"thy thoughts to me, O God! how great is the fum of them? If "Ifhould count them, they are more in number than the "fand; and when I awake, I am ftill with thee." And as the gracious heart feeds and nourishes them, fo they refresh and feaft the heart, Pfal. Ixiii. 5, 6. "My foul is filled as with mar"row and fatuefs whilst I think upon thee," &c. But in the difregarded heart, fwarms of vain and foolish thoughts are perpetually working, and juftle out thofe fpiritual ideas, and thoughts of God, by which the foul fhould be refreshed.

Befides, the careless heart makes nothing out of any duty of ordinance it performs or attends on, and yet these are the conduits of heaven, from whence grace is watered, and made fruitful: a man may go with an heedless spirit from ordinance to ordinance, abide all his days under the choiceft teaching, and yet never be improved by them; for heart-neglect is a leak in the bottom, no heavenly influences, how rich foever, abide in that foul, Mat. xiii. 3, 4. The heart that lies open and common, like the high-way, free for all paffengers; when the feed fell on it, the fowls came and devoured it. Alas! it is not enough to hear, unless we take heed how we hear; a man may pray, and never be the better, unless he watch unto prayer. In a word, all ordinances, means, and duties, are blessed unto the improve ment of grace, according to the care and ftrictnefs we use in keeping our hearts in them.

6. Lastly, The ftability of our fouls in the hour of temptation, will be much, according to the care and confcience we have of keeping our hearts; the careless heart is an easy prey to Satan in the hour of temptation, his main batteries ate raised against that fort-royal, the heart; if he wins that, he wins all; for it commands the whole man: and, alas! how eafy a conqueft is a nglected heart? It is no more difficult to furprize it, than for an enemy to enter that city whose gates are open, and unguarded: it is the watchful heart that difcovers and fuppreffes the temptation before it comes to its strength. Divines obferve this to be the method in which temptations are ripened, and brought to their full ftrength.

There is, (1.) The irritation of the object, or that power it hath to work upon, and provoke our corrupt Ορεξις. nature; which is either done by the real prefence of the object, or elfe by fpeculation, when the object (though abfent) is held out by the phantafy before the foul.

(2.) Then follows the motion of the fenfitive appetite, which is stirred and provoked by

Βόλησις.

Αίρησις.

Βολημα.

the phantafy, reprefenting it as a fenfual good; as having profit or pleasure in it.

(3.) Then there is a confultation in the mind about it, deliberating about the likelieft means of accomplishing it.

(4.) Next follows the election, or choice of the will.

(5.) And, laftly, The defire, or full engagement of the will to it; all this may be done in a few moments, for the debates of the foul are quick, and foon ended: when it comes thus far, then the heart is won, Satan hath entered victoriously, and displayed his colours upon the walls of that royal fort; but had the heart been well guarded at firft, it had never come to this height; the temptation had been stopped in the firft or fecond act. And indeed there it is stopped easily: for it is in the motions of a tempted foul to fin, as in the motion of ftone falling from the brow of a hill; it is eafily ftopped at first, but whene once it is fet a-going, Vires acquirit eundo: And therefore it is the greatest wisdom in the world to obferve the firft motions of the heart, to check and stop sin there. The motions of fin are weakest at firft, a little care and watchfulness may prevent much mifchief now, which the careless heart not heeding, is brought within the power of temptation; as the Syrians were brought blindfold into the midft of Samaria, before they knew where they were.

By this time, reader, I hope thou art fully fatisfied how confequential and neceffary a work the keeping of the heart is, it being a duty that wraps up fo many dear interests of the foul in it.

3. Next, according to the method propounded, I proceed to point out thofe fpecial feasons in the life of a Chriftian, which require and call for our utmost diligence in keeping the heart: for though (as was observed before) the duty binds ad femper, and there is no time or condition of life in which we may excufed from this work; yet there are fome fignal feafons, critical hours, requiring more than a common vigilance over the heart.

And the firft,

be

1. Seafon. Is the time of profperity, when providence fmiles upon us, and dandles us upon its knee. Now, Chriftian, keep thy heart with all diligence; for now it will be exceeding apt to grow fecure, proud, and earthly, Rara virtus eft humilitas honorata, (faith Bernard) to fee a man humble under profpe

rity, is one of the greatest rarities in the world. Even a good Hezekiah could not hide a vain-glorious temper under his temptation, and hence that caution to Ifrael, Deut. vi. 10, TI, 12. “And it fhall be when the Lord thy God shall have • brought thee into the land which he fware to thy fathers, to • Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities which thou buildedft not, and houfes full of all good things which thou filledft not, &c. Then beware left thou forget the Lord:" and indeed fo it fell out, "for Jefurun waxed fat, and kicked," Deut. xxxii. 15.

Now, then, the firft cafe will be this, viz.

Cafe 1. How à Chriftian may keep his heart from pride, and carnal fecurity, under the fmiles of providence, and ecnfluence of creature-comforts.

