_The conduct of a prudent Christian, with regard to the government of himself._
1. HITHERTO we have been conducting our prudent Christian to his end, by the chief of the ways that lead to it, _viz._ by the direct and immediate means of happiness, first, the duties of the divine law, and then by the means to those means, such of them in particular, as are of divine appointment. For the application of which, it may now be convenient to draw a little nearer, and consider the conduct which a prudent Christian uses in the government of himself.
2. And first let us consider ♦how the prudent Christian pursues improvement by the government of his senses. He does not study the pleasing of his senses. This indeed many make the great end of their lives, which are almost wholly devoted to the pursuit, and spent in the various entertainments of _sensible pleasure_; as if they thought (and perhaps some of them do) that their supreme happiness consisted in it. But this a prudent Christian will not do; for he knows we are already too much in love with sensible pleasure, the great disease of our nature, and therefore will not by indulging it inflame a passion which is already too violent. *He finds that as the more we abstain from these pleasures, the more cold we grow to them, so by indulgence our appetite acquires a new edge, and grows the more sharp and keen: he that drinks of this water shall not only thirst again, but the more he drinks, he shall thirst the more. He considers likewise, how entirely different from these, are the intellectual pleasures of heaven, and how apt the love of them is to indispose us for these, and in this sense _to alienate us from the life of God_. He is therefore so far from feasting his senses (as the manner of the world is) by all the variety of studied entertainments, that he endeavours by all manner of ways to mortify them, and instead of setting up for a soft, voluptuous life (according to St. _Paul_’s advice to _Timothy_) _inures himself to hardships, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ_: Not indeed by any such rigid austerities, as would destroy or impair his health, but by such a sparing use of, and well-governed abstemiousness from, even those pleasures which are lawful in themselves, as may deaden his love to them, and make him more indifferent to the enjoyment of them.
♦ inserted the word “how” per Errata
♦4. He will likewise keep a strict guard over his senses themselves; as knowing they are the inlets of temptation, the landing ports of our spiritual enemies, and the feeble parts of our nature, which expose us to continual danger. Particularly, what can be more dangerous than an unguarded eye or ear, while there is every day so much to be seen and to be heard, to provoke to wickedness, and so little to encourage holiness? Over these therefore he keeps a constant guard, to prevent invasion and surprize, especially over the eye, the most dangerous of the two, as being concerned with more objects: praying also to God, without whose keeping the city the watchman waketh but in vain, _To turn away his eyes lest they behold vanity, and to quicken him in his way_; that nothing he sees or hears in this his pilgrimage, may either turn him out of it, or hinder him in it.
♦ point “3.” skipped in text
*5. We may, secondly observe, how a prudent Christian pursues improvement by the government of his understanding. Considering, in the first place, what an excellent faculty and great endowment understanding is, and for what great ends it was given him by God, he thinks himself concerned not to let it lie idle, but to employ and improve it as much as possible, that he may hereafter give a good account of his talent: but were no account of it to be given, yet considering himself farther as a traveller in his way to his end, and his understanding as a torch that is to light him in it, he would think it very proper to take care of it, and that not only to preserve it from going out, but to feed it with such supplies of oil, that it might shine the more brightly and clearly.