our thoughts the better when we have more liberty for the World How inconsiderable soever this Rule may seem to any yet I doubt not but a great part of the vanity and evil of our Thoughts and Imaginations is owing to a careless and remiss observation of the Lords-day Neither can I think that that glorious Promise any more than the Morality of the fourth Commandment is stinted to the Jewish oeconomy alone tho' it may primarily concern that Isa 58. 13 14. If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath from doing thy pleasure on my holy day and call the sabbath a delight the holy of the Lord honourable and shalt honour him not doing thine owne ways nor finding thine own pleasure nor speaking thine own words Then shalt thou delight thy self in the Lord and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy Father for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it Being watchful over our selves when we are alone is another Rule which we are to observe in order to the well governing of our Thoughts in general Solitude is a season when our Thoughts are very apt to rove and then to light upon ill objects When a Man is by himself he is not secure from his spiritual enemies and with respect to the multitude of vain and evil Thoughts that Then are apt to come into his Mind it may be truly said of him Nunquam minus solus quam cum solus Upon which account it was that the Devil chose that opportunity to tempt our Saviour when he was in the wilderness alone Because he well knew that at such a time as that the Mind of Man being at leisure his Thoughts will be more relaxed and wandring and so more easy to be won by his suggestions and to comply with his Temptations A Monastick Life doth not secure a Man from evil Thoughts but in some sort makes him the more obnoxious to them The Devil will pay his unwelcome visits to us in our Privacy as well as in Conversation And the Hermite in his Cell hath as much reason to look well to his thoughts as he that is in the Croud of this World And Therefore I take it to be very advisable that at any time when we are alone we suffer not our thoughts to scatter and flie at random for unhappy conjunctions oftentimes prove the consequence of such erratical motions but to confine them to some certain bounds and determinate subjects Such as the Power or Goodness of Almighty God or the like which will sweetly imploy our thoughts and refresh our minds And the more profitably to think on any such subject we may when we are alone likewise think on our own sinfulness be judging our selves confessing our sins and laying open our hearts before God which will make the goodness of God more illustrious and admirable and also keep us from being assaulted with any dreadful and terrifying thoughts with any filthy and profligate thoughts and our hearts from being deadn'd and stupify'd with Mopishness and drowsiness c. which at such a time we are more especially prone to Again In the next place let us be very careful to entertain the good motions of God's Holy Spirit to obey his Heavenly Inspirations to bowe to his sacred suggestions when at any time we are blessed therewith Every good thought should be made well-come and cherish'd and improv'd by us and by that means we shall not only avoid evil thoughts but in time arrive at an happy temper and habit of good thoughts which is one of the most desirable things in the world and most of all prepares the Soul for the purity and ravishment of the Contemplation of God and the Joys of Heaven Let us therefore always improve every good thought or motion that comes into our Minds and entertain it as an Embassy from God as a spark of the Celestial fire And let us diligently attend and listen to the counsels and monitions of our own Consciences by no means resist their checks or stifle their Advertisments To draw to a Conclusion of this Chapter If we would attain to this great Thing viz. the due government of our Thoughts let us be careful to preserve our selves innocent and harmless to do no hurt or evil at any time willingly Let us make Religion and the Fear of God our Business Let us make use of God's wonderful Works both of Mercy and Judgment which at any time occur in the World seasoning our Hearts with an Holy Meditation of them There are a great many more excellent Rules in order to the Well-governing our Thoughts As applying our selves to our proper Teachers and Spiritual Guides for comfort and Assistance when our Hearts are oppressed with wicked Thoughts or prevailing corruptions Avoiding unwarrantable Curiosities and prying into hidden Mysteries and unnecessary Speculations Contentment Temperance Humility Trust and Affiance in God and abundance more which are in that large field of Discourse which such a subject as