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A93062	The sinfulnesse of evil thoughts: or, a discourse, wherein, the chambers of imagery are unlocked: the cabinet of the heart opened. The secrets of the inner-man disclosed. In the particular discovery of the numerous evil thoughts, to be found in the most of men, with their various, and severall kinds, sinful causes, sad effects, and proper remedies or cures. Together with directions how to observe and keep the heart; the highest, hardest, nad most necessary work of him that would be a real Christian. / By Jo. Sheffeild Pastor of Swithins London.	Sheffeild, John, d. 1680.	1650 (1650)	Wing S3064A; Thomason E1863_1	165,696	337

care is 1 Cor. 7. 32. This C●refullnesse is evil 1. When Inordinate 2. When Immoderate 1. When Inordinate when we care for the body more then the soul when more for what we shall eat drink and how we shall live then how we shall be saved When we are more carefull of our own things then of the things of the Lord When we take more care to double our state and stock then to double our Talent These are Inordinate Cares 2. When Immoderate Luke 21. 34. Take heed your hearts be not overcharged with surfeiting and drunkennesse and cares of this life Our Saviour ranks immoderate care with immoderate eating and drinking Eating is good and drinking good and necessary when with moderation so of care we may say Modicum non nocet But immoderate eating is surfeiting and immoderate drinking is drunkennesse and immoderate care is as bad as either And Immoderate they are 1. When Solicitudo est aegritudo animi cum cogitatione Tully the heart is oppressed and overloaden with them In that place last named Luke 21. 34. First Let not them come near your heart Secondly Let not your heart have more than you can well bear a little meat and drink lightens and refresheth the body so moderate care is good but when one hath loaded his stomack with meat and hath more drink than he can bear What is he fit for so is the man overloaden with cares 2. When they distract and divide the mind hinder our close and individed cleaving to the Lord 1 Cor. 7. 35. And when they get between God and us that his service is neglected The farm oxen marchandise and family businesses following marririage take up the man that he hath no leisure to attend matters of soul-concernment 3. When they are distrustful cares tending to damp Faith and to weaken duties but so much care as sets Faith and prayer awork are good cares Melanchthon said his cares taught him to pray Si non curarem non orarem No care no prayer A due measure of care to the soul is like water to the mill so much as drives it about doth well but when flouds of water come down so great that they cannot passe that the Mill stands with a back water it is ill so when care drives prayer about it is well when it makes prayer stand still it is ill 4. When they are extended beyond their bounds Care is but for the present as the Manna for the day if it be kept till the morrow it stinketh Care not for the future Let the morrow care for it self Mat. 6. 34. The evil of them appeareth 1. In their Causes 2. Properties 3. Effects 1. The chief Causes and Roots whence they spring are 1. Diffidence and distrust or ignorance of the Care and Providence of God whence such say Care I must for I have none to care for me They consider not Gods care of them therefore cry out as they Mar. 4. 38. Carest thou not we perish So Luke 10. 41. Carest thou not that I am left alone to look after all Where our care ends Gods begins and when we think his ends there must ours needs begin 2. They spring from an Over-high and false opinion of some Excellency in outward things The ●ich mans riches are his Castle men are apt to think had they so much they might then sing a Requiem to their souls and then they were out of the fear of Evil Hab. 2. 9. 2. Their Properties are evill 1. Because senselesse absurd and irrationall We take Gods work out of his hand where it is much better 1 Pet. 5. 7. As if a Child of seven years age should say to his Father let me mannage the businesse of the Family Poor Child Thy shoulders are not for such burthens 2. They are needlesse your heavenly Father doth it for you Mat. 6. 3. Fruitlesse you cannot with all your care and skill add a cue or doit to your state or a cubit or inch to your stature Mat. 6. 27. 4. Endlesse Life hath an end and Riches have an end onely Cares have no end The rich man had as many cares when his riches increased most as when he had lesse The ten thousand pound man hath more cares then the ten pound man Eccl. 4. 