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not speak to that to any Purpose, 'till I have made way for it by clearing the Firft. It is in vain to give Rules about the Government of our Thoughts, 'till we know how far we have the Power over them; how far they fall, or do not fall, under our Conduct and Management.

And I must needs fay, that most of those I have met with, that have difcours'd about the Government of Thoughts, by not enquiring into, and fettling this Point, have been fo far from benefiting all their Hearers, that defired to receive Benefit by their good Advices, that to feveral of them they have done Harm: Because as to them their Advices have been perfectly unpracticable. Now thofe that by their own Experience found them to be fo, instead of confidering that that Teacher might be in a miftake, or that he did not fufficiently weigh and examine the Cafe of all Perfons he gave his Advice to, have peremptorily concluded, that they themselves were in the Fault, and therefore they were in an evil Condition; because they found themselves not able to live up to what was advised them.

The first Question then is, How a Man hath Power over his own Thoughts? There is not, indeed, any fingle Anfwer to be given to this Queftion, that will fit all Men; for that is impoffible. It would be as unreasonable to demand it, as it would be to require of a Work-man to make a Garment, that should fit all Sorts and Sizes of Men.

Some Men, by the very Principles of their Make and Conftitution, are much better a ble to govern their Thoughts than others.

Some

Some that are naturally weaker, have by long Use, and many Trials, obtained a greater Power over their Thoughts than others. Again, the fame Perfons, that, at fome times, have a greater Power over the Motions of their Minds, may, at other times, have a less Command over them; and this according as their Health, or their Bufinefs, or a hundred Contingencies of outward Things, do affect them. So that all that can be done, as to this Matter, is to lay down fome general Propofitions, which every Body is to apply to himself, as there is Occafion. And Five of this kind I have to offer, and which, I think, will take in all, or the greatest Part of what belongs to this Argument.

The First Propofition I lay down is this, That the firft Motions of our Minds are very little, if at all, in our Power.

By the First Motions of our Minds, I mean thofe fudden Thoughts, or Apprehenfions, or Paffions, or Defires, which are excited in our Minds, by any Object, that is at that Time prefented to our Imagination: As to thefe, I fay, we are not fo much Mafters of ourselves as to be able to stop them; nay, though, perhaps, they be very irregular. And the Reafon is, because they are produced fo quick, that there is not Time enough given for Reafon to interpofe.

There is no neceffity, indeed, that a Man fhould give Confent to thefe Motions; but as for their coming into his Mind, he can no more help it, than he can help his prefent Temper, or the present Circumstances he is ingaged in.

Thus

Thus for Inftance; Do you think it poffible for a Man that is of a Fiery Paffionate Temper, to avoid the feeling a fudden Refentment of Anger arifing in his Mind, if he meets with any unexpected Affront, or other great Provocation? Or for a Man that defires to be well thought of, not to entertain fome Vanity of Imagination, when he hears himself commended or flatter'd? Or for a Man that is addicted to Pleasures, not to feel fome irregular Inclinations in himself towards the gratifying his Ap petites in thofe Things, when he hath all the Temptations before him? And thus in all other Cafes.

I grant, indeed, that a Man by long Confideration, and a ferious exercifing himself in the Ways of Vertue and Piety, may bring himself to that Temper, that he fhall not have fo many irregular, undecent Motions in his own Mind, upon any Occafion whatsoever, as he was wont to have; and that those that were formerly Temptations to him, will at last be none: But ftill I fay, the firft Motions and Workings of his Mind, however they be occafioned, are in a great Measure out of his Power; he cannot stop them; and therefore the Art of governing his Thoughts, doth not lie there.

The Second Propofition I lay down is this, When a Man's Mind is vigorously affected and poffeffed, either with the outward Objects of Senfe, or with the inward Paffions of any kind, in that Cafe he hath little or no Command of his Thoughts; his Mind at that Time will be in a manner wholly taken up with that it is then full of: Nor will be able, 'till those Im

preffions

preffions be worn off, to think freely of what he pleaseth.

Thus for Inftance, When a Man is under a fharp tormenting Pain; as he cannot avoid the feeling of that Pain, so neither can he avoid the thinking of it. When one is full of Grief, for the loss of a dear Relation; or transported with Paffion, for fome unworthy usage he hath met with: It is in vain to fay, Pray think not of these Matters; for thefe Things muft, and will in a great measure imploy his Thoughts, 'till his Paffions do cool, and the Impreffions that caused them be vanished.

Thus, for a Man to come.from fome Bufinefs in which he is more than ordinarily concerned; or from the hearing fome very good or very bad News: I fay, to come fresh from this to the faying his Prayers; I do not, I cannot wonder, that in this Cafe his Mind will be much upon his Bufineß, or his News, notwithstanding all his Endeavours to the contrary.

For the Nature of Man is such, that he cannot fo on a fudden, turn his Mind from one Buf neẞ to another; but that if he did closely and vigorously apply himself to the firft Bafineß, his Thoughts will for fome Time run upon it, even after he hath applied his Mind to the other.

I do not deny, but that a Man may often fo order his Affairs, as to be able to keep his Mind clear and free from fuch Prepoffeffions as I am now speaking of, fo as that when he comes to apply himself to any Bufineß he hath a mind to, he may intend it with his whole Might. But this I fay, If our Minds be once engaged with warm Thoughts about any Thing; it is very VOL. I.

Dd

hard,

hard, if not impoffible, to get them difengaged on a sudden. So that the Art of Govern ing our Thoughts doth not much lie in that neither.

Thirdly, There are fome Cafes likewife, where a Man's Thoughts are in a manner forced upon him, from the prefent Temper and Indifpofi tion of his Body. So that though he be in no Paffion, though there be no unufual Objects of Senfe that excite thofe Thoughts in him; Nay, tho' he never fo much refolve not to think upon those Things; yet fo long as that Habit of Body lafts, he cannot avoid those kind of Thoughts; So that in this Cafe alfo, there is little room left for the Government of Thoughts.

That which I now fay, happens frequently, not only in all Sorts of Distempers where the Brain is vifibly disturbed, as in Fevers, and the like; which often caufe a Thoufand delirious Fancies, and fometimes downright Madness and Distraction: But alfo in other Cafes where there feems to be no Fever, or other visible Diftemper; nor doth the Brain, as to other Matters, feem to be at all diforder'd; but the Perfons, in all appearance, are found both in Body and Mind.

And this is the Cafe of fome deeply Hypochon driac Perfons; many of which will be haunted with a Sett of Thoughts and Fancies, that they can by no means get rid of, though they defire it never so earnestly.

Sometimes they cannot get it out of their Heads, but that they are Atheists and Infidels, they neither believe in God nor in Jesus Christ, nor have any Senfe at all of Religion.

Some

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