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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
work_n	holy_a	lord_n	sabbath_n	5,103	5	9.4103	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A25421	The right government of thoughts, or, A discovery of all vain, unprofitable, idle, and wicked thoughts with directions for the getting, keeping, and governing of good thoughts, digested into chapters for the ease of the reader : whereunto are added four sermons / by ... John Angel ...	Angel, John, d. 1655.; T. B.	1659 (1659)	Wing A3162A; ESTC R13149	89,280	271

judicious may take cognizance of it which is that righteous men must not think only how they may profit themselves he that thinks in his thoughts to please himself only will not truly endeavour in his course to profit all men in this case 't is good advice Phil. 2. 4. look not every one of his own things but every one on the things of others so the Apostle more purposely 1 Cor. 10. 33. I please all men in all things not seeking mine own profit but the profit of many that they may be saved Again let others be admonished that they do not think their endeavours and studies to be unprofitable unlesse they be singular and above others of their own rank Surely if we would labour to know with sobriety we should be more profitable to others and lesse troublesome unto our selves an affectation of singularity is but the pride of a mans heart and such usually to get applause for something of rare invention neglect the more profitable employment of their thoughts about their calling And now we will proceed and prescribe a remedy to the fourth vanity of thoughts which appears in their confusion and disorder The remedy must be to suit and order our thoughts according to our businesse with respect to time and place and persons the imagination is infinitely fruitful and to order all her conceptions conservations compositions seperations creations of new species productions of them into thoughts and propositions of them to the mind and will would be a labour too busie for me to meddle with in this case I must leave the work to every judicious Christian to consult with the rule of Gods word according to the emergencies of his thoughts yet I humbly conceive that this remedy prescribed against the confusion of thoughts may be of much use and benefit Consider then what is the businesse thou art about humane or divine and let thy thoughts be composed to attend upon it divine thoughts suit with divine works and humane thoughts with humane businesse while all things are done to the glory of God to this purpose referre that of Salomon Eccles 9. 10. whatsoever thy hand findeth to do do it with thy might Consider the time whether holy by divine appointment by publick or private destination or permitted to common labours of thy calling Let not Sabbaths and dayes of humiliation be prophaned with common thoughts holy thoughts are for holy Sabboths thoughts of mourning are for dayes of fasting and prayer thoughts of rejoycing in the Lord for dayes of feasting and thanksgiving and thoughts of thy calling for dayes of work and trading So for holy places and assemblies holy thoughts are suitable and in all things which thou hast to do consider thy own calling and chiefly mind thine own businesse 2 Thes 3. 11. a busie body in other mens matters is of no good report in the Scriptures the thoughts of such persons are as confused and disorderly as the businesse of their lives attend what thou dost and what is meet for thee to do in time and place and I am perswaded thy thoughts will be lesse confused and more orderly CHAP. IX THus I have spoken of Remedies for the two first errours of thoughts to wit the dowsinesse and vanity of them in regard of object in regard of unstayednesse in regard of unprofitablenesse and in regard of confusion I shall now also say something for remedy against the wickednesse of thoughts which happens when our thoughts draw in our affection and will to desire and like of wickednesse and our minds to devise to bring it to passe I will not here give the remedies to these two errours severally but together and at once Expect not a remedy for every kind of wicked thoughts apart as erroneous heretical covetous ambitious revengeful proud c. for the objects of the affections are almost infinite and the evil imaginations of the mind working toward the accomplishment of wickednesse are so various who can know them Yet something I shall say to these for it will be expected by the Reader and I am bound to it by promise in this undertaking Here again I must leave much for the judicious to do of themselves in their own occurrencies of thoughts Yet thus for a help unto them that are weak Have thy thoughts drawn in thy likeing of that which is sinful and is thy mind plotting to accomplish it First give stop to these wicked affections and devisings at their first beginnings Sero medicina paratur Long and confirmed diseases are stubborne to yield unto medicine an infant-thought may take a check but if it grow man by continuance all the wit and strength thou hast will hardly bow him back The phansie will take fire at a temptation before we be aware like tinder which kindles at the least spark falling into it and 't is a mover as quick and spreading as fire The lightning is not quicker than thought we had need therefore to be speedy in giving stop to our wicked thoughts Job knew this and therefore made covenant with his eyes not to think upon a maid Job 31. 