view over every circumstance passed in such an act with such a person committed so a vaine-glorious Scholler doth repeate in his thoughts an eminent performance of his and all such passages therein as were most elegant And thus men chew the cudd upon any speech of commendation uttered by others of them And all this even as a good heart doth repeate good things heard or read with the remembrance also of what quicknesse they had in such and such passages and with what affections they were warmed when they heard them or as a godly man recalls with comfort the actions of a well-past life as Hezechiah did Lord I have walked before thee with a perfect heart and thereby doe also stirre and provoke their hearts to the like temper againe So on the contrary doe wicked men use to recall and revive the pleasingest sinfull passages in their lives to suck a new sweetnesse out of them Then which nothing argues more hardnesse and wickednesse of heart or provokes God more For First it argues much wickednesse of heart and such as when it is ordinary with the heart to doe thus is not compatible with grace for in the 6. of the Romans ver 12. the Apostle shewes that a good heart useth to reape no such fruit of sinfull actions past But what fruit had you of those things whereof yee are now ashamed The Saints reap and distill nothing out of all those flowers but shame and sorrow and sad sighs when Ephraim remembred his sinne he was ashamed repented and canst thou in thy thoughts reap a new harvest and crop of pleasure out of them again and againe Secondly it argues much hardnesse of heart nothing being more opposite to the truth and practice of repentance the foundation of which is to call to mind the sinne with shame and sorrow and to recall it with much more griefe than ever there was pleasure in the committing of it and whose property is to hate the appearance of it and to enflame the heart with Zeale and revenge against it And thereby it provoketh God exceedingly our hearts are thereby embrued in a new guilt wee thereby stand to and make good our former act even so by remembring it with pleasure wee provoke God to remember it with a new detestation of it and so to send downe new plagues who if wee recall it with griefe would remember it no more wee shew wee take delight to rake in those wounds wee have given Christ already to view the sinnes of others with pleasure Rom. 1. ult is made more than to commit them But much more to view and revive our owne with a fresh delight and therefore know that how-ever you may take delight here to repeat to your selves your old sins yet that in Hell nothing will gall you more than the remembrance of them every circumstance in every sin will then be as a dagger at thy heart This was the rich mans taske and study in Hell to remember the good things hee had received and his sins committed in the abuse of them And if godly men here be made to possesse the sinnes of their youth with horrour as Iob and to have them ever afore them as David how will wicked men bee continually affrighted with them in hell whose punishment is in a great part set forth to us by this Psalme 50. 20. I will set them in order before thee Fourthly the fourth thing wherein this speculative vanity appeares is in acting sinnes upon meere imaginary suppositions men faigne and contrive to themselves and make a supposition to themselves in their own thoughts first of what they would bee and then what they would doe Men create fooles paradises to themselves and then walke up and downe in them as if they had money enough what pleasures they would have if they were in such places of preferment how they would carry themselves To allude to that Absolom said 2 Sam. 15. 4. Oh if I were a Iudge in the Land I would doe this or that c. doing this with a great deale of pleasure almost as much as those that really enjoy them This may well bee the meaning of that Psalme 50. 18. where of the hypocrite who outwardly abstaines from grosse sins 't is said that hee consenteth with the thiefe and partaketh with the adulterer namely in his heart and fancie supposing himself with them and so desires to bee doing what they doe Thus take one who is naturally ambitious whom both nature parts and education have all made but a Bramble never to rule over the trees and hath fixt in a lower sphere as uncapable of rising higher or being greater as the earth is of becomming a Starre in Heaven yet hee will take upon him in his owne heart faining and supposing himselfe to bee and then act the part of a great man there erect a throne and sit downe in it and thinkes with himselfe what hee would doe if a King or a great Man c. So take a man that is uncleane but now growne old and a dry tree and so cannot act his lust as formerly yet his thoughts shall supply what is wanting in his strength or opportunity And he makes his owne heart both Bawd Brothel house Whore Whoremonger and all so a man that is naturally voluptuous loves pleasures but wants meanes to purchase them yet his inclinations will please themselves with the thoughts of what mixture and composition of delights hee would have hee will set downe with himselfe his Bill of fare how hee would have if he might wish his cup of pleasure mingled what ingredients put into it So a man that is revengefull