164 SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. [SeR. CXXIY.
pcnting, bcHevinp:, minding the work of our salvation. Yea, we have thoughts against the light of nature, filtliy, unclean thoughts, such as defile and stain the heart. Of earthly thoughts, how natural is that, in musing upon that esteem, honour, greatness that we shall have in the worUl ! How do carnal thoughts haunt us, and this not only when we are in our natural condition, but even after grace ! And Christians are mistaken that do not think those thoughts evil, though there he no consent of the will. I confess there are thouglits cast into the mind by Satan, but these not resisted, these cherished, fostered, they become ours ; though they are children of Satan's getting, and may be cast in, as the tempting of Christ was, by injection of thought ; but then we entertain these things ; as weeds thrown over the wall are not to be charged upon the gardener, but the envious man ; but if the gar- dener lets Ihem lie there and root there, then it is his fault.
Use 2. Do we love the law of God ? Do we aim at a complete and entire subjection to the will of God ? Do we desire to serve him in spirit ? Here is the evidence. Do we hate vain thoughts ? We can- not be free from them, but are they your burden ? A child of God is pestered with them, though he hates them.
1. Do we give them entertainment ? Jer. iv. 23, ' How long shall vain thoughts lodge within thee ? ' They may rush into a gracious heart, but they do not rest there. Wicked men may have good thoughts, but do not give them entertainment ; take a snatch and away, but do not make a meal upon any spiritual truth ; there is an occasional salute sometimes in wicked men of good things, but their heart doth not dwell upon them.
2. Do you make conscience of them ? Do they put you upon re- morse,, caution, watchfulness, frequent recourse to God for pardon and grace ? Acts viii. 22, ' Pray, if perhaps the thoughts of thine heart may be forgiven thee.' Are you himibled for them, as well as for other sins, because these grieve the Spirit of God, are conceived there where he hath his residence, chiefly in the heart ? Doth this trouble you, that the S[)irit should be grieved ?
Use 3. It presseth us to take care of our thoughts. Thoughts fall under the judicature of God's word, Heb. iv. 12. Thoughts are hateful to God : ' The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord,' Prov. xv. 26. And as they are hated of him, so he knows them all, it is his prerogative to tell man his thouglits; he under- stands our thouglits afar off, Ps. cxxxix. 2. What thoughts we have when we are walking, praying, employed in our calling, what comes in, what goes out ; there is not a thought but God regards, and God ■will reckon with us about our thoughts.
1. Look more earnestly after a principle of regeneration, Eom. viii. 5. They that are after the flesh, employ their wisdom about the flesh, they are contriving for the flesh, savouring the things of tho flesh ; and they that are after the Spirit savour the things of God, savour spiritual things. \Ve must be renewed by the Spirit. The ground bi ings forth weeds, but not flowers of itself ; so our hearts naturally bring forth vain thoughts, but they must be cultivated and dressed. We must be renewed in the spirit of our mind. There is nothing discovers the necessity of regeneration so much as this, that
VeR. 113.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 165
\\-Q must take care of our thoughts. Moral restraints may prevent the excesses of life, or reguhite the outward man. If sin did lie only in words and deeds, human laws and edicts would be enough, and we needed no other discipline to bring us to heaven. There are excel- lent laws for bridling man's speech and practice, for these things man can take notice of; but he that is only good according to the laws of man, his goodness is too narrow, is not broad enough for God. It is the peculiar privilege of that judicature God hath set up to bring the thouglits under. Look that there may be within you a spring of holy thoughts.
2. Get a stock of sound knowledge. The mind of man is always work- ing, and if it be not fed and su])plied with good matter, it works upon that which is evil and vain. If there be not a plenty of good matter wherein to exercise yourselves, the soul will necessarily spend itself in vanity of thoughts. Now abundance of knowledge supplies and yields matter. It is a good thing when our reins instruct us in the niglit season, Ps. vi. 7, in the darkness and silence of the niglit; when we are taken off from all company, books, worldly employment, and distractions of sense, and the soul is left to itself, to its own ope- rations, then to draw out knowledge, and have our reins instruct us. But men are barren of holy thoughts, and so are forced to give way to vanity : Dent. vi. 6, 7, ' Bind them upon thy heart.' AVhat then ? ' When thou awakest it shall talk with thee ;' that is, as soon as you awake, before you have received images from abroad, a man is to jiarley with his soul about the course of his service that day. Words and thoughts are both fed by abundance in the heart. Thoughts are but verba mentis, words of the mind, and words are but thoughts ex- pressed and languaged. Now if a man would have these things pre- sent when he is lying down and sitting up, then these words must be in his heart. A man must have a good treasure within, that he may bring forth out of his treasure things both new and old. Mat. xiii. 52. When the mind is the storehouse of truth, he will ever be drawing forth upon all occasions. He that hath more silver and gold in his pocket than brass farthings, brings forth gold and silver oftener than brass ; so he that is stored with divine trutiis, and full of the knowledge of the Lord, his mind will more run upon tliese things, and will often out of the treasure of his heart bring forth things that are good.