our actions, but of the motives of our actions; and such a government of the thoughts, as is most likely to conduce to a moral, and religious life.

I shall, therefore, endeavour to enforce such valuable doctrine, and to unfold the principles on which it is founded.

The intimate connection between our ideas, and our actions, is such, that, as often as the moment comes for doing, or for abstaining, every previous thought which has been harboured in the understanding rushes in, and exercises a share of influence/ in the decision.The pleasing pictures of sino we have drawn, in the absence of temptation, dazzle us, in its presence, with amore brilliant colouring, become more vivid, more artful, and more resistless; when the moment arrives for actual gratifi-s cation, we do not forget the gratification we have enjoyed, by anticipation, when conscience should rise up in all its terrors; we cannot exclude from our minds all the previous sophistry with which it has been dis armed, when the terror of God should!

alarm us; by this vicious indulgence of our thoughts we have lessened our sense of his vigilance, buoyed up our spirits with the fallacious promise of future repentance, or cast from us, altogether, the shackles, and bondage of religion. It is no wonder that men should so often yield to temptation, when they trust to the casual virtue of the moment, and bring to the contest, feelings which have never been subjected to a single instant of discipline, and controul :+When they abolish every out-post, rase every advanced defence, and trust every thing to the strength of the inward fortress alone, Virtue, under such a system as this, is not only difficult, it is almost impossible;—it is the result of accident, depending upon circumstances, which he, whom they influence, can neither explain, nor command; it is not that virtue which flows from a trained, and disciplined heart, the effects of which are uniform; and, as far as we may say so of what belongs to our fallen nature, certain. To make virtue easy, we must lay the foundations of it in thought; when the temptation is not present, it is easy to find reasonings against it; and, when it is at

婴

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hand, there are, then, many confirmed opinions, and inveterate aversions, to guard us from its influence: he, who has cautiously excluded from his mind, pictures of vicious gratification, and considered a bad life, rather with respect to the permanent evil it inflicts, than the transient pleasure it affords, will be more likely to see, in real vice, horror, than allurement; he will dwell, rather, on the rewards, than the difficulties of virtue; if he has spurned, even in thought, that worldly good which is purchased by sin, he will, in action, trample it beneath his feet; if he has enjoyed in fancy, the sweet security of an irreproachable life, he will not yield it up to the gold of Ophir; if he has taught himself to shudder at the thought, even of disguised crimes, he will throw open the gates of his soul, and defy the keenest inquisition of the human race; his deeds will be pure as the heavens, lofty as the hills, and clear as the light. On the contrary, most men give the full rein to their thoughts; and, as long as they abstain from the action, liberally indulge in the notion; they never think of stopping till they have inflamed themselves,

with every possible incentive to advance; or, of abstaining till their appetite is sharpened to the keenest edge; keenest edge; they make a perpetual variance between deeds, and desires, aggravate the horror of what must be done, and magnify the importance of what cannot be and this, obtained ;

not to increase, but to diminish the evils of it is done to indemnify ourselves by

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life the luxurious enjoyments of the imagination, for the obstacles pleasures, as if those

opposed to

Jour obstacles which cannot, and which ought not, to be overcome, are not much more intolerable, from their imaginary removal, than they would be from a cheerful acquiescence in the purposes for which they were created; and submission to the wisdom which gave them birth.

mawood edu vlob bar Juge

anos mexted There seems to be, in the apprehension of some men, a sort of cruelty, in extending the empire of religion over the thoughts;-it wears the appearance of vexatious inquisition, which disturbs harmless enjoyment, and the appearance of happiness

punishes the a

Acan

wherever it can be discovered: the fact is so

much the reverse, that if the idea of duty is

VOG

to be admitted at all; if the gospel of Christ is to establish a bad, and a good, in human actions; it could have suggested no other method so effectual, to enforce obedience to its precepts, as the government of the thoughts; because it employs the power of virtue, at a time when opposition to vice is not arduous, or difficult; when temptation is without form, and void; before the dangerous eloquence of the senses has roused the bad passions: instead of creating an additional call upon the energy, and labour of man, it fixes upon him a much lighter burthen, and binds him to a much easier yoke; it opposes him not to vivid perceptions, but to faint anticipations; it arrays him not against the real presence; but the ghost, and shadow of sin; while it gives to virtue inward peace, and outward respect: softening its privations, diminishing its sufferings; and forgetting its toils,-Such are the results of that discipline which we deem oppressive tyranny over the thoughts; such are the salutary pictures, which our natural love of virtue, sheltered from actual temptation, will soon enable us to draw.