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spirit_n abominable_a absolute_a act_n 18 3 6.5543 4 false
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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A57546 The rich fool set forth in an exposition on that parable : Luke 12, 16-22 ... / by Nehemiah Rogers ... Rogers, Nehemiah, 1593-1660. 1662 (1662) Wing R1824; ESTC R5063 109,384 135

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that which is more conspicuous and appa●a●t Now suppose that there were an open window into thy Heart so that every one that passeth by might see all thy Thoughts as transparantly as thy Actions in an open Market would it not cause thee to be as careful of them as thou are of thy outward behaviour and carriage Why all things are naked and open before him with whom we have to do Heb. 4.13 This should move you to look to your Thoughts and have a care of your inward dispositions Secondly Remember that as God knows the thoughts so he ponders them Prov. 21.2 The Lord ponders the heart saith Solomon He weighs them and discovers what substance is in them And for this end he doth it that he may give to every one the Fruit of them as Solomon shews Prov. 24 12. Doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it and shall not he render to every man according to his Works Thy Thoughts he puts into one ballance and the Recompence into the other and gives weight for weight For good Thoughts a good Recompence as David found who had it in his heart so build a House unto the Lord 1 King 8.18 And albeit God in his Wisdom saw it not fit for him so do it yet for his good Thought God promised and performed what he had promised to build David a House and establish his Kingdom for ever 2 Sam. 16. But if our thoughts be vain and wicked he will recompense us accordingly and answer us according to the stumbling-block that is set up in our hearts Ezek 14.3 4. So Esay 65.2 6 7. If thou beest his Child and yet harbourest vain and sinful Thoughts within thee he will correct thee for them if thou beest not his Child he will then judge thee and condemn thee for them Jer. 6.19 This should make us careful of our thoughts as well as of our words and actions Thirdly It would be remembred that God expects to have his Glory shine in our Thoughts as well as in our outward Conversation It is from him that we have our Souls and all the powers of it as well as our Bodies with the members thereof He hath planted them in us and he looks to taste of the Fruit of those Trees that he hath planted It is he that hath redeemed the Soul as well as the Body and looks to be glorified both in Soul and Body by us He hath a Soveraignty over the whole man his Law binds both Soul and Body and both must be yielded up to be governed by him Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all the heart with all the Soul and with all the Mind is the Law Luke 10.27 Now in giving way to any evil thought we turn God out of our hearts at that time the heart is not then for God but taken up for the service of the World Flesh or Devil we bring not forth Fruit to God but to his Enemies and the Enemies of our Salvation Christ was angry with that Figg-Tree that grew by the way side when he being hungry coming to it found nothing but Leaves upon it insomuch that he cursed it Never fruit grow on thee any more Matth 21.18 19. So coming to the garden of thy Soul and finding little or nothing growing upon the best Tree there thy Mind and Understanding but empty and loose imaginations at the best thou mayst be assured he will be so provoked by thee as that he will pass some sore and severe Sentence against thee Let this prevail with thee to look unto thy thoughts that they be not sinful Fourthly God esteems himself highly honoured by us when care is had that we dishonour him not in Thought when we so regard his all-seeing Eye as that we will not offend him in taking liberty so much as to offend him in thinking any thing that may displease him albeit man can take no notice thereof this is to sanctify God in our hearts 1 Pet. 3.15 And such as do thus God esteems as his Jewels and hath promised to preserve them safe as his special Treasure Mal. 3.16 17. And thus you have heard how in reference to God we ought to make conscience of our Thoughts and Cogitations Next in reference to our selves the like care should be taken For First By admitting of sinful Thoughts into our hearts we become defiled and polluted and are made as loathsome Lepers in the Eyes of God Matth. 15.18 19. Those things which come from the heart as evil Thoughts Murders Adulteries Fornications Thefts c. they defile the man Where our Saviour doth not speak only of actual Murther and Adultery but of the sinful disposition of the Soul these are they that defile the Spirit of man in God's sight who looks upon them with a more hateful Eye than any mortal Creature can look upon any thing loathsome with the eye of his Body The Thoughts of the Wicked are an domination unto the Lord saith Solomon Prov. 15.26 Not only abominable and loathsome but abomination it self in the Abstract Nor are all our actual sins committed by us in the Body simply considered in themselves and committed by the Body so hateful unto God as the pollution of the Spirit is Hear the Judgment of a very judicious and ●arned Divine in the Point Dr. Prest on the Attrib 2.7 I dare be bold to say saith he that though the Act contracts the Guilt because the Lust is then grown up to a height so that it is come to an absolute will and execution yet the act of Adultery and Murther is not so abominable in God's Eyes as the filthinesse of the Spirit Indeed when Thoughts break forth into Words and Actions and command the outward man it argues that Lust hath a more full dominion and soveraignty over a man than when it rests in the Thoughts and Heart and in breaking out it doth more dishonour God and doth more hurt unto Men 1 Cor. 15.33 in which regard it is worse to speak and do evil than to think evil But actual Sins being simply considered in themselves as was said before are not so odious nor abominable in the Eyes of Almighty God as is the filthiness and defilement of the Spirit for that God is a Spirit and it is the Spirit that he mainly looks upon In which respect our care should be to keep our Spirit clean from these defilements by wicked Thoughts if we would not be nasty loathsome and abominable Creatures in the Eyes and Nostrils of the Lord God Almighty who is of purer Eyes than to take any content in the Heart and Spirit of such as are so defiled Secondly In entertaining sinful Thoughts we make our hearts a Lodge and Harbor for Rebels and Traytors which conspire against the Crown and Dignity of the King of Heaven For What Sin is committed against the most High God Rom. 7.23 that is not first plotted in the heart as anon shall be shewed more largely It is