The Sinfulness of Evil Thoughts, Title page – To the reader
THE SINFULNESSE OF Evil Thoughts: OR, A DISCOURSE, Wherein, The Chambers of IMAGERY are Unlocked: The Cabinet of the HEART Opened. The Secrets of the INNER-MAN Diſcloſed.
IN The particular Diſcovery of the Numerous Evil Thoughts, to be found in the moſt of Men, with their various, and ſeverall Kinds, ſinful Cauſes, ſad Effects, and proper Remedies or Cures.
Together with Directions how to obſerve and keep the HEART; The higheſt, hardeſt, and moſt neceſſary work of him that would be a Real CHRISTIAN.
By JO. SHEFFEILD Paſtor of SWITHINS London.
London Printed by J. H. for Samuel Gellibrand, at the Golden Ball in Pauls Church-Yard. 1659
To the Worſhipfull THE MASTER, WARDENS, ASSISTANTS, And the reſt of THE Right Worſhipfull Society OF SALTERS, His Honoured PATRONS.
Much honoured Gentlemen,
THE many Favours I have received from you, ever ſince my coming to this place, and eſpecially your beſtowing ſo freely of late (the firſt fruits of your Patronage) a Preſentation for my continuance, upon the unanimous and concurrent deſires of my loving Neighbours of Swithins, after many years converſing together, hath deeply engaged me in duty, and thankfullneſſe to you and them; And having nothing elſe to return in way of requital, beſides my humble thanks, and my hearty prayers, whereof the one are fit to be proclaimed upon the houſe-top, the other more fit to be in ſilence and ſecrecy preſented unto God, I was willing to give unto you, and to the world, a publick and ſolemn teſtimony of the honour and Chriſtian reſpect, which from my heart I bear to your whole Society in generall, and to your ſelves in particular, by preſenting this enſuing Diſcourſe into your hands. It treateth of the Thoughts and inwards of the Heart, the greateſt buſineſſe we have to look unto; if we would be Chriſtians indeed, not in the Letter, but inwardly in the Spirit, and have our praiſe not of men but of God. Many others I confeſſe, have to their deſerved praiſe, and to the great benefit of the Church written of the ſame ſubject; but none, that I know, ſo particularly as here you will find; yet am I not commending my ſelf, or this Diſcourſe, while I ſay this (being not ſo much a ſtranger to my own tenuity) unleſſe to your Candor and favourable acceptance: If you ſhall pleaſe at your beſt leiſure to peruſe and read it, I hope you will not altogether repent your time and paines beſtowed. But if your ſelves, or any other (any one ſoul) ſhall reap any benefit hereby, I ſhall rejoyce and bleſſe God for my poor paines and time ſo well beſtowed. Now that it may as the ſeed upon the ground, or the rain from heaven upon the ſeed, proſper, to that which it is ſent abroad, I ſhall follow it with my prayers, for a plentiful, and effectual bleſſing upon you and it, as being
Yours, ever engaged to ſerve You: JO. SHEFFEILD.
THE EPISTLE TO THE READER.
READER,
MAny Learned, in their ſeveral Profeſſions, have put forth profitable Diſcourſes, One De occulta Philoſophia, another De ſecretis naturae, another De morbis ſecretis, a fourth of Stratagems of War, a fifth of Policies of State, others of the Anatomy of mans body, of the Circulating of the bloud, &c. Uſefull and profitable all. But the Proper ſubject of a Divine is to handle the Myſteries, of Godlineſſe, and withall to detect the Myſteries of ungodlineſſe. Solomon in his great wiſdom did not onelyonly Contemplate the Excellency of Wiſdomes pathes and precepts, but gave his heart alſo, to underſtand and find out the wayes of folly, ſin and madneſſe. Here have I undertaken as hard a task as any, (I would I could ſay I had as well performed it; To will was preſent) propounding to my ſelf to write of this occult Myſtery of iniquity, the ſecret diſeaſes of the ſoul, the Stratagems, Policies, and depths of Satan, the Anatomy of the heart, and the Circulating of fleſh and bloud in our hearts and thoughts. I hope I have undertaken a task not more hard and painfull to me, than profitable and uſefull to thee.
Some have travelled far, into unknown Lands, to ſhew thee the fruits of their paines, travel and expences; I ſhew thee onelyonly thy ſelf. Some have compaſsed Seas and Lands, and given thee the Longitudes, Latitudes, the dangers of paſsages; my deſigne is to bring home my travels to thy ſelf, and to ſhew thee the dangers of thy own heart; that as in water face anſwers face, ſo in my heart, thou mayst ſee thy own, the Methods of Satan, the Gulphes of ſin, the Straits to heaven; the various and uneven ebbings and flowings of this ſea or lake in thy heart.
