Selected quad for the lemma: king_n
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A59550
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The government of the thoughts a sermon preach'd before the King and Queen at White-Hall, the 4th of March, being the 2d Sunday in Lent, 1693/4 / by ... John, Lord Arch-bishop of York.
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Sharp, John, 1645-1714.
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1694
(1694)
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Wing S2977A; ESTC R17053
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14,261
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18
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Healths and keep up the Vigour of our Minds And the way to do that is Not to put them too much or too long upon the stretch at any one time But to relax them when there is occasion and to let them run out and entertain themselves upon any thing that comes next to hand so long as it is Innocent It is a vain thing to imagine that we can always be thinking of our great Business or that we can always be a Praying or Reading or Meditating or that as our Condition is in this World even the greater part of our Thoughts should be such as we call Devout and Religious Thoughts GOD hath provided a great deal of other Business for us to apply our Minds to so long as we live in this World And by minding that diligently and conscientiously we do serve GOD as acceptably as if we were Reading or Praying Nay even then when we have no urgent Business upon our hands to take up our Minds it is not necessary that we should be always thinking of Religion Norwould I call every Thought a vain or an idle or a sinful Thought that hath not GOD or our Spiritual Concernments for its Object Even the most Spiritually-minded among us must oftentimes be content to be entertained with such Thoughts as our Company or our Temper or the present Circumstances we are in do suggest to us And provided those Thoughts be innocent and do not intrench upon the Laws of Piety and Purity and Charity be they otherwise very trifling and impertinent I say I would not look upon them as ill Thoughts nor have any one angry at himself upon account of them The truth of it is So long as we consist of Bodies and Souls we cannot always be thinking of serious things They indeed are the wisest that think of them most but it is even dangerous to attempt to think of them always For as most Mens Constitutions are that is the ready way to spoil the Habit of our Bodies and by that means to render our Minds perfectly unfit for Thinking at all to any good Purposes Thus have I laid before you the Main Things wherein as I do believe the right Governing our Thoughts doth consist And I doubt not they are so safe and so effectual that whosoever will sincerely practise them as far as he can will so keep his Heart that the Issues from thence in his Life and Conversation will be Happy and Prosperous I conclude all with the Collect of this Day Almighty GOD who seest that we have no power of our to help our Keep us both outwardly in our Bodies and inwardly in our Souls that we may be defended from all Adversities which may happen to the Body and from all EVIL THOUGHTS which may assault and hurt the Soul thro' JESUS CHRIST our Lord. FINIS A CATALOGUE of Sermons Printed and Sold by Henry Hills in Black-Fryars near the Water-side Pride One Penny each TWO of Sir William Daws Bar. one at Cambridge on the 5th of Nov. 1706. and the other before the Queen Nov. 19. 1704. One of the Bishop of Norwich before Her Majesty March 8th 1705. on her happy Accession to the Crown Two of the Bishop of Lincoln's one Decemb 31 1705. and the other Novemb. 5. 1705. One of Dr. Willis's Dean of Lincoln on the 5th of Nov. 1705. One of Dr. Blackhal his Commencement Sermon before the University of Cambridge June 30 1700. Three of Dr. Parsons's call'd The First-fruits of the Gentiles c. at Salisbury Two of Dr. Moss one before the Queen April 22d 1706. The other a Spittle-Sermon Wednesday in Easter-week 1706. One of the Bishop of York before the Queen at Her Coronation One of Dr. Clarke before the Queen Decemb. 30 1705. Two of Dr. Stanhope One before the Bishops c. Octob. 25 1705. The other before the Queen at St. Paul's 1706. One of Dr. Blackburn's before the Queen Decemb 9 1705. A Sermon call'd The Royal Mercant before his Majesty King Charles the Second at Whitehall One of the Bishop of Gloucester's at Gild-Hall the 7th of Septemb. 1704 being a Thanksgiving for overcoming the French and Bavarians Two of Mr. Knagg's one a Perswasive to Contentment the other God with us One of Dr. Hoadly before the Lord Mayor c. Sept. 29 1705. Three of Dr. Kennet's Two upon the Murther of King Charles the First Jan. 30 1703 1705. The other before the Queen June 23 1706. One of the Bishop of St. Asaph before the House of Lords January 30 1705 6. One of Mr. Stubs on May 26 1706. being a Preparatory to the General Thanksgiving One of Dr. Manningham before the Queen at Windsor Aug. 4 1706. One of Mr. Sprint The Bridewoman's Counseller at a Wedding 1799. One of his Grace John late Archb of Canterbury 1694 Of evil speaking An Epitome of the Protestant Religion shewing when it began why the People so call'd of the 3 Creeds wherefore People stand when one is said How and when Infant Baptism came to be used when and wherefore God-fathers and God-mothers came to be ordain'd and the Sign of the Cross us'd when and how Sprinkling came to be used instead of Dipping Also the Presbyterians what they hold what Scriptures they use The Independents and Baptists what Scriptures they produce The Quakers their Principles and what Scriptures they produce By Jo. Axford of Lacockin in Wiltshire
