of the Lord is most seen there is not one wrong thought and certainly the more the heart is under the â—â—we and affecting apprehensions of his Presence and Excelency here on earth the less 〈◊〉 evil thoughts get admittance inâ—â— it God is not in all a wickâ— mans thoughts and therefore sin â— so much in them Shall the thing framed entertain thoughts dishonourable to him that framed it Shall the mind work wickedness whilest its Maker standeth by observing it Shall you before whom his goodness in his Son hath so eminently and evidently passed no more fear the Lord and his Goodness than to give way to thoughts that wander from and war against him Joâ—â—1 1 2 3. Joh would not think unchastly of a Maid for God saw all his wayes even thâ— inward wayes of his heart 2. Second Help Take a true measure of thâ— exceeding evil and sinfulness oâ— sin It is said of learning that if iâ— could be beheld with bodily eyes all men would love it surely if sin were seen with spiritual eyes all the beholders would loath it How can you find in your hearts to think evil and so sin Judge of the cause by the effects The burning of Sodom the drowning of the World the torments of Hell yea the sufferings of the Son of God are all the fruits of sin Judge of the Malady by the Remedy The stain of one evil thought is so deep that nothing short of blood no blood short of that which is called the Blood of God being the blood of that Person who was and is God can fetch it out There is no such thing as a sin that is absolutely little 3 Abandon and abhor that false but frequently recited Principle That thoughts are free The Commandment of God is exceeding broad Psal 119.96 binding the mind and inward There is so much more evil in evil thoughts because they are less bewailed and resisted And without controversie one reason why men so easily perswade themselves that their thoughts do not displease God is because they so highly please them Facile credimus quod volumus They soon believe what they would have to be true 4. Bear still in mind the corruption of your natures whence evil thoughts have their rise This impure spring will not run less it is likely to run more when you lose the sight of it This root of bitterness is still ready to send forth its branches The more you trust your own deceived and deceitful hearts Prov. 28.2.6 the more you incur the black brand of folly This should keep yoâ— humble watchful and dependanâ— on Divine Grace for healing Thâ— lust which is in you is still apt to conceivâ— and bring forth thaâ— which is dishonourable to God 〈◊〉 your hearts are not only infected James 1.13 14. but withall infectious 5. Consider the dreadfulness of Divine displeasure which for your former evil thoughts might in justice have been executed on you The wages of sin is death Rom. 6. last even that death which is opposed to eternal life That which is due to sin as sin is due to every sin even to thought-thought-sins Have you not already too too often laid your selves in the mouth of ruine If Gods Patience and Grace had not interposed you had long ago been where the Worm never dieth but ever gnaweth Dare you still give way to those thoughts against which the wrath of God is revealed 6. Keep a strict and constant guard over your senses Evil communications corrupt good manners and draw forth the seeds of evil which are in the hearts of those who hear them If you cannot stop others mouths from vain and vile speeches yet stop your own ears from giving audience to them Learn at holy Job Job 31.1 to make a covenant with your eyes Pray with holy David Psal 119. that God would turn away your eyes from beholding vanity What troops of evil did enter in by his eyes when he suffered them to gaze on a Woman that was washing her self 2 Sam. 11. 7. Above all keeping keep your hearts At the door of every room or faculty set a careful Porter See that the light that is in your understandings be clear representing to you the gloriousness of God the loveliness of heart-purity the hatefulness of filthineâ— of spirit See that your memories set before you your holy profession and high obligations thaâ— your Consciences are truly tender rising against the first risings oâ— sin that your wills stand fully benâ— towards conformity to God thaâ— your affections be pitched Gol. 3.1 and fixed on things above 8. Get an addition to and increase of your stock of habitual Grace The more strong and vigorous the new Man is the less can thoughts which are contrary thereunto get admittance Mat. 12.35 When there is a good treasure in the heart good things will be brought forth most plentifully and evil things be stifled most successfully Covet earnest as the best gifts so the highest degree of graces attainable The more you love fear and delight in the Lord the less can vain thoughts lodge within you 9. Inure and accustom your selves to holy Meditation Your