necessaries within. And this folly and sin is the greater, because it is the very end of God in all his works of creation and providence, to reveal himself by them to the intellectual world and must God shew his power, and wisdom, and goodness so wonderfully in the frame of the creation, and in his daily general and particular providence? and shall man, that daily seeth all this, overlook the intended use and end? and so make all this glorious work as nothing, or as lost to him? Sense knoweth no end but its own delight, and the natural felicity of the sensitive creature, such as things sensible afford: but reason must take up the work where sense doth end its stage, and carry all home to him that is the end of all. "For of him, and THROUGH him, and to him, are all things, to whom be glory for ever, Ameni.”

Direct. xv. Besides the general use and ultimate end of every creature, labour for a clear acquaintance with the particular use and nearer end of every thing which you have to do with, by which it is serviceable to your ultimate end: and suppose still you saw that special use as subserving your highest end, as the title written upon each creature.' As suppose upon your Bible it were written, The Word of the living God to acquaint me with himself and his will, that I may please, and glorify, and enjoy him for ever.' And upon your godly friend suppose you saw this title written, A servant of God that beareth his image, and appointed to accompany and assist me in his service unto life everlasting.' Upon your meat suppose you saw this title written, The provisions of my Father sent me as from my Saviour's hands, not to gratify my sensuality, and serve my inordinate desires, but to refresh and strengthen my body for his service in my passage to everlasting life.' So upon your clothes, your servants, your goods, your cattle, your houses, and every thing you have, inscribe thus their proper use and end. Direct. xvI. Know both the final and mediate danger, of every thing that you have to do with: and suppose you still see them written upon every thing you see.' The final danger is hell; the mediate danger in general is sin: but you must find what sin it is that this creature will be made a temptation to by the devil and the flesh. As, suppose you saw written upon money and riches, The bait of co

iRom. xi. 36.

vetousness and all evil, to pierce me through with many sorrows and then to damn me.' And suppose you saw written upon great buildings, and estates, and honours, and attendance, 'The great price which the devil would give for souls and the baits to tempt men to the inordinate love of fleshly pleasures, and to draw their hearts from God and heaven to their damnation.' Suppose you still saw written upon beauty, and tempting actions and attire, The bait of lust, by which the devil corrupteth the minds of men to their damnation.' Suppose you saw written on the playhouse door, 'The stage of the mountebank of hell, who here cheateth men of their precious time, and enticeth them to vanity, luxury, and damnation, under pretence of instructing them by a nearer and more pleasant way than preachers do.' The like I say of gaming, recreations, company: see the particular snare in all.

Direct. XVII. To this end be well acquainted with your own particular inclinations and distempers, that you may know what creature is like to prove most dangerous to you, that there you may keep the strictest watch.' If you be subject to pride, keep most from the baits of pride, and watch most cautiously against them. If you be subject to covetousness, watch most against the baits of covetousness. If you are inclined to lust, away from the sight of such alluring objects. The knowledge of your temper and disease must direct you both in your diet and your physic.

Direct. XVIII. Live as in a constant course of obedience; and suppose you saw the law of God also written upon every thing you see.' As when you look on any tempting beauty, suppose you saw this written on the forehead, 'Thou shalt not lust.-Whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. They shall not enter into the kingdom of God.' See upon the forbidden dish or cup the prohibition of God, Thou shalt not eat or drink this.' See upon money and riches this written, Thou shalt not covet.' See upon the face of all the world, Love not the world, nor the things that are in the world: if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.' Thus see the will of God

on all things.

Direct. XIX. Make not the objects of sense over tempting and dangerous to yourselves; but take special care as

much as in you lieth, to order all so, that you may have as much of the benefit, and as little of the snare of the creature as is possible.' Would you not be gluttonous pleasers of your appetite? Choose not then too full a table, nor overpleasant, tempting drinks or dishes, and yet choose those that are most useful to your health. Would you not overlove the world, nor your present house, or lands, or station? Be not too instrumental yourselves in gilding or dulcifying your bait! If you put in the sugar, the devil and the flesh will put in the poison. Will you make all as pleasant and lovely as you can, when you believe that the overloving them is the greatest danger to your salvation? Will you be the greatest tempters to yourselves, and then desire God not to lead you into temptation?

Direct. xx. Let not the tempting object be too near your sense for nearness enrageth the sensitive appetite, and giveth you an opportunity of sinning.' Come not too near the fire if you would not be burnt. (And yet use prudence in keeping the usefulness of it for warmth, though you avoid the burning.) Distance from the snares of pride, and lust, and passion, and other sins, is a most approved remedy; and nearness is their strength.

