Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	holy_a	life_n	time_n	2,197	5	3.3218	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

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

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

that Centurion in the Gospel and say to one thought go and to another come parity if but in thought is next to mutiny orderly government amongst equals is a soloecisme in Politicks But where may we find such a Saint among the people such a thought among the cogitations as may overtop all the rest what if thou shalt set up the thought of Gods fear upon the throne of thy heart holding up the Scepter of Gods word and taking up the Regency of thy whole man as of the multitude of thy thoughts I conceive the fear of God taking it in the Scripture sense pro toto Dei cultu for the whole worship of God is most meet to be a Master a Prince over all our thoughts for what but religion should be the main scope of a Christians whole life and what rather then this should command all the company of our thoughts into order amongst themselves and into the obedience of Christ What is it which the Psalmist chiefly promiseth to teach his children but the fear of the Lord Come ye children hearken unto me and I will teach you the fear of the Lord psal 34. 11 many would be accounted wise and prudent but none are truly wise but they that set up the fear of God in their hearts Even a scorner seeketh wisdom but findes it not Prov. 14. 6. alas wisdom lyes not in the scorners way nor amongst their great men and wise men of the world whose wisdom is but foolishnesse with God 1 Cor. 3. 19. Where lyes it then but amongst them that are religious The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdome Prov. 9. 10. Doubtlesse they have a good understanding that do thereafter the praise of it endureth for ever And set this further upon your hearts consider that they which despise that wisdome which the fear of the Lord teacheth are but fools for their labour The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom but fools despise wisdom and instruction Prov. 1. 7. my advice is therefore that ye set this fear of the Lord as Regent over your thoughts If ye please to look amongst the men of this world ye shall see a Master thought higher then the rest in every unregenerate man at whose beck all the rest as underlings bow and give obedience not unsitly compared to the Master Bee in the Hive whose rising or settling carries with it the whole swarm Thus the thought of covetousnesse in Judas of fame in Magus of idolatry in Jezabel of adultery in Herod of honour in Nebuchadnezzar of revenge in Cain of nigardize in Nabal of self-preservation in the unjust steward were as the Pole-starre about which all the rest of their thoughts moved respectively In the thoughts of a wicked man the thoughts of some sin takes the throne in whose government he delights this thought drives out all good ones that stand in his way and oppose him and if any be received in 't is but with reservation of power to remove them again at pleasure And even evill thoughts themselves which are not of the same kind with the principal are so farre countenanced as serviceable to the Regents purpose so the thought of ambition brings in all other thoughts of revenge Covetousnesse Pride Envie c. to be her servants so that a man may say such Master such Servants such Mistresse such Maids and when they cease to be serviceable to their Masters main design he casts them off and takes in others If wicked men be thus wise in their generations let the children of light learn to be more wise then they and let them also enthrone the thought of Gods fear and delight in her government and then evil thoughts will vanish as the mists before the morning Sun this will take in all thoughts of such vertues and words and works as may be serviceable to the worship of God and make even those inferiour thoughts about things indifferent and the lawful businesses of our calling subservient and profitable to her main design of honouring God and when they cease to be so serviceable the fear of God enthroned among the thoughts will cast them off The second rule Let all thy thoughts be ordered according to Gods word for if the fear of God be Regent the word of God is her known Law by which she governs The testimonies of the Lord as they were the delight so they were the Counsellers of the holy Prophet Thy Testimonies are my delight and my Counsellers Psal 1 19. 24. they must be Counsellers to every soul that lives under the fear of God Religion hath no Law above Scripture nor equal with it and that man cannot have set up the fear of God in his heart who undersets the Scripture or speaks against it or behaves himself frowardly towards the rule thereof That man cannot have a good thought in his heart who hath an evil heart to the Scripture But as when Moses took the rod into his hand the waters stood on heaps and divided themselves above and beneath So when the heart which fears God takes into consideration the word of God the thoughts that come from above and the thoughts which come from below divide themselves and start asunder in which sense the word is called a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart Heb. 4. 12. Wherefore that evil thoughts may divide from thee and good thoughts may stay with thee let all thy thoughts come before the word of God Religion wil allow no thoughts under her government but such as wil be ruled by her Laws And this rule I have given the more willingly lest any thoughts arising out of zeal and affection to Religion and not according to the word of God should usurpe amongst you the name of Good thoughts In this kind I observe Gods children commit great errours packing many unwarrantable and unseasonable actions upon seeming good affections to the fear of God I love those persons whose good meanings and good affections make them zealous of Religion but I love and honour that soul more whose affections are zealous yet wil not allow that for Religion which is not according to Gods Word if any other opinion get the stampe of men upon it for religious it s more than I know that it hath Gods Image and Superscription upon it 3. That thou mayest govern thy thoughts aright Consider thine own standing and qualification in the Church of God for every several standing and state require several thoughts The Apostle marshals Christians into three ranks 1 John 2. 13. Children young Men and old Men. Like thoughts become not every age no more than like apparel doth Josephs party-coloured Coat became him while he was his father Jacobs wanton but when he was Pharaohs Counsellour he must put on his graver habits While the Apostle was a child he spake as a child he understood as a child he thought as a child but when he became a man be put away childish things It