thoughts will be at work Find them still fit edifying subjects to dwell upon Have you not a large field to walk in Let the Attributes Works and Word of God be much in your minds Psal 104.34 So shall your meditation be sweet and you will neither be at leisure for nor yet have an allowance of evil musings 10. Maintain communion with and dependance on the Holy Ghost Though you are not sufficient as of your selves to think well or to prevent evil thinking 2 Cor. 3. â— yet he who proceedeth from the Father and the Son to be a Sanctifier of the very thoughts of the heart is Alsufficient You may do all things and in particular resist evil thoughts Phil. 4.13 so as to find favour with God through the Spirit strengthening you I am apprehensive that learned and diligent Readers are furnished with excellent and enlarged Treatises about the ordering of their thoughts yet I living near to thousands into whose hands these elaborat pieces are not likely to come and believing that small vessels have their use and that the way of the plain is fittest for dim-sighted ones to travel in have communicated these slender thoughts which I shall follow with my prayers that the Lord who seeth mens thoughts would help men to see the evil which hath already been in them and the absolute necessity their Souls stand in of being washed from that wickedness of being supplied from the free full Grace of God in Christ Jesus that their thoughts may carry a sutableness to their profession of Christianity and to their expectation of glory A BRIDLE FOR THE TONGUE Matthew 12.36 But I say unto you that every idle word that men shall speak they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment SEntences and Sayings
hands on their mouths for â—â—me that they had so misplaced â—â—ir words and be astonished â—â—ce sin entred into the world â—â—ld-like shame hath been one of 〈◊〉 best attendants and it is that â—â—ich aggravateth the injustice of â—â—e unjust he knoweth no shame Zeph. 3.5 〈◊〉 hath not so much of the colour 〈◊〉 vertue as blushing is to be seen 〈◊〉 him 2. As laying the hand on the â—outh looketh forward so it â—ldeth forth a staying and stoping of sins progress Principiis obsta See the Dutch Annotat. If sin have â—ade its way into the thought it 〈◊〉 high time that such a bad beâ—inning should be withstood that â—uch a Cockatrice should be crushâ—d in the egg When Job had â—id Job 40.4 5. he would lay his hand on his â—outh that we may better reach â—is meaning he addeth Once have 〈◊〉 spoken yea twice but I will proâ—eed no further that is to speak as he had done that he understood not things too wonderful 〈◊〉 him which he knew not Sin 〈◊〉 the heart will quickly be anâ—â— break out of the mouth if it 〈◊〉 not opposed and therefoâ—â— there must be a rising against thâ—â— first risings of it It is no moâ—â— than enough that there hath beâ—â— a thinking of evil all care must 〈◊〉 had that it be not spoken or pâ—â—â— in practice The reasons or reasonableneâ—â— of this Doctrine I shaâ—â— now touch on 1. Thought-sins are the immediate issues of original sin Thought-sins are as one phraâ— seth it the Reubens of mans corrupted nature the strength there of appeareth in them The Spirit speaks expresly Mat. 15.9 that out of thâ— heart not as created but as corrupted proceed evil thoughts these proceed first Seeing theâ—â— that when one of these streams is â—â—sight the filthy fountain may 〈◊〉 seen in it shall not this sight â—use sorrow and shame Seeing â—is inbred enemy is at work we â—â—d need with might and main to â—â—fist it especially considering â—hat follows 2. The worst of other sins are â—e issues of thought-sins When evil thoughts have proâ—eded out of the heart Mat. 15.19 then from â—em do proceed murders adulâ—ries yea and blasphemies The greatest actual evil that â—ver man committed was first a â—ttle thought Thoughts are to â—he soul as boughs are to a tree â—he fruit of a tree grows immeditely on the boughs and so the â—ctions and outward works which â—re from the soul do flow immediâ—tely from the thoughts Surely â—hen there is all reason when we â—ave thought evil that we should forthwith be humbled and beware of any further process 〈◊〉 who knoweth what evil an eâ—â— thought may bring forth It truly observed that sin is actiâ— and when it is acting if not pâ—vented it would act to its uâ— most See Doctor Owen of Mortification every wrathful thougâ— tends towards murder and eveâ— unclean thought would be aduâ—tery The reason which I shall namâ— last I might have named first 3. The order which is given 〈◊〉 the Text was given from Heaveâ— Laying the hand on the mouth when evil is arisen in the heart is 〈◊〉 course which hath Gods Command for its footing Shall noâ— we observe what God appoints 〈◊〉 Shall not our wills in obeying follow Gods will in enjoyning 〈◊〉 was the man after Gods heart who fulfilled all his wills