come unto us We must not conceive that death or hell can or will really make a league with any sinner but these are their own presumptuous thoughts and secure imaginations that they are in no danger of death or hell that though wrath should overthrow the whole Land yet themselves should have an Ark of Preservation the Covenant is onely in their own thoughts yea men are apt to cry peace peace in their own Thoughts when destruction is even at doore These Thoughts of security do exceedingly prevail in these last dayes as they did in the old world this we find foretold by Christ Matth. 24. 37. As it was in the dayes of Noah so shall it be in the dayes of the coming of the Son of man they did eat and drink and marry wives and give in marriage untill the day that Noah entred into the Ark and they knew nothing untill the flood came and took them all away Objection Noah had preached to them of the flood many years and prepared the Ark in their sight how then is it possible that they should know nothing of it Answer It was in the apprehensions and affections of those secure men of the old world as if they had known nothing they believed nothing they were not affected with it 2. They were as secure in their own Thoughts as if they had known nothing they thought themselves free from all danger till the flood appeared Yea the best men are apt to be overtaken with secure Thoughts when outward blessings overflow David confesseth this sin against himself Psal 30. 6. I said that is in my heart in my safe quietnes or tranquility I shall not be moved 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to eternity David being set upon the mountain of prosperity doth think himself above all trouble and adversity he fancies and frames to himself a kind of Eternity in his outward tranquility that he should never see any more changes thus much the Hebrew words import This was Jobs infirmity in his prosperity and glory he said in his heart I shall die in my nest and I shall multiply my dayes as the sand my root was spread out by the waters c. and my glory was fresh in me Job 29. 18. 19 20. if these secure Thoughts so over-power righteous men what prevailing power have they over those that are still under the power of sinne and Satan Worldlings blesse themselves in their riches they imagine themselves in safety as persons beloved and blessed of God because they prosper in the world Psal 10. Luke 12. 19. This cursed thought of security is the chief Zeph. 3. 5. cause of sinners impenitency induration God hath sent his Prophets Ministers in all ages to cry against mens sinnes and to call them to Repentance Jer 48. 11. Zeph. 1. 12. and yet the wicked will not learn to be ashamed they refuse to return they are settled on their lees frozen in their dregs Where is the man that stirs up Jer 8. 6. Acts 2. 37. Matth. 24 39 himself to say what have I done what shall I do though judgements be threatned sinners will know nothing till the beesome of wrath sweep them away they think themselves free from all danger of deathand destruction even when they are nearest to it and so while they imagine that they are sailing toward heaven they suddenly sink into hell 10. Out of the hearts of men proceed overheightning Thoughts of their sufferings in the day of distresse they think their troubles are greater and their crosses heavier than indeed they are men are apt to lessen the evil of their sinnes and to greaten the evil of their sufferings little afflictions they conceive to be great and great afflictions Jonah 4. 8 9. to be incomparable and insupportable Job in his manifold trialls was overtaken with these overheightning thoughts his deep complaints speak out his thoughts Job 6. 1. 2. 13. Job answered said Oh that my griefs were throughly weighed and my calamity laid in the ballance together for now it would be heavier than the sand of the Sea c. what is heavier than a mountain of sand yet Job conceives his calamity heavier so the Church Lam. 1. 12. thinks her great sufferings to be superlative and surpassing all others Behold and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow which is done unto me yea what man living can clear himself from these Thoughts 1. In case of inward Sufferings we are apt to think thus never any so overwhelmed with troubles and terrours as we are None ever so tempted and buffeted by Satan as we none ever tormented with such horrid blasphemous injections as we are never any waited so long for comfort and assurance as we 2. In outward sufferings we are full of such Thoughts as these was there ever any man that had such crosses losses pains pressures and distresses as we behold see if any misery be like to ours Now the reason why men do overgreaten their sufferings in their thoughts is 1. Their looking upon their sufferings more than their sinnes 2. Their judging of afflictions by sense more than by faith 3. Their eying the fleshly dark outside of affliction more than their spiritual inside 4. The smallnesse of their strength and Prov. 24. 10. unfitnesse of their spirits to suffer the will of God Quest What must we do to cure and crucifie these sinfull Thoughts which are so apt to beset us in afflictions 1. Learn to conceive rightly of our Heb. 12. Psal 25. Rom. 8. 