Professing not professed Atheist who Professeth to know love and honour God but by his workes denyeth him being abominable disobedient and to every good work reprobate as the Apostle saith Such lewd Tit. 1. 16. actions and conversations proclaim aloud that he hath denyed the God that is above as Job said Job 31. 28. 6. There is Interpretative or consequentiall Atheisme So the unbeleeving Gentiles are said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eph. 2. 12. Without Christ and without God or Atheists in the world because strangers to him without Covenant promise ordinance and so much as pretence to the true Church and truth of religion So when we withdraw our dependance upon God and rely upon an arme of flesh or Satan seeking to witches and wizards This is by consequence or interpretation plain Atheisme for is there no God for thee in Israel to enquire of that thou sendest to Baalzebub the God of Ekron to enquire 2 King 1. 3. of him Now which of all these is the worst Atheist I shall not say They are all very bad and this first very Dangerous though we little regard it To have no thoughts of God The professed Atheist would dipsute God out of Heaven this Negative Atheist shuts him out of his own heart and saith with the Legionist What have I to do with thee Torment me not If Mar. 5. 7. he cannot say to God depart from me and cause the Holy one of Israel to cease before him as they say Job 21. 14. Esay 30. 11. Yet doth he by his evil heart of unbelief and uncogitancy depart from the living God We commonly reckon sins of commission sins as to ly steal or to think evil it may be But of omissions especially in thoughts who once taketh notice whose heart smites him for this I have no thoughts of my God My heart is like Jericho shut Josh 5. 1. up there is no such thought comes in there is no such thought goes out or peepes and breathes out There is none saith where is God my maker who giveth us songs in the night Job 35. 10. whereas God made man purposely for himself and gave man this Cogitative faculty chiefly for this end that he might in his mind and thoughts better meditate conceive and comprehend God then in his words expresse him It is a great and grievous offence the Lord complaines of it in the Prophet Jeremy My people have forgotten me dayes without number Out of sight out of mind But can a Mayd Jer. 2. 32. forget her ornaments or a Bride her attire yet my people have forgotten me The wanton Lover hath his Mistresse so running in his mind that he weares her name in his hatband writes it in every leaf cuts it in every tree graves it in every glasse-window where he comes and should we forget the name of our God Some commemorate Psal 44. their Founders some praise their Benefactors some have their minds run on their Chariots some on their Horses some of their Bonds some of their Bags and shall not we remember the name of the Lord our God I have read of such a pestilentiall disease once at Athens as took away the memory of such as were infected with it that it is said they forgat even their own names A godly man will say with David Let my right hand sooner forget her skill to play and please me or her care to feed me and let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth and forget to speak rather than my heart should forget to think of God How divine was that of the Poet Praesentem Praebet quaelibet herba Deum He could he said read God in every Leaf and found his name written on every green Herb and what a shame is it to us if we cannot read God in every Leaf of Scripture and find his Name written in our hearts Holy Ignatius could say such was his Love to Christ and desire after him that if his heart were opened when he was dead they should find Jesus Christ written there It is a strange story which I have had from very good hands that Mr. Donne a known Chirurgeon of this City took out of the heart of a Gentleman who died of Love a Stone having much of the resemblance of the Centlewoman beloved such impression it seems naturall affection may make Oh that the Love of Christ were set as a Seal as a Signet Cant. 8. 6. upon our hearts that we might have Christ formed in us we should never fail of this suit nor dy of this disease Some have been sick of this Love none have died It is said that the Armes of the Duke of Roan which are Fusils or Lozenges are to be found in all the Wood and Stone of his Country and that the Armes of the Shugburyes in Warwick-Shire which are Stars are found in every stone of the Manor of Shugbury So that break a Stick or Stone in the one or any Stone in the other and you have a Fusil or a Star Oh that our hearts did bear the resemblance of God and Efsigies of Christ whose we are and whose Effigies and remembrance we should ever bear in our minds But alas I fear if many of our hearts should be opened we should find as Q. Mary said Callis there the world there Vanity written there No thoughts of God there Their heart as the first Chaos without form and void and nothing but a meer vacuity and darknesse withâ—ll covering the face of this Deep the heart Be astonished O Christian and ashamed Oh Atheist that thou shouldest have room for thoughts of husband wife parent child treasure pleasure of businesse and disports and none for God Canst thou not forget a friend a Patron a Benefactor and canst thou forget God Oh how sad is it that the Pulse of our thoughts is beating from morning to night whether we eat drink labour rest walk or talk still the thoughts are stirring with a restlesse motion thaâ— among all these thoughts we should have none of God For an Ephah full of thoughts of the world as heavy as Lead yet carried on with ease as with wings the wings of the wind there should not be so much as an Omer full of thoughts Zech. 5. 8. of God That when head akes back is ready to break and braynes to crack with a load of cares and thoughts of the world thou shouldest not have so much as one single and serious thought of God Reader consider this Is this to be a man or beast a Christian or worldling You cannot serve Mat. 6. 24. God and cleave to Mammon Had any of us who live at London a Father or Child at York an Estate in New-England our minds would be there sometimes there would be writing and sending and enquiring and discoursing and going thither too may be and can we say we have relations and expectations and treasure in heaven a Father a Saviour an