this affords and which if I should enlarge upon as I have done on the former Heads would swell this Treatise into a much bigger Book than I design'd it I shall therefore content my self and the Reader with these Principal Rules and Directions for the well-governing of the Thoughts in general which have been treated of in the fore-going Pages Which well put in practice will I doubt not by the blessing of Almighty God prove in a great measure effectual to the end design'd And that if we not slightly and indifferently but closely and in earnest apply our selves to them we shall thereby prevent Evil Thoughts and attain that happy and desirable Government over our selves which either sloth or ignorance makes some Men think to be Eutopian and impossible Only adding this one particular more which must by no means be pass'd over and that is The deep and serious consideration of the last Dreadful Judgment Consider seriously with your selves then That there is a day a coming when not only all the Actions and more known passages of our Lives but even our most Private and Retired Thoughts shall be accounted for When God shall judge the Secrets of Men by Christ Jesus Tho' Men cannot see our Thoughts yet an All-knowing God can and doth and will assuredly judge us for them In that day when these that have labour'd to approve themselves unto God by an Internal purity and sincere Obedience not regarding the eye of the World or the silly applauses of mortal Men but the favour of God and Conscience of their duty shall be crown'd with eternal honours and all their secret Piety be rewarded openly And these that have hypocritically carried a fair outside and pass'd for civil honest moral Men whilst their inward parts were very wickedness and their Hearts full of all uncleanness shall be laid open and expos'd to the shame of all the World and they banish'd from the presence of
repented and there is an entire change wrought upon him then he may hope for the light of GOD's countenance to shine upon him and that he will comfort him now after the time that he hath plagued him and for the years wherein he hath suffered adversity But if upon a serious and deep Examination of himself he cannot find that these sad and frightful Thoughts which infest him proceed from any such cause as some wilful and notorious sin but that the sincere and earnest desire of his Soul is always to please God and to keep a true conformity to all his Laws and Commands Then Secondly The next Remedy against these black and despairing Thoughts is the consideration of the transcendent goodness of GOD. This is a proper means to fortify our Minds against them Why shall I think that I am cast off of GOD and forsaken of him what argument can there be for desperation why is my Heart so dismal my Thoughts so troubled my Fears so tempestuous Is it because I am a great Sinner Truly that is a sufficient cause for me to be sorrowful and humbled to the very dust and floods of tears are not enough to bewail the guilt of my sin But yet O consider the goodness of GOD He is the most loving and merciful Being a compassionate and forgiving Father He is more our Father than our Earthly Parents can be He is essentially good in Himself and good and gracious to his Creatures He is ready and willing to receive every penitent Sâ—nner be his sins never so great nay he lovingly invites him to come to him And this is a Consideration which should be a means to make thee grieve with such a Sorrow as will bring thee to him and not drive thee from him such a Sorrow as may prompt thee to the performance of all that thou knowest to be thy duty and not such a Sorrow as totally incapacitates thee for it and so is both a dishonour to GOD and a very great injury to thy own Soul And therefore thou hast all imaginable reason to thrust out all black dismal or despairing Thoughts Cast thine Eyes abroad into the World See! This noble Structure was the effect of God's goodness and all the Beauties and Riches of it bespeak his Kindness and Benignity Behold this ample Theatre of Praise wherein every thing shews forth his goodness And then look in upon thy self and thou wilt find thy own self another World of the Divine Goodness What instances of God's Goodness canst thou discover in thy self what particulars of his Patience and numerous Acts of his loving Kindness This therefore in the third place is also another Consideration which would be a proper Remedy against this kind of evil thoughts before us Consider then your own Experiences of God's Goodness When thou art at any time haunted with any dreadful killing despairing Thoughts as if thou wert reprobated of God and consign'd to eternal Damnation call to mind how much of the forbearance and Bounty and goodness of God thou hast