The great and sole troubler of the times represented in a mapp of miserie, or, A glimpse of the heart of man which is the fountain from whence all misery flows, and the source into which it runs back. Drawn with a dark pencill, by a dark hand, in the midst of darkness.

The great and sole TROVBLER of the TIMES Represented in A Map of Misery, &c. FROM

JEREMIAH 17. Ver. 9, 10.

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it?

I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins.

HEre are four Eminent things affirmed concerning the Heart of Man.

1. The extream deceitfulness of it, The heart is deceitfull above all things. There are abundance of deceits in the World, deceits in every Art, in every Trade, in every Motion, in every Appearance, in all the ob∣jects of Sense, Reason, Religion; but nothing like the heart of man for subtilty, for secrecy, for depth of

deceit. There is deceitfulness, almost in all things, that presently cozens a superficial eye. All things are painted, and he that looks but upon the paint in things, and imagines, because he can see and acknowledg the paint, that he sees and knows the thing, is deceived in all things. But in some things there is a thicker paint, they are more throughly guilt, they are so curiously wrought, so like the thing they represent, that it will require a very narrow piercing eye to look through them into the substance it self. Some things have yet a deeper dye, that 'tis almost impossible to discern them. There are such cheats and cheaters abroad in the world in all sorts of things, in all sorts of objects; in the objects of sense, in the objects of reason, in the objects of Religion, that it is almost if not altoge∣ther impossible for any man to escape delusion, who meets with an accurate cheat, in the hand of an accu∣rate cheater.

But all these are nothing to the heart of a man, the heart of a man far surpasses all these, It is deceitfull above all things, it hath far more curious deceits, and it is far more exact at the Art of deceiving then any thing else can be. It has deceits and skill to cozen it self with: It can seem to hate sin, and make it self beleeve it doth hate sin; all manner of sin, its own beloved sin, its inmost sins most, and yet all this while hugg, cherish, imbrace, enjoy them; unseen, unknown to it self: it can kisse sin and suck the sweetness of sin, even in those very prayers it seems to put up against sin, and of that very sin which it seems in its own spirit to be most fearfull of, and most bent against. It can feed sin with that stroke

which it seems to give to it, to mortifie and stab it. It can seem to be zealous for God, for the advancement of his glory, for the good of man in generall, and more particularly for the people of God, big with motions and designes this way, and in the mean time hate God his glory, yea, hate man and the people of God, and in those very designes and motions, endea∣vour the throwing of them all down; and all this so unknown to it self, that it would think, you did it the greatest injurie in the world to conceive so of it; nay, it should be injurious to it self, if it should suspect a∣ny such thing concerning it self. Here is a deceiver in∣deed, other deceivers cosen others, and they are very ex∣act in deceit that can cosen all others, but the heart can cosen it self at any time, or in any thing it plea∣ses, and so cosen it self too, that it is impossible to suspect deceit in that thing wherein it cosens it self. The heart is indeed deceitfull above all things.

2. The extream wickednesse of it, and desperatly wicked, it is as wicked as it is deceitfull, as filthy within, as finely painted without. It is not for no∣thing that it hath this large cloak of sin, but it has within proportionable wickednesse to cover with it. There is a Fountaine, a Sea, an Ocean of wickedness, and of the worst kind, the intensest kind, desperate wic∣kedness. The sinne that appeares abroad in the world, is but some drops, some rivolets of that that is in the heart; nay, it is hardly of the same kind. The evill that appeares in the World, it is modest, ra∣tionall, lovely in comparison of that which is in the heart; that, there is a more mad, a more desperate kind of wickednesse; that Uncleanness, that Pride,

that Cruelty, that Enmity, that Rebellion against God, that Blasphemy that makes such a noise in the world; Alas, it is a poore peece of wickednesse to that which is in thine and my heart. If our hearts were opened and compared with such outward actings of those persons we now think very abominable, A∣las, they would be Saints in respect of us, the sight of such a depth of desperate wickednesse would swal∣low up a little shallow breakings forth of it.

3. The vniversall ignorance of man concerning his heart; nay, the impossibility of any ones knowing it. Who can know it? Such a question according to the common rule of Interpretation, is a strong negation, more forcible then if it had been barely thus expres∣sed, No man can know it.