1 Cor. 4. 5. his praise of God as the Apostle saith in the place forenamed Lastly Evil thoughts as they are the first seed of Satan and originall of sin as we said in our first reason so are they the last refuge and strong hold which Satan hath to retire unto when he is driven out of his out-works He first hires these Cellars and Vaults below when he intends the most horrid powder plot and when he doubts open assaults to foule actuall sins may be repulsed his last device and stratagem is to lay a privy Ambuscado in the Thoughts Therefore must all our batteries be made against these strong holds to cast down imaginations and to bring 2 Cor. 10. 4. into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ When we have with Joshua destroyed all the enemies that appear abroad we must at last destroy the Kings themselves and the very chief of them that were immured and shut up in caves After we have Josh 10. 22. escaped shipwrack as Paul by flying the pollutions of the world take heed this Viper fasten not on thee but cast it into the fire that thou be not destroyed by the Pollutions of the mind Our most dangerous conflict of all is not with flesh and bloud no nor with Principalities and powers the foulest and fiercest devils but with spirituall wickednesses Alwayes diseases of the mind are more dangerous then of the body and sins in the mind worse then carnall pollutions It is as poyson in the spring or in the heart that presently disperseth itself all over Who knows not that Error heresie atheisme unbelief hypocrisie are worse then carnall filthinesse Yet who considers it All the sins of Satan which are worse than mans are onely spirituall wickednesses not corporeall as flesh and bloud are not so dangerous as principalities and powers so bodily wickednesse in earthly things are not so bad as spirituall wickednesses in heavenly or higher things The one makes us like beasts indeed but the other like Devils Here look well about you Professors you have an enemy in your bosom a Dalilah in your bed Satan is secure you may go hear pray believe be baptized joyn with the godly in every duty and be as forward to see to as the best yet is he safe and you betrayed if he can fasten one evil Thought and get entertainment for a few sickly Souldiers as Pompeys Stratagem was none of the most desperate and violent yea give him but one he desires no more Possession in Law is kept as well by one as twenty Look to it then I say The Thought is Satans reserve and last charge Keep him out here thou art a Victor yeeld here all is lost You Prophane ones your first and greatest work is to wash your hands Jam. 4. 8. but you Professors your first and last work is to purify your hearts The filthy Leprosie sluck closer to Gehazi then to Naaman so 2 King 5. 27 will pollution of mind stick more dangerously to a disciple if he take not heed then all prophanesse to an ignorant man that never yet knew better CHAP. IV. Of the severall kinds of Thoughts AND now I may say I am in a Wood or am entering into a wild field being about to speak of Thoughts or into a howling wildernesse being about to speak of Evil Thoughts I am not entring into Jonathans Wood dropping honey but into Absaloms which devoured more men then the 1 Sam. 14. 25. 2 Sam 18. 8. sword and I may not say as in our Proverb where I cannot see Wood for Trees but where for Wood Trees it is hard to see any way Thoughts some Divines rank into three sorts Though I shall reduce them to two as to our purpose and insist mainly on one kind onely even the worst of the three There are three kinds of thoughts saith Learned and Acute Dr. Ames conversant about Evil. 1. The first and most innocent whereof is Lib. 3. de Conscâ—ent â— 20. about the simple and bare apprehension of Evil. 2. The second is not so good when together with the apprehension of the mind there is also some inclination in the Will to consent 3. The third and worst is when deliberated upon it hath gained a full consent and approbation The first of these is without sin for it was found in Christ when being tempted Mat. 4. he fully and sufficiently apprehended the Evil motion propounded but detesled and abhorred it Hence it is a Maxime and resolved Case Scire malum non est malum barely to know evil is no evil When Solomon meditated and wrote of the wicked wiles of the subtile Harlot Prov. 7. 6 7. When he gave himself to the Theory to the studying and investigation of mischief and madnesse and folly Eccles 2. 12. he was not thereby defiled but instructed The Physitian looking on the disease is not thereby diseased nor the Minister when studying or discoursing of the foulest nature of the foulest sins and Satans monstrous methods and stratagems is nothing thereby defiled yet had we need deal warily and considerately as the Dogs at Nile least we should be snapt or as Ulysses amongst the Syrenes stopt his servants ears and bound himself to a Mast that he might not be inchanted by their Songs So should Ministers and students herein do as those who go by some ill and offensive savour they stop their noses or smell to some better sent to prevent the offensivenesse The other two kinds have both of them their part of sin in them and the later more Holy Bernard makes also these three kinds and resembleth the first to Dirt which besâ—otteth the body when dasht on it but makes no blunesse or skar when it is washed there is no sign of it The second he resembles to Blowes which cause bruises blacknesse wounds those make deformed and sick and cause pain but no death follows But the third sort of deliberate entertained thoughts he compares to a mortall Stab or deadly wound which neglected brings certain death So may a good Christian be touched with the first and troubled Pâ—ccati cogitatio decolorat affecÌ„tia vuluerat consensus omninâ— animam necat oss a frangit Idem with the second but let him take heed of the third that he be not heart-stabbed or have his bones broken with the last Let no man saith he be regardlesse of the two former for etsi non sint mortiferae sunt certe periculosae although they be not deadly yet are they dangerous But I shall as I said refer all ill Thoughts to two heads There are some which are transient unvoluntary undeliberate such are as the motes in the clearest sun-shine and not as congregated clouds causing any darknesse at all and are inseparable from our clearest day and purest state Ex toto caveri non possunt quamdiu in hoc corpore mortis peregrinamur a Domino It is impossible to be wholly free from them for
for us How slightly do they speak of God Who is the Lord And what can he do for us So in Zephany The Lord will neither do good nor evill These men Zeph. 1. 11. are settled on their lees and dregs of impiety and irreligion whereas it is the language of the Godly Who is like unto thee O Lord Who is like the God of Israel And Ex. 15. 11. Psal 89. 8. Deut. 33. 26. hereby do the Godly know they have been spirituall in their duties if they rise up in the duty to or depart from the duty with higher more raised admiring and exalting thoughts of God in their hearts and more low and self abasing thoughts of themselves CHAP. VIII Of Atheisticall thoughts HAving before spoke of severall kindes of Atheists I shall here speak of the Atheisticall thought A thought so black Irrationall Bruitish and horrid as can be thought A thought which may be darted and haply glance at a gracious heart but can onely find footing and stick with a heart altogether gracelesse To shew the heinousnesse and hatefullnesse whereof I may boldly say five things 1. That it cannot possibly be received but where the man hath first worne out his conscience and all principles of religion It doth ipso facto unsaint a Saint upon its first admission Some other Errors possibly may stand with grace this entertained cannot 2. Nor doth it ever stick but where the man hath lost his reason and his braines too as well as his conscience It is not onely against the light of Scripture but nature even corrupted nature and doth consequently not onely un-saint the Christian but un-man the man Some other Errors have some seeming reason on their side This utterly none It is the fool onely who saith that is imagineth in his heart There is no God And have they no knowledge saith he afterwardes No indeed none Psal 14. 