The Sacred Mystery of the Government of the Thoughts, Chapter 12 – Chapter 13
CHAP. XII. Tentations concerning good thoughts on the right hand tending to ouerrate the wurth of them.
TO imagine all good thoughts and motions to proceede from the ſanctlfying ſpirit, whereas euen the wicked may hauehave ſome good motions, ariſing either outwardly from ſome power of the word, ſome preſent bleſſing, delighting and prouoking ioy, or ſome grieuous iudgment occaſioning ſome remorſe, or occaſion of ſome good company, &c.
Or elſe, Sathan may caſt in thoughts, into the minds of the wicked to deceiue them withall in their eſtates.
Or elſe, good thoughts may ariſe from within, either from thoſe remnants of Nature in the minde and conſcience, ſtriuing againſt ſin, or mouing to ſome preſent good.
Or the ſpirit of Illumination may bee an occaſion hereof, illightning the mind with diuine knowledge, and ſo mouing thereby to affect the ſame.
Or the ſpirit reſtrayning euill, and ſo ſuppreſſing wicked duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page thoughts, may bee an occaſion, that becauſe they are not ſo ordinarie, becauſe it is better with vsus then it hath beene, becauſe we hauehave good thoughts to diſclayme ſinne, therefore they are abſolutely holy.
A ſecond Tentation, concerning good thoughts is, to imagine: That to thinke well onelyonly, to hauehave good motions, is enough, though wee make no conſcience of practiſe, though they dye in the conception, and vaniſh vtterly.
A third tentation concerning them is, That when they are offered vntounto vsus vnſeaſonably, that is, when we are entending ſome other holy duety, though they are iniected vſually at this time by Sathan, to diſtract vsus in the ſeaſonable and preſent occaſion, to hinder the power & intention thereof: yet to think theſe to be moſt comfortable: whereas theſe are moſt dangerous of all other, though they are ſomtimes moſt Angell like, and ioyous, as hereby more likely to rauiſh the mind, and ſo to withdraw it from it ſeaſonable worke.
A fourth Tentation concerning good Thoughts, is when they are not bounded within the compaſſe of the Word and our Callings, As to thinke wee had extraordinarie Reuelations: Or elſe though the word doe warrant in Generall; yet our callings do not allow. Such as are the thoughts proceeding from prepoſterous and ignorant zeale, mouing to ſome good and glorious end, as to teforme the Church, puniſh ſinne, as Phinehas, which are not in our power, neyther belong to our calling, but to the Magiſtrate.
A fift Tentation herein is, when wee onelyonly reſt in good meaning, eſteeming it onelyonly good, becauſe wee conceiue it ſo, not hauing warant from the word, &c. and theſe are vſually the Pretences of the ignorant Chriſtian.
A ſixt tentation, concerning good thoughts, is that, they are leuelled to a contrary end, as to will worſhippe, hauing our cuſtome or example, or opinion, to be our Rule, without the word.
The Conqueſt of theſe Tentationi, is
Firſt, That it is not the taſte of a good motion, or ſuddaine touch thereof, that argues a ſanctified heart; but when the thoughts as they proceede from ſome former ground of the heart, ſeaſoned by grace, & experienced in the worke thereof, ſo they are entertained with deliberation, to diſcern the fitneſſe of them: becauſe eueryevery good thought may not bee fit for the preſent occaſion, or our callings: and ſo retayned with wiſedome to be put in execution: For as good thoughts are tendered to the wicked to make them inexcuſable: ſo the godly are furniſhed with good thoghts and motions thereby to bee furthered in ſanctification. And as it is a property of grace though it be moleſted with euill thoghts, yet not to let them reſt quietly with vsus: but to vſe all diligence to quench, or conuert them to good; ſo it is the property of the wicked to entertain good thoughts, as ſtrangers, and eyther to reiect them ſpeedily, or to giuegive them lodging for a night, they are not of the familie, and therefore here is no abiding for them. Nay, indeed how can they bee, ſeeing the houſe is poſſeſſed by ſuch gueſts, as cannot endure ſuch holy company. Meaſure wee therefore the goodneſſe of the thoughts: Firſt, by the roome wherein they are: A good man, out of the good treaſure of his heart, bringeth foorth good fruit. The tree muſt be good, that the fruit may be good alſo: An euill man out of the euill treaſure of his heart, bringeth forth euill fruit, if any goodnes, it is but leaues, or bad fruit, not in ſeaſon: euen as in dead carcaſes, excrements may grow, whē no fruites of life abide therein.
