him better and the better thou lovest him thou mayest think of him more for there the Bread of life is broken that it may be Eaten and this Eaten Bread is never to be forgotten there the Blood of Christ is broached that it may be drunk and being drunk Cant. 1.4 Gal. 3.1 that his love may be remembred more then wine for there is Christ before mine eyes evidently set forth even as if he were crucified among us Thâ—â— the King both sits at his Table Cant. 1.12 and is set upon the Table for Christ is both the Master of the Feast and the Matter of the Feast both my Entertainer and Entertainment and whilst I thus see him and feel him and tast him How can I but think of him and whilst the Bread that strengtheneth mine heart strengtheneth also my Faith and so Christ steals into my Soul as it were by my Sense and becomes the very nourishment thereof as the Outward Elements Bread and Wine are of the Outward man How can I forget my Saviour whilst I Remember my self or shut him out of the thoughts of mine Heart Psalm 73 26. John 6.5 who is the strength of mine heart whose Flesh is my meat indeed and whose Blood is my drink indeed whose Death is my life and my Reconciliation and whose life is my Glory and my Salvation who by his continual Intercession Hebr. 9.28 Exod. 28.29 ever bears me upon his heart before his Father in Heaven even as Aaron was to bear the Names of the Tribes of Israel upon his Brest-plate into the most holy place till He appear the second time unto Salvation John 12.20 and come again to take me to himself that where my Lord is there may also his Servant be Sect. XXXVIII Holy Thoughts of Christ ANd as we must away with all souâ—re thoughts of Christ and All low thoughts of Christ so much more with all unsavory and loose thoughts of Christ Our Thoughts of Him must be Holy as well as High Rom. 6.1 2. and Fearful as well as Chearful The Apostle puts an absit upon the least Thoughts as if the coming of Grace were for the countenancing of Sin What saith Moses concerning Christ Beware of him and obey his voice Exod. 23.21 provoke him not for he will not pardon your Transgressions for my Name is in Him What saith David Psalm 2.12 Kiss the SON least he be angry and ye perish from the way when his wrath is kindled but a little The Prophet Isaiah tells us that he comes to give Law as well as Liberty the Isles shall wait for his Isaiah 42.4 Law the Prophecy of our Conversion who are Islanders in the Sea and that this Branch out of the Root of Jesse shall smite the Earth with the Rod of his Mouth Isaiah 11.1 2. and with the breath of his Lips he shall slay the wicked The Angel saith of Christ that his Name shall be called JESUS Mal. 1.21 Acts 2.27 Mal. 5.17 because He was to save his people not IN their Sins but FROM their Sins Christ when he was a Child was the Holy Child JESUS and when he was a Man He tells us that He came not to destroy the Law but to fulfil it And as John Baptist told the People that his Fan was in his hand Mat. 3 12. and he would throughly purge his Floor they found it so for He went into the Temple Chap. 21.21 and scourged out the Buyers and Sellers c. in token that no unclean or prophane thing must expect admittance by Him into the Kingdom of God No no Mat. 3.11 John 16.8 Hebr. 10.1 Mat. 16.24 John 17.17 Acts 15.9 Philip. 4.7 Col. 3.25 Gal. 6.16 The Baptisme of Christ is a Baptisme with Fire and the Spirit of Christ is a Reprover of Sin the example of Christ a pattern of Obedience and the Doctrine of Christ is a Doctrine of Self-denyal the Truth of Christ a Sanctifying Truth and the Faith of Christ an heart purifying Faith and the Peace of Christ is a War with Sin for it keeps the heart and rules in the heart and 't is onely unto them that walk according to Rule that the Gospel of Christ saith Peace be upon them but Tribulation and Anguish Rom. 2.8 9. Indignation and Wrath upon every Soul of Man that doth evil of the Jew first and also of the Gentile Take We heed then of thinking basely of Christ Mat. 11.19 as the friend of Sinners in their vile sense who indeed thought him to be altogether such an one as themselves Psal 50.21 Psal 35.7 but Davids Thoughts were otherwise thou lovest Righteousness and hatest