1. and 4. at all either spirituall or so much as naturall The whole Host of heaven and earth and all the creatures animate and inanimate combine together to bear witnesse against this folly and impiety They are all Gods witnesses and say to man if thou denyest a God thou art a lyar or if thou doubtest thou art a fool and we will prove it For who could make these visible heavens but the invisible Deity Who could make the eye but he who is all eye and give the understanding but he who is all understanding Though many of the creatures are mute and cant speak another word they all plainly pronounce this one word A God a God This is the sound of the harmony of the heavens and the note of the whole universe there is no speech nor language where this voice is not heard So much Divinity at least is received for Orthodox among all Nations established not by particular nationall or general Counsells convened as some other points but by the Oecumenicall counsell of mankind though never convened together and subscribed to man by man all the world over and hath gained universall consent in all ages and places as the first if not onely principle of naturall beliefe and our mother natures Creed Some Nations have one Creed some another some have altered their present Creeds this was never altered but received by all without dispute or contradiction There be some people that admit of some books of holy Scripture onely as the Samaritans of old and the Turk at this day of the five books of Moses Some receive the Old Testament entirely as the Jowes Some receive the old and New Testament both as the sound Christian Churches Some admit the Apocrypha and unwritten Traditions too as the Papists Some reject all the whole Bible and have no written Scripture But all have this Scripture written in their hearts the most ancient Scripture in the world before there were any penman of holy Writ And this is universally received and read in all nations in their mother Tongue and expounded in their several and different the most corrupt exercises of religion and worship There have been several Sorts of Philosophers in the world one opposing and thwarting anothers Axiomes there have been several sects of Hereticks in the Church all opposing other truthes and rejecting the soundest Creeds There have been oppositions in all sciences disputes against every thing said or practised in all arts trades professions But all sorts of Philosophers hereticks of all arts trades professions and sciences have unanimously concurred in this when nothing else There is a God However People are divided by Lands and Seas dissonant in their Language and complections more different in their lawes customes manners apparell yet in this all Nations by a divine instinct harmoniously agree there is and of force must be acknowledged There is a God And a little reason will serve to prove it for as when I see a son I must needs yeeld this child had a Father so when I see the creatures I must needs grant a Creator who is the Lord. Therefore hold this fast 3. This is the most Destructive thought and error in the world Some errors are about the Superstructure this a fundamentall error some fundamentall errors impugne some one article of faith or principall doctrine This is destructive of all Religion destroyes all divinity and humanity too it leaves us never an article of faith never a command in the Decalogue and never a point of doctrine It leaves not a stone upon a stone but pulls down all This smites the glorious Statute of Body of Religion upon his feet and breaks all to pieces and brings it down to the ground destroying piety civility humanity curtesy and the improvements of common reason as that stone which smote that Image in Daniel so that Gold Dan. 2. 24. silver brasse iron and clay all crumbled in pieces and became like the chaffe in the summer threshing-flore 4. This Atheism in the thought is a Mother sin a big-bellied monstrous sin having in its womb all manner of impiety and like Babylons Cup is full of all manner of abominations Atheism never goes alone Therefore it is added Psal 14. 1 2. The fool said there was no God Corrupt are they and have done abominable works c. 5. The fifth and last thing I shall observe is that there is so much Irrationallity in this thought that it is banished the world and excluded the society of man and so much of Impiety in it that it is not onely excluded heaven but this of all other sins is excluded out of hell too There is no Atheism to be found in hell there is blasphemy malice envy c. no Atheisme The Atheist goes to hell Atheisme doth not Nullus in Inferno est Atheos ante fuit And is not this a mad and monstrous impiety which can be harboured in the heart when neither heaven earth or hell it self will own it The devils and damned are herein sounder then thou art they believe and tremble And
There do the damned gnaw their tongues for anguish and blaspheme the God of heaven out of despite And as it is the case of the damned who are past all hope of mercy so it is onely the case of such unhappy miscreants yet on earth to entertain such thoughts as are without God and without hope Either desperately siâ—â—ing while they open their mouth against heaven or sinfully despairing as wretched Spira who sometimes blasphemously wisht that he might be above God Such wish that there were no God no soul no Law to forbid sin no hell to punish sin no judgement day Heaven they give for lost mercy not to be obtained Gods wrath not to be appeased and his displeasure not to be indured and undergone They have despised mercy despighted grace rejected Christ resisted the holy Ghost as enemies they have carried themselves to God and as an enemy they look to find him Hence that hatred of God departure from him despaire of all indeavours a desperate saying to God Depart from us and at last which is the utmost which Satan can perswade or wish To curse God and die Oh the rage of man oh the malice of Satan oh the poyson of unbelief and despair what fire and brimstone comes out of this Etna Yet haply a right gracious heart may be assaulted with these fiery darts our Saviour himself to what was he sollicited Even to renounce God and to devote himself to Satan There is none of these tempâ—â—tions but are common to men But God is faithfull who will not suffer you to to be tempted above that you are able but will with the temptation also make a way to escape that you may be 1 Cor. 10. 