20. sufferings in their divine causes fruits and effects the afflictions of the Saints do come from the highest love are ordered by the highest wisdome and end in the greatest mercy When our apprehensions are rectified the cure is half wrought 2. Duly weigh in our thought the demerit of our sinnes for which we are worthy to be destroyed 3. Consider that the worst that befalls the Saints here is to prevent the worst namely eternal condemnation 1 Cor. 11. 31 32. that they might not be condemned with the world 11. There is a spirituall barrennesse and emptinesse of good Thoughts in all carnall minds it is expresly said of evil men that their Thoughts are onely evil continually from their childhood Gen. 6. 5. 8 21. Now where there is nothing but evil there good is wanting altogether spirituall good Thoughts are totally wanting in naturall men The spirituall mysteries of the Gospel enter not into our Thoughts untill 2 Cor. 3. 5. 1 Cor. 2. 9. we become spirituall if we duly observe the daily frame of our Thoughts we may find an apparant want of good Thoughts in our selves This defect will appear in four things specially 1 We are extreamly defective in the serious Thoughts of the presence of Gods all searching eye how few there be that set God alwayes before them in their Thoughts and think with themselves that God beholds all their thoughts and wayes that he
themselves to eating as bruit beasts as the word signifies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 eathliness and epicurisme 5. They were abominable Apostates Ge 6. 4. There were Gyants upon the earth in those daies The Hebrew word Nephilim which is read Gyants hath the signification from falling as being Apostate fallen from God 6. They were Idolaters Gen 6. 11. The earth was corrupt That is the Inhabitants of the earth Gen 11. 1. Corrupting 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nomen Hebraeum discendit a verbo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cadere sic appellantur vel quia a vero Dei cultu deciderunt c. Piscator is in speciall applyed to Idolatry and depraving of the true Service of God Exod 32. 7. Deut 32. 5. Judg 2. 19. as the people are said to do corruptly 2 Chron 27. 2. when they Sacrificed and burnt Incense in the high places 2 King 15. 35. 7. They were Tyrannicall Oppressors falling upon men and making them by fear and force to fall before them 8. The men of the old world broke out into cruell Robberies and Murders for which Calvin will have them called Gyants and this seems to be the opinion of Chrysostom Philo and Josephus Gen. 6. 13. Gen 6. 11. The earth was filled with violence violent wrong injurious and cruell dealing Rapines or Robberies as the Chaldee termeth it 9. They were full of gross infidelity and impenitency not beleiving Gods threats yea they hardned they hearts against all reproofs warnings waitings 1 Pet. 3. 20. Gen. 6. 3. Gigantes promiscuo concubitu polluebant faeminas puellus mulieres Pareus in Genes 6. and long-suffering of God 10. They abounded in abominable adultries and bodily pollutions 11. All Discipline lay trodden down publikely and privatly there was no humanity left amongst men but beastiall barbarisme in all places These and many more were the sins of the old world yet when God comes to pass sentence upon them hee doth not alleadge these open defilements as the chiefest cause of their destruction but their evill thoughts rather The greatest wickedness which was alledged against them Gen. 6. 5. was the thoughts of their hearts Because their thoughts were so many and so continually evill they provoked God more then all their other sins Simon Magus had many foul sins but the thought of his heart was his most provoking sin Hence it is that Peter adviseth him to pray God if it were possible Act. 8. 22. that the thoughts of his heart might be forgiven him as though there lay the greatest guilt and deepest stain before God 4. The sins of mens thoughts are past all number they are as the sand of the Sea innumerable How many thoughts do pass from them every hour yea every minute What man can possibly understand how oft hee offends in his Psal 19. thoughts every day This doth exceedingly heighten the evill of our thoughts and adds to their weight What is heavier then a Mountain Job 6. 7. of sand There be four aggravations which do make the wickedness of mans thoughts to rise up to a kind of Infiniteness the thoughts of carnall men and women are evill 1. From their Childhood yea from Gen. 8. 21. their birth as the great heart-searcher declares the Hebrew word includes not Exod. 2. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A pueritia ejus Ab eo momento quo fuit in lucem editus Schindler ex quo excussus est ex utero We are al transgressors from the Womb Esa 48. 8. Psal 51. 7. 58. 4. only mans age but Infancy or Childs age A Jewish Rabbin confesseth that the evill imagination is in man from the hour that he is formed 2. The thoughts of naturall men are evill continually every day and all the day long Gen 6. 5. as the Hebrew word imports the thoughts of man are alwaies acting even when the body sleeps the mind never lyes still day nor night Psal 140. 3. wicked men are said to think or imagne evils in their heart all the day 3. They are altogether evill only evill Gen. 6. 