Who can know it? Every man thinks he knows his heart, charge him with any thing, how confidently will he go to purge himselfe of it, as if he were abso∣lutely certain it were not in him. But his heart de∣ceives him about the knowledge of it self, as well as a∣bout other things, for he doth not, he cannot know it. He may take a great deal of pains to search and examin it; he may have some experience of some evill in it, some guesses at more, but the knowledge of the evill of it he has not.

Man is not capable of knowing his own heart, it is too bigg for him to comprehend, too vaste, too deep for his shallow brains, to receve the knowledg of. The light of Religion may shew him much evill in it, and make him sensible that there is much more, but di∣stinctly to shew it him, all the light of Religion that I have tasted of, or heard of, cannot attain to. At

sometime I have had some astonishing sights of a depth of pride, unbelief, covetousness, hypocrisie, &c. but distinctly to discern, or measure that depth, hath still been too hard for me, when the light was clea∣rest and fullest. And here I am told, tis not my con∣dition alone, but the condition of others also; yea of all men, Who can know it?

4. The worke that God is continually about in re∣ference to the heart of man, I the Lord search the heart, I try the reines. Would you know what God is continual∣ly doing in the World, why he is searching the heart, and trying the reines. No man can do it, He can, and does. He has a bucket that he can let down into this great deep, and bring up what kind of filth of it he pleases, and poure it forth in the sight of the Sun.

This is the work God hath alwaies been about-Look into the Scripture, what is it, but Gods discovery of mans heart, a record of Gods searching the heart, and trying the reines. It is mans work to hide and cover his heart, & to lay all his loathsomness deep, and remove it as far out of the sight of himself and others, as pos∣sibly may be. It is Gods work to search out his filth, to fetch it up out of this dark depth, and set it in order before his and others eyes. And what a man may seem most free from, and think himself wholly mortifi∣tified unto, God chuses to draw forth and discover to him and others. Drunkenness out of temperate Noah, Incest out of chaste Lot, Unbeliefe out of faith∣full Abraham, Rigid sharpnesse out of meek Moses, Impatience and curses out of patient and blessing Job, Pride out of newly broken and humbled Hezekiah.

And I have often found, that what evill I have dis-re∣lished in others, and thought God might justly be meeet with them for, it was soon after opened, and let loose in mine own heart.

This deserves serious consideration, for as it is the work God is alwaies about, so he seems now more espe∣cially to apply himself to it, he hath gone very far in it, he hath so opened this sink in all sorts of men, in every man, that every man is become abominable, I had al∣most said, to all but himself, and his own party. I the Lord search the heart, I try the reines.

My intention at present is only to treat a little con∣cerning the second of these, the desperate wickedness of of mans heart, wherein there may also be a further touch given about the deceitfulness of it too, it being a part of its wickedness, as well as cloak for all the rest.

The heart is desperately wicked.

This is his testimony of it, who tries and knows it. I might mention other Scriptures also which speak to the same purpose, as that in Eccles. 9. 3. The heart of the sons of men is full of evill, and madnesse is in their heart while they live. He speaks not concerning one mans heart, but generally concerning every mans, the heart of the sons of men, and couples evill and them altogether: Nor doth he speak restrainedly concer∣ning some kind of evill, but indefinitely taking in all manner of evill; there is nothing that is called evill, but is to be found in the heart of man. Neither is there onely a spice or tang of some kind, nay of every kinde of evill, but every mans heart is full of all manner of evill. The heart is a very vast thing, but as vast as it is,

it is full, and that of evill, has as much evill in it, as it can hold.

And madness is in their heart while they live. Mad∣ness is the greatest distemper that can befall man, it quite unmans the man, takes away his reason, or rather poysons it, that it becomes no way profitable to him, but a strong engine to entangle him; and the greater and stronger his reason is, the more is he bound in the fetters of his distemper, and the less able to help him∣self. There are three known properties of madness, of mad men. Misehievousness, especially to them∣selves, they care not how they cut and would them∣selves. Insensibleness, they feel not the smart of blows. And Wilfulness, there is no perswading of them to any thing, least of all to any thing that is good for them∣selves.

