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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93062	The sinfulnesse of evil thoughts: or, a discourse, wherein, the chambers of imagery are unlocked: the cabinet of the heart opened. The secrets of the inner-man disclosed. In the particular discovery of the numerous evil thoughts, to be found in the most of men, with their various, and severall kinds, sinful causes, sad effects, and proper remedies or cures. Together with directions how to observe and keep the heart; the highest, hardest, nad most necessary work of him that would be a real Christian. / By Jo. Sheffeild Pastor of Swithins London.	Sheffeild, John, d. 1680.	1650 (1650)	Wing S3064A; Thomason E1863_1	165,696	337

pestilence among their cattle I among my first-born The woman with child travailes and hopes to cast out her sorrows but must I ever travell never be delivered of this dead child This body of death Ah sinfull base proud heart ah vain loose idle heart ah unconstant unstable uncertain heart ah falfe deceitfull treacherous heart ah sickly diseased faint heart ah unclean rebellious stubborn heart oh thou son of perverse rebellion dost 1 Sam. 20. 30. thou not know that thou hast chosen these companions to thy own destruction and that thou shalt never be stablished till these removed Ah! What shall I take to witnesse for thee What shall I liken to thee and to what shall I equal thee that I may bemoan or comfort thee Thy breach is great like the Sea Who can Lam. 2. 14. heal thee Unsafe was the valley of Siddim so full of slime-pits for a place of battel Gen. 14. there fell the Kings and holy Lot among them captive My habitation is among these slime-pits wherewith I am alwaies bemired too often foyled Sad was holy Ezekiels lot among Briers and Scorpions Jeremies Ezek. 2. 6. case sad in that mirie dungeon Daniels in the Lions Den the three childrens in the Dan. 6. Dan. 3. Jon. 2. Act. 12. fiery furnace Jonahs in the whales belly Peters in the midst of Iron chains and more stern keepers mine more sad than they altogether Sad the Egyptians case when the waters turned into blood their vines smitten with hail fruits consumed with locusts land covered with frogs their day turned into night themselves annoyed with flies and lice and frogs and evil Angels How many of these plagues are continually upon me Miserable Herod who was eaten up with the vermin Act. 12. that issued out of his own body more miserable to have the soul tormented with those vermin which are bred and ingendred there Miserable Sampson who was betrayed bought and sold into the hands of the Philistines and there made to grind or Jud. 16. make sport to his insulting enemies my case no lesse miserable Were we in this case sold for slaves or delivered to death or to make sport to men well we might bear it but to grind in Satans prison house and to make sport for hell who would not prefer death before it must the Cedar vine olive submit to a bramble And shall Athaliah Jud. 9. 2 King 11. 1. quietly possesse the throne when she hath destroyed the seed royal Avenge me of these Midianites Deliver me from mine enemies for they hate me with cruell hatred Hold not thy peace O God of my praise Why standest thou so far off Art thou a God that hast pleasure in wickednesse or delight in the death of a sinner Shall I say with Peter depart from me I am a Lu. 5. 8. sinfull man O Lord Or shall I say Lord carest thou not that I perish neither Lord Mar. 4. 58. Mat. 8. 2. But if thou wilt thou canst make me clean Say Lord I will be thou clean I ask no more Thou art of purer eyes then to behold evil and Hab. 1. 13. canst not look on iniquity why lookest thou then upon them that deal treacherously and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the more righteous Lord make this sea go back this Jordan stand still Let not the water floud drown me neither let the pit shut her mouth upon me Being invironed with these so many envious keepers as Peter was and loaden with so many chaines and deslined to death by mine enemies I cry the more importunately Lord send thine Angel loose these bonds disperse these keepers open the prison doors yea make this iron gate to open of it self that the ransomed of the Lord may go forth with songs and everlasting Esa 35. 10. Jon. 2. 4. joy upon his head Out of the belly of hell do I cry unto thee let my prayer come before thee O Lord heare O Lord forgive O Lord hearken and do defer not for Dan. 9. 17. 19. thin● own sake O my God cause thy face to shine on this sanctuary this soul that is desolate for the Lords sake Avenge me this once and help me this once and let me dye with Jud. 16. 