and Trial of his Virtues. When he hath just reason to be angry, his Anger is directed, not against the Perfon,but the Offence; and even against the Offence, not as it is an Injury to him, but as it is a violation of the Law of God. In Fine, he endeavours all he can to fweeten his Temper, to reftrain his Paffion, and to keep down the Ferment; he judges charitably, and interprets candidly, and forgives readily; he is never angry without a Cause, nor ever violent and immoderate with Charity is not eafily provoked.

one.

VIII.

C

Cha

Harity thinketh no Evil. rity is not only careful of her outward Actions, but hath an Eye alfo to her inward Behaviour. She diligently watches the Motions and Workings of her Heart, and

* Οὐ λογίζεται κακόν. ἐ μόνον ἐκ αν εργάζεται τὸ κακὸν πρὸς ἄμυναν, ἀλλ ̓ ἐδὲ λογίζεται, ἐδὲ τὰ ἀρχὴ ὅλως ἐφ Quvai Tiva naniar. Theophylact. Non malè cogitat de quoquam Erafm. Non facilè mali quicquam fufpicatur; dubia in parten accipit meliorem, Grot. Non machinatur in corde malum ad verfus proximum. Efti. Non folùm nihil mali cuipiam facit," fed ne in animum quidem admittit, non cogitat de malo inferendo. Brent,

keeps

keeps a ftrict Guard over her Thoughts, for fear she should at any time give way to vain uncharitable Imaginations, and grant her Confent to fuch Things as may be hurtful and prejudicial to her Neighbour. She doth not harbour in her Mind any groundless Sufpicions, any rafh and unjuft Surmifes against any Man, and in Cafes where there is fome Doubt, fhe is ever willing to think and to judge the best. Her whole study is to do Good, Plots and evil Machinations find no place in her Bofom; as fhe is always ready to be helpful and beneficial to others, and to do them real Acts of Kindness, so all her Defigns, her Wishes and Defires tend that way.

It is a Perfection of Man, and in this we excell the reft of the vifible Creation, that we can look into ourfelves, and can be mindful of our Ways and Thoughts. Every Thought that presents itself to our Mind, we have the liberty either to cherish and dwell upon with Delight and Complacency, or to reject and caft from us with Abhorrence and Deteftation; we can either quicken and encourage it, or check and extinguish it as we please. * Indeed

* Ου μῷ ἐφ' ἡμῖν ὅλως τὸ ἐνθυμεῖς, ἢ μὴ ἐνθυμεῖος κείται τα άτοπα, ἀλλὰ τὸ χρῆς ἢ μὴ χρθς τοῖς ἐνθυμήμασι και λύσαι με το μὴ ἐμπίπτειν εἰς ἡμᾶς του λογισμὸς ὁ δυνάμεθα

deed it is not in our Power to hinder evil and irregular Thoughts from affaulting our Minds; as long as our Souls are united to our Bodies, the Corruption of our Nature will be fuch, that we cannot prevent this: But it is in our Power to oppose and to hold out against these Affaults; we can refuse to give them our Consent and Approbation; we can refuse to fhew them the leaft Countenance and Favour. And if we are so true to ourfelves as not to countenance and encourage them, though the most wicked and blafphemous Thoughts, the moft vile and abominable Suggestions rife up in our Mind, yet they are not hurtful to us; they are not allow'd of by us, nor confented to, and therefore, how dreadful and heinous foever they may seem to be, they do not at all defile and pollute our Souls. The Cafe of Mankind would be hard indeed, if we were to be punish'd for fuch Thoughts as we cannot hinder; for fuch Thoughts as we fall into thro' perfect Inadvertency, or thro' the Imperfection of our State. Such Thoughts, in reality, are

с

προς δοκιμὴν ἡμῶν ἔξωθεν εἰσπνεομβρος, μή πειθῆναι μέν τοι ἢ μη λες αὐτοῖς διάμεθα. Epiphan. καθ' Αιρεσ. βιβ. 6'. ἐκ Medix. vide locum, ibi etiam apertiffimè explicat Dictum S. Pauli, ὃ ἐ θέλω κακὸν, τότο πράσω, intelligendum efle de pravis cogitationibus. διὸ καὶ ἐ γινώσκω ὅ κατεργάζομαι, λογιζόμμα ù diw, &c.

not

not our own, because our Will is against them, and they do not poffefs our Souls; as foon as we perceive them rifing up in us, we recollect ourfelves, and deteft and abhor them, and do our best to check and ftifle them. The most wicked Thought can do us no more Harm, when we drive it away and fuffer it not to abide in us, than the most

holy Thought can do us good when we let it Hofea vi. flip from us, and it goeth away as the early

4.

Dew. Notwithstanding evil Thoughts, either from the Suggeftions of the Devil, or from our corrupt Inclinations, do often, again and again thrust themselves into our Minds; yet if we do as often check and fubdue them, they can do us no Mifchief, but our Souls remain pure and untouch'd. There is no Doubt to be made, but the accurfed Spirit can imprefs a Thought on our Imaginations, as well as present an Object to our Senfes. But 'tis certain, that fuch an Impreffion of itself is no more our Act, than the hearing any wicked Difcourfe is; fuch an Impreffion can no more pollute us when we deny our Confent to it, than the prophane and atheistical Talk of others can defile us, when at the fame time we deteft and abhor it. There is no Doubt to be made, but as long as Bodies of Flesh and Blood bear us Company, let us do what

we can, evil Thoughts will be starting up in our Minds; there is no remedy against them, there is no way to hinder their fudden Incurfions; tho' we ftrive never fo much to fhake them off, they will ftill be hanging upon us, and watching a thoufand Opportunities of infinuating themselves: but 'tis certain, that such Thoughts do us no harm as long as we oppose them, and they do not move the Will to any degree of Indulgence and Confent. We know that the Actions of Men are no further morally evil, than as they partake of the Approbation of the Will, and are done out of Choice; if we do an ill Thing without willing and defigning it, we cannot be truly faid to do it; 'tis only the Machine, the Animal that moves, and not the Man that acts. The killing a Man, whether with Defign or by Accident, is the fame thing as to the Act, for in both Cafes there is a Man kill'd; and yet in one Cafe the killing a Man is Murder, and in the other Cafe it is not; and the Reason of this is plain, because in one Cafe, when we kill a Man defignedly, our Will is concern'd in the Act; and in the other Cafe, when we kill a Man accidentally, our Will is not at all concern'd. Wherefore it is evident, that without the Confent of the Will, an Action cannot be finful. And the

fame