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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
work_n	day_n	great_a	sabbath_n	5,063	5	9.5741	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A72189	The vanity of thovghts discovered with their danger and cvre. By Tho: Goodvvin, B.D.	Goodwin, Thomas, 1600-1680.	1638 (1638)	STC 12044; ESTC S122604	28,635	144

heard all accidents and occurrences did still raise and occasion in him heavenly meditations as wee may see throughout the whole Gospels when he came by a well hee speakes of the Water of life Iohn 4 c. Many instances might bee given He in his thoughts translated the book of the creatures into the booke of grace and so did Adams heart in innocency his Philosophy might be truely termed Divinity because hee saw God in all all raised up his heart to thankfulness and praise So now in like manner our mindes so farre as they are sanctified will doe As the Philosophers-stone turnes all Metals into Gold As the Bee sucks honey out of every flower and a good stomack sucks out some sweet and wholsome nourishment out of what it takes unto it selfe so doth a holy heart so farre as sanctified convert and digest all into spiritual usefull thoughts this you may see Psalme 107. ult That Psalme gives many instances of Gods providence and wonderfull works which hee doth for the sonnes of men as deliverances by Sea where men see his wonders deliverance to Captives c. and still the foot of the Song is Oh that men would therefore praise the Lord for the wonderfull workes hee doth for the sonnes of men Now after al these instances hee concludes that though others passe over such occurrences with ordinarie slight thoughts yet sayes hee The righteous shall see it and rejoyce that is extract comfortable thoughts out of all which shall be matter of joy and who so is wise will observe those things that is makes holy observations out of all these and out of a principle of wisedome hee understands Gods goodness in all and so his heart is raised to thoughts of praise and thankfulnesse and obedience Now compare with this the 92. Psalme made for the Sabbath when in imitation of God who that day viewed his works wee are on our Lords day still to raise holy praisefull thoughts out of them to his glory which hee that penned that Psalme then did vers 1. and 2. and ver 5. How great are thy workes c A brutish man knowes not nor will a foole understand this that is hee being a beast and having no sanctified principle of wisedome in him lookes no further than a beast into all the works of God and occurrences of things lookes on all blessings as things provided for mans delight by God but hee extracts seldome holy spirituall and usefull thoughts out of all he wants the art of doing it If injuries be offered us by others what doe our thoughts distill out of those wrongs but thoughts of revenge we meditate how to requite it againe But see how naturally Davids mind distills other thoughts of Shemeis cursing 2 Sam. 16. 11. God hath bidden him and it may prove a good signe of Gods favor God may requite good for it When we see judgements befall others severe thoughts of censure our mindes are apt to raise against our brother as Iobs friends did But a godly man whose minde is much sanctified raiseth other thoughts out of it Prov. 21. 22. Wisely considers c. So when outward mercies befall us the next thoughts wee are apt to have is to project ease by our wealth thou hast goods for many yeares and when judgements befall us wee are apt to be fill'd with thoughts of complaint and feares and cares how to winde out againe But what were the first thoughts Iob had upon the newes of the losse of all God hath given and the Lord hath taken blessed be the Lord for all Such thoughts as these which all opportunities hint unto a good heart is apprehensive of and doth naturally raise for its owne use So farre Barren as our thoughts are so farre vaine Secondly the vanitie and sinfulnesse of the minde appeares in a loathnesse to entertaine holy thoughts to begin to set it selfe to thinke of God and the things belonging unto our peace even as loath they are to this as Schoole-boyes are to goe to their Books or to busie their mindes about their lessons their heads being full of play so loath are our mindes to enter into serious considerations into to sad solemne thoughts of God or death c. Men are as loath to thinke of death as theeves of the execution or to thinke of God as they are of their Judge So to goe over their owne actions in a review of them and read the blurd writing of their hearts and to commune with them at night in the end of the day as David did Psalm 119. 59. men are as loath to doe this as Schoole-boyes are to perse their lessons and the false Latins they have made Iob 21. Depart from us say they in Iob unto God from their thoughts they meant it for it follows we desire not the knowledge of thy wayes They would not thinke of him or know them by their good wills and therefore our mindes like a bad stomack are nauseated with the very scent of good things and soone casts them up againe Rom. 1. 28. They like not to retaine the knowledge of God let us goe and try to wind up our soules at any time to holy meditations to thinke of what we have heard or what wee have done or what is our duty to doe and wee shall finde our minds like the peggs of an Instrument slip betweene our fingers as we are a winding them up and to fall downe suddenly againe ere we are aware of it yea you shall finde that your mindes will labour to shun what may occasion such thoughts even as men goe out of the way when they see they must meet with one they are loath to speake withall yea men dare not be alone for feare such thoughts should returne upon them The best shall finde a gladnesse for an excuse by other occasions to knocke off their thoughts from what is good whereas in thinking of vaine earthly things we thinke the time passeth too fast clocks strike too soone houres passe away ere wee are aware of it Thirdly the vanity and sinfulnesse of the minde appeares in the godly that though they entertaine good thoughts yet the minde is not will not bee long intent on them Some things there are which wee are and can be intent upon and accordingly dwell long upon them and therefore in Iob 17. 11. The thoughts are called the possessions of the heart so 't is in the originall and noted in the margin such thoughts as are pleasing the heart dwells on them yea so intent are wee often that they hinder our sleepe as 't is said of wicked men They cannot sleepe for multitude of thoughts Eccles 5. 12. So to devise froward things Solomon sayes Prov. 16. 30. That a man shuts his eyes that is is exceeding attentive poreth upon his plots for so a man doth use to do to shut his eyes when hee would be intent and therefore it is so expressed But now let the minde be occupied and busied about good