8. There is one alone and there is not a second yea he hath neither child nor brother yet is there no end of all his labour nor is his eye satisfyed with riches neither saith he for whom do I labour and bereave my soul of good This is Vanity and a sore evil Unus Pellaeo juveni non sufficit Orbis All the World can stand in a mans heart and he desire never the lesse 5. They are easelesse and restlesse breaking the sleep Eccles 5. 12. They cause a continual head-ach or heart-ach or are like those wormes bred in children which gnaw and torture them make them lose their fresh colour look like earth smell like earth they start in their sleep and rest unquietly Old age is more troubled with these wormes than childhood with the former and more die of these than of them 6. But they are not faultlesse and sinlesse for consider the Effects 1. What a strange alteration they make in man 1. They turn man into a clod or stone as some springs and grounds turn wood into stone These cares turn man into stone so was Nabal 2. They turn man into a serpent who lives on the dust goeth on his belly and cleaveth to the ground these bring the serpents curse on the soul 3. Turns a Christian into an heathen Mat. 6. 32. after these things the heathens seek and if you take not heed will turn thy family into an heathen family where is no care of the worship and service of God 4. At best turn a Christian into a Meteor Luke 12. 29. Who hangs between heaven and earth and is never like to get higher He hath somewhat of heaven in his Conscience more of earth in his Affection therefore at last fals down to earth in his Conversation Earth being the predominate part 2. These destroy the life of Faith and love whereby we should cleave to God without distraction 1 Cor. 7. 35. 3. These keep from duties Luke 14. The farm and merchandize keep from the Lords supper The great husband hath devoured the good Christian 4. These distract in duty Martha could not stay by it when our Saviour was speaking Luke 10. 42. These hinder our attending on a duty and watching in it 5. These choak Grace and all good motions Mat. 13. as the thornes choak the seed The mines of gold and silver are noted to be in the barrenest earth where these cares are there is greatest barrennesse of grace The Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Saint signifies an unearthly man therefore as some observe 6. These keep out and banish Soul-peace Phil. 4. 6 7. Be carefull for nothing c. And the peace of God which passeth understanding shall guarde your

to be cast out by prayer and fasting and the omnipotency of Christ A dumb spirit it is you can get nothing out of him and a deaf spirit too you can get nothing into him The fire burnes inward and there is no coming nigh with buckets or engines The saddest complection it is and the strangest Metamorphosis it makes in the mind turning all truthes into fables and all fictions and phancies into realities Evil he calls good and good evil sweet bitter bitter sweet light darknesse and darknesse light mirth joy cheerfullnesse company of friends he calls evil darknesse solitarinesse mourning sadnesse these are good and sweet yea hope faith hearing praying he calls bitter but reasonings of distruct doubting gainsaying oh how sweet To laughter he saith thou art madnesse to joy what meanest thou of himself he faith I am a companion to dragons and company for owles To the light he saith why is light given to him that is in misery and life to the sad in heart To his Job 3. 20. friends he saith turn away from me labour not to comfort me I will weep bitterly c. Esa 22. 4. To all Godly friends Ministers as well as others he saith you are miserable comforters all Physitians of no value o● that you would altogether hold your peace whither he would he cannot tell into any wildernesse or among tombes any where to be gone And it is well if he do not say unto God I am cast out of thy sight there is no hope I am like a broken vessel and instead of better prayers put up this passionate wish Oh that I might have my request and that God would grant me the thing that I long for Job 6. 8. 