be even weary so Satan makes sport with a vain mind as much as he desireth of these vain thoughts we have a world when at home when a broad in the shop in the Church in the closet hearing reading praying praising these come about us humming like Bees buzzing like flies such a carrion is the heart that is never without these flies and vermin such were the Gentiles thoughts They became Ro. 1. 21. vain in their imagination and their foolish heart was darkned such the worldlings Psal 4. who seekes after vanity such the wisemans 1 Cor. 3. 20. The Lord knowes the thoughts of the wise that they are vain such the best mans every man in his best state is altogether vanity Psal 94. The Lord knoweth the thoughts of every man that they are vain Cor meum Cor pravum vanum vagum omni volubilitate volubilius de uno in aliud vano incessu transit quaerens requiem ubi non est smile folio quod a vento movetur circumfertur Bernard bewayling his own vain thoughts cryed out My heart is an evil vain and vagabond heart nothing is so moveable unconstant and uncertain now it goes to one thing now to another now this way anon that seeking rest where none is to be had and is like the leafe shaken and driven up and down with the wind And in another place he bewayles the common condition of all the Godly themselves in this respect There Otiosae Onerosae cogitationes in anima justi quibus resistere vult non potest sed velit nolet irruit in oculos ment is muscarum Egypti pestilentia perstrepunt ranae in penetraliâ—us cordis â—jus Mat. 12. 36. Col. 4. 6. Ro. 1. 21. are idle and troublesome thoughts in the just mans soule which he would resist but cannot but will be nill he this Egyptian plague of flies is dashing into his eyes and these Egyptian frogs are croaking in the bed-chambers of his heart Ob. But what are those you call vain thoughts Ans 1. They are vain thoughts which are foolish dark idle unsavoury no spirit grace holinesse in them nothing of heaven God Christ in them as those are vain idle wordes which are without salt wisdome gravity Such were the heathens thoughts of God they became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkened 2. They are vain thoughts which are empty addle rotten when you have examined them and pursued them home there is no Pith or solidity in them They have sowen the wind and reap the whirlwind It Hos 8. 7. hath no stalk the bud yeeldeth no meale or as Ephraim who feedeth on the wind and followeth Hos 12. 〈◊〉 after the East wind As that is cald vain glory which is but a bubble fancy Phil. 2. 3. Vain Religion which is seeming flashy empty so the Hebrew Greek and Latine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 heb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 G◠〈◊〉 Lat. word which signifie vain signifies also empty 3. That is cal'd vain which will deceive expectation and cannot profit nor help in time of need Turn not aside from the 1 Sam. 12. 21. Lord for then ye turn after vain things that cannot profit nor deliver for they are vain 4. Those are cal'd vain thoughts that Jud. 9. 4. and 11. 3. 2 Chr. 13. 7. Pro. 12. 11. and 28. 19. are leud light wandering as those are often in scripture cal'd vain men who walk without calling dwelling employment fit for any idle company or enterprize 5. That serve to no good end but leave the spirit in a worse frame then they found it as the vain Jangling which the Apostle speakes of 1 Tim. 1. 6. Vain bablings 1 Tim. 6. 20. and 2 Tim. 2. 16. vain bablings shun which increase to more ungodlinesse So Tit. 3. 9. unprofitable and vain are joyned Now what cause have we all to be humbled for our vain thoughts and sadly to cry out vanity of vanities vanity of vanities all is Vanitas vanissima Junius vanity such are our employments such our enjoyments and such above all are our thoughts Vanity in the abstract and vanities plurall and both reiterated vanity vanities vanity vanities q. d. lighter then vanity extream vanity beyond all imagination CHAP. XXVIII The first use of confutation of that common error that thoughts are free IN the first place to come to the Application see the vanity and falshood of that common assertion That thought is free To men and humane judicatories they are to God they are not 1. God passeth his judgment on the thoughts 1 Cor. 4. 5. 2. The word of God is a judge of the thoughts Heb. 4. 12. 3. The Ministers work is to encounter and demolish the evil thought 2 Cor. 10. 4. 4. Conscience's busiest work is to overlook the thought Ro. 2. 15. Lastly The true converts humiliation begins at his thoughts 1 Cor. 14. 25. Is Thought nothing Did God condemne the old world for nothing Is Magus sentenced to be in the Gall of bitternesse for nothing Was it sin in the Gentiles to be vain in their imaginations and is it no sin in thee They were impious Atheists who said our tongues are our own who is Lord over us And is it lesse impiety to say our hearts are our owne who shall hinder us from paying it with thinking This is the shop and warehouse of all evil the devils strong hold the imagery chambers wherein the foulest abominations are pourtrayed into these the Lord lookes most narrowly We are as those tradesmen for the most of us who furnish their shops and lay out their best wares as Pedlars when the inner roomes and upper Garrets have little in them as the Goldsmith whose shop is full of plate Jewels Rings when he hath little within doores for his own use Their inward part is very wickednesse Psal 5. The Lords eye is upon the heart and thoughts Jer. 6. 19. The evil of thoughts how little soever they be thought are the greatest evils Satans sins are onely spirituall wickednesses not carnall or bodily pollutions nihil fecit nihil operatus est Satanas solummodo cogitavit saith Bernard The devil wrought not evil onely thought evil Look how much Principalities and powers are above flesh and blood so much do spirituall wickednesses exceed any carnall These make us more like beasts but those like Satan And if we shall divide all the sins of the world into three parts Thought word deed more are the sins of the thoughts for number and worse for nature then both the other and all the sins in the world besides Instance in the worst of sins we shall find them here 1. Is ignorance a great sin The Lord shall come in flaming fire to render vengeance to them who know not God This is as bad as drunkennesse whordom c. yet is this onely in the thoughts and in the heart 2. Is Error any sin It is counted little in these daies yet
passion then to say winâ— water passion is in a man he is overcome of wine drowned in the water full of passion as the like phrases To be in darknesse to be in the flesh signifie to be wholly so full of darknesse nothing but flesh c. 4. Baptisme hearing joyning and continuing in the best and purest Church Exstasies Raptures admirations greatest Expressions of affections nay faith yea the Holy Ghost too in many common giâ—ts and the greatest Liberality and contribution of the largest summe of mony put into the best handes nay the greedieâ—t desire and tâ—irst of the most eminent gifts and to be a Communicator of them profit nothing but are all in vain where wicked thoughts lodge and are harboured All those soremmed were in this soul Hypocite Magus yet was he in the gall of birternesse he was baptized beleeved and seemed to be so far affected and transported above the common sort that he was in an Extasie or Rapture so the word signifies He had also the Holy Ghost as it may seem for divers had who could say Lord have not we propl esied in thy name and in thy name cast out Devils and done many mighty workes yet will Christ professe to them I never kâ—ew â—ou Besides it is said when Mat. 7. 22. Heb. 6. 