Ele you strike it yet it lives you flea it yet it lives you cut it in pieces yet it stirs you throw it into scalding water and there it stirs a while too So Bray a wicked fool in a morter his folly will not depart from him Prov. 27. 22. Reproofes kill it not affliction kils it not sicknesse kils it not weaknesse kils it not death kils it not nay hell kils it not The heart is the only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The unruly evil which no man can tame Jam. 2. 8. This sets on fire the whole course of nature and is it self set on fire of hell Full it is of deadly poyson as that old Leprosie it infects all that comes near it We think Lev. 13. it sad living in an unwholsome aire or in a house near the Common-shore because of the continuall ill smels What is it to live over the ill savour of a fowl nasty heart Who would willingly lodge or dwell in a house reported to be haunted with Evil spirits Thy heart is so yet thou art not afraid David was weary of Mesech Israel of Egypt Lot sick of Sodom Jeremy of his Dungeon and wilt thou as the Bedlam play with thy chaines and sport thy self with thine own deceivings in the midst of thy mortall and bloudy enemies Consider well of it CHAP. XXX The Third Use of Information in severall particulars THE third use informes us of divers weighty points 1. What a wide and vast difference there is between the lawes of men and the pure law of God All those fall far short of this they reach but the outward man this the heart spirit conscience and the most hidden thoughts Heb. 4. 12. Their Laws are Carnall this Spirituall holy requiring truth in the inward parts This applies Canons Rom. 7 14. and Engins to the mind and forbids lust in the first motions checks the thought of Belial 2 Cor. 10 4 5. Rom. 7 7. or wickednesse as it is cal'd in the heart Deut. 15. 9. The Laws of men require no more but to strike the topsale in a civil behaviour The Law of God boards every vessel cals for the bils of lading makes a through search in every Cabin sees what we are fraught with and if it find any prohibited wares not goods or concealed armes for the use of the enemy they are seized on and the vessell must yield or sink The Laws of men plant their Ordinance against the Enemies colours set out upon the wals of the Castle That of God undermines the foundations and blows up all that stand in opposition The Magistrate onely provides ne peccatum turbet God ne sit he ne peccatum resistat God ne restet We may be Boni cives mali Christiani We may observe the manner of the God of the land as they said 2 Kings 17. 27. Yet not know or keep the Laws of the God of heaven The Statutes of Omri and Samaria are oft-times kept by Mit. 6. 16. those who violate the Edicts of Sion and of Christ The Christian therefore must not be a Statute Christian but a Scripture Christian 2. What a sad difference there is between the holy Law of God and our base hearts His Law pure we impure that spirituall we carnall It was an uneven and uncomfortable match between beautifull courteous and vertuous Abigail and that clown and ungracious churle Nabal that between beautifull Moses and black Zipporah but Gods Law and our hearts are worse matched But those were the worst matches in all the Scriptures Gen. 6. 2 4. when the Sons of God went in to the daughters of men they begat that Gygantean and vicious race which corrupted the whole earth But this is the worst match in the world wherein the Law of God is married to the heart of man For the motions of sins which are by the law do work in our members to bring forth fruit to death Rom. 7. 6. and hereby is the whole Church corruptted The Tables of the Law were formerly engraven in stone and put into an Ark◠overlaid with pure Gold within and without Exod. 25. 11. But the Tables of the Law and Covenant of Grace are now written in Gold and put into a homely ark of stone 3. What a difference there is between a godly and a wicked man a sincere person and a hypocrite as much or more as between Solomons shields of beaten massy gold and 1 King 10. 17. and 14. 27. Rehoboams of brasse of like size and number Copper and Gold differ not so much in colour as in their weight and worth So tin and silver look alike weigh not alike The difference between man and man is not so much in favour complexion stature or state as in the mind not so much in diseases poverty misery as sin not so much in education wit reason parts or gifts as graces The godly for his outward aspect is like to an old Church Pauls for example built of ordinary stone without plain but when you come in you find there a comely inside handsome seats and a convenient place to worship God in The wicked for his outside not much unlike yet more fitly compared to a prison Newgate for example built of fair stone but within nothing to be found but nastinesse hunger hardship ill smels and which is worst of all a company of Hell-birds for their vile behaviour In a word the godly are like heaven fair without but the glory is all invisible and not to be imagined how great till you come within And the wicked are like hell it self to which a broad and easie way doth lead but it is bad to describe but worse then you can imagine when you enter 4. What a busie work is it to be a Christian he hath more to do then to wash Animum rege hunc fraenus hunc tu compesce Catena Horat. the outside of the cup and platter to make a covenant mith his eye ear hand foot mouth and to keep his mouth bridled he must keep his heart bridled Keep thy heart with all keeping Prov. 4. 23. The God of truth requireth to be worshipped in spirit and truth Joh. 4. 24. in the inward parts The cleanly Christian is like those neat Citizens who if they wash and sweep their doors to the street side do wash and rub and keep the inside cleanner if they do but brush their outward garments have their inner garments washt and the linnen which is next them so the Christian is to cleanse his hands but much more to purge and purify his heart The sincere Christian who would be approved of God is to adorn the inner man of the heart 1 Pet. 3. 4. as old Sarah did and to affect to be of the Kings daughters fashion the spouse of Christ all glorious within Psal 45. 13. or to be in the Bridegrooms fashion whose outward garment was of four pieces as all the other Israelites were Deut. 22. 12. yet was his inner
THE SINFULNESSE OF Evil Thoughts OR A DISCOURSE Wherein The Chambers of IMAGERY are Unlocked The Cabinet of the HEART Opened The Secrets of the INNER-MAN Disclosed IN The particular Discovery of the Numerous Evil Thoughts to be found in the most of Men with their various and severall Kinds sinful Causes sad Effects and proper Remedies or Cures Together with Directions how to observe and keep the HEART The highest hardest and most necessary work of him that would be a Real CHRISTIAN By JO. SHEFFEILD Pastor of SWITHINS London London Printed by J. H. for Samuel Gellibrand at the Golden Ball in Pauls Church-Yard 1659 To the Worshipfull THE MASTER WARDENS ASSISTANTS And the rest of THE Right Worshipfull Society OF SALTERS His Honoured PATRONS Much honoured Gentlemen THE many Favours I have received from you ever since my coming to this place and especially your bestowing so freely of late the first fruits of your Patronage a Presentation for my continuance upon the unanimous and concurrent desires of my loving Neighbours of Swithins after many years conversing together hath deeply engaged me in duty and thankfullnesse to you and them And having nothing else to return in way of requital besides my humble thanks and my hearty prayers whereof the one are fit to be proclaimed upon the house-top the other more fit to be in silence and secrecy presented unto God I was willing to give unto you and to the world a publick and solemn testimony of the honour and Christian respect which from my heart I bear to your whole Society in generall and to your selves in particular by presenting this ensuing Discourse into your hands It treateth of the Thoughts and inwards of the Heart the greatest businesse we have to look unto if we would be Christians indeed not in the Letter but inwardly in the Spirit and have our praise not of men but of God Many others I confesse have to their deserved praise and to the great benefit of the Church written of the same subject but none that I know so particularly as here you will find yet am I not commending my self or this Discourse while I say this being not so much a stranger to my own tenuity unlesse to your Candor and favourable acceptance If you shall please at your best leisure to peruse and read it I hope you will not altogether repent your time and paines bestowed But if your selves or any other any one soul shall reap any benefit hereby I shall rejoyce and blesse God for my poor paines and time so well bestowed Now that it may as the seed upon the ground or the rain from heaven upon the seed prosper to that which it is sent abroad I shall follow it with my prayers for a plentiful and effectual blessing upon you and it as being Yours ever engaged to serve You JO. SHEFFEILD THE EPISTLE TO THE READER READER MAny Learned in their several Professions have put forth profitable Discourses One De occulta Philosophia another De secretis naturae another De morbis secretis a fourth of Stratagems of War a fifth of Policies of State others of the Anatomy of mans body of the Circulating of the bloud c. Usefull and profitable all But the Proper subject of a Divine is to handle the Mysteries of Godlinesse and withall to detect the Mysteries of ungodlinesse Solomon in his great wisdom did not onely Contemplate the Excellency of Wisdomes pathes and precepts but gave his heart also to understand and find out the wayes of folly sin and madnesse Here have I undertaken as hard a task as any I would I could say I had as well performed it To will was present propounding to my self to write of this occult Mystery of iniquity the secret diseases of the soul the Stratagems Policies and depths of Satan the Anatomy of the heart and the Circulating of flesh and bloud in our hearts and thoughts I hope I have undertaken a task not more hard and painfull to me than profitable and usefull to thee Some have travelled far into unknown Lands to shew thee the fruits of their paines travel and expences I shew thee onely thy self Some have compassed Seas and Lands and given thee the Longitudes Latitudes the dangers of passages my designe is to bring home my travels to thy self and to shew thee the dangers of thy own heart that as in water face answers face so in my heart thou mayst see thy own the Methods of Satan the Gulphes of sin the Straits to heaven the various and uneven ebbings and flowings of this sea or lake in thy heart Some have told us in their Travels they have discovered strange Countries Creatures Fruits They relate of Terra del fogo Insulae Latronum they have seen Mountains flaming with Brimstone Dens of Lyons the Lake of Sodom Fountaines of pitch Dead Seas Scalding springs Frozen lakes Here is the Land of fire Island of Robbers Brimstone mountaines Sodoms Lake a Fountain of pitch in thy own heart Thou needst not go into far and remote Countries to see strange and fearfull sights In the Map and Microcosme of thy heart thou mayst see all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The 1 Joh. 5. 19. whole world lies in this wicked one Orbis in Urbe was said of Rome once Orbis in Corde may be said of this Mysticall Babylon A world of wickednesse lies in this narrow heart yet are there none that seek to make discoveries of this New unknown World Man is the silliest of all Creatures they all preserve themselves destroy their enemies Man destroyes himself and spares his enemies those of his own house Man though he pretend to all knowledge yet is of no understanding but bruitish in his knowledge knowing Jâ—â— 10. 14. nothing of what he ought to know in vain doth he professe all Arts when he knowes not his own heart Scire tuum nihil est nisi te scire hoc tibi scire est Et tua mens nequam si noverit omnia sequam In vain doth the Grammarian teach Congruity of speech while he corrects not the incongruities of his own heart The Logician studieth Syllogismes and the way of disputing subtilly and is not able to deal with the Sophistry and fallacies of his own heart The Astronomer casts his eye up to heaven as if he had perfectly passed all lower studies he numbers the Stars takes the height of heaven observes the motion of the severall Planets but knowes not the uncertaine motion of this one Planet this little lowest Planet The Geometrician measures both Seas and Lands and hath not yet the measure of his own heart The Mathematician by his instruments measures Circles Squares or Angular figures hath no measure for this Center cannot measure this Triangle much lesse bring it into Square The Traveller seeks to know all Kingdomes Cities Nations Languages habits manners customs Laws and knows none of these in his own heart Tecum habita nec te quaesiveris extra Man mind thy self there
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
thought is as the children of Israel in Egypt destined to death before it is brought forth or persecuted by the Dragon as soon as born or cut off in the Cradle as the children of Bethlehem by Herod when they are spared that deal treacherously they are planted yea take root they grow yea they bring forth as Jeremy complaines Jer. 12. 1 2. in another case Oh what a piece is this heart of man Oh what a piece of carrion which hath alwaies such a swarm of flies humming about fastening and blowing on it and what a breed and nest of Vermine that are bred in it and at last devour it I have read of a poor Monk who rebuking a rich Prelate was bidden in scorne go kill his lice who answered boldly My Lord I have killed mine but yours will kill you The poor mans lice and Vermine are not so dangerous to the body as the rich proud and wicked mans are to his soul What a deal of trash and beggery do we find when we rave into an old ruinous house but worse when we come to rave into an old rotten heart We look sometimes with disdaine upon a Beggars garment past mending where is patch upon patch of twenty severall colours and pieces look in and thou wilt find a more displeasing sight The comparison is not so homely as home and true In a fair clear River when we drain it what mud and Vermin at the bottom do we spie such is thy heart or when we scour an old deep pond It was an Herculean labour to cleanse the Augaean Stable not cleansed of seven years before he turned in a River to cleanse it What labour then will it cost to cleanse thy heart not cleansed may be of twenty or thirty yeares need we had to turn in the whole stream of the bloud of Christ the upper springs of the spirit of grace all the conduits of Scripture arguments the lower springs and all the water the standing ponds of diligence repentance endeavour and circumspectnesse can procure The lower we dig as for water so for springs of sinne the faster the water comes in The best eye having the help of the best perspective upon the fairest prospect and in the clearest summers day sees much but not the thousandth part of heaven or earth nor we of sin They say much of the earth is unknown to be sure much of hell in thy heart is If there be any part of an unknown world yet undiscovered I am sure there is a great part of an unknown world yet undiscovered in thy heart It is long ere a stranger can know all the streets lanes and allies in the City but thou wilt never know all the windings and turnings of thy heart In a great house sometimes at first a stranger looseth himself but in the heart to the last it is strange if the owner hath not been lost My heart saith Bernard is like the deep sea in which are creeping things and that without number A flint it is which though cold and dark hath seeds of fire and a thousand sparks lodged in it if you strike and break it the seeds of all sin are there even of the sin against the holy Ghost Noahs Ark was a great Microcosme in which to the wonder of all the world the species of all the creatures were contained Man is said to be a Microcosme And if the Apostle call that little member the tongue a Microcosme Jam. 3. 6. a little world of sin what is the heart but a great one The opening of the heart is like the fourth Rev. 6. 8. seal opened when the pale horse appear'd death and hell followed or like the opening of the bottomlesse pit rather where what darknesse Rev. 6. 2. and smoak issued and in them a world of horrid multiformed Monsters or Locusts How sad a judgment was that threatned to Babylon Esa 13. 19 20 21. and Esa 34. 12 13 14. where it is said that Ziim Iim the Satyrs wild beasts should dance there and the screetch Owl and nettles and brambles should be where was once the glory of Kingdomes Josephus tells how the Jewes took on and lamented when their Temple was polluted twice under Antiochus first with swines flesh offered and a second time under Herod who caused the Roman Eagle to be set over the porch Many a man lost Bel. Jud. l. 1. c. 21. his life in that quarrell whetted on by the indignation of the sight It grieves us to see the wayes of Zion mourn and fairest Churches to be turned into stables But how should we mourn and be transported with indignation to see the soul the onely spirituall and holy Temple of God defiled Many have made Epitaphs and funerall Monuments upon great men good and bad and have been able to give them all their Titles and full Characters and to say Here lies such a one None is able to make the hearts Epitaph and to say what lies there Unlesse we shall write as of Pope Sixtus the Fourth Hic scelus omne simul clauditur vitium All Sin and Vice Here buried lies Or that like it of Pope Clement the 8th Urna brevis vitium claudit omne scelus A world of Sin Lies hid within Or this of a mean Poet. Under this stone of flesh and bone Lies more of sin then can come in my narrow Verse Here ly more lusts Then earth hath dusts and much more hell then you can tell or I rehearse Here lies the whole Body of death which hath more members then this naturall body hath members or hairs Physitians and Surgeons have a thousand times raved into the bodies of men and yet are to learn all the joints limbs ligatures nerves arteries vessels and passages in this narrow body of flesh and bone what an endlesse labour is it to dissect and anatomize the heart The great Volumes of Arts and sciences have been Epitomized and the whole body or summe of Divinity hath been often contracted into a narrow compasse or Systeme but the body of sin in the heart is not to be contracted or summed up Some learned men of old and late have made Catalogues of the noted Errors and Heresies that have troubled the whole Church from the beginning but none dare undertake to enumerate and catalogue the errors and enormities of one poor single heart Here lies the killing stone or secret Ulcer as when the body is opened you see all Here is the root of the Caprificus wild fig or wild Ivy which like that Leprosie in Leviticus is not to be stayed but house and all Lev. 14. 45. must be pul'd down to kill it You cut down the branches yet it growes you cut the body yet it growes you cut it to the very hard root yet it growes you pick out the root as long as ever you can come at it yet it growes the house must be pul'd down and then it dies Or as it is with an
