SERM.

Rom. xii.

15.

1 Cor. xiii. 6.

15.

How unconfinedly and inexhaustibly vaft is that delight, XLIII. which a charitable complacence in the good of our neighbour (a rejoicing with thofe that rejoice) may afford! a man thence engroffing all the good in the world, and appropriating to himself all the profperous fucceffes, all the pleasant entertainments, all the comfortable fatisfactions Rom. xii. of his neighbour. Even a charitable sympathy, or condolency, in the adverfities of our neighbour, is not deftitute of content; for the foul is thereby melted into a gentle temper, fufceptive of the best impreffions; we share in 2 Cor. i. 6. the comfort which we minifter to others; we are refreshed in that kindly fubmiffion to the good pleasure of Zvuraga God, in that lightsome contemplation of God's mercy, in xv. thofe comfortable hopes of a happy iffue, which we fuggeft to the afflicted; we thence are disposed to a grateful fenfe of God's goodness, in preserving ourselves from those calamities, and in qualifying us to comfort our brethren; we feel fatisfaction in reflecting upon this very practice, and obferving that we do act conformably to good-nature, to the dictates of reason, to the will of God, therein difcharging a good conscience, and enjoying a portion of that continual feast.

vii. 7.

κληθῆναι.

Rom. i. 12.

I should, if the time would permit, farther declare how we should find delight in the contemplation of all God's attributes, of his works, of his word; in thankful refentment of all God's benefits; in willing obedience to all God's laws; how joy is a proper fruit growing on the practice of humility, of justice, of temperance, of devotion, of every virtue and grace: more particularly I should have · evidenced how, from a patient fubmiffion to God's afflicting hand, from penitential contrition of heart for our fins, from a pious fear and folicitude in working out our falvation, most sweet confolations (fo tempering those ingredients as to render their bitterness very favoury) may spring: but in recommending joy I would not produce grief; and therefore shall not farther annoy your pa

tience.

SERMON XLIV.

KEEP THY HEART WITH ALL DILIGENCE, &c.

BEFORE

PROV. iv. 23.

Keep thy heart with all diligence, &c.

מן

we do apply ourselves to inculcate this precept, SERM. it is requifite that we should somewhat explain the terms, XLIV. and settle the meaning thereof; in doing that, we begin with the laft words, which qualify the action enjoined as to its degree, or extent; with all diligence: the words (ppb) answering to these in the Hebrew, do, according to the various use or force of the particle admit a threefold acception. They may (1.) denote abfolutely the intenseness in degree, or extenfion in kind, of the performance required in this precept: πάσῃ φυλακῇ τήρει σὴν xapdíav, Omni cuftodia ferva cor tuum; keep thy heart with all cuftody; that is, with all forts or with all degrees of care and diligence; fo the LXX. Interpreters, and the vulgar Latin following them, render those words. They may, (2.) taking the particle for a Mem excellentiæ, as they call it, fignifying comparatively, præ omni cuftodia ferva cor tuum; keep thy heart above all keeping; that is, especially and more than thou keepest any other thing; fo doth Pagnin understand them, not without cause, both for the reason subjoined here, because from it are the issues of life; that is, because it is the principal part and fountain of all vital operations, and therefore deserveth the best cuftody; as alfo for that in what follows, and in

SERM. other places of Scripture frequently, we are enjoined to XLIV. keep our tongues from bad difcourfe, our eyes from wandering after bad objects, our feet from declining to bad courses; and therefore probably in comparison to these, although needful and inferior cuftodies, we are admonished to this most especially incumbent cuftody of our hearts. They may also, (3.) and that probably enough, be taken fo as to denote the universality of the object, or matter of this keeping, or the adequate term and bound thereof; keep thy heart, and wavтòs quλáyμatos, ab omni re cuftodienda, from every thing which it fhould be kept from; that is, from every thing offenfive or hurtful to it: fo did Aquila and Theodotion tranflate the words. These fenfes are all of them good, and each may fairly pretend to find place in the meaning of the words; which of them with most likelihood I shall not discuss, meaning only to infist upon the fubftance of the precept; the nature of which being duly confidered, will infer that it is to be observed according to the manner and measure prescribed, understood according to any of those fenfes, or according to all of them conjointly.

22.

1 Pct. iii. 4.

As for the meaning of the words, Keep thy heart, two inquiries may be made: 1. What the heart is, which Solomon adviseth us to keep: 2. What to keep it doth import.