4. Peter and John came they bid their hands on them that they might receive the Holy Ghost and this Magus was one of that number And again Simon offered mony not that he might receive the Holy Ghost for that he had already but that he might have like power to give or confer the Holy Ghost Therefore look well to your selves you Professors and look well to your heâ—rts and to your thoughts 5. Nothing but deep Solemne and Particular Repentance Repent of this thy wickednesse and hard praying and beginning all anew will help where these evil thoughts have taken root in the heart All the prayers of the Church without thine own Pray ye unto the Lord for me said he all thy own prayers without Repentance all General reâ—entance without a particular bitter bewayling of this evil in the heart will leave thee but in a doubtfull and desperate state 6. Nay it is well if any prayer and all the repentance in the world will be accepted in such a case He gives no absolute promise nor yet so much as a conditionall But a bâ—re perhaps if perhaps thy sin may be forgiven thee q. d. I will not say what true Repentance â—ccompanyed with eâ—rnest prayers may do for they do much with God and have saved many a poor soul But in this case I say Look well to thy Repentance and how thou prayest that it be not common and slight prayer and overly Repentance for if thy after-Repentance be no better then thy former faith and thy future prayers no better then thy present profession all is desperate The man and his mony his faith and repentance his prayers and profession will all perish together 7. The malignity of evil thoughts is as witchcraft Rebellion is as bad as witchcraft 1 Sam. 15. 23. these worse it seemes These make the case of a professor worse then sorcery witchcraft or any other sin in time of our Ignorance Simon the Sorcerer may be pardoned and received into the Church when he beleeves Simon the Professor is cast out for his evil thoughts and left in a hopelesse condition without repentance Here I say again look to it Professors look more narrowly to your hearts and thoughts after conversion then on all your evil wayes before 8. From what he Replies Pray ye for me c. where evil thoughts are entertained they deaden prayer There is no prayer used where these are harboured nor can such in their greatest distresse when they are put upon it and pressed earnestly to it and when their life and salvation lies upon it know how to go about to pray But like an Image or stock he stands and all he saith for himself is Pray ye for me q. d. I can't pray if my life lay on it what ever comes on it if other good peoples prayers will not help me I am a damned person I have never been used to this duty of prayer that you so presse me to And here ye Prophane ones and Professors both look to it 1. Ye Prophane Job 15. 4. ones who cast off fear and restrain prayer before God you who will not use to pray in peace and do not ordinarily cannot pray in distresse nor when you should Extraordinarily But this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 would-be this great one stands like a great block and saith Pray ye for me But it is our own meat which nourisheth our own faith that saveth our own prayers that are heard The child shall not dy for his fathers transgression nor shall he live for his fathers obedience and holinesse The child haply may be nourished by what the mother eates but nature inableth the little Infant to draw that nourishment from the mother and make it his owne But the child is not saved by the parents faith unlesse it joyn and make the parents faith and holinesse his own 2. Look to it ye Professors that ye begin not at the wrong end with common and General faith and baptisme resting there and neglect repentance and solemne prayer least ye find your own faith false faith and outward priviledges to deceive you and others prayers unable to help you 9. Lastly Consider how vain and foolish these evil thoughts received and harboured make and leave the heart to dream of separating sin and punishment as inseparable as night and darknesse as winter and cold he is only troubled at the punishment not at all sensible of his sin Pray ye for me saith he that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me But in vain it is to presume we may Eat the forbidden fruit and not dy and to pray that though we hold on in sin God should hold off the punishment Thus shall we leave Magus as we found him bound in the bond of iniquity and leave those reasons which we have from him and from the Text and call in some other from other Scriptures CHAP. III. Sundry other Reasons of the Point from other Scriptures Reas 1. THE evil thought is the Original sin or the original of sin They are Originale peccatum or at least Originale peccati They are the little sparkes of Hell by which the whole world is set on fire The spawn of which all sin is bred The seed of the Serpent The Egge of the Cockatrice or Crocodile Strange it is that so great a monster as the Crocodile whose body is sometimes Thirty foot long and his taile as long as his whole body whose Throat so wide that he can swallow an heifer whole should yet be bred of an Egge no Heylia bigger then a Turkies But more horrid it is that the worst monster sin is bred of a lesse egge an
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
remembrance of them will not easily out of the mind of the sad beholders Who can read or mention Spira's and such like cases without horror A sad case I confesse and not easily admitting remedy Yet let me say This case of despair is not altogether without hope if at any time they repent they may be recovered out of the snares and power of the Devil though taken captives by him at his will if he fly to Christ he is able to save to the utmost Beleeve it there is not so much malignity in all the sin of the world or malice in Satan as there is mercy in God and merit in Jesus Christ unlesse we shall say finite is more then Infinite and the creature stronger then the Creator Adde not therefore finall impenitency to all former Impiety and obdurate unbeliefe to former disobedience and desparation to thy long presumption and thou maiest yet be safe For first It is said Hâ—b 7. 25. Christ is able to save to the utmost all that come to God by him therefore there is no doubting of his power Save to the utmost not to such or such a degree no further but further and further than ever thou hast sinned Many men have often sinned to their utmost doing evill with both hands as they could But Christ never yet shewed mercy or saved to his utmost but he is able to out-doe all that we have done or can aske yea to out-doe all that himself hath done pardoning yet greater sins to penitents then ever yet were pardoned if greater could be committed Then secondly consider Ezek. 18. 23. and 33. 11. further that thou mightest not make question of his will he hath said I desire not the death of a sinner Him that cometh to Joh. 6. 37. me I will in no wise cast out There is you see power and will both engaged to save thee So that it is not his will-not but thy will not hinders thy salvation Why will ye dye saith he I would ye would not nor is it Gods Ezek. 18. 31. Mat. 23. 37. shall not but thy care not excludes thee heaven Thirdly if thou shalt say I have committed the sin against the Holy Ghost therefore there is no mercy for me I answer what ever that sin be it is not that sin shall be unpardoned if thou dost repent for the greatnesse of that sin doth not exceed the vertue of Christs bloud no nor the sin of Devils neither I would not feare to say Christs bloud was a sufficient price to ransome them if God had so intended but it was never his intention so to do because he took not the nature of Angels but the seed of the woman I say therefore hadst thou Heb. 2. 16. sinned that sin against the Holy Ghost yet mercy might be had upon repentance But it is therefore concluded to be unpardonable because they that go into that return not again they are never renewed by repentance as the Apostle speakes But dost Peccatum in Spiritum Sanctum non potest accidere sitientibus justitiam Christi Dickson Ther. sacr l. 2. c. 4. thou mourn grieve complain weep lament and say thou hast sinned that sin against the Holy Ghost that cannot be Fourthly But if thou shalt yet persist in thy willfull rejecting the mercy and putting away the Kingdome of God from thee with that foule cavill and blackest objection in all the Bible Oh but I am a reprobate and Ezek. 33. 