and yet wants a sting yet he pleaseth himselfe with revengefull thoughts and wishes and will be making invectives and railing dialogues against him hee hates when hee is not by A man in love in his fancy hee will court his Paramour though absent he will by his imagination make her present and so frame solemn set speeches to her In a word let mens inclinations and dispositions bee of what kinde so ever and let the impossibilities and improbabilities be never so great of being what they desire yet in their fancies and thoughts they will discover themselves what they would be Totumque quod esse desiderant sibi apud semetipsos cogitationibus depingunt men will bee drawing Maps of their desires calculate their owne inclinations cut out a condition of life which fills their hearts and they please themselves withall and there is no surer way to know a mans naturall inclination than by this First which yet first is as great a folly as any other imitating children herein for is it not childish to make clay pies and puppets what else are such fancies as these and to bee as children acting the parts of Ladies and Mistresses and yet such childishnesse is in mens hearts 2. And secondly a vanitie also because a man sets his heart on what is not the things themselves are not if a
man had them Prov. 23. 5. but to please themselves with suppositions is much worse Thirdly this argues the greatest incontentation of minde that may bee when men will in their owne thoughts put themselves into another condition than God ever ordained for them Vse 1. HAving discovered the vanity of your thoughts and your estates thereby bee humbled for them This I ground upon Proverbs 30. 21. where Agur teacheth us to humble our selves as well for thoughts as actions If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thy selfe or if thou hast thought evill lay thine hand upon thy mouth Now as smiting upon the thigh is put for repentance and shame and sorrow in Ephraim Ierem. 31. 19. so is laying the hand upon the mouth put for greater and deeper humiliation as arguing full conviction of ones guilt Rom. 3. 19. Every mouth must be stopped Having nothing to say not to plead and excuse that thoughts are free and it is impossible to bee rid of them c but as Ezechiel 16. 65. To remember and to bee confounded and never to open thy mouth more to bee vile and not to answer againe as Iob 39. 27 28. this is to lay thy hand on thy mouth that is to humble thy selfe And indeed there is much cause for your thoughts they are the first begotten and eldest sons of originall sin and therefore the strength of it as Iacob called Reuben the first-borne yea also and the Parents and begetters of all other sinnes their brethren The first plotters and contrivers and Achitophels in all the treasons and rebellions of our hearts and lives the bellows and incendiaries of all inordinate affections the Panders to all our lusts that take thought to provide for the satisfying of them the disturbers in all good duties that interrupt and spoile and fly-blow all our prayers that they stinke in the nostrills of God And if their hainousnesse will nothing move you consider their number for they are continually thus which makes our sinnes to be in number more than the sands the thoughts of Solomons heart were as the Sand and so ours not a minute but as many thoughts passe from us as in a minute sands doe in an Houre-glasse So that suppose that taken severally they be the smallest and least of your sinnes yet their multitude makes them more and heavier than all your other Nothing smaller than a graine of Sand but if there bee a heape of them there is nothing heavier Iob 6. 3. My griefe is heavier than the Sand. Suppose they be in themselves but as Farthing-tokens in comparison of grosse defilements yet because the Mint never lies still sleeping nor waking therefore they make up the greatest part of that treasure of wrath which wee are a laying up and know that God will reckon every Farthing and in thy punishment bate thee not one vaine thought And that God lookes upon our thoughts thus see but the inditement he brings in against the old world which stands still upon record Gen. 6. when he pronounced that heavy judgement of destroying the old world doth he alledge their murthers adulteries and grosse defilements chiefly as the cause Their thoughts rather which because so many and so continually evill provoked him more than all their other sinnes Goe downe therefore into thy heart and consider them well to humble thee to make thee vile and if in one roome such a treasure of wickednesse bee found laid up what in all those other Chambers of the belly as Solomon calls them consider them to humble thee but not for all this their multitude to discourage thee For God hath more thoughts of mercy in him than thou hast had of rebellion Psal 40. 5. Thy thoughts to us-ward speaking of thoughts of mercy are more than can bee numbred Thou begannest but as yesterday to thinke thoughts of rebellion against him but his thoughts of mercy have beene from everlasting and reach to everlasting and therefore in Esay 55. vers 7. having made mention of our thoughts let the unrighteous man forsake his thoughts and hee will have mercy on him because this objection of the multitude might come in to discourage men from hopes of mercy therefore purposely hee addes hee will multiply to pardon and to assure us that hee hath thoughts of mercy to out-vie ours of sinne hee addes for my thoughts exceed yours as Heaven doth the earth Vse 2. LEt us make for ever conscience of them so Iob did Iob 31. 