3.20 Beloved in a godly mans heart when a good thought comes it abides and dwels a good while in him and when it goes away it leaves a good impression behind it it leaves a sweet smell and savour in the heart after it is gone It 's made more holy and sanctified by it When a good thought comes into a godly mans heart it leaves the print of it behind when a wicked man hath a good thought he tosseth it up and down and suffers it not to stay but presently puts it away let a thought of the world come in and he can give it entertainment for seven dayes yea for seven yeers yea all his life he sets his heart as a wide gate open to receive them and to entertain them but if a thought of God or of repentance of holinesse and salvation come into his mind he is tyred out with it and it soon vanisheth away therefore so long as thy thoughts are thus vain though for the matter good if thou hast never so many of them yet if they abide not but thou thinkest and unthinkest them again if they come and give thy soule a jog and so away the more I say thou hast of them though thou hast many millions the greater will be thy doom at the last day Thirdly thou thinkest of God but the question is whether thy good thoughts be studied or accidentall thoughts a wicked man that runs gadding in his thoughts here and there over the whole world upon this and that and I know not what in the midst of a lottery of thoughts he cannot chuse but stumble upon some good he thinks on God he thinks on Christ he thinks on heaven but it is by the by these thoughts of his are not naturall but if he think of the world of his pleasures of his outward delights and contentments these thoughts arise naturally out of his heart they are his owne Now it may be a thought of God comes by the way But a godly man not onely thinks of God but he studies how to think of God It is his continuall endeavour to bring his mind to be fixed upon God it is his whole care for to have good thoughts to dwell habitually in him There is an excellent phrase used to set it forth Malac. 3.16 They that feared the Lord spake one unto another and the Lord hearkened and heard it and a book of remembrance was written before him of all them that feared the Lord and thought upon his Name Where I pray you for to mark that thinking upon Gods name and the fear of God are joyned together for thinking on God comes from the fear of God a godly man thinks upon God and fears him he thinks that God is alwayes with him in every place and he trembles before him he thinks God beholds all his thoughts and affections and he trembles at him he thinks as he walks up and down in his way as he is imployed in his calling as he is performing of any duty of Religion that Gods eye is upon him and beholds him and therefore he fears to offend and displease him A wicked man will sweare and blaspheme the name of God and by and by it may be he will cry God mercy and so he thinks of God The man breaks out it may be into wrath and malice fury and passion and then it may be a thought will come into his mind for to cry God mercy for it and thus he thinks of God The man is carelesse earthly dead and luke-warme in the performance of good duties and because his conscience tels him it is not good he will ask God forgivenesse he will be proud vain and rotten in his speeches and then it may be a thought will come into his mind to ask God forgivenesse and so he thinks of God he will think of the world of his pleasures profits and of his lusts and sinnes and then it may be a good thought wil come into his mind and then it may be he will think a little of God too Beloved this is carnall and devillish thinking on God thy thoughts then of God must bee joyned with the fear of God Fourthly and lastly thou thinkest of God but the question is whether thy thoughts of him be profitable or unprofitable thoughts a godly man thinks of repentance and repents upon it hee thinks of calling upon God more faithfully and fervently then he did before and he accomplishes his thoughts for he goes about it and his heart is the better for it Thus it was with David when he said I thought on my wayes and turned my feet unto thy testimonies Psalm 119.59 I thought on my wayes there was his good thoughts and turned my feet into thy testimonies there was the profit of his good thoughts But on the contrary thou thinkest on God but God hath never the more service of thee thou thinkest of leaving of thy good fellowship and merry companions but for all thy thoughts thou retainest them still thou thinkest to give over all thy deadnesse and luke-warmnesse and to get more zeale and fervencie yet day after day and yeare after yeare thy heart is as dead vain and secure as before as ever before Examine thy selfe and see thou hast good thoughts thou saist but where is the profit of them thou thinkest of leaving thy wrath and of bridlling thy filthy passions but art thou enabled by thy thoughts to put up an injury the better It may be thou thinkest on death but is thy life the more holy and sanctified by it Thou thinkest of Christ and his bloud but is thy heart purged by it Oh the wretched misery of the most men in the world because of the unprofitablenesse of their thoughts they have many good thoughts but they want the profitable use of them they get no good by them There is an excellent description of the thoughts of wicked men though it be Apocrypha The heart of the foolish is like a Cart wheel and his thoughts like the rowling Axletree As the Cart wheele goes round all the day and yet remaines on the Axletree so is it with wicked men their thoughts wheele and wheele them up and downe a thousand thousand times their thoughts run upon this thing and then upon another thing and so they rowle up and down continually yet their heart is at the same passe it was still an earthly heart it was and so it is still a profane heart it was and so it is still a carnall proud heart it was and so it remains still But let these know that the time hastens wherein God will judge them even for their very thoughts Where are they then that say thought is free It is true indeed it is free from mens knowledge and from mens Courts but not from Gods they are not free from Gods all-seeing eye and know ledge meâ—â—aith â—aith the Prophet thou understandest my thoughts afarre off Psal 139. Beloved as you are in the Ale-house or gaming
