§ V. Ohj. Many flatter themselves, from an impossibility of ruling their imaginations, and are ready to lay all upon infirmity and natural weak- ness, &c.
Ans. But such must know that if we be sound Christians, the Spirit of God will enable us to do all things, evangelically, that we are called unto, if we give way without check to the motions thereof. Where the Spirit is, it is such a light as discovers not only dunghills, but motes themselves, even light and flying imaginations, and abaseth the soul for them, and by degrees purgeth them out ; and if they press, as they are as busy as flies in summer, yet a good heart will not own them, nor allow himself in them, but casts them ofi", as hot water doth the scum, or as the stomach doth that which is noisome unto it. They find not that entertainment here which they have in carnal hearts, where the scum soaks in, which are stews of unclean thoughts, shambles of cruel and bloody thoughts, exchanges and shops of vain thoughts, a very forge and mint of false, politic, and undermining thoughts, yea often a little hell of confused and black imagina- tions. There is nothing that more moveth a godly man to renew his interest every day in the perfect righteousness and obedience of his Saviour, than these sinful stirrings of his soul, when he finds something in himself always enticing and drawing away his heart from God, and intermingling itself with his best performances. Even good thoughts are troublesome if they come unseasonably, and weaken our exact performance of duty.
§ VI. But here some misconceits must be taken heed of.
1 . As we must take heed that we account not our imaginations to be religion, so we must not account true religion, and the power of godliness, to be a matter of imagination only ; as if holy men troubled themselves- more than needs, when they stand upon rehgion and conscience, seeking to approve themselves ' to God in all things,' 1 Thess. v. 12, and endea- vouring, so far as frailty will permit, to ' avoid all appearances of evil,' 1 Thess. V. 22. Many men are so serious in vanities and real in trifles, that they count all which dote not upon such outward excellencies as they do, because the Spirit of God hath revealed to them things of a higher nature, to be fantastics and humorous * people, and so impute the work of the Spirit to the flesh, God's work to Satan, which comes near unto blas- phemy. They imagine good men to be led with vain conceits, but good * That is, ' whimsical.' — G.
THE soul's conflict. 189
men know them to be so led. Not only St Paul, Acts xxvi. 24, but Cbrist himself, John x. 20, were counted beside themselves, when they were earnest for God and the souls of his people. But there is enough in religion to bear up the soul against all imputations laid upon it : the true children of wisdom are always able to justify their mother, Mat. xi. 19, and the conscionable practice of holy duties, if founded upon such solid grounds as shall hold out when heaven and earth shall vanish.
2. We must know that — as there is great danger in false conceits of the way to heaven, when we make it broader than it is, for by this means we are like men going over a bridge, who think it broader than it is, but being deceived by some shadow, sink dovm, and are suddenly drowned ; so men mistaking the straight way to hfe, and trusting to the shadow of their own imagination, fall into the bottomless pit of hell before they are aware; — in like manner the danger is great in making the way to heaven narrower than indeed it is, by weak and superstitious imaginations, making more sins than God hath made. The wise man's counsel is, that we should not make ourselves over-wicked, nor be foolisher than we are, Eccl. vii. 17, by devising more sins in om* imagination than we are guilty of.
It is good in this respect, to know our Christian liberty, which being one of the fruits of Christ's death, we cannot neglect the same, without much wrong not only to ourselves, but to the rich boimty and goodness of God. So that the due rules of Umitation be observed, from authority, piety, sobriety, needless offence of others, &c., we may with better leave, use all those comforts which God hath given to refresh us in the way to heaven, than refuse them. The care of the outward man binds conscience so far, as that we should neglect nothing which may help us in a cheerful serving, of God, in our places, and tend to the due honour of our bodies, which are the ' temples of the Holy Ghost,' 1 Cor. iii. 16, 17, and companions with our souls in all performances, so that under this pretence we take not too much hberty to satisfy the lusts of the body. Intemperate use of the crea- tures is the nurse of all passions ; because our spirits, which are the soul's instruments, are hereby inflamed and disturbed. It is no wonder to see an intemperate man transported into any passion.