To the first I anfwer, that in the ftyle of Scripture the heart doth commonly import the whole inward man, the Rom. vii. óow avрwños, the man within us, as St. Paul speaketh, the ὁ κρυπτὸς τῆς καρδίας ἄνθρωπος, the hidden man of the heart, as St. Peter calleth it, comprehending all the thoughts and imaginations, all the inclinations and difpofitions, all the judgments and opinions, all the paffions and affections, all the refolutions and purposes formed within us; in fhort, all interior, whether tendencies to move, or actual motions of human foul. For the Scripture (by the way we may obferve it) seemeth to favour that anciently most common and current opinion, (embraced by Aristotle himself, even as true in strict philofophy, although rejected by most of the latter schools,) that the heart, that material

part and principal entrail of our body, is the chief feat of SERM the foul, and immediate inftrument of its nobleft opera- XLIV. tions. However, because the heart in a man's breaft is most inwardly feated, moft fecluded from fight, guarded from accefs, fenced from danger, thence whatever is inmoft, most invifible, moft inacceffible in any thing, is called the heart thereof; and all a man's fecret thoughts, inclinations, opinions, affections, designs, are involved in this name; fometimes all, or divers of them conjunctly, are called his heart; sometimes any one of them fingly (as there is fubject or occafion of using the word) is fo termed: inftances in every kind are innumerably many, and very obvious; and therefore I fhall not spend time in producing any; but shall suppose that here the word may be understood in its utmoft extent, fo as to comprehend all the particulars intimated; there being no apparent reafon for preferring or excluding any; all of them being capable of moral quality, both fimply and immediately in themselves, and confequentially as they may be the principles of good or bad actions; and because all of them may be, need to be, ought to be, the objects of the keeping here enjoined.

But then what is this keeping? I answer, that the word, as applied to this matter, is especially capable of three fenfes, each of which may be exemplified.

26.

1. It may imply to obferve, that is, to keep it under a conftant view, as it were; to mark or attend unto, to inquire into and study our heart. So, My Son, faith the Prov. xxiii. Wife Man, give me thy heart, and let thine eyes keep (or obferve) my ways: the fame word which here, is there used, both in the Hebrew and Greek, and can there well fignify no other cuftody but that of attending unto; it being the office of the eye only to look and observe. Likewise, Obferve, faith God in the Law, and hear all Deut. xii. thefe words which I command thee; that is, hear them 28. very attentively: and fo in divers other places.

2. It may alfo denote the governance or good management of our hearts, keeping all the motions thereof in due order, within fit compass, applying them to good, and

1.

SERM. reftraining them from bad things: fo the Pfalmift ufeth XLIV. the word, when he faith, I will keep my mouth with a Pfal. xxxix. bridle; that is, I will fo rule and curb it, that no evil language fhall iffue from it: fo when the Wife Man adviseth Eccl. v. 1. to keep our foot when we go to the house of God; by keeping it, he means rightly to guide and order our proceedings, or well to difpofe ourselves when we address ourProv. xxvii. felves to religious performances: fo again, He, faith he, that keepeth the fig-tree, fhall eat the fruit thereof; he that keepeth it, that is, he that dreffeth and ordereth it to advantage for bearing fruit.

18.

3. Again, keeping may be taken for preserving, guarding, fecuring from mischief or damage; which indeed is the most common use of the word, and therefore we need no inftancing to countenance it.

Now any of these senses may be intended here, or all of them together; and they indeed are in the nature of the thing fo coherent, or fo mutually dependent one on the other, that any one of them can hardly be practifed without the reft: for without heedfully obferving our heart, we cannot well govern it; and an ill governed heart cannot easily be attended to; and without both watchful obfervation and skilful management of it, we cannot guard it from evil; and reciprocally, without guarding it, we cannot well rule it, or duly mind it: fuch a complication there is in practice of these three cuftodies.

I fhall at present only discourse concerning the first of them, which seems in the nature of things, and according to our method of acting, to precede. According to this expofition, when it is faid, Keep thy heart with all diligence, we may understand it as if each of us were thus advised: With a most constant and wary care obferve all the interior propenfions and motions of thy foul; whatever is done or defigned within thee, whither thy defires lean, what thy affections are stirred by, to what thy judgment of things doth lead thee; with greatest attention and affiduity mark and ponder it.

It is a peculiar excellency of human nature, which feemeth more to distinguish a man from any inferior rank