heart will not be brought to Gods price it would faine have the wares at a cheap rate Secondly in the runnings of it the heart is like a vagrant rogue he would rather be hanged then tied to his parish Thou canst not bring it to prayer but it will bee a gadding on by-thoughts thou canst not bring it to a Sermon but it will be roving after wandring imaginations thou canst not bring it to a meditation but it will bee a gossiping forth When Christ came to bind men with his blessed cords and bind their hearts to him Psal 2. they fall a meditating afterwards but it was meditating and imagining vain things verse 1. and when they saw they were to be tied up Tush say they let us break their bonds a sunder and cast their cords from us verse 3. What do Ministers call us to such strictnesse thinking to imprison our hearts in their stocks away with their bonds no weâ— will have none of it Thirdly in the wearisomnesse of the heart It is a weary of meditation as a Cur is of the whip and the chain Oh how it barkes and maunders till it be loose yea though it be never so eager upon it at the first it 's jaded presently When God called the Jews to sanctifie his Name they thought in their hearts O what a wearinesse is this and yee have snuffed at it saith the Lord yee brought that which was lame and torn and sicke Malac. 1.13 What a wearinesse is it to meditate saith the heart it snuffs it is untoward it is lumpish it would fain teare of a peice of the duty or bring it wanting a legge or without soundensse and sincerity yet some of them saith Calvin were so humbled that they thought on the Name of the Lord Malac. 3.16 they thought and meditated and forced their hearts to consider throughly Vse 2 This may serve for terror unto all those who for all this that hath been spoken dare sit down without it yea the world will not beleeve these things nor meditate therein yea they blame Gods messengers that call so sore upon them Habukkuk was so served he preached the mercies of God to the humble and the judgements of God to the wicked they ask him why he was so mad well sayes the prophet I will stand upon my watch and see what the Lord sayes unto me that I may answer to them that reprove me Hab. 2.1 What did the Lord tell him Write the vision and make it pâ—aine upon Tables that â—e may run that reads it vers 2 Will they not beleeve Will they rove Will they not meditate steadily upon these things Will they not let their hearts stay and meditate and consider The vision shall be so plain that he that runnes may read it If thou wilt not stay and meditate herein the Word is so plain to thy condemnation that if thou didst but think of it with a running thought thou maist read thine owne vengeance thine owne woes in regard of the multitude of them He that runnes by a way full of holes and pits though he stand not meditating where are the pits yet he may run and see them The book of God is full leaves and cover and all of woes against thee Lam. 2.10 It is written without there thou maist read thy sins written it is written likewise within there thou maist read thy plagues Secondly in regard of the greatnesse of them he that runnes along and loe a great towne on fire though he stay not to meditate on it what or where it is yet he may runne and read it so is the curse of sinners a great curse Zeph. 1.10 he that runnes may read it Thirdly in regard of the proximitie and neernesse of them Hee that runâ—es if a sword come out by his throat though he doe not stop to meditate what is this at my throat yet he cannot but see it Behold the Judge standeth before the doore Jam. 5.9 Take heed how thou grudgest or sinnest in any particular behold the Judge standeth before the doore behold it and meditate on it with thy heart if not he is nigh enough thou canst not step out of doores unto any sinne but though thou runnest thou must needs see the Judge that wil Judge thee Iteming thy sinnes noting thy wayes observing thy courses ready to unhaspe the doore on thee to hale thee unto hell in thy sinnes Whose end is destruction Whose Even those that mind earthly things Phil. 3.19 If thy mind and meditation run more on thy ground cattell goods kitchin house busines earthly talk discourses thoughts more then of heaven thy end is destruction If thy thoughts will nâ—t stay here doe but runne and thou maist read it Think not that I am come to destroy the Law or the Prophets I am come tâ— fulfill them Mat. 5.17 Some saith Chrysostome might think now Christ is come it is no matter though wee bee not so strict Christ is enough Think not thus saith Christ but rather thinke and meditate that I am come to fulfill it my selfe and to see it fulfilled in those I mean to save so as to make it the rule of their lives Themistocles said he could not sleep in his bed for continuall thinking and meditating on Miltiades his Triumphs And how canst thou sleep in thy bed if thou wouldest but meditate on these places of Scripture Retire thy self apart there is no casting up of a mans account in a crowd Let mee alone I am busie so we use to say when wee would be private Means 1 Thou must do with thy