is a hid treasure in thy own ground Dig but deep enough and thou wilt find it to be sure either the good treasure of the good heart or an evil treasure of an evil heart But nature and art and all industry fall short here yea Grace it self as now imperfect comes not up to a full understanding of his own heart The heart is deceitfull above all things and desperately wicked who can know it saith the Prophet Jer. 17. 9. The bodies of the trees are seen the root lies deep and unseen The heads of springs unseen the waters seen and tasted Heart-work is the hard work Abyssus es tute tibi said the noble Mornay Infernus tibi I may say Here art thou at a losse at thy ne plus ultra at a terra incognita at a Mare congelatum when thou comest to the heart there is no sayling further This is the place which the Vultures Eye spies not and here lies a Carcasse which the Eagles sight or smell discovers not We often find in the bottom of Wels Frogs and Toads when the waters are fair above Go to the bottom and thou knowest not what thou shalt espie Thou wilt tell me another tale and say I told thee not the one half Under the Grasse lurkes the Snake and under the Ground Corn in the deep Well are the Spies hid He 2 Sam. 17. 19. Prov. 28. 26. that trusteth in his own heart is a fool in the wise mans Judgement when it speakes fairest believe it not there are seven abominations within it It is like the Lapwing it will call and send thee further off when thou comest closest to it Who can understand his own errors saith holy David Many are subtile and inquisitive to know the Polycies of States Interests of men and times Errors in Governours the Heresies and Errors that have of old and do at present pester the Church But who can understand his Errors mans understanding is very large be that is Learned can understand every Language every Science But commonly the most understanding man is the most ignorant Christian Is not the wisdom of this world foolishnesse 1 Cor. 13. 9. with God The heart is versute and deceitfull above all things who can know it Man hath affected the Knowledge of all things since the Fathers eat that sour Grape off that Tree of Knowledge all the childrens teeth have been set on edge after it He knowes the nature of herbs trees plants spices mettals minerals yet who can know it He knowes a thousand faces at first sight a thousand voices at first word yet to his dying day knows not the face and voice of his heart Who can know it This is thy A. B. C. Reader if thou art a young Christian And this not thy Alpha but Omega too if thou be the greatest Student and a professed Artist The skill paines and industry of man hath surprized Cities over-run Kingdoms changed Governments hath tamed all Creatures Beasts Birds Serpents he hath caught kept tamed caged taught them all to change their natures But two little members yet two microcosms in himself none hath known tamed or changed nor can be The lesse microcosme the tongue in which is a world of deadly poyson which is but the Jam. 3. 6 8. Cistern some few have tamed But the heart the greater microcosme the fountain that feeds this Cistern none hath tamed onely God who made it and keeps the Key of it tames changeth and governs it Thou must beg of him to give thee a Key to let thee into thine own heart and to give thee a lock bolts and bars to keep it in For my part I am more afraid of the Errors of my own heart then of all the Doctrinall Errors broached and vented in the World And am more afraid of what is within and flowes from the heart then of whatsoever enters the mouth The poyson of the most venomous serpent only endangers others preserves her self but ours the most pestiferous poyson hurts our selves most our selves only How sad is it that we who affect neatnesse and cleanlinesse so much in every thing should be so carelesse and slight here If we have rich clothes they must be kept and laid up clean If fair linnen it must be washed and worn clean If plate it must be scoured bright and used clean If but brasse and pewter it must be scoured too and kept clean An ordinary entertaining Room must be alwaies kept clean A Garden must be weeded and kept clean A neat Watch dust must not take it but it must be daily looked to and kept clean But the heart which is the choicest apparel linnen plate vessel garden entertaining room watch is above all neglectings neglected as if it had been said above all keeping keep these other things out of which are onely the issues of vain and earthly delights but above all neglecting neglect thy heart out of which are the issues of eternall life and eternal salvation I speak not this as if I could say I have made my heart clean but as Tertullian said of his Book of Patience Languâ—ntâ—s cum vacent a sanitate de bonis ejus tacâ—re non norunt Ita miserrimus ego semper aeger Calorious impatientiae quaâ— non obâ—inco patientiae sanitatâ—m suspirem invocem perorâ—m necâ—sse est Tert. de pat He was the more pleased to write of Patience because he wanted and bewailed the want of Patience as the sick man saith he largely commendeth the blessing of health which he now knowes the more how to prize because he wants it My case thou wilt see in the last Chapter in a sad self-bemoaning Soliloquy Reader thou seest all men labour to attain to the perfection of their Professions be not thou a puny in thine This is the best discovery of a growing Christian when he is more skilled in himself verst in his own heart when thou art grown acquainted with the wants diseases wiles with the state cure order government of thy heart when thou art wholy taken up in the observing regulating and keeping of thy heart then art thou the grown Christian To study Books may make thee a Scholar to study the Scriptures may make thee a Preacher to study Men a Polititian but to study the man thy self and thine own heart makes thee a well grounded well grown Christian There be four Books must be well studied and compared together to make an accomplished Christian 1. The book of Providence is not to be a despised Legend nor to be studied alone 2. The The Book of Scripture is to be compared with the Book of Providence rightly to understand it or thou wilt become an Atheist 3. The Book of Conscience which is to be conferred with the Scripture or thou wilt prove a meer formalist 4. The Book of books Christ Jesus to be brought home to conscience or thou wilt be a dead and heartlesse christian Deal with no one of them alone or thou
v. 20. he went on he could run and prophesie They strip off their lusts he his clothes they lay their hearts naked he his body They are raised up to heaven he falls downe and layes along on the earth They go about their businesse or get them some what to eat at least must to bed when night comes he was so full of his spirit that he lay down naked all that day and all that night He neither eat nor drank nor slept nor rose nor stirr'd nor spake but lay as in a trance all that time he missed neither meat nor drinke nor clothes nor sleep Here was an old Adamiâ—e and a famous Quaker indeed But do you ever read that he prophesied a third time or that he was ever the holier or honester man for all this Did he after all this prophesying cease to persecute David ever the more to his dying day David is thought by some book learned men to have a spirit of prophecy too but he was silent here But Saul and his bloudy followers who sought the life of David and Samuel and took away the lives of so many Priests they all prophesied v. 20. But Samuel and Davids spirit and Saul and his Messengers spirit were not alike I reade indeed a third time of his prophesying mentioned 1 Sam. 18. 10. with his Javelin in his hand but it was both a mad and counterfit prophesying Junius renders it prophetico more se componebat and the Chaldee render it Insaniebat He was mad This by the way 3. He beleeveth and is baptized Outward profession justly gains admission into the Christian Congregation Our Judgment is of charity not certainty Is of the outward man not of the heart 4. Take in hypocrisie with profession and there is a faith makes one worse then Infidelity a Baptized person worse then an unbaptized a Christian worse then a Pagan Grace if counterfeit Ordinances if rested in Duties if slightly performed do leave us as far from the Kingdome of heaven as no grace ordinance or duty at all Simon as good a Sorcerer still as an unsound professor The third part of his story where we see the Ogdoas malorum spirituum as Irenaeus speakes seven new worse spirits returning with the former is set out from the 14. to the 24. v. containing his demands and carriage to Peter and Peters answer and carriage to him Here doth Magus shew he had obtained what before he aimed at to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 some great and prime one Vulgo existimatur Patriarcha hâ—reticorum No. Test Alsted in Iniquity He would not be one of the Thirty but the first of the Three of Satans Grandees he might now glory if Cain Lamech or Judas if Ebion Cerinthus or Nicolas should be punished seven fold surely Simon seventy fold He obtained the Primacy and chief Patriarchship among all the fathers of Heretickes and he hath further obtained this Indulgence that he and his followers in that black profession should sit one at Satans Right hand another at his Left in his fiery Simonem omnium haereticorum esse Patrem ex eo omnes haeresâ—s subsistunt dixit Irenaeus Ex hac amarissima Radice exortisunt DositheaÌ„ni Cleobani Georthoni Masbothei Adrianistae Eutichistae Cainistae Theodoret Region or Kingdome Seven severall sorts of haereticks Ecclesiasticall writers affirme to have sprung from this Hidra or Serpent But to return to this third part It consists of his demands and carriage to Peter and of Peters Reply to him In the former you see what he did he offered money 2. The occasion of it when he saw that through laying on of the Apostles hands the Holy Ghost was given 3. His End or the conditions upon which he was so ready to part with his mony Give me also this power that on whomsoever I lay hands he may receive the Holy Ghost saith he Obs 1. Some creep in to Christian Society as Spyes to see and observe what they teach do hold and practice He saw and marked their laying on of hands and the giving the Holy Ghost 2. Many that come in as Spyes at first go Jude v. 12. out as Spots at last 3. One corrupt professor seekes to corrupt another yea the most sincere and the most eminent Simon Magus sollicits Simon Peter 4. Many make a gain of Godlinesse and a Merchandise of Christian profession Magus would not have given so freely if he had not expected to receive as freely of others for the Holy Ghost which he desired to buy not keep and intended to sell not to give 5. A cunning close hypocrite may lurk undiscovered a while but after a while he layes open his owne Impiety Suo se indicio prodit In the other viz. Peters carriage to him four things considerable 1. Peter rejects him and scorns his motion with the greatest detestation v. 20. Thy mony perish with thee 2. Convinceth him both of his fin and danger v. 20 21. Because thou thoughtest that the gift of God may be purchased with mony thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter for thy heart is not right in the sight of God 3. Admonisheth and counselleth him to two duties Repent and pray v. 22. 4. Concludes and pronounceth a sentence of condemnation against him and so leaves him and gives him over v. 23. I perceive thou art in the gall of bitternesse and bond of Iniquity Obs 1. Wicked though gainfull motions are to be scorned and refused by the Godly with the greatest detestation Mat. 4. So Christ to Satan offering all the Kingdoms of the world Our hearts can't rise too high in Indignation against sin and temptations to sin 2. We should not countenance but disclaime such as are otherwise of our own religion profession society or party and hold and joyn with us if they be not Godly and sincere Christ would not receive a true testimony to his Divinity from a false Christ doth there rebuke Satan for his confession as at other times for temptations Dr. Reynoldes That confession was indeed a Temptation fiend nor Paul applause toh is Ministry from an inchanting Pythonisse Acts 16. 18. 3. Rotten hypocrites are to be handled roughly Soundly Rattled Roundly shaken up and reproved sharply what ever come on it Sons of Belial are to be dealt with as Thornes handled with Iron weapons and thrust away with greatest Indignation 2 Sam. 23. 6 7. 4. That is the best Ministry and Gospel-preaching which searcheth the heart sounds the depthes of sin and layes open the danger of an unsound or sinfull state 5. True Repentance is a necessary Gospel duty to be preached and practiced But Solemne and more then ordinary Repentance after soul and fearfull sins 6. Repent and Pray We should despair of none but put them upon the use of meanes If Magus could have repented and would have prayed Peter could and would have had hope of his well-doing for all that was past 7. Wicked men are yet to pray and
evil thought The evil thought is the Devils Dam that the Succubus the Devil the Incubus It is the bed in which Satan lodgeth in which his brats are conceived and born The hot Sand in which this Ostridge layes and leaves his eggs which will hatch and bring forth of themselves Every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed then when lust hath conceived it bringeth forth sin and sin when perfected bringeth forth death Jam. 1. 13. The evil thought is the Prima mater or materia Prima the first mother or matter of all sin capable of every form of evil It is the little end of the wedge which entring makes way for the great to follow The little Boy which let in at the window sets the doores wide open for all the greater Theeves to enter and carry all away The Devil is more modest or too much a serpent to say at first Curse God and dy Blaspheme cast thy selfe down headlong give me thy soule commit adultery and give thy self over to all uncleanness with Greedinesse he hath learnt a better and surer way he useth Art method Stratagems And as Pompey when he had in vain assaulted a City and could not take it by force devised this Stratagem In way of agreement he told them he would leave the siege and make peace with them onely desired he might leave a few weak and sick souldiers among them to be cured They let in when the City was secure let in Pompey's army So Satan desires but a look or a wanton thought at first he needes no more All the sin that is in the world had his rise from a thought all Jeroboams sin who did evil and made Israel to sin began here Jeroboam said in his heart If the 1 King 12. 26 people go up to Jerusalem to worship c. then shall the Kingdome return from me to the house of David c. all Judas his sin began in a thought yea Adams first sin and Eves began in a thought Satans temptation begat a thought that a look that a liking that a lusting that a tasting that enticing her husband that fellowship in sin that running from God that denying or defending the fact thence a floud of Belial and wickednesse which hath drowned the whole world a floud before the floud a floud more dreadfull and general then Noah's floud was that drowned bodyes this soules There eight escaped here not one That lasted about thirteen moneths then dryed up This continues to this day in its height Even from Adams fall to this day every Imagination of man is evil and onely evil continually Gen. 6. 