Matter for good ThougiJts. to fin ; and yet doll thou not find enough to think on ? Look over the fins of all thy life? fee them T~u' Evil in all thtir aggravations? as they have been commi~ted a~ainfi kno:vledgC, or rneans.an.d hcl_Ps, agai~fi :h::~~c~n~~~;~ mercies, and judgements and thy own vows or prorn!lts; m profpcnry and under affiu5bon tt felt ; m occ:~fi~n or· fecret and with others; in thy general and particular calling, and io·au thy relations; in every place, good: it is and rime, and condition that thou hafi: lived in! thy tins aga1nft God dirdlly, and thy injuries or good to m:J1" neglects. ofman! tins againH holy duries,a?~ fins in holy duties: in prayer,hearing 1 re_ading,Sacramc.nts, ~a;;co~:v~ln~' meditatton, conference, reproofs, and recetv1ng of reproofs from others : thy negligent preparattons avoid it. for death and jL1dgement; the llrangenefs of thy foul ro God and Heaven-- Is not here work Keep acqUJin· enough for thy Meditations? c:rtainly i.f thou tbinft fo, it is becaufc rl~y h~art never felt the birter.rttfs C~~fc:~;c of fin, nor was ever yet acquamted WJth true Repentance, but the t11ne IS yet to come, that ~1ght and rrad ov:r mull {hew thee what fin is, and what thou art, and what thou haft done, and how full thy heart IS of 115 BOoh a~d the Serpents brood, and that thy fin mufi find thee out ! Dofi thou not know that thy fins arc as the it wt!l f~rn!fh Sands of the Shore, or as the hairs upon thy head for nuinbcr ! and that every !'in hath deadlt poyfon your th~ u~ln in it, ancL malignant enmity to 'God and holinefs, and yet are they not enough, to keep thy Tbuughu wtr~ hmtlb,:r•g from being idle? Judge by their language whether it be fo with penitems ? Pfal. 5 I. 2, 3· JYafo me ntlttlr. tiJroughly fr(lm my rvick_ednefi, and cltaitfe me from my ji11 : fur 1 ackJtorv!edge my tranfo,rcf!ioni and m)r fin M ever bcfiJre me, Pial. 40. 12. For imiumerable evil! IJ,:ve comp,;ffcd me about : mine iniquitiet b.Jvt taften hold ttpon me, fo tiJat I am not able to look,. up: they are mm! tb:m the hair I of my kead; tbm:f~re my hear( f.zilcth mr. Pial. r 19. 57· I thoutbt 01t my wayJ, and turmd my feet unto thy tcjfimoaia. True Repentance is thus defcribed, Ezek. 36. 3z. 1hcn jhaU ye remember your own evil w.zyJ, .md ymr doi11g1 tb.tt n1cre not good, .md jh.zll lu3tb yo~tr fllvei in ymr owJt fight, for your OWH iniquitiu, and for yrmr abominationr. Yea Gods forgiving and forr.ctting your fins, mufi not make · y~1t forf, ft them, , Ezek. 16. 6o, 6r, 62, 63. I n•iU c.Q.ablijh to thee an cverlafting Covmsm; Then thou ft1Jlt remember thy wayJ and be ajh:zmed --And I wiU cft.:zblifh 11ry Covenant with thee7-hat tbou maiJf remember and be confounded, and never opm thj mouth an;r mort, becaufe of thy jb.:tme, w!Jcn I am pacified toward! thee for aU that thou bafl dom, faith tiJe LordGod of H o(f!• 9· 9· Din~c:t. 9· Be not a{i·ranger tu the metbod1, d1td JUbtleties .md diligwce of Satan, i1t bU Tem- Di;ea. 9• ptationr to Jtndflthy forti, a11d t!JJte wilt find matter enough to k._.eep thy tbougiJts from idlencfr. He is 9· ~:nan~. thinkj1tg how to dtccit•e thee and ddhoy thee; and cloth. it not concern thee to thinlt how to de- Temptauom. fe.u him and efcape and fave thy felf? If the hare run not lS ran as the dog, he is hke to dye for it. 0 that thy eyes were but 'opened to fee the fnares thlt are laid for thee in thy nature, in thy temperatureand paffion.r, in thy intel'tjff, thy relations, thy friends and acquaintance, and ordinary cumpa~ ny; in thy bufine/Ju, and pof!effiun's, thyhoufe, and gqodJ, and landt, and cattel, and tenant!, and ferir.Jnts, and ail that thou traddt with, or hall to do with! _in thine appartl and recte:~tio;u; in thy meat and driJtk, and Jlcep, and cafe, inpro[perity atid advtr{1ty; in mens good thoughts, or bad thoughts of thee; in theirpraife and in r~eir difPrai{e ; in their benefiu and their wro;tgt; their f.lVJitr and in their faL'ing oHt ; in their pleafing or diJPlMfing thee: in thy tbinkjng and in th}' [prakj11g, and in every thing that thou hall to do wirh ? DidH t!'