1. I made a convenant with mine eyes why should I thinke upon a Maide Solomon gives in especiall charge above all keeping keepe thy heart Prov. 4. 23. First thou art to keepe the Lords day holy thy selfe unspotted of the World To keepe thy brother to keepe all the Commandements but above all to keepe thy heart and in it thy thoughts for this is the Great Commandement because it extends it selfe as the foundation unto them all for as in the same Commandement where murther is forbidden a malicious thought is also and so of the rest So in keeping the thoghts thou virtually keepest all the Commandements as originall sinne is said to bee forbidden in all the Commandements so are thy thoughts taken order for in all Secondly out of it are issues of life thoughts and affections are the spring speeches and actions the streame as are our thoughts so are our affections for these are the bellows so also our prayers so all for they are in the soule as the spirits in the body they run through all move all act all Thirdly if you looke to God our thoughts are that spot of ground which he proclaimes himselfe sole Lord of and makes it one of his greatest titles that hee knows them and judgeth them Kings attempt to rule your tongues to binde your hands and rule your actions but God onely your thoughts By them wee chiefly sanctifie him in our hearts by them wee walke with God and shall we not make conscience of them Fourthly if you looke to the worke and power of grace wherein lies it But in bringing every thought into obedience 2 Cor. 11. 4. This is the glory of our religion above all other in the world wherein lies the difficulty of it the strictness of it what makes it so hard a taske but the observing and keeping the thoughts in boūds wherin lies the difference between sincere hearted Christians and others but the keeping of our thoughts without which all Religion is but bodily exercise Papists may mumble over their prayers hypocrits talke but this is godlinesse Fiftly if wee looke to things wee have a care of if wee have a care of speeches because Christ hath said wee shall answere for every idle word why not also for the same reason should wee have a care of thoughts which are the words of the minde onely they want a shape to bee audible to others which the tongue gives them for which you must answer as well as for words Heb. 4. 12. 1 Cor. 4. 5.
heard all accidents and occurrences did still raise and occasion in him heavenly meditations as wee may see throughout the whole Gospels when he came by a well hee speakes of the Water of life Iohn 4 c. Many instances might bee given He in his thoughts translated the book of the creatures into the booke of grace and so did Adams heart in innocency his Philosophy might be truely termed Divinity because hee saw God in all all raised up his heart to thankfulness and praise So now in like manner our mindes so farre as they are sanctified will doe As the Philosophers-stone turnes all Metals into Gold As the Bee sucks honey out of every flower and a good stomack sucks out some sweet and wholsome nourishment out of what it takes unto it selfe so doth a holy heart so farre as sanctified convert and digest all into spiritual usefull thoughts this you may see Psalme 107. ult That Psalme gives many instances of Gods providence and wonderfull works which hee doth for the sonnes of men as deliverances by Sea where men see his wonders deliverance to Captives c. and still the foot of the Song is Oh that men would therefore praise the Lord for the wonderfull workes hee doth for the sonnes of men Now after al these instances hee concludes that though others passe over such occurrences with ordinarie slight thoughts yet sayes hee The righteous shall see it and rejoyce that is extract comfortable thoughts out of all which shall be matter of joy and who so is wise will observe those things that is makes holy observations out of all these and out of a principle of wisedome hee understands Gods goodness in all and so his heart is raised to thoughts of praise and thankfulnesse and obedience Now compare with this the 92. Psalme made for the Sabbath when in imitation of God who that day viewed his works wee are on our Lords day still to raise holy praisefull thoughts out of them to his glory which hee that penned that Psalme then did vers 1. and 2. and ver 5. How great are thy workes c A brutish man knowes not nor will a foole understand this that is hee being a beast and having no sanctified principle of wisedome in him lookes no further than a beast into all the works of God and occurrences of things lookes on all blessings as things provided for mans delight by God but hee extracts seldome holy spirituall and usefull thoughts out of all he wants the art of doing it If injuries be offered us by others what doe our thoughts distill out of those wrongs but thoughts of revenge we meditate how to requite it againe But see how naturally Davids mind distills other thoughts of Shemeis cursing 2 Sam. 16. 