5. And which is saddest of all This floud had its head in Paradise and from thence is divided into severall streames compassing the whole earth What is unbeliefe made up of but a heap of doubting and distrustfull thoughts What is Atheism but vile impious thoughts condensed What is malice but mischievous thoughts boyled up to a consistence The whole earth was once well watered by a little cloud no bigger then the palm of a mans hand The main Sea is made up of Rivers they of lesse springs they of many single drops multiplyed and those drops bred of a thin vapour which you would think had nothing in it So that a thin vapor is great grand mother to the Ocean and a thin slender thought to the greatest sin Cogitatio prava delectationem parit delectatio consensum consensus actionem actio cousuetudinem consuetudo necessitatem necessitas mortem An evil thought saith Bernard begets delight delight consent consent action an act a custome custome a necessity necessity destruction Reas 2. But though the evil thought be the original of sin yet it stayes not there but soon proceedeth to more ungodlinesse and frets like a Gangrene How great an Ilias malorum or volume of evils may be contained in a Nutshell Behold how great a matter a little fire consumeth From this one son of the Bond-woman proceed twelve Princes of darknesse Mar. 7. 21. After the evil thought follow adulteryes fornications murders thefts covetousnesse wickednesse deceit lasciviousnesse an evil eye Blasphemy pride foolishnesse One fly-blow taints the whole flesh The Leprosie taking a thread overspreads the whole piece of cloth warp and woofe or taking a stone overruns all the wall and fabrick of the house The waters of the sanctuary Ezek. 47. 3 4. rise not so fast as the flouds of ungodlinesse from the ancles at first to the knees then to the loynes then to the neck then over head and eares You may observe how Rom. 1. 21. vain Imaginations leade to uncleannesse v. 24. Uncleannesse to Vile affections v. 26. Vile affections soon grow up to a reprobate sense and then it follows they were filled with all unrighteousnesse v. 29 30 c. where a bead roll of above twenty sins comes trayling after And Eph. 4. 18 19. you may observe with what speed and increase this evil weed growes The thin vapor presently became a drop The drop made the spring the spring a River the River a Sea This I say that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles in the vanity of their mindes having the understanding darkned being alienated from the life of God through the Ignorance that is in them because of the blindnesse of their hearts who being past feeling have given themselves over to lasciviousnesse to work all uncleannesse with greedinesse Here is first the seed then the root then the blade then the ear then the full corn in the ear then there wants nothing but a sickle to cut down all and a fire to burn it Observe here the linkes of the chaines of darknesse the gradation of sin and the descent into Hell The first head of the lake of Hell is vanity of mind that overflowes the whole understanding and darkens it then followes alienation of affection then blindnesse or hardnesse of heart that begets Insensiblenesse unsensiblenesse of sin begets desperatenesse and unsensiblenesse of danger desperatenesse begets Impudence Impudence delight delight Insatiablenesse and thus thrusts into the midst of Hell and fixeth a gulf that there is no coming back See how much mischief ariseth from an evil thought It was a strange assertion of the Philosopher that the world was made up of Atoms but I may safely say the whole world of sin in our hearts and lives is made up of these Atoms of evil thoughts united Out of nine single figures the greatest numbers in Arithmetick are made up And out of four and twenty letters all the words and languages in the world are made so of a few evil thoughts all evil actions So that all sin may be said to be virtualiter vitialiter potius virtually or rather vitially in the evil thought comprehended and contained Reas 3. It is by the ill thought onely that the heart is defiled Mat. 15. 19. out of the heart proceed evil thoughts saith our Saviour and these
defile the man It is not what we see hear read eat drink touch tast nor what we are tempted to which defiles but what we think There would be no murders adulteries fornications to defile if it were not for evil thoughts Joseph was sollicited to unchastity our Saviour tempted other wayes but neither defiled because no entertainment given in the thoughts And Josephs Mistresse Ananias Saphira Simon Magus though not outwardly tempted were inwardly defiled because of evil thoughts These are the unclean birdes which defile their own nest The Poison in the Toad or Serpent hurts not it selfe but others onely this poyson of evil thoughts kils it selfe not any other no man is defiled till the heart defiled the heart not defiled till the thought Reas 4. These are Primitiae Primogeniti Diaboli the first fruits and first-born of the Devil Our Saviour ranking many unclean and foul sins sets an Imprimis on evil thoughts in that place forenamed out of the heart proceed evil thoughts adulteryes fornications c. as if this was the unclean spirit that brings in all the other twelve unclean spirits more wicked then himself for so they are murder adultery blasphemy c. are worse much then onely bare thoughts This is the Beelzebub or the Prince of Devils whom all the rest do follow and attend upon These are the males of Edom or first-born of Hell which if destroyed no fear of being overcome by all Satans forces These the wels of Moab which the Israelites are commanded to stop up 1 King 3. 19. These the first fruites of Hell as good thoughts are the first fruits or blossoms of the spirit the seed of God the Initialls of grace when a young convert can do but little cannot yet beleeve pray rejoyce much lesse suffer yet can he desire he hath some motions wishes longings stirrings of his spirit Ejaculations some sigh sob groan here is true grace So are the evil thoughts the porch or broad gate by which you enter into that wide way which leades to destruction They say that witches have no power to hurt a man till they get or borrow somewhat of him and if he give or lend them but the least thing to the value of a halfpenny they have enough now to do their will upon him I am sure it is so with Satan have thou nothing to do with him thou art safe but if thou lend him but an ill thought he hath thee now under his power It is but small pollicy to let an enemy into the outworks in hope to drive him out after make good thy ground So to let Satan into the thought and to think to drive him back by reasoning and disputing it with him will endanger all Reas 5. We should the more carefully look to our thoughts because they give us the best and truest way and means of knowing our selves The man is known by his heart the heart by the thought Animus cujusque is est quisque and cogitatio cujusque est animus cujusque Such as the heart is such is the man and such as the thought is such the heart Pro. 23. 7. As he thinketh in his heart so is the man saith Solomon God is said Pro. 16. 2. to weigh the spirits when he tryes the weight of the man so much spirit so much good weight all else is light And when he searcheth the heart to take measure of it he looks upon the Imagination of the thoughts 1 Chron. 28. 9. and by them Judgeth what the heart and man is And thou Solomon my son know thou the God of thy fathers and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind for the Lord searcheth all hearts and understandeth all the Imaginations of the thoughts As the Goldsmith weighing a piece of plate takes it out of the case or paper c. takes away the drosse or dirt if any stick to it and searcheth if it be hollow whether there be no deceit and gives you for so much silver or gold no more so God in weighing man knocks off this and that and reckons onely so much spirit so much weight Or as the Taylor in taking measure pulls off the upper garments c. so God that he may take a true measure of us or we of our selves strip off all till he come to the heart and spirit Reas 6. These evil thoughts are so much the more dangerous because men do more securely live in them as being out of Cognizance of the world therefore the wicked oft boasteth himself Psal 10. 3. and oft blesseth himself in his hearts desire he saith who seeth who can say black is mine eye They search out iniquity and accomplish a diligent search because the inward thought of every one of them and the heart is deep they say who shall see them Psal 64. 56. The evil Thoughts are the dark Cloister or the Chambers of Imagery wherein are to be seen the greater abominations There are Ezek. 8. strange forms of creeping things all abominable beasts and all the Idols of the world portrayd upon the wall As the heart of the godly one is a Well sealed so the wicked is as Solomons Whore a deep ditch and a narrow pit so deep as not to be sounded to the bottom so narrow as not to be lookt into as deep as Hell and as dark as Hell Bernard complained his heart was like that great deep in which are Reptilia sine numero how much more may it be said of the wicked his heart is the great deep in which are things creeping innumerable small and great beasts There go the greatest ships Psal 104. 25 26. and are no burden want no Sea-room there is the great Leviathan the greatest creature and monster in nature who doth play therein The great Sea is not more full of various creatures which harbours and fosters them all then the heart of sinfull thoughts Who can tell the number of creeping Lusts and crawling Corruptions There are the great beasts and small sins of all sorts some more hainous and horrid thoughts some more vain and frivolous and there is onely room for the great ships to ride and the great Leviathan to sport whom the lesser Rivers cannot receive so in the heart are the greatest and foulest of sins no where else to be bestowed And because the heart and thoughts are so deep and indiscernable to man he is apt to think they are so to God therefore do these Athiests in these close chambers of their Imagery say The Lord seeth us not the Lord hath forsaken the earth we are out of Ezek. 8. 12. and 14. 3. mens sight and Gods too Or otherwhile these hypocrites dare come into Gods sight with these Idols in their heart and take the boldnesse to inquire of him and pray to him as if he onely saw as man seeth and could not judge but by outward appearance nor search the heart And therefore you may observe throughout the Scripture those are
return to the place from whence he came and thou shalt certainly be delivered And if Solomon could in his wisdome and Justice discern whose the dead child was and give it to the right mother when she said divide it between us The Lord will certainly pronounce Satan the onely father of these hellish brats which thou dost disown though he would have them divided between thee and him CHAP. XI Of Politick thoughts HItherto I have given you a prospect and view of your enemies but you have seen onely the outside or utmost part of them There are many more companies yet undiscovered and more then I can reckon But you shall see severall troops more marching with their several colours Whereof the first is a desperate company of Poâ—itick subtle and irreligious thoughts a pack of as dangerous enemies as God and his Church hath ever had to do with whose designe is not by open force to assault but by Stratagems to undermine religion and blow up the Church and by killing the Heir to make themselves masters of his inheritance They are no mean ones they who are of this company but they are the Kings and Rulers of the world who do conceive these thoughts and appear in these designes against the Lord and his Sic nostri principes jam nihil aliud agunt quam ut sint malidicti a Deo Luther Our Princes make it their onely work to get the curse of God anointed And generally all the Grandees of the world do make it their businesse to Modell and subordinate religion to their own interest and State securing policy All the sheaves in the field and the Sun Moon and all the Stars in heaven too must stand up and do obeisance to this sheafe and if it be possible Pharaohs and the impostors rod must devoure Aarons rod and then the work is done Come let us deale wisely said Pharaoh subtilly and perfidiously Steven calls it Act. 7. 19. or we shall be foiled and overmastered This people must be kept down and brought under Jeroboam had his head full of these irreligious thoughts and projects a famous master of this piece of King-craft he made Israel sin and all the Kings of Israel yea he hath made all the Kings of Christendome and Potentates of the world to sin few or none to this day like Josiah turning to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul 2 Chron. 34. 2. not turning to the right hand nor to the left but though like Jehu and some others they 2 King 10. 31. have destroyed Baal and Popery yet from the sin of Jeroboam few or none have tutned away He said in his heart the text said 1 King 12. 26 27 28. this people will fall from me if I look not well about me to handle the matter wisely and moderately in matters of religion and worship of God Purity of religion settled and followed may secure a heavenly Kingdome but it hazzards thinkes he all earthly Crowns therefore he modells religion to the just temper of his interest and seekes out new Priests fit to match the temper of his religion and out must all that can not conform even all the sons of Levi the rightfull consecrated Priests And then seconded he is by all the people Tag and 2 Chr. 11. 14. Rag knowing no other religion and searching no other Bible but the mind and pleasure of their leader The King indeed sets up his Golden calves the meaner ones the calves of the people as they are cald had none such but the meanest of them that Psal 68. 30. 2 Chr. 13. 9. could bring a young Bullock or a Ram was sufficiently qualified and had enough They were inspired presently without any manner Ordination and deserved more countenance from Authority than those rigid Church-men the sons of Aaron But what came of it Did it not become sin to the House of Jeroboam to cut it off though 1 King 14. 34. he had such a notable head-piece as no man had a stronger and was noted to be of so active and industrious a spirit and had so cunningly wrought himself into the people till he was got into the saddle This is the design of Anti-Christ and is that great mystery of iniquity which is still at work in the great Ones of the world who think they have no other stone to square but that which is cut out of the mountain and then all is their own Let us break his bonds asunder Dan. 2. 45. Psal 2. 3. and cast his cords from us But hath not this alwaies proved a burdensome stone to those who have lifted at it This is indeed the Zach. 12. 3. Master-piece and grand Design of Satan himself who goeth not about to deny a God out and out but all he aimes at is to deprive God of his pure Worship He is not an enemy to Religion he wishes there were many more Religions in the world and would have all countenanced but the true one only That every people may walk after the way Mic. 4. 5. of his God and every person after the light of his Conscience as sometimes it hath been when Religion was wholly lost and buried in such a multitude and medley of religions Read 2 King 17. 29 30. 31 c. Oh how much is it to be lamented that a people who have had God so nigh unto them and have had such righteous lawes and statutes as no Nation in the world should be so fickle and unconstant When we may passe over all other Nations and they will not change their Gods or their religion that Israel should Jer. 2. 10 11. change their glory for that which cannot profit How quickly as Moses oft complained were Deut. 9. 12. 16. Israel turned aside Soon after the Tabernacle was set up in a manner they were contriving and imagining to alter religion and to rid themselves of God and his Impositions For I know their imaginations Deut. 31. 20 21. saith the Lord which this people imagine against me even now And after when they had had that famous Temple set up to which so many promises were made Solomons head was no sooner laid but they were desirous of a new form of Government and Religion too But it cost them dear it filled all with such Rents as never could be made up again Be wise therefore O ye Psal 2. 10. Kings and be warned you great ones of the earth Think not your house is to be built upon the ruines of Gods house The Philistines shouted once when they had taken the Ark as if it had been the greatest conquest they could have had But how long did it last 1 Sam. 5. and 6. chap. A sweeping plague followed and they had soon enough of it and were glad to return the Ark whence they had taken it and to rid their hands of it as fast as they could CHAP. XII Of grosse and superstitious