Iniquity therefore God even thy God hath anointed thee with the Oyl of Gladness above thy fellows A Friend indeed of Sinners for he Dyed to save them yea the chief of them 1 Tim. 1.15 but yet an Enemy to Sin for He came to make an end of Sin saith the Apostle St. John to redeem us from our vain Conversation saith S. Peter and to purifie to himself a peculiar 1 John 3.8 1 Pet. 1.18 people Titus 2.14 zealous of good works to sanctifie and cleanse us with the washing of water by the World that we might be holy Eph. 5.26 27. and without blemish saith S. Paul And now tell me O Reader is there any shelter for Sin or license for Lust in all this O be not deceived Gal. 6.7 8. God is not mocked for whatsoever a Man soweth that shall he also reap for he that soweth to his Flesh shall of the Flesh reap Corruption but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life Everlasting For the GRACE of God that hath appeared bringing SALVATION 2 Tit. 11.12 teacheth to deny ungodliness and worldly Lusts c. Psalm 45.6 For Christ is KING as well as PRIEST and LORD as well as JESUS and the Scepter of his Kingdome is a RIGHT SCEPTER and We cannot THINK RIGHTLY of it except we think it so And O how terrible is this THOUGHT that if We slight this way Hebr. 2.36 Chap. 10.26 neglecting so great Salvation by sinning wilfully against this Sacrifice there remains no other SACRIFICE for Sin for there is no other Name given but the Name JESUS Acts 4.12 Heb. 10.28 29. And if He that sinned against Moses 's Law dyed without Mercy how much sorer must his punishment be that trampleth under foot the SON of GOD Then think this of Christ that if he be not thy Foundation-Stone 1 Pet. 2.6 Mat. 21.14 Rev. 5.5.6 John 5.22 Elect and precious to thee if thou be not built upon him he will fall upon thee and grinde thee to powder for the Lamb of God is a LYON too and God hath committed all Judgment to the SON and the WRATH of the LAMB shall one day be found intolerable to the proudest of Men when the Kings of the Earth
that presseth forward toward the Lord Jesus Christ sticks fast and remains unremoveable while the hinder part is broken with the violence of waves O blessed Hâ—art-breaking O blessed storm that drives the tumbling Thoughts upon this shore Psalm 107.30 well mayst thou be glad because thou art quiet for God hath brought thee to thy desired Haven 1 Pet. 1.8 Phil. 4.7 O sweet serenity Joy unspeakable peace passing all understanding that now keeps the heart and mind yea the heart by the MIND flowing down like the pretious Oyntmeâ—t from the head of Aaron to the skirts of his garment Luke 2.29 36. perfuming and embalming by the thoughts of the mind all the inferior powers of the Soul and affections of the heart That the former can now present unto the later even a deaths head without horrour nay with amiableness in its Aspect whilst the Soul can think with Simeon Psalm 133 2. Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace for mine eyes have seen thy Salvation So that hardly could the Convert now be kept from impatient desiring to be disso ved and to be with Christ but that he THINKS withal of something to be done for Christ before â—e die Psalm 51.13 Luke 22 3â— 2 Câ—r 1 Phil. 1.23 of teaching transgressors Gods wayes that sinners may be â—â—verted of strengthening Brethren of comforting others with the same consolations and so be hasteneth to be doing that he may also hasten to be dying Sect. XI BUt Alas These Thoughts cannot alwayes hold without interruption This brood of Travailers dig up Wells as they go Psal 84.5 Gen. 2.5 and the Philistines follow after as fast as they can to stop them up with earth and stones worldliness and earthliness deadness and dulness return and repossesses the Mind and Thoughts of the eager Convert and threaten to undo whatever Grace hath been a doing So that the confident young Christian who thought that if he had but once gotten the Red Sea on his back his Saviours blood betwixt him and his soul oppressors there would be but a few dayes direct and easy journey through the Wilderness of the World to the Land of Canaan Deut. 8.15 falling amongst many fiery Serpents violent and virulent temptations and lusts not thought of at