The Sinfulness of Evil Thoughts, Treatise · Chapter 13
CHAP. XIII Of Hard Thoughts of God.
IN the heels of theſe come a croud of Hard Thoughts, as diſhonourable to God, to Jeſus Chriſt, to the Spirit of Grace, to the Promiſe, Truth, Goodneſſe of God, and as dangerous to our own ſouls, as any other. And theſe come with that violence, that they often drive all before them. Theſe conclude of God, It is in vain to ſerve him, and to no purpoſe Mal. 3. 14.to keep his Ordinances, and to walk mournfully before him. And ſpeak as confidently as the evil ſervant, I know thee to be an hard Maſter, reaping where thou didſt not ſow, and gathering where thou didſt not ſtraw, I therefore feared Mat. 25. 24, 25.the ſucceſſe, and hid my Talent, &c. Oh madneſſe! oh blaſphemy! Wilt thou charge the Sun with darkneſſe, the Sea with dryneſſe, Juſtice it ſelf with injury, and Mercy, the higheſt mercy it ſelf, with cruelty? Doſt thou diſdain to have jealous thoughts of a loyall Wife, diſtruſtfull thoughts of a loving Father, and art thou not aſhamed to charge God ſo foully. Bluſh when thou readeſt God mentioning his thoughts to thee. I know the thoughts that I think towards you ſaith the Lord, Thoughts of peace not of evil, to Jer. 29. 11.give you an expected end; And correct thine towards God, which are black, and hard thoughts of evil, and not of peace. Our thoughts are not his thoughts. Labour to have thy heart not onelyonly filled with high, holy, and honourable thoughts of God, but with ſweet, gracious, good, candid, hopefull thoughts. Suſpition deſtroys friendſhip and confidence among men, Theſe deſtroy all commerce with God. He that cometh to Heb. 11. 6.God muſt believe that he is a rewarder of ſuch as ſeek him; This is the firſt article of our Faith, and the firſt ſtep or motive to obedience; The firſt letter, as I may ſay, in Gods Name, when himſelf proclaimed it to Moſes, is, (not as the chief titles of eatthly Monarchs, who are ſtiled, High, Mighty, Dread, &c. but) The Lord, gracious, mercyfull, long-ſuffering, abundant in loving kindneſſe and truth, pardoning iniquity, tranſgreſſion and ſin. Come therefore to him as to a Father of mercies, to a fountain of living water; Expect not little from him, from whom thou canſt not expect too much, nay, not enough, as we cannot from men expect too little.
Yet herein wicked and godly ones both are much to blame.
1. Wicked men think well onelyonly of themſelves, and hardly of all others, yea of God himſelf, and therefore as they never ſpeak of others without a But, a blotting, or abaſing But, a Sed diminuentis. Such a one is a wiſe, learned, good man, ſay they, but a Paſſionate, man or the like; yet when they ſpeak of themſelves or any evil in them, they throw in another But (a ſed Augentis) a weighty But, that fetcheth all up againe, I am haſty indeed, I am raſh, fooliſh ſometimes, and forget my ſelf, I have my weakneſſes, but I have as good an heart and meaning as can be: So they deal with God himſelf in their thoughts, they believe he is Almighty, great, excellent, pure, omniſcient, juſt, but they doubt he is not ſo mercifull and kind to his poor creatures as were to be wiſhed. They doubt for all this, he takes a little too much delight in caſting off, and then tormenting his creatures; And if our ſins be thus upon us we muſt needs die, and how ſhall we then live? they do object. And the Lord to ſtop their mouthes, and for ever to ſilence ſuch deſtructive thoughts, anſwers immediately, and binds it with an oath; As I live ſaith the Ezek. 33. 10, 11.Lord, I have no pleaſure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn you from your evil wayes, for why will ye die O houſe of Iſrael. Who is then to be believed? He that ſaith to man offending, ſin and live, and to man repenting, repent and die, as Satan ever doth; or He that ſaith to every ſinner, ſin and die, repent and live, believe and be juſtified, look to me and be ſaved.
2. Neither are the godly often to be excuſed, who as they have low thoughts of themſelves, ſo have too low, and hard thoughts of God, and hence they walk ſo ſadly, when theſe thoughts be entertained. They have ever high thoughts of God for his Power, truth, holineſſe, faithfullneſſe, and loving-kindneſſe, yet miſdoubt his mercy, at Pſal. 77. and 88.leaſt to them, they complain ſometimes as if God had forgotten himſelf, caſt off them, and that he hath ſhut up his mercies in diſpleaſure; many ſuch ſad and mournfull complaints of the men of God are recorded in Scripture. And the Lord often takes much paines to ſatisfie and remove theſe ſtumbling-blocks. Eſa. 40. 27, 28. Why ſaieſt thou O Jacob, and ſpeakeſt oh Iſrael, my way is hid from the Lord, and my judgement paſſed over from my God, &c. And Eſa. 49. 14, 15. But Sion ſaid, the Lord hath forſaken me, and my God forgotten me. Can a woman forget her ſucking child, that ſhe ſhould not have compaſſion on the ſon of her womb? Yea they may forget, yet will not I forget thee.