Acts 13.20 We have violated Divine laws in thinking evil and shall we add iniquity tâ—â— iniquity Shall we slight Divine authority further in neglecting â—hat abasing of our selves that reâ—sting of our sins which under â—his notion of laying our hands on â—ur mouths is required Surely â—he words which God speaks are â—pirit and life and to those of â—is who conscientiously comply with this word eminent power against sin will be communicated Isai 40. last They who herein wait on the Lord shall renew their strength The good Lord help you and me to make a right application of this Point and to lay to our hearts 1. First Inserence That sin is of an exceeding odious nature Sin when it is but framing or fashioning in the thought of a person is as you have heard matter of the deepest abasement Sin admitteth of several degrees and the very least and lowest degree of it bespeaketh the swelling up of godly sorrow to a very great height Not only sin when it is * James 1.15 See Dickson in loc perfected and put into outward act but when it is conceived in the heart is bitterly to be bewailed Oh that I could and when 〈◊〉 cannot that God would shew sin to Readers in its own colours that they might dread approaches to and shun the appearance of such an evil 2. The second Inserence Vide Davenantium in Coloss p. 284. Our Divines are in the right who maintain against the Papists that concupiscence lust or the first motion and stirring of the heart towards that which God hath forbidden is sin An evil thought though the Soul do not give its full consent to the evil which is thought hath in it the nature of transgression and not of affliction only 1. The Commandment of God is exceeding broad and bindeth the most secret thoughts and motions of the heart As one Commandment doth say in so many words Thou shalt not lust Rom. 7.7 so all the Commandments which do expresly forbid the acting of sin do virtually and by consequence forbid that thinking of it which hath any tendency to it 2. Lust concupiscence Col. 3.5 Cur mortificandum dicit Apostolus non sic de pâ—nis loqui solet Davenant or the first stirring of the heart sinwards is such an evil as is to be mortified If it had in it only the nature of suffering and not of sin it was then to be endured and not to be abhorred 3. The third Inference We may from my Doctrine be informed of one reason why sins prevalency over persons is so great There are not a few that make large complaints of sin and seemingly strong vows against it who yet lye lamentably under the power of it This sovereign Remedy which my Text prescribeth is by too too few applied The thoughts of sin or sin of thoughts the most make light of These are counted as the Papists speak venial sins sins which if they need a pardon will obtain one of course or without serious asking it Sin is a fire which will burn down to the nethermost hell and the smoak of it should be trembled at It is a Serpent which will sting to eternal death and at the first view it should be fled from Whilest persons do play upon the hole of this Asp and on the mouth of this Cockatrices den whilest they hug this Traytor in their bosomes and please themselves with the thoughts of it it hath and will have dominion over them 4. The fourth Inference Surely there 's great ground we should all be found with our hands on our mouths I mean that we
affable inviting obliging carriage 3. All speeches that are recreational and tend to the chearing of those with whom we converse must not have idleness laid to their charge Judges 14.12 Sampson had sundry faults but his putting forth a Riddle to his Companions was none I know very many need a bridle to curb them not a spur to hasten them in this particular It is not an ordinary thing for persons to be both merry and wise at once Jesting doth usually border upon foolish talking and accordinglâ— the holy Ghost by the Pen of Paâ—â— doth draw a black line over theâ— both Ephes 5 4. See Bishop Davenant on the Colossiâ—â— page 297 390. and one of the Fathers iâ— quoted as holding Jests in thâ— whole kind abhorrent from thâ— rule of the Church and anotheâ— affirming Nugae in ore facerdotis sunt blasphemiae See Reyner's Rules page 224 225 Rom. 15.2 3. that trifles when in thâ— mouth of a Priest are blasphemies Yet I question not but pleasanâ— speeches may carry profit in them when used sparingly and warily As Pills may be wrapped up in Sugar so wholesom advices and reproofs may be given to some in more delightful language who would not otherwise take them and we may please our neighbours so far as may be to their profit and edification Having shewed on what words the brand of idleness is not to be set Positively I shall shew what words do deserve that brand to wit Words that have no worth in them Maldonate neither can it be reasonably expected that any good effect should flow from them Quae nullam aut