This is the true picture, the resemblance of every man; he is mad, what others appear to him to be in a shadow, he himself is in truth, a mad man, a man de∣stitute of his true reason, that which is lest, is no more profitable to him, then that is in him, whom he calls the mad man. He hath all the properties of madness, He is mischievous to himself, cuts, flashes, wounds his soul unmercifully. He is insensible, insensible of the wounds he gives himself, insensible of the afflictions God lays upon him. He is wilful, there's no perswading him to any thing, but what agrees with his madness; you cannot displease him more then to offer him Phy∣sick, nor torment him more then force him to take it. And when God doth force any upon him, and cause it to work, how doth he roar and cry out, as if the healing of his madness were the loss of his happiness? Nor

doth this madness lie in some of his motions, but in his heart, where it keeps possession all the days of his life. And madness is in their heart while they live, while man lives, while man hath an heart of his own, this madness lies in it when he dyes, and has a new heart given him, that heart is free from it. So that well known place, Mat. 15. 19. Out of the heart proceeds evil thoughts, mur∣ders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphe∣mies. What a bundle of wickedness is here that pro∣ceeds out of the heart, and therefore has its place and re∣sidence in the heart.

To illustrate this further, I shall instance in some of the more common sort of Wickednesses, which lodg in the heart, and contribute somewhat towards the fil∣ling of it, as particularly in these, Pride, Covetousness, Envy, Unrighteousness, Enmity, Cruelty, Unbelief, Hypocrisie.

I. Pride: Pride is a desperate Evil, it puts every thing out of its place, thrusts down what is excellent, lifts up what is base and vile, sets all things in a com∣bustion and contention. What is the reason there is so much trouble and disorder every where, but because there is so much pride, which is still begetting, height∣ning and nourishing them. Now the heart of man a∣bounds with this desperate Pride. Pride chiefly acts and discovers it self in three things, in high conceits of Self, in great desires, and vehement endeavors to exalt and set up Self, and all these are in every man; there is no man (though perhaps most think otherwise con∣cerning themselves) free from such conceits, from such desires, from such endeavors.

1. Every man is highly conceited of himself, of

what he is, of what he does, of what he deserves.

There is none so uncomely, but they are lovely in their own eyes; none so foolish, but they think them∣selves wise; every man admires his own parts, his own abilities, his own gifts; every Christian, so far as he is a man, his own graces; and he is not set high enough thinks himself; he is qualified for higher employ∣ments, in Chruch, in Common-weal, then he is put to.

Then for his Actions, how highly does he think of them also? What ever he does is well done. Seldom does a man do anything so ill, that he does not justi∣fie himself in, in some respect or other. Is he angry? He has just cause. Does he any wrong? He was justly provo∣ked, it was not injury, but that which the party deserved. His good actions are exceeding good, his bad he was drawn to, incited to, tempted to they did not flow from himself; He hath still somewhat before him, to make himself and his own actions lovely to him, and to take off that unloveliness which any else may fasten upon them.

Lastly, For his desires, He values them too according to the rate he sets upon himself, and upon his actions: He thinks he deserves highly of men, of Christians, for all he does for them, and among them, He is never prized by any according to his worth, his friends do not value him enough, Church, Common-weal, where ever his service is, it is not sufficiently esteemed or re∣warded.

These are the thoughts that lie hid in every mans heart concerning himself, and at sometimes break forth so into his view, that he must needs shut his eyes, or ac∣knowledg them.

2. Man has great desires to set up himself; 'tis al∣most, if not altogether, the sole of his desires, to please himself, to have every thing subject to himself; to be esteemed, honored and made use of himself, to have his abilities employed, commended, rewarded; this is the very heart of the man, this is that every man pants af∣ter, and would fain possess.