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 4. Every thought that carnall men think is evil and therefore their evill thoughts must needs amount to a numberless summ the sins of mans thoughts are far more in number then all his other sins whatsoever 2. Vaine loose corrupt thoughts do make up the greatest part of that treasure of sin that sinners are heaping up against the day of wrath O what a vast treasure of wickedness is layd up in their thoughts All wicked men have their fulness of sin which they fill up before Gen. 15. they are cut off the greatest fulness of sin is in their thoughts Position 8. 8. Corrupt thoughts are disturbing evils Interrupters and Undoers of those good things that we do they exceedingly hurt and hinder us in all our performances loose worldly wandring thoughts do spoile us of two pretious things in our Prayers and Services 1. Of our hearts by drawing them another way and causing us to bring empty Oblations to God that wheras we should draw nigh to God with our hearts and keep them close to him in every performance our hearts by reason of our wandring and impertinent thoughts are far off from God The Lord Esa 29 16. complains against the old Jews That their hearts were going after their covetousness when they should have been intent and attent to the word their thoughts were then upon this present world their earthly Possessions Profits c. 2. Wandring and earthly thoughts do spoyl us of the acceptance of our holy things they are like a dead Fly in the Apothecaries Oyntment Position 9. 9. Corrupt thoughts are deadly destroying evils 1. They lead to the height of wrath and misery in this world Evill thoughts are the great leading begetting sins therfore in way of justice must needs bring forth the greatest punishments the greatest miseries that befall a people or Nation in this world as Sword Famine c. are said to be the fruits of their evill thoughts as is evident Jer 6. 19. Behold I bring evill upon this people In the drowning of the old World the Lord had great respect in that judgment to their wicked thoughts which were the root of all and therfore he mentioneth them as the cause of the Flood Gen. 6. 5. 7. Thus Mr. Perkins even the fruit of their thoughts The principall sin which brought that dreadfull deluge and desolation upon the old world was the wickednesse of their thoughts The thoughts of mans heart were evill and therfore God would destroy man and beast from the earth Of all visible Judgments that ever were on the face of the earth this upon the old world was the greatest it is not to be parallel'd by any judgment or vengeance on earth but that second deluge of fire at the last judgment for the waters cut off all man-kind except Noah and his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
himself and when he is pacified he returns to himself but God is unchangeable 2. Yet in a sense t is true that anger is in God that is an inclination and will to punish sin arising from his hatred of sin as his great Enemy anger and fury are given to God as becomes a God he is not as man to be angry and furious with perturbation or distemper but he doth such Acts as do intitle him to fury and anger yet without any change or imperfection 1. Anger is a will and desire in men to punish that which hath wronged them 2. Fury is the height of anger when anger is boyled up to the height t is call'd the Fury of anger 3. Anger and fury are given to God Esa 22. 25. Deo furor ira tribuitur cum ostendit factis aliquid sibi displicere River Esa â—7 1. when he manifests by his Actions that something displeaseth him and especially when he punisheth men they are effects from God not affections in God 1. The anger of God is his decree of inflicting punishment upon sinners 2 Wrath is punishment it self inflicted Irasci dicitur cum paenam infligit River Ezek 5. 13. In my zeal 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thus the Septuagint render it the Hebrew word signifies somtimes Zeal somtimes Icalousie Esa 97. or to be inflicted upon Offenders Rom. 1. 18. 2. 5. Matth. 3. 7. Ephes 5. 6. 4. Zeal is often ascribed to God in Scripture as Esa 9. 7. Zeal is the intention and strength of all holy affections the Zeal of God is the ardent love of God and great care that he manifests for his own Glory and the good of his Church 2 King 19. 31. 5. Jealousie is ascribed to God Psal 79. 5. And Jehovah hath declared himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be a jealous God Exod 20 5. Deut. 5. 9. Jealousie is hot wrath burning smoaking anger Psal 79 47. Ezek 36. 5. Deut 29. 19. t is the flame of Jah Song 8. t is Gods fiery indignation Jealousie is with great indignation and grief Psal 975. Jealousie is the rage of a man Numb 25. 11. such as amounts to hatred and enmity Isa 59. 17. 1. Gods Jealousie imports his taking men into Covenant to be his people 2. Their Revolt by Idolatry and other sins violating their faith given to God 3. The jealousie of God upon it who being greatly displeased speaks and acteth Prov. 6. 34. Jer. 6. 15. 10. 15. dreadfull Judgments Gods Indignation against Idolatry is call'd Jealousie 2. The jealousie of God is his servent love to his people and fiery Indignation Ezek. 38. against their Enemies as the Husband hath love to his wife and hot anger against those that offer violence to her this is a Jealousie 6. Gods haâ—red of men is 1. A Negation of electing love A decree of non-election to life or an inferior kind of love which is hatred in comparison of his electing love Mal 1 23. Rom 9. 