!.ou but fee all rhefe temptations, and alfo fet: to what they tend, and whither they would bring thee, thou wouldfi find matter to cure the idlenefs or imper~ tinencics of thy thoughts. §. 10. DirtC!. Jo, The n·orld and every crtature i;t it, wbich thou d.1ily focft, and which rever.Jletb to Dire&. ro. tbte tbe grtat Creator, might be cnottgh to k,_eep tby 1hougbtt from idlenrji. If Sun and Moon and Stars, 1o. The whote lf Heavm and Earth and all thert::lll be not enough to employ thy thoughts, let thy idknefS have World. feme excufe. l know thou wile fay, that it is upon fume of theft thi.ngt that thm1 dujl employ them: Yea: but dofl thou not tirfi defiroy, and mortitie, and inake nonfcnfe of that on which thou medi– tateH ? Doff: thou not tidt fepararc it from God, who is the life, and glory, and end, and mtaning of every creature? Thou killen ir, and turneH our the fml, and thinkdl only on the Corps! or on the Creature made another thing, as food for thy fenfual defires! A~ the Kite thinketh on the Birds and Chickens, to devour them to fatisfie her greedy appetite: Thus you can think of all Gods works, fo far as they accommodate your fle.i11. But the World is Gods boo!<, which he fee man at firfi to read; and every Creature is a Letter, or Syllable, or Word, or Sentence, more or lefs, declaring the name and will of God. There you may behold his wonderful Almightincfs, his unfearchable Wifdorn, his unmeafurable Goodnefs, mercy and cumpaflions; and his tingular regard of the fotp of men! Though the ungodly, proud, and carnal wits, do but plJy with, and lludy the fhape, and comelinefs, and or~ de.r of the Let~ers, ~yllables ~nd Wox:ds,. without underllanding the fenfe and end; yet thofe that w1th holy and Jllummated mmds come thither to behold the footfi:eps of rhe Great and \¥ife and bountiful Creator, may find not only matrer to emplllJ, but to profit and dcliz.ht their thougbts; They may be rapt up by the thi11gs t·hat are feen, into the S1cred admiratiom, reverence, Love and praife, of the glorious Maker of all who is unfeen; And thus to the fantiified all things will be f,m– liificd; and the fiudy of common things will bt: to 'themDivine mtd HiJly. §.I l· Diretl:. I I· Be 11ot a ft,·anger to, or mgleUJttl di{regarder of the wondert of providmce in DireU. I I· ·God.r adminijlratiom in the world, and thou. wilt find flare of m;~tter for thy tboughu. The dread- 11. Provi~ fulnefs of JudgemeJttJ, the delightfulnefs of mcrcier, the myfierioufilefsof all, will be matter of daily dence about fearch and admiration fO thee. Think of the firange prdervations of the Church ! of a people hated t1l~ World. by ~ll the world! how ~uc~ a flock .of Lam?s is kept in fafety, among fo tTuny ravenous Wolves. Thmk of Gods !harp ai!hchons of hJS olfendmg people' ofhis fevere confuming judgements exerc.Jfed fomeumes upon the wJcked, when he rnt:ans to iet up here and there a monument of his juHice, for the warning of pre[umptuous finners~ Go Cce how the wicked are deceived by befooling plea- Prov. r.ji; fure-s,
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=