The Sinfulness of Evil Thoughts, Treatise · Chapter 29
CHAP. XXIX. The Second uſe for humiliation.
IN the ſecond place, ſee what cauſe is here for Humiliation, univerſall and continuall humiliation, above all other ſins be humbled for thy Thoughts; Whatſoever is fair without, thy thoughts are foul to be ſure, who can ſay his heart is clean? Yea, whatever is Prov. 20. 9.fouleſt without, the thoughts are yet more foul and filthy. Many men are like the Egyptian Temples, rich, fair, beautifull without, when you come in Cats, mice, ſerpents, Crocodyles; fair ſepulchers, and painted over, full of ſtench and rottenneſſe within; when as the godly ſoul deſires to be like Solomons Temple, which had the lights narrower without, wider within, which had nothing but ſtone and timber to be ſeen without, within 1 King 6. 4. 21, 22, 30.nothing but gold.
Alas! have not we many a wild, many a vile and ſinfull Thought to bewaile, not tranſient and involuntary, but deliberate, fixed and voluntary thoughts? How hard to get the heart in a good frame? how hardly doth a good thought enter? how ſoon is it turned out of doors? what cold welcome do we give it? But to ill thoughts we ſet doors wide open, we make room to entertain them, we keep them company, diſcourſe with them with much delight, and never think the time long they ſtay, and are loth to let them go.
Oh how many forgetfull thoughts have we of God, either no thoughts, or low thoughts, or hard thoughts, or Atheiſticall, or blaſphemous, or impious, at leaſt diſhonourable and diſtruſtfull thoughts of God.
Towards thy neighbour, how many unkind, uncharitable, envious, cenſorious, paſſionate, malicious, proud, ſcornfull, injurious thoughts haſt thou had?
And for thy ſelf, who need tell thee of thy vain, impure, ſelf-deceiving, ſelf-exalting, ſelf-magnifying, ſelf-ſeeking thoughts; who can number thy carking, caring, plodding, plotting thoughts; thy empty, aery, frothy, endleſſe, uſeleſſe, unprofitable, and unſavoury thoughts?
Is not thy heart full of carnall reaſonings, roving imaginations, motions, yea of ſinfull counſels, deviſes, purpoſes?
The good man is like the Merchant, who hath not much abroad, opens not ſhop, but his goods are packed and piled up in low Cellars, and beſtowed in his ware-houſes, and back rooms of his houſe; But on the other ſide, the moſt of men are like our gaudy and beggarly Alehouſes, where you behold a painted Sign-Poſt, and coloured windows without, but never a good room within, nor a bed to ly on, but ſtore of loathſom ſmels, and more loathſome oathes and filthyneſſe; or like our ordinary tradeſmen, who have all their rich wares in their ſhops, expoſed to view and ſale, but their Cellars are filled with coales, traſh and lumber. Our baſe hearts herein, are like ſome beggarly Alehouſes again, where if a man of faſhion ſhall come and deſire lodging, they ſend him away, and ſay, they have no entertainment for him, when they will make hard ſhift to lodge a company of lewd fellows, though they ſit up all night themſelves. Or like Sodom, where there is not room for one godly Lot, but he ſhall be wearied and worried out of his skin; or if an Angel come for a nights lodging, he ſhall before he is well entered be aſſaulted, and haled out of doors, when the city is full of vicious wretches. Or like Baals houſe, which was cramd and crouded as full as ever it could hold from one end to another, that they ſtood mouth to mouth, as it is ſaid, 2 Kings 10. 21. as cloſe as one could ſtand by another, when there was narrow ſearch made leaſt one poor ſervant of the Lord ſhould creep in amongſt them all. A good thought is as Abel, ſoon made away, and dies without iſſue, when the evil as Cain, lives and multiplies to fill the world. The good thought, like Sarah, is barren, when the evil, as Hagar, preſently conceives. The good thought is as the children of Iſrael in Egypt, deſtined to death before it is brought forth, or perſecuted by the Dragon as ſoon as born, or cut off in the Cradle, as the children of Bethlehem by Herod, when they are ſpared that deal treacherouſly, they are planted, yea take root, they grow, yea they bring forth, as Jeremy complaines, Jer. 12. 1, 2. in another caſe.
