in respect of them as Jacob I am not worthy of the least of all thy mercies yet not to think them the chief good or the best of them good enough for the precious soul to sit down with Many will say who will shew us any good But Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance c. Yea doubtless and I account all things but loss and do count them but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dogs meat not Mans meat All things of all sorts civil advantages Church priviledges c. as nothing for the Soul without Christ that I may win Christ These I say were his thoughts of the highest humane attainments of Outward Church Priviledges of Creature Enjoyments in the World And so not to think Him happy that hath them but that hath a sanctified title to them and sanctified use of them If they be sanctified by the Word and Prayer If I rejoyced because my Wealth was great and because my Hand had gotten much and my Hand hath been secretly enticed or my Mouth kissed my hand He did not think himself to be the better or the happier for being the wealthier 't was the gain of the heart Heavenly treasure true Job 23.12 not the Gettings of the Hand that Job estimated to be true treasure I have esteemed the words of his mouth more then my appointed portion so the Margin then my necessary Food so the Text. No doubt he accounted that good too but not the chief good Psal 49.8 not a sufficiâ—nt good for his Soul for the Redemption of the Soul is precious It ceaseth for ever And Alas Whole world not worth a Soul Mat. 16.26 thinks a Man that knows the worth of a Soul what is a man profited if he gain the whole world and loose his own Soul Sect. V. Right thoughts of Ordinances what Mat. 23.19 IN thinking of ORDINANCES as the good wayes of God to be gone in not rested in He thinks not so greatly of the Gift as of the Altar sanctifying the Gift of his attendances upon them as they are performances of his own but as appointments of God for the Communication of Himself to the Soul One thing have I desired of the Lord Good wayes to be gone not rested in Psal 27.4 that will I seek after that I may dwell in the House of the Lord all the dayes of my life to see the beauty of the Lord c. not the beauty of the House though that was very beautiful and to inquire in his Temple not onely the way to his Temple but to the sight and fruition of him in his Temple Sect. VI. Right thoughts of sin what Greatest evil Job 32.21 Isaiah 33.24 IN thinking of SIN as the only contrary to the Supream good Therefore Jobs Friends would have fastened it on him as a Brand of in-sincerity that he had chosen Sin rather then Affliction The inhabitants shall not say I am sick for the people that dwell there shall be forgiven their Iniquity They shall think all well when sin is done away Sin in a good mans Thoughts is the very Gall of bitterness the very core of all troubles the very sting of Death it self 1 Cor. 15.56 Heart-sin worst Heb. 12.15 1 King 8.38 Jer. 17.9 Rom. 7.23 â—â—rom 9.5 Hibaâ— 2.5 and the very Hell of Hell And as he thinks Sin the worst of Evils so Heart-sin the worst of sins that Root of bitterness that Plague of the heart that desperately wicked thing that cannot cease to Sin that Law in the Members that wearies them to commit Iniquity yet it self is unweariable and unsatiable as Death and Hell and therefore called the Body of death which never saith it is enough 'T is this evil that makes good men cry out of themselvs as of the chief of Sinners Rom. 7.24 For whatsoever they know of others as to other Evils they know more of this by themselves then by all the World 'T is this Evil that makes many a man thought humble by others cry O my pride counted mortified by others Spiritual wickedness cry O my potent passion my strong corruption my unruly Lusts how many a man is there of unblemisht life that is weary at heart of his own Heart yea of his very Life because of the evil of his Heart his spiritual pride filthiness of Spirit Earthly-mindedness 2 Cor. 7 â—1 James 4.1 Spirits lusting to envy with the spiritual wickednesses abroad in the world as Hypocrisie Heresie c. But yet though he think Sin Root and Branch to be the greatest Evil Yet no sin so great an Evil as Christ a good Heb. 7.25 yet not so great an evil as Jesus Christ is a Good nor so mighty though mighty to destroy as He is Almighty able to save He thinks Sins demerits great Christs merits greater whereby he is not only secured from Hell but to be saved in Heaven And therefore He may plead even the greatness of his sin as an argument for his Pardon Psal 25.11 because He thinks the great Salvation to be so much the greater that it triumphs most in the spoils of the proudest sins in the thing wherein they have dealt proudly to be still above them When Sin groweth up unto the Heavens Ezek. 9.6 Psal â—08 4 1 John 4.4 Gods mercy in his Son is above the Heavens As when the wicked one is great that is in World yet greater is he that is in the Saints than he that is in the World Sect. VII IN thinking of HOLINESS Of holiness Isaiah 2.8 not only way to but part of happiness Psal 119.11 Philip. 3.20 1 John 5.3 Mat. 11.30 not only as the high way to as the Prophet calls it but also a principal part of Happiness the Duties of holiness to be the Beauties thereof Its Practise Priviledge Its Performances great Rewards Its inchoation an Heaven upon Earth Its Consummation and perfection the very Heaven of Heaven And therefore Its Commandments not grievous Its Yoke easie It s Burden light Of Affliction not so evil as sâ—â— Good to the good Ps lm 119.67 71. Hâ—bâ— 1.12.11 Verse 10. Profitable 1 King 17.18 Monitors of our frowardness but Fruits of Gods Faithfulness and Love Psal 119.75 Rev. 3.19 John 16.33 Christs Legacy Mat. 10.25 For many good ends Sect. VIII IN thinking of AFFLICTIONS though Evil not so Evil as Sin and therefore their being Sanctified desirable rather and more then their removal Evil in themselves yet good to the good and for the making of them Better It s good for me that I have been afflicted before I went astray but now I have learnt thy Precepts sharp and bitter twigs bearing sweet Fruit peaceable Fruits of Righteousness A Fathers Rod not for his Pleasure but VERILY for our Profit that we may be partakers of his holiness Remembrancers of our Sin yet not so much products of his Justice Power and soveraignty as Fruits of his Faithfulness I know O
