Mans Imaginations, Treatise · Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII.
Rules for the reformation of our euill thoughts.
Sect. 1. Our thoughts must be brought into obedience to God.
FOr the reformation of our thoughts,1. Rule. sundrie rules must be obserued: first, That we bring all our thoughts into the obedience of God. EueryEvery man will grant that words and actions, must be in subiection; but I say further, eueryevery thought in the mind must be conceiued in obedience to God, and no otherwaies: Salomon cProv. 20. 18.saith, establish thy thoughts by counsell, which may admit this meaning, that a man must not conceiue a thought in his minde, vnlesse he hauehave counsell and warrant from the word of God so to thinke: And S. Paul. saith.f2. Cor. 10. 5. The weapons of our warrefare (speaking of the preaching of the gospell) are not carnall but mightie through God to throw downe holds, casting downe the Imaginations, and every thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivitie eueryevery thought to the obedience of Christ; giuing vsus to vnderstand, that those who submit themselues to the ministrie of the word must be of this mind not onelyonly to be conformable therevnto in word and action, but in every thought of their minde, euen those must bowe the knee to Christ: howsoeuer with men we say thought is free, yet with God it is not so▪ And indeed he which hath effectually receiued the grace of Christ, will endeauour to yeild obedience as well in thought, as in word and action: Whatsoeuer things are true (saithgPhillip. 4. 8. Paul) Whatsoeuer things are honest, whatsoeuer things are iust, pure, and pertaine to louelove; whatsoeuer things are of good report, if there be any vertue, if there be any praise, (he saith not onelyonly doe hv. 9.these things, but) thinke on these things, where the commandement is plaine, that a mans thoughts must be holy, pure, iust, and of such things as are praiseworthy and of good report, that so they may be conceiued in obedience to God.
Sect. 2. Of the guarding of our hearts.
The second rule for the reformation of our thoughts,2. Rule. is giuen by Salomon iPro. 4. 23.keepe, or countergard thy heart aboue all watch and ward, that is guard and keepe thy heart more thē any thing that is watched or guarded, whether citie, house, treasure or such like; and the reason adioyned sheweth the necessities of the rule; for out of it come the issues of life.
In the right guarding of the heart,3. Things in the guarding of the heart. three duties must be performed: first we must couenant with our outward senses, resoluing fully with our selues by Gods grace, that none of them shal be the instruments, the beginning or occasion of any sinne in heart, or life. This couenant kIob. 31. 1.Iob made with his eies, not to looke vponupon a maid, to lust after her: And DavidlPsal. 119. 37. prayed the Lord to direct and keepe his eies from beholding vanitie: Now looke how these holy men dealt with their eyes, so must wee proportionably deale for all the outward senses of our body; bynding them all, after their example, from being the meanes of prouocation to any sinne: This dutie is most necessarie, for the outward senses be the doores & windowes of the soule, and vnlesse good care be had thereto, the deuill will enter in by them and fill the soule with all corruption.
Secondly,2 we must obserue our euill thoughts, and at their first arysing, stop and restraine them, not suffering them to take any place in our hearts: this is a speciall meanes to preserue and guard the heart; for frō the thoughts proceede all bad desires, corrupt affections, euill words & actions: the minde must first conceiue before the will can desire, or the affections bee delighted, or the members of the bodie practise any thing, so that whatsoeuer is of a loose life, and bad behauiour, it commeth from the prophanesse of his heart in evill thoughts: neither can it bee hoped that any man should reforme his life that will not guard his heart, and keepe his mind from wicked imaginations: the deuill cannot worke his will vponupon mans affections, or preuaile ouer mans will but by thoughts, & therefore it is necessarie, that the first motions of euill in the minde bee restrayned at the beginning.
Thirdly, wee must with all care cherish and maintaine every good motion of Gods spirit that is caused in vsus by the ministerie of the word, or by the aduise of Gods children: for these are the sparkes and flames of grace, which Paul meaneth when he saith, m1. Thess. 5. 19.quench not the spirit.
Sect. 3. Of the eleuation of the heart to God.3. Rule.