Oh what a piece is this heart of man! Oh what a piece of carrion, which hath alwaies ſuch a ſwarm of flies humming about, faſtening and blowing on it, and what a breed and neſt of Vermine that are bred in it, and at laſt devour it.
I have read of a poor Monk, who rebuking a rich Prelate, was bidden in ſcorne, go kill his lice, who anſwered boldly, My Lord, I have killed mine, but yours will kill you. The poor mans lice and Vermine are not ſo dangerous to the body, as the rich, proud and wicked mans are to his ſoul.
What a deal of traſh and beggery do we find, when we rave into an old ruinous houſe? but worſe when we come to rave into an old rotten heart.
We look ſometimes with diſdaine upon a Beggars garment, paſt mending, where is patch upon patch of twenty ſeverall colours and pieces; look in and thou wilt find a more diſpleaſing ſight. The compariſon is not ſo homely, as home and true.
In a fair clear River when we drain it, what mud and Vermin at the bottom do we ſpie? ſuch is thy heart, or when we ſcour an old deep pond.
It was an Herculean labour to cleanſe the Augaean Stable, not cleanſed of ſeven years before, he turned in a River to cleanſe it. What labour then will it coſt to cleanſe thy heart, not cleanſed may be of twenty or thirty yeares? need we had to turn in the whole ſtream of the bloud of Chriſt, the upper ſprings of the ſpirit of grace, all the conduits of Scripture arguments, the lower ſprings, and all the water, the ſtanding ponds of diligence repentance, endeavour and circumſpectneſſe can procure.
The lower we dig, as for water, ſo for ſprings of ſinne, the faſter the water comes in.
The beſt eye having the help of the beſt perſpective, upon the faireſt proſpect, and in the cleareſt ſummers day, ſees much, but not the thouſandth part of heaven, or earth; nor we of ſin. They ſay much of the earth is unknown, to be ſure much of hell in thy heart is. If there be any part of an unknown world yet undiſcovered, I am ſure there is a great part of an unknown world yet undiſcovered in thy heart. It is long ere a ſtranger can know all the ſtreets, lanes, and allies in the City, but thou wilt never know all the windings and turnings of thy heart. In a great houſe ſometimes at firſt a ſtranger looſeth himſelf, but in the heart to the laſt, it is ſtrange if the owner hath not been loſt. My heart, ſaith Bernard, is like the deep ſea, in which are creeping things and that without number; A flint it is, which, though cold, and dark, hath ſeeds of fire, and a thouſand ſparks lodged in it, if you ſtrike and break it, the ſeeds of all ſin are there, even of the ſin againſt the holy Ghoſt.
Noahs Ark was a great Microcoſme, in which to the wonder of all the world, the ſpecies of all the creatures were contained. Man is ſaid to be a Microcoſme; And if the Apoſtle call that little member, the tongue, a Microcoſme, Jam. 3. 6.a little world of ſin, what is the heart but a great one.
The opening of the heart is like the fourth Rev. 6. 8.ſeal opened, when the pale horſe appear'd, death and hell followed, or like the opening of the bottomleſſe pit rather, where what darkneſſe Rev. 6. 2.and ſmoak iſſued, and in them a world of horrid, multiformed Monſters, or Locuſts.
