109 But, II. There are other kinds of thoughts which we ought to indulge, and with great care and diligence to retain and improve.

Whatever thoughts give the mind a rational or religious pleasure, and tend to improve the heart and understanding, are to be favoured, often recalled, and carefully cultivated: nor fhould we difmifs them, till they have made fome impreffions on the mind, which are like to abide there.

And to bring the mind into a habit of recovering, retaining and improving fuch thoughts, two things are neceffary,

(1.) To habituate ourselves to a close and rational way of thinking. And, (2.) To moral reflections and religious contemplations.

(1.) To prepare and difpofe the mind for the entertainment of good and useful thoughts, we must take care to accustom it to a clofe and rational way of thinking.

When you have started a good thought, pursue it; do not presently lose fight of it; or fuffer any trifling fuggeftion, that may intervene, to divert you from it: difmifs it not till you have fifted and exhausted it; and well confidered the feveral confequences and inferences that refult from it: how

ever, retain not the fubject any longer than you find your thoughts run freely upon it; for to confine them to it when it is quite worn out, is to give them an unnatural bent, without fufficient employment; which will make them flag, or be more apt to run off to fomething elfe.

And to keep the mind intent on the fubject you think of, you must be at some pains to recal and refix your defultory and rambling thoughts: lay open the subject in as many lights and views as it is capable of being reprefented in: clothe your best ideas in pertinent and well-chofen words, deliberately pronounced; or commit them to writing.

Whatever be the fubject, admit of no inferences from it, but what you fee plain and natural: this is the way to furnish the mind with true and folid knowledge; as, on the contrary, falfe knowledge proceeds from not understanding or drawing infeferences from the subject, which may be unnatural; and allowing to those precarious inferences, or confequences drawn from them, the fame degree of credibility as to the most rational and beft eftablished principles. Beware

Beware of a fuperficial, flight or confufed view of things: go to the bottom of them, and examine the foundation; and be fatisfied with none but clear and diftinct ideas (when they can be had) in every thing you read, hear or think of. For refting in imperfect and obfcure ideas, is the fource of much confufion and mistake..

: Accuftom yourself to speak naturally, pertinently and rationally, on all fubjects, and you will foon learn to think fo on the beft; especially if you often converse with those persons who fpeak, and those authors who write, in that manner.

Such a regulation and right management of your thoughts and rational powers, will be of great and general advantage to you, in the pursuit of useful knowledge, and a good guard against the levities and frantic fallies of the imagination: nor will you be fenfible of any disadvantage attending it, except one, to wit, its making you more fenfible of the weakness and ignorance of others, who often talk in a random, inconfequential manner; and whom it may oftentimes be more prudent to bear with, than to contradict. But the vast benefit this method will be of in tracing out truth and detecting error, and the fatisfaction it

will give you in the cool and regular exercifes of felf-employment, and in the retaining, pursuing and improving good and useful thoughts, will more than compenfate that petty disadvantage.

(2.) If we would have the mind furnifhed and entertained with good thoughts, we must inure it to moral and religious fubjects.

It is certain the mind cannot be more nobly and usefully employed than in such kind of contemplations: because the knowledge it thereby acquires, is of all others the most excellent knowledge; and that both in regard of its object and its end; the object of it being GOD, and the end of it eternal happiness.

The great end of religion is to make us like GOD, and conduct us to the enjoyment of Him. And whatever hath not this plain tendency, and especially if it have the contrary, men may call religion, if they please, but they cannot call it more out of its name. Whatever is termed religious knowledge, if it doth not direct us in the way to this end, is not religious knowledge; but fomething else fafely fo called: and fome are unhappily accustomed to fuch an abuse of words and understanding, as not only to call, but to think those things, religion, which are quite the reverfe of it; and

thofe

thofe notions religious knowledge, which lead them the fartheft from it.

The fincerity of a truly religious principle cannot be better known, than by the readiness with which the thoughts advert to GOD, and the pleasure with which they are employed in devout exercifes. And though a perfon may not always be fo well pleased with hearing religious things talked of by others, whofe different tafte, fentiments or manner of expreffion may have something disagreeable; yet if he have no inclination to think of them himself, or to converse with himself about them, he hath great reason to fufpect that his heart is not right with GOD. Yet if he frequently and delightfully exercise his mind in Divine Contemplations, it will not only be a good mark of his fincerity, but will habitually difpofe it for the reception of the best and most useful thoughts, and fit it for the noblest entertainments.

Upon the whole, it as greatly behoves a man to take heed what thoughts he entertains, as what company he keeps; for they have the fame effect upon the mind. Bad thoughts are as infectious as bad company; whilft good thoughts folace, inftruct and entertain the mind, like good company L 3

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