experience he had of the divisions and distractions of his own heart in the service of God, that made him pour out that prayer, Psal. lxxxvi. 1. Unite my heart to fear thy name.

The method in which I shall improve the point shall be this;

First, I shall enquire what the keeping of the heart supposes and Imports.

Secondly, Assign divers reasons, why christians must make this the great work and business of their lives.

Thirdly, Point at those special seasons which especially call for this diligence in keeping the heart.

Fourthly and lastiy, Apply the whole -in several uses.

First, What the keeping of the heart supposes and imports.

To keep the heart, necessarily supposes a previous work of sanctification, which hath set the heart right, by giving it a new spiritual bent and inclination; for, as long as the heart is not set right by grace, as to its habitual frame, no duties or means can keep it right, with God. Self is the poise of the unsanctifiedˇheart, which biasses and moves it in all its designs and action; and, as long as it is so, it is issible that any external means should keep it with God.

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Man, by creation, was of one constant, uniform frame and tenour of spirit, held one straight and even course; not one thought or faculty ravell'd or disorder'd : his mind had a perfect illumination to understand and know the will of God j his will a perfect compliance there with his sensitive appetite, and other inferior powers, stood in a most obedient subordination.

Man by degeneration, is become a most disordered and rebellious creature, contesting with and opposing his Maker, as the first cause, by self-dependence; as chiefest good, by self-love; as the highest lord, by self will; and as the last end, by self-seeking; and so is quite disordered, and all his acts irregular: his illuminated understanding is clouded with ignorance; his complying will full of rebellion and stubbornness; his subordinate powers casting off the dominion and government of the superior faculties:

But by regeneration this disordered soul is set right again; sanctification being the rectifying and due framing, or, as the scripture phrases it, the renovation of the soul after the image of God, ph. iv. 24. in which, self-dependence moved by faith; self-love, by the love of God;

self-will, by subjection and obedience to the will of God; and self-seeking by selfdenial. The darkened understanding is again illuminated, Eph. i. 18. the refractory will sweetly subdued, Psal. cx. 3 the rebellious appetite or concupiscence gradually conquered, Rom. vi. 7. And thus the soul which sin had universally depraved, is again by grace restored and rec. tified.

This being presupposed, it will not be difficult to apprehend what it is to keep the heart, which is nothing else but the constant care and diligence of such a renewed man, to preserve his soul in that holy frame to which grace hath reduced it, and daily strives to hold it.

For, though grace hath in great measure rectified the soul, and given it an habitual and heavenly temper; yet sin often actually discomposes it again; so that even a gracious heart is like a musical instrument, which, though it be never so exactly tuned, a small matter brings it out of tune again; yea, hang it aside but a little, and it will need setting again, before you can play another lesson on it even so stands the case with gracious hearts; if they are in frame in one duty, yet how dull, dead and disordered when they come to another! And there

fore every duty needs a particular prepar ation of the heart, Job xi. 13. If thou prepare thine heart, and stretch out thy hands towards him. Well then, to keep the heart, is carefully to preserve it from sin, which disorders it; and maintain that spiritual and gracious frame, which fits it for a lite of communion with God. And this includes these six acts in it;

1, Frequent observation of the frame of the heart, turning in and examining how the case stands with it; this is one part of the work: carnal and formal persons take no heed to this, they cannot be brought to confer with their own hearts: there are some men and women that have lived forty or fifty years in the world, and have scarce had one hour's discourse with their own hearts all that while it is an hard thing to bring a man and himself together upon such an account; but saints know those soliloquies and self-conferences to be of excellent use and advantage. The heathen could say, the soul is made wise by sitting still in quietness. Though bankrupts care not to look in their books of account, yet upright hearts will know whether they go backward or forward. Psal. Ixxvii. 6. I commune with mine own heart the heart can never be kept, until its case be examined and understood.

2 It includes deep rumiliations for heart-evils and disorders. Thus Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, z Chron. xxxii. 26. Thus the people were ordered to spread forth their hands to God in prayer, in a sense of the plague of their own hearts, 1 Kings viii. 38. Upon this account many an upright heart had been laid low before God: O what an heart have I! they have in their confessions pointed at the heart, the pained place; Lord, here is the wound, here is the plague sore. It is with the heart well kept, as it is with the eye, which is a fit emblem of it, if a small dust get into the eye, it will never leave twinkling and watering till it have wept it out: so the upright heart cannot be at rest till it have wept out its troubles, and poured out its complaints before the Lord.

3. It includes earnest supplications and instant prayer for heart purifying and rectifying grace, when sin hath defiled and disordered it; so, Psal. xix. 12. Cleanse thou me from secret faults; and Psal. ixxxvi. 1. Unite my heart to fear thy name. Saints have always many such petitions depending before the throne of grace; this is the thing which is most pleaded by them with God: when they are praying for outward mercies, haply