beleeveth there is a possibility that thou maiest beleeve though yet thou dost not or canst not Say I cannot beleeve if thou wilt Say not with Thomas I shall noâ— I will not beleeve yet didst thou so Jo. 20. 25. conclude thou mightest after come to cry out with highest rejoycings of assurance with him My Lord and my God Nay if Jo. 20. 28. thou art come to that to say there is no possibility in thee to be saved Are our impossibles impossible with God Our Saviour speaking of the difficulty of the salvation of some resolves and staies it upon Gods omnipotency With man this is impossible but with Mar. 10. 27. God all things are possible Hang therefore upon possibility to beget desires and on these desires till thou gettest hope on hope above or against hope till thou come to faith on faith till thou come to assurance Say I will look up to his holy temple I will Jonah 2. 4. look up to the mercy-seat and if I perish I will not perish with my hands in my bosome but I will repent mourn pray and when I have done my part the Lord do with me what he will I have read of one in despair whom Satan perswaded in was in vain to pray or serve God for he must certainly go to Hell who yet went to prayer and begged of God that if he must go to Hell when he died yet he would please to give him leave to serve him while he lived upon which his terrors vanished being clearly convinced none could pray that prayer that had sinned the sin against the Holy Ghost 5. Let me say to thee as Tamar to Amnon in another case This later evil in turning 2 Sam. 13. 16. mercy out of doors is worse then the former in abusing it and forcing it to serve thy lusts Both are nought this worse The sin of Cain despairing was worse then the killing his brother there he wronged Justice here mercy thereby he violated the law hereby he disparaged the Gospel thereby he set light by the bloud of his brother hereby of the bloud of a Saviour which crieth louder for better things then the bloud of Abel for vengeance we say the like of Judas despair Heb. 12. 24. it was a greater sin then the betraying of his Master Lastly If thou must have examples to encourage thee who sayest none was ever such a one as my self and pardoned consider what is written in Scripture Manasses was a man given over to all wickednesse an Idelater 2 Chron. 33. 3 4 5 6 7. Corrupter of Gods worship a man of bloud a consulter with familiar spirits the greatest contemner of the Prophets and commands of God that could be yet found mercy when he was humbled And Paul who had been before a persecutor and a blasphemer and injurious in the highest degree 1 Tim. 1. 13 14 15. to make him the greatest of sinners yet found mercy We could instance in some others of our own knowledge having many gracious experiences of that truth Where sin hath abounded grace hath more then abounded super abounded And where sin hath reigned as a tyrant Ro. 5. 20. 21. unto death and condemnation grace hath reigned as a gracious King unto eternall life in acts of pardon and mercy through Jesus Christ But I shall content my selfe to give thee one as sad an example as you shall ordinarily meet with out of Aretius a Godly and eminent Author speaking of the sin against the Holy Ghost I saw saith he and knew the man my self and it is no fained story There was saith he a Merchant at Strasbourgh whose whole lâ—fe was abominable for whordome Usury drunkennesse contempt of Gods word he spent his lfe in gaming and whoring to his old age at Aret. in Mat. 12. 32. last he came to reflect on himself and be sensible of the dreadfull judgments of God hanging over his head Then did his conscience so affright and the Devil accuse and terrifie him that he fell into open and down right desperation he confessed and yeelded himselfe to the Devil as being his he said the mercy and grace of God could not be so great as to pardon sins so great as his Then what horrour was upon him gnashing of death weeping wayling yea he would challenge Satan and wish the Devill would fetch him away to his destined torments he threw himselfe all along upon the ground refused both meat and drink had you seen him you could never have forgot him whâ—le you had lived you had seen the fullest pattern of a despairing person Yet saith after the many paines of Godly and learned men who came to him watched with him reasoned with him laid open the word and will of God and after many prayers publick and private put up for him at length he recovered and became truly penitent and having lived piously for certain years after he died peaceably Wherefore he concludeth it is not an easy matter to determine of any man sinning against the Holy Ghost and uncapeâ—ble of mercy so long as he yet liveâ— CHAP. XV. Of presumptuous thoughts BUT of the thoughts of presumption the world is more full It is that which first digged and opened the Pit of Hell now keepes it open at length will fill it up brim full This is Satans standard-bearer And of this we may safely say It was the first sin in the world The Original sin of the lapsing Angels who not content with their allotted station in so high glory thought it no robbery to be equal with God and having entertained such a presumptuous thought of a Dii erimus they aspired after it and were thrown into Hell with it so that their place is no more found in heaven nor any place for presumption there since But this their originall sin they soon propagated to mankind soon after falling Satan in the likenesse of a subtle serpent buzzing in their heads a Dii eritis ye shall be as Gods they Gen. 3. 5. neither regarding precept or threat to the contrary were soon tainted with it and were justly for their presumption cast out of Paradise But though it could find no place in Heaven or Paradise it hath overspread the whole world And this Dii eritis as one saith will never die but in every presumptuous sin or attempt or rising of heart there is a spice of it Dii sumus or Dii erimus we will be as Gods and as for the Lord every presumptuous sinner saith in his heart I know him not Ex. 5 3. Psal 12. 〈◊〉 Who shall be Lord over us And being bred in the flesh it will never be out of the bone as we say every one more or lesse tainted with it And there are presumptuous thoughts of two kinds we are subject unto Carnall and spirituall presumption 1. Carnall all are subject unto hence if we have an arm of flesh to trust in how apt Jer. 17. 5. are
we to swell and to depart from the living God And if we find our mountain to stand strong and lower springs of creature supplies to run fresh a David is too apt to say I shall never be moved Psal 30. 6. which causeth God to hide his face and turn our springs into bloud that we may learne to know on what ground we stand And ordinarily the men of the world if their riches increase they are apt to say I have a strong castle to secure me I may say to my soul thou hast goods enough Take thine ease eat drink and be merry I sit a Pro. 18. 11. Lu. 12. 19. Rev. 18. 7. Queen saith the whore in her pride and presumption I shall never see sorrow This presumption thrusts out gratitude So if any thing have been undertaken and succeeded how apt are we to attribute all to our selves and to sacrifice to our own net Habak 1. 16. and to say in the pride of our hearts with Nabuchadnezzar Is not this the Palace that Dan. 4. 30. I have built for the Glory of my Majesty c And with the Assirian to vaunt with the strength of my hand and with the sole of my foot have I done these things c. Which moves the Lord to pull down such Esay 10. 13. that they may learn to know that the heavens bear rule over the earth and there is a Dan. 4. 26. divine providence over-rules all humane affairs This presumption thrusts out dependance So again if any thing be to be done we are ready with David to say Go number the 2 Sam. 24. 2. people that I may know my strength we will send to Egypt and stay our selves on horses because they are many and on horsemen because they are strong but look not to the holy one of Esay 31. 1. Israel nor do we seek the Lord as the Prophet saith Thus presumption thrusts out faith and prayer Hence it is that the Lord often takes delight to wither the arm of flesh to blast our designes and deny the race to the swift Eccle. 9. 11. and the victory to the strong and sends us home mourning and well beaten for our pains as Israel once who would go up presumptuously in their own strength and took not God Num. 14. 44 45. along with them they were beaten home Deut. 1. 45. with shame then did they lament their folly And as the ten tribes who went against the wicked Benjamites in their own strength they were more then ten to one for number yet did they lose in two battels forty thousand and might have had more sad dayes if they had not been driven by Jud. 20. 21 25 and 26. compared their ill successe to seek God fast mourn and humble themselves Gods people are sometimes too strong in their own eye and too sure and too many for him to go along with and give salvation to ' as the Lord said once to Gideon God should have no more Jud. 7. 2. from such then he had from Herod who took the Dii eritis upon him and the vox dei The voice of God and not of man and became Ac. 12. a worm-eaten God for his paines a just recompence for a wormes affecting the honor of a God Or then he had from Pope Adrian the sixt who having caused a fair Colledge to be built caused this inscription to be set over the gates Trajectum plantavit Levanium rigavit Caesar dedit incrementum Utrecht planted me there he was born Lovaine watered me there he was bred up in learning and Caesar gave the encrease for he had preferr'd him to the Papacy to shew the folly and presumption of whom one wrote Hic Deus nihil fecit Here God had no hand in all said Luther Thus this presumption thrusts Gods honour out of the world Therefore doth the Lord warn his people to take heed of these presumptuous thoughts and speeches when their silver and gold is multiplied c. not to say in their hearts My hand hath got me this substance but thou shalt Deut. 8. 17 18. remember it is the Lord who giveth thee power to get this substance These presumptuous thoughts have been costly and dear thoughts to many a man who have paied full dear for them and by this presumption they have presumed themselves out of all and presumed themselves into misesery beggery infamy and disgrace The Lord walking constantly by that his just old rule to pull down the high hearts and looks and lay Psal 18. 27. Esa 2. 18. low the loftinesse of man and to exalt the humble and meek 2. Spirituall presumption Thoughts of this kind are more dangerous whereby many have presumed themselves into hell the proper place for it as we may see in a few instances 1. How many are there that will adventure their eternal salvation on this presumptuous reasoning If I be Elected I shall be Saved however I live if not all holinesse and endeavours are in vain But doth Election destroy or establish meanes You will not reason thus God hath decreed there shall be Seed-time and Harvest while the world standeth therefore we need not plow or sow or if thy house were on fire and thou in thy bed thou wouldest not say if God have a purpose to stay the fire I need not cry out or stir out of my bed but thou wilt find a tongue to call hands and feet to stirre and hast thou no hands nor feet nor cries nor prayers nor teares to escape Hell Faith sees a sweet consonancy between decrees and promises precepts threats and means Presumption is not content to oppose Heaven it self but would set all Heaven in a flame making variance between decree and decree as of salvation and sanctification both decreed simultaneously and at once 2 Thes 2. 13. between decrees and promises decrees and precepts c. 2. Many are apt to presume on salvation relying totally and solely on Gods mercy as they think which is indeed the onely refuge of Saints but not in way of duty and holy fear departing from sin and they think they give much glory to God by relying on his mercy so much as they do but the Lord abhors this presumption When wicked men say I shall have peace though I walk after the Imagination of my heart adding drunkennesse to thirst The Lord saith he will not spare such but his anger and jealousie shall smoak against that man c. Deut. 29. 19 20. So Micah 3. 10 11 12. They build up Sion with bloud and Jerusalem with iniquity the heads thereof judge for reward and the Priests thereof teach for hire and the Prophets thereof divine for money yet will they lean upon the Lord and say Is not the Lord amongst us none evil shall come upon us Therefore shall Zion for their sake be plowed like a field and Jerusalem become heaps and the mountain of the house as the high
care is 1 Cor. 7. 32. This Câ—refullnesse is evil 1. When Inordinate 2. When Immoderate 1. When Inordinate when we care for the body more then the soul when more for what we shall eat drink and how we shall live then how we shall be saved When we are more carefull of our own things then of the things of the Lord When we take more care to double our state and stock then to double our Talent These are Inordinate Cares 2. When Immoderate Luke 21. 34. Take heed your hearts be not overcharged with surfeiting and drunkennesse and cares of this life Our Saviour ranks immoderate care with immoderate eating and drinking Eating is good and drinking good and necessary when with moderation so of care we may say Modicum non nocet But immoderate eating is surfeiting and immoderate drinking is drunkennesse and immoderate care is as bad as either And Immoderate they are 1. When Solicitudo est aegritudo animi cum cogitatione Tully the heart is oppressed and overloaden with them In that place last named Luke 21. 34. First Let not them come near your heart Secondly Let not your heart have more than you can well bear a little meat and drink lightens and refresheth the body so moderate care is good but when one hath loaded his stomack with meat and hath more drink than he can bear What is he fit for so is the man overloaden with cares 2. When they distract and divide the mind hinder our close and individed cleaving to the Lord 1 Cor. 7. 35. And when they get between God and us that his service is neglected The farm oxen marchandise and family businesses following marririage take up the man that he hath no leisure to attend matters of soul-concernment 3. When they are distrustful cares tending to damp Faith and to weaken duties but so much care as sets Faith and prayer awork are good cares Melanchthon said his cares taught him to pray Si non curarem non orarem No care no prayer A due measure of care to the soul is like water to the mill so much as drives it about doth well but when flouds of water come down so great that they cannot passe that the Mill stands with a back water it is ill so when care drives prayer about it is well when it makes prayer stand still it is ill 4. When they are extended beyond their bounds Care is but for the present as the Manna for the day if it be kept till the morrow it stinketh Care not for the future Let the morrow care for it self Mat. 6. 34. The evil of them appeareth 1. In their Causes 2. Properties 3. Effects 1. The chief Causes and Roots whence they spring are 1. Diffidence and distrust or ignorance of the Care and Providence of God whence such say Care I must for I have none to care for me They consider not Gods care of them therefore cry out as they Mar. 4. 38. Carest thou not we perish So Luke 10. 41. Carest thou not that I am left alone to look after all Where our care ends Gods begins and when we think his ends there must ours needs begin 2. They spring from an Over-high and false opinion of some Excellency in outward things The â—ich mans riches are his Castle men are apt to think had they so much they might then sing a Requiem to their souls and then they were out of the fear of Evil Hab. 2. 9. 2. Their Properties are evill 1. Because senselesse absurd and irrationall We take Gods work out of his hand where it is much better 1 Pet. 5. 7. As if a Child of seven years age should say to his Father let me mannage the businesse of the Family Poor Child Thy shoulders are not for such burthens 2. They are needlesse your heavenly Father doth it for you Mat. 6. 3. Fruitlesse you cannot with all your care and skill add a cue or doit to your state or a cubit or inch to your stature Mat. 6. 27. 4. Endlesse Life hath an end and Riches have an end onely Cares have no end The rich man had as many cares when his riches increased most as when he had lesse The ten thousand pound man hath more cares then the ten pound man Eccl. 4. 8. There is one alone and there is not a second yea he hath neither child nor brother yet is there no end of all his labour nor is his eye satisfyed with riches neither saith he for whom do I labour and bereave my soul of good This is Vanity and a sore evil Unus Pellaeo juveni non sufficit Orbis All the World can stand in a mans heart and he desire never the lesse 5. They are easelesse and restlesse breaking the sleep Eccles 5. 12. They cause a continual head-ach or heart-ach or are like those wormes bred in children which gnaw and torture them make them lose their fresh colour look like earth smell like earth they start in their sleep and rest unquietly Old age is more troubled with these wormes than childhood with the former and more die of these than of them 6. But they are not faultlesse and sinlesse for consider the Effects 1. What a strange alteration they make in man 1. They turn man into a clod or stone as some springs and grounds turn wood into stone These cares turn man into stone so was Nabal 2. They turn man into a serpent who lives on the dust goeth on his belly and cleaveth to the ground these bring the serpents curse on the soul 3. Turns a Christian into an heathen Mat. 6. 32. after these things the heathens seek and if you take not heed will turn thy family into an heathen family where is no care of the worship and service of God 4. At best turn a Christian into a Meteor Luke 12. 29. Who hangs between heaven and earth and is never like to get higher He hath somewhat of heaven in his Conscience more of earth in his Affection therefore at last fals down to earth in his Conversation Earth being the predominate part 2. These destroy the life of Faith and love whereby we should cleave to God without distraction 1 Cor. 7. 35. 3. These keep from duties Luke 14. The farm and merchandize keep from the Lords supper The great husband hath devoured the good Christian 4. These distract in duty Martha could not stay by it when our Saviour was speaking Luke 10. 42. These hinder our attending on a duty and watching in it 5. These choak Grace and all good motions Mat. 13. as the thornes choak the seed The mines of gold and silver are noted to be in the barrenest earth where these cares are there is greatest barrennesse of grace The Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Saint signifies an unearthly man therefore as some observe 6. These keep out and banish Soul-peace Phil. 4. 6 7. Be carefull for nothing c. And the peace of God which passeth understanding shall guarde your