their hearts Judg. 5.28 hearts looking out not looking in 2 Kings 9.2 Isaiah 48.4 John 21.11 Jerem. 8.6 There are open Casements here are brazen shuts and Iron sinews to keep all close even from their own eyes What busie inquiries by unconcerned Idlers after Alien and Forraign things like his in the Gospel And what mâ—st this Man do yet I hearkened and heard but they spake not aright no man repented him saying what have I done or how shall I do Intelligencers from abroad are gladly received those in mens own breasts are checked and choaked What will become of such and such Interests what will times come to what will become of Trade such and the like are frequent Inquiries What will be the issue of this mans Contest and the other mans Law suit Nay of this Cock-Fighting or that Horse-race of this Game at Cards or that Cast at Dice But where shall I meet the Man or Woman that seriously that seasonably cryes out but what will become of my own Soul my immortal Soul to all eternity What will you do in the end Jer. 5.35 this is a Query of Gods putting to us and methinks amid all other our Inquisitiveness and Curiosity we should not neglect to put this to Our selves Alas how deplorable and lamentable a thing it is that Man that would be wise should be so vain Job 11.12 he â—reedily drinks in the knowledge of all about him yet is willingly ignorant of himself If man do but meet a Ghost if his mettle will serve him he presently cries ouâ— In the name of God what art thou yet carries a Spirit about him every day whereunto he never moveth that Question Miserable man that thou art Is thy Conscience such a Fiend to thee and thiâ—e own Soul such a gastly Ghost that thou darest not stay to talk with it Put thy self to it Temptation will put thee to it Affliction will put thee to it Death and Judgment will put thee to it and ask thee plainly what thou art Ask thy self before-hand that thou mayest know what to answer them that ask thee Sect. IV. SUrely that Antient Apostolick Self-knowledge necessary 2 Cor. 13.5 may pass for a Catholick challenge 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Know you not your own selves you know your conditions and outward concernments do you not know your spiritual state you know your Herds do you not know your Hearts you count your Coin take you no account of your Consci nces you try your Gold do you not prove your Faith nay more you are acquainted abroad and know others know you not your own selves Must that needs be true of you that is said of the Witch in the Fable that she wore eyes when she went abroad and still laid them by when she came at home you take upon you to judge one another to know the hearts and fore-know the ends and future states of others and know you not your own selves surely God may say to that his Officer though a bribed one that self-discerning power and faculty that he placed in mans breast as sometimes he did in another case Isa 42.19 20 who is blind as my servant or deaf a my Messenger that I sent seeing many things but thoâ— observed not the one thing that more concerns thee than all other things But God knows thee though thou know not thy self and will tell thee what thou art as Ahijah did Jeroborams wife whether thou make or take thy self to be another 1 Kin. 14.6 And that bribed Officer will one day do his office and will make thee too late to know thy self when thou wilt not know what to do with thy self Luke 16.24 Thy tormented tongue will then tell thee what this little Treatise would fain acquaint thee with in a better season and more to thy profit yea and those very thoughts of thine that thou wilt by no means put thy self upon the trouble now to reflect upon will turn upon thee and fly in thy face and gnaw at thine heart as so many never dying worms and roundly tell thee then what they might have told thee before even before thou hadst come into that place of torment Those thoughts that are now thy pulse thou mayst try thy self by them will then be thy pain thou wilt torture thy self with them Son remember Verse 25. said Abraham to Dives Oh thy Memory will then be thy misery and thy thoughts thy tormenâ— Those thoughts of thine that might now make a Jury whilst if thou be cast thou hast time before thee to sue out thy pardon if thou empannel them not for this better service they will then turn thy Executioners when there will remain neither help in thy self nor hope in God Pr. 5.11.12 Jer. 2.5 Psal 50.21 Think now what thy eternal thoughts will be if thou miscarry for thee O then thou wilt think of thy Soul thy Sin thy misery means neglected mercies abused Reader pause here and think of what is past before thou proceed a whet's no let Thou canst not endure to spend a little time now in the unpleasing work of self-Reflection whilst self-reflection might do thee good And can thine heart endure to spend an Eternity in the same work to a worse end save that Eternity can never be spent My heart is enlarged to thee O Reader fearing thine may be straightned towards thy self yet do but promise me that thou wilt well weigh this one word what the work of thy thoughts will be to all Eternity if thou shouldst miscarry I say to Eternity And I will leave the porch of my discourse built larger for thy sake then was intended and so lead thee to its principal parts CHAP. II. Damneth this licentious principle that Thoughts are free Sect. I. ANd now that we might make a right Judgment of our selves by our thoughts Thought 's Free a damned Principle it will be necessary that we first Judg aright of our Thoughts and therefore we must come in the first place to damn that hell-born Principle to the place from whence it came That Thoughts are Free for hardly can I think a more evident token of a Reprobate mind as the Apostle calls it then for a man to think of his thoughts as some will say of their words Rom. 1.28 Our lips are our own who is Lord over us Psal 12.4 But I may say to all those that promise liberty to their thoughts as the Apostle speaks in another case 2 Pet. 2.19 Whilst they promise them liberty they themselves are the servants of Corruption for as we shall finde the first stirrings of grace are in thou hts 't is as true that the first motions of Corruption are there also James 1 15 for Lust concerves saith the Scripture and then brings forth sin Thouâ—ht is the Cockatâ—ice Isai 59.49 Egg as the Prophet calls it that Breaks forth into a Viper And thus are they miserably requited by their