Direct. xxI. Accustom your souls to frequent and familiar exercise about their invisible objects, as well as your senses about theirs. And as you are daily and hourly in seeing, and tasting, and hearing the creature, so be not rarely in the humble adoration of him that appeareth to you in them. Otherwise use will make the creature so familiar to you, and disuse will make God so strange, that by degrees you will wear yourselves out of his acquaintance, and become like carnal, sensual men, and live all by sense, and forget the holy exercise of the life of faith.

Direct. XXII. Lose not your humble sense of the badness of your hearts, how ready they are as tinder to take the fire of every temptation; and never grow foolhardy and confident of yourselves.' For your holy fear is necessary to your watchfulness, and your watchfulness is necessary to your escape and safety: Peter's self-confidence betrayed him to deny his Lord. Had Noah, and Lot, and David been more afraid of the sin, they had been like to have escaped it. It is a part of the character of the beastly here

tics that Jude declaimeth against, that they were "spots in their feasts of charity, when they feasted with the church, feeding themselves without fear." When the knowledge or sense of your weakness and sinful inclination is gone then fear is gone, and then safety is gone, and your fall is

near.

PART II.

Particular Directions for the Government of the Eyes.

Direct. 1. Know the uses that your sight is given you for.' As 1. To see the works of God, that thereby your minds may see God himself. 2. To read the Word of God, that therein you may perceive his mind. 3. To see the servants of God whom you must love, and the poor whom you must relieve or pity, and all the visible objects of your duty: to conduct your body in the discharge of its office about all the matters of the world: and in special often to look up towards heaven, the place where your blessed Lord is glorified, and whence he shall come to take you to his glory.

Direct. 11. Remember the sins which the eye is most in danger of, that you may be watchful and escape.' 1. You must take heed of a proud, and lofty, and scornful eye; which looketh on yourselves with admiration and delight, as the peacock is said to do on his tail, and on others as below you with slighting and disdain. 2. You must take heed of a lustful, wanton eye, which secretly carrieth out your heart to a befooling piece of dirty flesh, and stealeth from beauty and ornaments a spark to kindle that fire which prepareth for everlasting fire. 3. Take heed of a greedy, covetous eye, which with Achan and Gehazi looketh on the bait to tempt you to unlawful love and desire, and to bring you by their sin unto their ruin. 4. Take heed of a luxurious, gluttonous, and drunken eye; which is looking on the forbidden fruit, and on the tempting dish, and the delicious cup, till it have provoked the appetite of that greedy worm, which must be pleased, though at the rate of thy damnation. 5. Take heed of a gazing, wandering eye, which, like a vagrant, hath no home, nor work, nor master, but gaddeth about to seek after death, and find out matter

:

for temptation. "Wisdom is before him that hath understanding, but the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth." 6. Take heed of an envious eye, which looketh with dislike and discontent at the prosperity of others, especially such as stand cross to your own interest'. "Is thine eye evil because I am good m?" It is the envious eye, that in Scripture is called by the name of an evil eye, ' πονηρὸς ὀφθαλμος. It is an eye that would see evil rather than good upon another as Deut. xv. 9. "Lest thine eye be evil against thy poor brother," &c. Prov. xxiii. 6. it is an eye that grudgeth another any thing that is ours. So Prov. xxviii. 22. Mark vii. 22. 7. Take heed of a passionate, cruel eye that kindleth the hurting or reviling fire in thy breast, or is kindled by it: that fetcheth matter of rage or malice from all that displeaseth thee in another. 8. Take heed of a self-conceited and censorious eye, that looketh on all the actions of another with quarrelling, undervaluing, censure, or reproach. 9. Take heed of a fond and fanciful eye, that falls in love too much with houses, or friend, or child, or goods, or whatsoever pleaseth it. 10. Take heed of a sleepy, sluggish eye that is shut to good, and had rather sleep than watch, and read, and pray, and labour. 11. Abhor a malignant eye, which looketh with hatred on a godly man, and upon the holy assemblies and communion of saints, and upon holy actions; and can scarce see a man of exemplary zeal and holiness, but the heart riseth against him, and could wish all such expelled or cut off from the earth. This is the heart that hath the image of the devil in most lively colours he being the father of such, as Christ calleth him, John viii. 44. 12. Abhor an hypocritical eye, which is lifted up to heaven, when the heart is on earth, on lusts, on honours, on sports or pleasure, or plotting mischief against the just. Know the evil and danger of all these diseases of the eye.

Direct. 111. Remember that the eye being the noblest, and yet the most dangerous sense, must have the strictest watch.' Sight is often put in Scripture for all the senses: and living by sight is opposed to living or walking by faith. "We walk by faith, not by sight"." And a sensual life is called, a "walking in the ways of our heart and in the sight

Prov. xvii. 24. m Matt. xx. 15.

I See Dr. Hammond on Matt, vi.

2 Cor. v. 7.