The Sinfulness of Evil Thoughts, Treatise · Chapter 10
CHAP. X. Of Blaſphemous Thoughts.
NEXT unto theſe march a Troop of Blaſphemous and helliſh Thoughts, and they march furiouſly as the Divels Vantguard, more furiouſly than Jehu, like Goliah with his Armour-Bearer, defying the hoſts of the living God, or like railing Rabſhakeh, with a libellous letter in his hand, and black mouth wide open, reviling the moſt High. Yet are the ſeeds of this in every heart, as well as other evil Thoughts, Mar. 7. 22, 23. Out of the heart of man (every man) proceed evil thoughts,—blaſphemies. This caſe is very ſad, and goes as a ſword to the ſoul of the people of God; They rend their clothes, humble, yea, torment themſelves, they weep, pray, mourn, and ſpread out their hands to heaven, in this day of ſad rebuke and blaſphemy. Theſe Thoughts are the Devils black Guard, and are properly the ſin of Hell. There do the damned gnaw their tongues for anguiſh, and blaſpheme the God of heaven out of deſpite. And as it is the caſe of the damned, who are paſt all hope of mercy, ſo it is onelyonly the caſe of ſuch unhappy miſcreants yet on earth, to entertain ſuch thoughts as are without God and without hope, Either deſperately ſi…ing while they open their mouth againſt heaven, or ſinfully deſpairing, as wretched Spira, who ſometimes blaſphemouſly wiſht that he might be above God; Such wiſh that there were no God, no ſoul, no Law to forbid ſin, no hell to puniſh ſin, no judgement day. Heaven they give for loſt, mercy not to be obtained, Gods wrath not to be appeaſed, and his diſpleaſure not to be indured and undergone: They have deſpiſed mercy, deſpighted grace, rejected Chriſt, reſiſted the holy Ghoſt, as enemies they have carried themſelves to God, and as an enemy they look to find him: Hence that hatred of God, departure from him, deſpaire of all indeavours, a deſperate ſaying to God, Depart from us, and at laſt, which is the utmoſt which Satan can perſwade or wiſh, To curſe God and die.
Oh the rage of man! oh the malice of Satan! oh the poyſon of unbelief and deſpair! what fire and brimſtone comes out of this Etna!
Yet haply a right gracious heart may be aſſaulted with theſe fiery darts; our Saviour himſelf, to what was he ſollicited? Even to renounce God, and to devote himſelf to Satan. There is none of theſe temp…tions but are common to men, But God is faithfull, who will not ſuffer you to to be tempted above that you are able, but will with the temptation alſo make a way to eſcape, that you may be 1 Cor. 10. 13.able to bear it, as the Apoſtle ſaith.
The buſie flies will be ſometimes hovering and buzzing about the pureſt meat, ſo doth this Beelzebub the God of flies, (as his name ſignifies) ſeek to taint, or terrify the pureſt heart with theſe injections, theſe come hovering and fluttering about a godly heart as Abrahams birds, but he riſeth up and driveth the… away, but they light and ſettle on a wicked heart, as the birds on the Bakers head, there the interpretation is ſad and ominous,
Job was afraid leaſt his ſons (though brought up religiouſly) might curſe God in their hearts. He knew they durſt not ſpeak an ill word of God in his hearing, nor think irreverently of God when they were to call upon him in prayer; But how far they might forget themſelves when they were warmed with good cheer and mirth, this holy and jealous Father was much afraid, therefore he ſent and ſanctified them and offered burnt offerings, For Job ſaid, it may be that my ſons have ſinned, and curſed God in their hearts, Job 1. 5.
Thoughts of this nature were darted into Jobs wives heart, and took fire, ſhe was overcome by them, and by her they were handed to her husband, Curſe God and die.