his first setting out and being bitten by them he proceeds as more heavily so more humbly And his After-thoughts are such as these Now woe is me that I should ever put my hand unto Gods Plough Luke 9.62 and thus look back O why was I not contented to have dwelt on the other side of Jordan Nay to have stayed by the Flesh-Pots of Aegypt Joshua 7 7. Exod 16.3 rather than to die in this Wilderness It had been better sure for me not to have known the way of Righteousness 2 Pet. 2.2 Gal. 4 15. then after I have known it thus to turn from the holy Commanâ—ment Where is then the blessedness that I spake of The Scripture saith indeed Job 17.9 Gal. 3.3 4. that the Righteous shall hold on in his way But alas I have begun in the spirit And after all must I foolishly end in the flesh Have I suffered so many things in vain if so be that it be yet in vain Have I sustained such corrections and received such convictions and brought forth such Purposes and Resolutions with so great Pain and Difficuâ—ty and to so little purpose Hos 10.12 Isaiah 28.14 I cannot deny that the fallow ground of my heart hath been indeed broken up and Gods Ploâ—â—â—â—s have plowed all day to sow and 't was good seed at the Sâ—â—ers did sow when they sowed the Woâ—d Mark 4.14 But alas I now find to my Woe that it was not sown in a good and honest heart for no sooner was the blade spring up Luke 8.15 Mat. 13.16 21. Luke 8.14 Mark 4.19 but early temptation made it â—ither away so that it brought no fruit to â—erfection the cares of the World the decoiptfulness of Riches and the lusts of other things these coming in have choaked the word and it â—â—th become unprofitable Job 4.6 And is this thy confidence O my soul the uprightness of thy wayes and thy hope O think then that the word will prove true to thee though thou hast not been so to it for it told thee that the back-slider in heart should be filled with his own wayes and I am sure thou hast found it so Prov. 14.14 Heb. 6.7 Thou art the ground that hast drunk in the rain that came oft upon it and hast brought forth Thorns and what can now be thy doom but to be rejected of God to be nigh unto cursing and thine end but to be burned Thou art the House out of which the unclean Spirit went Math. 12.33 44 45. and into which He returned taking others with him which though he found empty swept garnished yet leaveth the last state worse than the first Thou hast wearyed thy self with lies Ezek. 24.12 13. and thy great scum went not forth of thee what remains but that thy scum shall be in the fire In thy filthiness is lewdness because God hath purged thee and thou wast not purged therefore how canst thou hope to be purged from thy filthyness any more till he have caused his Fury to rest upon thee 2 Peter 2.20 for if after Men have escaped the pollutions of the World through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ they are again entangled therein and overcome the later end is worse with them than the beginning Thou art that girdle marred by lying in the Babilonish waters of worldly Lusts Jer. 13.7 11. and now profitable for nothing who didst sometime seem to cleave so closely to the Lord Jesus Christ as the girdle cleaveth to the loines of a man Jer. 6.28 29 30. Ah! grievous Revolter Reprobate sinner the Bellows are burnt the Lead is consumed in the Fire the Founder hath melted thee in vain for the wicked are not plucked away thy wicked pride and worldliness and wantonness c. and now what canst thou think O my Soul but that the Lord hath rejected thee Jerem. 2.5 But what Iniquity hast thou found in thy God that thou art gone far from Him and that thou hast walked after vanity and art become vain Micha 6.3 Ah my Soul What hath he done unto thee or wherein hath he wearyed thee testifie against him No no I am sure thou canst not thou darest not reprove him Jerem. 2.19 But thine own wickedness shall correct thee and thy Back-slidings shall reprove thee know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and a bitter that thou haâ—t forsaken the Lord thy God and therefore surely his fear is not in thee What fruit haâ—t thou then of this foul Apostacy whereof thou hâ—st so great reason to be now ashamed Thou didst run well Rom. 6.21 Gal. 5.7 Jerem. 2.11 12
