The Sinfulness of Evil Thoughts, Treatise · Chapter 2
CHAP. II. The point explained, Prov'd and confirmed by ſundry arguments in the text.
FIrſt, I ſay (for the opening of the termes in the poſition) Thoughts finfull fixed, rooted, entertained] ſuch was this in Magus foreign machinatio. Beza. Cogitatio nimium dilute redditur. Significatur his vafrum Simonis commentum. Leigh.It was in his heart, and the two wordes uſed here ſignifie fixed and deliberate thoughts: foreign v. 20. which is more then a tranſient, injected, ſudden thought, or inconſiderate Imagination. And the other word in this verſe foreign rendred (thought) ſignifies more properly machination, project, deſigne, purpoſe of the heart.
Secondly, Peter would never have begun with ſuch an Execration of his motion, or uſed ſuch an Imprecation on his Perſon, Thymony periſh with thee, or thy mony and thee foreigngo into Perdition together (for ſo is the Grammaticall reading) nor would he have concluded with ſuch a peremptory ſentence of Condemnation, nor would he have ſo Rattled, and Terrified him, if his ſin and danger had not been very great; nor laſtly, would he have doubled all his Arguments, if it had not been to leave him ſenſible of ſo great a miſchief, and throughly to waken and warn others. 1. He tells him twice of his thought, v. 20. and 22. 2. He tells him twice or thrice of his ſtate. 1. Thy heart is not right in the ſight of God. 2.Thou haſt neither part nor lot in this matter. 3. Thou art in the gall of Bitterneſſe and bond of Iniquity.
Thirdly, He calls upon him to a double duty, Repent and pray.
Fourthly, And to drive him out of all his ſecurity, and to force him out of his ſloth, he makes him no abſolute promiſe, nor ſo much as conditionall neither, but leaves him in doubt, yea a double doubt; 1. If, 2. perhaps. He ſaith not ſo much as Joel 2. 14. Who knows but the Lord may repent? but all he ſaith is Perhaps; and, as if that were too much yet, he puts in another If: If perhaps the thought of thy heart may be forgiven thee.
For the evill of thoughts, conſider theſe other Scriptures. Pro. 6. 18. among thoſe ſix things which God hateth, The heart that deviſeth wicked Imaginations is one, Pro. 15. 26. The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord. Eſay. 55. 7. Let the wicked forſake his way, and the unrighteous man his tboughts. Jer. 4. 14. O Jeruſalem waſh thy heart from wickcdneſſ, that thou mayſt be ſaved: how long ſhall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee? When the Phariſees carped at ſome acts of our Saviour, and reaſoned, in their hearts, it is ſaid, Jeſus knowing their thoughts, rebuked them, ſaying wherefore think you evill in your hearts. Often it is ſaid Mat. 9. 4.in the Goſpel, Jeſus Chriſt took notice of their thoughts, Luke 11. 19. and Luke 24. 38. Why do thoughts ariſe in your hearts? By all which proofes it appears, how much evil is in the evil thought.
Reaſons. There be many reaſons at hand in the Text. 1. Theſe Proclaim what we make of God, of the Goſpel, and the wayes and ſervants of God. Thy mony periſh with thee, becauſe thou haſt thought that the gift of God may be purchaſed with mony. q. d. What a thought haſt thou conceived, what doſt thou think of God, of the Holy Ghoſt, the gift of God, of the Goſpel, and of us? Thou art all for mony thy ſelfe, thou thinkeſt God is ſo, at leaſt we are ſo, and that the Goſpel and gift of God is but a deviſe to get more mony, Thy mony and thy thoughts periſh together.
2. Theſe thoughts lay open the heart, and ſhew the temper of it, more then any outward action or expreſſion: Phiſiognomy doth not ſo declare the conſtitution of the mind, not the Pulſe of the heart, nor the urine of the diſeaſe, as the thoughts do the ſtate and frame of the heart, if thou wilt take the paines to obſerve them, Ʋrina eſt meretrix, and baptiſme, profeſſion, hearing, wondering, mony giving, are no better, ſhew not the Chriſtian to himſelf, ſo much as the thoughts. Thy heart is not right, ſaith Peter, becauſe thou haſt harboured ſuch a thought, in the ſight of God. Jer. 4. 14. Waſh thine heart, how long ſhall vain thoughts lodge within thee? Where vain thoughts are lodged, the heart is not clean.
3. Theſe to a Judicious and diſcerning Eye, leave in a moſt deſperate ſtate, what ever Ignorant, wicked or ſelf-deceiving perſons may dream to the contrary, I perceive, ſaith Peter (I know thou thinkeſt not ſo ill of thy ſelfe, or thy ſtate) I perceive that thou art in the very gall of bitterneſſe, and in the bond of Iniquity. That is, thy heart and ſtate is as bad can be, as bitter as gall. Thou art as faſt in ſin as if bound to it with chaines. It is more, ſaith Beza, then to have Gall or bitterneſſe in him, as it is more to be in wine, or to be in the water, or foreign, Extra ſe erat, v. 13. Idem verbum v. 9. non eodem ſenſu acceptum, ibi Magus preſtigiisf acinavit, dement avil ſpectatores, hic ipſe quaſi in Extaſi poſitus totus obſtupuit.to be in paſſion, then to ſay win…, water, paſsion is in a man; he is overcome of wine, drowned in the water, full of paſſion: as the like phraſes, To be in darkneſſe, to be in the fleſh ſignifie, to be wholly ſo, full of darkneſſe, nothing but fleſh, &c.
