Thirdly. Have I been often looking into my […], & made conscience even of vain thoughts? you know your Rule, Keep thy heart with all […], […] of it are the Issues of life. Now hast thou been keeping thy heart with all diligence? Brethren, you may be sure your work will go but badly on, unless you look to your hearts, and keep your hearts. Examine then in the Evening, how hath my heart been employed to day, hath it not been a thorough-fare of vain thoughts? of evil imaginations? I fear that many of us do make little con• of this. It may be thou dost make conscience of vain thoughts in duty: but I fear that few […] do make conscience of vain thoughts at other times. Ah Brethren, you […] not known what it is to live the life of ⟨p. 19⟩Christianity, if you do not look to this. This must be mended. Brethren, what a blessed thing would this be, if we had but once attained this frame! If our hearts did but naturally run in a hollow Channel? This is attainable, and many of the Christians have attained to it. And if it be attainable, […] we should never be quiet till we have attained it. Why, Christian, take this Rule, force thy heart a while to it; keep thy heart for a while in this Tract, set it some holy Subject, some good Task, and make it to ply its work; and when thou hast got to this, then by degrees it will be sweet to thee. It is not enough to say, what hurt is there in such vain thoughts? It is enough that there is no good in them, that there is no profit in them; yea, there is a great deal of hurt in letting thy thoughts to run abroad. My Brethren, you do, I believe, every one of you that are Christians indeed, complain of the burden of your vain thoughts. I believe, that this is the greatest trouble of many Christians here, for the vanity of their thoughts in holy duties. And what is the reason of this? Because they do let out their hearts at other times; this is the reason that we have no more command of our hearts in holy duties, because we do not keep them in at other times. God complains of Jerusalem, Jer. 4. 14. (and may he not complain so of us?) O Jerusalem, how long shall vain thoughts lodge within thee? Have not we, many of us, been complaining these seven or twice seven years of vain thoughts, and yet they are lodging in us?
Thirdly. Have I been often looking into my 〈…〉, & made conscience even of vian thoughts? you know your Rule, Keep thy heart with all 〈…〉, 〈…〉 of it are the Issues of life. Now hast thou been keeping thy heart with all diligence? Brethren, you may be sure your work will go but badly on, unless you look to your hearts, and keep your hearts. Examine then in the Evening, how hath my heart been employed to day, hath it not been a thorow-fare of vain thoughts? of evil imaginations? I fear that many of us do make little con• of this. It may be thou dost make conscience of vain thoughts in duty: but I fear that few 〈…〉 do make conscience of vain thoughts at other times. Ah Brethren, you 〈…〉 not known what it is to live the life of ⟨p. 19⟩Christianity, if you do not look to this. This must be mended. Brethren, what a blessed thing would this be, if we had but once attained this frame! If our hearts did but naturally run in a hollow Channel? This is attainable, and many of the Christians have attained to it. And if it be attainable, 〈…〉 we should never be quiet till we have attained it. Why, Christian, take this Rule, force thy heart a while to it; keep thy heart for a while in this Tract, set it some holy Subject, some good Task, and make it to ply its work; and when thou hast got to this, then by degrees it will be sweet to thee. It is not enough to say, what hurt is there in such vain thoughts? It is enough that there is no good in them, that there is no profit in them; yea, there is a great deal of hurt in letting thy thoughts to run abroad. My Brethren, you do, I believe, every one of you that are Christians indeed, complain of the burthen of your vain thoughts. I believe, that this is the greatest trouble of many Christians here, for the vanity of their thoughts in holy duties. And what is the reason of this? Because they do let out their hearts at other times; this is the reason that we have no more command of our hearts in holy duties, because we do not keep them in at other times. God complains of Jerusalem, Jer. 4. 14. (and may he not complain so of us?) O Jerusalem, how long shall vain thoughts lodge within thee? Have not we, many of us, been complaining these seven or twice seven years of vain thoughts, and yet they are lodging in us?