28. these uncircumcised with whom I have conflicted all my life if I may not be so happy as to outlive them and see them cut ost If I can not see the Egyptians destroyed in the wildernesse but they still pursue me carry me through the red sea of death that I may see them dead on the shore Lord Ex. 14. 30. Josh 10. 6. slack not thine hand to assist this poore Gibeonit● now in covenant with thee who flies to thy protection against the numerous host of the Canaanites round about deliver me from mine enemies for they are stronger then I and mo in number then the haires of my head Jacobs service was hard with Laban which lasted twenty years and he was deceived Gen. 31. 7. ten times by him I have served longer one who hath deceived me more then ten and ten times and shall I not be set free Thy people Israel were sadly oppressed in Egypt they sighed by reason of their burdens and their bondage and thou sentest a redeemer But when shall the Redeemer come out of Sion when will the Lord turn the captivity of his people They were after carried into Babylon and they that took them captives held them fast and refused to let them go But strong and faithfull was their Redeemer Jer. 50. 33. 34. who did throughly plead their cause and give rest again to his land and disquieted the inhabitance of Babylon And shall this captive exile dye in a pit and shall his eyes faile in Esa 51. 14. Esa 38. 14. expecting salvation I am oppressed undertake for me Well now I see what cause to cry out Oh the depth of the riches of the Ro. 11. 33. wisdome and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his Judgments and his ways past finding out Thy waies and thoughts are all to me mysterious I read O Lord that David was thrice anointed to one kingdome ere he came to the full possession of it and must I be so too He was first anointed by Samuel when a child but for all that little like a 1 Sam. 16. kingdome followed but persecutions hatred exile poverty and misery The second time in Hebron after the death of Saul then somwhat indeed of a kingdome 2 Sam. 2. 3. a divided kingdome was given unto him though maintained and kept with long and sore wars But a third happy anointing followed after the death of Ishbosheth when he had possession given him of the whole kingdome which he held all his daies Lord when thou hadst first anointed me in thy eternall 2 Sam. 5. 3. decree of election there was a designation indeed to a heavenly kingdome but till the second anointing comes in effectuall vocation there is nothing like a King or of one designed for heaven to be discerned But then some small part of the kingdome is settled upon us A little grace set up in Gods throne the heart but opposed by much corruption Lord hasten the third anointing in Jerusalem that the kingdome of old designed in election entred into in vocation though yet engaged in doubtfull wars may be fully and quietly possest There was long war then between Saul 2 Sam. 3. 1. and David But David grew stronger and stronger and out lived that war and was settled in peace But when I have done with Saul I have an Absalom coming out of my own bowels and that rebellion scarcely quelled but another Sheba up he blows a Trumpet all make head and I almost forsaken 2 Sam. 20. 1. Oh must there be no discharge from this war must it continue as that between Rehoboam Eccl. 8. 8. 1 King 14. 30. and Jeroboam all our daies There was a● time when Kings went out to war and a cessation 2 Sam. 11. 1. time when David was at home walking on his roof must I neither expect a tryumph here nor hope for peace nor so much as look for a cessation Thou dost all in mercy and for the best I hope we should be in more danger on the roof then in the field Thy will be done The Canaanites were left to try thy Jud. 3. 1 2. people and to learn them war just and good They would otherwise have been secure and Deut. 7. 22. then the beasts of the earth had risen up against them Better it is I must needs say to be exercised continually with these Canaanites then to be destroyed for ever by the wild beasts I read of the care of a mother towards the 2 Sam. 21. 10. carcasses of her children when dead though they could take no more hurt Rizpah the daughter of Aiah Sauls Concubine suffered neither the birds of the Aire to rest on her two Sons by day when executed and hanged on a tree nor the beasts of the field by night even for a long time from the beginning of barly harvest till water dropped upon them out of heaven and then were they taken down and all that time she took sackcloth and spread it for her upon the rock And have I no care of a living-dead-carrion-heart and is there no help but the birds of the aire and beasts may come and rest upon it day and night Well I will spread sackcloth for me upon this rock till either water drop from heaven to soften and cleanse this heart or till it be not taken down but taken up and translated Collige oves Areā munda Templumque repurga Cor renova Satanam contere Christe veni 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rev. 21. 20. FINIS

