Right Thoughts, Part 2 · Section 17 – Section 22
Sect. XVII.
ANd above all in thinking of GOD, to have High, Right thoughts of God.Holy, Reverend, yet withall Delightful, Affectionate and Comfortable thoughts, but in (all points) Regular and Scriptural. For thus ſaith the Scripture, Let him that gloryeth, glory in this, Jerem 5.24.that he underſtandeth and knoweth me, that I AM THE LORD which exerciſe LOVING KINDNESS, JUDGMENT and RIGHTEOUSNESS in the Earth, for in theſe things I DELIGHT, ſaith the Lord. When the mind is thus intent upon this moſt glorious Theme of Thoughts, the moſt Glorious LORD, in his Eſſence, (I am the Lord,) in his Attributes and Operations (which exerciſe Loving kindneſs, Judgment and Righteouſneſs) then is this Kings Daughter All glorious within, Pſal. 45.13. 2 Cor. 3.18.for we All with open face, beholding as in a Glaſs the Glory of the Lord, are changed into the ſame Image, from Glory to Glory, as by the ſpirit of the Lord.
The Heavenly mind is an Heaven-like mind; Right thoughts of Him whoſe Name is I AM,Exod. 3.14. and whoſe Title is THE LORD, muſt needs reſemble Heaven in pureneſs and clarity,Amos 4.13. (for He declareth to man what is his THOUGHT, and muſt be thought of by Man juſt as He declareth,) yea riſe above the Heavens in Celſitude and ſublimity (for his Glory is above the Heavens) and be dapled,Pſal. 113.4, 5. (like Heaven) with Love and Holy Joy (becauſe of his loving kindneſs,) and with Reverence and Godly Fear (for his Judgment and Righteouſneſs,) and with delight in all theſe, the Exerciſe of all which is his Delight. For though the L…d be High, Pſal. 138.6.yet hath he reſpect unto the Lowly, and as He condeſcends to think of us, ſo alſo (provided we do it regularly) to be thought of by Us.
High thoughts. God moſt HIGH. Heb. 11.6. Gen. 14 18. Iſa. 57.15. Eccleſ. 5.8. Iſa. 40.18, 25. Pſal. 76.12. Pſal. 135.6. J…b 33.13. Pſal 97.9. Pſal. 113.4. Pſal. 16 2. Neh. 9.5. No thought of God high enough. Job. 11.7, 8 9. But that God is above all thoughts. Yet minds the leaſt and leaſt thing….To begin then at the beginning of all things, we are inſtructed by Scripture, to think that GOD IS, and that he is the MOST HIGH, and therefore to have High Thoughts of him as of the Holy One that inhabiteth Eternity; HE is higher then the Higheſt, To whom there is none like, no equal, none to be compared, That cuts off the Spirit of Princes, That is terrible to the Kings of the Earth, That doth whatſoever pleaſeth him in Heaven and in Earth, in Seas and all deep places; That giveth no account of any of his matters: That is high above the Earth, and exalted far above all Gods; High above the Nations, yea His Glory above the Heavens; High above our Services, for our Goodneſs extendeth not to him; High above our Praiſes, nay above Bleſſing and Praiſe (Mens or Angels,) And therefore that we can never think high enough of God, but in Thinking that he is too high for our Thoughts. Canſt thou by ſearching find out God? Canſt thou find out the Almighty to perfection? It is high as Heaven, What canſt thou do? Deeper then Hell, What canſt thou know; The meaſure thereof is longer then the Earth, and broader then the Sea. And yet they think amiſs that think Him, as ſome do, too high to mind the loweſt matters (non vacat exiguis.) Some think it a diſparagement to his Highneſs that He ſhould mind and order every minute action, motion, inconſiderable worm or ſly, the ſtirring of the hand, or moving of the foot, &c. but all theſe muſt be left without particular providential concourſe, and all in reſpect as they think) to his Highneſs: But Scripture teacheth us to think, that not only in him we live, but move, Acts 17.18. Pſalm 36.6. Mat. 10.29. Pſal. 104 29.14.9. and 139.16. Mat 10 30. Pſal. 147.5.as well as have our being; Nay that He preſerveth Man and Beaſt, that a Sparrow doth not fall without him, That he takes away their breath when they die, gives them their Food while they live; Nay that not onelyonly our members book'd by Him, but even our Hairs, the very hairs of our head numbred, and all this no difficulty nor diminution to him whoſe underſtanding is infinite.
Sect. XVIII.