Psal 73.12 Psal 4.9 6. Verse 18. The dispised excellent 1 Cor. 4.13 Psal 16.3 Heb. 11.38 Acts 20.24 Persecution not enough without love 1 Cor. 13 3. as part of a Christians Patrimony Ye shall receive an hundred fold in this life with Persecutions An Honour to be counted worthy to suffer a Gift to be able to suffer as well as to believe to you it is given And therefore he is so far from thinking that he merits by it as that he is but so much the more beholding to God and to Christ for it He thinks losses for Christ and the Gospel to be gain the spoiling of his Goods to be joyfully taken As knowing in himself that he hath in Heaven a better and more induring substance He esteems disgrace for Christ the highest Honour in the World and the Reproach of Christ greater Riches then the Treasures of Aegypt He refuseth to dwell in the Tents of Wickedness to have his portion in this life He chooseth rather to suffer Affliction with the People of God then to enjoy the Pleasures of â—in for a season Those whom men think to be the happy men who call the proud happy having ONLY their portion in this life Those that prosper in the World that increase in Riches that boast of their Wealth that say they are rich and possessed with goods c. Such He thinks Poor and Wretched and Miserable and Blind and Naked And those whom such men think the off-scouring of the World He thinks the Excellent of the Earth And whom they think unworthy to live in the World He thinks that the World is not worthy of them He thinks his Life not too much nor too dear for Christ nay not enough if it want the sincerity of his Love and therefore labours as much that his heart and love be found staming towards him as if he call for it to give his body to be burnt for him Sect. XI Right thoughts of the outward condition of life Prov. 13.8 As fittest for us 2 Sam. 15.4 Hebr. 13.5 Contentment without covetousness Thinking of the promise Psal 23.5 For supply Psal 17.3 IN thinking of his present CONDITION of Life that his lines are fallen in the best place for him that his own food is most convenient for him That Sauls Armour would not suit him That anothers Condition would not fit him not as Absolom O that I were Judge in the Land He thinks it is his duty to be contented with such things as he hath without coveting anothers And thinks it his Relief that the lesse money he hath he may go the more upon trust The less he finds in his purse seek the more in the promise of him that hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee The Lord is his Shepheard and he thinks he shall not want And therefore he will trust in the Lord and do good And he thinks verily he shall be fed or Truth shall be his feeding as some read so that he thinks no man can take away his livelihood unless he can first take away Gods truth Sect. XII Right thoughts of the present time of life 1 Pet. 1.17 Heb. 4.1 To be past in fear that work may be done Phil. 1.12 Jude 23. 1 Cor. 9.24 Luke 16.2 Before time done Time for work Therefore be up and doing 1 Chro. 22.16 A time for every Work Eccles 9.4 Therefore hope while time no room for dispair Eccles 3.1 Time for best purposes Rom. 13.11 Hos 10.12 2 Pet. 1.10 But a time therefore no place for presumption Time pretious measured by moments Ephes 5.16 Right thoughts of death Job 18.14 Chap. 11.20 Eccles 11.3 Luke 16.26 IN thinking of his present TIME of life as the time of his sojourning here and therefore to be passed in fear in fear least he should come short nay or seem to come short at his going out of the World of that which he came into it for the working out of his own Salvation and the saving of others pulling them out of the Fire and both with fear with fear least his day be done before his work be done least his Glass be run before his Race be run least his accounts be required before they be stated with fear and yet in hope that though his time be little and his work great yet if he be up and doing the Lord will be with him And therefore as he that plows plows in hope so he when he prayes prayes in hope and repents in hope c. For to him that is joyned to all the living there is hope So that his fear is a spur to his hope and