holds and this would have awakened thee sure to purpose and raised Commotions in thy Thoughts for the very First motions of Grace as I said before and stirs would have appeared there The casting down of some the bringing in others into captivity to the obedience of Christ Luke 2.24 who is set as for the rising and falling of many in Israel so in the soul the thoughts that thou wert best acquainted and pleased with must have come tumbling down and the thoughts whose faces thou never sawest before would have risen up in their room own thoughts must have been unthoughts Old thoughes amongst other things must have past away 2 Cor. 5.17 Isaiah 55.7 and all things must have become new Let the unrighteous forsake his thoughts His Thoughts that is Thoughts growing in corrupt natures Garden for Regeneration is especially called a Renewing in the spirit of the Mind Ephes 4.23 Search the Scriptures and if things be not thus then blame me and think as well as ever thou thou didst of thy self and as ill as ever thou canst of the Author for giving thy calm and quiet thoughts any needless trouble But alas Reader be not deceived Gal. 6.7 8. God is not mocked but if a man think himself to be something when he is nothing he deceives himself Let me tell thee thy thinking well of thy own thoughts will no more make them good than thy thinking thy self such will make God to think thee so And yet believe it I beseech thee O Reader that my end and design in all this is not to disturb but to direct thee The Apostle delighted not in making the Corinthians sorry but that they sorrowed after a godly sort 2 Cor. 7.9 It is no pleasure to me to think that thy thoughts are wrong but desirous I am to set them right and to help thee how to judge rightly of them and of thy self by them Sect. II. SEeing then Reader Seeing grace first stirs in thoughts that we are now at the very root of the matter and have told thee once again that the grace of God first stirs in the Thoughts Give me leave to lay before thee a plain Scheme and Map of such Thoughts as Divine Grace doth usually work in true Penitents of such Right Thoughts as it doth first give in to those whom it will accept and own as Righteous persons And herein that I may the more distinctly proceed I shall premise something First Concerning the Season and Occasion Premised two things occasion and method of Gods working them Gods usual season to bring sinners to right thoughts such as for mad men to right minds and the Method Secondly Of Gods working such Thoughts as these in the Heart and Mind of Man In all which if thou wilt go along with me I trust thou wilt find both Scripture Evidence and Christian Experience to bear thee Company Sect. IV. FOr the Season that God takes to bring Sinners to Right Thoughts 't is such as the Physitian takes to bring mad men to Right Minds for even this great and Inward Change in Scripture is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Acts 3.31 Repentance a coming to Right minds a coming to our Right minds so the word signifies when they have them under Chains and in the dark If they be held in Cords of Affliction and bound in Fetters THEN he sheweth them their work c. He openeth their Ear to Discipline c. For God speaketh once Job 36.8 Verse 9.10 Job 33.14 15. Verse 19. Verse 16. yea twice yet man perceiveth it not But in a vision of the Night when he is chastened with pain upon his bed as it there follows c. then he openeth the Ears of men and sealeth their instruction In the day of Adversity saith God Consider when the Patriarchs were reduced to a sore strait then they are brought to think seriously of their Sin against their Brother Joseph And 't was he that brought them into it for that very end so doth our heavenly Joseph Jesus Christ Eccles 7.14 Gen. 41.21 often do for the very same purpose he sends troubles oft times on the outward for the reducing of the inner man and straitens the Garrison that he may take it in 1 King 8.47 Luke 15.17 The Israelites by their Captivity must be taught to Bethink themselves and so the Prodigal by his Famine Or however when the mighty God takes the weapons of the spiritual warfare into his own hand Hosea 6.5 and hews men by his Prophets and stays them by the words of his mouth and his Judgments are as the light that came upon Saul in his full caâ—â—ar and struck him to the ground Act. 9.3 and a â—oice from Heaven with it that strikes him to the heart Soul soul Verse 6. what dost thou mean by this hardening thy Heart againâ—t Heaven and setting thy self against God Are thy heels harder than his pricks canst thou dwell with everâ—asting burnings Verse 4.5 The Commandment comes Sin revives the false conceited Righteous person is struck dead I dyed saith Paul knows not what to think Rom. 7.9 wâ—o art thou Lord nor what to do Lord what wouldest thou have me to do such I say is the season and occasion that God takes for reducing sinners to Right Thoughts Act. 9.5 I know indeed that Grace is a Soveraign agent Grace not to be limited Acts 16.15 Sometimes slips the lock of the heart with little noise and works as it will sometimes It slips the Lock of the hear as Lydia's with little noise and so makes â—oom for Right Thoughts there It may possibly steal into the heart if I may say so like Josephs cup into Benjamins sack And he that hath it wonders when or how It first came thither All women that do well too have not the same troubles and pains in Child-bearing that the most have And so it is also in the new birth And if thou be one that canst say indeed that there is a Change in thee from what thou wast by Nature one thing thou knowest that whereas thou wast born blind now thou seâ—st John 9.25 as the man in the Gospel The grace of God hath brought tâ—ee to thy right sight a Right mind Right Thoughts Canst thou say I was born blind but God has brought me to Right sight mind and thoughts with lesse do Blesse God for the thing Repine not at the manner Gen. 44.13 but by what Sickness Sermon Affliction Conviction it began with thee thou canst not say which is the case of some especially some such that have been all their lives much under the power of the restraining Grace of God and of a strict and holy education let me exhort thee rather to magnifie that Grace that hath appeared to thee and taught thee to deny ungodliness c. then to repine because thou dost not know or by what means and gradations the work of