3. He uses great endeavors too to attain this; He will run through all difficulties, use all diligence, ven∣ture all hazards and dangers to satisfie himself, to please himself. What cost will a man be at to set up his own will? How many contentions are dangerously begun and chargeably maintained, meerly to humour a mans own will? When Reason, Judgment, nay, sense of smart says, Let them fall; No, says Will, I will rather loose all first, and this alone many times continues them. What pains will a man take to maintain his own wisdom? He will rather lay his folly open by multitudes of vain excuses, then suffer a blemish of in∣discretion to lie upon him. How eagerly does he main∣tain the excellency of that which he commends, the worthlesness of that which he dispraises? This is that every man strives for, to have his will the rule, his wis∣dom the Counsellor; if any thing be amiss, he would have had it otherwise; if anything prove amiss, it was be∣cause his advice was not followed. All a mans thoughts, reasonings, discourses, beating of his brains (were he able to see it) tend this way, either directly to advance somewhat that hath reference to Self, or secretly to un∣dermine somewhat that stands in the way of the ad∣vancement of Self-Profit, Pleasure, Honor, either out∣ward or inward, which draw all men after them, what

are they, but severall waies of advancing self more su∣tably to its temper? This is the first of those evils proposed to be instanced in, which hath its seat in the heart of man, Pride.

II. The second is Covetousnesse. As man onely would set up himself, so he would onely enjoy all himself. He would 'dwell alone; He would be as God is, alone, and none besides him: He would have all to himself; He is never satisfied, while there is any thing to be had. His eye is never satisfied with seeing, nor his eare with hearing, nor his heart with enjoying. Every thing in man immeasurably covets, oh what a depth then is there in his heart that feeds all these. We look upon raking and scraping a little silver and gold together, as the chief part of co∣vetousness; Alas! that is but one branch of it, and but a poore petty one neither, in respect of what is in, and if occasion serve, can arise out of his heart.

III. Envy. This is a desperate evill too; it did Da∣vid much hurt, His feet had almost slipped, Psal. 73. v. 1. How? While he envied at the foolish, vers. 3. Man envies at good that falls besides himself, at others be∣ing lift up, at the thriving of others, either in out∣wards or spirituals. As he would be all, and have all, so he envies both at God and men that are above him.

IV. Unrighteousness. Man is unjust in all his actions, in all the courses he takes to lift up himself, to attain the enjoyment of things himself. He is unrighteous towards God and men in his dealings with them, in his interpretations of his own, and their actions. He judgeth favourably of himself, but severely of them.

There is no man almost that has to doe with him, acts well towards him; he acts well towards all others. Nay, for God himself, it is he that is too blame: He acts well towards God, But God acts not kindly to∣wards him. He fasts, he prayes, he beleeves, he waits; but God does not blesse him enough, either in out∣wards, or spirituals. He is forward enough in pray∣ing, in fasting; but God is not forward enough in ta∣king notice thereof. Wherefore have we fasted? &c. The waies of the Lord are not equall.

V. Enmity. Man hates everything but himself. He hates man, he hates God. The haters of God, it is a Scri∣pture phrase, and it is that which is the temper of man, it might be used for one of the most proper descripti∣ons of him. Would you know what man is? why, this he is, one that hates God, and all thoughts of re∣conciliation and union with him.

And so he hates man too, hatefull, and hating one another, even persons tyed together by the greatest bonds of wickednesse (where likeness might breed love) yet hate one another.

Ah! doe not shift this from your selves to others, but know, when yee heare of any wickedness in the heart of any man, it is but the heart of every man drawn out. Ther is hatred to God, and hatred to man in us all. See it drawn out of any heart, and yee may be sure it is in evey heart: and the reason, why men cannot beleeve it is in them, is because there was never occasion to draw it out forcibly and undeniably from them.

Object. But this is evidently otherwise, will some be ready to reply. Doth not man naturally love his

kindred and friends, it is onely his enemies that he hates.

Answ. The answer is as ready. Man onely loves himself: and so much as is of Self in any thing, so much he loves. The reference that is to Self in any thing, he loves: Therefore he loves his kindred, be∣cause they are a part of Self, they are but Self a little multiplied, and removed. And thus he loves God, let him look upon him as a preserver of himself, as a Saviour of himself, as one that is good and kind to him: but this is not the love of God, but self-love. In this sence a man may be said to love most things, for most things have some reference to him, and that reference he loves; but this is not the true love of any thing, but the love of Self in that thing. This is not a pure, but an adulterous love, and the flowings forth of it in every kinde, and in every step, are unchaste.