13. able to bear it as the Apostle saith The busie flies will be sometimes hovering and buzzing about the purest meat so doth this Beelzebub the God of flies as his name signifies seek to taint or terrify the purest heart with these injections these come hovering and fluttering about a godly heart as Abrahams birds but he riseth up and driveth theâ— away but they light and settle on a wicked heart as the birds on the Bakers head there the interpretation is sad and ominous Job was afraid least his sons though brought up religiously might curse God in their hearts He knew they durst not speak an ill word of God in his hearing nor think irreverently of God when they were to call upon him in prayer But how far they might forget themselves when they were warmed with good cheer and mirth this holy and jealous Father was much afraid therefore he sent and sanctified them and offered burnt offerings For Job said it may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts Job 1. 5. Thoughts of this nature were darted into Jobs wives heart and took fire she was overcome by them and by her they were handed to her husband Curse God and die This old mischievous Engineer Satan will be casting these Squibs at us to try if they will either fire or fright us and these Granadoes he is often throwing into well fortified hearts knowing well that if they ly a while and break there they make bloudy execution but our wisdome is to catch these Granadoes before they break and settle and throw them back upon him then they will mischief him not us Or do as the Gardiner who espyeth the weeds springing up where he set good herbs who cries out I wonder how you come here I sowed better seeds here is no place for you what envious one hath sown these tares he plucks them up and his garden is kept clean I intended not to extenuate or excuse these blasphemous and cursed thoughts for they are the greatest sins the child of Beliall can conceive and travel with neither need I to aggravate them for they are the greatest trouble a child of God can be exposed to Yet are sometimes such thoughts darted in by Satan and words to like purpose are sometimes bolted out even from the child of God but it is when he is not himself but overclouded with passion overwhelmed with temptation or disordered by some violent disease which hath distempered not his faith onely but his reason But our comfort is God can distinguish between our diseases and our sins between our constant temper and a transient distemper between our voluntary transgressions and our involuntary and bewailed suffrings between Satans act and our passivenesse as he did between Josephs Mistresse tempting and Joseph resisting and slying Shee was looked upon as foully guilty as if the sin had been committed but he as innocent as if he had never been tempted Besides the Scripture saith There is pardon for Blasphemies and Blasphemers All sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven to men All passive or Maâ— 12. 31. involuntary Blasphemy this is not the Blaspheming of the Holy Ghost which is never forgiven for that is alwayes allowed voluntary willfull obstinate and unbewailed Paul had been a Blasphemer in his Ignorance and Peter a worse in his inconsideratnesse but both pardoned Paul because he knew not what he did Peter because he liked not what he did but repented of it Bernard saith Satan doth cast in Offert horribiliâ— de divinitate terribilia de fide mirabilia de fidei institutione et in alveolo ment is venenifer as ingerit potiones quas in consesssione evomere peccator oneratus exhorret thoughts horrible to think about God terrible things about faith and Scripture promises and casts in such poisonous potions into the soul that the burdened patient sick to death with them dare hardly venture to vomit up by a holy confession In the law there was a provision made that if fire did break out and catch thornes so that the stacks of corn or the standing corn or the field were consumed there with he that kindled the fire should be liable to make restitution Exod. 22. 6. The Lord doth know what an Incendiary Satan is and how that by his thornes or firebrands the stack and standing corn is set a fire the trouble is ours at present but the damage will be charged upon him Yet in this case our duty is to bestir our selves as fast as we can to quench this fire and preserve as much of the corn as we can by stopping the flames Or to do as Hezekiah did upon the receipt of that blasphemous letter humble thy self extraordinarily Rend thy clothes put on sackcloth go into the house of the Lord spread the railing letter before the Lord cry out this is a day of trouble indeed and of rebuke and blasphemy for the children are come to the birth and there is no strength to bring forth lift up thy own prayers call for help from others if so be that the Lord will hear all those railing blasphemies and reprove the words which he hath heard and put a hooke into the nostrils and a bridle into the Jaws of this infernall Sennacherib and cause him to
we to swell and to depart from the living God And if we find our mountain to stand strong and lower springs of creature supplies to run fresh a David is too apt to say I shall never be moved Psal 30. 6. which causeth God to hide his face and turn our springs into bloud that we may learne to know on what ground we stand And ordinarily the men of the world if their riches increase they are apt to say I have a strong castle to secure me I may say to my soul thou hast goods enough Take thine ease eat drink and be merry I sit a Pro. 18. 11. Lu. 12. 19. Rev. 18. 7. Queen saith the whore in her pride and presumption I shall never see sorrow This presumption thrusts out gratitude So if any thing have been undertaken and succeeded how apt are we to attribute all to our selves and to sacrifice to our own net Habak 1. 16. and to say in the pride of our hearts with Nabuchadnezzar Is not this the Palace that Dan. 4. 30. I have built for the Glory of my Majesty c And with the Assirian to vaunt with the strength of my hand and with the sole of my foot have I done these things c. Which moves the Lord to pull down such Esay 10. 13. that they may learn to know that the heavens bear rule over the earth and there is a Dan. 4. 26. divine providence over-rules all humane affairs This presumption thrusts out dependance So again if any thing be to be done we are ready with David to say Go number the 2 Sam. 24. 2. people that I may know my strength we will send to Egypt and stay our selves on horses because they are many and on horsemen because they are strong but look not to the holy one of Esay 31. 1. Israel nor do we seek the Lord as the Prophet saith Thus presumption thrusts out faith and prayer Hence it is that the Lord often takes delight to wither the arm of flesh to blast our designes and deny the race to the swift Eccle. 9. 11. and the victory to the strong and sends us home mourning and well beaten for our pains as Israel once who would go up presumptuously in their own strength and took not God Num. 14. 44 45. along with them they were beaten home Deut. 1. 45. with shame then did they lament their folly And as the ten tribes who went against the wicked Benjamites in their own strength they were more then ten to one for number yet did they lose in two battels forty thousand and might have had more sad dayes if they had not been driven by Jud. 20. 21 25 and 26. compared their ill successe to seek God fast mourn and humble themselves Gods people are sometimes too strong in their own eye and too sure and too many for him to go along with and give salvation to ' as the Lord said once to Gideon God should have no more Jud. 7. 