experimented and then thou wilt see how little reason thou hast to yield to such Confounding Thoughts Nay he doth not only spare thee and extend his Patience towards thee but is multiplying his other Mercies upon thee and so gives thee all the convincing proofs that can be that he desireth not the death of any Sinner but is the great lover of Souls and Would have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth How many dangers and evils hath he delivered thee from nay hath he not delivered thee from hurting thy own self and by some strange Providence or other baffl'd thy wicked Intentions In a word what large Experience hast thou had of the Goodness of God both to thy Soul and Body How then canst thou be tempted to think that God hath rejected thee when thou feelest irrefragable arguments to the contrary in thy self when thou tastest and seest and hast Demonstration how good and how gracious the Lord is No it is the Devil's Suggestion to torment and disquiet thee For he will not fail to persecute these whom he cannot kill and terrify those whom he is not able to destroy 'T is the Stratagem of the accursed Enemy of our peace who takes advantage perhaps of the weakness and tenderness of thy Spirits caus'd by some Bodily Indisposition or other to inject dreadful Thoughts representing Almighty GOD as an implacable Judge endeavouring to make him seem the same to us that he is to himself We are not ignorant of his Devices and of his restless malice If those poor Creatures who are afflicted with this kind of evil Thoughts could but be brought to entertain this Consideration viz. what Experience they have had of the Goodness of the Lord and argue as this particular teacheth them they would 't is hop'd find much ease and relief and be convinc'd that their desponding Thoughts are very absurd and unreasonable and moreover a Dishonour and a Reflection upon the Divine goodness Art thou at any time afflicted with any melancholy dismal or despairing Thoughts As a Remedy against them consider on the Mystery of Man's Redemption by Christ JESVS And there thou wilt find such arguments against Thoughts of this Nature as should one would think be able entirely to subdue and conquer them How great how incomprehensible is that Goodness that not only gave a being to the World and enrich'd all Creatures with his Beneficence but sent down the Eternal Son of God to redeem undone Man who can form a Thought worthy of such Goodness O Christians think with your utmost Intention how great the Dignity of that Person is who was our Saviour And then think seriously on what he did to redeem us What Tongue can express or Mind conceive the agonies that he endured when he became the Propitiation and Attonement The wrath that lay upon him when he interpos'd between an angry God and sinful Man Hâ—s sufferings were vastly above the reach of our Thoughts and our Ideas of his Sorrow are all faint and imperfect Good God! How can we chuse but stand amaz'd at the great Mystery of Man's Salvation admire the contrivance of the infinite Wisdom therein and adore the Divine Philanthropy Who can despair of Mercy from him who hath given us his Own Son How can we think he will reject us for ever when he spared not his Own Son for us In the circumstances that we are under the Gospel Presumption is an evil to which methinks we should be more probably tempted than despair tho' both of them are most unreasonable and abominable Because such Illustrious Goodness such unparalell'd Mercy is display'd in this Evangelical oeconomy such Peace on Earth and good will towards Men as is enough for ever to silence all the sad Complaints of desponding Sinners and to comfort and encourage the most guilty Soul to true and unfeigned Repentance When the Devil therefore at any
refines and purifies the Soul to the utmost will not allow Men in a loose or an Evil Thought much less grant them Indulgences for all manner of Lewdness and dispence with such things as are not fit to be named among Christians But it 's only Design and Intention is to make Men like Angels and the pure Celestial Spirits and qualify them for their Society and Happiness to everlasting Ages This plainly shews us the excellency of the Christian Religion above any other Institution in the World powerfully recommends it to our choice and convinceth us of the necessity of being good and holy if we would be eternally happy and of the great importance of our serious and Religious Application and Improvement of these words of the eternal Son of GOD For out of the Heart proceed Evil Thoughts I conclude with that apposite Advice of the holy Apostle St. Paul Finally Brethren whatsoever things are true whatsoever things are honest whatsoever things are just whatsoever things are pure whatsoever