The Sinfulness of Evil Thoughts, Treatise · Chapter 24
CHAP. XXIIII. Of the evil thoughts which concern and reſpect our ſelves.
HERE are we come to ſmite at Hidras, third head, and have brought you into the third region of thoughts, nothing purer ayr then the two former (never a barrell better herring, as we ſay) or into the third Story of the chambers of Imagery, where you wil ſee, if you view, as unclean and deformed portraitures as any yet; Theſe are the Penetralia, or oracle: The pollutum pollutorum (I dare not ſay Sanctum Sanctorum) of Satans temple, which when you enter, you may well think you are entering into Jeremies naſty Priſon and Dungeon full of dark Cabbins and Cells, yet not ſo Jer. 37. 16. and 38. 6.much as a drop of water to drink, but filthy mire in which he ſunk and ſtuck faſt. The evil thoughts reſpecting our ſelves onelyonly. A great Room, and ſpacious, this to walk in, but within many cloſets, or chambers in a chamber, as the Scripture phraſe is, a 1 King. 22. 25.great wheele it is in which many wheeles may be diſcerned, wheel within wheele, A cheſt of Drawers, or caſe of Boxes I may in this caſe compare our naughty heart to, once begin to open it you think you ſhall never have an end, you diſcover more, and yet more receptacles, and holes and unſuſpected hiding places; and which is worſt of all, ſuch ſtuffe (the evil treaſure of the heart) hid there as none would imagine; For example;
1. A pack of Impure, unchaſt, unclean Impure Thoughts.thoughts; Speculative adultery, fornication, inceſt, &c. whereby the mind is as much defiled, as the body is by the externall act. The mill ſometimes ſets it ſelfe a fire not being looked to, and having no corn to grind, and a man is ſometimes burnt up of his own luſts, by the agitation and motion of the thoughts at work on themſelves, for want of better employment. Theſe evil thoughts are Sodoms ſuburbs, linger not, but haſt and eſcape for thy life, look not back upon them leaſt thou be burnt in their flame. Certainly many are guilty of murder before God, who never toucht their neighbours life; and of adultery, who never ſtained anothers chaſtity. Oh what haſt thou to anſwer for a world of impure thoughts, whereby the bed of thy heart (which ſhould be kept as the chaſt ſpouſe of Chriſt) is defiled, when the bed of others is not defiled. The Scripture ſpeakes of eyes full of adultery, and of adultery in the 2 Pet. 2. 14. Mat. 5. 28. Job. 31. 1.heart. We muſt make Jobs covenant with our eyes and with our thoughts, not to think of a woman, as he ſaith in an evil ſenſe: Fence thine eyes and thou halfe guardeſt thy heart, quench thy ſparkling thoughts and the fire out. The evil thought is hells burning Objectis ventos foribus, clanſiſque fenestris, Eſt etiam tota mos prohibere domo. Aſt aures, oculique hae ſunt, utriaque decebat, Quas ſatanae clauſas oppoſuiſſe fores. Bez. Epigr.glaſſe which ſets on fire the whole courſe of corrupt nature. And the eyes, and eares, ſaith Beza, are as well to be ſhut againſt Satans temptations, as we ſhut the doors and caſements of the houſe to keep out the wind and weather.
2. Next to theſe unclean ſelf-defiling thoughts, we may rank ambitious ſelf-exalting thoughts, which are ſelf-defiling, and ſelfdeſtroying too for the moſt part; ſuch as were in old Lucifer, who ſaid in his heart, I will aſcend into heaven, I will exalt my throne Eſa. 14. 13.above the ſtars of God, &c. Such as were in the old vaunting Aſſyrian, Are not my Princes altogether Kings? Shall I not do to Jeruſalem, as to Samaria and her Idolls? Deſert not me to truſt in God, for what Eſ. 36. 15. 18.God can deliver out of my hand? but let Hezekiah and all deſert God and put their truſt in me. It was time for the Lord to put a hook into his noſtrills; Such or worſe was Simon Magus, who muſt needs be ſome great one in the world, though he compact with Satan, and give a ſoul for vain glory; He ſaid with Saul, honour me before the people, and call me what you will, let me be reprobate and rejected of God, that is not it which troubles me: Occidar modo imperet, as Nero's mother ſaid of him, let me or my child riſe to greatneſſe, though I dye and damne for it.
And there are other ambitious thoughts in ſpirituall things as much to be avoided; Magus his ſpirituall pride and hypocriſie made him two fold more a child of hell then when he was a wizard; He was before a child of darkneſſe, now he is an Angell of light; he would before have been ſome body in the world, now is he covetous earneſtly of ſpirituall gifts, and ſeeks to be ſome eminent luminary and light in the Church, a new Apoſtle at the leaſt, and he bids fair for it, he would ſpare for no mony ſo it might be had, that he might give the Holy Ghoſt (which none but the Apoſtles ever had power to do) that he might be as much talked of for the ſpirit as any of them, and might out ſhine them all. Oh that this ſpirit had died with him! Oh how many of his diſciples and ſectators have we at this day, who affect ſpirituall gifts out of ambition, and preach out of emulation? Some deſire to Phil. 1. 15.hear that they may learn and know: to know and learn that they may teach; to teach, that they may practice themſelves and edifie others; but others there be who care not for learning, knowing, teaching, practizing, edifying, but hear and know and teach, that they may be heard and known and talked of, if not worſe, to gather diſciples after them, ſuch as Magus had: The impureſt Gnoſticks and Ranters bearing the name of Chriſtians.