Inheritance there and no thoughts there How happy a man was David who could say I set the Lord always before me he is at Psal 16. 8. my right hand therefore I shall not be moved q. d. He is neither our of sight nor out of mind to me How happy againe was he who could say How precious are thy thoughts to Psal 139. 17 18. me O God! how great is the sum of them if I should count them they are more in number then the sands How many of us may say how strange and unwelcome to us are the thoughts of thee O God how small the sum of them if I should count them they are fewer in number then the sand in the empty part of the Hour-glasse where there may be found a few scattering dusts when my thoughts of the world are like the whole measure of the sand run out into the lower part of the glasse Againe he saith when I awake I am still with Ibid. thee as if he should say Lord I have not onely remembred thee in my bed and meditated on thee in the night watches Psal 63. 6. But the first and last thing I do is while I am waking to be with thee thinking of thee talking to thee It would trouble me if I did not think of thee in sleep if then I could think of any thing for even when I sleep thou art with me Thou compassest my path and my bed and thy thoughts are to me thoughts of peace all the night long But as soon as I awake I am with thee as soon as I come to my self and a throng of thoughts come pressing to the door of my heart I say to the rest stand by let first the thoughts of God come in and if there be another of his Companions let him come in so all the day let my heart be taken up with entertaining these guests and when late and dark night comes I part not willingly with them till overcome with sleep I drop a sleep with one of these in my mind and when I awake I am at it again Oh happy he that could and happy we if we can say so We would account him a dry Preacher who cannot make a Sermon of an easie and copious Text him a mean Scholar who can make no discourse of an excellent an ordinary Theme and him a weak Lawyer sure who hath not a word to say in the clearest Cause A bad Stomack that must needs be which cannot pick out a handsom Dinner out of the Richest Feast And a Silly shiftlesse fellow he who could use no meanes were he in the Syrians Tents where there was Treasure to be had for carrying if he took none with him Oh! But there is no such Text Theme Cause no such Feast and Treasure as Communion with and Meditation of God is But what dry poor stomacklesse beggerly Christians are we that can think speak utter nothing pick out carry away nothing where there is such store Complain not oh weak Memory oh dull Invention But see and bewail it oh vile Worldly Heart oh base Carnall Affection Luther said he that had but one word of God to his Text and could not make a sermon of it would never make a good preacher Luth. Col. CHAP. VII Low Thoughts of God THE next failing towards God in having no Thoughts of him is the having of Low and too mean Thoughts of him This is the sin charged on the Gentiles who knew and acknowledged God but did not glorifie him as God nor were thankfull but became Rom. 1. 21. vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkned They did not rise up high enough from their dry speculations to a high admiration and holy adoration of him to glorifie him as God as so Great and Glorious a God This is next door to Atheism to think contemptibly of God It is almost all one to Deny or to Debase the Deity Princes hold them not onely their enemies who would depose them but such as will not give them their full and due titles they refuse their petitions if not presented in due style and forme Give unto the Lord the glory due to his name saith the Psalmist The first thing required Psal 29. 2. in him that cometh to God is to beleeve that he is and the second to beleeve that he is a rewarder of such as seeke him That man shall Heb. 11. 6. obscure and disparage and unsun the sun who shall make it but like the lesser stars and he doth blaspheme God as Rabshakeh who shall think God like other creatures or deities To whom will ye liken me Es 40. 18. 25. saith God To strike awe into his people and to whom am I equall to strike them into high and magnificent thoughts of him I am first and I am last and besides me there is no Saviour The Lord is very Es 44. 6. 8. 45. 5. Jealous in this respect of his imperiall Glory and dignity He will not give away of his Glory As he said I will be aut Cesar Es 42. 8. aut nullus either Cesar or nothing so the Lord saith aut Deus aut nullus aut Deus optimus maximus aut nullus Either I will be a great God or nothing Be still and Psal 46. 