10. if our transgressions and sins be upon us and we pine away in them how can we then live say they And Job once If I be wicked why labour I in Job 9. 29. vaine q. d. I may as well sit still all endeavors are in vain I answer 1. God hath no where declared of this that or any man that he is a reprobate no man can say it of himself no Reprobationis indicium nullum certum dedit Deus praeter peccatum in Spiritum S. quod non potest accidere sitientibus justitiam Christi finalem impenitentiam quae compleri non potest nisi in ipsa morte Idem ibid. Ezek. 33. 11. man may say it of another nor doth Satan or any Angel know who is a reprobate Election may at length come to be known and thence assurance but reprobation never So long as there is life there is hope for though he that is in state of grace to day shall be to morrow yet you cannot say he that is in state of wrath to day shall be to morrow Who can tell how long and how far one may go in a way of sin ere he come to be past grace never to return 2. Doth not the Lord say As I live I desire not the death of a sinner Turn and live repent sin shall not be your ruine It is not Gods eternal decree of reprobation therefore doth make thee uncapable of salvation but they own willfull sin and persisting in it cast away thy sin thou shall never be a castaway Thy sin is the bar not Gods Ezek. 18. 31. 1 Sam. 15. 23. decree None are rejected by God but such as with Saul have first rejected the word of the Lord. In a word it is thy election and love of sin that thou hast more cause to feare then Gods reprobation and hatred of thee 3. I say consider of it doth not the Lord Act. 17. 30. 2 Pet. 3. 9. 1 Jo 5. 10. call all men every where to repent And say he is not willing any should perish but all come to repent and wiâ—t thou exclude thy selfe and make God a liar setting his secret decree against his revealed will He hath commanded the Gospel to be preached to every creature Mar. 16. 15. 16. and said he that beleeveth shall be saved he that beleeveth not shall be damned And therefore as I would not fear to say to an elect as to Solomon if thou forsake the 1 Chron. 28. 9. Gen. 4. 7. Lord he will cast thee off for ever so to a Cain if thou do well or repent of evil shalt thou not be accepted As the most righteous hath no cause to hope notwithstanding his election if he repent of his repentance and turn from his righteousnesse so the Ezâ—k 18. 24. and 27. compared unbeliever and unrighteous notwithstanding any decree of reprobation feared hath no cause to despair if he break off his sin 4. I say the pit hath not yet shut her mouth upon thee nor is the gulph fixed There is a possibility of salvation to any yet living while there is life there is hope out of the Hell of despair there is redemption though out of the despair of Hell there is no redemption Hell is not so easily born as thou conceivest how glad would they be in Hell if there were now so much as any possibility Despise not the last offer of grace If thou canst beleeve all things are Mar. 9. 23. possible to him that
the Sea ready to perish he feared and cryed out Lord save me then when on firm ground he feared not and therefore prayed not Be strong in the Lord Eph. 6. 10. and in the power of his might saith the Apostle when thou art to engage in the spirituall warfare and put on the Armor of God but take heed of presuming on thy own strength but put it off as David did Sauls Armor that thou mayst not be saved by bow 1 Sam. 17. and by sword and by battle as it is Hos 1. 7. but by the Lord and as in Zach. 4. 6. not by might nor by power but by the spirit of the Lord. When I am weak said the Apostle 2 Cor. 12. 10. then am I strong and we find by sad experience when we are strongest then are we weakest Much safer therefore it is to 2 Cor. 12. 9. boast of our infirmities that the grace and strength of Christ may rest upon us then to make our boast in our own strength to be sold for our presumption into the hands of our enemies Be not high-minded Ro. 11. 20. 1 Cor. 10. 12. therefore but feare and when thou thinkest thou standest take heed least thou fall Blessed is he that feareth alwayes Pro. 28. 14. and hideth himselfe the foole rageth and is confident How many had been safe Pro. 14. 16. how many had been saved if they had not presumed CHAP. XVI Of Murmuring Thoughts NExt follow a Regiment of Murmuring and discontented thoughts both neere a kinne and much alike onely these are more unconstant tumultuous and quarrelsome and as undisciplined Souldiers are ready to mutine upon all occasions you may hear them muttering and complaining as they go along They are bred onely in an ungratefull and ungracious heart and argue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 derivant quidam a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 grunio quod more suum gruniant Aret. in Jud. 11. 16. Leigh Crit. a proud haughty froward and dog-like or swine-like disposition They run to and fro and like the snarling dog saith the Psalmist they grudge if they be not satisfied The quiet and contented spirit never wants a feast And the murmuring discontented spirit never wants woe when he wants he seeks and makes it creating it to it self and such have Pashurs doom to me Magor-Missabibs Jer. 20. a Trouble and Terror to themselves They are never long pleased in any condition If they want then they grumble if they want not but see another have what they have not they murmure as much Rachel hath more of beauty and more share in her husbands affection than her sister yet if she have not children too at her desire she breaks out into murmuring with open mouth crying give me children or I die Humble Hannah in like case prayes but quarrels not mournes but murmures not grieves but grudges not layes open her desire to God and resignes up her self to God and lost nothing by the hand But others are neither well full nor fasting somewhat discontentieth still The mixt multitude were weary of their lives in Egypt and weary of the way to Canaan out of Egypt Over-joyed with Manna at the first and greedy of it never had such fare in their lives after a while cloyed with it they say their Onyons smelled better And carnall Israel how did they provoke God by their continuall murmurings Their bricks were doubled in Egypt there they murmured Pharaoh pursued them then they murmur they meet with bitter water they murmur again at another time no water more murmuring they murmur for bread murmur for flesh murmur for the way murmur at Canaan it self murmur at Moses murmur at Aaron they must be stoned murmur at Caleb and murmur at Joshua they must be stoned too yea murmured against God himself nothing but murmuring oh vile perverse disposition A godly man ever checks these distempered thoughts and keps them down and when he findes his heart begin to whimper and wrangle as a froward child he seeks to hush and quiet it My soul keep thou silence unto God Why art thou disquieted within me O my soul said David reasoning with himself I was dumb and opened not my mouth said he at another time because thou didst it Of Patience comes ease we say and of submission comes contentation It is the Lord said Eli let him do what he will Correct me he may injure me he cannot Good is the Word of the Lord said Hezekiah when a sad message was sent him concerning his posterity It shall not be in my dayes that is a mercy It is captivity that is threatned not destruction that is a mercy again if destruction yet not damnation that is a greater mercy still It is not hell and what ever is short of that is short of desert and rich Mercy Why should the living man complaine It is meer mercy that we are not consumed said the Church Lam. 3. 