A Discourse Grounded on Proverbs, Part 2 · Table of contents – Section 1
Contents of the II. Part.
AN Introduction of particular Inſtances of Thoughts ſuited to their ſeveral Subjects according to Scripture Rule. 1. In thinking of Scripture it ſelf. 2. Of Our Selves. 3 Of Others 4 Of Creature comforts. 5. Of Ordinances. 6. Of Sin. 7. Of Holineſ… 8 Of Afflictions. 9. Of Temptation… 10. Of Perſecutions. 11. Of the preſent Condition of Life. 12 Of th… preſent Time of Life. 13 Of Death 14 Of Judgement, 15 Of Eternitie 16. Of Angels, Evil, Good. 17 Abov… all in Thinking of GOD.
To have High Thoughts and Swee… Thoughts, but in all points Regular & Scriptural.
Of his Being, Highneſs, Holineſs, Ʋnchangeableneſs, Unity, (yet Trinity in Unity,) Eternity, Omnipreſence, Omniſcience, Omnipotence, Inviſibility, Terribleneſs and juſt Severity, Truth and Verity, Lovelineſs and Goodneſs, not onelyonly in his ſparing Mercyes and means of Grace, but even in His Iudgements and Deſtruction of the ungodly; in the Firſt Covenant, eſpecially in the New; Covenant of Grace richeſt Theme for Thoughts. CHRIST the Object of Gods Eternall Thoughts, and of all good mens of Old, and of Angels, though Men otherwiſe concerned in Him than They. Immanuel, God with us, makes All in God Ours, Iuſtice, Holineſs, Highneſs, &c. Gods Love in Chriſts Incarnation, Suf…ering. The Neceſſity and Excellent Vertue of Chriſts Death. Right Tho…ghts of Chriſts Righteouſneſs Impu…ed. High Thoughts of Chriſt, ſweet …houghts of Chriſt, Holy Thoughts …f Christ as the great Enemy of Sin, …hough friend of ſinners Right thoughts …f God the Holy Ghoſt, High Tho…ghts of God the Spirit, in his Eſſence, … Subſiſtence, and Operations, Sweet Thoughts of Him and our high Obligations to Him, The finiſhing work in mans Salvation the Spirits, Holy Ghoſt the great Promiſe of the New Teſtament as Chriſt of the Old. Fruits of the Spirit ſweet.
Thoughts For God muſt be Scriptural as well as Of God.
Concluſion.
Exhorting to Self Reflection by and upon Our Thoughts.
Giving Motives and Rules for keeping Thoughts RIGHT.
THE Second Part. Which Contains an Induction of particular Inſtances of Thoughts ſuited to their ſeveral Subjects according to Scripture-Rule, and concludes with an Exhortation to ſelf-Reflection, and Motives and Rules for keeping Thoughts Right.
NOw then ſuppoſing a Man have a Right Rule for his Thoughts, & Right Thoughts of the Rule; The great inquiry for the Tryal of Thoughts is, whether they be ſuited to their ſeveral Subjects according to that Rule.
As for Example,
Sect. I.
Right thoughts of Scripture. Ador… Scriptura plenitudinem, Tertul cont. Hermog. See B. Taylor's Diſſuaſive from Popery 2 Tim. 3.15 16, 17 John 5.39IN Thinking of SCRIPTURE, that it is foreign, All divinely inſpired, and a ſufficient Rule in all things pertaining to God and our Souls, Able to make the man of God perfect, throughly furniſhed to every good work, able to make wiſe to Salvation, and therefore to be ſearched by every one that deſires to be Saved; Search the Scriptures (ſaith our Saviour) for in them ye think to have Eternal Life, and they are They that testify of Me. Now to think otherwiſe of Scripture then we are taught by it, is to think ſtrangely of it, which is a thing the great God takes ſtrangely at their hands that do it, (a diſhonour done to our Spiritual MAGNA CHARTA, the great Charter of our Salvation:) I have WRITTEN to Him (ſaith God) the GREAT THINGS of my Law, Hoſea 8.12but they counted them as a ſtrange thing. Great things, indeed muſt we needs think them, being ſent from the Great God, confirmed by Great Works and Miracles, Many in Number, Exod. 8.19Mighty …n Nature, John 11.74uncontrollable and infallible in their Evidence, witneſ…ed by Friends, confeſſed by Enemies, admired by All, in ſucceſ…ion of Ages attending the Holy Pen-men, and the Doctrine thereof.
