SERM. other places of Scripture frequently, we are enjoined to XLIV. keep our tongues from bad discourse, 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 univerfality of the object, or matter of this keeping, or the adequate term and bound thereof; keep thy heart, and warròs 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 moft likelihood I fhall not difcufs, meaning only to infift 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 prefcribed, understood according to any of thofe fenfes, or according to all of them conjointly.

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1 Pet. 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 firft I anfwer, that in the ftyle of Scripture the heart doth commonly import the whole inward man, the Rom. vii. ó ěσw ävɔ̃pwños, the man within us, as St. Paul fpeaketh, 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 hunan foul. For the Scripture (by the way we may obferve it) seemeth to favour that anciently most common and current opinion, (embraced by Ariftotle himself, even as true in strict philosophy, 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 moft inwardly feated, moft fecluded from fight, guarded from accefs, fenced from danger, thence whatever is inmost, most invisible, most inacceffible in any thing, is called the heart thereof; and all a man's fecret thoughts, inclinations, opinions, affections, defigns, are involved in this name; fometimes all, or divers of them conjunctly, are called his heart; fometimes 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 utmost 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.

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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 ftudy our heart. So, My Son, faith the Prov. xxiit. Wife Man, give me thy heart, and let thine eyes keep (or obferve) my ways: the fame word which here, is there, ufed, 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

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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 addrefs 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.

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3. Again, keeping may be taken for preserving, guarding, fecuring from mifchief 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 practised without the rest for without heedfully obferving our heart, we cannot well govern it; and an ill governed heart cannot eafily 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 shall at present only difcourfe concerning the first of them, which feems 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 moft conftant 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

of creatures than bare reason itself, that he can reflect upon SERM. all that is done within him, can difcern the tendencies of XLIV. his foul, is acquainted with his own purposes. Some shadows of other rational operations are discoverable in beasts; and it is not easy to convince them, who, from plausible experiments, do affirm them fometimes to fyllogize: but no good reafon or experience can, I fuppofe, make it probable, that they partake of this reflexive faculty; that they do ever regard or remark upon their own imaginations; they seem always to march directly forward with a blind impetuousness toward some pleafing object, without attending to the fancy that guides them, or the appetite which excites them: neither indeed do they seem to need any fuch power in order to the prefervation of their life, or gratifying of their fenfe, which are the main ends they were defigned and fitted for. But man being defigned by his Maker, disposed by the frame of his nature, and obliged by a law impofed on him, not to follow cafual impulfes from exterior objects, nor the bare conduct of his imagination, nor the sway of his natural propenfities; but to regulate as well the internal workings of his foul, as his external actions, according to certain laws or rules. prescribed him, to fettle his thoughts upon due objects, to bend his inclinations into a right frame, to constrain his affections within due bounds, to rectify his judgments of things, to ground his purposes upon honeft reasons, and direct them unto lawful matters: it is needful that he fhould have this power of difcerning whatever moveth or paffeth within him, what he thinks upon, whither he inclines, how he judgeth, whence he is affected, wherefore he doth refolve; without this power he could not be a moral agent, not able to perform any duty, not properly fubject to any law, not liable to render an account of his doings: did he not perceive his own thoughts, how could he dispel them, when they are bad or vain? might he not observe his own inclinations, how could he strive to reftrain them or to reform them, when they draw to unlawful practices? were he not fenfible of his affections, how could he endeavour to reduce or compofe them, when they be

SERM. come exorbitant or tumultuous? were he not conscious of XLIV. his own opinions, how could he weigh and examine them? how could he conform his actions to them, or practise according to the dictates of his confcience? It is therefore plainly needful that man fhould be endued with this power, for that without it he can neither perform the duty required of him, nor enjoy the benefits he is capacified and defigned for: our Maker therefore hath conferred it upon us, our duty confifts in its right ufe, our advantage arifeth from the conftant and careful exercife of this excellent faculty: conftant and careful, I fay: conftant, for obfervation implies fo much; for, if ever we shut our eyes or turn our heads afide, what we look to may be gone; much therefore will pafs away undifcerned and unobferved by us, especially fuch quick and fleeting things as are the interior motions of our foul will efcape; wherefore a continual vigilancy is requifite to a keeper of the heart: it must also be careful; as the keeper of a thing fo nimble and flippery muft not fleep, fo he must not flumber; he muft not be ofcitant, but very intent upon his charge; fuperficial glances upon the outward face, as it were, of the foul, will not fuffice: to obferve, is with earnest care to look through the matter, to difcern whatever lurketh therein, to pierce into the very depth and bottom of it, to fpy through every nook and corner therein; otherwise it is but flightly viewed rather than truly obferved: especially fo fubtile, fo intricate, fo obfcure a thing as a man's heart is, requireth an extraordinary application of mind in obferving it with judgment and fruit.

This is then our duty, recommended by the Wife Man: to be continually, with extreme diligence, looking inward upon ourselves, obferving what thoughts fpring up within us; what imaginations find moft welcome harbour in our breasts; what objects most affect us with delight or difpleasure; (what it is that we love and readily embrace; what we distaste and presently reject ;) what prejudices do poffefs our minds; wherefore we propose to ourselves fuch undertakings, converfing with ourselves, and, as it were, difcourfing in this manner: What is it that I think upon?