which is in Christ Jesus What shall I then say to these things The Lord hath both spoken unto me and himself hath done it Isaiah 38.15 I will go with him though I go but softly all my years even in the bitterness of my Soul So then the Thoughts of the Righteous pick up encouragement Numb 14.9 as the Good Spies from their very difficulties They are Bread for us I will go with this man saith Rebeckah I will go with this Jesus saith the fixed Thought of heart Though I go sadly yet I will go I will go though but softly in my souls bitterness all my years Isaiah 38.16 But yet O Lord by these things men live And in all these is the life of my spirit so wilt thou recover me and make me to live so saith the gracious Heart And thus is the soul fed with Manna aad led about many years it may be in the Wilderness of Anxiety Deut. 8.2 And all this to humble to prove to know what is in the heart and to do it good in the later end The end of the draught or scheme of Thoughts 1. Wrought in conversion And thus have I given you as briefly as I could though more largely then I thought a Scheme or draught of such Thoughts in man as do ordinarily flow from the Grace of God as I have received from that sure Word that is a discerner of the Thoughts and a discoverer as well as a discerner and as I have known and perhaps felt in some small experience And the Holy Ghost Prov. 27.19 that knows all hearts saith expresly As in water face answers to face so the heart of man to man Regenerate mans thoughts flowing from a new nature agree with other natural motions in three things Sect. XII NOw because as I have said The Regenerate mans thoughts are sparks from a new Fire fruits of a new heart stirrings of a new Nature Therefore it must needs be that they partake with all natural motions in these Three points I. Facility Natural Acts and Motions 1. Facility Good thoughts delightful if from a right principle Prov. 2.10 If Nature be not oppressed as sometimes the New nature seems to be are facile yea pleasing and delightful as to eat to drink to sleep c. So are right Thoughts to a Righteous person When wisdome entereth into thy heart and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul c. A naughty heart is like a vitious stomach those very thoughts that are as an hony Comb Prov. 27.7 or as pleasant bread to others do make it turn as it were at the very sight of them Go thy way Paul for this time I have no stomach to think of Righteousness or Judgment to come No no Acts 14.25 Felix his Thoughts were another way suitable to his Corruption He thought saith the Text there was no money coming Verse 26. and 't was the thought of money that made Musick in his Mind But saith David of his God not of his Mammon My meditation of HIM shall be SWEET Psal 124 34. I will be glad in the Lord. When the Miser receives his Mammon Oh how it glads him nay he loves the Thought of it when he cannot come at it Nay he can Think with delight of the Bills or Bonds he can lay them in his bosome that do but Name it Money is his God and Worldliness his Nature So doth a gracious heart with sweetness entertain the Thought of his God nay hide his word in his very Heart Psal 119.11 It goes down with him with delight as his food when he is most hungry Thy words were found and I did eat them Jer. 15.16 and they were to me the joy and rejoycing of mine Heart The Bar drinks in words but it is the heart that eats them by setting the Thoughts to chew upon them And as it is with a man that is in health if he want his set meals so is it with a good Heart kept in good order without many gripes and secret gnawings it cannot want its set MEDITATIONS And surely it would be better with most Christians then it is were they but careful with Isaac to set a part some little time of the day for Meditation who are so little able to say with David O how love I thy Law Psal â—19 67 It is my MEDITATION all the day And this leads me to the Sect. XIII Frequency Davids thoughts good all the day Psal 119 97. How to be understood II. ANd that is Frequency A good pulse strikes many a good stroke in a day and so doth a good heart as you may see in David when he was in a good state of soul health you cannot think that he thought of nothing but Gods Law in the whole day when he sayes It was his Meditation all the day his Crown was lined with Cares And his Head with Thoughts as other mens But he would allow no Thought in the day contrary to the Law He would order all his Thoughts in conformity and subordination thereto And his Thoughts thereof were better pleasing to him then all other Thoughts He was in his Element when in such Meditations and reckoned so much of the day lost as wherein he was hurryed by Temptations to any contrary cogitations If a Bird fall into the water 't is not her Element she neither useth nor delighteth to be there If a Mole get above ground he is not where he would be or is wont to be Tryal what Thoughts thy Element Psalm 77.5 Ask thine heart seriously what Element it is that thy thoughts most use and with most ease My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness when I think upon thee when I remember thee upon my bed and meditate upon thee c. And thereby discern whether it be a Bird of Paradise or a meer Mole for to be carrnally minded is death but to be Spiritually minded is life and peace Romans 8.6 A bad man may have a Thought of God now and then and a Thought for God or the most are very much mistaken But a David can say of his divine Thoughts how great is the sum of them Gods Thoughts of him and his Thoughts of God and the reflection of his Thoughts upon Gods Thoughts Psalm 137.17 for Sect. XIV III. 3. Perpetuity THere is Perpetuity as well as Facility and Frequency in Natural acts and motions The pulse beats not only all the day but all a mans dayes so do good thoughts in a Godly mind What a blessed frame was holy David in when he could never awake but he found his pulse beating Heaven-ward when I awake I am still with thee Psam 139.18 Psalm 1.12 The blessed mans delight is in the Law of the Lord and therein doth he meditate day and night O happy He whose Thoughts are holy day and night that is continually I know Grace is lyable to