22. CHAP. XVII Of Carefull Thoughts CAreful thoughts These are necessary to be spoken to as being a great part of our thoughts ordinarily and therefore the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 taking care is oft rendered by our Translators taking thought Mat. 6. 25 26 27. and 10. 19. Take no Thought Careful thoughts are forbidden Phil. 4. 6. Be carefull for nothing 1 Pet. 5. 7. Cast all your care upon God As if he should say all man is all care but all your care must be cast upon God Yet there is an evil carelesness such as that in Laish Sodom and the Sidonians Judg. 18. 7. In the idle dames of Israel Esa 32. 9. 10 11. He that is thus an ill Common-wealths-man or ill husband or ill house-wife cant be a good Christian 2. A good Carelesness 1 Cor. 7. 32. I would have you be without carfulnesse Mat. 10. 19. Dan. 3. 16. We are not carefull to answer thee 2. There is a holy commendable carefulnesse 1. For the things of the Lord 1 Cor. 7. 34. 2. For thy own soul thou must be full of cares 2 Cor. 7. 11. 3. For the Church so the godly Pastor is really Curatus hath a carefull heart above any other man and his work is rightly called Cura animarum care of souls Such a carefull Minister was Timothy Phil. 2. 20. Paul and Moses were worn out with their daily weighty cares 2 Cor. 11. 28. 4. For the Ministers of the Church Phil. 4. 10. Their Cura Pastoralis should be answered with your Cura Pastorum their Cura animarum with your Cura Corporum Their care and diligence in sowing to you spirituall things should be answered with your care and forwardnesse to minister to them carnall things 2. There is another Indifferent and tollerable 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 haud dubie sunt mediae significationis Leigh Carefulnesse 1 Cor. 7. 34. The married careth for the things of the World 3. There is a sinfull carefullnesse and such for the most part
looked at him I will not say as in our Proverb the devil looked over Lincolne but as the devil looked over Paradise while man remained innocent seeking his ruine Take heed of this foul sin Charity envieth not saith the Apostle But 1 Cor. 13. the corrupt spirit that is in all the sons of men doth naturally lust unto this sin of Envy And yet is there a worse Eye of envy than this which lookes a squint not onely where men bestow their favours unequally as they think but when God shall bestow his unequally as they suppose on those who have not deserved so well done or suffered so much as themselves There were that murmured against the good man of the house at his distributions to whom the Lord said May I not do what I will with mine own Is Mat. 10. 15. thine eye evill because I am good And yet a worse whereof a spice seemed to be in Josuah when we emulate the gifts and graces of God bestowed on others as if our selves were eclipsed by their luster To whom a Moses would say Let them increase let me decrease Oh that all the Num. 11. 15. Lords people did prophesie and that the Lord would pour out of his spirit upon all Moses had a self-denying heart and a bountifull eye Whatsoever was good in Gods eye was good in his too 2. There is an evil Eye of disdain There is a generation saith the wise man Oh how lofty are their eyes and their eye-lids are lifted up Prov. 30. 13. Thus Haman looked Est 3. 5 6. Superciliously on Mordecai as if he could have eaten him when he thought scorn to foul his hands with him Thus scornfull Michal in her heart disdained her husband 1 Chro. 15. 19. when he danced before the Arke as if she a Kings daughter had been disparaged by her husbands ardent zeal and piety A base and wicked disposition this is and God ever owes such a shame He resisteth the proud and will bring down the proud looks as well as the proud hearts Thus the Scripture often describeth Psal 18. 27. the wicked by their gestures Winking with the eye Prov. 10. 10. Psal 35. 19. Putting out the fingers Esay 58. 9. as shewing a disdainfull spirit Yet is there also a good Eye of holy disdain and contempt in Godly men Psal 15. 4. In whose eyes it is said a vile and wicked person is contemned Noble Mordecai looked upon Haman as vile and contemptible in midst of all his high Titles and great offices of advancement And holy Elisha looked upon a wicked King as so worthlesse a person that in his holy contempt he said he would not have vouchsafed to make him an answer or lend him a look were it not for 2 King 3. 14. the presence of Jehoshaphat whom he more honoured for his Grace than for his Diadem 3. The evil Eye of suspicion whereas Charity thinketh no evil but interprets all in the best sense and will rather chuse to make the best of evil than the worst of bad or bad of good Devise not evil against thy neighbour saith the Lord when he dwells securely Prov. 3. 29 30. by thee and intends thee no harm But suspicion and jealousie looks upon every good act and office done with an evil eye David sends to Hanun to condole the death of his Father and to congratulate his peaceable 2 Sam. 10. 3. succession in the Throne This is interpreted to be a perfidious act to fore-run an invasion by sending his messengers as spies to observe the nature manners and preparations of his Countrey This suspion is a botch breaking out in a base and foul heart infected with fraud falshood or other filthy guilt and is the bane of secure confidence and is to be banished out of Christian breasts as the great enemy to humane society and true friendship 4. The Censorious Eye is another evil eye It is Totus oculus ad extra totus tenebrae ad intra all eye without all darknesse within He hath a Beam in his own eye yet seeth never the worse but the better to espy the least mote in his brothers eye Whereas the sincere person is totus oculus ad intra The least mote troubles him makes him weep wipe wash But his neighbours mote or beam troubles him not 5. The Covetous and Greedy Eye is another evil Eye As there is a Bountifull Eye that shall be blessed Prov. 22. 9. He giveth his bread to the poor when he sees their want his eye pitties them So he that hasteth to be rich saith the same Solomon hath an Prov. 28. 22. evil eye a covetous and cruel eye and considereth not that poverty shall come on him His eye is never satisfied with seeing his own wealth and anothers woe he thinks much to see another live by him he hath devoured Naboths vineyard already in his eye Deut. 15. 9. and is sick with discontent if he cant get him part with it Their desires are enlarged as hell saith the Prophet and they seek to add Hab. 2. 15. house to house and field to field till there be no more place that they may be placed Esa 5. 8. alone in the midst of the earth 6 The Eye of adultery is another evil eye wherewith ever the beholders heart is defiled and often the chastity of another is endangered The harlots eye-lids are very dangerous Proverbs 6. 25. 7. The malicious and revengefull Eye is a devilish evil Eye such was Cains who cast many a sower and menacing look at his brother Abel when he gave him never a word Which malice and mischief in his thoughts and looks the Lord reproved when Gen. 4. he said Cain why art thou wroth with thy brother and why is thy countenance cast down This is Eye-murder or heart-murder as the former Unchast Eye is called heart-adultery or Eyes full of adultery 2 Pet. 2. 14. 8. The Unnaturall and Ungracious Eye of children to their parents or those in nearest relations is worst of all sometimes the eye of the Husband is evil to the Wife and the Wife to her Husband yea the tender mother to her tender babe but that is not ordinary but in time of extreamest famine and Deut. 28. 54 55 56 57. calamity and is then the sorest judgement and the height of all misery But it is too ordinary to see the child look with an evil eye upon his aged and indigent parents and this is the height of impiety and the most prodigious of sins and inhumanity The eye that mocketh his father and despiseth to obey his Prov. 30. 17. mother the ravens of the valley shall pick it out and the young eagels shall eat it He ordinarily dies a shamefull death and lies unburied then do the Crowes and Eagles prey upon his carcasse as carrion and begin with the eyes as they usually do He that curseth his father or mother he saith againe in another
