A Discourse Grounded on Proverbs, Part 1 · Chapter 3
CHAP. III. Sheweth the Thoughts of man to be the Souls Pulſe, and that they evidently diſcover his Inward eſtate,
Sect. I.
YOu ſee then where this wiſdom is to be found, Thoughts the Souls pulſeand where is the place of ſelf-understanding. Reader▪ Thou art before the Lord, doſt thou unfeignedly deſire to know thy ſelf truly? then ſay not in thine heart, who ſhall aſcend, Romans 1… 6 7.8or who ſhall deſcend to tell thee, whether of the two, Heaven or Hell ſhall be thy place and portion; As the words are nigh thee even in thy mouth, ſo the Thoughts are nigh thee, even in thy mind; for what Chriſt ſaith of thy words, I may ſay of thy Thoughts, Mat. 12 37By thy words (ſaith the text) and by thy thoughts (ſaith the reaſon of the text) Thou ſhalt be justifyed, Verſe 34.& thou ſhalt be condemned. For out of the abundance of the heart doth the mouth ſpeak, If then thy Thoughts be Right, Thou art Right. The thoughts of the Righteous are Right. All the Righteous have Right Thoughts; and All, whoſe Thoughts are Right, are Righteous.
Thoughts, our neighbour-hood.'Tis a Laudable fairneſs in our Law, that it puts All Tryals for Life and Death, upon God and the Countrey; that is, the Neighbourhood. This little Book allows thee the Birth-right of thy Native Law in thy greatest tryal, more Important then for Life & Death.Tryal by them fair. 'Tis for Salvation or Damnation. Thy Thoughts are thy Neighbourhood, they walk & talk with thee, they know thy lying down, and thy riſing up; Put thy Soul tryal upon God and them, and God ſend thee a good deliverance.
Sect. II.
ANabal…like Heart may ſeem ſometimes to put forth a liberal hand, Inſtances of chu…liſh…es1 Sam 25 26 Iſaiah 32 5and make a Feaſt like a Prince, ye… ſhall not a Churl be the more called liberal, The liberal man deviſeth liberal things. Iſaiah 32 8He onelyonly is the liberal man that hath the liberal mind, Liberalitywhoſe thoughts are free in a better ſence, then the old ſaying hath it; 'Tis not the drawing of the Purſe to the Poor (though that muſt be too where there is a Purſe,Iſaia 58 10) but the drawing out the Soul to the Hungry, that is true Charity.Mark 12 2… Two Mites beſtowed with one truly Generous and Liberal thought, is a righter Almes-giving, then the giving of the two Hemiſpheres of the whole world, would be without it.
Sect. III.
THe Envious may carry ſmooth, and ſpeak fair,Envy Pro 26 25 yet never a whit the more to be truſted if there be ſeaven Abominations in the heart. Pſal 55 21The Oyl of ſmooth words may float at top, whilſt Waters of ſtrife are at bottom, war in his Heart: His words kind, his thoughts Cruel; now He is what his thoughts are. 'Tis not ſaid as a man ſpeaketh with his tongue, but as a man thinketh in his heart ſo is He. Nay ſuch are Evil whoſe thoughts are ſo, though God turn the fruit of their Heart to good, to thoſe to whom they intend evil, as in Ioſephs caſe, (Ye thought Evil againſt me, Gen 50 20ſaith He, But God turned it to good), and to His own Glory, to whom they intend diſhonour; as in the Aſsyrians (howbeit He meaneth not ſo, neither doth He think ſo, Iſaiah 10 7) He was what his thoughts were: on the other hand,Goodneſs Ioſeph was a good Brother to them, that had been otherwiſe to him, though his carriage were courſe, and his ſpeaking rough, for He thought them good, and meant them well. And thus God himſelf when He ſheweth his People hard things, Iſaiah 60 3and (it may be incurs their hard thoughts, yet then he approves himſelf to be a me…ciful Father, and a tender friend by his gratious thoughts and tender purpoſes,Jer 29 1… I know the thoughts that I think towards you, thoughts of peace; And as He thinks in His Heart …o is he, (though they think hardly of him) his thoughts are of Peace,Rom 15 33 and He is the God of Peace.
Sect IV.
THe Impatient are not always Cl…morous, Impatience.but ſometimes like froward Children that declare their doggedneſs by not ſpeaking at all, as well as by ſpeaking doggedly. 'Tis ſaid of the Hypocrites in Heart, Job 36 19they cry not when God bindeth them, Pro 23 35He ſtrikes them yet they will not be thought ſick, and beats them, yet they ſeem not to feel, they have not grieved, they make their faces harder then a Rock, Jerem 5 3yet are never the more quiet; never the more patient; for, mean while, their minds fret, their thoughts boil within them, their Hearts are lifted up, therefore they are not upright. Habak 2 4Their thoughts are froward, and ſo are they, for as a man thinketh in his Heart ſo is he. The fooliſhneſs of man perverteth his way, Prov 19 3and his Hea…t f…etteth againſt the Lord. He …rets in Heart and thought, though not in word.