How ſad a judgment was that threatned to Babylon, Eſa. 13. 19, 20, 21. and Eſa. 34. 12, 13, 14. where it is ſaid, that Ziim, Iim, the Satyrs, wild beaſts, ſhould dance there; and the ſcreetch Owl, and nettles, and brambles ſhould be, where was once the glory of Kingdomes. Joſephus tells how the Jewes took on and lamented when their Temple was polluted twice, under Antiochus firſt, with ſwines fleſh offered, and a ſecond time under Herod, who cauſed the Roman Eagle to be ſet over the porch; Many a man loſt Bel. Jud. l. 1. c. 21.his life in that quarrell, whetted on by the indignation of the ſight. It grieves us to ſee the wayes of Zion mourn, and faireſt Churches to be turned into ſtables; But how ſhould we mourn and be tranſported with indignation to ſee the ſoul, the onelyonly ſpirituall and holy Temple of God defiled!
Many have made Epitaphs and funerall Monuments upon great men, good and bad, and have been able to give them all their Titles and full Characters, and to ſay, Here lies ſuch a one. None is able to make the hearts Epitaph, and to ſay what lies there; Unleſſe we ſhall write as of Pope Sixtus the Fourth.
Hic ſcelus omne ſimul clauditur, & vitium.All Sin and Vice Here buried lies.
Or that, like it, of Pope Clement the 8th.
Urna brevis vitium claudit, & omne ſcelus.A world of Sin Lies hid within.
Or this of a mean Poet.
Under this ſtone
of fleſh and bone,
Lies more of ſin,
then can come in
my narrow Verſe.
Here ly more luſts,
Then earth hath duſts,
and much more hell,
then you can tell,
or I rehearſe.
Here lies the whole Body of death, which hath more members then this naturall body hath members or hairs. Phyſitians and Surgeons have a thouſand times raved into the bodies of men and yet are to learn all the joints, limbs, ligatures, nerves, arteries, veſſels and paſſages, in this narrow body of fleſh and bone; what an endleſſe labour is it to diſſect and anatomize the heart? The great Volumes of Arts and ſciences have been Epitomized, and the whole body or ſumme of Divinity, hath been often contracted into a narrow compaſſe or Syſteme; but the body of ſin in the heart, is not to be contracted or ſummed up. Some learned men of old and late have made Catalogues of the noted Errors and Hereſies, that have troubled the whole Church from the beginning, but none dare undertake to enumerate and catalogue the errors and enormities of one poor ſingle heart.
Here lies the killing ſtone, or ſecret Ulcer, as when the body is opened you ſee all. Here is the root of the Caprificus wild fig, or wild Ivy, which like that Leproſie in Leviticus, is not to be ſtayed, but houſe and all Lev. 14. 45.muſt be pul'd down to kill it. You cut down the branches, yet it growes, you cut the body yet it growes, you cut it to the very hard root, yet it growes, you pick out the root, as long as ever you can come at it, yet it growes, the houſe muſt be pul'd down, and then it dies. Or as it is with an Ele, you ſtrike it, yet it lives, you flea it yet it lives, you cut it in pieces, yet it ſtirs, you throw it into ſcalding water, and there it ſtirs a while too; So, Bray a wicked fool in a morter, his folly will not depart from him, Prov. 27. 22. Reproofes kill it not, affliction kils it not, ſickneſſe kils it not, weakneſſe kils it not, death kils it not, nay, hell kils it not. The heart is the only foreign The unruly evil which no man can tame. Jam. 2. 8. This ſets on fire the whole courſe of nature, and is it ſelf ſet on fire of hell: Full it is of deadly poyſon, as that old Leproſie, it infects all that comes near it. We think Lev. 13.it ſad living in an unwholſome aire, or in a houſe near the Common-ſhore, becauſe of the continuall ill ſmels: What is it to live over the ill ſavour of a fowl naſty heart? Who would willingly lodge or dwell in a houſe reported to be haunted with Evil ſpirits? Thy heart is ſo, yet thou art not afraid. David was weary of Meſech, Iſrael of Egypt, Lot ſick of Sodom, Jeremy of his Dungeon, and wilt thou, as the Bedlam, play with thy chaines, and ſport thy ſelf with thine own deceivings, in the midſt of thy mortall and bloudy enemies? Conſider well of it.