his emissaries to steal our affections from God, and to transfer them to other objects. Take we care then, in the first place, to govern our affections, and to point them to their true object.

And in order to do this the more effectually, our next care should be to be often reflecting upon the infinite value of heavenly things above all earthly enjoyments: how far eternity is preferable to time, and God to the world: how slight, empty, and transient all secular things are; not worthy to be compared with the joys that shall be hereafter. These and other the like considerations, often repeated and treasured up in our minds, will be of use to fix our affections upon things above, and so to prevent our falling into presumptuous sins.

Our further care should be to keep out of temptations as much as possible; that so we may carry the same good thoughts the more constantly about us, and not let them slip. The misfortune of man is, that, though he has resolved ever so well, and has armed himself with many excellent meditations; yet new occasions and unexpected occurrences may suggest new thoughts, and give quite another turn to the mind. The safest way therefore is to avoid, as much as we can, all such occasions: and, as we pray not to be led into temptation, so let us take care not to run into it of our own accord.

The last thing I shall mention is, to be watchful and cautious, in our whole conduct, and especially to beware of the beginnings of things. It is the policy of Satan to draw men on by degrees, to entice them first into something of doubtful appearance, something that borders upon sin, and yet strictly is not sin, or has an innocent look however; and so to proceed step by step to what at length is undoubtedly sinful and dangerous. The way to avoid this snare is, to be wary and circumspect; not to venture to the utmost limits of what is lawful; but to keep at a due distance, and to observe our compass; to deny ourselves some innocent liberties, for fear of their betraying us farther; and not to trust ourselves where we

suspect the combat may be unequal, or our strength fail

us.

By these and other the like prudent precautions, God's grace preventing and assisting us, we may preserve ourselves from presumptuous sins, may be undefiled and "in"nocent from the great transgression."

SERMON XII.

The Misery, Causes, and Remedies of a dejected Mind.

PROV. Xviii. 14.

The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear?

THIS passage of Scripture may be rendered otherwise

with a slight variation in the latter part of the sentence, thus: The spirit of a man (of a brave man) will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded (dejected) spirit, who shall raise it up?

The words, as I conceive, carry in them an important lesson of instruction, though it is rather obliquely insinuated, than directly expressed. Here is a caution given, or intimated rather, against yielding too far to any misfortunes or troubles; against letting our spirits sink or our courage fail us in our day of calamity. It is of infinite advantage, under all emergencies, to keep up strength of mind, and to bear up against disasters or difficulties, with a firm and undaunted heart. For a vigorous mind, a manly spirit, will support us under bodily infirmities within, or cross accidents without: but if the spirit itself be broken and cast down, if the mind becomes feeble, and sinks under the weight, what can be then thought on to raise it up? When the buttresses themselves give way, and the main underprops fail, what can then be expected but sudden and irrevocable ruin? The turn and the manner of the expression in the text is very

like to what our Lord makes use of in a different subject; where he says, "If the salt hath lost its savour, where"with shall it be salted a?" If that which should season other things does itself want seasoning, what can then be done to it? And so in the instance of the text, if that which should support the weaker parts does itself want supporting, what remedy can then be hoped for? The case is then melancholy indeed, and beyond all recovery. Great care therefore should be taken in time, to prevent, if possible, so sad a crisis, and that no calamities whatever be permitted to reduce us to this so disconsolate extremity. Such I take to be the general drift and purport of the text now before us. The subject therefore of my discourse must be a troubled and dejected mind.

I. The misery of it.

II. The causes which lead to it.

III. The proper remedies or preservatives against it. The subject is undoubtedly very useful, and may well deserve our attentive thoughts and serious application.

I.

I shall begin with some brief strictures upon the miserable case of a dejected, broken mind." A wounded spirit "who can bear?" as our translation renders it; or, who can raise it up? as the other. Both renderings are grammatical, and we may very well take in both senses, as they are both of them true and pertinent: for the misery of a broken spirit is, that it is intolerable to bear, and is without support, or remedy.

The words of the text have been vulgarly understood of a wounded conscience, tending to despair: but I see no reason for confining the text to that case only. The words are spoken of a wounded spirit in the general, wounded by grief, and sinking under its load of troubles; but not expressing either the particular kind of troubles or the special causes they spring from. I shall enumerate the several causes which may be supposed in such cases

VOL. IX.

■ Matth. v. 13. Mark ix. 50. Luke xiv. 34.

M

under my next head of discourse. But at present all I have to take notice of is, the sad and disconsolate condition of a dejected, broken mind, be the cause of it what it will.

But, in order to have a right understanding of this case, let us consider, in the first place, what a dejected mind, or a wounded spirit, means.

We may observe, that all manner of trouble and misery, as felt by the patient, is resolvable into pain of body or pain of mind; into some uneasy sensations, which we commonly call pain, or uneasy thoughts and reflections, which we commonly call anguish. Strictly speaking, all pains that we feel are in the mind, or in the soul. The body is but the organ or instrument which transmits the pain to the soul. The soul only feels, in and through the body: so that every uneasy sensation of the body, as we call it, is properly the soul's. And besides uneasy sensations, the mind, over and above, hath many uneasy reflections, which increase the pain, and more than double the misery.

These things being premised, we may the more clearly perceive of what advantage it is in all kinds of uneasinesses, to have a mind well fortified and steeled against them. The mind, by fencing against the mischief, keeps it out in a great measure, and does not let in one half of the anguish while the spirit bears up against it with manly courage, it wards off the blow, or breaks the force of the impression. And if you would know more particularly how it does it, you may please to consider, that no pain whatever is so much as felt, any longer than while it is attended to, or reflected upon: but there is that force in the mind, when firm and well resolved, that it can turn the thoughts off from dwelling upon the present or threatening pain, and can employ itself with brave and comfortable reflections. This is what the text means in saying, that "the spirit of a man will sustain its infir66 mity." It will bear up against danger or trouble, will be so flushed with a sense of honour, and other generous