Patience.On the other hand, you have heard of the Patience of upright Iob, yet how often did His Impatience (like ſome Mens ſickneſs) break out a… his lips, when the diſtemper had made no mortal ſeiſure upon his heart; for ſearch but his Heart and his Hiſtory to the bottom, and you ſhall find it full fraight with thoughts of Penitence, of Patience, of Piety, of Humility, full of God-exalting, ſelf abaſing thoughts, thoughts of calmneſs and ſweetneſs towards God, and onelyonly of bitterneſs and Indignation againſt ſinful ſelf. Behold I am vile, what ſhall I anſwer thee? and again, I know that no thought can be withholden from thee: Job 40 4 41 … and 42.2 3 6who is he that hideth Councel without knowledge: I have uttered that I underſtood not, wherefore I abhor my ſelf, and repent in duſt and aſhes.
Sect. V.
Solomons ſtrange woman keeps a ſtir about wiping of her mouth, Uncleaneſs Pro 30 20whilſt ſhe never regardeth the cleanſing of her thoughts; Prov 7 14She can talk of Peace-Offerings, and of Her paying her vows in the day, and think the ſame moment, of pleaſing her bruitiſh Luſt all the night, Come let us take our fill of loves till the morning. Verſe 18Her thoughts were unclean, and ſo was ſhe. Whatever mens garbes and pretenſions are, how demure ſoever their deportments, how mortifyed ſoever their appearances, they whoſe profoundeſt thoughts, are how to make proviſi n for the Lusts of the Fleſh, Rom 13 14are fleſhly, and they that do mind the things of the Fleſh are after the Fleſh; and 8 5ChaſtityOn the contrary, Chaſt Iob will not onelyonly make a Covenant with his eys, Job 31 1but will not allow himſelf ſo much as to think upon a Maid. His thoughts were Chaſt and clean and ſo was He.
Sect VI.
THe Covetous walk not always in open and in naked view for every one to ſee,Covetou… neſs. perhaps not for themſelves; but often wear a Cloak (as the Apoſtle calls it) a Cloak of zeal, and ſeeming ſanctity,1 Theſ. 2 as Iehu, and others. Their thoughts boil, but th… fervour of their ſpirits is, for the ſerving of themſelves, not the Lord Ieſus Chriſt; Iudas talks of the poor, John 12 16but he thinks of the purſe, and of his Prey; yet he carryed it ſo plauſibly that the Eleven ſuſpected themſelves more than Him.2 Pet … Mens Hearts may be exerciſed with covetous practices, whilſt their hands ſeem not ſo, They come & ſit before the Lord as his people, but their hearts run after their covetouſneſs; nay,Jer 23 31 Jer. 22 17 their hearts are not but for their covetouſneſs, as the Prophet ſmartly expreſſeth it. They may talk of better things, but their thoughts are for no other, their tongues may run of heavenly things, but their thoughts ſtill run after their covetouſneſs. Their thoughts are for to morrow, Matt 6 31what they ſhall eat, and what they ſhall drink, and wherewith they ſhall be cloathed. Their Inward thoughts are that their Houſes and Inheritances are to them and their Heirs for ever. Pſal 49 11Such are the thoughts that they drown their Souls in, and buiry themſelves in alive, working like Mo…es underground, & if they ſometimes appear above ground, they are not in their Element, Phil 3 19till rooting in the earth again, they mind earthly things. The young man in the Goſpel, His tongue ran of Heaven, What muſt I do that I may inherit Eternal life? Mar 10 17but his thoughts ran after Earth, if I go with this Chriſt I muſt forgo my Eſtate, if I cleave to Him, I muſt leave that: He went away ſorrowful, for he had large Poſſeſsions. …ut ſaith God to his People, Be…are there be not in thy wicked heart … thought, &c.Deut 15 … which he there cau…ons in this caſe of Covetouſneſs. … Covetous thought reigning in the …eart, Allowed, Loved, Liked, Maintained, cuſtomarily enter…ained there, is the Evidence of a …icked Heart, of a bad man, for as … man thinketh in Heart ſo is He.
Sect. VII.