2. from such then he had from Herod who took the Dii eritis upon him and the vox dei The voice of God and not of man and became Ac. 12. a worm-eaten God for his paines a just recompence for a wormes affecting the honor of a God Or then he had from Pope Adrian the sixt who having caused a fair Colledge to be built caused this inscription to be set over the gates Trajectum plantavit Levanium rigavit Caesar dedit incrementum Utrecht planted me there he was born Lovaine watered me there he was bred up in learning and Caesar gave the encrease for he had preferr'd him to the Papacy to shew the folly and presumption of whom one wrote Hic Deus nihil fecit Here God had no hand in all said Luther Thus this presumption thrusts Gods honour out of the world Therefore doth the Lord warn his people to take heed of these presumptuous thoughts and speeches when their silver and gold is multiplied c. not to say in their hearts My hand hath got me this substance but thou shalt Deut. 8. 17 18. remember it is the Lord who giveth thee power to get this substance These presumptuous thoughts have been costly and dear thoughts to many a man who have paied full dear for them and by this presumption they have presumed themselves out of all and presumed themselves into misesery beggery infamy and disgrace The Lord walking constantly by that his just old rule to pull down the high hearts and looks and lay Psal 18. 27. Esa 2. 18. low the loftinesse of man and to exalt the humble and meek 2. Spirituall presumption Thoughts of this kind are more dangerous whereby many have presumed themselves into hell the proper place for it as we may see in a few instances 1. How many are there that will adventure their eternal salvation on this presumptuous reasoning If I be Elected I shall be Saved however I live if not all holinesse and endeavours are in vain But doth Election destroy or establish meanes You will not reason thus God hath decreed there shall be Seed-time and Harvest while the world standeth therefore we need not plow or sow or if thy house were on fire and thou in thy bed thou wouldest not say if God have a purpose to stay the fire I need not cry out or stir out of my bed but thou wilt find a tongue to call hands and feet to stirre and hast thou no hands nor feet nor cries nor prayers nor teares to escape Hell Faith sees a sweet consonancy between decrees and promises precepts threats and means Presumption is not content to oppose Heaven it self but would set all Heaven in a flame making variance between decree and decree as of salvation and sanctification both decreed simultaneously and at once 2 Thes 2. 13. between decrees and promises decrees and precepts c. 2. Many are apt to presume on salvation relying totally and solely on Gods mercy as they think which is indeed the onely refuge of Saints but not in way of duty and holy fear departing from sin and they think they give much glory to God by relying on his mercy so much as they do but the Lord abhors this presumption When wicked men say I shall have peace though I walk after the Imagination of my heart adding drunkennesse to thirst The Lord saith he will not spare such but his anger and jealousie shall smoak against that man c. Deut. 29. 19 20. So Micah 3. 10 11 12. They build up Sion with bloud and Jerusalem with iniquity the heads thereof judge for reward and the Priests thereof teach for hire and the Prophets thereof divine for money yet will they lean upon the Lord and say Is not the Lord amongst us none evil shall come upon us Therefore shall Zion for their sake be plowed like a field and Jerusalem become heaps and the mountain of the house as the high
Ele you strike it yet it lives you flea it yet it lives you cut it in pieces yet it stirs you throw it into scalding water and there it stirs a while too So Bray a wicked fool in a morter his folly will not depart from him Prov. 27. 22. Reproofes kill it not affliction kils it not sicknesse kils it not weaknesse kils it not death kils it not nay hell kils it not The heart is the only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The unruly evil which no man can tame Jam. 2. 8. This sets on fire the whole course of nature and is it self set on fire of hell Full it is of deadly poyson as that old Leprosie it infects all that comes near it We think Lev. 13. it sad living in an unwholsome aire or in a house near the Common-shore because of the continuall ill smels What is it to live over the ill savour of a fowl nasty heart Who would willingly lodge or dwell in a house reported to be haunted with Evil spirits Thy heart is so yet thou art not afraid David was weary of Mesech Israel of Egypt Lot sick of Sodom Jeremy of his Dungeon and wilt thou as the Bedlam play with thy chaines and sport thy self with thine own deceivings in the midst of thy mortall and bloudy enemies Consider well of it CHAP. XXX The Third Use of Information in severall particulars THE third use informes us of divers weighty points 1. What a wide and vast difference there is between the lawes of men and the pure law of God All those fall far short of this they reach but the outward man this the heart spirit conscience and the most hidden thoughts Heb. 4. 12. Their Laws are Carnall this Spirituall holy requiring truth in the inward parts This applies Canons Rom. 7 14. and Engins to the mind and forbids lust in the first motions checks the thought of Belial 2 Cor. 10 4 5. Rom. 7 7. or wickednesse as it is cal'd in the heart Deut. 15. 9. The Laws of men require no more but to strike the topsale in a civil behaviour The Law of God boards every vessel cals for the bils of lading makes a through search in every Cabin sees what we are fraught with and if it find any prohibited wares not goods or concealed armes for the use of the enemy they are seized on and the vessell must yield or sink The Laws of men plant their Ordinance against the Enemies colours set out upon the wals of the Castle That of God undermines the foundations and blows up all that stand in opposition The Magistrate onely provides ne peccatum turbet God ne sit he ne peccatum resistat God ne restet We may be Boni cives mali Christiani We may observe the manner of the God of the land as they said 2 Kings 17. 27. Yet not know or keep the Laws of the God of heaven The Statutes of Omri and Samaria are oft-times kept by Mit. 6. 16. those who violate the Edicts of Sion and of Christ The Christian therefore must not be a Statute Christian but a Scripture Christian 2. What a sad difference there is between the holy Law of God and our base hearts His Law pure we impure that spirituall we carnall It was an uneven and uncomfortable match between beautifull courteous and vertuous Abigail and that clown and ungracious churle Nabal that between beautifull Moses and black Zipporah but Gods Law and our hearts are worse matched But those were the worst matches in all the Scriptures Gen. 6. 2 4. when the Sons of God went in to the daughters of men they begat that Gygantean and vicious race which corrupted the whole earth But this is the worst match in the world wherein the Law of God is married to the heart of man For the motions of sins which are by the law do work in our members to bring forth fruit to death Rom. 7. 