hearts The peace of God and evidence of his love and assurance of salvation was never yet given nor shall be to an earth-worm whose heart is eaten up with worldly cares This hidden Manna is onely put into a golden not earthen pot 7. These ever unfit for death Luke 21. 34. Let not your hearts be overcharged with surfeting and drunkennesse and cares of this life least that day overtake you as a snare As one being drunken or one sick of a surfet is unfit for work or in an ill case to die such is the man of cares at all times Death comes to him as a snare Either he dies suddenly before he expects as Luke 12. That rich fool died suddenly or he ever dies unpreparedly which is worse Nabal died not 1 Sam. 25. 37 38. suddenly but though he lay ten dayes sick he died unpreparedly he lay like a block or stone and died miserably Before his death earth was turned into earth and before his buriall his heart was covered with a stone As Archimedes was busie in drawing his lines when the City was taken and he knockt down before he knew who hurt him So doth the Rich man fade away in his waies he Jam. 1. 11. Jer. 17. 11. dies in the midst of his dayes and in the midst of his buildings and businesses and in the end shall be a fool That is all his Monument Dives vixit stultus obiit He gathered wealth but died a fool But because we are all so subject to these thoughts and hardly perswaded out of them they have so much to say for themselves I shall 1. Remove the objections by which they are upheld 2. Prescribe certain remedies Obj. Oh but yet the world is hard and it is not Talk will pay Rent Taxes bring the Year about we must take care Ans Use a moderate providentiall carefulnesse in Gods name and spare not but then commit thy way to God 2. Is the world hard and is not thy heart harder in which all the world is crouded Eccl. 3. 11. It is this makes thee so full of cares 3. And is not heaven hard too why hast thou not some more such cares here quit thy self as a man offer violence As the worldling hath the world set in his heart so hath the godly heaven set in his heart therefore his cares thoughts and discourse are all of heaven Obj. But I am poor and this doctrine is for the Rich they need not I must care Ans Say with David Psal 40. 17. I am poor and needy yet the Lord thinketh on me The Lord provideth for the poor 2. The rich and poor meet together the Lord is the maker and careth for both Prov. 22. 2. Obj. A poor widow God help me and full of cares Ans The Lord cals himself The God of the Widow Psal 68. 5. hath an especiall care and gives speciall charge about them Exod. 22. 22 23 24. In the time of famine Elias the Prophet was sent onely to a Widow to relieve her Ob. But I have a many fatherlesse Children Ans Psal 68. 5. The Lord is the Father of the fatherlesse and Jer. 49. 11. he bids thee leave thy fatherlesse children with him and be they many of few cannot God provide for many as well as few Num. 11. Must it be marvelous in Gods eyes because it is marvelous in ours Ob. I have but a little left I have lived to make a hand of all R. Yet may the Lord give his blessing to that little in the Cruse that it may suffice to bring thee to thy journeyes end Ob. But which is worse I am in debt too Ans Yet distrust not but make thy case known to God by supplication and prayer and to the people of God as did that poor widow of the Godly Prophet 2 Kings 4. 1 2. Who was left in straites yet not left in her straites Distressed not forsaken Ob. I am a poor servant Ans So was Joseph formerly God setteth up the poor from the dunghill and maketh them Princes Better is the poor servant at the last then the Prince born and will not change states with him Out of poverty he comes to rise whereas he that is born to a Kingdom comes to poverty Eccles 4. 13 14. Ob. But I have nothing in the world to begin the world withall R. Yet a diligent hand and depending Prov. 10. 5. Gen. 32. 10. heart may make rich Jacob went out with his staffe in his hand and returned full of Cattel and stock and store of riches how many men at present and in former times have risen to the greatest States and highest Honours in the City that came hither in leathren breeches and clouted shoes like Gibeonites that have afterwards like Mordecai changed their sackcloth into blue and purple and scarlet and chaines of gold Ob. But if I had a little more I should then be content Ans Thou hast a deceitfull heart of thine own which will never be content 2. Didst thou never say so before when thou wast little in thine own eyes that if God would give so much as now thou hast thou wouldest aske no more 3. Crescit amor nummi quantum ipsa pecunia crescit He that loveth silver shall never be satisfied with silver Eccle. 5. 11 12. The desires are enlarged as hell Hab. 2. why was not he content of whom Solomon speakes Eccle. 4. 8. who had neither son nor brother no end of riches and yet no end of his labours Obj. The most plausible plea of all is had I more I might do more good Ans Thou mightest do more haply but wouldest do lesse The heart and the price never meet in a fooles hand will and power seldome in a wise mans What good did he Eccle. 4. 8. or he in Luk. 12. Few rich men rich in grace or good workes The lower vines give sweeter fruites then the higher cedars The lower vallies are alway more fruitfull then the loftier hills The lesser springs and brookes yeeld many a wholsomer draught then the swelling ocean Twelve pence comes more hardly out of the bag full cramd then five shillings out of a bag half empty The poor widow gave more then all the rich The rich have more the poor love more They spend more wastfully These give more cheerfully The 1 King 17. poor widow could find in her heart to give a bit of her last peece of bread to the Prophet in a time of extream famine and could spare it out of her own belly rather then he should want when that rich miser 1 Sam. 25. Nabal who knew no end of his riches could not part with bread or cheese to David in a time of plenty and in a day of feasting In our late collections for the distresâ—ed Protestants in Piedmont it was observed the rich Aldermens fellows came not off so liberally in their contributions as some meaner Godly persons 2. For remedies 1. Study beleeve and rely upon Gods
all-sufficient all-disposing providence who cares for all sets all our bounds counts the haires of our head regards the Sparrows Ravens Lillies much more his servants 2. Study his fatherhood and the sweetnesse of paternall affections what parents if not worse then infidells or beasts do not provide for their owne and shall not God for his family yea he that keeps so full a house for every servant will not see his children want He that feedes the ravens that cry will not starve the doves that mourn he that feedeth the roaring Lion will not starve the gentle Lamb. His Providentiall care is great his Paternall love sweeter 3. Study such promises as those 1. Pet. 5. 7. Heb. 13. 5. Psal 34. 9. 10. 4. Thou must pray down cares Phil. 4. 6. You cannot reason them down they will up again nor can you sing care away drink it away play it away it will come again in a worse dresse of poverty executions c. but pray it away and thou wilt get the victory 5. By soul cares make a diversion of worldly cares Mat. 6. 33. Seek the kingdome of God and you will not want employment Joh. 6. 27. Labor for that meat that endureth to eternall life as we stop bleeding by opening a vain to divert the blood turn the stream of thy cares another way and they will trouble thee lesse 6. Reckon thy self married to the Lord not to the world 1 Cor. 7. 34. Therefore care for the things of the Lord. 7. Consider the instability and emptinesse of these things and let not thy heart out upon them a joy love care skin-deep is enough let them not be heart-deep rejoyce as not rejoycing mourn as not mourning and use the world as not abusing it for the fashion and scheme of all this world is passing away 8. Consider thy life consists not in the abundance of the things which thou possessest Luk. 12. 15. 1. Not life it self for such must dye the man that leaves his ten thousands dies as soon as he that never saw ten pounds 2. Nor the comfort of his life the poor man hath as contented a meale of his dish of herbes and fetcheth as sweet a sleep on his hard bed as the rich with his dainty cates and bed of down The rich hath more cramps gout diseases and heart tormenting cares envies and discontents then the poor 3. Nor the safety of this life but they expose to more dangers the rich are set upon robbed and plundered when poor escape The King and Nobles were all carried captive when the poor were left behind The noble man and great man is oft secured Jer. 39. 10. and laied up in a Prison when the poor man breathes in a freer air 4. Least of all eternall life out of which if riches do not exclude yet love care and trust in riches do ever exclude Mar. 10. 24. And if this be all the good in these goods who would not say Horum ego tum optarem pauperrimus esse boâ—orum Pius Quintus said when he was an ordinary Preist he had good hopes of salvation when he was promoted to a Cardinall he became full of feares But when he was made Pope he even despaired CHAP. XVIII Of carnall thoughts BEsides these there are a many Carnall thoughts to be taken notice of Dangerous thoughts Carnall thoughts of God of his word worship and all his wayes These the naturall man is made up of and they are the best thoughts he hath or can have till he have another heart and become a spirituall person He savoureth the things of the flesh Ro. 8. 5. 1 Cor. 2. 14. He understandeth not doth not receive perceive or rellish any thing that is spirituall The wisdome of God is foolishnesse with such How contemptuously may you often heare such speak of divine things of the spirit of the new birth of praying by the spirit living in the spirit being in the spirit walking after the spirit How grosly do they conceive of many truths and duties laid down in Scripture Regeneration they know not what it is if it be not Baptisme feeding on Christ they know no other but either Carnall or Sacramentall Oh what strangers are they to the life of God to the life of faith to Union with Christ to the power of Eph. 4. 18. Ro. 8. 6. Godlinesse But to be carnally minded the Apostle saith is death hadst thou no other sins To be carnally minded is death They that are in the flesh cannot please God Ro. 8. 8. They may be in their Generations wise in their carriage unblamable for naturall endowments acquired skill and abilities in Arts Tongues Trades State-pollicy yea for humanity and the Theory of divinity they may be eminent yet their hearts thoughts and temper of spirit being carnal they perish in the midst of all as Zimri onely 1 King 16. 18. having the honor to burn in the house of a King and in the midst of Royall houshold-stuffe and may cry out as Nero Quantus Artifex Pereo How great naturalists How great Artists do we perish CHAP. XIX Of doubtfull distrustfull and fearfull thoughts IN the next place because I now and I suppose thou also grow weary of these evill thoughts and would fain rid my hands and heart of them I shall crowd two or three companies of them into this and the next chapter that we may the sooner have done with them And oh that I could as soon leave thinking as I can speaking of them and as well throw them by out of my heart as I can this pen or thou canst this Book out of thy hand But where there is so much carrion there will be crowes and where so much dung there will be Scarabees Jericho was once so close shut up they made account that none should go out none come in yet did there Josh 5. 1. Spies get in lodge and go out after that sought the destruction of the City that harboured them and were never perceived It is so with thee and mee 1. There are a crue of doubtfull thoughts that oft pester the mind cloud the understanding weaken faith damp hope deaden prayer destroy dependance delight and joy in God Doubts about self our state our duty about God his word his love his presence his care Yea about every thing May I beleeve in God may I adventure on such a promise may I pray may I expect an answer if I pray This doubting makes a Doating Christian Gird up thy Loines Aske in faith waver Jam. 1. 6. Mat. 21 22. not and fear noâ— whatsoever ye ask in prayer beleeving ye shall receive But he that wavereth and doubteth will never come to any stability but is like the waves of the Sea driven up and down by reason of their lightnesse and mobility at the pleasure of every blast 2. Distrustfull thoughts and unbeleeving are like the former whereby we are apt to call every thing in question Gods providence presence care
conqueror is he who hath overcome himselfe and the first conquest of self is when Reason hath conquered sense and bruitish Appetite this is the Morall mans conquest the highest that the Heathen could go The second is when conscience hath subdued reason this the conquest of the Christian But there is a Third which is the highest pitch of Christianity when the word and the knowledge of Christ have subdued sense reason and conscience Then is soule body sense reason will conscience all made an Holocaust and presented to God to be an acceptable sacrifice and a reasonable service Reason unsanctified is a blind guide that leades the soule into a thousand bywayes among a thousand Precipices The Athenians reason disputed away the Resurrection The Arminians disputes away the Grace of God The Socinian disputes away the Deity of Christ The Papist the merits of Christ Justification by faith and the second command of the Decalogue In short let reason rule the matter and we shall have never a command left in the Decalogue and never an Article left in the Creed Therefore the Gospel hath ever been troubled more with Scollars then with other men And the Lord hath ever found more to do with the wise then the babe and simple one Mat. 11. 25. It is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The wisdome of the flesh which is enmity to God Ro. 8. 7. and it is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not the foolishnesse but the wisdome of the world 1. Cor 3. 19. which is folly with God Solomon saith the foolishnesse of fooles is folly that is with men Pro. 14. 24. But the Apostle saith the wisdom of the wise is folly with God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ‑ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 1. 19. Yea 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ro. 1. 21. Their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The wise the scribe the Sophy the Prudent The man who is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 animalis all soul and 1. Cor. 3. 19. reason yea their understanding ratiocinations 1. Cor. 2. 14. craftinesse are all nothing but plain foollishnesse or enmity and opposition to God He cannot take things upon trust by an Implicite faith from God as the beleever doth who beleeveth not because things promised are agreeable to reason or probable or possible but because the Lord hath said it Nor can he obey God with blind obedience as Abraham did who knew not whether God would call him and faith and obedience would carry him but he went when the Heb. 11. 8. Lord commanded not knowing whither he went but he was sure he was in the way of faith and obedience 2. And if reasonings be so bad what shall we say to such thoughts as are without reason Brutish childish foolish irrational Among the evils found in the heart foolishnesse is one mentioned by our Saviour Mar. 7. 22. And the disease of the Gentiles Rom. 1. 21. was a foolish heart a darkened understanding full of vain imaginations If it be the weaknesse of childhood to have much folly bound up in the heart needing the rod of correction to drive it out what a shame is it for those who are past children to have folly and madnesse bound up in the heart which no rod of correction or words of instruction can drive out Bewaile thy vain frivolous fruitlesse childish and unsavoury thoughts Domitian the Emperor would pretend to be serious sometimes and therefore must be private but they who stood at the door could peep in and spy him running after flies to catch them which begat that answer who is within with the Emperor in his private chamber ne musca quidem no body not so much as a fly Oh if our hearts were looked into often might not we be found as Idle in our imaginations catching flies weaving cobwebs and if it were asked who is within in our hearts we might answer no body not a thought worth a fly The Scripture brands all the wise men of the world for a pack of fooles and scores up their wisdome for stark foolishnesse as I said before 1 Cor. 3. 19. and if the wisdome of the wise be folly what is the foolishnesse of the fooles but folly in graine Every man is brutish in his knowledge Jer. 10. 14. and 51. 17. What is he then beneath a bruit in his Ignorance or inconsideratenesse Holy and wise Agur bewailes his own brutishnesse Pro. 30. 2 3. Surely I am more brutish than a man and have not the understanding of a man I have neither learned wisdome nor have the knowledge of the holy Oh what cause have most men with blushing and shame to bewail the silliness and unsavourinesse of multitudes of our thoughts day after day 3. What shall we do with a company of Wild wandring Impertinent thoughts wild wandering impertinent thoughts where shall we commit and shut up those vagabonds or how shall we shut them out rather The prisoners are too many for the keepers as at the battle of Agincourt it was with the English we have not bands nor fetters enough to hold them Let them go as they come stay them not what wild wandring thoughts have we in hearing wanderings in meditation when most serious wanderings even in prayer and while we are looking here and there after this and that vain thought the man is lost as it was in the Prophets parable The heart which we are charged with to keep with all 1 King 20. 40. keeping is lost in the croud and we know not where to seek it Wee might adde to these vain thoughts but of them we shall speak under the third head hereafter and of sinfull unadvised passionate wishes as that a Jonah would I Jon. 4. were dead or that of Israel would God we had died in Egypt would God we had died in the wildernesse This was their old note upon any discontent and their rash wishes Num. 14. 2. 28. came home to them to their cost These were not like those serious and humble and pious and charitable wishes that you find in others of the Saints as Num. 11. 29. Josh 7. 7. Psal 119. 5. Act. 26. 29. But I shall onely adde one short chapter of the hypocritical thought and so conclude this first head of evil thoughts relating to God CHAP. XXI The hypocriticall thought LAstly we may not forget the hypocriticall thought which makes the heart as bad as any other What are we better if we have not Atheisticall Blasphemous or hard thoughts of God if we have low base and dishonorable thoughts not glorifying him as God an heart searching omniscient God There is no greater abomination in the eyes of God no greater reproach to the Church and no stranger monster in the world then the hypocrite is In face and speech he is an Angel in heart and life a devill hath a head of Gold feet of clay and heart of dirt He is a
