Rihgt [sic] thoughts, the righteous mans evidence a discourse proving our state (God-ward) to be as our thoughts are, directing how to try them and our selves by them, propounding schemes of right thoughts, with motives and rules for keeping thoughts right : in two parts / by Faithful Teat.

Sect. XI.

BUt Alas! These Thoughts cannot alwayes hold without interruption. This brood of Travai∣lers dig up Wells as they go, and the Philistines follow after as fast as they can, to stop them up with earth

and stones: worldliness and earthliness, deadness and dulness return and repossesses the Mind and Thoughts of the eager Convert, and threaten to undo whatever Grace hath been a doing. So that the confident young Christian (who thought that if he had but once gotten the Red Sea on his back, his Saviours blood betwixt him and his soul oppressors, there would be but a few dayes direct and easy jour∣ney, through the Wilderness of the World, to the Land of Canaan,) falling amongst many fiery Ser∣pents, violent and virulent temptations and lusts (not thought of at his first setting out) and being bitten by them, he proceeds as more heavily so more hum∣bly; And his After-thoughts are such as these.

Now woe is me that I should ever put my hand unto Gods Plough, and thus look back O why was I not contented to have dwelt on the other side of Jor∣dan, Nay, to have stayed by the Flesh-Pots of Aegypt, rather than to die in this Wilderness? It had been better sure for me not to have known the way of Righteousness, then after I have known it, thus to turn from the holy Com∣man••ment. Where is then the blessedness that I spake of? The Scripture saith indeed, that the Righteous shall hold on in his way; But alas! I have begun in the spirit, And after all must I foolishly end in the flesh? Have I suffered so many things in vain, if so be that it be yet in vain? Have I sustained such cor∣rections, and received such convictions, and brought forth such Purposes and Resolutions with so great Pain and Difficu••ty, and to so little purpose? I can∣not deny that the fallow ground of my heart hath been indeed broken up, and Gods Plo••••••••s have plowed all day to sow, and 'twas good seed at the S••••ers did sow, when they sowed the Wo••d; But alas I now find, to my Woe, that it was not sown in a good and honest heart, for no sooner was the blade spring up, but early temptation made it ••ither away, so that it brought no fruit to ••erfection; the cares of the World, the decoiptfulness of Riches, and the lusts of other

things, these coming in have choaked the word, and it ••••th become unprofitable, And is this thy confidence, O my soul, the uprightness of thy wayes; and thy hope? O think then that the word will prove true to thee, though thou hast not been so to it, for it told thee that the back-slider in heart should be filled with his own wayes, and I am sure thou hast found it so. Thou art the ground that hast drunk in the rain that came oft upon it, and hast brought forth Thorns, and what can now be thy doom, but to be rejected of God, to be nigh unto cursing, and thine end, but to be burned? Thou art the House out of which the un∣clean Spirit went, and into which He returned, taking others with him, which though he found empty, swept, garnished, yet leaveth the last state worse than the first. Thou hast wearyed thy self with lies, and thy great scum went not forth of thee, what remains but that thy scum shall be in the fire? In thy filthiness is lewdness, because God hath purged thee, and thou wast not purged, there∣fore how canst thou hope to be purged from thy fil∣thyness any more, till he have caused his Fury to rest up∣on thee? for if after Men have escaped the pollutions of the World, through the knowledge of the Lord and Sa∣viour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein and overcome, the later end is worse with them than the be∣ginning. Thou art that girdle marred by lying in the Babilonish waters of worldly Lusts, and now profitable for nothing, who didst sometime seem to cleave so closely to the Lord Jesus Christ, as the girdle cleaveth to the loines of a man. Ah! grievous Revolter! Re∣probate sinner! the Bellows are burnt, the Lead is con∣sumed in the Fire, the Founder hath melted thee in vain, for the wicked are not plucked away, thy wicked pride, and worldliness, and wantonness, &c. and now what canst thou think O my Soul, but that the Lord hath rejected thee? But what Iniquity hast thou found in thy God, that thou art gone far from Him, and that thou hast walked after vanity and art become vain? Ah my Soul! What hath he done unto thee?