Thirdly, for the reformation of our thoughts wee must often vse eleuation of minde and heart to heauen, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of his father. Thus did Dauid vntounto thee, aPsal. 25. 1.oh Lord, doe I lift vp my soule: And Paule, saying of himselfe & other Christians, bPhilip. 3. 20that they had their conversation in heauen, signifieth thus much, that not onelyonly their studies and meditations, but also their dealings in the worlde were heauenly. S. IamescIames. 4▪ … bids vsus, drawe neere to God, nowe which way should a poore wretch here below, drawe neere to God, but by lifting vp his heart to the throne of grace in heauen, that so God in merciemercy may drawe neere vntounto him by grace? The Lord hath instituted in his Church the vse of his last supper, wherein the giuing and receiuing of bread and wine doth represent and seale vp vntounto vsus our communion and participation of the bodie and blood of Christ giuen for our redemption: Now the principall action on our behalfe therein required, is this Eleuation of the heart vntounto God, as well for the contemplation of Gods infinite merciemercy in Christ, & of Christs endlesse louelove to vsus, as for the application of his merits to our owne soules by the hand of faith, as also for the spirituall resignation of ourselues in soules and bodies, by way of thankfulnes, to him that hath redeemed vsus. Further touching this Eleuation wee must remember, that it ought to be our continuall and ordinarie action vntounto God: for as it is with him that keepes a clocke, vnlesse hee doe eueryevery day winde vp the weights, which are alwaies going downeward, the clocke will stand; so it fareth with vsus; our hearts are euer drawing towards the earth, and the thinges heere below, by reason of that bodie of sinne dHeb. …2. ….which hangeth on so fast, and presseth downe; and therefore wee must endeauour by Gods grace continually to lift them vp to heauen: The Apostle bids vsus,e1. Thess. 5. … pray continually, not that wee should doe nothing else but pray, but his meaning is, that wee should eueryevery day, and eueryevery part of the day so oft as iust occasion is offered, lift vp our hearts vntounto God. But of all other, there be three especiall times wherein wee must vse this heauenly Elevation: first in the morning, by prayer, thankesgiuing, or both, before the cogitations of any earthly affaires come into our mindes, that so we may giuegive vntounto God the first fruits of our thoughts eueryevery day. Secondly, in the euening before wee lay downe our bodies to rest, for who knoweth when hee layeth himselfe downe to sleepe whether euer hee shall rise againe aliue? Thirdly, at any other time of the day, wherein wee receiue any blessing from God temporall, or spirituall, or doe feele our selues to stand in neede of any of his gifts, or graces; for seeing eueryevery good gift comes from him, is it not reason we should giuegive this glorie to his name; to lift vppe our hearts to his throne of grace, whensoeuer wee receiue or expect the same from his bountifull hand?
Sect. 5. Of the assurance of our particular reconciliation with God.
Fourthly, 4 Rule.for the reformation of our thoughts, we must labour to be assured in our hearts by Gods spirite, of our particular reconciliatiō with God in Christ. This is that knowledge of the louelove of God which passeth knowledge, for which Paule,fEphs. 3. 14. 19. bowed his knees vntounto the father of our Lord Iesus Christ, in the behalfe of the Ephesians: in regarde hereof PaulgPhillip …. estemed al things losse, yea to bee drosse and donge. Nowe when this assurance is settled in our hearts, it will purifie not onelyonly the will and affections, but also the first motions and thoughts of our mindes: Hee that hath in himselfe this hope (saith, h1. Ioh. 3. 3.S. Iohn purifieth himselfe as God is pure. For when a man shall bee truly perswaded in his heart, that of a vile sinner, euen the child of wrath, he is made the child of God, and a vessell of honour acceptable to God, enioying his louelove, and fauour in Christ, then will hee reason thus with himselfe, hath God of his endlesse merciemercy vouchsafed to receiue mee into his grace and fauour, that otherwaies should hauehave beene a fyrebrand of hell for euermore: oh then, howe should I suffer my minde, my will, and affections, to bee any longer the instruments of sin, whereby I shall displease so gratious a God, and cast my selfe out of his louelove and fauour: nay, but I will imploy my soule which hee hath redeemed with all the powers and faculties thereof, as weapons of righteousnes for the aduancement of his glorie.
Sect. 5. Of spirituall consideration.
Lastly,5. Rul… ▪ if wee would reforme our thoughts, wee must giuegive our selues to spirituall consideration or meditation. By Spirituall consideration I meane any action of the minde renued and sanctified, whereby it doth seriously thinke on those things which may further saluation. This consideration I call spirituall, to distinguish it from earthly plotting care, whereby naturall men shew themselues wise & prouident for the thinges of this life, though in the matters of God which concerne saluation, they bee blinde and ignorant. Also I adde, it must be an action of a minde renued and sanctified, because the naturall man perceiueth not the things of the spirit of God, …. Cor. 2. 14.they seeme foolishnes vntounto him, and therefore he cannot giuegive his minde vntounto them.
Nowe the excellent vse of this rule will plainly appeare by the fruitfull practise of it in the Prophet Dauid: for what was more vsuall with him then spirituall and heauenly meditation? sometime vponupon iPs. 119. 55.God himselfe; sometime kPs▪ 119. 97.on the workes of God; sometime lPs. 119. 59.on his owne waies: and mPs. 119. 98continually on Gods word: now sanctifying this dutie by praier, as it is plaine hee did continually, Psal. 19. 14. Let the meditation of my heart, oh Lord, bee acceptable in thy sight: hence it came to passe, that hee professed an nPs. 119. 11…hatred vntounto vaine inuentions, which are the proper effects of an vnreformed minde: and on the contrarie, by this godly practise he oPs. 119. … ▪got more vnderstanding thē his teachers; yea hee attained to this excellent state of a renued minde, thatpPs. 16. 7. his raines, whereby hee meanes the most secret part of his soule, taught him in the night season. And in reason wee may perceiue the truth heereof: for seeing contraries doe mutually expell one another, what can be more effectuall to purge the minde of euill thoughts, then to exercise the same with spirituall considerations: for when through the blessing of God, these shall take place, the other must needes bee gone: in regarde whereof it shall not be amisse somewhat to insist in the handling of them.