place his lamp shall be put out in obscure darknesse Prov. 20. 20. Many such sad examples we have recorded in all ages of these sons of Cham and brothers of Absalom whereof the one in mirth and sport beheld his Fathers nakednesse and prophanely insulted over his infirmity him the Father laid his curse upon by imprecation and God upon his posterity by execution The other ungraciously beheld his Fathers honour and long life with discontent he thought the old man would never die he seeks to asperse his Government and make him uncapable of the Crown that himself being the eldest Son might have the Crown before his Fathers death Him indeed the Father pittied and desired he might be spared but vengeance suffered him not to escape The Crowes were near picking out his eyes when he was by divine Vengeance hanged between heaven and earth unworthy to go to the one or to tread upon the other Think of this you undutifull and ungracious Children if to honour Parents be the first command then to dishonour and disobey them is the first of sins If to be without naturall affection be such a heathenish sin what is it to have naturall affection Rom. 131. turned into unnaturall disaffection and disobedience To be thornes in the sides and pricks in the eyes of their dearest Parents and to prove such a curse as Elies sons those who died were a great grief dying in their sins and cut off by divine Vengeance but those who lived were a greater eye-sore and heart-break That man of thine whom I shall not cut off saith the Lord shall be to consume thine eyes and to grieve thine heart Which 1 Sam. 2. 33. hath made unhappy Parents cry out I have nourished and brought up Children and they have proved Vipers rising up against me How happy the womb that never bare and the paps which never gave suck and to wish with Augustus because of the lewdnesse of his Daughters would God I had either lived unmarried or died without Children There be many other kinds of evil Thoughts against our Brother whereof we shall instance in some not speaking much to them but pointing briefly at them Only we shall lay down this Rule that he who commandeth us to love God commandeth us to love 1 John 4. 21. our brother also And he who commandeth that we should have none but high holy honourable and reverend thoughts of him and that we should think soberly concerning our selves commandeth that we should have none but fair just favourable and charitable thoughts of our Neighbour Zach. 7. 9 10. Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts Execute true judgement and shew mercy and compassion every man to his brother and oppresse not the widow the fatherlesse the stranger nor the poor and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart CHAP. XXIII Many other Evil Thoughts against our Neighbour 1. CEnsorious Thoughts and rash judging Censorious Thoughts of our Brother of his heart and state severely forbidden and threatned in the Scriptures as a sacrilegious inthroning our selves in Gods Tribunall a sin never so common as now This Minister is Antichristian that is a Time-server this man a hypocrite that man a formalist but all are judges and all are judged and all are condemned What shall become of us in that day when that shall be verified With what judgement Mat. 7. 12. ye judge ye shall be judged condemne and be condemned Why dost thou judge thy brother Rom. 14. 10. and why set at naught thy Brother What hast thou to do to judge another mans servant To Rom. 14. 4. his own Master he must stand or fall saith the Apostle If our Saviour said Man who made Luke 12. 14. me a judge do not thou make thy self a judge unlesse of thy self here thou hast a 1 Co. 11. 31. Patent there none Grudge not one against another saith Saint James lest you be condemned Jam. 5. 9. behold the judge standeth before the door and wilt thou keep him out and prevent him from doing his own work But we are not to wonder as one saith if the world be full of unjust judgements when there are seven dangerous Judges alwais abroad in their Circuit who have given themselves Commissions and will not be perswaded to lay them down 1. Judge Weak an unfit person to make a Judge yet is he the best of the seven for he hath no ill meaning He that yet knowes not the latitude of Gospel-Liberty if he see another do but what he lawfully may he cries out of licenciousnesse The weak is apt to Judge as the strong to despise Rom. 14. 3. Thus Simon when he saw so wicked a woman come so near to Christ and he permit it began to change his former good opinion he had of Christ that if he were so good a man Luke 7. 39. and so great a Prophet as the world took him for he would not suâ—â—er such a woman to touch him 2. Judge Hastings or Inconsideratenesse is a rash Judge This made Eli so rashly censure mourning Hannah for a drunken gossip 1 Sam. 1. 14. when blessed Saint she she more teares then she had drunk wine And what were they who said of Paul without all doubt this man is a murderer Acts 28. 3. Judge Hearsay is another Incompetent Judge He takes things upon report never weighing circumstances considering the quality of the Informers or once giving them their oath Jesus Christ though he was the fittest person to judge did not judge according to the hearing of the ear Esa 11. 3. The Lord himself came down into Sodom to make a more full discovery of the truth of that report which was carried up to heaven Gen. 18. 21. But now a daies a base report against the best man from the worst hands is evidence enough to proceed to condemnation 4. Judge Prejudice or Erroneousnesse I cannot call him Justice is a fierce and cruell Judge ready to condemn those of differing mindes be they never so pious and peaceable such a one was Paul once towards the Apostles and other Saints and such he met with afterwards He had Judged them and now they Judged him the great disturber of the Churches peace and corrupter of Religion 5. Hypocrisy is another mercilesse Judge he with his Beam in his own Eye condemns his brothers Mote Clodius occusat Maechos 6. Prophanesse is a furious Judge and he that drinketh up iniquity like water upon his Ale-â—ench condemns him that will not so much as taste They speak evil because you run not into the same excesse of riot 1 Pet. 4. These are Inexcusable who judge others yet do the same themselves Rom. 2. 1. Who is the Troubler of Israel but Elias and who must prove him so but Ahab The prophanest wretch in a Parish will Judge his Minister and all the godly in the country They are all naught Hypocrites all as bad in a corner as
furnish thee with some good thought to divert thee from what is thy proper businesse as we say of evil evil is not onely opposite to all good but to some evil vice to vice as well as vice to vertue so we may say of some good thoughts they are not opposite to evil onely but sometimes to good as to read or pray when we should be hearing or to think of what we have heard when we should be praying An old stratagem of Satan to draw us into an Ambush when we should be safe if we kept our ground The devil seekes to set good men together by the eares Saul and Barnabas and to get Agabus to divert Paul When Act. 15. 39. Act. 21. 11. Lu. 9. 59. Christ called one to preach the Gospel he would be excused by his care of his aged father Charity must hinder piety so when Martha should have been hearing she was Lu. 10. 40. cumbred hospitality must justle out pieâ—y good at another time and very commendable So when that ointment was spent upon Christ Judas puts in his vye for the poor Had not this ointment better have been sold and given to the poor Very plausible but what saith our Saviour Let her alone â—â— 12. 5. â— she hath done well The poor you have alwayes with you and at another time you may and must remember them but this is fittest for this time 6. Do not thy good thoughts trouble thee As Nebuchadnezzar was troubled with his thoughts Dan. 4. 