_Direct._ VII. Keep out, or quickly cast out, all inordinate passions: for passions do violently press the thoughts, and forcibly carry them away. If anger, or grief, or fear, or any carnal love, or joy, or pleasure be admitted, they will command your thoughts to run out upon their several objects. And when you rebuke your thoughts, and call them in, they will not hear you, till you get them out of the crowd and noise of passion. As in the heat of civil wars no government is well exercised in a kingdom; and as violent storms disable the mariners to govern the ship, and save it and themselves; so passions are too stormy a region for the thoughts to be well governed in. Till your souls be reduced to a calm condition, your thoughts will be tumultuating, and hurried that way that the tempests drive them. Till these wars be ended, your thoughts will be licentious, and partakers in the rebellion.
_Direct._ VIII. Keep your souls in a constant and careful obedience unto God. Observe his law; be continually sensible that you are under his government, and awed by his authority. Man judgeth not your thoughts: if you are subject to man only, your thoughts must be ungoverned: but the heart is the first object of God's government, and that which he principally regardeth. His laws extend to all your thoughts; and therefore if you know what obedience to God is, you must know what the obedience of your thoughts to him is; for he that obeyeth God as God, will obey him in one thing as well as another, and will obey him as the governor and judge of thoughts. The powerful, searching word of Christ is a "discerner of the thoughts and intentions of the heart, and as a two-edged sword is sharp and quick," and will "pierce" and "cut" as deep as the very "soul and spirit," Heb. iv. 12, 13. "It casteth down every imagination, and bringeth into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ," 2 Cor. x. 5. Therefore David saith to God, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts; and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting," Psal. cxxxix. 23, 24. And you find God's laws and reproofs extending to the thoughts: Isa. lix. 7, "Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity." The fool's heart-atheism is rebuked, Psal. xiv. 1. He reproveth a rebellious people, for "walking in a way that is not good, after their own thoughts," Isa. lxv. 2. See how Christ openeth the heart, Matt. xv. 9. He chargeth them, Deut. xv. 9, "to beware that there be not a thought in their wicked hearts," against the mercy which they must show to the poor. Psal. xlix. 11, he detecteth the "inward thought" of the worldling, that "their houses shall continue for ever." Prov. xxiv. 9, he saith, "The thought of foolishness is sin." The old world was condemned because the "imaginations of their hearts were only evil continually," Gen. vi. 5. And when God calleth a sinner to conversion, he saith, "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him," Isa. lv. 6, 7. You see then if you are subject to God, your thoughts must be obedient.
_Direct._ IX. Remember God's continual presence; that all your thoughts are in his sight. He seeth every filthy thought, and every covetous, and proud, and ambitious thought, and every uncharitable, malicious thought. If you be not atheists, the remembrance of this will somewhat check and control your thoughts, that God beholdeth them. "He understandeth" your "thoughts afar off," Psal. cxxxix. 2. "Doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it," Prov. xxiv. 12. "Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?" saith Christ, Matt. ix. 4.
_Direct._ X. Bethink you seriously what a government you would keep upon your thoughts, if they were but written on your foreheads, or seen by all that see you, yea, or but open to some person whom you reverence. Oh how ashamed would you then be, that men should see your filthy thoughts, your malicious thoughts, your covetous and deceiving thoughts! And is not the eye of God ten thousand times more to be reverenced and regarded? And is not man your god, if you are awed more by man than by God, and if the eye of man can do more to restrain you?
_Direct._ XI. Keep tender your consciences, that they may not be regardless or insensible of the smallest sin. A tender conscience feareth evil and idle thoughts; and will smart in the penitent review of thoughts; but a seared conscience feeleth nothing, except some grievous, crying sins. A tender conscience obeyeth that precept, Prov. xxx. 32, "If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou hast thought evil, lay thy hand upon thy mouth."