10. know saith he that I am God I will be exalted among the heathen I will be exalted in the earth Am I not a great King saith the Lord and shall not my name be great from the rising of the sun Therefore cursed is that Mal. 1. 8. 11. 14. deceiver that hath in his flock a male yet offereth to God a corrupt thing any slight service That which is sick and diseased that which is torn and distracted Offer such a sorry present to thy Prince will he accept it saith the Lord much to this purpose in Malachi As the highest honour the Holy Angels can give to God is to glorifie him by raising their thoughts so high that God is raised to the highest in their admirations and Praises And as in earth the highest honour the holiest Saint can put upon God when his heart is elevated and raised to a higher exalting and lifting up of God is in his thoughts Thence the Church Ex. 15. 2. Psal 34. 3. 90. 5. 107. 32. Psal 30. 1. 145. 1. 66. 17. 69. 30. saith sometimes I will exalt him Sometimes I will Extoll him Lift him up Magnifie him all which phrases denote the Souls high thoughts of God and raised affections towards him So on the other side the greatest indignity and dishonour we can put upon God is to have low and sordid thoughts of him Therefore are the wicked brought in speaking slightingly and disdainfully of him Who is the Almighty that we should know him what profit is it to us Job 21. 15. and 22. 17. to call on him Again they say to God Depart from us for what can the Almighty do

care is 1 Cor. 7. 32. This C●refullnesse is evil 1. When Inordinate 2. When Immoderate 1. When Inordinate when we care for the body more then the soul when more for what we shall eat drink and how we shall live then how we shall be saved When we are more carefull of our own things then of the things of the Lord When we take more care to double our state and stock then to double our Talent These are Inordinate Cares 2. When Immoderate Luke 21. 34. Take heed your hearts be not overcharged with surfeiting and drunkennesse and cares of this life Our Saviour ranks immoderate care with immoderate eating and drinking Eating is good and drinking good and necessary when with moderation so of care we may say Modicum non nocet But immoderate eating is surfeiting and immoderate drinking is drunkennesse and immoderate care is as bad as either And Immoderate they are 1. When Solicitudo est aegritudo animi cum cogitatione Tully the heart is oppressed and overloaden with them In that place last named Luke 21. 34. First Let not them come near your heart Secondly Let not your heart have more than you can well bear a little meat and drink lightens and refresheth the body so moderate care is good but when one hath loaded his stomack with meat and hath more drink than he can bear What is he fit for so is the man overloaden with cares 2. When they distract and divide the mind hinder our close and individed cleaving to the Lord 1 Cor. 7. 35. And when they get between God and us that his service is neglected The farm oxen marchandise and family businesses following marririage take up the man that he hath no leisure to attend matters of soul-concernment 3. When they are distrustful cares tending to damp Faith and to weaken duties but so much care as sets Faith and prayer awork are good cares Melanchthon said his cares taught him to pray Si non curarem non orarem No care no prayer A due measure of care to the soul is like water to the mill so much as drives it about doth well but when flouds of water come down so great that they cannot passe that the Mill stands with a back water it is ill so when care drives prayer about it is well when it makes prayer stand still it is ill 4. When they are extended beyond their bounds Care is but for the present as the Manna for the day if it be kept till the morrow it stinketh Care not for the future Let the morrow care for it self Mat. 6. 34. The evil of them appeareth 1. In their Causes 2. Properties 3. Effects 1. The chief Causes and Roots whence they spring are 1. Diffidence and distrust or ignorance of the Care and Providence of God whence such say Care I must for I have none to care for me They consider not Gods care of them therefore cry out as they Mar. 4. 38. Carest thou not we perish So Luke 10. 41. Carest thou not that I am left alone to look after all Where our care ends Gods begins and when we think his ends there must ours needs begin 2. They spring from an Over-high and false opinion of some Excellency in outward things The ●ich mans riches are his Castle men are apt to think had they so much they might then sing a Requiem to their souls and then they were out of the fear of Evil Hab. 2. 9. 2. Their Properties are evill 1. Because senselesse absurd and irrationall We take Gods work out of his hand where it is much better 1 Pet. 5. 