have come of it or else I would never have engaged in it so in all cases where we have the Highest assurances from Religion and Reason that the understanding of a man is capable of 1 Cor. 15.58 that our labour shal not be in vain in the Lord stultum est dicere putaram 't is a foolish thing to say I thought to have repented and I thought to have believed and to stick there and go no farther What doth it profit my Brethren saith the Apostle If a man say he have faith James 2.14 and hath not works can faith save him So I may say if a man say he have Thoughts and hath not works can Thoughts save him If a man think over night to be so far onwards of his journey by such an hour in the morning and sleep out the time he should go it in can Thoughts carry him If a Prince command his Servant in the morning on pain of Death to do such a thing of most high importance to his Crown and Dignity and that must be done that day or not at all and promise him withall a munificent Reward in case of performance suppose this servant goes forth of his Princes Presence full of many busie Thoughts and present purposes of going about the business but by the way falls into evil Company or into some other business trivial vain in respect of his Great Masters but more pleasing to the wicked sloathful Servant but returns at night Mat. 25.26 with Confidence shall I say or Impudence sues for his reward shall the Princes bounty reward this mans vain purpose or his just severity punish his inexcusable neglect of performance Reader what thinkest thou Even so saith God Verse 30. Cast ye he unprofitable Servant into utter darkness there shall be â—eeping and gnashing of teeth He saith not the Servant that never purposed but the Servant that never did what he should have done and so never profited And on the other hand it is not said well thought or well meant or well purposed or well intended but WELL DONE thou good and faithful Servant Verse 21. thus David describing the Blessed man saith not only that He meditates in the Law day and night but also brings forth his fruit in his season But saith he Psal 1.2 3.4 the ungodly is not so Sect. IV. THis then is a sure Rule Thoughts no wayes right when wayes alw y grievous Psalm 10 5. Isaiah 32.8 His Thoughts are no wayes Right and Good whose wayes are alwayes grievous as the Scripture speaks There is no such thing as GOOD MEANINGS a Delusion that damns thousands where there is no GOOD LIFE as before explained The libeâ—al saith the Prophet deviseth liberal things and by the liberal thinâ—s he shall stand 'T is well when THOUGHTS and THINGS go together otherwise the very Thoughts of GOOD or of doing GOOD or of becoming GOOD are not GOOD because they are vain and Scripture reckons all VAIN THOUGHTS to be wickedness of heart and such a One as the continuance whereof excludes from Salvation Jerem. 4.14 Wash thine Heart from wickedness that Thou mayst be saved how long shall vain thoughts lodge within thee Thoughts not only vain when set upon vain objects but upon the best objects in vain How purposes may be said to be to no purpose Now Thoughts are VAIN not only when set upon vain Objects but if they be placed upon the best objects in vain or to no purpose as our Phrase is when a thing doth not reach its real or practical end we say such a thing is to no purpose and so purposes themselves may be said to be to no purpose They say in Philosophy Frustra fit potentia quae nunquam producitur in Actum that power is vain that is never produced into Act so may I say in Divinity Those Thoughts are vain that are never produced into Exercise or Operation as the Drunkard who often thinks of amendment but still turns like a Dog to his vomit 2 Pet. 2.24 or the unclean Whoremonger or Harlot in the Proverbs that after her Vows and her Peace-Offerings Prov. 7.14 returns with the Swine that was washed to her wallowing in the mire or as those in Malachy Maâ— 2.15 of whom the Holy Ghost thus complains and against whom he thus witnesseth And this have ye DONE AGAIN Covering the Altar of the Lord with Tears with weeping and with crying out insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more or receiveth it with good will at your hands Not that we are therefore not to purpose much less to purpose against purposing that which is good but to take care to fulfil our purposes for if they perish that go so far as this Text mentioneth what shall be the end of those that come so far short of them that come short of Heaven And so we come to The IV. and Last Tryal WOuldst thou Lastly know whether thy Thoughts be Right 4. Tryal of Right thoughts by the Rule Remember that RIGHT is a Relative word and refers to proportion and Rule As in THINGS so in THOUGHTS Est modus in rebus sunt certi denique fines Quos ultra citraque nequit consistere RECTUM THOUGHTS have their Measures SHORT or OVER-LONG cannot be RIGHT but both extremely WRONG Thy Thoughts are Right if Regular and conformed to Right measures And here are two things 〈◊〉 be presupposed to thy Right judging of thy Thoughts First that thou think there is a Rule for Thoughts Two things prerequired a Rule for Right thoughts Secondly that thou have Right Thoughts of the Rule Sect. I. AS to the First 2. Right thoughts of the Rule It was a sore spiritual Plague and Judgment A black Vail upon the heart upon the Jewish Rabbines and Expounders of the Law that they did not extend Its Rule to the Thoughts but taught for Doctrine what we have in the Proverb that Thoughts were FREE even in that sence Mans Thoughts from Gods Laws Some of them are observed to have given that cursed gloss upon that Text If I regard Iniquity in my heart Psal 66.18 Rabbi Kimchim loc God will not â—â—ar God will not hear that is say they If it go no further then my Thoughts God will not mind he will take no notice thereof nor call to any account for it And this made them think so well of themselves because they thought no worse of their thoughts Blessed Paul Acts 22.3 Paul brought up at Gamaliels feet Ignorant of thoughts Rom. 7.7 Verse 9. Till the Commandment came to him Christs own teaching Christs exposition of the Law spiritual teaching thoughts Matth. 5.3 Verse 8. Verse 22 28. Chap. 6.25 28 31. Last Commandment Rom. 7.7 Against evil Thoughts Rom 7.14 1 Cor. 4.6 Gods writing is Rule for mans thinking Reasonable sence Rom. 12.1 what Chap. 7.21 though brought up at the feet of Gamaliel a Doctor of Law
