Direct. XX. Let not the tempting object be too near your sense; for nearness enrageth the sensitive appetite, and giveth you an opportunity of sinning. Come not too near the fire if you would not be burnt (and yet use prudence in keeping the usefulness of it for warmth, though you avoid the burning). Distance from the snares of pride, and lust, and passion, and other sins, is a most approved remedy, and nearness is their strength.
Direct. XXI. Accustom your souls to frequent and familiar exercise about their invisible objects, as well as your senses about theirs. And as you are daily and hourly in seeing, and tasting, and hearing the creature, so be not rarely in the humble adoration of him that appeareth to you in them. Otherwise use will make the creature so familiar to you, and disuse will make God so strange, that by degrees you will wear yourselves out of his acquaintance, and become like carnal, sensual men, and live all by sense, and forget the holy exercise of the life of faith.
Direct. XXII. Lose not your humble sense of the badness of your hearts, how ready they are as tinder to take the fire of every temptation; and never grow fool-hardy and confident of yourselves. For your holy fear is necessary to your watchfulness, and your watchfulness is necessary to your escape and safety. Peter's self-confidence betrayed him to deny his Lord. Had Noah, and Lot, and David been more afraid of the sin, they had been like to have escaped it. It is a part of the character of the beastly heretics that Jude declaimeth against, that they were "spots in their feasts of charity, when they feasted with the church, feeding themselves without fear," ver. 12. When the knowledge or sense of your weakness and sinful inclination is gone, then fear is gone, and then safety is gone, and your fall is near.
PART II.
Particular Directions far the Government of the Eyes.
Direct. I. Know the uses that your sight is given you for. As, 1. To see the works of God, that thereby your minds may see God himself. 2. To read the word of God, that therein you may perceive his mind. 3. To see the servants of God whom you must love, and the poor whom you must relieve or pity, and all the visible objects of your duty; to conduct your body in the discharge of its office about all the matters of the world.[379] And in special often to look up towards heaven, the place where your blessed Lord is glorified, and whence he shall come to take you to his glory.
Direct. II. Remember the sins which the eye is most in danger of, that you may be watchful and escape. 1. You must take heed of a proud, and lofty, and scornful eye; which looketh on yourselves with admiration and delight, as the peacock is said to do on his tail, and on others as below you with slighting and disdain.[380] 2. You must take heed of a lustful, wanton eye, which secretly carrieth out your heart to a befooling piece of dirty flesh, and stealeth from beauty and ornaments a spark to kindle that fire which prepareth for everlasting fire.[381] 3. Take heed of a greedy, covetous eye, which with Achan and Gehazi looketh on the bait to tempt you to unlawful love and desire, and to bring you by their sin unto their ruin.[382] 4. Take heed of a luxurious, gluttonous, and drunken eye;[383] which is looking on the forbidden fruit, and on the tempting dish, and the delicious cup, till it have provoked the appetite of that greedy worm, which must be pleased, though at the rate of thy damnation. 5. Take heed of a gazing, wandering eye,[384] which, like a vagrant, hath no home, nor work, nor master, but gaddeth about to seek after death, and find out matter for temptation. Prov. xvii. 24, "Wisdom is before him that hath understanding, but the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth." 6. Take heed of an envious eye, which looketh with dislike and discontent at the prosperity of others, especially such as stand cross to your own interest.[385] Matt. xx. 15, "Is thine eye evil because I am good?" It is the envious eye that in Scripture most usually is called by the name of an evil eye, πονηρος οφθαλμος. It is an eye that would see evil rather than good upon another:[386] as Deut. xv. 9, "Lest thine eye be evil against thy poor brother," &c. Prov. xxiii. 6, it is an eye that grudgeth another any thing that is ours. So Prov. xxviii. 22; Mark vii. 22. 7. Take heed of a passionate, cruel eye, that kindleth the hurting or reviling fire in thy breast, or is kindled by it; that fetcheth matter of rage or malice from all that displeaseth thee in another.[387] 8. Take heed of a self-conceited and censorious eye, that looketh on all the actions of another with quarrelling, undervaluing, censure, or reproach.[388] 9. Take heed of a fond and fanciful eye, that falls in love too much with houses, or friend, or child, or goods, or whatsoever pleaseth it. 10. Take heed of a sleepy, sluggish eye, that is shut to good, and had rather sleep than watch, and read, and pray, and labour.[389] 11. Abhor a malignant eye, which looketh with hatred on a godly man, and upon the holy assemblies and communion of saints, and upon holy actions; and can scarce see a man of exemplary zeal and holiness, but the heart riseth against him, and could wish all such expelled or cut off from the earth.[390] This is the heart that hath the image of the devil in most lively colours, he being the father of such, as Christ calleth him, John viii. 44. 12. Abhor a hypocritical eye, which is lifted up to heaven, when the heart is on earth, on lusts, on honours, on sports, or pleasure, or plotting mischief against the just.[391] Know the evil and danger of all these diseases of the eye.
Direct. III. Remember that the eye being the noblest, and yet the most dangerous sense, must have the strictest watch. Sight is often put in Scripture for all the senses; and living by sight is opposed to living or walking by faith. "We walk by faith, not by sight," 2 Cor. v. 7 And a sensual life is called, a "walking in the ways of our heart and in the sight of the eyes," Eccles. xi. 9. An ungoverned eye doth show the power of the ungoverned senses. Abundance of good or evil entereth in by these doors: all lieth open if you guard not these.
Direct. IV. Remember that as your sin or duty, so your sorrow or joy, do depend much on the government of your eyes; and their present pleasure is the common way to after-sorrow. What a flood of grief did David let into his heart by one unlawful look!