7. As if a Child of seven years age should say to his Father let me mannage the businesse of the Family Poor Child Thy shoulders are not for such burthens 2. They are needlesse your heavenly Father doth it for you Mat. 6. 3. Fruitlesse you cannot with all your care and skill add a cue or doit to your state or a cubit or inch to your stature Mat. 6. 27. 4. Endlesse Life hath an end and Riches have an end onely Cares have no end The rich man had as many cares when his riches increased most as when he had lesse The ten thousand pound man hath more cares then the ten pound man Eccl. 4. 8. There is one alone and there is not a second yea he hath neither child nor brother yet is there no end of all his labour nor is his eye satisfyed with riches neither saith he for whom do I labour and bereave my soul of good This is Vanity and a sore evil Unus Pellaeo juveni non sufficit Orbis All the World can stand in a mans heart and he desire never the lesse 5. They are easelesse and restlesse breaking the sleep Eccles 5. 12. They cause a continual head-ach or heart-ach or are like those wormes bred in children which gnaw and torture them make them lose their fresh colour look like earth smell like earth they start in their sleep and rest unquietly Old age is more troubled with these wormes than childhood with the former and more die of these than of them 6. But they are not faultlesse and sinlesse for consider the Effects 1. What a strange alteration they make in man 1. They turn man into a clod or stone as some springs and grounds turn wood into stone These cares turn man into stone so was Nabal 2. They turn man into a serpent who lives on the dust goeth on his belly and cleaveth to the ground these bring the serpents curse on the soul 3. Turns a Christian into an heathen Mat. 6. 32. after these things the heathens seek and if you take not heed will turn thy family into an heathen family where is no care of the worship and service of God 4. At best turn a Christian into a Meteor Luke 12. 29. Who hangs between heaven and earth and is never like to get higher He hath somewhat of heaven in his Conscience more of earth in his Affection therefore at last fals down to earth in his Conversation Earth being the predominate part 2. These destroy the life of Faith and love whereby we should cleave to God without distraction 1 Cor. 7. 35. 3. These keep from duties Luke 14. The farm and merchandize keep from the Lords supper The great husband hath devoured the good Christian 4. These distract in duty Martha could not stay by it when our Saviour was speaking Luke 10. 42. These hinder our attending on a duty and watching in it 5. These choak Grace and all good motions Mat. 13. as the thornes choak the seed The mines of gold and silver are noted to be in the barrenest earth where these cares are there is greatest barrennesse of grace The Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Saint signifies an unearthly man therefore as some observe 6. These keep out and banish Soul-peace Phil. 4. 6 7. Be carefull for nothing c. And the peace of God which passeth understanding shall guarde your

to be cast out by prayer and fasting and the omnipotency of Christ A dumb spirit it is you can get nothing out of him and a deaf spirit too you can get nothing into him The fire burnes inward and there is no coming nigh with buckets or engines The saddest complection it is and the strangest Metamorphosis it makes in the mind turning all truthes into fables and all fictions and phancies into realities Evil he calls good and good evil sweet bitter bitter sweet light darknesse and darknesse light mirth joy cheerfullnesse company of friends he calls evil darknesse solitarinesse mourning sadnesse these are good and sweet yea hope faith hearing praying he calls bitter but reasonings of distruct doubting gainsaying oh how sweet To laughter he saith thou art madnesse to joy what meanest thou of himself he faith I am a companion to dragons and company for owles To the light he saith why is light given to him that is in misery and life to the sad in heart To his Job 3. 20. friends he saith turn away from me labour not to comfort me I will weep bitterly c. Esa 22. 4. To all Godly friends Ministers as well as others he saith you are miserable comforters all Physitians of no value o● that you would altogether hold your peace whither he would he cannot tell into any wildernesse or among tombes any where to be gone And it is well if he do not say unto God I am cast out of thy sight there is no hope I am like a broken vessel and instead of better prayers put up this passionate wish Oh that I might have my request and that God would grant me the thing that I long for Job 6. 8. 