11. God hath bidden him and it may prove a good signe of Gods favor God may requite good for it When we see judgements befall others severe thoughts of censure our mindes are apt to raise against our brother as Iobs friends did But a godly man whose minde is much sanctified raiseth other thoughts out of it Prov. 21. 22. Wisely considers c. So when outward mercies befall us the next thoughts wee are apt to have is to project ease by our wealth thou hast goods for many yeares and when judgements befall us wee are apt to be fill'd with thoughts of complaint and feares and cares how to winde out againe But what were the first thoughts Iob had upon the newes of the losse of all God hath given and the Lord hath taken blessed be the Lord for all Such thoughts as these which all opportunities hint unto a good heart is apprehensive of and doth naturally raise for its owne use So farre Barren as our thoughts are so farre vaine Secondly the vanitie and sinfulnesse of the minde appeares in a loathnesse to entertaine holy thoughts to begin to set it selfe to thinke of God and the things belonging unto our peace even as loath they are to this as Schoole-boyes are to goe to their Books or to busie their mindes about their lessons their heads being full of play so loath are our mindes to enter into serious considerations into to sad solemne thoughts of God or death c. Men are as loath to thinke of death as theeves of the execution or to thinke of God as they are of their Judge So to goe over their owne actions in a review of them and read the blurd writing of their hearts and to commune with them at night in the end of the day as David did Psalm 119. 59. men are as loath to doe this as Schoole-boyes are to perse their lessons and the false Latins they have made Iob 21. Depart from us say they in Iob unto God from their thoughts they meant it for it follows we desire not the knowledge of thy wayes They would not thinke of him or know them by their good wills and therefore our mindes like a bad stomack are nauseated with the very scent of good things and soone casts them up againe Rom. 1. 28. They like not to retaine the knowledge of God let us goe and try to wind up our soules at any time to holy meditations to thinke of what we have heard or what wee have done or what is our duty to doe and wee shall finde our minds like the peggs of an Instrument slip betweene our fingers as we are a winding them up and to fall downe suddenly againe ere we are aware of it yea you shall finde that your mindes will labour to shun what may occasion such thoughts even as men goe out of the way when they see they must meet with one they are loath to speake withall yea men dare not be alone for feare such thoughts should returne upon them The best shall finde a gladnesse for an excuse by other occasions to knocke off their thoughts from what is good whereas in thinking of vaine earthly things we thinke the time passeth too fast clocks strike too soone houres passe away ere wee are aware of it Thirdly the vanity and sinfulnesse of the minde appeares in the godly that though they entertaine good thoughts yet the minde is not will not bee long intent on them Some things there are which wee are and can be intent upon and accordingly dwell long upon them and therefore in Iob 17. 11. The thoughts are called the possessions of the heart so 't is in the originall and noted in the margin such thoughts as are pleasing the heart dwells on them yea so intent are wee often that they hinder our sleepe as 't is said of wicked men They cannot sleepe for multitude of thoughts Eccles 5. 12. So to devise froward things Solomon sayes Prov. 16. 30. That a man shuts his eyes that is is exceeding attentive poreth upon his plots for so a man doth use to do to shut his eyes when hee would be intent and therefore it is so expressed But now let the minde be occupied and busied about good
but Play-books jearing Pasquils Romanses fained stayes which are the curious needle-worke of idle braines so as they load their heads with Apes and Peacocks feathers in stead of pearles and pretious stones so as a man may say as Solomon Prov. 15. 14. The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge but the mouth of fooles feeds on foolishnesse Foolish discourses please their eares and eyes to reade all these being but purveiors as it were for food for the thoughts like Camelions men live on ayre and winde To leave them how doe others out of meere curiosity to know and please their thoughts listen after all the news that flies up and downe the world scum all the froth that floats in foolish mens mouths and please themselves onely with talking thinking and hearing of it I doe not condemne all herein some their ends are good and they can make use of it and doe as Nehemiah did who inquired how things went at Ierusalem to rejoyce with Gods people and mourne with them and pray for them and to know how to fashion their prayers accordingly But I condemne that curious itch that is in men when it is done but meerly to please their fancies which is much delighted with new things though they concerne us not such the Athenians were Acts 17. 