13. 2. It is a displacency detestation abomination and aversation of things Esa 1. 14. 3. It is the execution of the decree of punishing and destroying wicked men Psal 5. 6. 7. Whence Repentance is spoken of Gen 6. 6. in Scripture 1. We must not conceive that Gods 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Post sapere mutare mentem in melius repenting is like to mans repenting 1. Sam 15 25. The strength of Israel will not repent for hee is not a man that he should repent Numb 23. 19 Repenting as t is in men doth properly import a change of their mind and will from evill to better upon an after-wisdom an after-understanding 2. It implyes a perturbation and grief in their hearts arising from the acknowledgment of their errors this is mans repentance but none of these Acts can be in God who Jam. 1. 17. Mal. 36. is Omniscient and unchangable with whom there is no variableness neither shadow of turning 2. Repentance is spoken of God Metaphorically Gen 6. 6. Amos 7. 3. Jer. 18. 8. Out of the abundance of his mercy Humanae capacitati aptiora quam divinae sublimitati St. Aug. R. Mosseh Doctus Aben. Ezra in similibus casibus semper utuntur his verbis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to help the weakness of our apprehensions God condescends to the manner of humane expressions retaining still the steadfastness of his own working which receives no variation nor difference from the contingencies of second causes God speaketh according to our capacity but he worketh according to his own Councell Ephes 1. 11. The Learned Rabbins have an excellent Rule that they alwaies use in such like cases the Law that is the Scripture speaks after the manner of men That is it accommodates its speeches to things corporeall and sensible that so it may more clearly be understood 3. God is then sayd to repent when Vbi legitur quod paeniteat Deum mutatio rerum significatur immutabili manente praescientia divina Aug. de Civit. Dei lib. 17. cap. 7. what he once willed to be he after by the counsell of the same will causeth not to be therin not changing his own counsel but only willing the change of the things that the same thing for this period of time shall be and then shall cease so that the same will and counsel of God stand constant and unmoveable in the severall mutations of those things that are wrought or removed by it for nothing can possibly fall out in Gods ordering and observing all things that can make him more wise more righteous more powerful then he was before he is unchangable in his wisdom and in the Councell of his will 4. Gods repenting is a change of the Work his Decree abiding unchangable Gen 6. 6. It it repented Jehovah that he he had made man on the earth That is He determined to destroy man whom â—e had formerly made So 1 Sam 15. 11. It repents me that I have made Saul Ier 18 8. Psal 135 14 King That is I will un King Saul whom I have made King formerly 5. The causes of this change are eitheir mens sins or repentance yet this change is decreed by God from Eternity for God hath decreed both these to do a work and then to change it again or to undo it according to the sins or repentance of men This change of the work is call'd his Quando dicitur Deum paenitentia duci accipiendum est de effectu Quemadmodum nos quando alicujus rei paenitet abolemus id quod antea feceramus Menasseh Ben Israel repenting for when God changeth his former works and acteth in a contrary dispensation he doth as men do when it repents them of any thing they destroy what before they have built up and undo what before they have done Thus God repenting pulls down what before he hath done he dis-thrones Saul and destroyes the old World 6. God never changeth his mind
its actings to be governed by Christ 4. In the restoring and renewing of our nature by the spirit of Christ the change and cleansing of our thoughts is the first and great work wherein the exceeding greatnesse of Gods power puts forth it self 2 Cor. 10. 4. 5. Rom. 12 2. 2. There is an universal newnesse put into our souls by the new Creation all old things passe away and all things become new 2 Cor. 5. 17. which necessarily imports a reall Reformation and reducement of our thoughts to the service of God as well as our affections and actions 3. In this new Creation the Royall spirituall Law is given and engraven in our minds whereby we are inclined and inabled to serve and love God with our thoughts Heb. 8. 10. Vse second 2. Seeing there is so much sinne and iniquity acted in our thoughts continually we should strive to be deeply humbled for all the evils and vanities of our thoughts we must humble our selves for our thoughts as well as our words and works yea chiefly for these leading radicall sinnes this is pressed upon us in Prov. 30. 32. If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thy self or if thou hast thought evil lay thine â—and upon thy mouth The thinking of evil is here joyned with self exalting which is the greatest folly and fighting against God when we have thought evil we must lay our hands upon our mouths that is our hearts must be filled with sorrow and shame for the same from a clear conviction of our guiltinesse This laying the hand upon the mouth argues and signifies these two things 1. A spirituall and plenary conviction of the extream sinfulnesse of evil thoughts in their aggravations and of the great wickednesse that men have acted in their thoughts so that their mouths are now stopped and they have Rom 3. 