Directions and persuasions to a sound conversion for prevention of that deceit and damnation…Directions and perswasions to a sound conversion for prevention of that deceit and damnation…

yea, you will cast them down the sink of Covetousness, and Malice, and Lust, and Wantonness, and make them servants to the Devil and the flesh. If you have a brook running by your Land, you ⟨p. 93⟩will endeavour to turn it over your ground, that seeing it must run, it may as well run that way where it may do good, as run in vain. So when your thoughts must run, is it not better that you turn them to your own hearts, and states, to prepare for the world that you are ready to step into, then to let them run in vain. If you see a man go into a wine-seller, (though it be his own) and pull out all the spigots, and let all the wine run about the seller, and suffer no body to catch it, or be the better for it, what would you conceive of the wisdom or charity of that man? Your Thoughts are a thing more precious then wine, and such a thing as should not be spilt. And yet is not this your every-days practice? You are before him that knows your Thoughts: Deny it if you can. What hours of the day, can a man come to you, and find your Thoughts altogether idle? What minute of an hour can a man come and ask you, What are you now Thinking on? and you can truly say, Nothing! I know as long as you are awake you are alway thinking of somewhat, (and perhaps when you are asleep) And what is it on? ⟨p. 94⟩This body shall have a Thought: and that body a Thought: every word you hear, and every wrong that's done you, and almost every thing you look upon, shall have a Thought: and God & your own Salvation shall have none: that is; you will lose them, and let them run in wast; but you will do no good with them, nor take in any profit by them, to your selves.

yea, you will cast them downe the sink of Covetousness, and Malice, and Lust, and Wantonness, and make them servants to the Devil and the flesh. If you have a brooke running by your Land, you ⟨p. 93⟩will endeavor to turn it over your ground, that seeing it must run, it may as well run that way where it may do good, as run in vaine. So when your thoughts must run, is it not better that you turne them to your own hearts, and states, to prepare for the world that you are ready to step into, then to let them run in vaine. If you see a man go into a wine-seller, (though it be his own) and pull out all the spigots, and let all the wine run about the seller, and suffer no body to catch it, or be the better for it, what would you conceive of the wisdom or charity of that man? Your Thoughts are a thing more precious then wine, and such a thing as should not be spilt. And yet is not this your everie-daies practice? You are before him that knows your Thoughts: Denie it if you can. What hours of the day, can a man come to you, and find your Thoughts altogether idle? What minute of an hour can a man come and ask you, What are you now Thinking on? and you can truly say, Nothing! I know as long as you are awake you are alway thinking of somewhat, (and perhaps when you are asleep) And what is it on?