things are lovely whatsoever things are of good report if there be any vertue and if there be any praise think on these things FINIS THE PRAYER FOR A Melancholy Person O Eternal most gracious most holy Lord God! Thou Father of Lights and Fountain of Good Thou art infinitely and essentially happy and blessed in thy self and diffusest the beams of thy Favour and Goodness throughout the whole World I am a Monument of thy Mercy and Forbearance and when I consider what I have been and done I cannot but wonder at thy loving Kindness O Lord I lye prostrate at the Throne of Grace in an humble sence and acknowledgment of my own vileness and in a sorrowful confession of my Sins which have been exceeding many and grievously provoking I have deserved Eternal punishment and horrour and therefore do not repine at my present Affliction Why should a living man complain a Man for the punishment of his sin But O Lord thou art our FATHER and to whom should we lay open our wants but to a Father Look therefore upon my affliction and misery and forgive me all my sins Thy hand is heavy upon me day and night and my moisture is like the drought in summer My heart also in the midst of my Body is even like melting wax I am cast down O Lord I am beset with fears and terrours encompassed about with thick clouds of sadness But yet I hope to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living Lord sanctify this great affliction to me And let not any of the Devil's temptations prevail with me to let go my hope in Christ. Grant me I beseech thee trust and affiance in thy Mercy and let me not make Sin my refuge or seek comfort and redress from any indirect means But patiently wait on thee O GOD who alone bringest down and raisest up who killest and makest alive O Lord be pleas'd to pardon and forgive me all my sins and to heal all my Bodily weaknesses and infirmities and to quiet and compose my Spirits O Lord speak peace unto me thy servant give thy servant the Blessing of peace Thou searchest me out and knowest me Thou understandest my thoughts long before Thou art about my path and about my bed and seest in what sadness I pass the day and the night O Lord send down the Holy-ghost the Comforter to enlighten and comfort my poor Soul and to sanctify and hallow all the faculties and powers thereof Cleanse it of all prophane impure revengeful wandring or desponding Thoughts and all other evil Imaginations and let not my Heart be inclined to any evil thine Vouchsafe I beseech thee O Lord to direct sanctify and govern both my Heart and Body in the ways of thy Laws and in the Works of thy Commandments that among all the changes and chances of this mortal Life I may ever be defended by thy most gracious and ready help And O Lord God Almighty unto whom all Hearts be open all desires known and from whom no secrets are hid cleanse the Thoughts of my Heart by the Inspiration of the Holy Spirit that I may perfectly love thee and worthily magnify thy holy Name Thou seest O Lord that I have no power of my self to help my self keep me therefore both outwardly in my body and inwardly in my Soul that I may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the Body and from all Evil Thoughts which may assault and hurt the Soul And at last bring me to that blessed state where I shall serve love and worship thee without fear or distraction and be out of the reach of all my Spiritual Enemies and enjoy consummate tranquillity and bliss And all I most humbly and earnestly beg in and through the meritorious Agonies and Death of Jesus Christ our only Lord and Saviour Amen Our Father c. Books printed for and sold by Charles Yeo John Pearce and Philip Bishop Booksellers in Exon. A Sermon preached in the Cathedral Church of St. Peter in Exon April 4. 1697. being Easter-day and Assize Sunday By William Chilcot M. A. Select Hymns each fitted to two Tunes to be sung in Churches The Beauty of Holiness or A short Defence and Vindication of the pious Decency Regularity and Order of Reading the Communion-Service at the Communion-Table offered to a dissatify'd Neighbour from his Minister A Form of Prayer for Married Persons for the most part taken out of the Liturgy In the PRESS DAnmonii Orientales Illustres or The Worthies of Devon Printed by way of Subscription price in Sheets Sixteen Shillings and Six pence the first Payment eight Shillings All Gentlemen that are willing to take the Advantage by Subscribing are desired to send in their first payment with all speed to the Undertakers Charles Yeo John Pearce and Philip Bishop Prov. 16. 32. V. 2. Mark 7. 11 12. Mat. 13. 31. Jam. 1. 13 14 15. Rom. 6. 12. Mat. 26. 70 72 74. Isa 1. 11. Psal 139. Psal 108. 1. Mat. 25. 1. Rom. 8. 21. Isa 48. â— 1 Pet. 2. 11. Psal 51. 6. Rom. 7. 24. Psal 51. 