6. and hereby is the whole Church corruptted The Tables of the Law were formerly engraven in stone and put into an Ark◠overlaid with pure Gold within and without Exod. 25. 11. But the Tables of the Law and Covenant of Grace are now written in Gold and put into a homely ark of stone 3. What a difference there is between a godly and a wicked man a sincere person and a hypocrite as much or more as between Solomons shields of beaten massy gold and 1 King 10. 17. and 14. 27. Rehoboams of brasse of like size and number Copper and Gold differ not so much in colour as in their weight and worth So tin and silver look alike weigh not alike The difference between man and man is not so much in favour complexion stature or state as in the mind not so much in diseases poverty misery as sin not so much in education wit reason parts or gifts as graces The godly for his outward aspect is like to an old Church Pauls for example built of ordinary stone without plain but when you come in you find there a comely inside handsome seats and a convenient place to worship God in The wicked for his outside not much unlike yet more fitly compared to a prison Newgate for example built of fair stone but within nothing to be found but nastinesse hunger hardship ill smels and which is worst of all a company of Hell-birds for their vile behaviour In a word the godly are like heaven fair without but the glory is all invisible and not to be imagined how great till you come within And the wicked are like hell it self to which a broad and easie way doth lead but it is bad to describe but worse then you can imagine when you enter 4. What a busie work is it to be a Christian he hath more to do then to wash Animum rege hunc fraenus hunc tu compesce Catena Horat. the outside of the cup and platter to make a covenant mith his eye ear hand foot mouth and to keep his mouth bridled he must keep his heart bridled Keep thy heart with all keeping Prov. 4. 23. The God of truth requireth to be worshipped in spirit and truth Joh. 4. 24. in the inward parts The cleanly Christian is like those neat Citizens who if they wash and sweep their doors to the street side do wash and rub and keep the inside cleanner if they do but brush their outward garments have their inner garments washt and the linnen which is next them so the Christian is to cleanse his hands but much more to purge and purify his heart The sincere Christian who would be approved of God is to adorn the inner man of the heart 1 Pet. 3. 4. as old Sarah did and to affect to be of the Kings daughters fashion the spouse of Christ all glorious within Psal 45. 13. or to be in the Bridegrooms fashion whose outward garment was of four pieces as all the other Israelites were Deut. 22. 12. yet was his inner
thee and set them in order before thee I shall Psal 50. 21. conclude this use of terror with those words of terror that follow Oh consider this ye that forget God least he teaâ— you in peeces and there be none to deliver Certainly if you see not the uglinesse of this sin till then it will befall you as it hath befaln some curious Gentlewomen who have been sorely disfigured with the small Pox who when they have seen themselves in the glasse have run besides themselves not thinking it possible they could have been so ill so will all these not onely run mad but into despair which is much worse upon that discovery then of their sinfull thoughts 2. Here is also an use of singular comfort to the Godly whose thoughts though they are oft vain and not so good as he could wish are the best part of his Sanctification though he is short in duties and performance yet his thoughts especially his deliberate thoughts his intentions aimes purposes desires are all sincere That he can humbly and gladly say search me O Lord and try my heart try me and know my Psal 139. 23. 1 Job 3. 21. thoughts If we have this confidence in our own thoughts we shall have confidence before him Canst thou say with David I hate vain thoughts and check them I Psal 119. 113. Psal 139. 17. love good thoughts and entertain them Oh how precious are thy thoughts to me O God How great is the sum of them In the multitude Psal 94. 19. of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soule It is well said saith Austin The flesh lusteth against the spirit and the Velimus nolimus habemus eas concupiscentias blandiuntur stimulant insestant surgere volunt Premuntur non extinguntur non quod â—ultis poteslis Quid vullis ut non omnino sint concupiscentiae malâ— sed non potestis exercete bellum sperate triumphum Aug. De pugaa animâ— Psal 94. 11. 1 Cor 3. 20. spirit against the flesh that these are contrary the one to the other that we cannot do what we would Why what is that we would we would that there were no concupiscence or lust at all But we cannot will we nill we we have them they tickle intice insult and would command Suppressed they are extinguished they are not c. 3. This serves for resolution of a great objection I have many an ill thought therefore what will become of me There are moates in our clearest Sun-shine and vain thoughts there are in the best men when employed in the best duties yea there is vanity in the best thought Hence it is said the Lord knoweth the thoughts of men that they are vain and Paul addeth The thoughts of the wise they are vain Hereupon it is said that the Lord was moved in his Covenant of grace to pitty and pardon mankind Gen. 8. 21. The Lord smelled a Savour of rest and said in his heart I will not again curse the ground any more for mans sake for the imagination of mans heart is evil from his youth And Gen. 6. 5. It is said that every imagination of the thought of his heart is onely evil continually A hard saying but a true saying which is thus to be understood 1. Every thought of every unregenerated person is onely and wholly evil like tree like fruit To the defiled and unbeleever is Tit. 1. 15. nothing pure 2. Every thought in a beleever that is Ex tam sordidâ— sonte ne guttâ— quidem bonitatis profluere potesi Paraeâ—â— in locum his own is evil we have not the matter of one good thought in us of our own we have not sufficiency as of our selves to think any thing When we think evil we have it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Satan when he speakes aly speaks of his own The earth brings forth weedes of her self she is the naturall Mother of them to the corne she is but a Nurse The hearts of the Godly are naturall mothers to ill thoughts nurses at best sometimes unkind nurses to bring up and cherish good thoughts the children of the spirit of God The good thought is as welcome to the Godly heart as the Angels to Lots house but it comes aliunde and superne it comes from above and seemes as they unwilling to enter under our roof therefore must be intreated and pressed upon greatly to get them in Gen. 19. 3. But the evil thought like the impudent Sodomites unsent for presse to come in to the best heart as they into Lots house and no bars or doors are able to keep them out without the help of God v. 9. 