19. nothing to say by way of excuse extenuation or self exoneration they dare not say that thoughts are free nor that themselves are free from the highest thought pollution but now they will freely joyn with the Law in charging and condemning themselves 2. It argues a height of shame and depth of self abasement and soul humiliation in the sight and remembrance of the great evil of their thoughts that they are vile in their own apprehensions and very much ashamed and afflicted in their spirits for their thought-defilements Ezech. 16. 65. Job 39. 27 28. Now there is great reason and cause why we should be deeply humbled for our thought-sinnes 1. Evil thoughts are sinnes against all divine Laws they are violations of the Law of nature of the law of love and grace 2. They are grand enemies of God 2 Cor. 10. 4 5 Rom. 8. 7. and the great disturbers and defilers of all the good that we do 3. Man 's own evil thoughts are the first begotten of the old man the fiâ—st born of the Devil the begetters of all other sins the beginners and first movers in all evil they are leading misleading evils 4. The sinnes of our thoughts are in number like the sands of the sea in their nature out of measure sinfull how great a cause then have we to be greatly humbled and to sorrow bitterly for the evil thoughts of our hearts oh therefore let us look much into our Thought-sinnes and consider them in their hatefull nature and numberlesse numbers that we may be throughly abased and ashamed and may loath and abhor our selves for the same let us duly and daily search our hearts and survey our thoughts in their severall kinds 1. Examine what Thoughts of atheisme blasphemy spirituall idolatry pride unbelief security and sensuality speculative filth and folly vanity and vilenesse what thoughts of impierity and iniquity against God and man do rise out of our hearts daily and how far they have prevailed over our hearts Let us remember that all those evil thoughts before mentioned yea the worst of them all are in all of us by corrupt nature and if we be left to our selves when occasion is offered our corrupt hearts will presently conceive them and give them a compleat being and birth 2. We must examine our thoughts by the word of God this straight righteous Rule will manifest the obliquity and iniquity of our thoughts Heb 4. 12. the word of God is mighty in operation and is a discerner of the thoughts of the heart at the preaching of this word the secret thoughts of an Infidel are made manifest 1 Cor. 14. 24 25. oh therefore let us exactly and throughly search our thoughts by the light of Gods word and strive to find out the manifold exorbitances vanities and defilements of our thoughts 2 We must freely and faithfully confesse our thought-transgressions to God and thereby give glory to the great heart-searcher 3. We must be deeply displeased with our selves for displeasing God by our thought-sinnes it must be the greatest grief of our souls that we have grieved Gen. 6 5 6. God by our thoughts 4. We must judge and sentence our selves for our loose prophane proud ungodly impertinent and unprofitable thoughts acknowledging that we are most worthy to be destroyed for the sinnes of our thoughts 2. We must condemne our selves for secret evil thoughts which never came forth into action there is a world of sinne acted in mens thoughts which doth not break out into their visible conversations 3. For those evil thoughts that proceed out of our hearts whreunto our wills never give consent 4. We must passe sentence upon our selves for the want of holy heavenly spirituall thoughts the Law of Christ commands us to be free from all evil thoughts and to be filled with all good thoughts Mark 12. 30. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy thought so that the want of good thoughts in us is a breach of the Royall Law and makes us liable to that heavy curse in Deut. 27. 29. 5. We must be humbled for the evil that cleaves to our good thoughts Our best thoughts as they come from us are not without some mixture and adhesion of sinfull corruption which is sufficient without Gods covering mercy to cast and condemn us 5. We must seek unto God for the pardon of our evil thoughts this duty Peter presseth upon Simon Magus Act. 8. 21. pray to God saith he that the thoughts of thine heart may be forgiven thee Simon Magus had many foul crimes to be pardoned but yet the first and great sinne for which he was to beg forgivenes was the thought of his heart see how earnestly David petitioneth for the pardon of his thought-sinnes Psal 19. 13. Who can understand his errors cleanse me make me guiltlesse from my secrets thus the words are in the Hebrew and in the Syriack 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Psal 19. 13. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Signifies to cleanse or make innocent guiltlesse empty to absolve The Arabick thus explains it cleanse me O my Lord from my secrets which are