his hope a bridle to his fear That despair do not run away with him and Cast him quite down for want of hope Nor presumption make him loiter and loose both his time and his soul for want of Fear He thinks there is a time for every purpose under Heaven And therefore thinks he can I find a time for Eating and Drinking and Sleeping Buying and Selling Building and Planting Marrying and giving in Marriage and is there not a time nay a high time to awake out of sleep A time to seek the Lord to make my calling and election sure c. surely there is a time therefore there is hope And no room for desperation And but a time therefore no place for Presumption But a time and therefore that time is most pretious God measuring it to us only by moments as we do pretious Liquors by drops and therefore to be redeemed and so imployed in looking out for a pretious Christ and in looking after the pretious Soul Sect. XIII IN thinking of DEATH to the Unbelievers and Hypocrites as a King of Terrors a grave of their hopes which will then be as the giving up of the Ghost as the falling of the Tree that must lie till judgment as then it falls No work there nor devise no wisdom no calling upon God with hope of help or promise of pardon As the fixing of the gulf no passing no returning from a state of torment no means of Grace no hope of Glory any more as a cruel Jaylor haling the Soul to the dreadful Tribunal of God and then to the Tormenter and Executioner even to him that hath the Power of Death the Devil Hebr. 2.14 And alas how many thousands of black yea bloody self-murthering mouths shall then come to have their woful wishes before they thought of it when God shall damn them and the Devil take them But to the Righteous that hath hope in his death â— King of Terrors too Prov. 14.32 To the godly what but with a broken Scepter A Serpent but without a sting A ghastly countenance with an open mouth but without teeth A sturdy Porter yet standing only to open them their Fathers door The Saints Bed-maker Isa 52.10 Hos 13.4 Col. 3.41 hard-handed yet that makes their Beds soft and easy An Enemy frighted into a Friend by him that is the
saith In all he saith Psal 119.160 He saith in Truth Thy Word is true saith David from the beginning and every one of thy Righteous Judgments endureth for ever Psalm 19.9 Revel 19.9 In all he doth Psalm 33.4 Psal 111.7 8. Psal 80.7 8. The Judgments of the Lord are truth saith the Hebrew These are the true sayings of God Whatever God doth He doth it in Truth All his works are done in Truth The works of his hands are verity and Judgment they stand fast for ever and ever and are done in truth and uprightness Therefore God is greatly to be feared in the Assembly of the Saints and to be had in Reverence of all them that are about him It follows O Lord God of Hosts who is like unto thee or to thy FAITHFULNESS round about thee So that as the Girdle goes round about All and encompasseth and encloseth All so Gods Truth and Faithfulness doth surround all the rest of his Excellencies and therefore if our Thoughts of God be Right We shall have most awful and Reverend Impressions on our Hearts not onely from the SEVERITY but from the VERITY of God not onely from his Justice and Righteousness but also from his TRUTH and Faithfulness Sect. XXVIII Thoughts of God must be Right Psalm 2.11 BUt then again if our THOUGHTS of GOD be Right and Scriptural they must be CHEARFUL as well as FEARFUL There must be a Rejoycing with our Trembling Divine Thoughts must be awful but delightful as a Son thinks of his Father not as a Slave thinks of his Taskmaster Chearful as well as fearful or a Condemned Prisoner of his Executioner for God is LOVE and how can LOVE be Rightly thought of unless it be thought LOVELY 1 Joh. 4.8.16 Rom. 5.5 or how can this precious box or rich perfume the love of God be shed abroad in the heart and the thoughts thereof not be sweet-sented and indeed the sweeter as perfumes are for being held to the Fire of holy Fear Our fear not a fear of torment 1 John 4.18 There is a Fear that hath TORMENT which Love labours to cast out but again there is a Fear that gives temper to true LOVE of God and strips it self of its All as it were to the