One of the chief means of defence against Temptations to Impurity, is a distrust of our selves. This distrust proceeds from an Opinion and Sense of our own Weakness, and thereby a fear of being surpriz’d and ensnar’d by Temptations; distrust will produce Vigilance, which is a second means of defence against impure Thoughts. Persons ought to be very exact and scrupulous, as to every thing that leads to Impurity, and not to take too great liberty under any vain pretences. Mortification and Exercise are very good guards against Pollution; Idleness makes People wanton and vicious, and High-feeding very much heightens unlawful Desires. Curiosity is frequently a cause of the wanderings of the Mind and Heart; and a desire of satisfying it, proceeding from a secret Passion, being a great occasion of Pollution, this also is to be guarded against: And lastly, when Persons are under any manner of Temptations, the instant they are sensible of impure Thoughts in the Soul, they should be strenuously resisted. The first reception of impure Thoughts into the Soul, shews them to be pleasing to it; and the longer they are entertain’d there, the more this Pleasure encreases; and when this Pleasure once prevails, the Man is no longer in a capacity to defend himself: And there is no surer way to prevent a Conflagration, than by thoroughly extinguishing the first spark of Fire, on its immediate appearance. Thus much for the means to avoid Impurity, and to attain Chastity, I shall conclude this part of my Treatise, with what Mr. _Ostervald_ observes of the Sin of Uncleanness in general, and with a few Reflections of my own, which may be of service to those, who make Chastity a difficulty. ‘All Uncleanness is a palpable Violation of our Baptismal Covenant, wherein we have solemnly oblig’d our selves to renounce the Flesh (that is to say, all sensuality and voluptuousness) as well as the World and the Devil. For there is no living up to this Profession and Obligation, without being continually upon our guard against all those sinful Lusts, which we have thus renounc’d. And indeed, what an affront is it to God, and what vile Treachery and breach of Covenant, when Persons have thus given up their Names to Christ, and promis’d to obey his holy Laws; and in particular, to abstain from all Impurity, if they shall yet draw back, and professing to know the Almighty shall in works deny him, living in wantonness and unlawful Pleasures, like the Gentiles, who knew him not, or rather in such detestable Lewdnesses, as the Wiser amongst these would have abominated? We cannot doubt, but that we are all strictly engag’d to cleanse our selves from Filthiness, both of Flesh and Spirit, and to perfect Holiness. And what a monstrous Incongruity must it be, for such to indulge themselves in any carnal and sensual Immoralities, in direct opposition to the Vow, so solemnly made against them! This must necessarily argue a great Stupidity, and regardlessness of their Duty,