THe Proud perſon may be tryed by his Thoughts,Pride, be he never …o much in the diſguiſe of his vo…ntary humility. His thoughts do …ell and riſe high, whilſt He cring…th low;Iſaia 58 53 like thoſe in Iſaiah who …ung down their heads like Bulruſhes, …et their Hearts were lifted up in proud thoughts againſt God, as if He were in their Debts for …heir formal devotions; where…ore have we fasted, ſay they, and thou takeſt no notice? The Phariſe… was the worſe for his good thought of Himſelf; God I thank thee, … am not as other men; Luk. 18.11Y…a, an… thouſands in the world have cauſ… enough to think ill of themſelves if they had no more then thei… thinking too well of themſelves God will puniſh the fruit of mens ſtout hearts; Iſai. 10.18 compared with the 12now the fruit of th… ſtout heart is in the ſame place▪ explained to be the proud Thought▪ The Pſalmiſt complains, the wicked through the pride of their Countenances will not ſeek after God, Pſal. 18.4God is not in all their thoughts. He fetcheth proof of their wicked pride f…m their Godleſs thoughts. Ezek. 28.26The proud Prince of Tyrus did ſet his heart as the heart of God, in high thoughts of Himſelf, as the Sequel there ſhews.Humility But the beſt Men on the contrary are leaſt and loweſt in their own thoughts Thus Abraham, Gen 18 27but duſt and aſhes. and 23.10Jacob, leſs than the leaſt of Gods mercyes. David,Pſal. 22.6 a worm and no man. Aſaph, a beaſt before thee. Agar,Pſal. 73.22 Prov 30 2 more bruitiſh then any man. Iſaiah, a man of unclean lips. Paul,Iſaiah 6 5 1 Cor. 15.9 the very leaſt of the Apostles, but the chiefeſt of Sinners. Put on humbleneſs of mind, ſaith the Apoſtle.Collo. 3.12 The Humble man is humble in mind, Mat. 11.29and lowly in heart and thought as Chriſt was, for as a man thinketh in his heart …o is He.
Sect. VIII.
BLeſsed are the pure in heart, Purity. Matth. 5.…ſaith our Saviour, they ſhall ſee God. Are thy thoughts holy? then thou art happy. In a good mans heart there is a good treaſure, Mat. 12 35 Pſ. 193.17 and 10.4and the Pſalmiſt tells you what it is, How pretious are thy thoughts, O God, unto me? But for the wicked,Pro. 10, 20 God is not in all his thoughts, therefore the heart of …he wicked is little worth, and he, whoſe Heart is little worth, is wicked.
Sect. IX.
TO draw this Head towards … concluſion, let me perſuade thee, O man, but to judge of thy ſelf, which thou canst, by the ſame way, that thou wouldſt judge thy Neighbour if thou couldst. I… anothers thoughts lay as fair to thine eye, as his words do ſound to thy ears, thou wouldeſt try his thoughts towards thee, before thou wouldſt too much truſt his words, for the wiſe man obſerves, theſe two may be very wide each from other, Eat and Drink ſaith h… to thee, and yet his heart is not with thee. Prov. 23 7But God hath purpoſely lockt up thy Neighbours thoughts from thee, to correct thy curioſity and over eager propenſion to Cenſoriouſneſs abroad, and hath ſaid, Iudge not that ye be not Iudged, but hath made thee Turn-key to thy own,Matth. 7.1 becauſe 'tis beſt for thee to turn often in at thine own door, for …f we would judge our ſelves we ſhould not be judged. 1 Co. 11 31Mans Law doth what it can in the tryal of thoſe that are under Inqueſt, for diſcove…y not onelyonly nor chiefly of the Act, …ut the Mens rea, the Intent and …hought of the Heart in the Act, whether a Traiterous, Malitious, Fe…onious Intent, and of Malice forethought or no? When ſmooth-tongued Simon Magus came with Honey in his mouth, and his well-tuned tongue had a fair freedom to make a plauſible profeſſion, he was received and Baptized, but as ſoon as the Apoſtle Peter came to diſcern his thought (Repent and pray God, ſaith he,Acts 8.13 Verſe 22if perhaps this thought of thine may be forgiven thee) he preſently perceives that his heart was not right, and that his ſtate was naught, for he ſaith not, I perceive that the gall of bitterneſs …s in thee onelyonly,Verſe 23 but that thou art in …t and in the bond of Iniquity.
Sect. X.
IN one word, as the Pu…ſe ſ… the Thoughts derive immediately from the Heart, both as to Temper and Diſtemper, the one in a phyſical the other in a moral notion and reſpect, and wert thou but as careful and skilful to obſerve thy flowing thoughts, as thy Phyſitian is to examine thy gliding pulſe, thy Thoughts would leſs often deceive thee, then thy Pulſe him, and thou needeſt not be ſo much at a loſs as the moſt are for the knowledge of thy ſpiritual and everlaſting ſtate, having ſo fair an Index to Eternity ſo near at hand. Commune then with thine own heart upon thy bed, Pſalm. 4 4and be ſtill. 'Tis Scripture Councel, and it will never hurt thee to take it. Thy thoughts may talk with thee when none elſe will, when none elſe can, when there is none but God, and thou, and they together. Thy faculty will be true to thee, if thou be ſo to it, thy Thoughts will not flatter thee if thou do not daub with them; but and if thou doſt, God will not. And ſo I paſs to the next.