VI. Cruelty. Man is very cruell indeed, no∣thing but cruelty. Mercy is Gods; and when man seems to shew mercy, it is Gods acting in him, though he know it not, it is the bowels of God, streaming forth from God through him as the pipe: But man himself is cruell, Cruell to the creatures, a very Ty∣rant over them. Cruell to men, Homo homini lupus, hence he is resembled to, and called in Scripture by the name of such creatures as are most ravenous, as a Li∣on, Beare, Leopard, Woolf, &c. Cruell to God, he would kill all the discoveries of God in himself, in o∣thers, in heaven, in earth, and put out his very being too, if he could. This is much shut up within man, by him who bounds all things, and most of all the heart of man, but let him but once let it loose, and

anger and fear enough in man excite and draw it out, then it will soon appear somewhat like it self.

VII. Unbelief, distrust of God. Man, there's no faith towards God in him; He cannot, he will not trust God, but himself, and creatures like himself he will trust, nay cannot, forbear trusting, how often soever he be deceived and wounded thereby. The Jews, Gods own people, could never be drawn to trust God, but the helps and means themselves sought out, though they proved continually broken reeds to them. All the ex∣periences they had of God, all the miracles he did for them, all the miseries they felt by declining him in their distresses, and running to other shifts, could never bring them to trust God, but still every fresh occasion draws forth unbelief in them, and murmuring from them.

Perhaps some beleevers may be apt to complaine, that here wants distinction all along, and may have such distinctions in their minds, whereby they can throw off all this from themselves, and lay it at the doores of unregenerate and unbeleeving mens hearts.

To such I shall say onely this, Oh sirs, take heed, left when you heart come to be ripped up, and the depths therein laid open, they prove so vaste, as to confound and swallow up that distinction, which now appeares so great and clear in your eyes.

VIII. The last evill that I now shall mention, is Hy∣pocrisie. The heart is very deceitfull, cozens men, co∣zens it self, assaies to cozen God. Be not deceived, God is not mocked. There is that in the heart of man, that will attempt to mock and deceive God.

Though all these forementioned evills are in man, yet there is no perswading him, any one of them is in him,

at least in any such degree, as is spoken of, so deeply doth his heart deceive him.

For Pride. He is not so lift up in his spirit as was expressed. He has not any high conceits of himself, or of his own parts, or abilities, or graces; he sees others go beyond him: And he has no such desires in him to be exalted; nay, he would not be to high, nor does he use endeavours that way, he takes no pains at all to lift up himself, or to have himself exalted.

For Covetousness: It is far from him too, he does not rake and scrape as he sees many others do, but he is very well contented with what he has. Is it not a strange thing, yet very common? The most wretchedly cove∣tous persons can see and cry out against Covetousness in others, but they themselves seem to themselves free of it, and all that they do in this kind is no more then they ought, or at least are warranted to do.

For Envy; He envies no man, perhaps he will con∣fess he wishes it were somewhat better with himself, but yet he is not offended or grieved at the prosperity of any other.

So for Unrighteousness; He is far from that, he will rather wrong himself, then any one else.

And for Enmity; He bears ill will to none, forgives all the world with all his heart.

As touching Cruelty; God forbid he should be so wicked as to be cruel to any. Is thy servant a dog? said Hazael, when the Prophet told him weeping, what cru∣elty he would exercise in ripping up women with child, &c. He could not harbor a thought of any such bar∣barism lying within him.

Unbelief likewise; which uses to discover it self, both

in a mans spirit, withdrawing from a naked depending on God, and in running to other things for support and relief, is exceedingly hid in the heart from the man, so that he cannot see or acknowledg it, unless in the lump, (which the heart in a secret craft may do, to hide the branches of it the more securely.)

There is a notable example concerning the deceit of the heart about the unbelief of it, in the coherence of this Verse with the former. The Prophet had pro∣nounced a curse from the Lord upon the unbeleeving heart, Verse 5. Thus saith the Lord, Cursed is the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. And had also proclaim∣ed the beleever blessed, Vers. 7. 8. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is, for he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, &c. What now would this people say to him, who were always running to o∣ther means, and departing from the Lord, but yet could never be convinced thereof? Why surely they would presently be blessing themselves; they would look up∣on the Gentiles, (who did not know God, nor trust God) as the persons to whom this curse did belong, but as for themselves, they were heirs of this blessing: Their hearts could witness within them, that their trust was not in men; indeed they did address themselves to men sometimes for help as means under God, so they might make use of the Egyptians or Assyrians in such a sense, but they did not trust them, their only trust was in God. Ah, says the Prophet, the heart is deceitful above all things: Little do you know how your hearts cozen you; you still think, you only use means under God, and your trust is alone in him, whereas in truth your heart de∣parts

from him, you dare not, you cannot trust him in any distress, looking it in the face, and not shrinking back; but your heart is raised or dejected, according as the means and helps it hath recourse to, appear unto it.