him who watched for his halting saying peradventure he will be enticed and we shall prevaile against him and then we shall take our revenge on him Such Josephs brethrens curtesie to him This is to Gen. 37. be totally contrary to God whose thoughts are onely thoughts of peace not of evil though he never want power to punish and we never cease to give him too much provocation This is to be wholly conformed to Satan who though he alway strikes not yet waits like a roaring lyon when to destroy The wicked plotteth against the righteous and seeketh to slay him Psal 37. 7. If our thoughts are not so black and Uncompassionate thoughts bloudy as these forenamed yet may we be to blame by unsensible unsympathizing and uncompassionate thoughts If we do not mourn with those that mourn and weep for Ro. 12. 15. Am 4. 6. Psal 109. 16. Col. 3. 12. the afflictions of Joseph What direfull imprecations doth David pour out against his adversaries because they remembred not to shew mercy c. Put on saith the Apostle as the elect of God bowells of mercies kindnesse c. 8. Lastly to make hast out of this Sodom we may take notice of a Company of Vile wishes and risings up of heart against our neighbour ready to break forth into open execrations curses and imprecations But there they lie muttering and murmuring like a company of young adders in their den which though they yet sting and poison not they keep a hissing and put out their tongues that you may know whose breed they are and what they would do had they more power These are all breaches of the royall law of love which bids us blesse but curse not forbids gruding Le. 19. 18. Jam. 5. 9. murmuring whispering swelling yea once wishing ill to thy neighbours soul but to love him perfectly as thou dost thy selfe 2 Cor. 12. 20. Job 31. 30. Thus have we done with the two first woes the third is at the door and having past the Lion and the Bear shall now shew you the Philistin who presents himself in the next chapter CHAP. XXIIII Of the evil thoughts which concern and respect our selves HERE are we come to smite at Hidras third head and have brought you into the third region of thoughts nothing purer ayr then the two former never a barrell better herring as we say or into the third Story of the chambers of Imagery where you wil see if you view as unclean and deformed portraitures as any yet These are the Penetralia or oracle The pollutum pollutorum I dare not say Sanctum Sanctorum of Satans temple which when you enter you may well think you are entering into Jeremies nasty Prison and Dungeon full of dark Cabbins and Cells yet not so Jer. 37. 16. and 38. 6. much as a drop of water to drink but filthy mire in which he sunk and stuck fast The evil thoughts respecting our selves onely A great Room and spacious this to walk in but within many closets or chambers in a chamber as the Scripture phrase is a 1 King 22. 25. great wheele it is in which many wheeles may be discerned wheel within wheele A chest of Drawers or case of Boxes I may in this case compare our naughty heart to once begin to open it you think you shall never have an end you discover more and yet more receptacles and holes and unsuspected hiding places and which is worst of all such stuffe the evil treasure of the heart hid there as none would imagine For example 1. A pack of Impure unchast unclean Impure Thoughts thoughts Speculative adultery fornication incest c. whereby the mind is as much defiled as the body is by the externall act The mill sometimes sets it selfe a fire not being looked to and having no corn to grind and a man is sometimes burnt up of his own lusts by the agitation and motion of the thoughts at work on themselves for want of better employment These evil thoughts are Sodoms suburbs linger not but hast and escape for thy life look not back upon them least thou be burnt in their flame Certainly many are guilty of murder before God who never toucht their neighbours life and of adultery who never stained anothers chastity Oh what hast thou to answer for a world of impure thoughts whereby the bed of thy heart which should be kept as the chast spouse of Christ is defiled when the bed of others is not defiled The Scripture speakes of eyes full of adultery and of adultery in the 2 Pet. 2. 14. Mat. 5. 28. Job 31. 1. heart We must make Jobs covenant with our eyes and with our thoughts not to think of a woman as he saith in an evil sense Fence thine eyes and thou halfe guardest thy heart quench thy sparkling thoughts and the fire out The evil thought is hells burning Objectis ventos foribus clansisque fenestris Est etiam tota mos prohibere domo Ast aures oculique hae sunt utriaque decebat Quas satanae clausas opposuisse fores Bez. Epigr. glasse which sets on fire the whole course of corrupt nature And the eyes and eares saith Beza are as well to be shut against Satans temptations as we shut the doors and casements of the house to keep out the wind and weather 2. Next to these unclean self-defiling thoughts we may rank ambitious self-exalting thoughts which are self-defiling and self-destroying too for the most part such as were in old Lucifer who said in his heart I will ascend into heaven I will exalt my throne Esa 14. 13. above the stars of God c. Such as were in the old vaunting Assyrian Are not my Princes altogether Kings Shall I not do to Jerusalem as to Samaria and her Idolls Desert not me to trust in God for what Es 36. 15. 18. God can deliver out of my hand but let Hezekiah and all desert God and put their trust in me It was time for the Lord to put a hook into his nostrills Such or worse was Simon Magus who must needs be some great one in the world though he compact with Satan and give a soul for vain glory He said with Saul honour me before the people and call me what you will let me be reprobate and rejected of God that is not it which troubles me Occidar modo imperet as Nero's mother said of him let me or my child rise to greatnesse though I dye and damne for it And there are other ambitious thoughts in spirituall things as much to be avoided Magus his spirituall pride and hypocrisie made him two fold more a child of hell then when he was a wizard He was before a child of darknesse now he is an Angell of light he would before have been some body in the world now is he covetous earnestly of spirituall gifts and seeks to be some eminent luminary and light in the Church a new Apostle at
To rejoyce in the Lord this is saintly heavenly yea Angelicall or divine joy This is ever to be desired ever to be practised no time unseasonable no measure too great Rejoyce in the Lord alway and again I say rejoyce Phil. 4. 4. Do it and do it again do it as much as thou canst and do it yet more we often exceed in other joy we alway fall short here The people of God have alwaies matter of joy in whatever condition they be they are all sons of consolation joy is their new birth-right others have their furtiva gaudia stollen joyes as stollen waters and stollen bread These have gaudia concessa allowed and priviledged joyes 1. They have joy in the spring joy in God Rom. 5. 11. joy in Jesus Christ Phil. 3. 3. joy in the holy Ghost Rom. 14. 17. a joy that for its nature is unknown to others Pro. 14. 10. for its measure is full Joh. 16. 24. for its kind Glorious 1 Pet. 1. 8. for its sweetnesse unspeakable ibid. for its duration none can take it away Joh. 16. 22. 2. Joy in the stream joy in Election Luk. 10. 20. Rejoyce that your names are written in the book of life joy in their Vocation as Zacheus Luk. 19. 6. in their Conversion as the Jaylor Act. 16. 34. in their Baptisme as the Eunuch Act. 6. 39. joy in accepting their persons Eccles 9. 7. joy in pardoning their sins Mat. 9. 2. joy in the Word Jer. 15. 16. 1 Thes 1. 6. joy in the Worship of God Esa 56. 7. joy in their present portion and possession Mat. 13. 44. joy much more in their reversion and future expectation Rom. 5. 2. 3. They have matter of rejoycing in themselves Gal. 6. 4. joy in their Consciences 2 Cor. 1. 12. joy in their graces joy of faith Phil. 1. 25. joy of hope rejoycing in hope Rom. 12. 12. joyfull in duties sing and rejoyce Psal 95. 1. pray and rejoyce 1 Thes 5. 16. 17. joy in their beds Psal 149. 5. joy at board Act. 2. 46. joy in affliction 1 Thes 1. 6. rejoyce in tribulation Rom. 5. 3. joy in temptation Jam. 1. 2. joy in persecution Matthew 5. 12. joy in losses and spoil of their goods Heb. 10. 34. joy in smartest sufferings and disgraces Acts 5. 41. In a word joy in life the joy of God Christ cals it his joy John 17. 13. entring into them in its measure joy in death they entring into the joy of God above all measure and joy at Mat. 15. 21. the dreadful day of judgment when all other joy shall be turned into mourning 1 Pet. 4. 13. Oh happy portion Happy art thou Oh Israel Deut. 33. 29. Who is like unto thee oh people saved by the Lord the shield of thy help and who is the sword of thy excellency And thine enemies shall be found liars and submit themselves to thee and thou shalt tread upon their high places as Moses said in his farewell to Israel To conclude this delightful point as it was the care of Solomon by his wisdom and peaceful Reign â—o provide and the happinesse of all his people in his daies that Judah and Israel were as the sand of the Sea 1 King 4. 20 25. they dwelt securely eating drinking and making merry So it is the care and desire of Christ Jesus and he hath made provision for his people that they may live under him at as much hearts ease Eating their own bread with gladnesse and singlenesse of heart praising God and having favour with all the people Acts 2. 46 47. The one was the happiest time that ever Israel had under the old Testament the other the happiest daies that ever the Christian Church had under the New Testament And if we desire the one for the state we should also as much desire the other for the Church And of this sight I may say Ecce quam bonum quam jucundum Behold how good and pleasant a sight it is to see a Christian good and pleasant 4. But I must leave this pleasing discourse and change my note and tell you of another mirth that is evil sinfull and dangerous which I therefore call mad and unsavoury mirth And this is the rejoycing which Saint James saith is not good a Laughter Jam. 4. 16. Prov. 14. 13. Jam. 4. 9. that ends in mourning a Laughter to be changed into mourning There is a Vae gaudentibus a sad hand-writing upon the wall woe to you that laugh now Luke 6. 25. And this is either sensual Epicurean and brutish joy Ede bibe lude the hope and portion of the wicked worldling whose belly is his God who saith to his soul take thine ease eat drink be merry Luke 12. 19. Amos 6. 1. Woe to them that are at ease in Sion that lie upon beds of ivory that chant to the sound of the viol they drink wine in bowles c. 2. Or Impious and Atheistical mirth as theirs Esay 22. 12. When God cals to fasting weeping and mourning behold joy and gladnesse slaying oxen and killing sheep with this desparate resolution Let us eat and drink drink away sorrow for to morrow we shall die 3. There is another worse then this a diabolical and hellish mirth To rejoyce to do evil themselves and delight in the frowardnesse of others Prov. 2. 14. to whom it is meat and drink to do mischief as is said in another place they sleep not except they have done mischief for they eat the bread of wickednesse and drink the wine of violence Prov. 4. 16 Prov. 14. 9. 17. who make a mock of sinne and it is a sport Veluti ridere matter of Laughter so Arias Montanus renders it to do mischief Proverbs 10. 23. 4. There is a Low light aiery frothy and Vain mirth flashy mirth an Indicium of a vain and light heart unballasted with gravity and piety with men commended with God condemned Such can rejoyce in a thing of nought Amos 6. 13. and live as if sent into the world as Leviathan into the seas to take his pastime Psal 104. 26. therein And whose life at best is what Sampsons was at worst to make sport to Judg. 16. 25. their company but had not his eyes been out he had never made them such sport as ended in his own and their destruction and hadst thou thine eyes thou wouldest never do the like Sporting thy self in thy own deceivings 2 Pet. 2. 13. There are two sights Satan is much pleased to behold To see a Godly man sad and a wicked man merry and all his art is used to keep them so To the wicked he saith in the worlds salutation sit you merry And to the Godly he saith why are not thou more sad And as he hath his temptations for every temper so his watch-word is to the wicked as Absaloms concerning Amnon Mark when his heart is merry then strike him 2 Sam. 13. 28. With the Godly he deales
as Amalek with Israel strikes them when down and feeble or as Simeon and Levi to the men Deut. 25. 18. of Schechem came upon them when they were Gen. 34. 25. sore and slew them These two are Satans greatest Stratagems and chief supporters of his kingdome but he prevails more by mirth then mourning He saith of his jests and mirth as prophanely Leo the Tenth said quantum nobis profuit ista fabula How much have these fables toyes and jests promoted our Kingdome Therefore is a godly man more afraid of mirth than mourning He saith of laughter what dost thou mean and of mirth art thou not madnesse and have I any need of madnesse or Religion of mad men as once Achish said 1 Sam. 21. 15. Job was never so much afraid least his children should forget themselves and dishonour God as when merry together Job 1. 5. It is noted of the Wise His heart is in the house of mourning but the Fooles in the house of laughter Eccl. 7. 4. and that of the two mourning is better than rejoycing for if it mar the countenance it mends the heart By the sadnesse of the countenance the heart is made better Eccl. 7. 3. The fool is said to be known by his much Eccl. 10. 14. Pro. 10. 19. talk and much laughter and in much of these is much of sin A moderation in both is like a Modicum of Hony very good but too much Pro. 24. 13. 25. 26. 17. hony is not good It is noted of the wicked They spend their days in mirth and in a moment go down to hell Job 21. 13. Their lives are Comicall their death Tragicall Hell is full of mirth carnall mirth and Heaven of mourners spirituall mourners Therefore saith the Prophe◠Esay 5. 12. 14. Hell hath enlarged her self and opened her mouth wide without measure and their glory and their multitude and their pomp and he that rejoyceth shall descend into it Such as have the harp the Viol the Tabret and Pipe and Wine in their feasts but regard not the work of the Lord neither consider the operation of his hands Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth and have been wanton saith S. James you have cherished your hearts as in a day of slaughter Jam. 5. 5. Therefore check thy self in thy foolish mirth with looking on that sad hand writing of Christ on the wall on the one hand Vae ridentibus Woe to you that now laugh for you shal mourn and weep Luke 6. 25. And on the other hand Beati lugentes Blessed are ye that mourn and weep now for ye shall laugh Luke 6. 21. Thy Saviour was a man of sorrows and wilt thou be a man of vain joyes he was all his life acquainted with grief and is it fit for thee Esa 53. 3. to have no acquaintance but with idle and empty delights I read that thy Saviour mourned often Mat. 3. 〈◊〉 Jo. 11. 33. 35. Heb. 5. 7. wept grieved groaned sighed cried out with strong cryes and tears Thou never readest that he Laughed He Rejoyced sometime it is said but it was in spirit and spirituall joy Luke 10. 21. He was full of joy but it was in Gods countenance and favour Acts 2. 