Lord that thou in Faithfulness hast afflicted me Tokens of his Love as many as I love I chasten Payments of our Legacy left us by Our crucified Lord a little before his Death in the World you shall have tribulation and confirmed thereby For if they did so in the green Tree If such things befal the Master 't is sufficient for the Servant to be as his Master and as his Lord And all to make Man more humble in himself more awful of God more careful to please him more fearful to offend him more conformable to Christs sufferings more contemplative of his sufferings more compassionate and fellow-feeling as to others Sin more bitter Christ more sweet the World more contemptible Death more desirable Heaven more delightful and glorious Grace more admirable in the Saints 2 Cor. 4.8 9. thus troubled on everyside yet not distressed cast down but not destroyed a burning Bush yet not consumed in a fiery Furnace yet receiving no hurt nay more that the very fiery Chariot of affliction should be prest for the service of carrying them to Heaven their very tribulations made the door for their entring into the Kingdom of God Acts 14.22 Iames 5.11 and 1.2 And therefore the Scripture counts them hapyy which endure and teacheth us to count it all joy when we fall into divers temptations Sect. IX IN thinking of TEMPTATIONS Of Temptations 1 Pet. 4.12 1 Cor. 10.13 Heb. 11.37 Best tempted Heb. 3.18 Chap. 4.15 Christ himself in all points Lust of the eye Mat. 4.2 3. Verse 9. Pride of life Verse 3. Verse 6. not as strange or as though some strange thing had happened but as common to men yea the best of men They were tempted saith the Apostle yea the worst of them to him that was more then MAN who himself suffered being tempted and that in all points as we are that he might know how to succour them that are tempted In all points To the Lusts of the Flesh Thou art Hungry Make these stones Bread To the lust of the Eyes thou art poor Thou hast not a hole where to lay thy head All these will I give thee To the Pride of Life Thou pretendest high prove what thou pretendest shew thine Authority Command Stones to be made Bread If thou be a King let us see thy Court thy Heavenly Guard and that the Angels are indeed but thy Ministers If thou be the Son of God do something or other that ordinary men either cannot or at least dare not do never fear to die like a man Cast thy self down and let us see whether Angels will bear thee up Now All that is in the World 1 John 2.16 is the Lust of the Flesh and of the Eye and pride of Life And as the wind of Temptation thus blew all the points of the Worlds Compass Christ tempted with temptations base and forbid Bloody and unnatural Hellish and blasphemous so also all the points of highest and most hideous aggravations most base and sorbid transgress for a morsel of Bread sell thy Birth-right for a meals meat break thy Faith with God that thou mayest break thy Fast with the Devil Most bloody and unnatural if thou wilt not break thy Fast break thy Neck Cast thy self down Most Hellish and Horrid If thou wilt not or canst not prove thy self to be the Son of God disown God and own me for thy God Fall down and Worship me Math. 4.9 and is the Nature of Man capable of any thought more hideous injections more black and blasphemous then such as these And yet for all this Highly subtil and deceiptful Profit and pleasure Verse 8. Wrested Scripture Verse 6. Gods ends pretended All points too of highest subtilty and hellish deceipt that spiritual wickedness could possibly hatch or imagine This Hell of Temptations must not only be covered over with a Paradise of Pleasures the World and all the Glory of it but also with an Heaven of Scripture-warranty Cast thy self down for It is written c. and so thou mayst shew thy Faith without hazard of thy Life nay of most High Glorious Good ends the Manifestation of his Divinity the Credit of his Ministry the Glory of God in having such a Son the Glory of Christ in having such a Father And all this in a seasonable point of time when all this was challenged and called boldly in question by the great Goliah that at the very first word Verse 3. defyeth the Living God If thou be the Son of God c. which is as much as prove it if thou canst Thus was Christ Tempted in all points therefore well may the Tempted think thus of his sorest Temptations 2 Cor. 12.7 These are thornes in my Flesh but no other then what were platted together by Satan and worn as a Crown by my head and Saviour Saints tempted only if need be 1 Pet. 1.6 1 Cor. 12.7 1 Pet. 1.7 Revel 3.10 Rom. 5.4 1 Pet. 5.8 â— Cor. 12.8 Gal. 6.1 And for excellent ende And now ordered by his hand that they cannot touch me sooner or longer then need is for the Pricking of my puffing Pride the tryal of my Faith the exercising of my Patience and experiencing of me by it the exciting of my watchfulness the spirit of Prayer in my self and the Spirit of meekness in the restoring of others when they are overtaken in a fault considering my self least I also be tempted The teaching of me to know more throughly both my self and my Saviour both where my weakness and where my strength lyeth That I am but a Reed shaken with the wind that Christ is the Rock higher then I yea higher then the highest that when the proudest Temptations dash against it Shall be carried through all they are broken by it that is Grace is only sufficient for me and that his strength shall be made perfect in my weakness 2 Cor. 12.9 1 Cor. 10.13 and that God is faithful who will not suffer me to be tempted above what I am able but with the temptation will make a way to escape 1 Pet. 2.9 May triumph over all For the Lord knowes how to deliver our of Temptations And therefore though now in my mâ—nority I may think of the day when I shall be at Age the time appointed of the Father Gal. 4.2 Though now in my Apprentiship that I shall be one day made Free from mine infirmities and Temptations 2 Cor. 1â— 9 and therefore I will even now Glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me for when I am weak then am I strong nay in these things I am more then Conqueror Verse 10. through Christ strengthening me Sect. X. IN thinking of PERSECUTIONS for Christ Of Persecution our Patrimony Mark 10.30 Honour Acts 5.41 Phil. 1.29 Gods gift therefore cannot merit Loss gain Heb. 10.34 Disgrace riches Heb. 11.26 Verse 24. Persecuted happy Verse 25. Mal. 3.15 Prosperous miserable
