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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09465	A treatise of mans imaginations Shewing his naturall euill thoughts: His want of good thoughts: The way to reforme them. Framed and preached by M. Wil. Perkins.	Perkins, William, 1558-1602.; Piersonn, Thomas.	1607 (1607)	STC 19751; ESTC S100455	58,962	240

hath not true repentance in his heart Thirdly we must seeke to reforme our minde of euill thoughts this is a further matter then reformation of life And it is expressely commanded by the holy ghost Be ye renued in the spirit of your minds that is in the most inward and secret part of your soules euen where the thoughts and imaginations are framed and cōceiued This duty must be remembred for Christian religion consisteth not in outward shewes and behauiour though thereby we may giue comfortable testimony of Gods inward graces but it standes principally in the mind and in the heart which must therefore be reformed with the powers and faculties thereof CHAP. VIII Rules for the reformation of our euill thoughts Sect. 1. Our thoughts must be brought into obedience to God FOr the reformation of our thoughts sundrie rules must be obserued first That we bring all our thoughts into the obedience of God Euery man will grant that words and actions must be in subiection but I say further euery thought in the mind must be conceiued in obedience to God and no otherwaies Salomon saith establish thy thoughts by counsell which may admit this meaning that a man must not conceiue a thought in his minde vnlesse he haue counsell and warrant from the word of God so to thinke And S. Paul saith The weapons of our warrefare speaking of the preaching of the gospell are not carnall but mightie through God to throw downe holds casting downe the Imaginations and every thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivitie euery thought to the obedience of Christ giuing vs to vnderstand that those who submit themselues to the ministrie of the word must be of this mind not onely to be conformable therevnto in word and action but in every thought of their minde euen those must bowe the knee to Christ howsoeuer with men we say thought is free yet with God it is not so And indeed he which hath effectually receiued the grace of Christ will endeauour to yeild obedience as well in thought as in word and action Whatsoeuer things are true saith Paul Whatsoeuer things are honest whatsoeuer things are iust pure and pertaine to loue whatsoeuer things are of good report if there be any vertue if there be any praise he saith not onely doe these things but thinke on these things where the commandement is plaine that a mans thoughts must be holy pure iust and of such things as are praiseworthy and of good report that so they may be conceiued in obedience to God Sect. 2. Of the guarding of our hearts The second rule for the reformation of our thoughts is giuen by Salomon keepe or countergard thy heart aboue all watch and ward that is guard and keepe thy heart more thē any thing that is watched or guarded whether citie house treasure or such like and the reason adioyned sheweth the necessities of the rule for out of it come the issues of life In the right guarding of the heart three duties must be performed first we must couenant with our outward senses resoluing fully with our selues by Gods grace that none of them shal be the instruments the beginning or occasion of any sinne in heart or life This couenant Iob made with his eies not to looke vpon a maid to lust after her And David prayed the Lord to direct and keepe his eies from beholding vanitie Now looke how these holy men dealt with their eyes so must wee proportionably deale for all the outward senses of our body bynding them all after their example from being the meanes of prouocation to any sinne This dutie is most necessarie for the outward senses be the doores windowes of the soule and vnlesse good care be had thereto the deuill will enter in by them and fill the soule with all corruption Secondly we must obserue our euill thoughts and at their first arysing stop and restraine them not suffering them to take any place in our hearts this is a speciall meanes to preserue and guard the heart for frō the thoughts proceede all bad desires corrupt affections euill words actions the minde must first conceiue before the will can desire or the affections bee delighted or the members of the bodie practise any thing so that whatsoeuer is of a loose life and bad behauiour it commeth from the prophanesse of his heart in evill thoughts neither can it bee hoped that any man should reforme his life that will not guard his heart and keepe his mind from wicked imaginations the deuill cannot worke his will vpon mans affections or preuaile ouer mans will but by thoughts therefore it is necessarie that the first motions of euill in the minde bee restrayned at the beginning Thirdly wee must with all care cherish and maintaine every good motion of Gods spirit that is caused in vs by the ministerie of the word or by the aduise of Gods children for these are the sparkes and flames of grace which Paul meaneth when he saith quench not the spirit Sect. 3. Of the eleuation of the heart to God Thirdly for the reformation of our thoughts wee must often vse eleuation of minde and heart to heauen where Christ sitteth at the right hand of his father Thus did Dauid vnto thee oh Lord doe I lift vp my soule And Paule saying of himselfe other Christians that they had their conversation in heauen signifieth thus much that not onely their studies and meditations but also their dealings in the worlde were heauenly S. Iames bids vs drawe neere to God nowe which way should a poore wretch here below drawe neere to God but by lifting vp his heart to the throne of grace in heauen that so God in mercie may drawe neere vnto him by grace The Lord hath instituted in his Church the vse of his last supper wherein the giuing and receiuing of bread and wine doth represent and seale vp vnto vs our communion and participation of the bodie and blood of Christ giuen for our redemption Now the principall action on our behalfe therein required is this Eleuation of the heart vnto God as well for the contemplation of Gods infinite mercie in Christ of Christs endlesse loue to vs as for the application of his merits to our owne soules by the hand of faith as also for the spirituall resignation of ourselues in soules and bodies by way of thankfulnes to him that hath redeemed vs. Further touching this Eleuation wee must remember that it ought to be our continuall and ordinarie action vnto God for as it is with him that keepes a clocke vnlesse hee doe euery day winde vp the weights which are alwaies going downeward the clocke will stand so it fareth with vs our hearts are euer drawing towards the earth and the thinges heere below by reason of that bodie of sinne which hangeth on so fast and presseth downe and