5. Many a wicâ—ed man may say as he Psal 77. 3. I remembred God and was troubled not for his absence but presence wicked men seek to cast out these conceptions as the Hindes bow themselves to cast out their sorrowes Job 39. 13. they think they shall be melancholly if they think a little longer of them The Godly man is not more troubled with his bad thoughts then he is with his good When as to the Godly the good thought is his joy and delight How precious are thy thoughts to Psal 139. 17. Psal 104. 34. me O God my meditation of God O how sweet is it 7. Or thy thoughts are Confused an heâ—p of them disorderly jumbled together nothing is set in order As Christ once Lu. 2. 44. so the good thought is often lost in the Croud It is the great weaknesse of man that he cannot set in order Gods thoughts or the thoughts of God before him It is Gods Psal 40. 5. perfection his thoughts are all ordred I know the thoughts I think towards you saith the Lord Jer. 29. 11. we know not our own thoughts though every fool saith I know what I think God can set our disorderly thoughts before us and single them out one by one So should we Psal 50. 22. single out some good thoughts at one time another at another and pursue them The Huntsman can have no game till he single his Deer he meanes to hunt out of the whole herd nor can we make any work of it in meditation till we pick out some good thought to fix and fasten upon 8. Thy good thoughts lodge not abide not with thee but are like a night vision make no impression they come to nothing whereas the Godly ly down with such thoughts and rise with them When I awake I am still with thee Psal 139. That is right thinking when we inâ—end the mind ad ruborem calorem Psal 39. 3. My heart waxed hot within me and while I was musing the fire kindled I felt my thoughts warm my heart as it was said of Holy Bradford when he was praying he never went off from a petition till he felt his heart affected with it But if thy thoughts are good indeed thou shalt know it by these notes 1. Where heart and thoughts are good the words will be so too as the treasure is within such the communication Say not Mat. 12. 35. Lasciva est nobis pagina vita proba I talk at randum merrily Idly but my heart is good I think no harm Say as well the Tree is good though the fruit evil and the fountain sweet though water bitter Thy speech bewrayeth thee The good heart and good discourse ever go together Psal 40. 9 10. and 37. 30 31. Mal. 3. 16. They that had gracious thoughts of Gods name by themselves were full of gracious discourses when they came together 2. Where are holy thoughts there are other graces Mal. 3. 16. They feared God and thought upon his name 3. Good thoughts are ever accompanied with holy serious and frequent meditations Gen. 24. 63. Psal 1. 2. 19. 14. 104. 34. 119. 15. 23. 48. 78. 97. 148. and 143. 5. 1 Tim. 4. 15. Whosoever is a stranger to holy meditations cannot have at least long keep good thoughts much study one saith makes the scholler and much meditation makes the Christian 4. Serious thoughts beget practicall and unmoved determinations 1 Cor. 2. 2. Their good thoughts are the law of God written in their hearts 5. There is a concurrence between thoughts and conscience Ro. 2. 15. Thought gives conscience a jogge who sets at the the sterne and awakens it and conscience thereby steeres better and keepes off from rocks and shelves 6. As there is a concurrence between the good thought and the good conscience so there is a concordance between the good thought and the good conversation Job 31. 1. I shall not wantonly think of a maid therefore I made a covenant with my eyes and with my outward man that there might be no temptation to any ill behaviour said holy Job Psal 119. 59. I thought on my ways and turned my feet to thy testimonies 7. Good thoughts are always backed with peremptory and fixed purposes and resolutions Dan. 1. 8. Act. 11. 23. Psal 17. 3. 2 Tim. 3 10. Ruth 1. 16 17 18. Deut. 18. 6. 8. Frequent prayers Such as those let the words of my mouth and the Meditations motions imaginations of my heart be always acceptable in thy sight O Lord my strength and my redeemer Psal 19. 14. Create in me a clean heart O God and renew a right spirit within me Psal 51. 10. O Lord keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people and prepare their heart or stablish the heart unto thee 1 Chr. 29. 18. The like 1 King 8. 57 58. 9. There will be much joy and delight in them as they much desire to let such guests in so they joy in their company O God now Psal 108. 1. my heart is fixed I will therefore sing and give praise O Lord who am I said David another 1 Chron. 29. 14. 18. time that we should have a heart so free and willing O Lord keep it in the imagination of the thoughts of our hearts and prepare our hearts towards thee Oh that this holy fire come from heaven might ever be kept burning never go Le. 6. 13. out
places of the forrest Is there no way to exalt Gods Mercy but by destroying his justice purity truth and holinesse And is there no other Faith with thee but what destroies fear obedience repentance and conscientiousnesse How unlike are these to David and the Saints who say Psal 130. 4. there is mercy with thee therefore thou shalt be feared Ames faith well qui salutem sine resipiscentia pietate sperant sperando presumunt praesumendo pereunt They who once perswade themselves they shall be saved yet mind not repentance and godlinesse such perswasion is presumption such presumption is perdition 3. Many have presumed themselves into Hell by a vain dream of long life and a fond presumption of late repentance when we can neither boast of to morrow or were we assured of longer life have we any promise of late repentance Qui promittit penitenti veniam non promittit peccanti penitentiam God hath made a promise of pardon to the penitent but none of repentance to the presumptuous offender Many have had space given to Rev. 2. 21. repent that have not the grace given as is Gen. 6. 3. Rev. 22. 11. Mat. 21. 19. said of Jezabell God will not have his Spirit always strive with sinfull man but will at length say he that is filthy let him be filthy still never let fruit grow on thee henceforward seeing I would have purged thee and Ezek. 24. 13. thou wast not purged thou shall not be purged till I cause my fury to rest upon thee Secondly It is not likely thou shouldest repent at last after so long a course in sin Jer. 13. 23. Can the Ethiopian change his skin and the Leopard his spots then may ye learn to do well Novella planta facilius eradicatur quam cum profundius radices egerit Ames that have been accustomed to do evil Is it a likely matter thou shouldest pull up an Oake of twenty years growth and deep rooted in the earth which thou canst not pull up after it hath stood but one year but mightest easily the same day it was set Is repentance likely to be any thing easier to a dying man when all his sins come flocking in together when paines torment when strength and understanding faile when friends distract c Is it likely a dying man should be able to do more and bear a heavier burden then a man in his strength Is it likely a man should find that in the dark and stumble upon it which they could never find in the light How irrationall are thoughts of late repentance But that many are willing to deceive themselves and presume to find a short and easie way to life Thirdly If thou shouldest then repent it is a great question whether such repentance would be accepted for though true repentance is never too late yet this late repentance is seldome true God may justly shut the door upon thee and say I know thee not Depart thou rejecter of my grace thou worker of iniquity Go to the Gods that you have chosen Jud. 10. 14. or as in Deut. 32. 