commission of sin, by mere worldly considerations. Before the eyes of some, there is the fear of an offended lawSelf-interest with others is the powerful advocate of honesty and uprightnessRegard to character again, the bitter censures of men grovelling perhaps in sin themselves, but yet the unsparing avengers of sin in others, renders it in the case of many almost impossible that they should offend. Many obstacles of this nature, besides those arising from the precepts of the Gospel, and operating, it is to be feared, far more widely than the Gospel, oppose the commission of the outward act of sin. And with this the law of man, and man's morality is of necessity satisfied. "Jesus Not so the law of Christ. knoweth the thoughts," he beholdeth the inward imaginations of the heartAnd what, my brethren, doth he too often see there ?-He sees the sin which dare not show itself in the life, lording it nevertheless over the soul with undisputed power. He sees a heart, the words and acts arising from which are decent and decorous-groaning at the same time under the bondage in which it is confined, sighing after pleasures which it fears to taste, gloating upon indulgences in which it is forbidden to revel, and so struggling always against restraints which it hates, though it dare not cast them away. "Give me thine heart 1," saith our God. Is such an heart fit for his acceptance? Can it be supposed that he will regard for one moment the external deportment, that he will look favourably upon actions sedulously upright and without reproach, upon words scrupulously guileless and undefiled; and upon hands not only unstained, but full perhaps of offerings of munificence and charity (as it is termed) ?can it be supposed that God will view with satisfaction these semblances of outward homage, while the heart all the time is far from him? Then why were not the long prayers of the Pharisee, why were not his sad countenance, his profuse and public alms accepted of Jehovah ? 1 Prov. xxiii. 26. Because he was a whited sepulchre, with, out, fair to look upon, but within full of dead men's bones. The artfulness of man may succeed in clothing a corrupt heart, with the cloak of an uncorrupt conversation, as the ingenuity of man can procure pure waters from a polluted source; but this will not deceive or satisfy him with whom we have to do. "Jesus knoweth our thoughts." Let us proceed to consider, in few words, how we may best render them in some degree worthy his observation. It is obvious that the first thing to be done, will be to inquire what is the general bent and tenor of them. We must search and try our ways, by asking what it is to which our reflections most readily turn, when left to themselves, and then apply such a remedy as may seem from the answer most expedient. For instance-have our thoughts a tendency to fretfulness and discontent ?-We must oblige them to turn to such topics as may teach us "in whatsoever state we are, therewith to be content."—Are they - anxious, fearful, melancholy? We must hear those passages of Scripture, which invite us to cast all our care upon God, and assure us of his paternal regard and love for us. Are they silly, vain, and trifling? We must remember, that he who has much to do, and only the light of a short day in which to do it, has no time to waste in frivolous idleness-Are they impure, lascivious, profane? "Jesus knoweth the thoughts," and who would willingly suffer uncleanness and impurity to come before the eyes of him whose blood was shed to wash us from such pollution ?-Whatever, in short, may be the character of our thoughts, whatever the particular nature of the offences to which they are most prone, the Scriptures will suggest a corresponding remedy. If the flesh propose the vice, let us hear the Spirit, which will forthwith demand of us to meditate upon the opposite virtue, and so turn the weapons of Satan against himself. But besides these particular remedies, for each particular offence of the thoughts, remedies which are to be derived from self-knowledge and the resolute application of scriptural strength to our natural weakness, there are means by the due application of which we may come at length to avoid offence of this kind altogether, so far at least as our corrupt nature will permit. The best method of preventing the thoughts from running upon evil, is to take care that they shall always have sufficient employment that is wholesome. and good. "The man who has always something to do, will always have something to think about: God has placed every person in some station, and every station has a set of duties belonging to it. Did we not forget or neglect these, evil thoughts would sue for admission in vain. If there be any one of opinion, that his station does not find him employment, or that it privileges him to be idle, let him only suppose for a moment, that when his soul shall quit the body, and appear before God, he be asked the two following questions: Whether he could not have done more good in the world? |