heere when the minister of God out of Gods worde saith to any man beleeue thou and repent thou and Gods mercie belongs vnto thee it is as much as if the Lord should call him by name particularly and say vnto him beleeue thou and repent and my mercie belongs vnto thee yea it is all one as if God himselfe should say I am thy father and thou art my childe if thou wilt repent and beleeue The second meanes which is also very effectuall to cut off this thought of distrust is Baptisme If an earthly prince giue a pardon to any man put the mans name in the pardon and his owne broade seale vnto it the man will neuer doubt of his pardon but beleeue it Beholde in Baptisme God entreth couenant with miserable wretched man and heerein makes promise of life vnto him yea hee puts the mans name in the couenant sealing the same with his owne seale therefore the party baptized must beleeue against this thought The thirde meanes is the Lords supper rightly administred and receiued for therin the breade and wine giuen to the hand of euery communicant by the minister are particular pledges and tokens vnto them of speciall mercie in Christ. These are the meanes which wee must vse with all good conscience in the daies of peace that when troubles come this thought of distrust may not preuaile against vs. And thus much of mans naturall euill thoughts against God Many other might bee added herevnto but these beeing the principall I omit the rest CHAP. IV. Of mans naturall thoughts against his neighbour NOw wee come to the euill thoughtes of mans naturall heart against his neighbour And to find them out wee must haue recourse to the second Table of the morall lawe which was penned with respect to the corrupt estate of man forbidding that which mans corrupt heart thinketh naturally against his neighbour for euery commandement thereof is spirituall forbidding not onely the wicked actions euill wordes and gestures but all corrupt affections yea all euill Imaginations of man against man These thoughts of man against his neighbour be of two sorts either without consent or with consent Thoughts without consent are the very first euill motions of the minde which a man conceiueth against his neighbour to which the will neuer giueth consent and these are forbidden in the 10. commandement Thou shalt not lust Thoughts with consent of will are such as a man conceiuing in his minde doth withall desire or purpose in his heart to practise and these are forbidden in the fift sixt seauenth eight and ninth commandements by reason whereof they may fittely be reduced to fiue heads They are either thoughts of dishonour against the fift commandement or thoughts of murther against the sixt or thoughts of aduletrie against the seuenth or thoughts of theft against the eight or thoughts of disgrace against the ninth commandement Sect. 1. Of thoughts of dishonour First a thought of dishonour is any thought that tendeth to the contempt and abasing of the person of our neighbour in respect of our selues And it is then conceiued in our mindes when we thinke thus of all other men beside our selues such and such a man is farre inferiour vnto me a base and contemptible fellow in regard of me Example hereof we haue in the Pharisie a man strict in profession and zealous in his religion who commeth to the Temple to pray with the Publican now marke what he saith Oh God I thanke thee that I am not as other men are or as this Publican Which wordes proceede from such a proud thought as this Lord I thanke thee all other men are farre inferiour vnto me I doe farre surpasse the common sort this Publican is a base fellowe and no body to me If any shall imagine that this thought is not in euery mnn but in some few proud persons I answer it is by nature in euery person liuing without grace and therefore S. Paul giueth this commandement That euery man in meekenesse should esteeme others better then himselfe giuing vs to vnderstand that by nature all men thinke best of themselues and esteeme others farre worse then themselues The Vse If this thought of dishonour be in all mens hearts then behold what a pallace of all Satanicall and damnable pride the heart of man is naturally it is like vnto the table of Adoni-bezek at which he sate in a chaire of estate and made others euen kings to eate meate like dogs vnder his feete with their thumbs cutte off such an one is euery man by nature hee lifteth vp himselfe saying I am the man and treadeth his brother vnder his feete as no body vnto him And this is the cause of much strife and hurt in all humane societies this causeth many iarres much skorning and great contempt among men in word and deede Now that we may reforme this thought in vs wee must learne to say as Iob did after he had beene afflicted and came to see his sinnes behold I am vile and with Abraham I am but dust and ashes and with Dauid I am a worme and no man Psalm 22. 6. yea with Paul we must labour to see our miserie by reason of sinne and that will helpe to pull downe the pride of our hearts Sect. 2. Of murthering thoughts The second euill thought of man against his neighbour with consent is a thought of Murther or of any thing that tendeth thereto Of this wee haue particular examples in Scripture Deut. 15. 9. The Lord forbiddeth the Iewes to haue this murthering thought in their hearts I will not releeue the poore I will not doe good vnto them giuing vs to vnderstand that this was the common thought of the Iewes or els he would not haue forbidden it yea the Lord doth there set out this thought by two signes first an euill eye when a man turnes his countenance from the poore or looketh on them without compassion secondly vnmercifull dealing when a man will not helpe the poore by gift according to his abilitie And because all actions proceede from thoughts the heart beeing the fountaine of our deedes hence it appeareth that this murthering thought against the poore is rife in this age for where is the man that doth pitie the poore and doth good to them according to his abilitie nay the Lords complaint against the Iewes may be fitly applied to our times in regard of crueltie and oppression The spoile of the poore is in your houses what haue ye to doe that ye beate my people to peeces and grinde the faces of the poore Isa. 3. 14. 15. The second example of a murthering thought is cōcerning Gods Church and it is this I will doe some spite or hurt to them that worship God For proofe hereof read Psal. 74. 8. Dauid bringeth in the Babilonians Edomites c. saying thus one to another against gods people the Iewes Let vs destroy them all together Psal. 83. 4 Let vs cut