TO have Holy and Reverend Thoughts of Him,Right and Reverend Thoughts, Pſal. 111.9. Iſa. 8.13. Gods eyes pure and piercing… Hab. 1.13. for HOLY and REVEREND is his Name, and therefore to Sanctifie the Lord God in our HEARTS, that he be our Fear, and that He be our dread, as He was the FEAR of Iſaac. To think Him a God of purer Eyes then to behold Evil, or that He can look upon Iniquity, (viz) without loathing; And yet to think Him a God of ſuch piercing E…es, as that he beholdeth the Evil and the Good, Job 24.21, 22.for his Eyes are upon the wayes of Man, and He ſeeth all his goings, there is no darkneſs nor ſhadow of death where the workers of Iniquity may hide themſelves; Dan 10.6. Pſal. 139.12.for his Eyes are as Flames, or Lamps of Fire, and unto him the night ſhineth as the day, Neither is there any Creature that is not manifeſt in his ſight: Heb. 4.13.But all things are naked and open in his ſight with whom We have to do.
Sect. XIX.
God unchangeable. Iames 1 17. Ordering all changes. Pſal. 106.20.TO think him God UNCHANGEABLE, without Paſſion, Perturbation, Variableneſs, or ſo much as ſhadow of turning, Though as a Veſture, he ſhall change both the Foundations of the Earth, laid by himſelf of old, and the Heavens, the work of his hands, and they ſhall be changed; and mean while orders all Changes under the Heavens and in the Earth; He prevaileth againſt man for ever, Job 14.2. Chap. 23.13.and he ceaſeth; He changeth his Countenance, and ſendeth him away; But as for Himſelf, He is of one mind, and who can turn him? Do Sinners provoke me to anger? Jerem 7 9. Job 35 6.ſaith the Lord, Do they not provoke themſelves, to the Confuſion of their own faces? ſo that If thou ſinneſt, what doſt thou againſt him? or if thy Tranſgreſſions be multiplyed, what doſt thou unto him? though thy wickedneſs may hurt a man as thou art, &c.
Yet ſeems as moved with ſin. Pſal 1…6.32. and 43. Heb. 3.10. Iſaiah 63.10. and 43.24. Amos 2.13. Ezek 6.9. S… ſuffering Deut … 36. Jer. 31.20 Iſaiah …2.9.Yet withall to think him a God ſo holy, hating ſin ſo infinitely, that He is ſaid to be angred, to be provoked, to be grieved, to be vexed, to be made to ſerve, to be wearyed, to be burthened, nay even to be broken by it. I am broken (ſaith God,) with their whoriſh heart; yea, a God ſo gracious, as that He repents himſelf for his Servants, His bowels are troubled for them, and in all their Afflictions he is Afflicted with them.
Sect. XX.OnelyOnly God, John 17.3. 2 Cor. 16.26. Gal. 4 8. Rom. 16.27. 1 Tim. 6.15, 16. Levit. 16.4. Mat. 19.17. Deut. 6.4. Unity yet TRINITY. Pſalm 2 7. Heb. 1.5. John 1.14. Chap. 15.26. 1 John 5.7.
TO Think Him the ONELYONLY true GOD, (and the Gods of the Heathen but vanity. Idols, and by Nature no Gods,) The OnelyOnly Wiſe God; The bleſſed and onelyonly Potentate, who onelyonly hath Immortality, who Alone is Holy, And there is none good but HE, And therefore no GOD but HE; Hear O Iſrael, the Lord thy God is but ONE GOD.
That the Being is One, the Subſtance undivided, and yet the Subſiſtonce diſtinguiſhed; ſo that the Father is not the Son, but Begets him; The Son is not the Father, but Begotten of him; The Holy Ghoſt is neither the Father nor the Son, but proceedeth from both, (The Spirit that proceeds from the Father, whom I will ſend, ſaith Chriſt) yet theſe three are God, and yet God is but One, for theſe three are One, without Diviſion, Compoſition, or Confuſion. And O how High, and Holy, High thoughts.& Reverend ought the Thought to be that receives this Myſtery? And therefore to help his weak Thoughts in this, The Believer perhaps fixeth his Thought on the Sun in the Firmament, where he finds light, heat, Sun and Soul of man ſhort ſhadows of this Myſtery.and motion, yet but One Sun; or to come nearer both to the Thing and Himſelf, He thinks perhaps of the Soul in his Body, where he finds an Underſtanding, Will, and Memory, yet but One Soul. But alas, thinks he, theſe are ſhort ſhadows, and dark reſemblances of ſo great and high a Myſtery, for that light is not the Sun, though it be Sun-light, &c. and that Underſtanding is not the Soul, but the Souls underſtanding power or faculty; But Jeſus Chriſt is the LORD, and the holy Spirit is GOD, and yet to us there is but One God, and One Lord. But this He thinks,1 Cor. 8.6. All in God, GOD. That All that is IN God (Eternally, Imminently, Unchangeably) muſt needs be God, As verily He thinks that GOD IS. And that God the Father hath a perfect KNOWLEDGE of himſelf in himſelf, God