9. even that it would please God to destroy me that he would let loose his hand and cut me off The case of this person●● the more sad because having for no cause put all his old acquaintance and tried friends out of doors viz. faith hope prayer promises discourse enquiries he hath left himself onely two to consult with whom he reckons of as his best friends silence his ill counsell-keeper and sadnesse the ill counsell giver who are indeed his mortall enemies And which is worst of all over head lodgeth despaire and below self-murder Poor soul wherewith shall I bemoan thee or how shall I go about to comfort thee Sad sad is thy condition thou wishest night were day and day were night and every thing especially thy self to be any thing but what they are sleep departs joy is banished meat distastfull musick lothsome friends unwelcome employment torment holy duties irksome yea promises no more savoury then the white of an egge oh it is time to send for the Physitian of souls in this desperate case disciples can do nothing In this case it is hard to say what is to be done or spoken we speak not to men but to stockes and stones that have eares and hear not tongues and speak not reason but understand not and ofttimes faith but beleeve not Go not in this case to Cains land of Nod to retire thy self from society or tire thy self with employment To Sauls musick for diversion or to Endor in thy desertion nor to Judas's high Priests for satisfaction and exoneration nor to the Legionists Mar. 5. 5. mountaines or tombes no nor to Elias his cave or John Baptists wildernesse nay nor into the Incestuous penitents cloyster or closet to drown and macerate thy self in thy sorrowes But get thee into the sanctuary of God whatsoever be the occasion of thy griefe whether sin or misery pour out thy soul in prayers judging thy self flying to Christ looking up to the mercy seat staying thy self in thy darkest houres upon the name of the Lord Es 50. 10. and trusting upon him whom thou wouldest gladly find thy God Cast all thy care and burden even of sin and sorrow upon him and as he is faithfull he will not fuffer thee to be tempted 1 Cor. 13. 10. above thy strength But will make a way out of all temptation and trouble that thou mayest be able to bear it He that goes in trouble of mind to the Harp at first for ease commonly goes to Endor after and at last to the halter sword or knife And on the other side the Mad-merry The mad merry Thought thought or unsavoury lightnesse of mind is nothing better oft-times worse The former sad thought decayed the comforts of the soul this destroies the soul it self That lops off the fruit of peace this digs up the root of grace that abateth hope this subverteth fear Both bad this worse That like the Legionist runs away from Christ in fear among the Mountaines but is cured and recovered this Mar. 5. 13. runs with the possessed swine from Christ with joy and delight from the Mountaines Mar. 5. 5. amain into the sea and there they are choaked and perish As we say of presumption and despair despair kils more dreadfully presumption more unsuspectedly yet presumption kils the ten thousands and despair but thousands so for one that dies of sorrow going mourning to the grave ten die of mirth going laughing to hell These swine go in herds Yet am I not against all mirth but that which I called mad and unsavoury There is one mirth to be allowed another to be commended a third to be desired and increased a fourth to be checked reproved and suppressed 1. There is a naturall mirth which cannot Natural mirth be disallowed the weary man doth naturally rejoyce in rest the hungry in his meat the sick in health restored so we read of the joy of the harvest man in his harvest of the rejoycing Esa 9. 3. Esa 62. 5. Joh. 16. 21. of the bridegroom in his bride of the woman delivered of her child Honest and harmlesse joyes all 2. There is a better mirth to be commended Morall and civil mirth a Civil moral virtuous mirth an habituall pleasantnesse and alacrity of mind which is as much to be cherished as the health of the body and doth much conduce to it and to the carrying of us through the various conditions and exercises of this life with cheerfulnesse Thus the Lord would have his servants not onely to rejoyce in his service but to rejoyce in whatsoever we put Deut 12. 18. our hand unto And he is pleased not only to permit but more then once to command the husband to live joyfully with his wife he Deut. 24. 5. Eccl. 8. 7 8 9. Pro. 5. 18. Col. 3. forbids bitternesse sournesse and morosity and commands not onely love but delight joy and pleasantnesse to them in that condition whereby their lives should be made mutually more comfortable to each other 3. But there is a third better mirth commended Spirituall mirth and commanded to the people of God highly to be prized and desired a spirituall mirth and rejoycing their duty and priviledge their work and wages