37 38. Where are the Gods and the rock in whom they trusted Which did eat the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink offerings let them arise and save thee in the time of thy trouble or let them that have had the best take all the rest too I am not willing to judge any mans estate that is gone before with his late repentance But I remember what once Saint Austin Excellently said on such an occasion he was asked what he would say of a man that lived wickedly and died penitently and had confessed his sins and was absolved why saith he what shall I say shall I say he is damned No I will not for I may not judge him What then shall I say he is saved no I will not for I may not deceive thee but shall I say nothing Yes saith he this is all I say to thee repent thou truly and timely and thou art safe And if thou wilt repent when thou canst not sin thy sins have left thee and not thou thy sins Lastly I would reason with those that intend a late repentance and aske them what they think of repentance Is it good or is it evil If it be good why do they not get it now If evil why will they seek it at any time But if thou thin est it good and yet deferrest the practise of it so oft as thou thinkest it good thou condemnest thy self and so oft as thou thinkest it evil and yet intendest to practise it at last so oft thou condemnest repentance and the grace of God 4. And there is another presumptuous thought and as destructive as any the former which is of such who think to fly to the death of Christ and the grace of the Gospel yet still live in their sins They say we cannot outsin the death of Christ nor can our sins come up to the measure of the grace of God but if sin abound never so much grace will yet more abound But do you thus requite the Lord ye foolish people and unwise Shall we say Let us continue in sin that grace may abound Ro. 6. 1. Ro. 3. 31. Doth faith now make void the law God forbid saith the Apostle to both these inferences Sure that man is past grace or hopes of it that passeth so little by it that if grace reigne it must not reigne by righteousnesse but by unrighteousnesse unto eternall life through Jesus Christ our Lord. The grace of God that bringeth salvation was wont to teach men to deny uugodlinesse and worldly lusts and doth it now teach to deny Tit. 2. 11. 12. Godlinesse and heavenly lusts of the soul as I may say the spirit lusteth against the flesh Gal. 5. 17. and to live any otherwise then soberly righteously and Godly in this present world 5. I shall mention but one more presumptuous thought which is the presuming upon our own strength of grace and many have been overthrown by this In te stas non stas said Austin thou wouldest stand of thy self and therefore canst not stand In me stas qui nonstas saith Christ In me thou shalt be sure to stand who canst not stand Peter is a sad warning to us who over-confident of his own strength was soon frighted into a base ly and cursed oath and execration at the first look and word of a confident girle But Pendleton is a sadder who in the beginning of Queen Maryes daies told self-distrusting Sanders how stoutly he would stick to the truth to the last drop of blood and that every drop of his fat body should be fryed out at Smithfeild ere he would consent to the introducing of Popery Sanders had not so many words but more feares yet weak and self-fearing Sanders became the Martyr and Pendleton the Apostate How much was Peter safer Mat. 14. 30. when in the midst of
of desires is above all the rest The holiest Saint and highest Angel even when they do love adore and magnifie God do cover their faces because they fall short of his perfections such is their imperfection not their sin the imperfection of their nature not of their state Gods infinite perfections being not to be reached with any measure of finite graces Onely desires come in to help out all these rise up higher and strive to reach Gods highest praises and to give him the full of his perfections so that where tongues and prophecy and faith and love it self cease or fall short desires carry all before them 8. Lastly These desires as they are the first and highest of graces so they are the last and lowest and the standing dish of grace and shews the minimum quid sic of a Christian when nothing else is to be found While life remaines desires continue when desire ceaseth nature is spent the man is dead or dying Eccies 12. 5. All that the poor soul hath to say for it self somtimes is this Psal 38. 9. Lord thou knowest all my desire my groaning is not hid from thee Rom. 7. 18. To will is present my desire ceaseth not yet to thy name and to the remembrance of thee Esa 26. 8. I will look still after thee and toward thy holy Temple though I am cast out of sight and all thy waves and billowes have gone over me Jonah 2. 4. I cry out as my dying expiring Saviour I thirst I stretch out my hands unto thee my soul thirsteth for thee as the thirsty land hear me speedily O Lord my spirit faileth hide not thy face least I be like to them that Psal 143. 6. go down into the pit I pant Psal 42. 1. I long Psal 63. 1. I faint Psal 84. 2. All is well The fire is not out while there is a spark grace is not dead while there is one desire left Ly down again Samuel the lamp of God is not yet gone out The Lord may call 1 Sam. 3. 3. â— thee yet and come to thee again and again what is there in hungering and thirsting poverty of spirit and mourning more then a few desires yet all those are called blessed yea and they shall be blessed Will you hear what other eminent and exâ—erienced Divines have said in this case to the comfort of poor souls and those that are lowest and least in the Kingdom of God Mr. Perkins saith The desire to believe in the In his grain of mustard seed want of faith is faith Though as yet there want firm and lively grace yet art thou not altogether void of grace if thou canst desire it thy desire is the seed conception or bud of what thou wantest Now is the spring time of the inguafted word or immortall seed cast into the furrows of thy heart Wait but a while using the meanes and thou shalt see that leaves blossoms and fruits will shortly follow Austin saith Let thy desires be before God and he which seeth in In Psal 36. secret shall reward thee openly Thy desire is thy prayer and if thy desire be continuall thy prayer is continuall In another place The In Expos Epist. Joh. tract 4. whole life of a Christian is an holy will and desire Luther saith The more we feel our unworthynesse and the lesse we find the promises belong to us the more we must desire them being assured this desire doth greatly please God who desireth and willeth that his grace should be earnestly desired Beza saith If thou find not thy heart touched inwardly pray that it may be Resp ad act Col. Monpil touched for then mayst thou know that this desire is a pledge of the fathers good will towards thee Chemnitius saith When I have a good desire though it scarcely sheweth it self in some little and slender sigh I must be assured the spirit of God is present and worketh his good work Ur sin said Faith in the most holy is not perfect Lo. Com. neverthelesse whosoever feels in his heart an earnest desire to believe and a striving against his doubts both may and must assure himself that he is indued with true faith Holy Bradford to Mr. Jo. Carelesse Thy sins are undoubtedly pardoned c. for God hath given thee a penitent and believing heart that is an heart which desireth to repent and believe for such a one is taken of him he accepting the will for the deed for a penitent and believing heart indeed Famous Knox Albeit sometimes thy pain be so horrible that you find no release or comfort neither in spirit nor body yet if thy heart can onely sob unto God despair not you shall obtain your hearts desire Many more such like expressions we might produce out of our later Writers but these may suffâ—ce 2. For the other thing to know when desires are good I shall lay down four Rules to know it by Rule 1. Desires are then good when the Object of them is good The Object of good desires is manifold 1. The first and principall Object of our Te nontua non te propter tua sed te propter te tua post te propter te best desires is God himself not his but himself Esa 26. 