So exceeding deep is the hypocrisie of the heart, that man can never beleeve what is in him, until he see it break forth from him, and long may it break forth from him before he can be drawn to see it; very palpable must that evil be, which mans heart cannot at least in some measure shift off from it self.

Thus thou hast had a little glimmering of the grosser part of thy self, which Self is the strange woman that flattereth thee with her lips, alluring thee from the chaste and pure embraces of thy first love into her un∣clean bed: But should I track her in her more refined footsteps and motions, in her several dresses, attires, or∣naments, paintings, & shew thee her covered here with a sweet meek disposition, with modesty, w^th learning, with a natural nobleness of spirit, with all the excellencies of nature, covered there with all the excellencies of Reli∣gion, crept into every form of holiness that is visible in the world, into all duties, into all graces, into all spiritu∣al motions, into fasting, prayer, beleeving, waiting, love, joy, peace, sorrow for sin, humility, patience, &c. what wouldst thou say? What wouldst thou think? How wouldst thou stand amazed.

And yet is she not now thus laid open to the sight of every observing eye, and espied under all these by them that watch her?

She was clothed with Civility, with Morality, with Generosity, adorned with the choicest flowers of na∣ture,

learning, art, in the Kings party, so finely guilded and painted with nobleness and bravery, that her worth seemed to be real and truly excellent: But how base did Selfbreak forth, and appear under all these, and put off these at pleasure? What base unworthy act∣ings, unbeseeming men of honor or ingenuity, did Self put those noble spirits upon?

She was clothed with Religion, the Reformation thereof, and regaining of just Rights and Liberties, and setting up a perfect Administration of Righteousness in the Parliaments party; a brave attire, very lovely ap∣parel: but did not Self too apparently lie underneath it? Did not this appear to be the dress of Self, which she made use of, and threw off at pleasure?

She was clothed with several of the highest and most beautiful forms of Religion in the Army, with a fla∣ming zeal of setting open the fountain, and all the channels of Righteousness, possessing every man with a present enjoyment of those Rights and Liberties which others had under pretence of preserving, defrauded them of. Sure here is integrity, here is the naked Glory of God, and good of the Nation springing up: Who would think to find Self lie lurking close here too?

Nay, it is commonly reported, that this Harlot is crept into Churches, Ordinances, Religious Exercises; into Fastings, Prayers, Preachings, Morning Exercises, where Self-advancement, Self-interests, Self-ends, Self-designs smell so strong, that they are offensive to all, but such as are engaged in them.

Blush oh Heavens, and be astonished oh Earth, how are ye both stripped! There's no vertue nor strength left in either of you. Natural Excellencies have now

no power to keep Self under in the earth among men, but there she gets up, and will be Mistress. Neither have spiritual excellencies any power to keep her un∣der among Christians, but there she lifts her self up as a Queen also. What Christ saith is to little purpose, what Self saith is become now the Law to Christians. If she sow the seeds of enmity and division among them, it must grow, and the seed of Love which Christ sows must be nipped. Though Christ say, This is my Commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you; Yet if Self say, This is my Commandment, that ye hare one another, that ye stir up hatred against one another; that though other men would agree and be at peace, yet ye lay about you, and keep up War and bloodshed for your own ends and interests; while Self is Mistress it must be so, her Law must stand.

But I find my spirit growing weary of this subject, (there is another part that I would fain be vievving of, and digging into, and I am apt to groan out; oh that this were shut, and that opened, or rather that this were burnt, and consumed, and that fourbished and brightened,) I shall therefore only propose some few Considerations by way of Consequence from the Pre∣mises, and so conclude.