1. What the eye seeth or the eare heareth the heart may desire but unknown undesired If it be possible keep wickednesse from the eye and eare these are the two principal gates by which sin enters into our hearts if the watch were kept more strictly at these gates we should not so often find our enemy within us If David had looked better to his eyes adultery had not gotten into his thought nor could the whorish woman have come into the young mans heart had he kept her out of his eares it was with much fair speeches that she caused him to yield Prov. 7. 21 The eye and the eare are the out-works of the soul he that would keep out evil thoughts must barricadoe these gates Let evil thoughts receive a check at their first offer to enter for he that gives way to his imaginations shews that he would give way to wicked actions if they were as free from shame and punishment And a man may know much of his gratious state by his own using of his thoughts he that forbears evil out of a conscience of sin will forbear also to imagin evil in his heart but men of corrupt minds are not men of renewed spirits 2. If thou canst not stop them in their beginnings then thy care must be to divert them to some more profitable or pious object When the water hath gotten in upon us we make draines and water-courses to carry it some other way and so likewise must we do with our evil thoughts if they have broken in upon us we must turn them aside to some other matter As suppose coveteous or envious or proud thoughts be got into thy mind thou mayest divert them to liberal merciful humble thoughts Joh. 4. 12. The woman of Samaria was a great admirer of Jacobs Well ver 20. and the mountain of Samaria the one for water and

The Apostles would not have younger widows received to minister as widows in the Church to lodge strangers and to wash the Disciples feet as their manner was lest they learn to be idle and wander about become tatlers and busie-bodies 1 Tim. 5. 13. Idlenesse or that which is worse creeps into the practise of those that are not well or fitly employed so it doth upon the mind Standing waters will puddle and the mind not employed stands and breeds verminous and evil thoughts We make draines to cleanse standing waters if we mean to keep them wholesome and we must find issues for our thoughts about some bodily or mental labour if we mean to keep them just as the thoughts of the Righteous are And that ye may the rather make use of this Remedy against idle thoughts Consider 1. It is against the nature of mans mind to be out of action in sleep the senses both outward and inward are bound up yet even then the phantasie hath her dreams of actions The heart of the Spouse was awake while she slept I sleep but my heart wakes Cant. 5. 2. So in the very drowsinesse and heaviness of a Righteous soul all is not all his thoughts ought not to be bound up there are or ought to be some excurrencies of the thoughts to Christ 2. The body not employed grows resty and carries on the man headlong not onely to that which is besides but also to that which is contrary to the course of goodnesse Idlenesse is the hour of temptation wherein Satan joynes with our imagination to plot or attempt the production of some or much mischief 3. Employment and action hath the promise This is the warrantable way wherein so long as the mind is found walking the labour thereof shall not be in vain It is the Righteous mans portion to enjoy the good of all his labour which he taketh under the Sun 1 Cor. 15. Eccles 5. 18. So then if ye respect the nature of the mind which is alwayes in action or the disposition of the body not employed or the blessing of God over both while they are in action according to his will ye cannot but make use of this Remedy for the cureing of the minds idlenesse But before I passe from hence I must admonish that thoughts employed about bodily labour is not enough nor all there are employments of our thoughts which are more mental and almost abstracted from the body and these are very needful such as contemplation and meditation of heaven and heavenly things a soul thus employed whether he be in the body or out of the body he cannot tell such a neighbourhood or indistance he apprehends betwixt God and his mind Again I admonish that labour whether it be about bodily things or such as are more the work of the mind yet it must be about that which is good otherwise the remedy may be worse than the disease It s better saith our Proverb to be idle than ill employed The Apostle would that every one should labour but he that labours bodily must labour the thing that is honest and he that labours with the mind must study to shew himself approved unto God a workman that need not be ashamed Ephes 4. 