God and Christ what a blessed state will they count that when the perfecting of their holiness and so of their spirits Heb. 12.23 Phil. 3.21 and the changing of their vile bodies and the fashioning them like unto Christs Glorious Body shall widen them as much from the straits of their hearts as Eternity shall do from the straits of time And so they shall have as much of God and Christ as their heads and hearts can hold and these shall hold as much as they can desire without Interruption or Change 1 Thes 4.17 or fear of Change for ever for they shall EVER be with the Lord. Sect. XVI Right thoughts of Angels Evil worlds God 1 Cor. 4.4 Sinners his Slaves 2 Tim. 2.26 Works in their Will Ephes 2.2 IN thinking of ANGELS The EVIL as many in Number though for the undividedness of their Kingdom called the Devil and Satan As the worlds God yet Gods Slave having sinners in his chain Taken Captive by him at his will yet cannot force their will though he work effectually in their will 't is with their will for his Lusts will they do nay cannot so much as find out their Riddle except he plow with their own Heifer But with it John 8.44 nor known their actual thought that 's Gods Prerogative Royal I the Lord search the Reins but as the cunning Angler doth the nibling of the Fish at the Bait under water Knows not our thoughts but by indication Gen. 4.5 Gen. 3.3 by the motion of the Cork and Quill above water by some little outward indication of the minds inward motion as when Cains countenance was fallen He knew he was very wroth and so hurtyeth him to Murther and by Eve's mincing the Threatning least ye die when God had said Verse 6. ye shall surely die and by her eying the forbidden Tree He knew she had a moneths mind as we say to the Fruit. Thus when he seeth the eyes of the Adulterer full 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Adulteress 2 Pet. 2.14 he easily perceives how the Game goes and so in other cases yet that he is himself much more in Gods Chain Gods slave in his chain 2 Pet. 2.4 2 Cor. 12.7 Rev. 10.12 and reserved and kept therein ever since he left his first estate and shall be to the Judgment of the great day And therefore though he vex and disquiet buffet and tempt and accuse the Brethren before God night and day and though he set his Cloven foot the foot of his Pride upon the greatest part of the World so that the whole World lyeth as it were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 John 5.19 in the very Maw not Jaw only of that wicked one yet shall he never be able to hinder Christ or to hurt the true Christian but as a Lyon in the Grate though his roaring be terrible 1 Pet. 5 8. Rev. 12.12 yet his reach is but short and he knows it therefore we may think it Nay because he is but a Slave in Gods Chain therefore all his tugging at the Oar shall but promote the purposes of Gods grace for his own Glory and the good of his chosen And 2.7 and as Jonah in the Whales belly was said to be as it were in the belly of Hell yet was afterward cast up alive upon dry ground the Devil shall be forced to disgorge his Prey and leave all Gods Elect safe upon the shore Shall the Prey be taken from the Mighty or the lawful Captive delivered Verse 10. Isaiah 49.24 25. But thus saith the Lord even the Captives of the mighty shall be taken away and the Prey of the terrible shall be delivered for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee and I will save thy Children So that after longest and sorest Temptations and Assaults of the great Red Dragon Rev 12.3.9 John 8.44 the Old Serpent the Deceiver of the World the Lyer and Murtherer from the beginning with all his Policy and Power Rage and Experience James 4.7 Mat. 4.11 Good Angels He shall be forced to flee from those that resist him by Faith as he left Christ Then the Devil leaveth him and the ANGELS viz. the GOOD Angels came and ministred unto him And such indeed even Ministring Spirits Heb. 1.14 Ministring spirits to the Saints innumerable Chap. 12 22. Rev. 5.11 2 Chro. 32.21 1 Kings 19.5 Acts 12.7 Psal 91.1.12 Luke 16.22 Mat. 21.31 A comfortable thought 2 Chro 6.27 Psal 103.10 Heb 1.6 14. Rev. 19 10. And an awful thought Mat. 18.10 2 Cor. 11.10 must we think them to be even all of them sent forth for the good of those that shall be Heirs of Salvation So that all the innumerable company of Good Angels that ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands are even all of them sent forth for the Good of them that are Good to right their wrongs and to relieve their necessities to Guard and Protect their Persons while they live to attend their Souls when they Die and to gather their dust together at the Day of Judgment and the Harvest at the end of the World And therefore it may be a comfortable thought to Believers that they have innumerable invisible friends to oppose to their visible and invisible Enemies Angels of God excelling in strength worshippers of Christ not to be worshipped themselves and Servants of the Saints therefore called their Angels And an awful thought too as one would not do any thing uncomely in the sight of an Excellent person so neither to admit any thing unseemly for Saints though no man should see them because of the Angels Sect. XVII ANd above all in thinking of GOD to have High Right thoughts of God Holy Reverend yet withall Delightful Affectionate and Comfortable thoughts but in all points Regular and Scriptural For thus saith the Scripture Let him that gloryeth glory in this Jerem 5.24 that he understandeth and knoweth me that I AM THE LORD which exercise LOVING KINDNESS JUDGMENT and RIGHTEOUSNESS in the Earth for in these things I DELIGHT saith the Lord. When the mind is thus intent upon this most glorious Theme of Thoughts the most Glorious LORD in his Essence I am the Lord in his Attributes and Operations which exercise Loving kindness Judgment and Righteousness then is this Kings Daughter All glorious within Psal 45.13 2 Cor. 3.18 for we All with open face beholding as in a Glass the Glory of the Lord are changed into the same Image from Glory to Glory as by the spirit of the Lord. The Heavenly mind is an Heaven-like mind Right thoughts of Him whose Name is I AM Exod. 3.14 and whose Title is THE LORD must needs resemble Heaven in pureness and clarity Amos 4.13 for He declareth to man what is his THOUGHT and must be thought of by Man just as He declareth yea rise above the Heavens in Celsitude and sublimity for his Glory