3. In our best thoughts there is a mixture of evil as in our best graces In the softest heart there is hardness in the strongest faith somewhat of unbelief in the most sincere heart som hypocrisie so in our thoughts our best is vanity all our righteousnesse are as filthy rags 4. That good which is in them is not perfectly good but it is weak cold livelesse flagging fading 2. But yet all ill thoughts argue not a heart to be bad there are volatile transient evil thoughts which stay so short a while as to make no impression thus it is with the Godly Elias himself might easier shut up heaven by his prayer then shut out all evil thoughts out of his own heart Now it is not the birds flying over the sacrifice that hurts it if they light and settle not the flying birds pick not up the seed sowen but they that are suffered to stay Aswarm of flies buzzing about our mear taint in not but when one staies on it and blowes it then it leaves the matter for the filthy vermin to be engendered of Nehemiah had many a message sent to him to take him off from his worke he would not stir a foot to parly with them so the work was not at all Neh. 6. 3. hindred Thou must do so with an ill thought leave not thy businesse enter no parlies let them go as they come 3. Ill thoughts that are onely injected and Cogitatio immunda non inquinat cum pulsat nisi voluntatem per delectationem sibi subjugat Voluntate sua cadit qui cadit Bâ—rn ejected as fast may trouble shall not condemn us as good thoughts injected or transient argue not a good heart but when entertained God casts in a good thought sometimes into a wicked man he casts it out presently the Lord casts in another he casts it out again and so never entertaines any This is to resist the holy Ghost Act. 7. 51. when he stifles and checks them So Satan casts in an evil thought into a good heart he casts it out he casts it in again he casts it out as fast and there is nothing but casting in and casting out this is to resist Satan Jam. 4. 7. 1 Pet. 5. 9. And to keep our selves pure The enemy casts in grandadoes we cover all with
the least sins when matters are small or doubtfull 1 Sam. 24. 5. much more for foul and manifest sins 2 Sam. 24. 10. Thus it was with David in both those places 3. It feares to partake of other mens sins Num. 16. 4. 4. Flies appearances and shewes of evil 1 Thes 5. 22. Num. 32. 6. Et sequ Josh 22. 16. 2. The heart must be keep in humility Wines are kept best in lowest Cellars the heart in lowest temper An horse may be kept too low but all the danger of the heart is keeping it too high Esa 57. 15. The lowest heart is the fittest habitation for the most High God God is called Deus optimus maximus but Jesus Christ in respect of his humility was Optimus minimus Three things should keep our hearts humble 1. Gods Excellency Esa 6. 2 3 5. Job 42. 6. 2. His many and undeserved mercies Gen. 32. 10. 2 Sam. 7. 18. Nothing doth so kindly humble a gracious heart as Mercies nothing so unkindly puffs up an ungracious heart 3. Thy own great sins Thus it was with Paul 1 Cor. 15. 9. 1 Tim. 1. 13. Never was there a viler sinner then I never more grace shewed from God 3. The heart must be kept up also in due height 2 Chron. 17. 6. Jehoshaphats heart was lifted up in the wayes of God Three things help to lift up the heart and shew it well lifted up 1. When we strive to walk worthy of God Cal. 1. 10. 2. To walk worthy of the Gospel Phil. 1. 27. 3. To walk worthy of heaven and the expectation of it 1 Thes 2. 12. 4. The heart must be kept clean and pure Psal 24. 4. and 73. 1. Mat. 5. 8. We may be too choice of our clothes and houses to keep them clean but cannot be of the heart Three things help to keep the heart clean 1. Oft washing some say Caput nunquam pedes raro manus saepe but Cor saepius saepissinie Jer. 4. 14. Wash thy heart that vain thoughts lodge not Say to them as we say to nasty and slovenly beggers here is no lodging for you 2. Often searching 2 Cor. 13. 5. 3. Frequent and fervent prayer Jam. 4. 7 8. Cleanse your hearts and draw nigh to God joyned Prayer is as Thunder and Wind they purge the ayre this the heart 5. The heart is to be kept in Faith Heb. 10. 22. Habak 2. 4. Three things help to keep the heart in Faith 1. To eye Gods promise this Faiths food and the life of the life of Faith 2. To eye and remember Gods past providences and our Experiences 2 Cor. 1. 10. He hath delivered and doth and will deliver 3. To study Gods alsufficiency Rom. 4. 21. What he promiseth he is able to perform 6. The heart is also to be kept in due fear The Child is well kept when kept in awe so is the heart This is the great heart-keeper and Covenant keeping grace Jer. 32. 40. Three things help to keep the heart in holy fear 1. A due sense of Gods dreadfull Name and Majesty Deut. 28. 48. 2. A due sense of Gods goodness Hosea 3. 5. 3. A continuall sense of our own weaknesse Prov. 28. 14. The child that fears a fall escapes a fall Vis in timore esse securus in securitate time as Bern. Fear in time of security makes secure in time of fear 7. In readinesse and willingnesse 1 Chron. 28. 9. Exod. 35. 2. Gods people are a ready and willing people And as it is a commendation to a man or woman to be handy and ready to be able to take our work and leave it so it is here Three things help to make us more ready and willing 1. Frequency and familiarity with duties Use makes perfectnesse By praying thou wilt learn to pray An instrument daily used is soon fit to play upon long disused asks much time to tune it How unfit must they needs be for prayer that pray not from sabbath to sabbath 2. To consider that God accepts a willing mind for the best deed 2 Cor. 8. 12. 3. All other service is unacceptable to God 1 Chron. 28. 9 10. Unprofitable for us 1 Cor. 9. 17. 8. In steadinesse Psal 108. 1. Act. 11. 23. Cleave to God with full purpose of heart Three times when we should look to keep the heart steady 1. In state of fullnesse The full vessel evenly carried tries the steady hand and head Phil. 4. 12. I can abound and not be proud be lifted up yet not be lifted up A hard lesson 2. In time of straits Psal 112. 8. His heart is established and doth not shrink and warp as unseasoned timber Job said I will not curse God is where he was I am where I was my faith where it was and my integrity I will not let go This another hard lesson 3. In earthly businesse to have the heart steady eying God I am in my calling God sees me This a high lesson The wicked his heart is steady and fixed on the world when at prayer he cant get the world out of his mind the godly have heavenly minds in earthly businesses 3. Wouldst thou be free from evil thoughts then get thy mind filled he which hath his chests his shop and his house filled but his mind empty is a poor man We must not do with our hearts as with our houses have the lower rooms furnisht and have nothing in the upper garrets but trash but have our upper roomes especially furnished Satan comes into the house that is empty swept and garnished But Jesus Christ chuseth to keep his feast in an upper room that is furnished Luke 22. 12. Take some good meditation promise Scripture read next thy heart to keep out wind every morning An empty addle heart is a fit bayt for Satan 4. Get a heart fixed as well as filled that thy spirit sit not loose about thee Keep thy loynes girt this bow continually bent arcum intentio frangit animum remissio It is too much looseness or unbending that breaks the mind as too much bending breaks the bow We love not a garment too big or shoes to slop about our feet We get our armes fixt get thy mind so and be ever and anon saying sursum corda The way of life is above to the wise that he may depart from hell beneath Prov. 15. 24. How safe was David when he could say O God my heart is fixed my heart is fixed Psal 108. 1. And the stable Psal 51. 12. spirit is that he prayes for as well as the right or new spirit The devil makes as good sport with an unfixt spirit as children do with light airy toyes the squibs bubbles and empty hoops which they drive before them or the paper Kite driven with the wind which though never so high mounted they can pull to them when they will these are taken captive by Satan at his will as the Apostle saith 2 Tim. 2. 26. 5. See the Lords eye still upon thee