10. Acts 2. 3. Exod. 12. Mat. 4. James 4. 7. Gen. 32. 24. James 5. 16. Prov. 24. 30 30. Mat. 26. 41. Psal 19. 1. 1 Cor. 11. 33. Ephes 4. 29. Psal 119. Mat. 18. 8. Jer. 4. 14. 2 Pet. 3. 12. Acts 2. 20. Mat. 24. 29. Mat. 4. â— Rom. 2. 16. * A Crest is a Dagger Psal 119. 105. 1 Joh. 2. 15. Job 2. 9. Mat. 4. 10. Ver. 11. Phil. 2. 10. Mat. 11. 28. James 1. 5. Mat. 8. 2. Mat. 17. 21. Mat. 16. 24. 1 Cor. 9. 25 c. Gen. 34. 1 2. 1 Sam. 11. 2. Gen. 39. 9. Mat. 12. 44. 1 Joh. 3. 3. Psal 24. 4. Mat. 5. 8. Mat. 5. 44. 1 Pet. 5. 5. 1 Joh. 8. v. 16. Mat. 5. 23. Eccles 5. 1 2. 1 Sam. 2. 30. Exod. 3. 5. Gen. 28. 12 16. Col. 3. 5. Matth. 6. 31 c. Matt. 21. 12 13 c. Luke 10. 40. Matth. 6. 5. Matt. 13. Luke 15. Matt. 11. 28. 1 Tim. 2. 4. 2 Cor. 2. 11. Luke 2. 14. Rom. 4. 25. Matt. 11. John 3. 16. 1 Pet. 5. 8. James 5. 13. Psal 50. 15. Psal 42. ult Psal 73. 1 Tim. 6. 9 10. 1 Sam. 16. 23. Eccles 12. 11. Hos 6. 6. Jam. 1. 25. Ephes 4. 30. Gal. 4. 9. Gal. 3. 24. Deut. 4. 11. Phil. 4. 8. c.
fighting with them as long as we live 'T is impossible I think that we should be totally free'd from them in this fluid Medium in this state of frailty and corruption that the Mind should be quite cleansed of these annoyances But yet we are to consider that our Life is a continual warfare and our condition here a state of imperfection and that therefore we are not to despair as if we had done no good because we have not attain'd to what this Life cannot afford But to comfort our selves with this viz. that if in Obedience to God's Commands we maintain the Combat and fight against them and use such Remedies as are prescrib'd God will accept of our Endeavours pass by our Infirmities and grant us at last a Compleat Victory in Heaven above which alone is CONSVMMATION Where we shall be free from bodily weaknesses which many times greatly administer to such and indeed I think to most other Evil thoughts and from all the feeblenesses and impotencies of the Mind From all vain and enticing Objects from without and from all the treachery of Corruption from within From every wanton Glance every vain Imagination and every idle Thought CHAP. IX WE are now come to the last kind of evil Thoughts which I shall more particularly handle in this Treatise viz. Sad melancholy or despairing Thoughts And in order to our taking a true observation of these and applying proper Remedies against them we are to take notice That the occasion of these Thoughts is partly in the habit and constitution of the Body This is undeniable to any Person that hath made but the least Observation in things of this nature For these Persons who are most of all troubled with this kind of Evil Thoughts for such they are to be reckon'd are hypochondriacal and hysterical People and whose Constitution is impaired by some bodily Disease and therefore the Remedies against them must be partly Natural and partly Spiritual But yet I hope I shall not be thought to trespass if I happen to speak a word or two of the former Dea bona valetudo Health is the greatest of Temporal Mercies and that without which we can but weakly prosecute our Spiritual concerns 'T is the Soul of Life and as we can never be too thankful to God for it so every act of Excess whereby it is impair'd is a greater sin than Men are aware Because 't is the great advantage of Health and Vigour of Body that it renders us capable of serving God and of duly preparing our selves for the eternal enjoyment of him Every Disease hath an influence upon the Soul and the indispositions of the Body do and will affect the Mind notwithstanding all the Dreams of the Stoicks But of all the diseases incident to Humane Bodies that of Melancholy deserves most to be pitied It should not be slighted with the reproachful names of Whimsey and mere Fancy 'T is a great injury done to Persons who are affected with it to disregard their complaints and laugh at their Miferies Tho' they should not indulge them yet some pity is due to them Did they but know the woe and anguish the terrour and amazement that they endure could they but be sensible of half their misery they could not chuse but pity them An Hypochondriacal or Hysterical Person that is deeply affected with the disease is an Object that as well deserves compassion as any other whatsoever And if I should endeavour to give you an adequate description of that Malady 't would fill a Volume What an infinite variety of evil Thoughts of all kinds are the effects of it which being in a great measure owing to the Disease the hurry of the Imaginations following that of the Animal Spirits There are some Natural Remedies to be made use of For which I must leave you to the Learned in Nature who will tell you that very much depends upon Observation and Exercise That to be morigerous and moderate in