21. How doe some men long all the weeke till they heare events and issues and make it a great part of the happinesse of their lives to study the state more than their own hearts and affaires of their callings who take actions of State as their text to study the meaning of and to preach on where-ever they come I speake of those that yet lay not to heart the miseries of the Church of Christ nor helpe them with their prayers if at any time they happen The like curiosity is seene in many in desiring to know the secrets of other men which yet would doe them no good to know and who doe study mens actions and ends not to reforme or doe good to them but to know them and think and muse thereof when alone with pleasure this is curiosity and properly a vanity of the thinking power which it mainely pleaseth and is indeed a great sin when much of mens most pleasing thoughts are spent on things concerne them not For the things we ought to know and which doe concerne us are enough to take up all our thoughts alone neither shall wee have any to spare and thoughts are pretious things the immediate fruits and buds of an immortall nature and God hath given us power to coyne them to lay them out in things concerne our owne good and of our neighbours and his owne glory and thus not to spend them is the greatest waste in the world examine what Corne you put in to grind for God ought to have toll of all Prover 24. 8. Hee that deviseth evill shall be called a mischievous person not alwayes hee that doth a mischievous action but that deviseth it and verse 9. he aggravates it à minori for every thought is sinne then a combination and conspiracy of wicked thoughts is much more But 4. there is a worse vanity than this and that is that intimated Rom. 13. ult Taking thought to fulfill the lusts of the flesh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To make projects for it For thoughts are the Caterers for our lusts and lay in all their provision they are they that looke out where the best markets are the best opportunities for sinning in any kind the best bargaines for credit for preferment for riches c. For example would a man rise his thoughts study the art of it men frame their owne ladder to climbe withall invent wayes how to doe it though often it proves as to Haman their owne Gallows Would they bee rich what doe they study even all cheats and tricks on the Cards as I may so speake that is all the cunning tricks of the world all the wayes of oppressing defrauding and going beyond their brethren so to pack things in all their dealings that they themselves shall bee the winners and those that deale with them the losers Isay 32. 7. It is said that the Instruments of the churlish are evill and hee deviseth wicked devices to destroy the poore would a man undermine his opposite as one that stands in his light and who hinder his credit he 'll digge and fall a pioning with his thoughts his engins in the night digge a pit as the Scripture phrase is and dig deepe to hide his counsell to blow him up in the end and so as hee shall not know who hurt him and this is worse than all the former this studied artificiall villanie The more devising there is in sinne the worse therefore the fact about Vriah not so much that of Bathsheba is objected against David because hee used art in it hee tooke thought for it but in the matter of Bathsheba thoughts tooke him Fiftly the fifth is the representing or acting over sinnes in our thoughts and imaginations personating those pleasures by imagination which at present wee enjoy not really faining and imagining our selves to act those sinfull practises wee have not opportunity outwardly to performe speculative wickednesse Divines doe call it which to be in the power of imagination to doe is evident to you by your dreames when fancy playes its part most and to allude to what the Prophet sayes makes us beleeve wee eate when wee are an hungry to drinke when our soules are thirsty Isay 29. 8. But I meane not to speake of the power and corruption of it as in our dreames it were well if as the Apostle speakes of Drunkennesse that this speculative wickednesse were onely in the night But corrupt and distempered affections doe cast men into such dreames in the day and when they are awake there are then to borrow the Apostles expression filthy dreames Jude 8. that defile the flesh even when awake when their lusts wanting worke their fancie erects to them a stage and they set their imaginations and thoughts a worke to entertaine their filthy and impure desires with shewes and playes of their owne making and so reason and the intention of their mindes sit as spectatours all the while to view with pleasure till their thoughts inwardly act over their owne uncleane desires ambitious projects or what ever else they have a minde unto So vaine and empty is the heart of man become so impatient are our desires and lusts of interruption in their pleasures so sinfull and corrupt First vaine and empty it appeares to bee in this for take all the pleasures of sinne when they are never so fully solidly really and substantially enjoyed they are but shadows a meere outside and figure as the Apostle cals the world It is opinion of imagination that casts that varnish of goodnesse on them which is not truly in them So Felix and Bernices pompe is teâ—â—…ed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but now this speculative enjoying of them