… Meaſure wee them by their entertainment: if they dwell with vsus for the moſt part continually, though they may trauell abrode, yet they come home againe, and louelove home the better, by their experience abroad, if they be ſhut out of doores, they wil not ceaſe knocking till they bee let in againe, the holie heart, is their Tabernacle here, and this they labour to adorne for their eternall manſion in Heauen: And hereby alſo wee may diſcouer and reiect the ſecond tentation. That eueryevery good meaning and motion is not a ſanctifyed thought, when wee entend not the practiſe thereof. For ſeeing true grace is operatiue, not onelyonly to thinke well, but to doe well alſo. Therefore where ſuch meanings are not with purpoſe of practiſe and ability to perform: This is a plaine Euidence, that Grace hath not there preuayled: Not that we can put eueryevery good thought in practiſe, or neede to doe it: but my meaning is, that as the heart dooth not onelyonly meane, but ſtedfaſtly purpoſe to keepe all the Commandements of God, ſo howſoeuer for the preſent, through violence of tentation, it cannot doe that it would; yet afterward the tentation being maſtered, it performes the ſame. And though through imperfection of grace, it cannot do all at once, yet by the power of grace it ſhall bring forth fruit in due ſeaſon, ſeaſonable repentence, thankefulneſſe, patience, and ſuffering for Chriſt, fit for the ſeaſon, wherein it is required, fitte for the perſon, that dooth performe it: fitte for the perſon to whom it performs: and fitte to glorifie God in the imperfection thereof. Whereas the Hypocrites good meaning is, but a cloud without water, as a morning dew not continuing, or as the ſnow in Harueſt vnſeaſonable; or as the apples of Sodome, inwardly full of rottennes, though outwardly glorious. OnelyOnly the ſanctified hart yeldes fruit in due ſeaſon, anſwerable to the meanes it hath receyued, conuenient for the diuers ſeaſons, ripe to the harueſt; though greene in Winter: like the morning light, ſhining more and more vntounto the perfect day: ſo that whereas good Thoughtes, cōcerning ſome ſpeciall occaſion being offered, by reaſon of the concurrence of others, are put by, and ſo forgotten: and thereupon for the preſent are vnprofitable: yet here the triall is, that wee mourn heartily for the ſame: and preſſe the Lord by earneſt prayer to returne them againe.
And here the comfort is, that either the Lord will anſwer in a ſeaſonable time, euen when we are imployed about the like, or elſe will ſupply what may counteruayle & be more profitable.
And this may ſerue to r… pell the third tentation conning vnſeaſonable thoughts. That whereas in the performance of holy duties, ſometimes thoughts of Ioy, and extraordinary comfort, are caſt in by Sathan to diuert vsus from the preſent buſines, or to flatter vsus therein, as if it were accepted as perfect, and deſeruing ſuch comforts that ſo reſting therein, wee may rob God of his glory & our ſelues of the ſound cō fort therof: Here we muſt be wife to diſcerne of theſe thoughts, that if they be not ſurable to the matter wee hauehave in hand, or not ſeaſonable, following rather the action performed, then entermingling therewith, wee are to ſuſpect them. Eſpecially if wee finde them to proue an hinderance to the conſtancy of the worke, as tickling the heart with ſuddaine flaſhes of ioy, and ſo puffing vp therewith, and thereby cauſing ſlackeneſſe, and letting downe of our affections therein, now we are to diſclaime them as tentations: and that by being more humbled for them, & ſo ſearching our hearts, and abaſing them before the Lord, thereby denying our ſelues we ſhall gaine power from Chriſt, to go forward, and hold out in our particular intention.
Conſidering that our giuing way to theſe ſudden flaſhes, may proue an occaſion to expoſe vsus to bee deluded by Sathan, with ſuch extraordinary thoughts of reuelation, that ſo wee may bee carryed into all deceiueableneſſe of vnrighteouſnes, to thinke wee do God good ſeruice, euen when we ſerue the diuell, with all greedineſſe.
