The Soul's Conflict with Itself

5. Even when we are good and devise ¹good things, yet there is still some sickness of fancy remaining in the best of us, whereby we work trouble to our selves, and therefore it is necessary we should labour to restrain and limit our fancy, and stop these waters at the beginning, giving no not the least way thereunto. If it begins to grow wanton, tame the wildness of it by fastening it to the cross of Christ, whom we have ²pierced with our sins, and amongst other, with these sins of our spirits, who hath redeemed us from our vain ³thoughts and conversations; set before it the consideration of the wrath of God, of death, and judgement, and the woeful estate of the damned, &c. and take it not off till thy heart be taken off from straying from God; When it begins once to run out to impertinences, confine it to some certain thing, and then upon examination we shall find it bring home some honey with it; otherwise it will bring us nothing but a sting from the bitter remembrance of ⟨p. 190⟩our former misspent thoughts & time, which we should redeem and fill up, with things that most belong to our peace. Idleness is the hour of temptation, ⁴wherein Satan joins with our imagination, and sets it about his own work, to grind his grief, for the soul as a Mill either grinds that which is put into it, or else works upon it self. Imagination is the first wheel of the soul, and if that move amiss, it stirs all the inferior wheels amiss with it; It stirs it self, and other powers of the soul are stirred by its motion: and therefore the well ordering of this is of the greater consequence; For as the imagination conceiveth, so usually the judgement concludeth, the will chooseth, the affections are carried, and the members execute.

5. Even when wee are good and devise ¹good things, yet there is still some sicknesse of fancie remaining in the best of us, whereby wee worke trouble to our selves, and therefore it is necessary we should labour to restraine and limit our fancie, and stop these waters at the beginning, giving no not the least way thereunto. If it begins to grow wanton, tame the wildnesse of it by fastning it to the crosse of Christ, whom wee have