28. Some passions it is true are licensed but with a restriction Fear Stand in aw and sin not Psal 4. 4. Anger Be angry but sin not Ephes 4. 26. So joy Rejoyce but sin not Be merry and wise as we say in our Proverb Be merry and godly be merry and gracious and be as merry as thou wilt The merry heart hath a continuall feast It is said Prov. 15. 15. But the merry heart is the gracious heart Tob Leb the good heart others render it the good Conscience is a continuall feast Our speech should be with grace seasoned with salt but it should be sal Sanctuarii not Col. 1. 6. Sterquilinii the salt of the Sanctuary as it is called Lev. 2. 13. not the salt of the dunghill The Apostle doth banish 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jesting out of the Christians society uncomely facetiousnesse and lepidity though among the wits of the times and the heathen Philosophers of old it bare the Bell for a Prime virtue It is the property of the Dog to smell to his own and others Excrements do not thou sport thy self in thy own or other mens prophane jests They are onely Swine that wallow in this mire others stop their noses or eares at it They are onely flies and beetles that are bred and live in this dung Labour therefore to keep thy loines girt and thy mind composed To be Serious without sadnesse and sournesse and to be chearfull without levity and slightnesse of spirit And this discourse I shall shut up with another Ecce unlike that which concluded the former Ecce quam malum quam injucundum est cohibitare malum jucundum Behold how ill and unpleasant a sight it is to behold an ill man ill and pleasant CHAP. XXVI Of Self-murdering Thoughts BUT the foulest and blackest thoughts of all are self-destroying thoughts Oh these are sad and hellish thoughts My heart trembles at the very mention of them yet are these incident sometimes to a godly heart I do not say he can entertain them But as when in a scare-fire the sparks are driven by the wind he covers his house with wet sheets and stands ready with water to resist the first fastnings and setling of the fire so it must be here Job had once such a Transient thought but it held not long My soul chuseth strangling and death rather than life Job 7. 15. But his fixed resolution was at other times I will wait all the days of my apointed time till my change cometh Job 14. 14. And againe If he kill me yet will I trust in him Job 13. 15. To stop the execution of these black and bloudy thoughts we shall offer a few reasons if yet they will stay to hear any reason The Lord set them home 1. These come Immediately and undoubtedly from Satan who is a murtherer from the beginning and delighteth in bloud especially of souls These cannot come from God The Lords command is to love thy self and to love thy neighbour but as thy self if thou wouldest not have a hand in anothers bloud then not in thy own whom thou art bound to love no lesse These cannot come from thy self or nature Natures first principle implanted in every animal is self-preservation Graces first principle is Soul-preservation but Satans first principle is self-destruction and soul-destruction cast thy self down Thus at one stroke destroying soul and body and cutting off two lives for he envieth not to man his life but his salvation as he envies no man for his riches but for his grace Satan reckons of such as his own who yield to this 2. It always is a sin and impossible to be but a foul sin self-murder To take away the life of another is
health thereby 3. Dividing between the body and his convenient rest he is working or watching or plodding when it is more then time he were in his bed 4. Between rest and sleep by night his body is laid down to rest but his sleep departs from him or when he begins to sleep his cares make him turn himselfe upon his bed and raise him up before his time Eccle. 2. 23. 5. Between the mind and Cheerfullnesse Pro. 17. 22. or contentednesse the cheerfull mind is as good as a medicine the carefull mind is as a consumption in the bones 6. Between labour and delight the Lord Deut. 12. 18. would have his people to rejoyce in all the workes of their hands and to joyne labour and delight together as those who serve a gracious master these bereave themselves of allowed outward comfort disquieting themselves in vain and onely eat the bread Psal 127. 2. of carefullnesse and drink the water of affliction Now though there be no comparison between worldly joy and Godly sorrow the least drop of Godly sorrow is more worth then the whole sea of worldly joyes yet between even naturall and worldly joyes and sorrowes there is a great difference joy and delight as much exceeding naturall or worldly sadnesse as the light doth darknesse or health doth sicknesse an ounce of Godly sorrow is more worth then a pound of carnall and sinfull joy but an ounce of naturall and honest joyfullnesse in thy labours is more worth then a pound of affected sadnesse and heart pinching carefullnesse 7. Between industry and piety God would have us both industrious and religious not slothfull in businesse fervent in spirit Ro. 12. 10. serving the Lord The worldling thinks businesse goes not forward if Religion and piety be not laid aside The Christian goes to schoole to the Ant and to the spider too The one labours for her food The other seeketh to get into the Kings houses The good houswife described Pro. 31. as shee eateth not the bread of idlenesse so she is Pro. 31. 20. 27. full of good workes of piety and charity 8. Between diligence and dependance The Codly Christian hath learned to joyn diligence and dependance together because he reades in one chapter these two Proverbes set near together The hand of the diligent maketh rich Pro. 10. 4. and v. 22. The blessing of the Lord it maketh rich The worldling saith away dependance sancta diligentia ora pro nobis and help me saint diligence he throwes away the keyes of heaven with Julius the second and trusts onely in his arme of flesh and as Esau lives by his sword not his faith Gen. 27. 40. 9. Between providence and providence divine and humane as if I could not shew my self provident unlesse I destroy and distrusted Gods providence or could not be Curatus unlesse Episcopus also or nisi sublato Episcopatu a Curate unlesse Gods Episcopacy and oversight be removed I must take care for my self faith the worldling whom have I to take care for me besides my self Beast who takes care of the fowles of the heaven and beasts of the earth and shall he not as much care for thee oh Maâ— 6. 30. thou of little faith 10. More and worse divisions yet They divide between the Christian and his duty Be carefull for nothing but in all things by prayer supplication intercession and giving Phil. 4. 5. thankes let your request be known to God Cares and Prayers dwel not together Though Melancton said once Si non curarem non orarem If I had not many cares I should have made but a few prayers yet commonly the Christian saith otherwise Si non orarem magis curarem If I had prayed lesse I must have cared more Prayer either weakens cares or cares drive out prayers So he that hath most cares of the world hath as we say no care in the world of spirituall duties hearing reading meditation The Epicure makes short graces we say and long meales The worldling short graces and meales too and onely long daies workes He feares undoing no way but by serving and trusting God And gives more credit to the worlds Cursed proverb then to all Solomons divine proverbs viz. He that is religious shall dye a begger 11. Worse divisions yet between the duty and the heart in duty The duty is slubberd over but the heart hath been otherwise employed he is like a child who asketh blessing and lookes another way He heares without attention he prayes without affection his heart goes after his covetuousnesse all sermon time and when will the Sabbath be gone is his constant Sabbath meditation He likes Amen better then all the prayer and the grace of our Lord Jesus above the whole sermon 12. Between a spirituall seed time and harvest The thorny ground had a most lovely and hopefull seed time better by far then the high way ground yea then the stony that heard with joy and beleeved Mat. 13. 20. 22. early These go very far yet come to no maturity and perfection These never persevere up spring the thornes of worldly cares and all is choaked he is a knowing man he was a great hearer he continues a civil man but the world comes in upon him and his heart is set upon it he never holds out but the great husband hath spoiled the good Christian The Asses are cared 1 Sam. 10. 2. 1 King 2. 40. 46. for till the Son is lost with Kish The servants are sought for till thy self art lost with Shimei more ado for a lost groat Lu. 15. then a lost soul 13. Yea not to multiply particulars they divide between many things that are of affinity and should joyn to help each other 1. They divide between cares and cares 1 Cor. 7. 34. 2 Cor. 7. 11. 1. Cares of the world lawfull and moderate cares which are allowed and commended and carefullnesse for the soul and for the things of the Lord which are more commended 2. Between Gods cares and our cares 1 Pet. 5. 7. There is both Gods care and ours Casting all your care upon him for he careth for you The world casts in care upon you you are to cast it out It is Gods worke to care for you this burden will break your back if you cast it not upon the Lord. 3. Between Calling and calling Thy generall calling and thy particular which are made to be mututall helpers of each other but here the general calling of Christianity is neglected that the other may be more attended Hag. 1. 9. 4. Between Labour and labour that for bread which perisheth is preferd before that for bread which endureth to eternall life Jo. 6. 27. when as both are in their place and measure to be laboured for 5. Between Rest and rest he either takes away the sabbath out of the decalogue and resteth not or he separates spirituall rest from bodily his body rests it may be a Church time
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
thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks and look well in the Hebrew set thy heart unto it to thy herd And I may say as the Apostle 1 Cor. 9. 9 10. Doth God take care for oxen and sheep or doth he speak this altogether for our sakes may I not say rather be diligent to know the state of thy heart and of that flock of thoughts which is a greater businesse to look well too then to keep a flock of sheep or herd of swine A shame it is for man to look after every thing and not himself to know every City Country Art Language Science and not to know himself to observe men times customes every thing and not to observe himself and the customes and manners of his own heart and thoughts The Grammarian makes his latine by rule the Poet makes his verse by rule the workman builds his house by rule and must we have no rule for our hearts and thoughts The heavens and every star move by rule day and night come and go by rule Summer Winter seedtime and harvest come and go by rule yea the Sea ebbes and flowes by rule and the birds of the aire the Swallow and Cuckow come and go by rule and shall man be the onely unruly creature and have Jer. 8. 7. no rule for his heart and thoughts to move by and be as the clouds of the aire or waves of the sea or a ship without compasse or Pilot that is driven up and down without guide or stay Is it not matter of shame to see we should keep house clean face clean hands clean and all our cloths must be clean or we are ashamed of our selves and the heart unclean Garden must be weeded house must be washt houshold stuffe must be scoured door must be swept swine and poultry must be rended and the heart neglected Strange it is we should observe order in every thing and affect neatnesse every thing must have his fit place the horse hath his stable the oxe his crib the dog his kennell the swine their coat that horse dog and swine eat not nor ly together that we should have no partition in our hearts good and evil thoughts tumble together We keep doors to our houses yea to every roome locks and bolts or latches to every door yea we have doors and iron bars to our very stables and none to the heart As a City without watch and ward Gates and bars or house without Pro. 25. 28. doors and locks so is the man saith Solomon that hath no rule over his own spirit we have hedges and ditches about our grounds foldes to keep in our sheep and to keep out other cattle and shall our hearts onely ly open and unfenced as commons and wastes without any regard We put our very swine to a keeper and we have a horse-keeper and shall we have no heart-keeper Especially when we have such a charge that whatever is neglected the heart must be 〈◊〉 with all keeping Pro. 4. 23. There are two things that aske a great deal of paines and good skill 1. To break and tame the heart this is a work for the best Minister the man of a thousand that can skill to tame and break a wild heart as he had need of good Job 33. 23. skill that shall back and break an unruly colt 2. The other is thy own work To keep thy own heart and this is as great a charge as Jacob had to keep a great flock of sheep which made him sweat and toyle by day Gen. 31. 40. and broke his sleep by night or to keep a herd of swine is not a more toylsome businesse yea thou hast as great a charge and task to keep thy heart as if thou wast made keeper of Newgate or any common Goale thou hast as many unruly ones to deal with that are more hardly kept in order that thou hast need of strong doors store of Animum rege qui nisi paret Imperat hunc fraenis hunctu compesâ—e catena Hor. locks bolts fetters cords and make all sure least they give thee the slip A Captain over an unruly company of souldiers hath somewhat to do to keep them in order but a General of an army had need to be a man of a good command to keep all in good order what hast thou to do who art to command so many Companyes and Regiments of mutinous and unruly thoughts Labour therefore to be well acquainted with they seâ—f and to know thy heart as perfectly as thou dost every room in thy own house that thou maist say Nota magis nulli domus est sua quam mihi cor est Yea labour to know thy heart as perfectly as if thou hadst a mesure of it as the Prophet had of the Temple who was to shew them Ezek. 43. â—â— the form of the house and the fashion thereof the goings out thereof and the comings in thereof and all the formes thereof and ordinances thereof and all the formes thereof again and the laws thereof and write it in their sight that they may keep the whole form thereof and all the ordinances thereof So there are formes and formes again many and divers and outgoings and incomings of the heart the best temple of a good heart which are not easily described This is the Art of Arts and science of sciences It was an adventurous undertaking of those that were sent to spy out the land of Canaan and it Num. 13. 2. 25. was fit for chosen men A ruler and eminent person in every tribe they went out and returned with a full account of their voyage after fourty dayes It will cost thee many more dayes and yet thou wilt not be able to espy half that little-great piece of earth in thy own heart and to be able to say I speak all that was in my heart as Caleb did And what an undertaking was that of our Josh 14. 7. English worthies Drake and Candish and many others since to go search the whole world and make discoveries of unknown lands and seas They compassed the whole earth in the space of two or three years and returned but it is a more honourable and profitable adventure to seek to compasse this Narrow-wide spot of earth in thy heart though it may cost thee more time and paines and yet thou must say there is a great part of Terra incognita yet in it undiscovered 2. The second exhortation is that of the text To repent of evil thoughts so Agur exhorts Pro. 30. 32. If thou hast thought evill lay thy hand upon thy mouth that is humble thy self and bewaile thy sin If ever thou hast repented of any thing repent much more for thy thoughts if thou hast never repenred begin repentance here cleanse first the inside of this foule cup and platter Mat. 23. 26. Here is the Original sin and the Original of all sin Open the mouth of this Cave and thou wilt