To rejoyce in the Lord this is saintly heavenly yea Angelicall or divine joy This is ever to be desired ever to be practised no time unseasonable no measure too great Rejoyce in the Lord alway and again I say rejoyce Phil. 4. 4. Do it and do it again do it as much as thou canst and do it yet more we often exceed in other joy we alway fall short here The people of God have alwaies matter of joy in whatever condition they be they are all sons of consolation joy is their new birth-right others have their furtiva gaudia stollen joyes as stollen waters and stollen bread These have gaudia concessa allowed and priviledged joyes 1. They have joy in the spring joy in God Rom. 5. 11. joy in Jesus Christ Phil. 3. 3. joy in the holy Ghost Rom. 14. 17. a joy that for its nature is unknown to others Pro. 14. 10. for its measure is full Joh. 16. 24. for its kind Glorious 1 Pet. 1. 8. for its sweetnesse unspeakable ibid. for its duration none can take it away Joh. 16. 22. 2. Joy in the stream joy in Election Luk. 10. 20. Rejoyce that your names are written in the book of life joy in their Vocation as Zacheus Luk. 19. 6. in their Conversion as the Jaylor Act. 16. 34. in their Baptisme as the Eunuch Act. 6. 39. joy in accepting their persons Eccles 9. 7. joy in pardoning their sins Mat. 9. 2. joy in the Word Jer. 15. 16. 1 Thes 1. 6. joy in the Worship of God Esa 56. 7. joy in their present portion and possession Mat. 13. 44. joy much more in their reversion and future expectation Rom. 5. 2. 3. They have matter of rejoycing in themselves Gal. 6. 4. joy in their Consciences 2 Cor. 1. 12. joy in their graces joy of faith Phil. 1. 25. joy of hope rejoycing in hope Rom. 12. 12. joyfull in duties sing and rejoyce Psal 95. 1. pray and rejoyce 1 Thes 5. 16. 17. joy in their beds Psal 149. 5. joy at board Act. 2. 46. joy in affliction 1 Thes 1. 6. rejoyce in tribulation Rom. 5. 3. joy in temptation Jam. 1. 2. joy in persecution Matthew 5. 12. joy in losses and spoil of their goods Heb. 10. 34. joy in smartest sufferings and disgraces Acts 5. 41. In a word joy in life the joy of God Christ cals it his joy John 17. 13. entring into them in its measure joy in death they entring into the joy of God above all measure and joy at Mat. 15. 21. the dreadful day of judgment when all other joy shall be turned into mourning 1 Pet. 4. 13. Oh happy portion Happy art thou Oh Israel Deut. 33. 29. Who is like unto thee oh people saved by the Lord the shield of thy help and who is the sword of thy excellency And thine enemies shall be found liars and submit themselves to thee and thou shalt tread upon their high places as Moses said in his farewell to Israel To conclude this delightful point as it was the care of Solomon by his wisdom and peaceful Reign ●o provide and the happinesse of all his people in his daies that Judah and Israel were as the sand of the Sea 1 King 4. 20 25. they dwelt securely eating drinking and making merry So it is the care and desire of Christ Jesus and he hath made provision for his people that they may live under him at as much hearts ease Eating their own bread with gladnesse and singlenesse of heart praising God and having favour with all the people Acts 2. 46 47. The one was the happiest time that ever Israel had under the old Testament the other the happiest daies that ever the Christian Church had under the New Testament And if we desire the one for the state we should also as much desire the other for the Church And of this sight I may say Ecce quam bonum quam jucundum Behold how good and pleasant a sight it is to see a Christian good and pleasant 4. But I must leave this pleasing discourse and change my note and tell you of another mirth that is evil sinfull and dangerous which I therefore call mad and unsavoury mirth And this is the rejoycing which Saint James saith is not good a Laughter Jam. 4. 16. Prov. 14. 13. Jam. 4. 9. that ends in mourning a Laughter to be changed into mourning There is a Vae gaudentibus a sad hand-writing upon the wall woe to you that laugh now Luke 6. 25. And this is either sensual Epicurean and brutish joy Ede bibe lude the hope and portion of the wicked worldling whose belly is his God who saith to his soul take thine ease eat drink be merry Luke 12. 19. Amos 6. 1. Woe to them that are at ease in Sion that lie upon beds of ivory that chant to the sound of the viol they drink wine in bowles c. 2. Or Impious and Atheistical mirth as theirs Esay 22. 12. When God cals to fasting weeping and mourning behold joy and gladnesse slaying oxen and killing sheep with this desparate resolution Let us eat and drink drink away sorrow for to morrow we shall die 3. There is another worse then this a diabolical and hellish mirth To rejoyce to do evil themselves and delight in the frowardnesse of others Prov. 2. 14. to whom it is meat and drink to do mischief as is said in another place they sleep not except they have done mischief for they eat the bread of wickednesse and drink the wine of violence Prov. 4. 16 Prov. 14. 9. 