This ſpirituall pride is the more dangerous pride, when outward ſhews not, but dies, take heed of a worſe within. Pride is like the ſmall pox, if it ſtrike inward it is certain death, better it ſhould come out in the fouleſt bloches and ſcabs. Some low ſpirits are proud of their clothes, as the peacock of his feathers, of a head of haire as Abſolom, Eſ. 19. 11.of an old pedigree, as Pharaoh, of his many Honors and titles as Haman, of his great atcheivements and faire buildings as Nebuchadnezzar; Bad and too bad all: But another, Ez. 28. 3. 14.as Tyre, ſteps up as an anointed cherub, glories of his anointing, and is proud of his wiſdome, That he is more wiſe then Daniel, or any Scripture man of them all, Here is the greateſt danger. The Phariſees pride of ſpirit was worſe then that of Abſaloms (as Diogenes pride of heart was worſe then of Plato's attire and fare) The one puft up with his beauty, the other with his duty. How much is it ſafer to be humble after a ſin, then proud after a duty; and to be kept low in midſt of many weakneſſes, then to be lifted up in midſt of the fulleſt mercies, and richeſt graces, which made Mr. Fox ſay his graces did him moſt hurt, and his ſins moſt good; and made Luther ſay in a ſober ſenſe; operabona ſunt pernicioſa in ſalutem, good works are deſtructive to ſalvation, to wit, if relied on, and prided or gloried in.
3. Thoughts of Security which are apt to Thoughts of Security.ſeize upon a gracious heart: Either for his own privat ſtate, as David, who once dreamed of Golden proſperity, that his Mountain Pſal. 30. 6. Job. 29. 18. Jer. 45.ſhould never be moved; and Job, that he ſhould die in his neſt; and Baruch, that he ſhould enjoy great matters, and a quiet ſtate in the world: God will poure his ſervants from veſſell to veſſell, that their ſent may not abide in them: Or for the Church, but Noah may look and look again ere he ſee any dry land for the Ark to reſt upon it; and our Saviour hath forewarned us not to think he comes to ſend Peace to his Church, but fire and ſword rather; In the world you Mat. 10. 34. Jo. 16. 33.ſhall have tribulation: and live we never ſo Godly, They which will live Godly in this world (all and every one of them) ſhall ſuffer tribulation; our thoughts muſt not dream of ſitting at the right hand and left, in Kingdoms below, but of drinking of Chriſts cup, and being baptized with his baptiſme.
4. Self magnifying and admiring thoughts of our own worth and excellency, and deſpiſing others, forgetting that of the Apoſtle, that every man think ſoberly and Ro. 12. 3. and 10. Pro. 26. 12.meanly of himſelfe, in honor preferring others: and of the wiſe man, Seeſt thou a man wiſe in his own conceit? There is more hope of a foole than of him. Theſe are like little children, they blow a bladder firſt full of wind, then play with it; or like the Baker, they dream a dream, and themſelves muſt interpret Gen. 40. 16.it, and the interpretation muſt be their advancement. But theſe thoughts of ſelf-conceit and ſelf-magnifying, have coſt the world, and the Church eſpecially, very dear, they being the mother of faction, diviſion, diſcontent, hereſies, ſchiſmes, rents, ſeperations, confuſion, deſtruction; yea this ſelf-conceit is the Arch-heretick and the greateſt ſectary in the world, and the greateſt incendiary in the ſtate.
5. Projecting, reſtles, working thoughts; There is a mint of them continually going in the ſhop of a buiſy minde. His inward thought is how to make his houſe and name ſtand for ever, Pſal. 49. 11. And, Pſal. 146. 4. Thus is he employed all his life long (with a hundred proclamations in his head) till death comes; His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his duſt, in that day all his thoughts periſh; ſhould he live ever, his thoughts would be at work ever: He dyeth as Archimedes buiſie about his Projects: As Caligula or Domitian was wont to tumble himſelf all along upon heapes of gold, ſo he tumbles himſelf upon a heap of thoughts. Man is like a candle lighted, it waſtes it ſelf, goes out in ſmoke, and ends in an ill ſavour, ſo mans thoughts; or mans mind is like a peece of ordinance, made with much coſt, mounted with much labour, but being over charged, and fire put to it, flies a peeces and deſtroyes the engeneer. When death gives fire, the mans thoughts break and he and they periſh together; or every man is as a woman with child that dies in travell; women have a time when they ceaſe bearing and conceiving, mans mind never ceaſeth travelling. The woman is uſually delivered, and child, and ſhe both ſafe, the man and his thoughts periſh together: Abſalom travelled with ambitious thoughts, death comes, there is an end of them: Ahitophel with Politick thoughts, death comes, there is an end of them. The great builder, and gatherer, dreames of nothing but getting, talks of nothing but building, thinks of nothing Immoritur ſtudiis & amore ſeneſei… habendi, Ho…but enjoying, eating, drinking, living at ſuch a rate, he goes well to bed, riſeth no more, there all his thoughts periſh