It is ever sucking cries for the brest sleeps with it wakes and cals for it or as a healthfull man desires his meat daily two or three times a day and can't live without it not as a sick man or longing woman who long for this or that and once serves their turn they long no more This is a diseased not healthfull desire Such were in Pharaoh and Ahab such hell is full of Many desire good prayers and read Scriptures or good books indistresse never else as the sick man desires a Cordiall or strong water and never drinks more till another qualm takes him They are sick and then they cry or howl on their beds they get up and return again to sin The Hos 7. 14. Mariner in a storm puts into a Port when the storm is over he meanes to go to sea again And the Traveller puts under the Pear-tree in a shower to keep him dry when the rain is over he is flinging at it These are killing desires such you read of Prov. 21. 25. the sluggards and the unconstant mans are so But when we say of good as the Lord of Sion I have chosen â—ion for an habitation I have longed for it here will I dwell because I have desired it Psal 132. 13 14. These are good desires 3. When ardent and vehement 2 Chron. The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 often used in Scrip. signifie a most vehement desire and longâ—ng in the mind as Phil. 1. 8. 23. 4. 1. 2 Cor. 5. 2. 7. 11. 1 Pet. 2. 2. 15. 15. cal'd the whole desire Gen. 31. 30. Luk. 22. 15. Desiring with desire The mind is altogether desires the desires are altogether vehement So 2 Cor. 7. 11. 4. When they are large increasing and unsatisfied Three things are never satisfied the eye the ear the desire The covetous eye with seeing the curious or itching ear with hearing and the gracious heart with desiring But as the wicked mans desires are enlarged as hell Hab. 2. 5. Ephes 2. 3. So the godly mans are as large as heaven That all heaven must be ours ere the desire is satisfied That the soul is said to ly panting hungting thirsting longing coveting craving Psal 42. 1. 63. 1. 2. 73. 25. 1 Cor. 14. 1. 5. Laborious desires are good desires Prov. 18. 1. Through desire a man having separated himself seeks and intermeddles in all wisdome heart and hand go together as a scholar desirous of learning shuts up himself in his study le ts none come at him is still at his book early and late or the worldling riseth runs goes sweats toyles to get riches or the wicked man with cords and cart-ropes Esa 5. 18. draweth sin with both hands Micha 7. 3. So doth the godly seek grace as silver and lifts up his voice for wisdome as for the greatest treasure Working desires not wishing are saving desires But alas what violence do the Kingdomes yea cottages of the earth suffer and what contempt heaven Men will give twenty years purchase for earth not seaven for heaven yea many take more pains and are at a greater expence for hell then many a well-meaning man for heaven 6. When invincible and irresistible 1. As not to be quenched or quelled with difficulties but as Shechem desired Dinah Gen. 34. 11. let me have her said he what ever it cost what ever I suffer I love her must have her will not go without her so Cant. 8. 7. Divine love is not to be quenched with any waters of difficulty or discouragement 2. Nor to be taken off by any diversion as Hadad when he wanted no honour or preferment in the Egyptian Court yet said Howbeit in any wise let me go home 1 King 11. 22. The man is where his desires are and if the desires hang homeward a Kingdom cannot stay him and if they hang heaven-ward all the world will not content him But he saith with the Apostle in another case We being staid for a short time in presence 1. Thes 2. 17. not in heart endeavoured the more abundantly with great desire to come unto you Speaking of his love to the Godly beleevers But much more out of his love to Christ he saith 2 Cor. 5. 2 3 c. In this we groan earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven if so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked Yea knowing while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord we groan and are burdened willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord So Ruth 1. 16. 17. 7. Whenas they are not to be overcome themselves but overcome conquer and triumph over all especially captivate and command the heart and subdue it every mans desire is his master brings him under a voluntary but pleasing subjection as Gen. 3. 16. The poor woman who loves her husband The like Gen. 4. 7. deaâ—ly her desires are towards him she is subject to him and he ruleth over her Poor soul she still hath her husband at one end of her thoughts if abroad her heart is with him if at home her eye is on him if he be well he is the desire and delight of her eyes if not well he is the care and desire of her heart Every thing she doth she hath this thought comes in Will this please my husband c. so is it with the soul 8. True desires will be liberall and expensive to gain what is desired wicked men will be at charge to fulfill the desires of the flesh Schollers who desire learning will spare no cost in books and paines to fulfill those more noble desires of the mind Eph 2. 3. And vain men what cost will they be at as he in the daies of his vanity Eccle. 2. 10. Whatsoever their eyes desire they keep it not from them what ever it cost So is it with the best their desires being rightly set they lay out all they are able about them as David and Solomon in building that house for God which both of them were so ambitious to set forward 1 King 9. 1. 1 Chron. 22. 14. David expended as hundred thousand talents of Gold a thousand thousand talents of silver both summes put together as they are computed amount to seven hundred and fifty millions This was at first laid by in the time of his wars and straits when he came bare to the Crown And afterwards it seemes he added Three Se the late Annotations of the English divines on the place thousand talents of Gold of Ophir and seven thousand talents of refined silver 1 Chron. 29. 4. that is thirteen millions eight hundred thousand seventy five thousand poundes sterling more because as he said he set his affection on the house of his God v. 3. And shall we say we have good desires when we offer that to God which costs us nothing How many are there who
the least sins when matters are small or doubtfull 1 Sam. 24. 5. much more for foul and manifest sins 2 Sam. 24. 10. Thus it was with David in both those places 3. It feares to partake of other mens sins Num. 16. 4. 4. Flies appearances and shewes of evil 1 Thes 5. 22. Num. 32. 6. Et sequ Josh 22. 16. 2. The heart must be keep in humility Wines are kept best in lowest Cellars the heart in lowest temper An horse may be kept too low but all the danger of the heart is keeping it too high Esa 57. 15. The lowest heart is the fittest habitation for the most High God God is called Deus optimus maximus but Jesus Christ in respect of his humility was Optimus minimus Three things should keep our hearts humble 1. Gods Excellency Esa 6. 2 3 5. Job 42. 6. 2. His many and undeserved mercies Gen. 32. 10. 2 Sam. 7. 18. Nothing doth so kindly humble a gracious heart as Mercies nothing so unkindly puffs up an ungracious heart 3. Thy own great sins Thus it was with Paul 1 Cor. 15. 9. 1 Tim. 1. 13. Never was there a viler sinner then I never more grace shewed from God 3. The heart must be kept up also in due height 2 Chron. 17. 6. Jehoshaphats heart was lifted up in the wayes of God Three things help to lift up the heart and shew it well lifted up 1. When we strive to walk worthy of God Cal. 1. 10. 2. To walk worthy of the Gospel Phil. 1. 27. 3. To walk worthy of heaven and the expectation of it 1 Thes 2. 12. 4. The heart must be kept clean and pure Psal 24. 4. and 73. 1. Mat. 5. 8. We may be too choice of our clothes and houses to keep them clean but cannot be of the heart Three things help to keep the heart clean 1. Oft washing some say Caput nunquam pedes raro manus saepe but Cor saepius saepissinie Jer. 4. 14. Wash thy heart that vain thoughts lodge not Say to them as we say to nasty and slovenly beggers here is no lodging for you 2. Often searching 2 Cor. 13. 5. 3. Frequent and fervent prayer Jam. 4. 7 8. Cleanse your hearts and draw nigh to God joyned Prayer is as Thunder and Wind they purge the ayre this the heart 5. The heart is to be kept in Faith Heb. 10. 22. Habak 2. 4. Three things help to keep the heart in Faith 1. To eye Gods promise this Faiths food and the life of the life of Faith 2. To eye and remember Gods past providences and our Experiences 2 Cor. 1. 10. He hath delivered and doth and will deliver 3. To study Gods alsufficiency Rom. 4. 21. What he promiseth he is able to perform 6. The heart is also to be kept in due fear The Child is well kept when kept in awe so is the heart This is the great heart-keeper and Covenant keeping grace Jer. 32. 40. Three things help to keep the heart in holy fear 1. A due sense of Gods dreadfull Name and Majesty Deut. 28. 48. 2. A due sense of Gods goodness Hosea 3. 5. 3. A continuall sense of our own weaknesse Prov. 28. 14. The child that fears a fall escapes a fall Vis in timore esse securus in securitate time as Bern. Fear in time of security makes secure in time of fear 7. In readinesse and willingnesse 1 Chron. 28. 9. Exod. 35. 2. Gods people are a ready and willing people And as it is a commendation to a man or woman to be handy and ready to be able to take our work and leave it so it is here Three things help to make us more ready and willing 1. Frequency and familiarity with duties Use makes perfectnesse By praying thou wilt learn to pray An instrument daily used is soon fit to play upon long disused asks much time to tune it How unfit must they needs be for prayer that pray not from sabbath to sabbath 2. To consider that God accepts a willing mind for the best deed 2 Cor. 8. 12. 3. All other service is unacceptable to God 1 Chron. 28. 9 10. Unprofitable for us 1 Cor. 9. 17. 8. In steadinesse Psal 108. 1. Act. 11. 23. Cleave to God with full purpose of heart Three times when we should look to keep the heart steady 1. In state of fullnesse The full vessel evenly carried tries the steady hand and head Phil. 4. 12. I can abound and not be proud be lifted up yet not be lifted up A hard lesson 2. In time of straits Psal 112. 8. His heart is established and doth not shrink and warp as unseasoned timber Job said I will not curse God is where he was I am where I was my faith where it was and my integrity I will not let go This another hard lesson 3. In earthly businesse to have the heart steady eying God I am in my calling God sees me This a high lesson The wicked his heart is steady and fixed on the world when at prayer he cant get the world out of his mind the godly have heavenly minds in earthly businesses 3. Wouldst thou be free from evil thoughts then get thy mind filled he which hath his chests his shop and his house filled but his mind empty is a poor man We must not do with our hearts as with our houses have the lower rooms furnisht and have nothing in the upper garrets but trash but have our upper roomes especially furnished Satan comes into the house that is empty swept and garnished But Jesus Christ chuseth to keep his feast in an upper room that is furnished Luke 22. 12. Take some good meditation promise Scripture read next thy heart to keep out wind every morning An empty addle heart is a fit bayt for Satan 4. Get a heart fixed as well as filled that thy spirit sit not loose about thee Keep thy loynes girt this bow continually bent arcum intentio frangit animum remissio It is too much looseness or unbending that breaks the mind as too much bending breaks the bow We love not a garment too big or shoes to slop about our feet We get our armes fixt get thy mind so and be ever and anon saying sursum corda The way of life is above to the wise that he may depart from hell beneath Prov. 15. 24. How safe was David when he could say O God my heart is fixed my heart is fixed Psal 108. 1. And the stable Psal 51. 12. spirit is that he prayes for as well as the right or new spirit The devil makes as good sport with an unfixt spirit as children do with light airy toyes the squibs bubbles and empty hoops which they drive before them or the paper Kite driven with the wind which though never so high mounted they can pull to them when they will these are taken captive by Satan at his will as the Apostle saith 2 Tim. 2. 26. 5. See the Lords eye still upon thee
any where so furiously nor continued the temptation so long as when he was in the desart He that walketh over the dry and lightsome places and findeth no rest cometh into the wet dark and solitary places and there findeth it Those Austere Eremites of old who forsook the world to dwell in caves and desarts could not fly from Satan and from a sinfull nature though they fed on the bread of affliction and water of affliction sin and Satan are not cast out with such Engines We may go out of the world while we are in it we cannot run from the flesh or Satan so Some old Eremites shut themselves up from the sight and speech of man and woman Asepesima sixty years Didimuâ— ninety years and was never seen of any John Sornany an Egyptian Eremite stood three years in a cliffe of a rock till his legs and feet swelled broke and run with putrified matter But sin followes us into caves and solitude Lot was more safe in Zoar yea Sodom then in his cave whom the vicious Sodomites could noâ— corrupt those that came out of his own bowels watching their opportunity overcame and defiled Certainly it is safer living in a Sodom where God is not known yea abiding in a corrupt Church as Pergamus was where Satans Seat is and where Satan dwelleth Re. 2. 13. Then to shut up our selves too much in corners where Satans circle is and Gods protection is not because our callings and conditions lead not to it CHAP. XXXVI The last use of admonition to Simon and his followers BEfore we make an end we must have a word with our young Simons the Schollers and followers of this old Sorcerer Neque enim ulli sunt ex hâ—â—mano genere magis degeneres vel minus homines quam qui paciscuntur cum insernis spiritibus aâ—t illâ—s quovis modo consuluâ—t Dr. Arrowsmith Tact. Sac. 1. â— c. 3. who gave us the occasion of all this discourse Among men these are worst among Christians none at all They have neither part nor lot in this matter These if any would be rebuked sharply as he was then by Peter men in the gall of bitternesse and bonds of all iniquity The Astrologer Southsayer and fortune teller is his brother whose first aim is to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 some great one whose last end is to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a foul black one Some sins are scarlet and bloudy sins yet may be cleansed these are like the Ethiopians skin not to be changed yet I do not say it is impossible these should be saved for Manasseh repented of this sin and found mercy 2 Chr. 33. But I say with Peter Repent of this wickednesse and know thy sin is great The greatest sin in Scripture Rebellion is said to 1 Sam. 15. 23. be as the sin of witchcraft therefore what is witchcraft it self The professors of this black art since oracles ceased are the onely oracles the devil now hath left by them he is enquired of by them he gives his answers These are the dragons mouth out of which he casts flouds of impiety and reproach against the Ministers of Christ and these his taile by which he would sweep the stars out of heaven Rev. 12. 4. If Saul perished for going unto such 1 Chr. 10. 13. what shall become of such who are so themselves but the truth is both these blind ones fall into the ditch And as the Psalmist saith of Idolls Idoll makers and Idoll worshippers they are all alike They that make them Psal 135. 18. are like unto them so are all that trust in them So I may say of Satan the sorcerer and them who resort to them The sorcerer who erects the figure is like to Satan from whom he learnes his art he speaks in this image and he that trusts in him is as bad as himself I shall desire him if he have yet any sense left to think of Peters words to Simon Magus and adde to them the words of Paul Act. 13. 10. to Elimas Magus And so leave him It is said Paul full of the Holy Ghost set his eyes upon him and said Oh full of all subtilty and mischiefe thou child of the devil thou enemy of all righteousnesse wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord Here are seven vialls full of the wrath of God poured upon the head of such 1. Thou full of all subtilty The devil ever makes choice of serpents subtle not simple oneâ— to deceive others by They are subtle crafty slippery and cunning serpents that makes simple ones admire them 2. And full of mischief These have as much of the one as the other serpents in both these properties subtilty and mischief 3. Thou child of the devil Others are the servants or captives of the devil these his legitimate children begotten by him bearing his image professing his black art and upholding his kingdome of darknesse among the children of disobedience 4. Thou enemy of all righteousnesse worst of men others want righteousnesse these haâ—e it oppose it calumniate it who speak or write so maliciously against Godly and learned Ministers as these do where is there such lying cheating bewitching ensnaring destroying as among these sons of Apollyon 5. These pervert the right way of the Lord Others ignorantly mistake it and wander from it These â—â—udiously pervert it and mislead others out of it 6. Wilt thou not cease to pervert c. These when they begin seldome make an end but persist in their pernicious waies as being given up to a reprobate mind 7. And the last viall puts out his eyes and smites him with spirituall Excaecation The hand of God is commonly observed to fall heavy on them in this world either bringing them to shamefull deaths as to their bodies or sealing them under spirituall and judiciall hardnesse of heart and blindnesse of mind Discite justitiam aut judicium tremite Betimes amend Or hell 's your end CHAP. XXXVII Containing a Soliloquy or the souls sad meditation upon the Trouble of Evil thoughts SAve me O God for the waters come into my Psal 69. 1 2. Psal 93. 3. soule I sink in deep mire where there is no standing I am come into deep waters where the flouds overflow me The flouds have lift up O Lord the flouds of Beliall lift up their voice they lift up their waves And this busie heart of mine is like the raging sea that cannot rest and Esa 57. 20. these restlesse thoughts of mine are like the raging waves foming out their own Jud. v. 13. shame My fight is not so dangerous with flesh and blood abroad as with principalities and powers above nor yet with them neither so dreadfull as with the spiritual wickednesse in secret places within The 2 Sam. 10. 9. battle is round about behind and before that I am sorebeset I fear and faint and see no place of safety I cry but