It is the spiritual mind alone that can reconcile those things which are prescribed us as our duty towards God. To delight and rejoice in him always, to triumph in the re- membrance of him, to draw nigh unto him with boldness and confidence, are, on the one hand, prescribed unto us : and on the other it is so, that we fear and tremble before him, that we fear that great and dreadful name the Lord our God, that we have grace to serve him with reverence and godly fear, because he is a consuming fire. These things carnal reason can comprehend no consistency in ; what it is afraid of, it cannot delight in ; and what it delights in, it will not long fear. But the consideration of faith (concerning what God is in himself, and what he will be unto us) gives these different graces their distinct operations, and a blessed re- conciliation in our souls. Wherefore all our thoughts of God ought to be accompanied with a holy awe and reverence, from a due sense of his greatness, holiness, and power. Two things will utterly vitiate all thoughts of God, and render them useless unto us.
1. Vain curiosity. 2. Carnal boldness. 1. It is inima- ginable how the subtle disquisitions and disputes of men, about the nature, properties, and counsels of God, have been corrupted, rendered sapless and useless, by vain curiosity, and striving for an artificial accuracy in the expression of men's apprehensions. When the wits and minds of men are engaged in such thoughts, God is not in all their thoughts, even when all their thoughts are concerning him. When once men are got into their metaphysical curiosities and logical niceties, in their contemplations about God and liis divine properties, they bid farewell, for the most part, unto all godly fear and reverence. 2. Others are under the power of carnal boldness, that they think of God with no other respect than if they thought of worms of the earth like them- selves. There is no holy awfulness upon their minds and souls in the mention of his name. By these things may our thoughts of God be so vitiated, that the heart shall not in them be affected with a reverence of him, nor any evidence be given that we are spiritually minded.
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It is this holy reverence that is the means of bringing in sanctifying virtue into our souls from God, upon our thoughts of him. None that think of God with a due reverence, but he shall be sensible of advantage by it. Hereby do we sanctify God in our access unto him; and when we do so, he will sanctify and purify our hearts by those very thoughts in which we draw nigh to him.
We may have many sudden, occasional, transient thoughts of God, that are not introduced into our minds by a preceding- reverential fear. But if they leave not that fear on our hearts, in proportion unto their continuance with us, they are of no value, but will insensibly habituate us unto a common bold frame of spirit, which he despises.
So is it in the case of thoughts of a contrary nature. Thoughts of sin, of sinful objects, may arise in our minds from the remainders of corruption, or be occasioned by the temptations and suggestions of Satan. If these are imme- diately rejected and cast out of us, the soul is not more pre- judiced by their entrance, than it is advantaged by their rejection through the power of grace. But if they make frequent returns into the minds of men, or make any abode or continuance in their soliciting of the affections, they greatly defile the mind and conscience, disposing the person unto the farther entertainment of thein. So if our occasional thoughts of God do immediately leave us, and pass away without much affecting our minds, we shall have little or no benefit by them. But if, by their frequent visits, and some continuance with us, they dispose souls unto a holy reve- rence of God, they are a blessed means of promoting our sanctification. Without this, I say, there may be thoughts of God unto no advantage of the soul.
There is implanted on our nature such a sense of a divine power and presence, as that on all sudden occasions and surprisals, it will act itself according unto that sense and apprehension. There is ' vox naturae clamantis ad Dominum naturse ;' 'a voice in nature itself, upon any thing that is sud- denly too hard for it, which cries out immediately unto the God of nature.' So men, on such occasions, without any consideration, are surprised into a calling on the name of God, and crying unto him. And from the same natural ap- prehension it is, that wicked and profane persons will break
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forth on all occasions into cursed swearing by his name. So men in such ways have thoughts of God without either re- verence or godly fear, without giving any glory unto him, and, for the most part, unto their own disadvantage. Such are all thoughts of God that are not accompanied with holy fear and reverence.
There is scarce any duty that ought at present to be more pressed on the consciences of men, than this of keeping up a constant holy reverence of God in all wherein they have to do with him, both in private and public, in their inward thoughts and outward communication. Formality hath so prevailed on religion, and that under the most effectual means of its suppression, that very many do manifest that they have little or no reverence of God in the most solemn duties of his worship, and less, it may he, in their secret thoughts. Some ways that have been found out to keep up a pretence and appearance of it, have been and are destruc- tive unto it.