or wherein hath he wearyed thee? testifie against him. No, no, I am sure thou canst not, thou darest not reprove him, But thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy Back-slidings shall reprove thee, know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and a bitter, that thou ha••t forsaken the Lord thy God, and therefore surely his fear is not in thee. What fruit ha••t thou then of this foul Apostacy whereof thou h••st so great reason to be now ashamed? Thou didst run well, who did hinder thee? Hath a Nation changed their Gods, whi h yet are no Gods, but thou hast changed thy glory for that which doth not profit; Be astonyed at this, and be horribly afraid, yea, be very desolate O my heart, For thou hast committed two Evils, Thou hast forsaken the Fountain of living waters, and hewed thee broken Cisterns that can hold no water. O prophane Heart, that for a morsel of meat hast sold thy Birth-right! How sain wouldest thou now inherit the blessing, couldst thou but find a place for repentance, though thou shouldst seek it never so carefully with tears? But alas for thy part, thine hope is cut off, thine hope hath God removed like a tree; and indeed what else can be expected, but that the Hypocrites hope should pe ish? O false heart, and flat∣tering hope! must I be thus deceived by you both which I so much trusted? I said (with Moses) of my strong corruptions, when I thought I saw them drowned in the Red Sea of my Saviours Blood, I shall see them again no more for ever, and (with Da∣vid in his prosperity,) I shall never be moved; and must I now, like Capernaum, after I have been thus lifted up to Heaven, be thrown down to Hell? and so everlastingly seperated from the blessed presence of the dear Jesus; whom I fondly thought I had lo∣ved better then my life, but now find I did love him less than my laziness, and my lusts; and in∣deed I am convinced that if any man loves any thing more than Christ, He is not worthy of him.

But, ah my dear and blessed Jesus, must thou and I thus part? part Eternally? Oh no! not for

a World, no not for a World of Worlds. Why then, O Lord, castest thou off my soul? why hidest thou thy face from me? Yea rather, O Lord, why hast thou made me to erre from thy wayes, and hardened my heart from thy fear? yet will I leave my complaint upon my self, and I will speak in the bitterness of my soul; I know indeed that God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed. Therefore, O my God, my Soul is cast down within me, and deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy water spouts; thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. When I remember these things, I powre out my soul in me; For I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise; I call also to remembrance my song in the night, and commune with mine own heart, and my spirit makes di∣ligent search; I was at ease, but God hath brok••n me asunder; He hath also taken me by the neck, and shaken me in pieces and set me up for his mark. Oh that I were as in moneths past, as in the da••es when God preserved me, when his Candle shined upon my head, and when by his light I walked through darkness, when the secret of God was upon my Tabernacle, and when the Almighty was yet with me. But now alas my tears are my meat day and night while my returning Corruptions and prevailing Lusts say to me continually where is thy God? As with a Sword in my bones do they reproach me, while they say daily to me where is thy God? But w••ll the Lord cast off for ever? will he be favourable no more? Is his mercy clean gone for ever? and doth his Promise fail for evermore? Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath ••e in anger shut up his tender mercies? Surely this is my infirmi∣ty; but I will remember the ••ears of the right hand of the most High. Although my heart be not so with God, yet hath he made with me a Covenant, an everlasting Covenant, ordered in all things and sure; I will therefore say unto God, my rock why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourn∣ing because of the oppression of the Enemy? Yet the Lord

will command his loving kindness in the day-time, and in the night his song shall be with mo, and my Prayer un∣to the God of my Life. Why art thou cast down, O my soul, and why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God for I shall yet Praise him, who is the health of my Countenance, and my God. O Lord though mine iniquities testifie against me, do thou for thy Name sake, for my back-slidings are many, I have sinned against thee: But I acknowledge O Lord my wickedness, Do not abl or me, for thy names sake, Remember, break not thy Covenant with me. For truly my Soul thirsteth for God, for the living God, to see his Power and his Glory, so as I have seen him in the Sanctuary.

Be watchful therefore, O mine heart, and strengthen the things that remain, and are ready to die, for here is yet a Pillar of Fire before thee, the token of a Divine presence with thee. Hath not God said, Return ye back-sliding Children, and I will heal your back-sliding? Behold I come unto thee for thou art the Lord my God.