Some have told us, in their Travels, they have diſcovered ſtrange Countries, Creatures, Fruits. They relate of Terra del fogo, Inſulae Latronum, they have ſeen Mountains flaming with Brimſtone, Dens of Lyons, the Lake of Sodom, Fountaines of pitch, Dead Seas, Scalding ſprings, Frozen lakes. Here is the Land of fire, Iſland of Robbers, Brimſtone mountaines, Sodoms Lake, a Fountain of pitch in thy own heart. Thou needſt not go into far and remote Countries to ſee ſtrange and fearfull ſights; In the Map and Microcoſme of thy heart thou mayst ſee all.
foreign The 1 Joh. 5. 19.whole world lies in this wicked one. Orbis in Urbe, was ſaid of Rome once, Orbis in Corde, may be ſaid of this Myſticall Babylon. A world of wickedneſſe, lies in this narrow heart, yet are there none that ſeek to make diſcoveries of this New unknown World.
Man is the ſillieſt of all Creatures; they all preſerve themſelves, deſtroy their enemies; Man deſtroyes himſelf, and ſpares his enemies, thoſe of his own houſe.
Man though he pretend to all knowledge, yet is of no underſtanding, but bruitiſh in his knowledge, knowing J… 10. 14.nothing of what he ought to know; in vain doth he profeſſe all Arts, when he knowes not his own heart.
Scire tuum nihil eſt, niſi te ſcire hoc tibi ſcire est;
Et tua mens nequam, ſi noverit omnia ſequam.
In vain doth the Grammarian teach Congruity of ſpeech, while he corrects not the incongruities of his own heart. The Logician ſtudieth Syllogiſmes, and the way of diſputing ſubtilly, and is not able to deal with the Sophiſtry and fallacies of his own heart. The Aſtronomer caſts his eye up to heaven, as if he had perfectly paſſed all lower ſtudies, he numbers the Stars, takes the height of heaven, obſerves the motion of the ſeverall Planets, but knowes not the uncertaine motion of this one Planet, this little, loweſt Planet. The Geometrician meaſures both Seas and Lands, and hath not yet the meaſure of his own heart. The Mathematician by his inſtruments meaſures Circles, Squares, or Angular figures, hath no meaſure for this Center, cannot meaſure this Triangle, much leſſe bring it into Square. The Traveller ſeeks to know all Kingdomes, Cities, Nations, Languages, habits, manners, cuſtoms, Laws, and knows none of theſe in his own heart. Tecum habita, nec te quaeſiveris extra.
Man mind thy ſelf, there is a hid treaſure in thy own ground; Dig but deep enough and thou wilt find it (to be ſure) either the good treaſure of the good heart, or an evil treaſure of an evil heart. But nature, and art, and all induſtry fall ſhort here, yea Grace it ſelf, (as now imperfect) comes not up to a full understanding of his own heart. The heart is deceitfull above all things, and deſperately wicked, who can know it? ſaith the Prophet, Jer. 17. 9. The bodies of the trees are ſeen, the root lies deep and unſeen; The heads of ſprings unſeen, the waters ſeen and taſted: Heart-work is the hard work. Abyſſus es tute tibi, ſaid the noble Mornay. Infernus tibi, I may ſay. Here art thou at a loſſe, at thy ne plus ultra, at a terra incognita, at a Mare congelatum; when thou comeſt to the heart, there is no ſayling further. This is the place which the Vultures Eye ſpies not, and here lies a Carcaſſe which the Eagles ſight or ſmell diſcovers not. We often find in the bottom of Wels, Frogs and Toads, when the waters are fair above; Go to the bottom and thou knoweſt not what thou ſhalt eſpie: Thou wilt tell me another tale, and ſay, I told thee not the one half. Under the Graſſe lurkes the Snake, and under the Ground Corn, in the deep Well are the Spies hid. He 2 Sam. 17. 19. Prov. 28. 26.that truſteth in his own heart is a fool in the wiſe mans Judgement, when it ſpeakes faireſt, believe it not, there are ſeven abominations within it. It is like the Lapwing, it will call, and ſend thee further off, when thou comeſt cloſeſt to it. Who can underſtand his own errors? ſaith holy David. Many are ſubtile and inquiſitive to know the Polycies of States, Intereſts of men and times, Errors in Governours, the Hereſies and Errors that have of old, and do at preſent, peſter the Church. But who can underſtand his Errors? mans underſtanding is very large, be that is Learned, can underſtand every Language, every Science; But commonly, the moſt underſtanding man is the moſt ignorant Chriſtian. Is not the wiſdom of this world fooliſhneſſe 1 Cor. 13. 9.with God? The heart is verſute and deceitfull above all things, who can know it? Man hath affected the Knowledge of all things; ſince the Fathers eat that ſour Grape off that Tree of Knowledge, all the childrens teeth have been ſet on edge after it. He knowes the nature of herbs, trees, plants, ſpices, mettals, minerals, yet who can know it! He knowes a thouſand faces at firſt ſight, a thouſand voices, at firſt word, yet to his dying day knows not the face and voice of his heart; Who can know it!
