RESOLUTION III.

I am resolved, by the grace of God, to be as fearful to let in vain, as careful to keep out sinful, thoughts.

I DO not look upon vain thoughts as only tending to sin, but as in themselves sinful; for that which makes sin to be sin, is the want of conformity to the will of God; and that vain thoughts are not conformable and agreeable to the divine will, appears, in that God himself, by the mouth of his royal prophet, expressly saith, ‘I hate vain thoughts.’¹⁶⁴¹⁶⁴   Psal. cxix. 113. Again, vain thoughts are therefore sinful, because they have in them nothing that can denominate them good: for, as in a moral sense, there is never a particular individual act, so neither is there any particular thought, but what is either good or bad, in some respect or other. There is not a moment of my life, but it is my duty either to be thinking, or speaking, or doing good; so that whensoever I am not thus employed, I come short or my duty, and by consequence, am guilty of sin.

But what are these vain thoughts, I am thus resolving against? Why all wanderings and distraction in prayer, or hearing the word of God; all useless, trifling, and impertinent thoughts, that do 132not belong to, nor further the work I am about, the grand affair of my salvation, may properly be called vain thoughts. And, alas! what swarms of these are continually crowding into my heart? How have I thought away whole hours together, about I know not what chimeras, whereof one scarce ever depends upon another: sometimes entertaining myself with the pleasure. of sense, as eating and drinking, and such like earthly enjoyments; sometimes building castles in the air, and climbing up to the pinnacle of wealth and honour, which I am not half way got up to, but down I fall again into a fool’s paradise?

Or, if I chance, at any time, to think a good while upon one thing, it is just to as much purpose as the man’s thoughts were, which I have sometimes heard of and smiled at, who having an egg in his hand, by a sort of chimerical climax, improved it into an estate; but while he was thus pleasing himself with these imaginary products, down drops the egg, and all his hens, and cattle, and house, and lands, that he had raised from it, vanished in the fall. These, and such like, are vain thoughts, that I must, for the future, endeavour to avoid; and though it will be impossible for me wholly to prevent their first entering into my mind, yet I resolve, by the grace of God, not to harbour or dwell upon, or delight myself with them. And then notwithstanding they are, in some sense, sinful, yet they will not be imputed to me as such, provided I use my utmost endeavours to avoid them. Which that I may be the better able to do,