This old miſchievous Engineer Satan will be caſting theſe Squibs at us, to try if they will either fire or fright us, and theſe Granadoes, he is often throwing into well fortified hearts, knowing well, that if they ly a while and break there, they make bloudy execution; but our wiſdome is to catch theſe Granadoes before they break and ſettle, and throw them back upon him, then they will miſchief him not us; Or do as the Gardiner, who eſpyeth the weeds ſpringing up where he ſet good herbs, who cries out, I wonder how you come here, I ſowed better ſeeds, here is no place for you, what envious one hath ſown theſe tares, he plucks them up, and his garden is kept clean.
I intended not to extenuate, or excuſe theſe blaſphemous and curſed thoughts for they are the greateſt ſins, the child of Beliall can conceive and travel with, neither need I to aggravate them, for they are the greateſt trouble a child of God can be expoſed to; Yet are ſometimes ſuch thoughts darted in by Satan, and words to like purpoſe are ſometimes bolted out, even from the child of God, but it is when he is not himſelf, but overclouded with paſſion, overwhelmed with temptation, or diſordered by ſome violent diſeaſe, which hath diſtempered not his faith onelyonly, but his reaſon. But our comfort is, God can diſtinguiſh between our diſeaſes and our ſins, between our conſtant temper, and a tranſient diſtemper, between our voluntary tranſgreſſions, and our involuntary and bewailed ſuffrings, between Satans act, and our paſſiveneſſe, as he did between Joſephs Miſtreſſe tempting, and Joſeph reſiſting and ſlying; Shee was looked upon as foully guilty, as if the ſin had been committed, but he as innocent as if he had never been tempted. Beſides the Scripture ſaith, There is pardon for Blaſphemies and Blaſphemers, All ſin and blaſphemy ſhall be forgiven to men; All paſſive, or Ma…. 12. 31.involuntary Blaſphemy, this is not the Blaſpheming of the Holy Ghoſt which is never forgiven, for that is alwayes allowed, voluntary, willfull, obſtinate and unbewailed. Paul had been a Blaſphemer in his Ignorance, and Peter a worſe in his inconſideratneſſe; but both pardoned, Paul becauſe he knew not what he did, Peter becauſe he liked not what he did, but repented of it. Bernard ſaith, Satan doth caſt in Offert horribili… de divinitate, terribilia de fide, mirabilia de fidei inſtitutione, et in alveolo ment is venenifer as ingerit potiones, quas in conſeſſsione evomere peccator oneratus exhorret.thoughts horrible to think about God, terrible things about faith and Scripture promiſes, and caſts in ſuch poiſonous potions into the ſoul, that the burdened patient ſick to death with them, dare hardly venture to vomit up by a holy confeſſion. In the law there was a proviſion made, that if fire did break out and catch thornes, ſo that the ſtacks of corn, or the ſtanding corn, or the field were conſumed there with, he that kindled the fire ſhould be liable to make reſtitution. Exod. 22. 6. The Lord doth know what an Incendiary Satan is, and how that by his thornes, or firebrands the ſtack, and ſtanding corn is ſet a fire, the trouble is ours at preſent, but the damage will be charged upon him. Yet in this caſe our duty is to beſtir our ſelves as faſt as we can to quench this fire and preſerve as much of the corn as we can by ſtopping the flames. Or to do as Hezekiah did upon the receipt of that blaſphemous letter, humble thy ſelf extraordinarily, Rend thy clothes, put on ſackcloth, go into the houſe of the Lord, ſpread the railing letter before the Lord, cry out this is a day of trouble indeed, and of rebuke and blaſphemy, for the children are come to the birth and there is no ſtrength to bring forth, lift up thy own prayers, call for help from others, if ſo be that the Lord will hear all thoſe railing blaſphemies, and reprove the words which he hath heard, and put a hooke into the noſtrils, and a bridle into the Jaws of this infernall Sennacherib, and cauſe him to return to the place from whence he came, and thou ſhalt certainly be delivered. And if Solomon could in his wiſdome and Juſtice diſcern whoſe the dead child was, and give it to the right mother, when ſhe ſaid divide it between us, The Lord will certainly pronounce Satan the onelyonly father of theſe helliſh brats which thou doſt diſown, though he would have them divided between thee and him.