done smoaking and sparkling when shall this filthy scum boile out when shall these wells Ezek. 24. 6. 2 King 3. 25. Ezek. 36. 25. be fild and stopped up Oh when shall this heart be made clean when when shall it once be and when shall the clean water promised be poured out Deep calleth loud unto Deep the deeps Psal 42. 7. Zech. 13. 1. of misery to greater deepes of mercy This secret fountain of sin to that open fountain of grace for sin and uncleannesse Lord search and cleanse this heart and Psal 139. 23. Psal 19. 12. Psal 51. 10. Psal 17. 8. cleanse me most from secret sins A new a right a stable sâ—irit create in me O God and keep thou this heart for me with all thy keeping as thou wouldest keep the apple of thine eye Woe is me that I must Psal 120. 5. still dwell in Mesech and my soul with them that hate peace Oh blessed thrice blessed Psal 23. 1 2. he whose sin is pardoned and most blessed he in whose spirit there is no guile Apply the Lev. 14. 6. 50. Lev. 14. 25. 28. warme blood of a dying Saviour to remove my guilt and the efficacy of a living spirit to purge out my guile as the blood of the dead and water with the living sparrow went both together to cleanse the Leprous house and as the blood of the lamb and the anointing oile together to cleanse the Leprous person Oh when shall I have done trifling dallying roving in my thoughts Oh when shall I have done doubting disputing distrusting Oh when shall I have done murmuring repining fretting Oh when shall I have done carking caring thought-taking Oh when shall my heart become composed fixed stablished Oh when shall my thoughts begin to be serious spirituall sanctified Oh when shall I begin to be considerate circumspect heavenly Oh when shall I begin to love chuse and obey thee When shall I follow on to know acknowledge and glorify thee as God! When shall I see that happy day to delight rejoyce and glory in thee When when shall it be my study to seek God contemplate God converse with God When when shall it be my practice to sleep and wake with God to talk and walk with God to injoy and joy in God! Let natures works lead me by the hand to seek thee let reason lift up my head to discern thee let thy word raise up my heart yet higher to admire thee and let thy spirit of grace elevate my soul yet higher to embrace thee till Grace and Glory meet to make thee and my soul meet and be united Onely deny me not two things before I dy Prov. 30. 7 8. Psal 120. 3. remove from me vanity and lyes deliver me O Lord from lying lips and from a vain deceitfull heart Lord is folly so fast bound up in the heart of a child that the rod must fetch it out and Prov. 22. 15. is it bound up so much faster in the heart of a man that neither rod nor word nor smiles nor blowes nor mercies nor judgements can fetch it out Thou hast brayed me in a morter yet doth not this folly depart from Prov. 27. 22. me Oh send out once thy light and truth thy grace and spirit and let them lead me Psal 43. 138. Oh when wilt thou prepare repair and renew this heart Oh that thou wouldest soften circumcise and subdue this heart Oh that thou wouldest purge sweep and cleanse this heart Oh that thou wouldest adorn enrich and furnish this heart Oh that thou wouldest enlighten enliven and enlarge this heart Oh that thou wouldest abide in inhabit and keep this heart Oh that thou wouldest watchover secure and guard this heart Oh that thou wouldest open shut and lock this heart shut out idle unclean and vain thoughts keep in holy pure and chast thoughts setting up the doors thereof the locks thereof and the bars thereof Neh. 3. 6. 2 King 2. 21. Oh season this spring then shall not the waters be barren nor dead Mend this treasure then shall communication be wholsom Mat. 12. 35. and conversation holy Give me Lord What wilt thou give me Give me the heart to ask give me the heart I ask for Give a soft a tender a sound heart Give a rent a broken a contrite heart Give a mourning a meltâ—ng a fleshy heart Give me Lord a believing a loving an obedient heart Give a humble a meek a contented heart Give a holy a high a heavenly heart Give Lord a faithfull a thankfull a chearfull heart Give a panting a praying a praising heart Give a free a firm a fixed heart Give a willing a wise an understanding heart Give a pure a perfect a sincere heart Give a new a true another heart yea Lord that heart that is according to thine own heart Lord take this heart for an Ark and a Temple and a sacrifice for God Lord make this heart the habitation the sanctuary the mercy-seat of God Let it be thy Shiloh thy Bethel thy Penuel Let it be my Jehovah-jâ—rith Jehovah Shammah Jehovah Shalom Let it be thy fountain sealed thy engraven signet thy garden enclosed But Alas Alas I must renew my griefes mine habitation is in the midst of deceit my dwelling among briers and thornes yea among scorpions is my abode serpents and Cookatrices that will not be charmed Were it an open enemy I had to do with I would bear it or seek to avoid him or were it a suspected friend I would be shy and wary of him and hide my self But it is thou my familiar my self where shall I go out to fly or go in to hide me I have long looked for peace but behold trouble Wâ—e is me my soul is wearied because of murderers Jer. 4. 13. And my life is a wearinesse to me because of these daughters of Heth to which I am married They who repaired the gate of the fountain in Nehemiahs time had a happy and honourable emploiment but how unhappy mine who am set to repaire this Dung-gate and to set up the doors thereof and the locks thereof and the bars thereof Neh. 3. 14 15. But is there no Balme in Gilead Is there no Physitian there Is there no Refiners fire nor fullers sope to be had or hoped for Must I sit down and say it is my burden and I must bear it The frogs Jer. 10. 19. were a sore plague to the Egyptians which came into their Chambers and were upon their Tables But these come into an Israelites heart into my oratory closet and bed Thou didst sever then between the Israelites and Egyptians sever now between the Israelites and these frogs They after two or three daies were removed and shall these never They had that plague of lice crawling on their bodies yet at length removed but I unhappy I have these on my spirit They had botches on their backs I a plague in my heart they the