156 SERMONS UPON TSALM CXIX. [SkR. CXXIV.
These are most venial in man's account, they are hut partial or half acts. What ! not a thought pass hut we must make conscience of it ? this is intolerahle. Once more, of all thoughts, vain thoughts would escape censure. A thought that hath apparent wickedness in it, a murdei'ous or an unclean thought, a nattu-al conscience will rise up in arms against it; hut vain thoughts we think are not to he stood upon. Oh ! hut David was sensihle that these were contrary to the law of God, transgressions as well as other thoughts, and therefore incon- sistent with his love to God : ' I hate vain thoughts.' Secondly, He bestows his love on the law. Naturally men hate God as a lawgiver and as a judge; they cannot hate him as a creator and preserver; under that formality they do not hate God, hut the ground of our hatred to God is his law : llom. viii. 7, ' The carnal mind is enmity against God ; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither in- deed can be.' But now, saith David, ' I love thy law ;' I do not fear it, but love it. I do not only keep it, but love it. A child of God will bless God for his commnnds as well as his promises; he owns God in the holiness of his law, and looks upon it as a copy and draught of God's own perfection ; it is a good law ; there is a suit- ableness between it and a renewed heart, and therefore I love thy law. The one of these is inferred out of the other, his love to the law is mentioned as a ground of his hatred against vain thoughts. Love is the great wheel of the soul, that sets all a-iroing. Therefore sin IS hated because the law is loved. He that hath a true respect to the law of God is sensible of the least contrariety to it, for hatred is uni- form. The philosopher tells us it is to the whole kind; as Haman, Avhen he hated Mordecai, sought to destroy all the people of the Jews ; and when a man hates sin, he hates all sin, even where he finds it, in thoughts, words, speeches : love will not allow it.
Well, then, I love thy law, therefore do I hate vain thoughts ; that is, though I cannot wholly keep tliern out of iny heart, yet I hate them, resist them, watch against them, they arc not allowed there. Without further glossing, the point is this : —
Doct. It is a sign of an unfeigned love to the law of God when we hate vain thoughts.
I observe it, because a man never begins to be really serious and strict till he makes conscience of his thoughts, his time, and is sensihle of his last account. Of his thoughts, for that is a sign he minds an entire subjection to the law of God, that he may obey it from his very soul. Of his time, that it mny not pass away before his great work will be done. Of his account, that is not far olf ; the Christian that lives in a due sense of his great account is always preparing to reckon with God. The one of these doth enforce the other. A man that is sensible he shall be called to a reckoning will be careful how he s})en(ls his time, and he that is careful how he spends his time will make con- science of his thoughts.
1. To give a taste of the vanity of thoughts.
2. Show what sins most occasion vanity of thoughts.
3. The reasons why a godly man will make conscience of his thoughts. Krst, Some taste of the vanilv of thomrhts. There are three
solemn words by which the New Testament ex[)resseth thoughts : — (1.) Aojio-fxol, discourses with its compound bLaXoyi(T/j.ol, which we
VeR. 113.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 157
render imaginations. (2.) @u/u,/](r6t^, and sometimes 6v6u/xijaei<;, mus- ings. (3.) No-)]/j,aTa, which we render devices. These three ways the dungliill of corrnption reeks out by our thoughts ; sometimes in our vain arguings and reasonings, by way of image and representations in our musings, sometimes by way of foolish inventions and devices that are in the heart of man.
1. A6yLa/xot, carnal discourses of the mind, come under the notion of vain thoughts. If our more refined reason came to scan them, how light and vain would they be found ! Our reasonings are usually against the sovereignty of God : Rom. ix. 2U, ' Who art thou, 0 man, that repliest against God ?' We cannot see how it is just that by one man's transgression all should be made sinners, that God should choose some and endow them with grace, and leave others in their corruption ; how he should have mercy on whom he will have mercy, and harden whom he will harden. Man would be free from God, but would not have God free; and therefore, contrary to these reasonings and vain discourses, the scriptures plead the sovereignty of God, Mat. XX. 15, to show he may do with his own as pleaseth him. And as against the right and sovereignty of God, so there are strange dis- courses against the ])rovidence of God, many anxious traverses and debates in our minds ; and therefore the scripture talvcs notice how distrust works by our thoughts : Mat. vi. 25, ' Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink,' &c. ; and ver. 27, * Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit to his stature ?' We are tortured with many suspensive workings and discourses of mind within ourselves, whereas a little trust in God would save many of these vain arguings : Prov. xvi. 3, ' Commit thy w^orks unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established." He showeth that want of trust in God, and his word and providence, and committing all to his dispose, is the cause of a great deal of confusion and darkness in our thoughts, and breedeth such perverse reasonings against the providence of God. So against the truth of the gospel. The law is natural, and runneth in by its own light, with evident conviction upon the heart; but the gospel is suspected, looked upon with prejudice, received as a golden dream, and as a well-devised fable. We have reasonings in ourselves against that which is discovered concerning the salvation of sinners by Christ ; therefore the apostle saith, 2 Cor. X. 5, ' Bringing into captivity every thought,' imaginations, or Xoyccr- jiioL, reasonings, those thoughts that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God in Christ. Then disputes against Christian faith, the mysteries of the Trinity, the incarnation of Christ ; we are saying, as tlie Virgin Mary when the angel brought her tidings of it, ' How can these things be ?' So we have perverse reasonings against posi- tive institutions : 2 Kings v. 12, ' Are not Abana and Pharpar better than all the rivers of Israel ? ' We are apt to say. Why is this ? The means of grace seems foolish and weak : 1 Cor. i. 19, ' It pleaseth God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.' So our arguings in perverting the truth of the gospel and holy principles of the word to the countenance of our lusts, as Dent. xxix. ]9 ; when we reason thus within ourselves : ' We shall have peace though we walk in the imagination of our own hearts ; ' we need not be so nice and strict ; God will be merciful, he will pardon all : Jude 4, ' Turning