And yet alas how ſtrangely …ave theſe things of HOLY WRIT been thought of (even as …he Holy men themſelves) as Troublers of States,Acts 24, 5, and movers …f Sedition throughout all the World, and as Ringleaders of all …ects and Schiſmes.) And there…ore 'tis the wiſdom and the piety …f Poperie to take away this dan…erous Key of Knowledge from theLuk. 11, 52 Common People, and to perſuade that Ignorance is the Mother of Devotion, (they mean ſure thei… own Devotion,) but God calls Ignorance the Mother of Destruction when he ſaith My People are deſtroyed for lack of knowledge.Hoſea 4.6
Scriptures muſt be ſearched by All.But, thanks be to God, W… have not ſo learned Chriſt, as … dare to think that Book unfit fo… the ſtudy & reading of the meaneſt, which God hath ordaine… for making wiſe the ſimple, Pſal. 119, 7th… cryes to the ſimple turn in hither and declaredly puts it ſelf (as may ſay)Magiſtrates into the Hands of a… ſorts and ſizes, conditions, age… and ſexes,Deut. 17, 19 The Prince muſt re… in it all the dayes of his Life, a… think it his ſafety to take the T… stimonies thereof to be the M… of his Councel. Pſa. 119, 24 Miniſters,And the Office… in Gods Houſe muſt be rea… Scribes in the Law of God, (as w… ſaid of Ezrah, Ezra 7, 6) Yea, this is … Comfort of all the People of God to have this Word nigh them, People.Rom. 10, 8even in their mouths, and in their Hearts, for ſaith the Apoſtle to Community of the People, Let …he word of Chriſt dwell in you richly, Col. 3, 16that they through patience and comfort of the SCRIPTVRES might have hope; Yea,Rom. 15, 4 this is their wiſdom (ſaith Moſes) in the ſight of all Nations. Deut. 3 6Here none may think …hemſelves too old to learn,Old, for David by this ſtudy came to underſtand more then the Ancients; Pſ, 115, 100Nor too young neither,Young, for wherewithall ſhall a young man cleanſe his …ay? Pſal. 119, 9by taking heed thereto accord…ng to thy Word. Yea,Women, Children, and Women …nd Children are commended in …cripture, for their ſtudy and …nowledge of it;2 Tim: 3.15 Thus Timothy … commended for this that from a …hild he had known the Holy Scri…tures, continue in the things that …hou haſt learned and been aſſured of (ſaith S. Paul)Chap. 1.5 knowing o… whom thou haſt learned them (viz,) of Lois his Grandmother and his Mother, Acts 16.1Eunice, which w… a Ieweſs and believed, but his Fathe… was a Greek.
And the truth is, for any on… to think that the Scripture is no… to be read by any but thoſe tha… underſtand it perfectly, is t… think that it is to be read by non… till there will be no more need o… Reading it, for here the Able… and moſt knowing do know but i… part, Cor. 13.9and do Propheſy but in part And therefore indeed it is that W… have this ſure word of Prophecie… whereunto (we are to think that… … Pet. 1, 19We do well to take heed as unto a ligh… ſhining in a dark place, until the d… of Glory dawn, and the Day. St… ariſe in our Hearts; the Interpret… tion and Explication of whic… word of Prophecie we are taugh… in the next Verſes,Verſe 20 not to ſeek (… …ome do) from our own private …hanſies,True meaning how to be ſought, but by comparing the New Teſtament, with the Pro…hecies of the Old, Scripture with …cripture,1 Cor. 2.13 Spiritual things with Spi…tual, and in all our ſtudy and …ading moſt humbly to implore, …d believingly to wait for the …idance of that Spirit that in…ted and gave it forth, for as was …e Geneſis, ſo muſt be the Analyſis, 1 Pet. 1, 2……r it came not in old time by the will … Man, therefore may, by no …eans, be expounded by mans will, …t Holy men of God ſpake as they …re moved by the Holy Ghoſt. Acts 17.11And …erefore the Bereans are highly …mmended in that they received …e word preached with all readineſs … mind, and ſearched the Scriptures …ether thoſe things were ſo.
He therefore that thinks rightly … SCRIPTURE, eſteems it his …arling, to be laid in his Boſom, … be hid in his Heart (as the Pſalmiſt ſpeaks) the Incorruptible ſeed, Pſa 119 11whereby he was born again from the miſerable ſtate of Corrupt Nature;1 Pet 1.23 for the Law of the Lord, and the Teſtimonies of the Lord are they that convert the ſoul, and make wiſe the ſimple; Pſal 1 17the ſincere milk, whereby he was nouriſhed as ſoon as new born, and his strong meat when is grown up to be a strong man, for man lives not by Bread onelyonly, He. 5, 13, 14but by every word tha… proceedeth from the mouth of God▪ Ma th 4 4Therefore when he finds theſ… words, Jer. 15, 16he eats them, as Ieremie Yea eſteems them, as Iob, more the… his neceſsary food; Job 23:12And as his fo… when he is well, ſo his Phyſic… when he is ſick, 2 Tim. 1, 13he holds fast th… form of ſound words, foreign, of healing words, ſo th… Greek; for God ſends his word a… heals, and delivereth from deſtruc… ons; his Antidote againſt Inf… ction,Pſalm 17, 4 for concerning the works …en (ſaith David) by the word of thy …ps I have kept me from the paths … the Deſtroyer; his weapon, when … warreth, for the Sword of the …irit is the word of God, Epheſ. 6:17and this as it that our Saviour foiled Sa…n with, and kept him off at the …oints end of, It is WRITTEN …aith Chriſt) thus and thus,Mat: 4, 4, …, 10, 11 then …e Devil leaveth Him; his light …hen he walks or works by day, …d his Lamp or Lantern to his feet … night, his beſt friends Will and …eſtament, Heb: 9, 16confirmed by the Death … the Testator; He takes Gods Te…monies as an Heritage for ever, Pſ. 119, 111…d thinks it leſs pernitious to the …orld to have the Sun plucked …t of the Firmament, then the …ble taken away from the ſight of …e Sons of Men.