Mans n~~uralllmagznatiom. thee: feare being pudor wor,lh1p;md obedi· A cuce. Thirdly,and principaiiY.,_tha! thede.:t and chofcn of God might be garhercq; for God mhis eremall counfell and de<rec bath appointed and fer downe accuaine number ol men,vnto whome he willgiue eternalllife, and for thm canfe doth hec fpare the whole world from da1ly deUrutbon: bur when that iJumber filall be accomplirhed,then lhal hca· uen and earthgo togc:thcr,ao~ thcworldfhal be no more. And hereby the way, this third cau[eof che.conrinu.tncc: ofnature, mull teachvsour dury; to wit,thatfeeing it pleafe1hGod in mercy to giue vs hbcrty to liue a fpace o( timein this world,fome.twenty,fome thirty, B fomefouttyor fifty yeares, and that for rh" ende,tharherein wee might bee fitted for his kingdome, when as in the rigour of his iu· UicehemighthauecaCl vs to hell in our mo– th~rswornbe, or fo foone as weewere borne; wee therefore mu a be carefull not to defplfc thislong-fulferingand patienceof God, but rather labour in the feareof God,that it may By "'•PI heArt, wee mua not, vnderfliiiia the heart of Come particular pcrfons as of rho(c thatliued in the oldeworld alo~c, bur ofmen generally,"'"" beeing put for whole mankmde. • Is e•iU,that IS,itimagineth,&rhinkerh that which is againll the !awe of God: Frombu ch•idhood;that is,fo foone as he beginneth io thmke,ro reafon orconceiue ofany rhing,Co Coon• dot!J bee imaoin• and conceiue that wh&ch is euill: (o rha': the whole meaning 1s th10 1 The mmde•ndvndtrfl4ndingpm of"'"" u fllllHrllDJ fo corr11pt, thAt fo fo~ne Mbeeea" vfi rettfoN, bedothnothmghutimAginttbllt which i4 wicfr!d,.nd•g•mfl the L•wof!joJ. Thewords rhus explan,ed, containc in them rwo maine pomts touchingthe frame of mans heart by nature. Thefirllis: The imaginAtilnandctJnceit e( tlltY] man is naturally t1111l. • I c :z,Pct. 3• becomc(r) (IIIuariontoVI, byourconfcioua– '1ble endeauour m all fuch meanesvnto the end,as he bath fanaified forrheworking of This appearerh not only in this place, bur elfewhere,Rom.8.5.Thewi(edomeoftheflefb u not an cnemy,butmmiiJ ag•inf/ God.Againe, fuch aothe founr.inc isfuch arc the llreamca rhar How thence;Bur ourmind &vnderllan– dingthe fountaineofourrhoughiS, is byna· ture tinfull ; (g) To the •mpure,tbtirmindes•nd con{mncrs are d•filed1 And againe, (b)if our J~luuwee Are no1 11ble 11 thi,.ke 11 good thou_:ht; and therefore the thoughu that come from : I the graces oflifein the hcartsofhischildren. And thus lll!'S~.for the reafon in generall. ":cHAP. U. SeC/. 1. The idlenrsrf.mans n4tura/l cogit.•tilnr. . THat wee may the berter perceme in thu reafon the ellate ofman1n refped ofhis n~rurall Imaginations> the words arc more parricularlyro bcvnfolded. For the lm•iJna· tiopJo(m4tuht'lrt,&c. ThehMrtinScripture _ is taken (undric waies: (omerimes for that flcn,y pmofman in the middle ofthe body, which 1s rhe founta&neof vitall blood: Come· time forrhe(ouleof man, fomctimcfor the faculties of thcCoule: and fomerimeforrhe C thcnc.e,mul! needesalfob~corrupt: Ma~s I• magination llands m thoughts; the vnd~rLiaoding deu&[eth by thinking: And thefe rhoughu ofthe Imaginationare al naturally wicked: (i) From the h<art (faith Chtil!) pro– fetde em/1 thoughll : and Salomon faith, The 'pf.,J. 4 6 ,, middle of any thing,as (d)thehearto( thefe., c l-.1at.l:t..>J4 ( ~)thehearl ofrhe tarlh,thatis,Jhemtddlt rher– ot.l:fcrc it is taken forthevnderP••dingfac".'· 'Jofthe foule, whereby man vfeth rufon : D f Eph,4., 5 .w[lichS.Pau4cals(f) theJPiri! oftheminde. · 1 ByJmaginattom"'bc meanerp t,hc frame,qr framing ofrhe heart. And rl\is istak.en two waies:of Come.for thenaturalldifpolition of .. thevnderllandlngafrer thefallofman :ofo– dms,for rhat which the mindc &vnderUan– ili~g by rhinkin~ framcth,plotfotb,and de– ulfeth;rharis,for the elfeClth.crepf. We may rake it both waies, yet I rather ~pproou~.the laIter : for Chap.6.s.theLo~d faith,Hee wil( once dcUroy alii llerh; andgiucs thi• reafon, For thefram~and thought of '""''J htartis tH,ij/ comm•afiJ. VVhcre bythoughtsor ln?•ginati– o•s can nothingelfe bemeant, but tharwhich is deu1fed and plo1ted in the thoughts of ,ma_ns heart : fo Salomon fpc~KingofanheArt whtch Godht~teth, (aitb,ltUfntmingor thinfoi'!gJ thought:.._ofwiclzulnej[e,Prou.6, J 8. thoughts.of the.,.icfr!.l. (as all men are by ua· ture) art 1111 ttbtJmiwt~ti~n to rhe lArd. Se[J. ~. , EowthtnAIHrAUthoNg~tso(mA• :, m•;bek:.'!"""'• . Seeing that naturaiUmagination is pril– aifed bY, e~iiJ thoughts, WC mullfomething COf\fider,qfrh.e n~rura!J. thoughts of man: And.herejn,handlethefc.rwo poinn: Firll, whether th.ctpoghrs ofman may be known; fecondly., what the narurall thoughts of manbe~ .;.J ) Forthe firll; there are two waiesto know man.s ~houghrs : eithef direClly without roeanes, orindirealy by meanes. The firll way is propcrto Godalone: for nocreature in heauen or earth <an immediatelyand di– re<'tly k.now the thoughts ofman: thisSalo· »>oncon£elferh in his notableprayer to God, 1.Kin..8.39.ThoNM/;.k!Jorref1 thethoughts of•/ the,childrmo(mm.Ierem. •7·9·Theh-.rr;, de– ctit[HliandWick.!d Abolutt!lthtngt:'Rhlc.ank.._now il?verfe J o.Itfoe LArd(e4rch the hfari,A11dtrie tbtreinu. !-" Thef~condwayto know n1ensrhoughtsis ,lndireClly,and bymeanea:'!'hich be threc,by ,in(lintt from God; by reuelarion from the Scripture;& by fignes.Firlf,by an extraordi– nary in(iina: fo did(~E/if/;•difc/o(e theking of ... tTie.:-.14. h>.Cor.Jo! k zJGng.G. .9.u.
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