soul as Ehud did to Eglon who said I have a secret errant to thee O King and so all went out and he said I have a message from God to thee so stabd him at his heart Judg. 3.19 So for Ehud was a type of Christ saith Lavator I have a secret errant to thee O my soul and so let all go forth I have a message from God to thee a message of wrath for thy Pride a message of wrath for thy vain hopes Thus saith the Lord Cursed art thou O my soul stab it to the heart with this spirituall Dagger wound it with the blade and haft and all till thou have let out the fat and the dirt the filth and iniquity all out The Prophet speaking of mens looking on Christ whom they have pierced this meditating and laying to heart that they have crucified the Lord Jesus saith that they shall mourne every one in private the house of David apart and their wivis apart the house of Nâ—than apart and their wives apart the house of Shimei apart and their wives apart every family apart and their wives apart Zach. 12.2 Means 2 The second means if thou wouldest meditate aright observe the times of privacie First the morning that is the best time for study David chose the morning for meditation Psal 5.1.3 Let them heare this saith Chrysostome that rise betimes in the morning to serve their Hogges and
Nebuchadnezzar was warned of his pride this yeare and the same time twelve month the Lord drove him from among men So in Acts 13.42 one Sabbath day the Iewes heard Paul preach and went out before the Sermon was quite done they were not able to stand to the blessing the same day seven-night the Lord made the Apostles shake off the dust of their feet against them and leave them to a reprobate sense Fifthly the Lord proportions his punishments to the place It is strange many times that the drunkard should get his death in the same Ale-house where he got his liquor In Judg 7. in that story of Oreb and Zeeb Oreb at the rock Oreb devised against the children of Israel and upon the same rock he was killed And Zeeb another persecuter of the children of God so the Psalmist calls them he at the Wine-presse of Zeeb took victuals from the children of Israel and in the same place his own life was taken away Just as Judges and Magistrates at this day they hang up men where they have done the villany As they doe with Dogs and Cats they carry them to the place to the Cellar or the Buttery where they do the mischeif But the beasts themselves though they have no reason are able to pick out the meaning of it The Lord punisheth sinners in the same place Here where thou hast been deaf to hear the word of God when thy heart riseth against the Preacher in the same place it may be the Lord will deliver thee up to a reprobate sense In the same place at the Lords Table where thou comest unworthily thou shalt eate and drink thine own damnation FINIS Poscript THe same Author hath another Book in the Presse entituled The Sacrifice of the Faithfull OR A Treatise shewing the nature property and efficacy of zealous Prayer Together with some Motives to Prayer and helps against discouragements in Prayer Together with seven Profitable Sermons on divers texts of Scripture Luke 15.17 Psal 77.16 The sum of the text Observe 1. We must not rush upon the sacrament Matth. 5. Matt. 7.5 Mat. 13.26 Reason 1. Naturally we are not invited guests Simile Reason 2 We are indisposed Levit. 7.20 Reason 3 Solemne preparations required to the Sacrament Deut. 16.16 1 King 52. Vse To take heed of rash performance of duties 2 Sam. 15.17 Parts of the Text. Necessity of receiving the Lords Supper Num. 9.13 The Lords Supper to be received often Basill Observ The manner of performance of duties to be regarded 2 Cor. 9.26 â—am 2.12 Reas 1. The Lord commands the manner as well as matter 2 Chron. 28.9 Reas 2. Circumstances overthrow actions as 1. Prayer Isai 59.12 2 Preaching 3 Receiving the Sacrament 4. Brotherly reproof Matt. 7.5 Gal. 5.15 5. Eating and drinking Mat. 24.37 Simile Reas 3. The right manner of doing duties gets the blessing Matt. 24.48 Reason 4. Christs example Jâ—hn 12. John 14.31 Reason 5 From Gods glorie Vse 1. To reprove those that barely doe duties without looking to the manner Vse 2. The reason why men regard the matter and not the manner of duties Reason 1. The matter of duties easie Reas 2. The matter of duties may bee done with a proud heart Acts 20 Reason 3 The matter of duties may be done yet a man be unholy Reas 4. The matter of duties brings not the crosse 2 Tim. 2.10 Act. 15.5 Vse 3. To labour to do duties aright Motives to perform duties in the right manner 1. Motive Numb 11.14 2. Motive Luk. 18.11 3. Motive Mat. 15 6. Simile Observ 3. Every man must prepare himself before he come to the Lords Table Reason It is God ordinance Simile Reason 2 Christ hath made preparation for us in the L. Supper Reason 3 Christ lookes for good entertainment Reason 4. It is part of Christs last Testament Observ 1. A guilty hardned reprover shall be destroyed Reason 1. It is against his office Reason 2 He cannot reprove to a right end Reason 3 Not in a right manner Reason 4. It is hypocrisie Reason 5. It makes inexcusable Reason 6 It is absurd Reason 7. It is impudencie Vse 1. Vse 3. To be unblameable ere we reprove Simile The seceond xposition Doct. The Lord doth not destroy men willingly God destroyes not but for sin Simile Observ A great mercy to be reproved Reason 1. Reproofes come from love Prov. 10.17 Reason 2 They tend to good Reason 3 It is brutish to reprove then Simile Vse 1. The misery to want reprovers * or Angel Vse 2. Against despisers of reproof The grievousnesse of standâ—ng out against reâ—roof Doct. God proportions punishments to sins Reason 1 To shew the eqvity of the punishment Reason 2. â—t stops a mans mouth