But surely if God will allow me to set my hope on high, He will yet have me to keep mine Heart low, for though he be still saying, I will heal thy back-sliding, and love thee freely, and again, Turn O back-sliding Child for I am married unto thee; yet he still feeds me like the Israelites in the Wilderness, as it were, from hand to mouth; The water of his Rock, not my Cistern, must supply me, and I be undone if it do not follow me; I must fetch my food by daily Faith, my Manna out of the Heaven of his Promises, not by Plowing, for it is in the earth of my s••lf-Righteo••sness, and legal performances; and my Medicine too (for all venomous bitings by all sorts of fiery temptations) from him only, who for that end was lifted up upon the Cross, and still is on the pole of the Gospel, and still must be in the THOUGHTS of my heart, as my only strength, my health, my life, my All; And if at any time he allow me but a touch or taste of the hoped for Clu∣sters,

'tis to feed not my high, but my diligent Thoughts; and to mind me that I have not already at∣tained, either am already perfect, but that I press for∣ward, forgetting the things that are behind, towards the mark for the price of the high Calling of God which is in Christ Jesus. What shall I then say to these things? The Lord hath both spoken unto me, and him∣self hath done it, I will go (with him though I go but) softly all my years, even in the bitterness of my Soul.

So then the Thoughts of the Righteous pick up encouragement, as the Good Spies, from their very difficulties, They are Bread for us; I will go with this man, saith Rebeckah; I will go with this Jesus, saith the fixed Thought of heart; Though I go sadly, yet I will go, I will go though but softly in my souls bitter∣ness all my years; But yet O Lord, by these things men live, And in all these is the life of my spirit, so wilt thou recover me, and make me to live (so saith the gracious Heart.) And thus is the soul fed with Manna, aad led about many years, it may be, in the Wilderness of Anxiety; And all this to humble, to prove, to know what is in the heart, and to do it good in the later end.

And thus have I given you as briefly as I could, though more largely then I thought, a Scheme or draught, of such Thoughts in man as do ordinarily flow from the Grace of God, as I have received from that sure Word, that is a discerner of the Thoughts, and a discoverer as well as a discerner, and as I have known, and perhaps felt in some small experience, And the Holy Ghost, that knows all hearts, saith ex∣presly, As in water, face answers to face, so the heart of man to man.

Notes

• Psal. 84.5. Gen. 2.5.
• Deut. 8.15.
• Luke 9.62.
• Joshua 7 7. Exod 16.3.
• 2 Pet. 2.2. Gal. 4 15.
• Job 17.9. Gal. 3.3, 4.
• Hos. 10.12. Isaiah 28.14.
• Mark 4.14.
• Luke 8.15. Mat. 13.16, 21. Luke 8.14. Mark 4.19.
• Job 4.6.
• Prov. 14.14. Heb. 6.7.
• Math. 12.33, 44, 45.
• Ezek. 24.12, 13.
• 2 Peter. 2.20.
• Jer. 13.7, 11.
• Jer. 6.28, 29, 30.
• Jerem. 2.5.
• Micha 6.3.
• Jerem. 2.19.
• Rom. 6.21. Gal. 5.7. Jerem. 2.11, 12, 13.
• Heb. 12.16, 17.
• Ezek. 37.11. Lam. 3.18. Job 19.10. chap. 8.13.
• Exod. 14.13.
• Psalm 30.6. Luke 10.15.
• Mat. 10 37.
• Psal. 88 14.
• Psal. 63.14. Job 10.1.
• J••m. 1.13, 14.
• Psal. 42.6, 7.
• Verse 4.
• Psal. 77.6.
• Job 16.12.
• Job 29.3, 4, 5.
• Psal. 42.3.
• Verse 9.
• 2 Sam 23.5.
• Psal. 42.8, 9.
• Verse 11.
• Jerem. 14.7. Verse 20. and 21. Psal. 42.2. Psalm 63.2.
• Rev. 3.2.
• Neh. 9.12, 19. Jer. 3.24.
• H••sea 14.4. Jerem. 3.14.
• 1 Cor. 10.4.
• Joh•• 3.14.
• Numb. 13.23.
• Phil. 3.12, 13.
• Isaiah 38.15.
• Numb. 14.9.
• Isaiah 38.16.
• Deut. 8.2.
• The end of the draught or scheme of Thoughts. 1. Wrought in conversion.
• Prov. 27.19.