4. Baptiſme, hearing, joyning, and continuing in the beſt and pureſt Church, Exſtaſies, Raptures, admirations, greateſt Expreſsions of affections, nay faith, yea the Holy Ghoſt too, in many common gi…ts, and the greateſt Liberality and contribution of the largeſt ſumme of mony, put into the beſt handes, nay the greedie…t deſire and t…irſt of the moſt eminent gifts, and to be a Communicator of them, profit nothing, but are all in vain, where wicked thoughts lodge and are harboured. All thoſe ſoremmed, were in this ſoul Hypocite Magus, yet was he in the gall of birterneſſe; he was baptized, beleeved, and ſeemed to be ſo far affected and tranſported above the common ſort, that he was in an Extaſie, or Rapture, ſo the word ſignifies. He had alſo the Holy Ghoſt, (as it may ſeem, for divers had, who could ſay, Lord have not we propl eſied in thy name, and in thy name caſt out Devils, and done many mighty workes, yet will Chriſt profeſſe to them, I never k…ew …ou) Beſides, it is ſaid, when Mat. 7. 22. Heb. 6. 4.Peter and John came, they bid their hands on them, that they might receive the Holy Ghoſt, and this Magus was one of that number: And again Simon offered mony (not that he might receive the Holy Ghoſt, for that he had already, but) that he might have like power to give, or confer the Holy Ghoſt. Therefore look well to your ſelves you Profeſſors, and look well to your he…rts, and to your thoughts.
5. Nothing but deep, Solemne, and Particular Repentance (Repent of this thy wickedneſſe) and hard praying, and beginning all anew will help, where theſe evil thoughts have taken root in the heart; All the prayers of the Church, without thine own (Pray ye unto the Lord for me, ſaid he) all thy own prayers, without Repentance, all General re…entance without a particular bitter bewayling of this evil in the heart, will leave thee but in a doubtfull and deſperate ſtate.
6. Nay it is well if any prayer, and all the repentance in the world will be accepted in ſuch a caſe. He gives no abſolute promiſe, nor yet ſo much as a conditionall. But a b…re perhaps (if perhaps thy ſin may be forgiven thee) q. d. I will not ſay what true Repentance …ccompanyed with e…rneſt prayers may do (for they do much with God, and have ſaved many a poor ſoul) But in this caſe, I ſay, Look well to thy Repentance, and how thou prayeſt, that it be not common and ſlight prayer and overly Repentance, for if thy after-Repentance be no better then thy former faith, and thy future prayers no better then thy preſent profeſsion, all is deſperate: The man and his mony, his faith and repentance, his prayers and profeſsion, will all periſh together.
7. The malignity of evil thoughts is as witchcraft, (Rebellion is as bad as witchcraft) 1 Sam. 15. 23.theſe worſe it ſeemes. Theſe make the caſe of a profeſſor, worſe then ſorcery, witchcraft, or any other ſin in time of our Ignorance: Simon the Sorcerer may be pardoned and received into the Church when he beleeves; Simon the Profeſſor is caſt out for his evil thoughts, and left in a hopeleſſe condition without repentance. Here I ſay again, look to it Profeſſors, look more narrowly to your hearts and thoughts after converſion, then on all your evil wayes before.
8. From what he Replies, Pray ye for me, &c. where evil thoughts are entertained they deaden prayer. There is no prayer uſed, where theſe are harboured, nor can ſuch in their greateſt diſtreſſe, when they are put upon it, and preſſed earneſtly to it, and when their life and ſalvation lies upon it, know how to go about to pray. But like an Image or ſtock he ſtands, and all he ſaith for himſelf is, Pray ye for me. q. d. I can't pray if my life lay on it, what ever comes on it; if other good peoples prayers will not help me, I am a damned perſon, I have never been uſed to this duty of prayer that you ſo preſſe me to. And here ye Prophane ones, and Profeſſors both look to it. 1. Ye Prophane Job. 15. 4.ones, who caſt off fear, and reſtrain prayer before God; you who will not uſe to pray in peace, and do not ordinarily, cannot pray in diſtreſſe, nor when you ſhould Extraordinarily. But this foreign would-be, this great one ſtands like a great block, and ſaith, Pray ye for me. But it is our own meat which nouriſheth; our own faith that ſaveth; our own prayers that are heard. The child ſhall not dy for his fathers tranſgreſſion, nor ſhall he live for his fathers obedience and holineſſe; The child haply may be nouriſhed by what the mother eates, but nature inableth the little Infant to draw that nouriſhment from the mother and make it his owne: But the child is not ſaved by the parents faith, unleſſe it joyn and make the parents faith and holineſſe, his own. 2. Look to it ye Profeſſors, that ye begin not at the wrong end, with common and General faith and baptiſme, reſting there, and neglect repentance and ſolemne prayer, leaſt ye find your own faith (falſe faith) and outward priviledges to deceive you, and others prayers unable to help you.
9. Laſtly, Conſider how vain and fooliſh theſe evil thoughts received, and harboured, make and leave the heart to dream of ſeparating ſin and puniſhment (as inſeparable, as night and darkneſſe, as winter, and cold) he is only troubled at the puniſhment, not at all ſenſible of his ſin. Pray ye for me (ſaith he) that none of theſe things which ye have ſpoken come upon me. But in vain it is to preſume we may Eat the forbidden fruit and not dy, and to pray that though we hold on in ſin, God ſhould hold off the puniſhment.
Thus ſhall we leave Magus as we found him, bound in the bond of iniquity, and leave thoſe reaſons which we have from him, and from the Text, and call in ſome other, from other Scriptures.