For ſuch is the effect of thoſe Angellike thoughts, that puffing vp with an extraordinary conceit of our excellency, they worke in vsus thereby a baſe conceit of ſuch ordinary means, which muſt direct vsus in the ſeruice of God, and ſo thereby prouokes vsus to wander after dreames and ſpeculations, as feeding hereby our ſpirituall pride, and ſo iuſtly confounding vsus therein. And therefore for remedy hereof, as we muſt bee faithfull in the little we hauehave receiued: ſo we muſt ſticke cloſe to the patterne of wholeſome doctrine for our further perfection, as being ſufficient to make the man of God abſolute: accounting, that if an Angell from heauen preach any other doctrine, he is not to be beleeued: as knowing that whatſoeuer ſpeakes not in this language, and according thereto, it is becauſe there is no truth therein. Iſa. 8.20. Gal. 1.9.
And thus may wee alſo reiect the other tentati…n. That if we ſhall cleaue conſtantly to the word, we ſhall be directed thereby to the true endes of welldoing to glorifie God, in making ſure our owne election.
CHAP. XIII. Caſes of Conſcience incideut hereunto.
1 HOw we may comfort our ſelues in the vprightneſſe of our hearts, which are to bee iudged by our thoughts, when our thoughts are ſo diuers and intricate, ſo infinite in compariſon, and yet ſo fleeting and vaniſhing, that wee cannot diſcerne them, much leſſe iudge rightly of them, and ſo much leſſe iudge of our ſelues by them.
The Anſwer hereunto conſiſts,
Firſt, in a wiſe conſideration how we may iudge of the ſinceritie of our hearts by our thought. Namely, ſo far foorth, as to approue onelyonly hereby our particular Integritie in ſuch ſeaſonable actions as we are imployed in: where the holy thoughts leade vsus into and through the ſame, not ſimply to approue our generall ſinceritie in all things. So Dauids hart was vpright in all things ſauing in the matter of Vriah. In al other actions, though many of them were of infirmitie, yet they were not cō mitted wilfully againſt the gouernment of the conſcience, onelyonly in that, he offered violence to the heart, & committed it againſt the light and conuiction of his conſcience.
So that the iudgement of the vprightneſſe of the heart is not ſo much from the ſimple motion to good or euill, as from the approbation of the one, and reiection of the other.
And ſo by this rule wee may further determine of the vprightneſſe of our harts in our general courſe, by our very thoughts. Namely, by the entertainment, or diſclaiming of them.
But ſtill it wil be replyed, that we cannot iudge of our ſelues by our thoughts, becauſe wee cannot diſcerne them.
2 Therefore we muſt anſwer hereunto by a diſtinction of our thoughts: That if we conſider our thoughts in generall of all ſorts: as it is impoſſible to diſcerne them, ſo it is not neceſſarie for this tryall, becauſe this onelyonly belongeth vntounto God, ſo to ſearch the heart, and diſcern this infinite varietie of the thoughts thereof: and our God will require no more at our hands then what he giues, namely, ſo farre to diſcerne our harts, as we may approue our ſelues vntounto him, which wee ſhall doe.
If we labour to keepe an holy order in our thoughts, that they may intend what we are imployed in.
And endeauour to diminiſh the multitude and diſtraction of them by watching againſt euill thoughts, & reiecting them, and cheriſhing the good, by exerciſing the generall callings with more conſtancy and humilitie, and our ciuill callings, with more heauenly minds, doing all things as in Gods preſence to his glory. Of which particularly before.
And laſtly, if we doe not wilfully giuegive way to our euill thoughts, as if they were free, or ſeeke to rebell againſt the good, reclayming vsus frō euills, but wiſely labour to obſerue the checkes of conſcience ſnubbing for euill, and ſo to preuent conſent and act of ſinne, and ſo conſcionably entertain all good and holy motions by prayer and diligent actuating thereof. Which if we doe we ſhall hauehave comfort of ſinceritie, that ſo farre as wee know, we labour to preſerue this holy gouernment. And what wee know not, ſhall not be required of vsus. And aboue all, herein is our comfort, that as though we know nothing by our ſelues, yet therein we are not iuſtified. 1 Cor. 4.4.5. So hereby we are caſt vpō the meer mercy of God in Chriſt, for the acceptance of our perſons, aboue all our owne worth, or knowledge of our ſelues.