A discourse about the state of true happiness delivered in certain sermons in Oxford,…A discourse about the state of true happinesse deliuered in certaine sermons in Oxford,…

The heart in which Gods spirit is not resident, with special grace and sanctifying power; howsoever the words may be watched over, and the outward actions reformed, lies commonly still naked and open without special guard or settled government. For the best natural man is too impatient of restraint and severity over the power of imagination and freedom of his thoughts; they being naturally exempted and privileged from all humane and created sovereignty, and the unc•ssantnesse of their workings and perpetual presence in the mind would make the abridgement of their liberty more sensible and distasteful. It may be out of the natural grounds of civill honesty, & some general apprehension of the power of the world to come; he may be so far solicitous about his thoughts, tha• if any start up of more soul and monstrous shape, enticing him to some gross and infamous sin, which would disgrace him in the world, or breed extraordinary horror in his conscience: he presently sets against it, disclaims, abandons and expels it. He may be of experience and skill to conquer and suppress thoughts of heaviness, and melancholy; although in this point he many times fearfully deceives himself; taking the holy motions of Gods spirit inclining him to godly sorrow for his sins; to be melancholic thoughts tending towards too much strictness and unnecessary discomfort: So grieving the good spirit, and stopping against himself the very first and necessary passage to salvation. Thus the formal hypocrite may have sometimes and in part, a sleight misguided and general care and oversight of his thoughts: But because the depth of his deceitful heart, and the many corruptions that are daily and hourly hatched in it, were never ripped up and revealed unto him by the power and light of saving grace, he cannot hold that hand over his heart as he ought; he doth not keep a solemn ⟨p. 146⟩particular, and continual watch and ward over his thoughts, which is little enough to keep a Christian in sound comfort and inward peace; he hath no heart with such anxiety, and care to look unto his heart; he doth not so often and seriously think upon his thoughts, holding it the last and least of a thousand cares. But every child of God, certainly makes it his chiefest care, and one of his greatest Christian toils, to guard his heart, and guide his thoughts.

The heart in which Gods spirit is not resident, with speciall grace and sanctifying power; howsoeuer the words may be watched ouer, and the outward actions reformed, lies commonly still naked and open without speciall guard or settled gouernment. For the best naturall man is too impatient of restraint and seuerity ouer the power of imagination and freedome of his thoughts; they being naturally exempted and priuiledged from all humane and created soueraignty, and the vncssantnesse of their workings and perpetuall presence in the mind would make the abridgement of their libertie more sensible and distastfull. It may be out of the natural grounds of ciuill honesty, & some generall apprehension of the power of the world to come; he may be so farre solicitous about his thoughts, tha if any start vp of more soule and monstrous shape, enticing him to some grosse and infamous sinne, which would disgrace him in the world, or breed extraordinarie horrour in his conscience: he presently sets against it, disclaimes, abandons and expels it. He may bee of experience and skill to conquer and suppresse thoughts of heauinesse, and melancholie; although in this point he many times fearefully deceiues himselfe; taking the holy motions of Gods spirit enclining him to godly sorrow for his sinnes; to be melancholicke thoughts tending towards too much strictnes and vnnecessarie discomfort: So grieuing the good spirit, and stopping against himselfe the verie first and necessarie passage to saluation. Thus the formall hypocrite may haue sometimes and in part, a sleight misguided and generall care and ouersight of his thoughts: But because the depth of his deceitfull heart, and the many corruptions that are daily and hourely hatched in it, were neuer ript vp and reuealed vnto him by the power and light of sauing grace, he cannot hold that hand ouer his heart as he ought; hee doth not keepe a solemne