audienti aut dicent edificationis utilitatem afferunt Doctor Spurstow 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Words that are apparently worse than silence words that neither advantage him that speaks nor them that hear them A learned man observed in mine hearing many years ago that the Greek word translated idle was used among the Jews to denote the year of release the year wherein they neither sowed nor reaped and withall to signifie money which lay by and brought no profit to the owner Though some words considered in the general may be counted indifferent Ieanes second part page 51. yet if in their particular use they be not referred to some good end if they be not in some sort needful or helpful they will be found idle My next work is to evidence that Gods proceeding in judgment against persons for idle words is very reasonable and equitable 1. Reason Idle words are real trangressions they do merit the namâ— and partake of the nature of sinâ— and this appears in that 1. In speaking them person forget and do not intend thaâ— noble end for which they werâ— created and created with such 〈◊〉 choice capacity and ability as thaâ— of speaking is See Doctor Roberts upon Psal 16.9 It is usually noted that the same word in the original which signifies tongue doth signifie glory A mans tongue should be his glory and not his shame and then it is his glory when in its use it is directed to Gods glory 2. In idle speaking there is no little loss or mispending of precious time Ephes 5.16 that golden sand should not run out at waste Time is not to be wasted but wared and husbanded carefully What I have said will serve to justifie the Almighty in his judging men for their idle speeches That which â—s sin though men count it a small sin hath death due to it Rom. 6. ult There is moisture in a little drop of water and heat in a little spark of fire so there is contrariety to the nature and will of God in that which is esteemed a lesser sin Causes of decay of Pity page 140. An elegant Pen hath written that sin is so mortal a venom that the least dose of it is deadly Hell is as certainly acquired and Heaven as certainly forfeited by one sin as many 2. Reason Idle speaking speaketh the heart from which it doth ordinarily issue to be in a sinful state and frame Mat. 12.34 35. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh Words are truly said to be to the heart what an Index is to a Book they shew the principal things that are contained in it Si trabs in oculo silva in corde Doctor Spurstow Who can contradict him who cried out If there be a Beam of evil in the tongue there is a Wood in the heart It is said That diseases in the body may be discovered by spots on thâ— tongue to be sure diseases anâ— distempers of the soul may bâ— thereby discerned Vanity iâ— speaking is fathered upon strangâ— children Psal 144.11 upon such as are not savingly acquainted with God 3. Reason The use of idle and vaiâ— speeches doth lay open to anâ— make way for speeches that arâ— notoriously vile and evil Theâ— who would have no corrupt communication proceed out of theiâ— mouthes Eph. 4.29 must take care that theiâ— speech communicate grace to those that hear it Sin is as onâ— saith a speedy graduate Causes of decay page 127. Little Theeves put in at the window seâ— the doors open to all the rest Sin is as a precipice or steep placeâ— where if we once begin to fall Leviter volat Bernâ—â—di floâ—es p. 709. iâ— will not be easie for us to stop Iâ— once the tongue be let loose God only knoweth how far it will run 4. Idle words tend to the hurt of those who hear them The heart of fallen man is very prone to gather vanity to it self and vain discourse doth greatly further it in that bad way it doth draw forth that sin which in the seeds of it before lay hid They who come or talk not together for the better do it for the worse They who gain not by conference are in danger to lose by it Use 1 From the Doctrine which I have taught we may be informed in sundry particulars Branch 1 If idle words be sufficient matter for mens condemnation then idle persons can in their present state look for no other then to be condemned Why stand you all the day idle is a question that should startle the guilty The light of nature hath discovered the evil of idleness Idleness is called the Devils Cushion surely then they that are called to be Saints should be afraid to lye or lean on it Adam when he was in innocency was not to be out of imployment Gen. 2.15 Idleness was one of the sins of Sodom Ezek. 16.49 Idle persons do even tempt the Tempter The Sun shining the Heavens moving the Earth bearing the Waters flowing do all of them accuse the slothful In the sweat of their faces either of their brows or of their brains are all men to eat their bread See the Gentlemans Calling 1 Thes 4.11 2 Thes 3.11 The Gentleman is by a most neat hand lead unto