Thoughts and meditations as proceeding from spiritual affections are the first things wherein this spiritual minded- ness doth consist, and whereby it doth evidence itself. Our thoughts are like the blossoms on a tree in the spring. You may see a tree in the spring all covered with blossoms that nothing else of it appears. Multitudes of them fall off and come to nothing. Ofttimes where there are most bios-
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soms there is least fruit. But yet there is no fruit, be it of what sort it will, good or bad, but it comes in and from some of those blossoms. The mind of man is covered with thoughts, as a tree with blossoms. Most of them fall off, vanish, and come to nothing, end in vanity ; and sometimes where the mind doth most abound with them, there is the least fruit ; the sap of the mind is wasted and consumed in them. How- beit there is no fruit which actually we bring forth, be it good or bad, but it proceeds from some of these thoughts. Wherefore ordinarily these give the best and surest measure of the frame of men's minds. As a man ' thinketh in his heart, so is he ;' Prov. xxiii. 7. In case of strong and violent temp- tations, the real frame of a man's heart is not to be judged by the multiplicity of thoughts about any object; for whether they are from Satan's suggestions, or from inward darkness, trouble, and horror, they will impose such a continual sense of themselves on the mind, as shall engage all its thoughts about them. As when a man is in a storm at sea, the current of his thoughts run quite another way, than when he is in safety about his occasions. But ordinarily voluntary thoughts are the best measure and indication of the frame of our minds. As the nature of the soil is judged by the grass which it brings forth, so may the disposition of the heart by the pre- dominancy of voluntary thoughts; they are the original act- ings of the soul, the way whereby the heart puts forth and empties the treasure that is in it; the waters that first rise and flow from that fountain. Every man's heart is his trea- sury, and the treasure that is in it is either good or evil, as our Saviour tells us. There is a good and bad treasure of the heart; but whatever a man hath, be it good or evil, there it is; this treasure is opening, emptying, and spend- ing itself continually, though it can never be exhausted ; for it hath a fountain in nature or grace, which no expense can diminish, yea, it increaseth and getteth strength by it. The more you spend of the treasure of your hearts in any kind, the more will you abound in treasure of the same kind. Whether it be good or evil, it grows by expense and exer- cise, and the principal way whereby it puts forth itself, is by the thoughts of the mind ; if the heart be evil, they are for the most part vain, filthy, corrupt, wicked, foolish ; if it be under the power of a principle of grace, and so have a good
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treasure in it, it puts forth itself by thoughts suitable unto its nature, and compliant with its inclinations.
Wherefore, these thoughts give the best measure of the frame of our minds and hearts, I mean such as are voluntary, such as the mind of its own accord is apt for, inclines and ordinarily betakes itself unto. Men may have a multitude of thoug-hts about the affairs of their callings and the occa- sions of life, which yet may give no due measure of the in- ward frame of their hearts ; so men, whose calling and work it is to study the Scripture or the things revealed therein, and to preach them unto others, cannot but have many thoughts about spiritual things ; and yet may be, and often- times are, most remote from being spiritually minded. They may be forced by their work and calling to think of them early and late, evening and morning; and yet their minds be no way rendered or proved spiritual thereby. It were well if all of us who are preachers would diligently examine our- selves herein. So is it with them who oblige themselves to read the Scriptures, it may be so many chapters every day; notwithstanding the diligent performance of their task, they may be most remote from being spiritually minded. See Ezek xxxiii. 31. But there is a certain track and course of thoughts that men ordinarily betake themselves unto, when not affected with present occasions. If these be vain, foolish, proud, ambitious, sensual, or filthy, such is the mind and its frame ; if they be holy, spiritual, and heavenly, such may the frame of the mind be judged to be. But these things must be more fully explained.
It is the great character and description of the frame of men's minds in an unregenerate condition, or before the re- novation of their natures, 'That every imagination of the thoughts of their hearts are only evil continually;' Gen. vi. 5. They are continually coining figments and imaginations in their hearts, stamping them into thoughts that are vain, foolish, and wicked. All other thoughts in them are occa- sional ; these are the natural, genuine product of their hearts. Hence the clearest and sometimes first discovery of the bot- tomless evil treasure of filth, folly, and wickedness, that is in the heart of man by nature, is from the innumerable multi- tude of evil imaginations, which are there coined and thrust forth every day. So the wicked are said to be ' like the