but Play-books jearing Pasquils Romanses fained stayes which are the curious needle-worke of idle braines so as they load their heads with Apes and Peacocks feathers in stead of pearles and pretious stones so as a man may say as Solomon Prov. 15. 14. The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge but the mouth of fooles feeds on foolishnesse Foolish discourses please their eares and eyes to reade all these being but purveiors as it were for food for the thoughts like Camelions men live on ayre and winde To leave them how doe others out of meere curiosity to know and please their thoughts listen after all the news that flies up and downe the world scum all the froth that floats in foolish mens mouths and please themselves onely with talking thinking and hearing of it I doe not condemne all herein some their ends are good and they can make use of it and doe as Nehemiah did who inquired how things went at Ierusalem to rejoyce with Gods people and mourne with them and pray for them and to know how to fashion their prayers accordingly But I condemne that curious itch that is in men when it is done but meerly to please their fancies which is much delighted with new things though they concerne us not such the Athenians were Acts 17. 21. How doe some men long all the weeke till they heare events and issues and make it a great part of the happinesse of their lives to study the state more than their own hearts and affaires of their callings who take actions of State as their text to study the meaning of and to preach on where-ever they come I speake of those that yet lay not to heart the miseries of the Church of Christ nor helpe them with their prayers if at any time they happen The like curiosity is seene in many in desiring to know the secrets of other men which yet would doe them no good to know and who doe study mens actions and ends not to reforme or doe good to them but to know them and think and muse thereof when alone with pleasure this is curiosity and properly a vanity of the thinking power which it mainely pleaseth and is indeed a great sin when much of mens most pleasing thoughts are spent on things concerne them not For the things we ought to know and which doe concerne us are enough to take up all our thoughts alone neither shall wee have any to spare and thoughts are pretious things the immediate fruits and buds of an immortall nature and God hath given us power to coyne them to lay them out in things concerne our owne good and of our neighbours and his owne glory and thus not to spend them is the greatest waste in the world examine what Corne you put in to grind for God ought to have toll of all Prover 24. 8. Hee that deviseth evill shall be called a mischievous person not alwayes hee that doth a mischievous action but that deviseth it and verse 9. he aggravates it à minori for every thought is sinne then a combination and conspiracy of wicked thoughts is much more But 4. there is a worse vanity than this and that is that intimated Rom. 13. ult Taking thought to fulfill the lusts of the flesh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To make projects for it For thoughts are the Caterers for our lusts and lay in all their provision they are they that looke out where the best markets are the best opportunities for sinning in any kind the best bargaines for credit for preferment for riches c. For example would a man rise his thoughts study the art of it men frame their owne ladder to climbe withall invent wayes how to doe it though often it proves as to Haman their owne Gallows Would they bee rich what doe they study even all cheats and tricks on the Cards as I may so speake that is all the cunning tricks of the world all the wayes of oppressing defrauding and going beyond their brethren so to pack things in all their dealings that they themselves shall bee the winners and those that deale with them the losers Isay 32. 7. It is said that the Instruments of the churlish are evill and hee deviseth wicked devices to destroy the poore would a man undermine his opposite as one that stands in his light and who hinder his credit he 'll digge and fall a pioning with his thoughts his engins in the night digge a pit as the Scripture phrase is and dig deepe to hide his counsell to blow him up in the end and so as hee shall not know who hurt him and this is worse than all the former this studied artificiall villanie The more devising there is in sinne the worse therefore the fact about Vriah not so much that of Bathsheba is objected against David because hee used art in it hee tooke thought for it but in the matter of Bathsheba thoughts tooke him Fiftly the fifth is the representing or acting over sinnes in our thoughts and imaginations personating those pleasures by imagination which at present wee enjoy not really faining and imagining our selves to act those sinfull practises wee have not opportunity outwardly to performe speculative wickednesse Divines doe call it which to be in the power of imagination to doe is evident to you by your dreames when fancy playes its part most and to allude to what the Prophet sayes makes us beleeve wee eate when wee are an hungry to drinke when our soules are thirsty Isay 29. 8. But I meane not to speake of the power and corruption of it as in our dreames it were well if as the Apostle speakes of Drunkennesse that this speculative wickednesse were onely in the night But corrupt and distempered affections doe cast men into such dreames in the day and when they are awake there are then to borrow the Apostles expression filthy dreames Jude 8. that defile the flesh even when awake when their lusts wanting worke their fancie erects to them a stage and they set their imaginations and thoughts a worke to entertaine their filthy and impure desires with shewes and playes of their owne making and so reason and the intention of their mindes sit as spectatours all the while to view with pleasure till their thoughts inwardly act over their owne uncleane desires ambitious projects or what ever else they have a minde unto So vaine and empty is the heart of man become so impatient are our desires and lusts of interruption in their pleasures so sinfull and corrupt First vaine and empty it appeares to bee in this for take all the pleasures of sinne when they are never so fully solidly really and substantially enjoyed they are but shadows a meere outside and figure as the Apostle cals the world It is opinion of imagination that casts that varnish of goodnesse on them which is not truly in them So Felix and Bernices pompe is te●●…ed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but now this speculative enjoying of them