17. who make a mock of sinne and it is a sport Veluti ridere matter of Laughter so Arias Montanus renders it to do mischief Proverbs 10. 23. 4. There is a Low light aiery frothy and Vain mirth flashy mirth an Indicium of a vain and light heart unballasted with gravity and piety with men commended with God condemned Such can rejoyce in a thing of nought Amos 6. 13. and live as if sent into the world as Leviathan into the seas to take his pastime Psal 104. 26. therein And whose life at best is what Sampsons was at worst to make sport to Judg. 16. 25. their company but had not his eyes been out he had never made them such sport as ended in his own and their destruction and hadst thou thine eyes thou wouldest never do the like Sporting thy self in thy own deceivings 2 Pet. 2. 13. There are two sights Satan is much pleased to behold To see a Godly man sad and a wicked man merry and all his art is used to keep them so To the wicked he saith in the worlds salutation sit you merry And to the Godly he saith why are not thou more sad And as he hath his temptations for every temper so his watch-word is to the wicked as Absaloms concerning Amnon Mark when his heart is merry then strike him 2 Sam. 13. 28. With the Godly he deales

but his thoughts as busie and working as all the week besides as the Miller can set his mill a going and himself stand still and the horseman sets his horse a going when he sits all the while so is the mind grinding and travelling when the man sits still 6. Between provision for life and provision for death A surfeit of cares taken by overheating our selves in seeking the things of this life makes a sad and untimely death and is as bad as a surfeit of eating and drinking Lu. 21. 34. therefore joyned by our Saviour Take heed least at any time your hearts be surcharged with surfeiting or drunkennesse and cares of this world least that day overtake you as a snare 7. Between getting and giving The Godly houswife Pro. 31. hath two handes one to get another to give she stretcheth out her hand to the poor and reckons what is well laid out is better then ill laid up 14. These alway divide between the soul and grace for if they divide between the body and health rest and sleep the mind and content between labour and delight between the man and his duty industry and piety di●igence and dependance c. then sure between the soul and grace Ever those grounds are barren where are the mines of gold silver and other mettalls those hearts to be sure are most barren of grace where is most of worldly mindednesse It is hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdome of God it is impossible for such as trust in riches as our Saviour expounds himself Grace and poverty usually go together grace and riches rarely grace and carefullnesse never God and mammon cannot be served The one is despised where the other is cleaved to whether of the two soever it is The God the world is as great an enemy to grace and groweth in it as the God of the world Pius Quintus said when he was first a Priest Cum essem religiosus sperabam de salute Cardinalis factus extim●i Pontisex creatus pene d●spe●o he had good hopes of salvation when a Cardinall he much feared but when he came to be Pope he then despaired 15. If they divide the soul and grace then they must needs divide between the soul and communion with God how can these rejoyce in God How can the hypocrite hope when God taketh away his soul though he hath gained can he delight himself in the Almighty He never could in all his life He cannot joy in God who is joyned Job 27. 8 9. to mammon 16. Then of necessity they must divide between the soul and salvation Their end is destruction who mind earthly things Phil. 3. 19. as Shimei lost his life by seeking his servants while he went beyond the bounds of his confinement 17. Lastly which is his greatest affliction but the righteous and most just judgment of God these cares are a meanes not onely to divide between us and joy and us and God but between us and enjoying between endeavours and successe God would give more and sooner if we were lesse eager If the child aske mannerly and fairly the father gives if eagerly then you shall stay a while we tell him The Lord giveth rest to his beloved when Psal 127. 2. others rise up early and sit up late and eat the bread of sorrowes Care will saith God Care shall self do self have self serve self save The race is not to the swift Is it Eccle. 9. 11. Hab. 2. 13. Hos 8. 7. Malach. 1. 4. Hagge 1. 7. 8. 9. Pro. 11. 