eating and drinking and to be much in bodily exercise but not violent is most proper advice If a Person hath but the vertue to be regular in his way of Living and the patience to continue bodily exercise he doth a great deal towards making his Life more easy and his thoughts more comfortable For every thing that tends to make the Blood and Spirits lively regular and vigorous tends to dispel the blackness and heaviness of the Thoughts Which therefore whoever is so unhappy as to be afflicted with Melancholy must study he must I say apply himself to the use of such things as tend to cherish his Blood and exalt his Spirits To which all vicious extremes are directly contrary The Learned Physicians will also tell you That none are more voracious of Medicines than melancholy Persons but that their desire in that is no more to be indulg'd than in many other things and that there may be too much as well as too little But I am gone too far this way I would only have it observ'd That sad melancholy and even despairing Thoughts are sometimes the consequences of this disease for such it is as much as a Fever or any other And therefore the Pysician must be consulted But altho' the Infirmities of the Body do very much conduce to such Thoughts as these yet we should be mindful that there is the hand of GOD in them too And not so to lay the blame upon Natural Indisposition as to have no other Thoughts about it We may not think that this case is purely Physical and that therefore there is no need of any Spiritual Remedies For there is The first of which that I conceive to be proper is a strict and faithful Ezamination of our own selves We must call Our-selves to an account search into our own Hearts and Lives and-see what we have been and done And perhaps we may find some great and wilful Sin that we have been guilty of or some wrong or injustice that we continue in which happens to be the cause of all our blackness and sadness And these dismall Thoughts which so affright us are no other than the checks of our own Conscience which is a faithful Monitor and Adviser and impartially censures and judges all our Actions The Good that we do it approves of commends and applauds in us But no wilful sin can escape its lashes and bitter reproaches It s authority is an Emblem of the Almighty's Power and Omniscience and its Sentence Praejudicium ultimi judicii It will in spight of the Sinner set his sins in order before him and fill him with horrour and trembling and fearful Thoughts which if they arise from hence there is no remedy but Repentance Nothing but the Tears of a Godly Sorrow can ease his heavy Heart And renewed resolutions of watchfulness and a more diligent Obedience for the time to come are the best expedient to remove the blackness and sadness that is upon his Soul And when the Sinner hath truly
must be careful that we do not love the World immoderately For how remote soever Covetousness may seem from Despair the former doth frequently conduce to the latter He that sets too great a value upon the things of this World and a Temporal Prosperity will not only be greatly hindred from doing his Spiritual Duty but when it pleaseth God to deprive him of his prosperity he is very apt to be extremely disquieted and repining and sometimes to look upon himself as utterly forsaken of God because he is strip'd of these outward things He mistakenly looks upon Temporal good things to be certain marks of God's favour whereas in truth they are not but he sometimes deals them promiscuously as the rain descends both upon the just and the unjust And what is the likely consequence of such an enormous love of the World if I say it should please God to bring such an one into adversity but that he should have dismal and even despairing Thoughts of his own condition There have been frequent examples of this nature in the World And thus far have these words of the Apostle been verify'd But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and hurt-sinful lusts which drown men in perdition For the love of money is the root of all evil which while some have coveted after they have erred from the Faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows Let us not therefore set our affections too much upon these fleeting things Let us enjoy every good thing with submission to and dependance upon God's Providence Let us beware that we do not fix our Hearts on any thing here below neither Riches Possessions Friends Children nor any of these sublunary things For so doing hath oftentimes proved very fatal to many and at last hath thrown them into Melancholy nay even into Desperation The last Remedy against black dreadful or despairing Thoughts is Religiuus and Cheerful Conversation 'T is not jolly vain Company that will be