The heart is desperately wicked. Then

1. See what all is, and must needs be, that flows from the man; from such a bitter fountain what can pro∣ceed, but it must be bitter? If the root be so bad, all the branches and fruit must needs be nought. All the thoughts, words and actions of man, what are they? surely as they come from his heart, so they cannot but be like his heart, polluted, unclean, filthy, noisom, of∣fensive

to every pure eye, to every pure taste, to every pure nostril. He that hath a pure eye, a pure pallate, a pure nostril, cannot endure the sight, the relish, the scent of any thing of man.

And this is the Judgment that God, who knows what they are, passes concerning them, concerning all that flows from man, all his thoughts, all his words, all his actions. He passes this judgment upon his thoughts, Gen. 6. 5. And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. What ever man thinks of, his thought is evil: If he think concern∣ing God or man, or himself; if he think to please him∣self, if he think to cross himself, to deny himself, to worship God, to please God, to subject himself to the will of God, yet if this flows from the man, it must needs be evil, the root being so corrupt. The purity of the object, and the seeming integrity of the action, can∣not take off the impurity which goes from the heart into every motion and thought of it. There are some kind of thoughts, malicious thoughts, cruel thoughts, passionate thoughts, covetous thoughts, unclean thoughts, such as these man will easily yield to be evil; but that his holy thoughts, his religious thoughts, his Meditations on God, his goodness, his providence, his thoughts of Reformation, of suppressing evil in others, and searching and purging it out of his own heart also, that these should be evil, what man does or can suspect? yet this sentence God passes on all his thoughts: Nay, though he do not go so far as a thought, if he do but imagine in any kind, the very forming of a thought in him, the very first motion of a desire before it, and the

object can meet, this is evil; the least, the weakest mo∣tion of the heart has strength enough of evil in it: And this is not only in some imagination, when his heart is framing some notorious wicked thing, but in every imagination, what ever thought his heart is framing; the heart is evil, and the thought is evil, and the passage between the heart & thought is evil. And it is only evil; it is not mixed with evil, but it is all evil, nothing but evil; it has not only a tincture of evil going along with it, a savour of corruption sticking to it, but it is all corrupt. Nor is it only thus sometimes, or now and then, but continually; all the time of man, in all the several shapes and changes he appears in of civility, morality, Religion, shifting out of one into another, still it is thus with him, still of this nature are his thoughts, his imaginations; day and night, winter and summer, seed time and harvest, His imaginations are not only evil in the night, in the dark time of his ignorance, but in the day, in his brightest time, in the time of his clearest light and knowledg; they are not only evil in the Winter, in time of adversity, while he is under sharp storms of afflictions, under distempers and op∣pressions of the outward or inward man, but in the Summer too, in the time of his prosperity, when he thrives either outwardly, or in his spirit; they are not only evil in his sad seed time, where he meets with much trouble, temptation and interruption, but in his harvest, when he brings in his crop of peace, joy, rest, comfort. Continually, continually, in every state, in every conditi∣on, in every change evil, and only evil is every imagina∣tion of the thoughts of his heart.

His words are evil too, they come from the same

root, Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks; they are unclean, for they defile the man, that which comes out of the man defiles the man.

So also are his actions, all his actions his very best, his praying, his hearing, his repenting, his beleeving, &c. they are unclean. Prov. 25. 27. The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination; how much more when he bring∣ing it with a wicked mind. The wicked here is the per∣son in whom this evil heart is, we look upon him as wicked, whose life is evil in our eyes, but God looks upon him as wicked, whose heart is evil in his eyes. The sacrifice of this wicked person is his worshipping God, his serving God in the way of his own appoint∣ment; his praying, hearing, meditating, &c. now this is abomination, that which God loaths, his very soul ab∣hors; that which he himself would loath, if he had but eyes to see into it. How much more when he bring∣eth it with a wicked mind? It may be made more loath∣som by corrupt ends and desires, gathering into his mind in the performance of it, but however it is loath∣som. When he does it with never so pure an inten∣tion to honor God, when he fasts and prays meerly to abase his spirit, and lay it low before God, yet then it is loathsom, though much more loathsom, when he does it with a wicked mind, when he fasts and prays inten∣tionally to smite with the fist of wickedness, to set up his own ends and designs, and beat down other parties and interests that stand in the way of it.

