of it cannot be made out; at any rate he goes up

on the expedience of it.

But perhaps the thoughts of the worldly man take fome other bad turn.

than covetous.

He is rather ambitious, The vanities of life poffefs him. He is defirous of getting forward above his station. -And a defire of this kind, under proper regulations may be laudable: but in general, thefe worldly defires rarely inhabit a religious heart. Great care must be taken how we encourage them. Search the heart of the ambitious man. Is there any humility in it? Not a grain. Is there any meeknefs in it, refignation, or chriftian charity? Not the leaft resemblance of any fuch virtues.-Is there any gratitude to God for paft kindness? If there be, it is accidental. It is not certainly the growth of the foil. But there is abundance of pride, envy, felf-confequence, and other unfocial vices, which take a firmer rooting no where, than in the heart of an ambitious man.

But perhaps the thoughts of the worldly man are neither covetous, nor ambitious; the great channel of them is pleasure. And this is the ufual way, in which the thoughts of young people are moft guilty. Their minds are never ferious. They are always running on fomething, which un

der

der the form of amusement, diverts reflection.Perhaps their thoughts are still more guilty; and polluted with groffer pleafures.-But to difplay the vifions of these filthy dreamers, would be to open finks of impurity, which are better covered.

Now these are the three great channels, in which the thoughts of worldly men commonly run. They are mifled either by the riches-the honours, and vanities or the pleasures of the world. But befides these there are many-many other wicked thoughts, which poffefs the ill-governed mind. Our thoughts may be malicious-they may be revengeful-they may be fufpicious-they may be envious they may be selfish-they may be felf-conceited-they may be uncharitable-in short, they may be as varioufly wicked, as our actions. But to enter minutely into the examination of all these mazes of guilt, would be to write the hiftory of iniquity. Having

thus pointed out to you the feveral ways, in which our thoughts are commonly moft guilty, let us now fee, as I propofed fecondly, the mifchief which attends them.

In the first place, bad thoughts are the great corrupters of our minds. Our minds confift only

of

1

of thought; fo that when our thoughts are corrupt, our minds are so too. Pure and wholefome food fuftains the body: but if it be unwholesome, it breeds mischief. It is juft fo with the mind. Pure thoughts, fuch as religion dictates, are its wholefome food. They nourish, and improve it. But impure thoughts corrupt it.

Nay, what is more, bad thoughts not only corrupt our minds, but (what you will not perhaps fo readily fee) they may corrupt them more than bad actions. An action is limited-it is confined to time, and place-it may be fudden and unconfidered. But your thoughts are unlimited. They can carry you to any degree of wickednefs. With a glance you can tranfact one crime after another. You can tranfact it in a thousand ways and add every circumftance of wickednefs that can poffibly heighten it. Difficulties are confidered at leifure -feafons-opportunities-means-confequences --every thing, that can forward, or oppose your fchemes; and in this enquiry into a detail of circumstances, the mind becomes familiarised to the crime-much more fo, than in fuch hafty actions, as are committed with little thought and contri

vance.

But

Still farther, when the refolution is formedobferve-when the refolution is formed, the crime is committed. In the fight of God it is committed. Human laws indeed, which cannot reach the heart, require what they call an overt-act -fomething done to juftify punishment. God's laws reach the heart. For instance, human laws confider adultery only when the fact is committed. They can do no more. But our Saviour tells us, that he, who looketh on a woman to luft after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart he hath committed the crime by forming the intention. Under the consciousness of fuch guilt what numbers might be humbled! You have committed no crime. True: but are your thoughts equally innocent? Look into thofe deep receffes. You reprobate the wretch, who hath forfeited his life to the laws of his country for fome fingle tranfgreffion. Be candid: have you never committed a more heinous crime in the fight of God, which a want of refolution only, or a want of opportunity, or perhaps of power, hath left unfinished?—I mean not to extenuate his guilt; but to open your eyes; and fhew you the pollution which bad thoughts introduce into your minds.

But it is not to be fuppofed that bad thoughts will keep within your own minds. They as naturally shoot into words, and aƐtions, as the feed pro: duces fruit. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth fpeaketh: and we are told, that out of the heart proceed, not only evil thoughts; but adulteries, murders, and every wickedness. Who can tell then, when a man gives his thoughts a liberty to wanton at large in vice, how foon he may carry his wickedness to the greatest height. Wicked actions are only wicked thoughts pushed into maturity. The process of this moral vegetation is perfectly natural. By indulging wicked thoughts, we have often the guilt both of bad thoughts, and bad actions to answer for.

I fhall, on this head, juft mention one thing more. As far as the pollution of your own mind is concerned, I have fhewn you, that bad thoughts indulged, are often worse than bad actions. But when your thoughts are let loofe in corrupting others, they have then an additional guilt. People readily catch impurity, and wickednefs-efpecially young people-from each other. Nature cafily learns a bad leffon. Thofe impurities, which occupy the thoughts of one man, if fown on the mind of another, too often find a foil prepared to receive

them.