The Government of the Thoughts A SERMON PREACH'D before the KING and QUEEN AT WHITE-HALL The 4th of March being the 2d Sunday in LENT 1693 4. PROV iv Ver. 23. Keep thy Heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of Life By the Most Reverend Father in GOD JOHN Lord Arch-bishop Of YORK Publish'd by Their MAJESTIES Especial Command LONDON Printed and Sold by Hen. Hills in Black-Fryars near the Water-side for the Benefit of the Poor PROV IV. Ver. 23. Keep thy Heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of Life THE Argument with which this Audience was entertained the last Lord's Day being the Government of the Tongue I cannot think it improper or unseasonable for me who have the Honour to come next to treat labour the Government of the Thoughts there being a near relation between these two and a necessary dependance of the one upon the other Our Words indeed are more easily governed than our Thoughts because they are more in our Power But it will be impossible either to govern our Words or our Actions as we should unless we first bring our Thought in some measure under Government I must confess this Argument of the Government of the Thoughts tho' it be a very useful yet it seems also a very nice and difficult one through the great variety of Cases arising from Mens different Tempers which will not come under the same Rules and yet ought to be provided for But however this shall not discourage me from undertaking this Argument it shall only make me more carefull as to what I say about it That is to have respect as much as I can to all sorts of Tempers and to deliver what I have to say with so much Plainness that every-body may go along with me The Words upon which I ground my Discourse are those of Solomon which I have read unto you and which contain one of those Precepts that he lays down for the Religious Conduct of our Lives Keep says he thy Heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of Life Not to trouble you with what others have said upon this Text I take the true Meaning of it to be this By the Heart here which we are exhorted to keep we are to understand the Inward Thoughts and Motions and Affections of our Souls or Spirits all which in the inspired Writings are constantly said to be seated in the Heart This undoubtedly is the Scripture Notion of the Heart And when we are here bid to keep our Hearts with all diligence I think there is no question to be made the Meaning is That we should diligently attend to the Thoughts and Motions and Affections of our Minds that we should watch them narrowly lest at any time we should give our Consent to something we ought not This is the Meaning of Keeping our Hearts with all diligence And then a Reason is added why it concerns us thus to keep them And that is this Because out of the Heart are the issues of Life What is the Meaning of that Phrase Plainly this The Issues the Fruits the Effects hat are shewn in our Lives and Conversation do certainly proceed from he Heart and therefore accordingly as that is well or ill guarded or kept so will our Lives and Conversations be The Goodness or Badness of our Lives doth altogether depend upon the Attending or not Attending to the Thoughts and Motions and Inclinations of our Minds As our Caution and Watchfulness in this Point is greater or less so will our Course of Life be better or worse And therefore it concerns us all that mean to live well to be infinitely careful in this Matter This is a plain Account of the Advice that is here given us So that you see if I mean to discourse pertinently to my Text my Argument must be what I said the Care and Management and Government of our Thoughts as they fall under a Religious Consideration In treating of this Argument there seem to me Two Things needful to be done First To give an Account what Power a Man hath over his own Thoughts Secondly To shew wherein the Art of Governing of them doth consist It is indeed this Second Thing which my Text naturally leads me to speak to But I cannot speak to that to any purpose till I have made way for it by clearing the First It is in vain to give Rules about the Government of our Thoughts till we know how far we have Power over them how far they fall or do not fall under our Conduct and Management And I must needs say that most of those I have met with that have discourse about the Government of Thoughts by not enquiring into and setling this Point have been so far from benefiting all their Hearers that desired to receive Benefit by their good Advices that to several of 'em they have done harm because as to them their Advices have been perfectly unpracticable Now those that by their own Experience found them to be so instead of considering that that Teacher might be in a mistake or that he did not sufficiently weigh and examine the Case of all Persons be gave his Advice to have peremptorily concluded that they themselves were in the fault and therefore they were in an evil Condition because they found themselves not able to live up to what was advised them The First Question then is How far a Man hath power over his own Thoughts There is not indeed any single Answer to be given to this Question that will fit all Men. For that is impossible It would be as unreasonable to demand it as it would be to require of a Workman to make a Garment that should fit all sorts and sizes of Men. Some Men by the very Principles of their Make and Constitution are much better able to govern their Thoughts than others Some that are naturally weaker have by long use and many tryals obtained a greater power over their Thoughts than others Again the same Persons that at some times have a greater power over the motions of their Minds may at other times have a less command over them and this according to their Health or their Business or a hundred Contingencies of outward things do affect them So that all that can be done as to this matter is to lay down some general Propositions which every-body is to apply to himself as there is Occasion And Five of this kind I have to offer and which I think will take in all or the greatest part of what belongs to this Argument The First Proposition I lay down is this That the first motions of our Minds are very little if at all in our power By the First motions of our Minds I mean those sudden Thoughts or Apprehensions or Passions or Desires which are excited in our Minds by any Object that is at that time presented to our Imagination As to these I say we are not so much Masters of our