know… himſelf.This alſo He cannot but Think; and that this Knowledge, WISDOM,Wiſdom. Prov. 8.22, 23, 25. John 1.1. Word Ver. 30. Image of God. Hebr. 1.3. Loves Himſelf. Fathers love to the Son declared by the Holy Ghoſt. Verſe 16. or WORD is God, becauſe it is IN the Father, who is God; And further, that He cannot but LOVE himſelf, whom He thus Knows, and ſeeth in that expreſs Image of Himſelf, begotten in Himſelf; and this Image or begotten WORD being in God, and therefore being God, cannot love God again; And this Infinite, Mutable liking, Loving and good will Proceeding from Both, and being in Both, cannot but be, what Both are, (viz.) GOD. Thus We ſee, when there was a viſible manifeſtation of the Divine complacency (with a loud voice from Heaven, ſaying, This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleaſed.) The Word being now made Fleſh, It was made by the Deſcending of the Holy Ghoſt, like a Dove, from the Father, and reſting on the Son. But Alas, after all, thinks He of Himſelf, who is he that hideth Counſel without knowledge? Myſtery exceeding thought. Yet is to be thought, for God is able to do above thought. Eph. 3.26. Therefore is above thought. Trinity one in working, yet each his peculiar work. John 5.17, 19, 20, 21. Phil. 1.19. compared with 4.19. God onelyonly properly E…c…. Pſal. 106 48.Therefore have I thought that I underſtood not, things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. God hath indeed told me that THESE THREE are ONE, And if I cannot tell how to think it, yet I will think it; For ſeeing Scripture teacheth me to Think that he is able to Do exceeding abundantly above all that I can think, well may I Think that He Is above All that I can Think; And therefore though it be above my thought 'tis the fitter (ſeeing He ſaith it) to be thought of him that is ſo much above me. Theſe three thus gloriouſly, but myſteriouſly, coequally, coeſſentially, and coeternally One, muſt be thought alſo to be One in Working as well as Being, and yet each one to have his own peculiar work. Thus Gods ſupplying by Jeſus Chriſt, is called the ſupply of the Spirit.
Sect. XXI.
THis God We muſt think an ETERNAL Being, and nothing properly Eternal but God; Created Spirits, Angels, and Souls of men (and the bodies of theſe raiſed Spiritual bodies at the laſt day) being OnelyOnly E…erlaſting; But from Everlaſting to Everlaſting thou are God; Art not thou from Everlaſting, Pſalm 90.2. Hab. 1.12. Iſaiah 48.12.O Lord my God? And as if God were making anſwer to this Queſtion, ſaith He, Hearken O Jacob, and Iſrael my Called, I am he, I am the Firſt, I alſo am the Laſt, Chap. 44.6. Verſe 8. Jerem. 2.32.I am the Firſt, I am the Laſt, and beſides Me there is no God, (and after ſaith he,) Is there any? I know not any. There is no Eternal, no Firſt and Laſt but God onelyonly:Hebr. 7.3. And therefore Our Firſt Thoughts and Our Laſt Thoughts, yea and all our Thoughts ſhould be of him, and for him. Thoughts ſhould be Laſting where the Theme is Everlaſting. But O burning ſhame that We ſhould forget him dayes without number, who hath neither Beginning of Dayes, nor end of Life, but is Eternal.
Sect. XXII.
THoughts alſo muſt be holy and Reverend of the Infinite Immenſity, Gods Immenſ… omnipreſence filling all things. Pſalm 33.5.as well as Eternity of this one true God, His OMNIPRESENCE filling all things, Hell with his glorious Juſtice and Severity, Heaven with the glory of his Grace, Earth with his Goodneſs, Patience, and Providence; If I aſcend up into heaven thou art there, Pſal. 139.8, 9.If I make my Bed in hell behold thou art there; If I dwell in the utmoſt parts of the Sea, even there ſhall thy hand lead me. Jer. 23.23, 24.Am I a God at hand, ſaith the Lord, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himſelf in ſecret places that I ſhall not ſee him? ſaith the Lord, do I not fill heaven and earth? ſaith the Lord. And 'tis repeated ſo, that the Lord ſaith this, becauſe vain men do ſo little think of this. Thus doth he fill all things, but is contained of none; Contained of none. 2 Chron. 6.18.But will in very deed dwell with men on earth? behold heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee. Alas! How, ſhould it? Can a Man be contained in his own ſpan? My right hand hath ſpanned the heavens, Iſaiah 48.13.ſaith God. Alas, how little can Our very hearts hold, or Our Thoughts contain, of this Great God! now the leſs we can comprehend, the more and the greater ſhould our Admiring Thoughts be.