service of it as Jonathan did by David even to its Sword and to its Girdle and to its Bow 1 Sam. 18.4 Our God is a CONSUMING FIRE Here is Trembling Heb. 12.29 and good cause why but this God is OUR GOD as the Psalmist speaks for ever and ever Psal 48.14 He will be OUR GUIDE even unto death here is rejoycing with our trembling And O how amiable is this Chequer-work of Mans thoughts in the sight of God surely things are not as they should be with us when we Remember God and are troubled what Psalm 77.3 Harbour hard thoughts of the Father of Mercies Think evil of the Fountain of all Goodness 2 Cor. 1.3 Good thoughts of God Ezek. 18.32 and 33.11 ah wherein hath God deserved this at mans hands Is it because he swears as he lives that he hath no pleasure in the death of him that dies But that the wicked turn from his way and live that is but rather that sinners should Repent and live Is it because he cryes out to you turn ye Chap. 33.11 turn ye from your evil wayes for why will ye die or because he cryes out of you John 5.40 ye will not come to me that ye might have life or because he cryes out over you how shall I give up how shall I make thee as Admah Hosea 11.8 Chap. 6.4 Psal 81.13 Isaiah 48.18 Luke 19.42 and set thee as Zeâ—â—im O sinners what shall I do unto you or because he cryes out for you when it is too late O that ye had harkened unto my voice that thou hadst known at least in this thy day the things that belong unto thy peace but now they are hid from thine eyes Wretched Miscreant Wilt thou go on to hate Wisdome and to love Death Prov. 8.35 as indeed thou dost and then think that God is an Enemy to Mankind and takes delight in making Creatures meerly to destroy them O spit out thy Gall and Venom and clear thy Thoughts of prejudice against thy faithful Creatour and most merciful Preserver and account his long-suffering to be Salvation that he 2 Pet. 3.15 that reprieves thee would pardon thee didst thou sue for his pardon as thou wouldst beg for thy Life for he is so Gracious that he waits that he may be gracious Isaiah 30.18 Hosea 12.6 Gods thoughts not to be measured by ours Prov. 12.10 Therefore turn thou to thy God and wait on thy God continually And think not to measure his pardoning Mercies by thine which are cruelties nor by thy frowardness and passions nor by thy hard Thoughts and evil surmises as if God was altogether such a one as thy self till thou canst measure the space betwixt the Heavens and the Earth for so high are his thoughts above thy thoughts or till thou canst find in thy heart to follow thine Enemy Isa 55.7 8 9. moment by moment all the dayes of his life with thine unwearied care for his safety and providence for his supply and by that time that thou hast done for thine Enemy as God hath taught thee by what he hath done for thee Gods challenge to Man 't is like that thou wilt have better thoughts of thy God or if thou have not come and testifie against him If thou darest or if thou canst for 't is a challenge of Gods own making Micah 6.3 O my people what have I done to thee testifie against me and I as his Herauld proclaim this his challenge to thee But if thou keep silence let me speak and tell thee plainly what he hath done unto thee He made thee a Man that might have made thee a Brute and gave thee a Soul endued with Reason Jer. 38.16 Psalm 139.14.15 Improveable by Grace and so capable of Salvation He gave thee thy shape that might have made thee a Monster and made thee desirable to others who might have made thee a burthen to thy self The Hand of his Providence took thee out of thy Mothers womb and hath ever since suffered thee to hang upon it though thou Psalm 22.9 like a Viper hast fastened thy teeth so deep in it that thy venomous biting hath often gone as it were to his very heart and he with more ease might have shaken thee off into the Fire of his wrath Acts 28.5 Psalm 71.6 He kept thee from ten thousand Deaths and Dangers in thy fearless Infancy careless Childhood hardy and adventrous youth and troublesome Manhood to the very moment that thou art reading this He made thy Bed in thy last sickness Psalm 41.3 Psalm 36.6 Psalm 107.30 bare thee up in his everlasting Arms the last time that thou fellest