9. With my soul have I desired thee To desire the things of God every one doth his blessings the worldling his salvation the prophanest his gifts graces favour the hypocrite himself for himself above all riches grace life heaven it self is onely the desire of the truly Godly Oh how like an Angel did he sing that said Whom have I in heaven but thee and what do I desire in earth in comparison of thee Few of us that sing that Psalm Psal 73. 25. with our understanding can say I sing thus in my spirit and understanding also 2. Next to God blessed for ever Jesus Christ the delight of God is to be the desire of our eyes He is called the desire of the nations Hag. 2. 7. The Church can say I am my beloveds and my desire is towards him as well as my beloved is mine and his desire is towards me Cant. 7. 10. 3. Covenant relation to God through Christ This next to God and Christ to be desired Thus dying David said He hath made with me an everlasting Covenant ordered in all things and sure for this is all my salvation and all my desire 2 Sam. 23. 5. 4. Spirituall gifts 1 Cor. 14. 1. and saving grace much more which flow from the Covenant Neh. 1. 11. for though all gifts Gratis data non gratum faciunt are of grace freely given yet they are noâ— alwayes given with grace to sanctify 5. The Ordinances are to be desired Psal 26. 8. 84. 1 2. The Word Acts 13. 7. 1 Pet. 2. 2. The Sacrament Luk. 22. 15. Thus did Christ himself What manner of Christians then are they that have no delight in the Word and that say of the Table
of the Lord it is contemptible Jer. 6. 10. Mal. 1. 7. 6. Much more Communion with God in Ordinances else they are but dry empty and unsavoury meat Ps 27. 3 4. 84. 1 2 3. What is the Sun-dyal good for if the sun shine not on it And what are Ordinances worth if Christ shine not on them They are the star to lead to Christ but it is Christ not the star which is to be worshipped 7. Communion and spirituall converse with the people of God next to Communion with God 1 Thes 2. 17. 8. Emploiment in gods service is much to be desired if our selves or any of our children be capable of it as Hannah for her son Samuel So Deut. 18. 6. If the Levite came from any of the Villages to the Sanctuary with the whole desire of his soul to officiate in a more comfortable and serviceable manner he was to be encouraged So the Apostle saith If any desire the office the employment not the honour and dignity of a Bishop or faithfull Pastor he desireth a good work 1 Tim. 3. 1. 9. Successe and fruit in our imployment for the good of others souls Phil. 4. 17. The Minister should desire that his people may be the great gainers and he the great layer out and spender spending and being spent as the Apostle saith that they may have much 2 Cor. 12. 15. more of spirituals from him then he hath of carnals from them 10. Eternal salvation at the last in the full and immediate fruition of Christ Phil. 1. 23. Having a desire to be dissolved and to be with Câ—râ—st which is far better 11. The salvation of others those especially committed to us that we may save our selves and them that hear us That salvation by our means may come to our house to a 1 Tim. 4. 16. Town Nation Country Rom. 10. 1. Col. 1. 9. We desire that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdome and spirituall understanding And vers 28. 29. We warn and teach every man that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus whereunto I also labour striving according to his working which worketh in me mightily If we make such prayers have such desires use such endeavours and strive so mightily for the salvation of others we may say we have good desires Thus we see the first rule opened Desires are good when the object is good when we desire God first then Jesus Christ then Covenant relation then gifts and graces then ordinances and communion with God in ordinances then communion with the people of God Employment above all employments in Gods service to be neer to him successe and fruit in such employments after all our own salvation and next to our own the salvation of otâ—â—â— men then are our desires good Rule 2. Good desires are then good when they flow from a right root or spring And this is sixfold 1. When they arise from sense of want Appetitus est ratione â—aâ—ent â—â— Thus Adams desire of clothes was not good for he wanted them not when created pure but he desired them as he pretended to cover his nakednesse so are all the desires after good things in wicked men onely to cover their nakednesse and save them from Gods wrath not for the worth of the things themselveâ— The godly man sees a pure want and need of God of Christ of the Covenant of grace and gifts and Ordinances and communion with God and the Saints therefore desires them as the naturall man desires meat drink rest and sleep out of sense of the want of them 2. When they arise from the apprehension Ratione bonitatis omnia appâ—tunt bonum of the good that is in the things desired what so good as those forenamed objects In them consists the souls present good and happinesse and his summum bonum to all Eternity 3. When we see a suitable goodnesse in Ratione convâ—ntâ—ntiae them to our nature and condition as the ox desireth grasse the infant milk so the godly man knowes these are most suitable to the rationall and intellectuall creatures especially to the new creature 4. When we expect satisfaction and felicity Ratione satisfactionis in them Thus the desire granted is a tree of life Prov. 13. 12. therefore doth the godly desire those forenamed and faith Lord what wait I for truly my expectation is from thee of satisfaction Psal 39. 7. and 62. 1. 63. 3. and 73. 25. Ratione electionis 5. When out of choice not necessity thus the hungry person desireth meat not gold so the godly grace not riches as preferring them in his choice because best 6. This desire is out of Election and this Ratione dilectioâ—is election and desire is out of love Oh how do I love the Lord do I love Christ do I love thy Law thy Word thy graces faith the believing soul therefore do I desire them By these six Notes all the good desires of wicked men are found bad They see no such want of God and Christ and Grace they see no such excellency in them see no such suitablenesse between them and themselves expect no such satisfaction in them much lesse do they out of choice and love desire them but out of necessity and constraint God and grace and heaven are little beholding to them But as the sick man takes physick or the maimed man cuts off an arm rather then dy or as the Merchant in the storm casts his goods overboard he had as lieve dy almost but it is because there is no other way no remedy but perish else â—ule 3. Good desires are then good when they have the right shape and stamp of their due properties and effects 1. The first property of good desires is when they are sincere all the other properties which follow are nothing without this Sincerity is the native and primitive goodnesse of every good Faith is not Faith if not sincere not is love repentance or obedience good if not sincere Therefore the Scripture cals good desires the desires of the soul Esa 26. 8 9. The whole desire 2 Chron. 15. 15. all the desire of his mind Deut. 18. 6. hearts desire Rom. 10. 1. To set out their sincerity 2. Though sincerity be the first and best property yet not the sole but the more of those that follow the better still whereof the next is that good desires be constant and frequent With my soul have I desired thee in the night with my spirit will I seek thee early Esa 26. 8 9. When they are day and night early and late ever and anon then are they good So Psal 27. 4. One thing have I desired and I will yet seek after it c. I have desired I do and will do it This is right not the wandring desire Eccl. 6. 9. but the fixed renewed and constant desire as of the young child to the brest 1 Pet. 2. 2.