[3.] They are considerable from their kind, here are the roots of all evils. Everything that we do, every deliberate act that is done by a reasonable creature argueth some foregoing thought, every temptation is fastened upon the heart by some intervening thought. Before sin be formed, brought forth, and becomes a complete sin, there are musings, which are, as it were, the incubations of the soul, or sitting a-brood upon the temptation: Isa. lix. 4, 'They conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.' The mind sits a-brood upon sin. It is thoughts that bring the heart and object together. First men think, then they love, then they practise. Beating the steel upon the flint makes the sparks fly out ; so when the understanding beats and knocks upon the will by pregnant thoughts, by inculcation, that stirs up the affections. These are the bellows which blow up those latent sparks of sin that are in our souls ; therefore, if you would make con- science of acts, yon should make conscience of thoughts. It is the greatest imprudence that can be to think to do anything in reforma- tion when we do not take care of our thoughts. See, when God ad- viseth us to return to him, Isa. Iv. 7, he saith, ' Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts.' In vain do we lop off the branches and let the root live. If we would forsake our way, we must first forsake our thoughts. When certain fowl pestered a man, he asked how he should be rid of them ? The answer was. The nest must be destroyed, and they must be crushed in the egg. So here is the best way of crushing the egg, by dashing Babylon's brats against the w^all. So much is implied in that place, Jer. iv. 14,
YeR. 113.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 163
* Wash tliiue heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved : how long shall vain thoughts lodge within thee ? ' Wash thy heart, begin there. Medicines applied to the outward parts will do no good, unless the inwards be cleansed and purged ; so until the soul be cleansed and purged from these evil thoughts, outward reformation will be to no purpose.
[4.] They are considerable in regard of their number, they are most numberless acts of the soul, Isa. Ivii. 20. The sea is always working, so the heart of man is always casting forth mire and dirt : Gen. vi. 5, ' Every imagination of the thoughts of man's heart is only evil contin- ually.' There is a mint in us that is always working towards that which is evil. Tliis is a means to humble us. The Lord knows the best of our thoughts are but vain ; this is that which raiseth the account in God's book of remembrance, which makes us more admire the riches of his grace even to the very last. ' Let him forsake his thoughts,' Isa. Iv. 7. What then? 'I will multiply to pardon.' Certainly, if thoughts be sins, God must not only pardon, but multiply to pardon.
JJsel. To humble us all, the best of us, from first to last. Vanity of heart sticks to us. Oh, how many carnal thoughts haunt us wher- ever we go ! As thou walkest in the streets up and down, whereupon do thy thoughts run ? The common vain thoughts should be laid to heart. Have we not a God, a Christ to think of, sweet and precious promises, heaven and glory, and the great concernments of our souls ? and yet with what chaff do we fill our minds ! We go thinking of every toy and trifle, grinding chaff instead of corn every day. Oh ! how do we throw away our thoughts, rather than God should have them, upon every vain thing ! It is very irksome a little to retire and re- collect ourselves, and think of God, Christ, and heaven ; but what a deal of vanity do we take into our minds ! If our hearts were turned inside outward, and all our thoughts liable to the notice of men, as they are to the notice of God, what odious creatures should we be ! and have we no reverence of the great God ? The Lord knows our hearts ; he knows we have thoughts enough and to spare, more than we know what to do withal, and he knows we are backward to exercise them upon him, and things that lead to communion with him. These thoughts are aggravated from tlie time, as upon God's day, for then we are not to 'think our own thoughts,' Isa. Iviii. 13 ; a Christian is then to sequester himself only for God. Nay, our vain heart be- wvayeth itself in solemn duties ; a man cannot go to prayer but the vanity of his thoughts will trouble him, and run about him when he is hearing the word ; how do we course up and down like spaniels hither and thither ! Yea, to humble ourselves because of our wicked thoughts, our desperate thoughts against the being of God : Ps. xiv. 1, ' The fool hath said in his heart there is no God.' Though we cannot open our eyes but the creature presently doth show us something of God, and call upon us whether we look upward or downward, yet how do we vent tliis thought ? If there Avere no God, then we could live as we list, without check and restraint. Thoughts which arise within us against the truth of the gospel, as if it were but a well-devised fable ; thoughts against the purity of God's laws, that we need not be so strict, that it is but nice folly, that we shall do well enough without re-