28. 2 Tim. 2. 15. Further I admonish that your thoughts be employed about those things especially which are within your Callings he that moves in his Calling though but slowly though not so fast as others shall in the end find comfort But I cannot hope to gather grapes of thorns nor figs of thistles Every tree must bring forth his own fruit the Magistrate hath his thoughts the Minister his and the honest Husbandman and Tradesman theirs Once more I admonish that your thoughts of employment be in such things as are proportionable to your strength and parts Jether the first-born of Gideon was too weak and fearful to rise up and slay Zeba and Zalmunnah Judg. 8. 20. And the Apostle thought judiciously that a Novice or young Christian newly come to the Faith would not be a meet man for the office of a Bishop lest being lifted up with pride he should fall into the condemnation of the Devil 1 Tim. 3. 6 When men take upon their shoulders burdens that are too heavy for them they reel to and fro like drunken men sometimes they are brought to their wits ends and sometimes they fall with shame to themselves and injury to others that come near them It s so also when any are puffed up in their fleshly minds and take upon them to meddle in things that are above them CHAP. VIII I Shall stay no longer upon this Remedy against idle and sleepy thoughts by urging to bodily or mental imployment The next errour of thoughts as I have observed to be remedied falls in here which is a lightnesse or vanity of our thoughts in busying themselves upon vain objects such as old wives fables fictions of Poets nothings or things that are nothing worth The Remedy is to choose out reall and better things for imagination to work upon for as are the thoughts so is the man The body grows into likenesse with those things whereon it usually feeds So do souls into similitude with those things which the imagination daily thinks upon that man must needs be a vain man whose studies and cogitations are vaine Wherefore as he that would expel wind out of the stomack must feed upon some wholesome nourishment which hath vertue in it to expel wind So he that would expel windy phansies out of his mind must propound to his consideration some serious truths worthy of his Christian thoughts In this case some have thought meet to propound to our consideration those quatuor novissima Death the day of Judgement the joyes of Heaven and the torments of Hell to remedy our vain imaginations and doubtlesse thoughts upon such serious truths as these would take off our minds from vain things What if I should beseech you to think upon the infinitenesse of God the love of Christ the comforts of the Holy Ghost What if I should entreat you to think upon those great works of God Creation Providence Redemption Sanctification Preparation and Donation of the Kingdom of Heaven Would not the thoughts of these things force out of your minds the thoughts of strange gods strange religions and worship What should the thoughts of heathen gods as Baal Moloch or Ashtoreth do among these what should Christians study Romances Playes Interludes Fashions vain histories who have Bibles to look into and the mysteries of salvation to study and the duties of Religion to learn and practise hear the Apostles advice Phil. 4. 8. and receive it as an Antidote against all vain imaginations whatsoever things are true whatsoever things are honest whatsoever things are just whatsoever things are pure whatsoever things are lovely whatsoever things are of good report if there be any vertue and if there be any praise think on these things all things that are true and

this glorious promise is annexed to a person qualified with holinesse because a holy conversation is a fruit and sign of faith and evidence of a person that is in Christ for whose sake we are saved and in whom all the promises are yea and Amen 2 Cor. ch 1. ver 20. to the glory of God by us Reas 3 Lastly because God hath ordered matters so that grace should be the seed of glory as they are of the same kind and near of kin Gal. 6. 8. He that soweth to the spirit shall reape of the spirit life everlasting and all this is that so God might Crown his own gifts in us not our merits and that he might honour himself as wel as pleasure us To improve this Point to our best advantage first we may use it by way 1 Use of Exhortation of encouragement to excite and stir up all sorts of persons to be willing to set upon this Duty and to make conscience of the ordering of their conversations aright Oh be exhorted beloved to resolve to set upon it forthwith and henceforward to make it your businesse to walk worthy of the Lord in all well-pleasing being fruitful in every good work 1 Col. 9. and ever hereafter to order your thoughts words and actions according to the Rule of Gods sacred Word The pressing Considerations to set home the Exhortation on our souls may be these that follow First because it is a thing