himself by Impatience but committing himself and his Cause to God and crying out with a loud voice into thy hands I commit my Spirit and when he had so said saith the Evangelist He gave up the Ghost And as David was thus copions in the Thoughts of Christs Passion he leaves him not there Resurrection but pursues him with lively and comfortable Meditations of his Resurrection Psal 16.10 Thou wilt not suffer thine holy one to see Corruption from which the Apostle undeniably concludes the Resurrection of Christ from the Dead Acts 2.26 nay even from those words in the Second Psalm Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee Psalm 2.7 Acts 13.33 Psal 110.7 This God hath fulfilled saith the Apostle Paul in that he raised up Jesus c He shall drink of the Brook in the way may be meant of his Passion for Christ calls it a Drinking the Cup which my Father hath put into mine hand saith he shall I not drink John 18.11 and therefore shall be lift up the head in his Resurrection And as his Thoughts ran of his Resurrection so also of his Ascention When he Ascended up on high Ascention Psal 68.18 Eph. 4.8 and led Captivity Captive he received gifts for men yea even the Rebellious that God might dwell amongst them expounded by the Apostle as meant of Christ by the Psalmist Session and Intercession Psal 110.1 4. Heb. 7.21 So also of Christs Session at the Right hand of God and Intercession as an High Priest for ever after the Order of Melchizedeck All expounded of in Christ in the Hebrews Of his Kindome Throne and Scepter Kingdom Psalm 45.6 Thy THRONE O God is for ever and ever the Scepter of thy KINGDOM is a right SCEPTER Of his Prophetical Office in Declaring the Decree Prophetical Office Psalm 2.7 and 45.10 Success of his Ministry Psalm 110.5 Psalm 18.49 Rom. 15 9. Psal 117.1 2. Rom. 15.11 in Instructing the Church Hearken O Daughter and consider and encline thine ear c. And the wonderful glorious success of his Gospel Ministers Thy people shall be a willing people in the day of thy power c. and that not only as to the Election among the Jews but also the fulness of the Gentiles the Calling and Conversion of them by the Grace of the Gospel I will confess thee among the Gentiles And again he saith Praise the Lord all ye Gentiles and laud him all ye People c. for great is his loving-kindness towards us us Jews and you Gentiles therefore praise ye the Lord. Second coming to Judgment And finally his Powerful and certain second coming to Judgment for the compleating of the work of his Grace in bringing many Sons unto Glory and in gathering his people together his Saints and his Covenanted ones Psalm 50.1 5. even from the rising of the Sun unto the going down thereof And O how he triumpheth and brings in other Creatures exulting as it were at the thought of this his coming Psalm 96. for he cometh for he cometh to judge the Earth with Righteousness will he judge the World and the People in his truth Ver. 11 12 13. for in all this it is evident that his thoughts ran of Christ when he saith He hath remembred his Mercy and his Truth towards the house of Israel and all the ends of the Earth have seen the Salvation of our God and then it follows Let the Floods clap their hands Verse 8 9. and the Mountains rejoyce together before the Lord for he cometh to judge the Earth with Righteousness shall he judge the World and the people with Equity In a word as blessed Maryes Soul did magnifie the Lord though she were his Mother so Davids Spirit did rejoyce in God his Saviour though as to the Flesh he were his Father and O how precious was that thought unto David which is as it were the sum and quintessence of all the rest Thou spakest in a vision to thy holy One Psalm 89.19 thou saidst I have laid help upon one that is mighty that is to say in the New Testament-Language He is able to save to the uttermost Hebr. 7.28 all that come unto God by him 'T is proved that David understood and thought of Christ in all this Acts 2.30 31. But some one may say was David indeed so well studied in a Covenant of Grace and did he think of a Christ in all this The Apostle Peter saith he did because he was a Prophet and knew what God had sworn that of the fruit of his loins he would raise up Christ concerning the Flesh to sit upon his Throne and that knowing this before he spake of his Resurrection c. So that David did not Prophesy like wicked Caiaphas the High Priest of he knew not what Joh. 11 50 51. but understood what he Prophesied and thought of what he Prophesied and was in this respect a man after Gods own heart 1 Sam. 13.14 because his heart was so much upon what Gods heart was upon Prov. 8.30 the Mystery of Grace in the Lord Jesus Christ so that as Christ saith that he was alwayes before God so David saith of Christ I foresaw the Lord alwayes before my face Acts 2.25 Christ was ever in his eye But O how great is the advantage that our Thoughts may have of his His was but a foreseeing and a fore-knowing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and therefore but a fore-thinking of a Christ that was to come Verse 31. but ours is a seeing before whose eyes Jesus Christ is evidently set forth Gal. 3.1 even as if he were Crucified amongst us and a knowing and a thinking of that which is already and fulfilled to a tittle in all that he fore-spake and fore-thought even eight and twenty Generations before it was accomplished for from David Mat. 1.27 untill they were carryed away into Babylon was fourteen Generations and from the Captivity to Christ were fourteen Generations What shall I say now Heb. 11.3 the time would be too short as the Apostle speaks to tell you of Moses and all the rest of the Prophets of the Apostles and particularly of S. Paul whose heart was so full of a Christ and his thoughts so big of him that they deliver themselves almost in every other Verse of his very Name and croud it in many times as if it were an ease to that Abundance that was in his heart to have his mouth speaking or his pen dropping that sweet smelling Name of THE LORD JESUS CHRIST Sect. XXXI THis this is also that 1 Pet. 1.12 Christ the Theme of Angelical Thoughts Luke 1.13 14. which the Angels desire to pry into for you may know what all their Thoughts run on by what their Tongues run of when they take to them Tongues saith the Evangelist there was with the Angels a multitude of the Heavenly Host Praising