This is thy A. B. C. Reader, if thou art a young Chriſtian; And this not thy Alpha but Omega too, if thou be the greatest Student, and a profeſsed Artiſt. The skill, paines, and induſtry of man hath ſurprized Cities, over-run Kingdoms, changed Governments, hath tamed all Creatures, Beaſts, Birds, Serpents, he hath caught, kept, tamed, caged, taught them all to change their natures. But two little members (yet two microcoſms) in himſelf, none hath known, tamed, or changed, nor can be. The leſſe microcoſme the tongue, (in which is a world of deadly poyſon) which is but the Jam. 3. 6, 8.Ciſtern, ſome few have tamed. But the heart the greater microcoſme, the fountain that feeds this Ciſtern, none hath tamed; onelyonly God who made it, and keeps the Key of it, tames, changeth and governs it. Thou muſt beg of him to give thee a Key to let thee into thine own heart, and to give thee a lock, bolts, and bars to keep it in.
For my part, I am more afraid of the Errors of my own heart, then of all the Doctrinall Errors broached and vented in the World: And am more afraid of what is within and flowes from the heart, then of whatſoever enters the mouth. The poyſon of the moſt venomous ſerpent, only endangers others, preſerves her ſelf; but ours, the moſt peſtiferous poyſon, hurts, our ſelves moſt, our ſelves only.
How ſad is it that we who affect neatneſſe and cleanlineſſe, ſo much in every thing, ſhould be ſo careleſse and ſlight here? If we have rich clothes, they muſt be kept and laid up clean, If fair linnen, it muſt be waſhed and worn clean; If plate, it muſt be ſcoured bright, and uſed clean; If but braſſe and pewter, it muſt be ſcoured too, and kept clean; An ordinary entertaining Room muſt be alwaies kept clean; A Garden must be weeded and kept clean; A neat Watch, duſt muſt not take it, but it muſt be daily looked to and kept clean: But the heart, which is the choicest apparel, linnen, plate, veſſel, garden, entertaining room, watch, is above all neglectings neglected, as if it had been ſaid, above all keeping, keep theſe other things, out of which are onelyonly the iſſues of vain and earthly delights, but above all neglecting, neglect thy heart, out of which are the iſſues of eternall life and eternal ſalvation. I ſpeak not this as if I could ſay, I have made my heart clean, but as Tertullian ſaid of his Book of Patience; Langu…nt…s cum vacent a ſanitate de bonis ejus tac…re non norunt. Ita miſerrimus ego ſemper aeger Calorious impatientiae, qua… non ob…inco, patientiae ſanitat…m, & ſuſpirem, & invocem, & peror…m nec…ſſe est. Tert. de pat.He was the more pleaſed to write of Patience, becauſe he wanted and bewailed the want of Patience; as the ſick man, ſaith he, largely commendeth the bleſſing of health, which he now knowes the more how to prize becauſe he wants it. My caſe thou wilt ſee in the last Chapter, in a ſad ſelfbemoaning Soliloquy.
Reader, thou ſeeſt all men labour to attain to the perfection of their Profeſſions, be not thou a puny in thine; This is the beſt diſcovery of a growing Chriſtian, when he is more skilled in himſelf, verſt in his own heart; when thou art grown acquainted with the wants, diſeaſes, wiles; with the ſtate, cure, order, government of thy heart; when thou art wholy taken up in the obſerving, regulating and keeping of thy heart, then art thou the grown Chriſtian. To ſtudy Books may make thee a Scholar, to ſtudy the Scriptures may make thee a Preacher, to study Men, a Polititian; but to ſtudy the man thy ſelf, and thine own heart, makes thee a well grounded & well grown Chriſtian. There be four Books muſt be well ſtudied and compared together to make an accompliſhed Chriſtian.
1. The book of Providence is not to be a deſpiſed Legend, nor to be ſtudied alone.
2. The The Book of Scripture is to be compared with the Book of Providence, rightly to underſtand it, or thou wilt become an Atheiſt.
3. The Book of Conſcience, which is to be conferred with the Scripture, or thou wilt prove a meer formaliſt.
4. The Book of books, Chriſt Jeſus, to be brought home to conſcience, or thou wilt be a dead and heartleſſe chriſtian. Deal with no one of them alone, or thou wilt prove but a piece or ſhadow of a Profeſsor. But bring Scripture and Providence, Conſcience and Scripture, and Chriſt and Conſcience together, and thou haſt done thy work, ſo ſhalt thou come behind in no gift, waiting for the appearing of Jeſus Chriſt; Which is the Prayer of
Thy Companion in the Spirituall Warfare. Jo. SHEFFEILD.