9. even that it would please God to destroy me that he would let loose his hand and cut me off The case of this person●● the more sad because having for no cause put all his old acquaintance and tried friends out of doors viz. faith hope prayer promises discourse enquiries he hath left himself onely two to consult with whom he reckons of as his best friends silence his ill counsell-keeper and sadnesse the ill counsell giver who are indeed his mortall enemies And which is worst of all over head lodgeth despaire and below self-murder Poor soul wherewith shall I bemoan thee or how shall I go about to comfort thee Sad sad is thy condition thou wishest night were day and day were night and every thing especially thy self to be any thing but what they are sleep departs joy is banished meat distastfull musick lothsome friends unwelcome employment torment holy duties irksome yea promises no more savoury then the white of an egge oh it is time to send for the Physitian of souls in this desperate case disciples can do nothing In this case it is hard to say what is to be done or spoken we speak not to men but to stockes and stones that have eares and hear not tongues and speak not reason but understand not and ofttimes faith but beleeve not Go not in this case to Cains land of Nod to retire thy self from society or tire thy self with employment To Sauls musick for diversion or to Endor in thy desertion nor to Judas's high Priests for satisfaction and exoneration nor to the Legionists Mar. 5. 5. mountaines or tombes no nor to Elias his cave or John Baptists wildernesse nay nor into the Incestuous penitents cloyster or closet to drown and macerate thy self in thy sorrowes But get thee into the sanctuary of God whatsoever be the occasion of thy griefe whether sin or misery pour out thy soul in prayers judging thy self flying to Christ looking up to the mercy seat staying thy self in thy darkest houres upon the name of the Lord Es 50. 10. and trusting upon him whom thou wouldest gladly find thy God Cast all thy care and burden even of sin and sorrow upon him and as he is faithfull he will not fuffer thee to be tempted 1 Cor. 13. 10. above thy strength But will make a way out of all temptation and trouble that thou mayest be able to bear it He that goes in trouble of mind to the Harp at first for ease commonly goes to Endor after and at last to the halter sword or knife And on the other side the Mad-merry The mad merry Thought thought or unsavoury lightnesse of mind is nothing better oft-times worse The former sad thought decayed the comforts of the soul this destroies the soul it self That lops off the fruit of peace this digs up the root of grace that abateth hope this subverteth fear Both bad this worse That like the Legionist runs away from Christ in fear among the Mountaines but is cured and recovered this Mar. 5. 13. runs with the possessed swine from Christ with joy and delight from the Mountaines Mar. 5. 5. amain into the sea and there they are choaked and perish As we say of presumption and despair despair kils more dreadfully presumption more unsuspectedly yet presumption kils the ten thousands and despair but thousands so for one that dies of sorrow going mourning to the grave ten die of mirth going laughing to hell These swine go in herds Yet am I not against all mirth but that which I called mad and unsavoury There is one mirth to be allowed another to be commended a third to be desired and increased a fourth to be checked reproved and suppressed 1. There is a naturall mirth which cannot Natural mirth be disallowed the weary man doth naturally rejoyce in rest the hungry in his meat the sick in health restored so we read of the joy of the harvest man in his harvest of the rejoycing Esa 9. 3. Esa 62. 5. Joh. 16. 21. of the bridegroom in his bride of the woman delivered of her child Honest and harmlesse joyes all 2. There is a better mirth to be commended Morall and civil mirth a Civil moral virtuous mirth an habituall pleasantnesse and alacrity of mind which is as much to be cherished as the health of the body and doth much conduce to it and to the carrying of us through the various conditions and exercises of this life with cheerfulnesse Thus the Lord would have his servants not onely to rejoyce in his service but to rejoyce in whatsoever we put Deut 12. 18. our hand unto And he is pleased not only to permit but more then once to command the husband to live joyfully with his wife he Deut. 24. 5. Eccl. 8. 7 8 9. Pro. 5. 18. Col. 3. forbids bitternesse sournesse and morosity and commands not onely love but delight joy and pleasantnesse to them in that condition whereby their lives should be made mutually more comfortable to each other 3. But there is a third better mirth commended Spirituall mirth and commanded to the people of God highly to be prized and desired a spirituall mirth and rejoycing their duty and priviledge their work and wages