither perform the duty required of him, nor enjoy the benefits he is capacified and designed for our Maker therefore hath conferred it upon us, our duty consists in its right use, our advantage ariseth from the constant and careful exercise of this excellent faculty: constant and careful, I say: constant, for observation implies so much; for, if ever we shut our eyes, or turn our heads aside, what we look to may be gone; much therefore will pass away undiscerned and unobserved by us, especially such quick and fleeting things as are the interior motions of our soul, will escape; wherefore a continual vigilancy is requisite to a keeper of the heart it must also be careful; as the keeper of a thing so nimble and slippery must not sleep, so he must not slumber; he must not be oscitant, but very intent upon his charge; superficial glances upon the outward face, as it were, of the soul, will not suffice: to observe, is with earnest care to look through the matter, to discern whatever lurketh therein, to pierce into the very depth and bottom of it, to spy through every nook and corner therein; otherwise, it is but slightly viewed rather than truly observed: especially so subtle, so intricate, so obscure a thing as a man's

:

h1 Cor. xi. 31,-Ei lavrovs diexpívoμev.—Gal. vi. 4.

Lam. iii. 40; Psal. xxxix. 1; Prov. iv. 26.