24. not of the Lord of hosts that men labour as in the fire yet weary themselves for very vanity They sow the wind and reap the blasting east wind They build God pulls down They sow much reap little gather much and it is put into a bag of holes Covetousnesse brings home nothing but poverty alwayes spare and alwayes bare Besides that God bloweth upon his soul it prospers not he blasteth his labours that he comes not on God pulls down such as he did Nebuchadnezzar till he come to know that the heavens do rule In returning and rest shall ye be safe saith the Lord in quietnesse confidence and dependence ye shall have rest no saith unbelief we will shift for our selves no we will flie upon horses from poverty therefore Es 30. 16. 17. shall ye flie and we will ride after the world upon the swift therefore they that pursue you shall be swift cares torments and wants shall pursue and overtake you How much happier is the beleever who hath the promises of this life as well at that to come therefore doth his soul dwell at ease 1 Tim. 4. 8. Psal 25. 13. casting his cares on his heavenly father and he sits still as Ruth and goes about her own businesse while Boaz is taking thought for Ruth 3. 18. her The righteous is recompensed upon earth he cleaves to the Lord without separation Pro. 11. 31. and attends upon him without distraction Oh how admirable are the effects and how sweet the fruit of faith that uniting grace Which not onely unites the soul to God the heart and love to Christ the desires and hopes to heaven but sweetly joynes and reconciles those which this carefullnesse separates It gives to every one his due children family friendes poor to the body rest to the eyes sleep to the mind content sweetly joynes labour and delight diligence and dependance industry and piety providence and providence soul carefullnesse with moderate worldly carefullnesse It joynes duties holy duties with endeavors the heart with duties It makes the Generall and particular calling go hand in hand together and makes provision for life give way to preparation makeing for death and by the blessing of God hath his successe and expectation joyned to his endeavors and undertakings Lastly to make an end for I am weary and weary at my heart of all these evill thoughts and would fain come to see an end of them Yea I may say as Rebekah weary of my self because of these daughters of Heth Gen. 27. 46. There is a company of vain thoughts which we are to beware of I hate vain thoughts said holy David And Psal 119. 119. the Lords command is to wash the heart so clean that a vain thought may not lodge in Jer. 4. 14. it The vain thought is a sad but common disease morbus naturae morbus gratiae the disease of nature and the disease of grace too The vain thought is a fit bait for Satan to nibble at as a whale or Shoale of Herrings make sport with an empty vessel so Satan to with a light futilous frivolous and empty mind Vain thoughts make the mind as the ship without Ballast ankers and Pilot to be tost upon the waves and driven without stay before the windes as children play with a feather or run after an empty hoop loosed from the vessel and drive it before them till they

are good desires but if they be solitary desires and appear alone as Castor or Pollux single were acccounted ominous if together prosperous they are killing and sluggish desires CHAP. XXXV Containing directions what meanes to use to prevent evil thoughts and to purge them out AND that thy heart may be rid of these evil guests of sinfull thoughts and kept from them observe these directions and conscientiously use these meanes here prescribed 1. Above all getting to get thee a right and new heart thy heart is not right said Peter to Magus here therefore thy thoughts so cursed Pray with David Create in me O Psal 51. 10 Lord a new heart and renew a right spirit within me The heart is the spring and treasure such as the heart such the thought must needs be Get the spring healed or the waters must needs be unsavoury 2 King 2. 22. Get the heart well washed or unclean thoughts will not out Jer. 4. 14. If the Lungs be putrid and rotten the breath will smell powders and perfumes on thy apparell sweeten not thy breath If the garment be spotted it is not a new lace or trimming but washing or brushing that cleanseth it if the hand be foul it is not a faire glove or Gold ring but washing that mends it So it is nothing will cure the evil thought without washing purging and mending the heart 2. Above all keeping keep thyheart Pro. 4. 