There are feven choice helps to fecure the heart from the dangerous fnares of profperity; the firft is this,

1. To confider the dangerous enfnaring temptations attending a pleafant and profperous condition; few, yea, very few of thofe that live in the pleafures and profperity of this world, efcape everlasting perdition, Matth. xix. 24. "It is eafier (faith "Chrift) for a camel to pass thro' the eye of a needle, than for

a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven;" and 1 Cor. i. 26. "Not many mighty, not many noble are called." It might juftly make us tremble when the fcripture tells us in general, that few fhall be faved; much more when it tells us, that of that rank and fort of which we are speaking, but few fhall be faved. When Joshua called all the tribes of Ifrael to lot upon them for the difcovery of Achan, doubtlefs Achan feared; when the tribe of Judah was taken, his fear increased; but when the family of the Zarhites was taken, it was time then to tremble. So when the feripture comes fo near as to tell üs that of fuch a fort of men very few shall escape, it is time to look about; Miror fi poteft fervari aliquis rectorum, faith Chryfoftom; I should wonder if any of the rulers be faved. O how many have been coached to hell in the chariots of earthly pleafures, while others have been whipped to heaven by the rod of affliction! how few, like the daughter of Tyre, come to Christ with a gift! how few among the rich intreat his favour!

2. It may keep us yet more humble and watchful in profperity, if we confider, that among Christians many have been much the worfe for it. How good had it been for fome of them, if they had never known profperity! When they were in a low condition, how humble, fpiritual, and heavenly, were they! but VOL. VII.

when advanced, what an apparent alteration hath been upon their fpirits? It was fo with Ifrael, when they were in a low condition in the wilderness; then Ifrael was holiness to the Lord, Jer. ii. 23. but when they came into Canaan, and were fed in a fat pasture, then, 66 we are lords, we will come 66 no more unto thee," ver. 31. Outward gains are ordinarily attended with inward loffes; as in a low condition their civil employments were wont to have a tang and favour of their duties, fo in an exalted condition their duties commonly have a tang of the world. He, indeed, is rich in grace, whofe graces are not hindered by his riches; there are but few Jehofaphats in the world, of whom it is faid, 2 Chron. xvii. 5, 6. "He had "filver and gold in abundance, and his heart was lifted up in "the way of God's commands:" Will not this keep thy heart humble in profperity, to think how dear many godly men have paid for their riches, that through them they have lost that which all the world cannot purchafe? Then, in the next place,

3. Keep down thy vain heart by this confideration, that God values no man ajot the more for these things. God values no man by outward excellencies, but by inward graces: they are the internal ornaments of the Spirit, which are of great price in God's eyes, 1 Pet. iii. 4. He defpifes all worldly glory, and accepts no man's perfon; " but in every nation, he that "feareth God, and worketh righteousness, is accepted of him," Acts x. 35. Indeed, if the judgment of God went by the fame rule that man's doth, we might value ourselves by thefe things, and stand upon them: But as one said (when dying) I shall not appear before God as a doctor, but as a man; tantus quifque eft, quantus eft apud Deum. So much every man is, and no more, as he is in the judgment of God. Doth thy heart yet 'fwell? And will neither of the former confiderations keep it humble?

4. Then, fourthly, Confider, how bitterly many perfons have bewailed their folly when they came to die, that ever they fet their hearts upon these things, and heartily wished that they had never known them. What a fad story was that of Pius Quintus, who dying, cried out desparingly, when I was in a low condition, I had fome hopes of falvation; but when I was advanced to be a Cardinal, I greatly doubted it; but fince I came to the Popedom, I have no hope at all. Mr. Spencer alfo tells us a real, but fad ftory, of a rich oppreffor, who had fcraped up a great eftate for his only fon; when he came to die, he called his fon to him, and faid, fon, do you indeed love me? The fon answered, that nature befides his paternal in

dulgence, obliged him to that. Then, faid the father, exprefs it by this; hold thy finger in the candle as long as I am saying a pater nofter: The fon attempted, but could not endure it. Upon that, the father broke out into thefe expreffions, thou canft not fuffer the burning of thy finger for me, but to get this wealth, I have hazarded my foul for thee, and must burn body and foul in hell for thy fake: Thy pain would have been but for a moment, but mine will be unquenchable fire.

5. The heart may be kept humble, by confidering of what a clogging nature earthly things are to a foul heartily engaged in the way to heaven; they fhut out much of heaven from us at prefent, though they may not fhut us out of heaven at last. If thou confider thyfelf under the notion of a stranger in this world, travelling for heaven, and seeking a better country, thou haft then as much reafon to be taken, and delighted with these things, as a weary horfe hath with a heavy clog-bag: There was a ferious truth in that atheistical scoff of Julian, when he took away the Chriflians eftates, and told them, it was to make them fitter for the kingdom of heaven.

6. Is thy fpirit, for all this, flatulent and lofty? Then urge upon it the confideration of that awful day of reckoning, wherein, according to our receipts of mercies, fhall be our accompts for them: And methinks this should awe, and humble the vaineft heart that ever was in the breast of a faint. Know for certain, that the Lord records all the mercies that ever he gave thee, from the beginning to the end of thy life. Mic. vi. 5. "Remember, O my people, from Shittim unto Gilgal," &c. yea, they are exactly numbered, and recorded in order to an account; and thy account will be suitable. Luke xii. 48. "To "whomfoever much is given, of him much shall be required." You are but stewards, and your Lord will come to take an account of you; and what a great account have you to make, who have much of this world in your hand? What fwift witnesses will your mercies be against you, if this be the best fruits of them? 7. It is a very humbling confideration, that the mercies of God fhould work otherwife upon my fpirit, than they use to do upon the fpirits of others, to whom they come as fan&tified mercies from the love of God. Ah Lord! what a fad confideration is this! enough to lay me in the duft; when I confider,

(1) That their mercies have greatly humbled them; the higher God has raised them, the lower they have laid themselves before God. Thus did Jacob, when God had given him much fubftance. Gen. xxxii. 10. "And Jacob faid, I am not worthy