so highly 1 Consideratio prima pleasing to God that he hath in my Text annexed so great a recompense of reward to the performers of it that they shall see the salvation of God If salvation be dear unto us let us then go on kindly and strongly under the expectation of it against all difficulties whatsoever that lie in the way to hinder us Oh salvation is a sweet thing and for ever our pains about our conversation wil be but for a short time It were our duty to order our conversation aright though no salvation followed it How much more then when we know our labour shall not be in vain in the Lord 1 Cor. 15. ult The second encouragement I wil use Consideratio secunda shal be this because this wil denominate us blessed persons even while we live and who is there that would not be blessed Psal 119. 1. Blessed are they that are undefiled in the way and walk in the way of the Lord c. Without this all our profession of Christianity wil prove but vanity our faith wil be but a meer phansie and all our devotions but as so many glorious suns onely in the way of holinesse lyeth the beauty and comelinesse of all our perfections This is the Diamond in the Ring that graceth all our other parts accomplishments no true peace safety comfort or security is elsewhere to be found either in our life or death 2 Cor. 1. 12. All the wayes of wisdom are wayes of pleasure and all her paths prosperity Prov. 3. 17. and the fear of the Lord is the onely wisdom experiment it who pleaseth In other wayes he shal find a great deal of cragginesse and bitternesse in the end of all Thirdly consider Gods wayes to us Consideratio tertia all his wayes are mercy and truth to those that fear him Psal 25. 10. It is not said some of his wayes are mercy and some of his wayes are truth but all his wayes are both mercy and truth mercy in promising and truth in performing And why then should you think it much that all our wayes and dealings should relish of holinesse and obedience towards God all his wayes are to pleasure us and in equity all our wayes should be to please him Or consider Jesus Christ himself Phil. 2. 7 8. he came down from heaven to accomplish the work of our Redemption and shal not we come out of the world for his sake and have our conversations in heaven Christ emptied himself for us and took upon him the forme of a servant and humbled himself and became obedient unto death even the death of the Crosse and all for our sakes It is written of him that he pleased not himself Rom. 15. 3. And shal we so ill requite our Lord and Saviour as to order our courses to please others or humour our selves to follow the guise of the times and so content our own lusts and not rather to please him in every thing we doe I pray you lay this meditation close to your hearts This in the fourth place is the one Fourth Motive thing necessary in all our life Luke 10. 42. this is that good part which whosoever chooseth it shall never be taken from him All other things are superfluous in comparison of this He that keepeth his way keepeth his soul saith Salomon Prov. 16. 7. The very life and soul lieth at stake in this businesse Suppose thou canst rightly weild an estate or drive thy trade wel so as to be master of it Suppose thou canst mannage thy actions fairly before men Suppose thou wert able to marshal an Army or to rule a City a Nation or Kingdom Suppose thou canst govern a family and order thy servants under thee Heathens have done all these and a man may go to hell that doth them But to manage thine own heart and life aright is a far more excellent thing and it wil certainly bring thee to Heaven it being such a thing as accompanieth salvation This is to live the very life of God himself to walke in the way that is called holy hereby the life of Christ appeareth unto us I conclude this with that of the Apostle James 3. 13. Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge amongst you let him shew out of a good conversation his workes with meekenesse of wisdom Mark first the frame of his conversation must be good secondly his works must flow out of the same and be made apparent thirdly the manner of the carriage of his works It must be in meekenesse of wisdom What should I need to presse you any further either that so doing you shall beautifie your Profession and adorn Religion or that hereby you shal stop the mouths of enemies and put them to a stand that they shal not be able with any face to speak evil of you or of godlinesse but all their pretenses shal be taken away or that hereby you shal much honour the work of God in your own hearts that that grace we speak so much of is not an empty sound or meer notion but there is a reality in it a life and power which wil make us do something more than the common spheare of mankind is able to effect You are in Covenant with God and being so are a Law to your selves Oh I beseech you let your actions be suitable to your principles you see the beauty of holinesse You are a holy nation a royal priesthood a precious people therefore shew forth the vertues of him that hath