23. This is the first and great commandment yea the first and second too on which hang all the law and the Prophets the old and new Testament keep thy heart and thou dost love the Lord with all thy heart and keep thy heart and thou dost love thy neighbour as thy selfe this is Custos utriusque tabule keep it and thou dost keep all the ten Commandments Therefore is it charged upon all in such peremptory and undispensable termes 1. Keep there is thy duty 2. Keep with keeping there must be thy care not a single but double care a double diligence must be used here 3. Keep with All keeping not a single or double care sufficient but all care little enough 4. Keep the heart above all keeping saith the text q. d. Here must be the chief care above all other things The mouth must be kept too v. 24. The eye must be kept v. 25. The feet kept v. 26. All the wayes of God to be kept v. 27. That thou turn not to the right hand or the left But here is an Attamen imprimis above all keep thy heart not above all keeping thy mouth thy eye thy foot or path but above all keeping keep thy heart 5. It is made every mans particular and personall duty keep thy heart thy selfe another may be thy Parke-keeper Thy cash-keeper thy ●●rse-keeper or thy house-keeper but thou must be thy own heart keeper yea if you be Lords or Ladies you must be a Lord keeper and Lady keeper The greatest office in the State is to be Lord keeper of the great seale or Treasurer in the Church is to be keeper of the Seal or Treasure of the heart 2. He backeth this charge with two reasons 1. Out of the heart well kept are the Issues or revenues of life keep this and thou keepest the tree of life life and death are in the power of the heart as he saith of the tongue in another place and he th●● Pro. 18. 21 keepeth this keepeth his life Pro. 13. 3. 2. The second reason is keep thy heart and thou keepest all as I said thy mouth thy eye thy foot thy path v. 24 25 26 27. As great men have a Porter stand at the great gate and all men have stronger outward doors locks bats and bolts there to keep the entrance safe then are the inner roomes all secured so keep thy heart well and the whole house the whole man is safe The heart must have a watch or sentinell continually set before it and is never to be trusted without a keeper Therefore is this set as the porch or porter before all these other duties following And here I might speak a little more particularly of this heart keeping work but I shall hasten to an end I might tell you what it is to keep the heart and how it must be kept To keep the heart implies two things 1. To observe 2. To preserve it 1. If it be an evil heart it would be observed not kept it is better to change then keep an evil heart no breed so bad to keep as the evil heart The heart of the wicked is little worth Out of it are the Issues Pro. 10. 20. of death yet observed it would be what the temper of it is what the haunt what the diseases of it are and kept the evil heart had need be 1. Kept close prisioner give it not too much liberty keep it from evil companions from sinfull objects 2. Do with an untoward heart as we do with a stubborn child put him to a Master that will keep him in awe we put our horse to break to a skillfull rider chuse to put thy heart into the hands of a Minister skilfull in that excellent art of heart-breaking and heart-taming 3. Keep an evil heart with hard fare with the bread of affliction and water of affliction let it have nothing set before it but the terrors of the Lord the wrath of God the sentence of the Law the day of judgement the torments of hell A bad heart can't be kept too hard as a good heart too well 4. Trust not a bad heart at any time without a keeper a double keeper Thy own resolution is not able to keep it desire God to assist thy resolution that it may neither be enticed nor baffled by his prisoner 5. But as soon as thou canst rid thy hands of this evil heart or get it changed men care not for keeping a dead commodity by them in which there is losse The bad heart is the worst dead commodity we can keep by us part with it 2. But the good heart is to be preserved and kept in good plight well lookt to and duely ordered nothing needs it more nothing deserves it more no garden needs so much looking to that it may be well kept nothing will so recompence thee We say Keep thy shop and it will keep thee but keep thy heart well and it will surely keep thee 1. Keep it in tendernesse be more choice of this then of the apple of thine eye You may keep your child too tenderly cannot keep your heart too renderly The tender hearted person howsoever he lives wheresoever he dyes ever dies in peace as was promised to Jostah 2 Chron. 34. 27. Four Notes of a tender heart 1. It flies the first motions unto sin How can I do this wickednesse said Joseph and sin against God q. d. shall I take fire into my bosom poyson in my mouth This were worse 2. It oft reflects on self and the heart smites for