2. Take notice what a just ground there is, why God should deal sharply with us, why he should chide and fight with any of us, why he should so contend with the man in us. Oh there is a desperate root of

wickedness in us all; Can you blame him to be at en∣mity with it? Is it fit the holy and pure God should let such a fountain of unholiness of impurity stand in his sight, and not fight with it, sink it, and subdue it un∣to himself?

3. Consider what an unfitting thing it is for us to be judging one another, who are all so deeply guilty in that very thing wherein we judg, or can judg any other. Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest; for wherein thou judgest another, thou con∣demnest thy self, for thou that judgest dost the same things, Rom. 2. 1. There is the root in thee of the same wick∣ed action thou judgest another for, there wants only somewhat to exhaust the corrupt juyce therof into thy sight; but in the sight of God, who judges by the heart, thou art as a deep in that wickedness as he, and thou by judging his wicked action, condemnest thine own wick∣ed heart which is full of it; Nay, thou hast done it in the eye of God, who reckons that done which the heart would do, and perhaps thou hast brought it forth into act too in an higher kind, then he whom thou judgest hath done, though thou seest it not, and so canst not be sensible of it.

What canst thou acquit thy self of, that thou judgest another for? Wilt thou judg another for Adultery? Thou hast it in thine heart, and hast acted a worse adul∣tery, hast forsaken the bed of thy unblemished husband indeed. Wilt thou judg another for murder? (I speak not concerning judicial proceedings in Courts of Justice, where Magistrates as they are entrusted with a work beyond man, so they are enstated in a degree above man, I have said, ye are gods; yet therein they fall

short too, because they are but men at bottom, and so at best can judg but according to the sight of the eye, and hearing of the ear, which is opposed to righteous judg∣ment, Isai. 11. 3, 4.) I say, Wilt thou judg another for murder? Thou hast that cruelty in thee that would commit it, yea, and hast killed the Lord of life. Wilt thou condemn Antichrist? Thou hast the man of sin in thee, whereof that which thou callest Antichrist is, as it were, but a figure. Wilt thou judg another for fleshly principles, and fleshly actings? Alas! How many fleshly principles prevail in thee? How many fleshly actings issue out from thee, perhaps in an higher kind and degree of spiritual wickedness, then the party whom thou judgest is capable of.

God has still given several outward Representations in the several ages of the world, of the wickedness of mans inward parts, to point him thereby as with the finger, to the sight, knowledg and detestation of him∣self; but this hath still been the subtle course of the deceitful heart of man, to cry out aloud against evil in those outward dresses, and the mean while to nourish the substance of it within. And still as persons grow in light and knowledg, and so come to discern the more secret and spiritual dresses of it, they are ready to give themselves scope to condemn it in such or such a dress, (wherein now they full well know it,) not see∣ing what more spiritual shape the same thing has put on in them, under which it hides it self, and acts more powerfully, then it did in those lower shapes and dres∣ses whereby it deluded them before.

If we did but know our selves, we should not dare to be judging one another; but it is this same looking on

evil as at a distance from us, as anothers, not our own that makes us so severe towards others.

4. It shews the reason of all that wickedness, that enmity, pride, cruelty, &c. that now breaks forth in the world, and abounds every where; What is the matter? How comes this to pass? Why God is ripping up the heart of man, opening the heart of man, and so that which is in it gushes out and appears. God is stirring the sink, and that makes it send forth that noisom sa∣vour that offends every nostril.

5. It may be unto us a ground to qualifie our spirits, and make them willing to enter into Gods Furnace, and quietly to endure the force of that fire which he in wisdom sees needful to purge out this wickedness, and purifie the heart by.

What sober spirit that has the real sence of such pollution in him, would not loath himself, desire to be delivered from himself, and be willing to have the fire kindled, and so burn upon him, (though it did scortch and pain him unsufferably,) as to consume and devour this filth.

Never willhe wonder at the sharpness of God, who is sencible of the desperate evil of his own heart: Ne∣ver can he be weary of the Refiners fire, who is weary enough of his own corrupt heart. 'Tis because we know not our own hearts, that we think God might cure us with less launcing. When we come to know our selves, nothing will be more burdensom to us then ourselves, and nothing will be more welcom then that sword which is sharp enough, and that hand which comes resolutely enough, and strikes home enough, to let out the very life of our hearts, which when once done will make us happy.

FINIS.