Mans Imaginations, Treatise · Chapter 2
CHAP. II.
Sect. 1. The illnesse of mans naturall cogitations.
THat wee may the better perceiue in this reason the state of man in respect of his naturall Imaginations, the words are more particularly to be vnfolded. For the Imaginations of mans heart, &c. The heart in Scripture is taken sundrie waies: sometimes for that fleshie part of man in the middle of the bodie, which is the fountaine of vitall blood: sometime, for the soule of man: sometime, for the faculties of the soule: and sometime for the middle of any thing, asdPsal. 46. … the heart of the sea, eMat. 12. 44the heart of the earth, that is, the middle thereof. Heere it is taken for the vnderstanding facultie of the soule, whereby man vseth reason: which S. Paule callethfEph. 4. 23. the spirit of the minde.
By Imaginations, hee meaneth the frame, or framing of the heart. And this is taken two waies: of some, for the naturall disposition of the vnderstanding after the fall of man: of others, for that which the minde and vnderstanding by thinking frameth, plotteth, and deuiseth; that is, for the effect thereof. Wee may take it both waies, yet I rather approoue the latter: for Chap. 6. 5. the Lord saith, Hee wil once destroy all flesh; and giueth this reason, for the frame and thought of mans heart is euill continually. Where by thoughtes or Imaginations can nothing else bee meant, but that which is deuised and plotted in the thoughtes of mans heart: so Salomon speaking of an heart which God hateth, saith, it is framing or thinking thoughtes of wickednes. Prov. 6. 18.
By mans heart, we must not vnderstand the heart of some particular persons, as of those that liued in the old world alone, but of all men generally: man beeing put for whole mankind.
Is euill, that is, it imagineth, and thinketh that which is against the lawe of God: From his childhood; that is, so soone as he beginneth to thinke, to reason or conceiue of any thing, so soone doth hee imagine & conceiue that which is euill: so that the whole meaning is this, The minde & vnderstanding part of man is naturally so corrupt, that so soone as he can vse reason: he doth nothing but imagine that which is wicked, and against the lawe of God. The words thus explaned containe in them two maine points touching the frame of mans heart by nature. The first is this;
The imagination and conceite of eueryevery man is naturally euill.
This appeareth not onelyonly in this place, but else where. Rom. 8. 5. The wisdome of the flesh is (not an enemie, but emnitie against God. Againe, such as the fountaine is, such are the streames that flowe thence; But our minde and vnderstanding the fountaine of our thoughts, is by nature sinfull;gTit. 1. 15. To the impure their mindes, and consciences are defiled; And againe,h2. Cor 3. 5. of our selues we are not able to thinke a good thought; and therefore the thoughtes that come from thence must needes also bee corrupt: Mans imagination stands in thoughts; the vnderstanding deviseth by thinking: And these thoughts of the Imagination are all naturally wicked:iMath. 13. 19. from the heart: (saith Christ) proceede evill thoughts: and Salomon saith, the thoughts of the wicked (as all men are by nature) are an abhom, nation to the Lord.
Sect. 2. Howe the naturall thoughts of man may be knowne.
Seeing that naturall Imagination is practised by euill thoughtes, wee must something consider of the naturall thoughts of man: And herein handle these two poynts: F…rst, whether the thoughtes of man may bee knowne; secondly, what the naturall thoughts of man be.
For the first; there are two waies to knowe mans thoughts: either directly without meanes, or indirectly by meanes. The first way is proper to God alone: for no creature in heauen or earth can immediately and directly know the thoughts of man: this Salomon confesseth in his notable praier to God, 1. king, 8. 39. Thou onelyonly knowest the thoughts of all the children of men. Ierem. 17. 9. The heart is deceitfull and wicked aboue all things; who can know it? ver. 10. I the Lord search the heart, and trie thereines.
The second way to knowe mens thoughts is indirectly, and by meanes: which be three, by instinct from God; by reuelation from the Scripture; and by signes. First, by an extraordinarie instinct: so did k…. king. 6. 9. …2.Elisha disclose the king of Syrias counsell to the king of Israell: and by the same meanes, he tolde his seruantl2. king. 5. 26. Gehezi what he did behind his back, when he tooke gifts of Naaman the Assirian. And so did mAct. …. ….Peter tell Ananias and Saphyra of their false conueyances with the money that they tooke for their possession. And yet here we must vnderstand that when God reuealed these secret thoughts to men, it was onelyonly in some things at some times, and for some speciall causes: wherevpon Nathan was faine to reuoke his counsell, which hee gaue to Dauid for the building of the house of God, n1. Chron. 17. 2. 4.when he knew the will of God more perfectly. And so was Elias deceiued, when he said he was left alone, of all Israel that serued God: foro1. king. 19. 1…. God told him hee had reserued seuen thousand, that neuer bowed the knee to Baal, which Elias knew not. Secondly, mens thoughts may be known by Revelation from Scripture: for therin that spirit speaketh euidently which knoweth the frame of the heart: and hence it is, that in the ministerie of this word the thoughts of naturall men, are made manifest. 1. Corint. …4. 25. Thirdly, mans thoughts are knowne by signes; as speeches, and actions: thus Peter knew theoAct. 8. 21, heart of Simon Magus; and Paul the heartpAct. 13. 10. of Elimas. And thus may any mā know the thoughts of another, euē as he may know the tree by his fruit, and the fountain by his streame.
Besides these three are two other meanes added whereby to know mens thoughts: one by the Papists, and an other by the Astrologians. The Papists say, the Saints in heauē know mens thoughts, not directly of them-selues, but by reflectiō in the glasse of the Trintie. But this is a meere forgery of their own, which Isaia neuer knew, saying thus of the Saints departed; oIsa 6. 3. 16.Abraham is ignorant of vsus, and Israel knoweth vsus not, but thou Lord art our redeemer. And the Saints vnderunder the altar crie,pRev. 6. 10. How long Lord, how long wilt thou not iudge and auenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? giuing vsus to vnderstand that they are not so sharpe sighted, as by the glasse of the Trinitie to see into the day of the last Iudgement, and therfore not into the thoughts of mens hearts. So that there are onelyonly three waies to know the thoughts of men: and so they may be knowne.