of no use but hurt but godly and cheerful Society will very much contribute to their cure To be always poreing aggravates the Malady and rivets the Despair and sometimes proves fatal indeed And therefore a little good Conversation is very necessary Religious Discourses and Conferences will keep out worse Thoughts and conduce very much to make us rejoyce with them that do rejoyce There is a kind of Melody in them which like that of David's Harp when he play'd to Saul will drive away the evil Spirit 'T is a common thing for such persons as are troubled with this kind of thoughts to affect solitude and desire to be always alone and immur'd in their own sad contemplations But notwithstanding the strongest aversions to Company which they may have 't is advisable that against their Inclinations they be brought in to good and cheerful Conversation and that not once or twice but with Continuance And this is a proper way in time to be rid of such evil Thoughts For the Devil's Temptations and Injections especially of this kind are usually more prevalent and come with greater force when people are alone than when they are in Society And then too they are apt to dote upon their own Notions of things hug their mistakes and think them true however false and erroneous they may be A Religious and Cheerful Friend therefore I take in this case to be of great advantage to comfort advise divert and improve them in better things And more especially do I recommend the frequent Conversation of their Spiritual Guide For it is not to be imagined what efficacy a seasonable Word hath sometimes and what a sweet alteration it causes in disconsolate People It goeth like oyl into their bones or else to use the Preacher's comparison The words of the wise are as goads and as nails fastned by the Masters of assemblies Good conversation strengthens and exhilarates the Spirits to a great degree and is a very proper means against all sad and melancholy or despairing Thoughts And indeed I think Religion is that which goes a great way towards the cure of Melancholy And without it 't is hardly ever to be cur'd 'T is Religion must give a Man a rational and a well-grounded hope of the security of his eternal condition hereafter without which 't is difficult to imagine how his heart should ever be easy and his Thoughts serene quiet and compos'd And therefore he that would avoid this kind of evil Thoughts I exhort and advise him first to fix the grand Point of Religion in himself and then to cherish and improve it by cheerful and Religious Conversation But in doing this we must not think that we can be always imploy'd in Religion that we can have our Thoughts stretch'd up always to such a pitch to be continually engag'd in the duties of Devotion and be thinking that we cannot please God without it For we have Bodies as well as Souls We are Men and not Angels And therefore tho' we should do our utmost and with all imaginable sincecerity yet we should not lay too great a load upon our Spirits for that may be the way instead of preventing to bring on sad and melancholy Thoughts And 't is what Almighty God no where requires of us Who will have mercy and not sacrifice and intended his Service for perfect freedom and Religion for a Law of liberty I have now done with this last kind of evil thoughts viz. sad melancholy or despairing Thoughts And the Rules which have been laid down for the well-governing the Thoughts in general and for the avoiding this sort and these other kinds of evil Thoughts discours'd of in this Treatise duly observ'd will by God's Blessing have some good effect But as an Appendix to this Chapter I shall endeavour to explain to you what is the sin against the Holy-Ghost Because the fear that they have committed this Vnpardonable Sin hath horribly perplex'd and terrify'd the Thoughts of many dejected Christians even almost to Desperation Now every Sin is indeed a Sin against the Holy-Ghost and some are grievances of him And therefore we are exhorted not to Grieve the holy Spirit of God But THE SIN against the Holy-Ghost which is pronounced by our Lord Jesus himself to be unpardonable in this World and in the World to come is called also Blasphemy against the Holy-Ghost by the Evangelists In Matth. 12. 31 32. the words are these Wherefore I say unto you that all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven i. e. is capable of being forgiven but the Blasphemy against the Holy-Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men And whosoever speaketh a word against the son of Man it shall be forgiven him but whosoever speaketh against the Holy-Ghost it shall not be forgiven neither in this world nor in the world to come In Mark 3. 28. c. it is thus express'd Verily I say un-unto you All fins shall be