12 Secondly, take heed, and cast off those vain and groundless surmises and suspicions, which either Satan casts in, or thy own heart breeds against the Lord Jesus and his goodness. There is a cavilling jealousy which is in every mans heart by nature, whereby we are subject to think hardly, or at least to surmise sinfully against the Lord and his dealings with us; look how thou doest suspect God to be unto thee,2 so art thou unto him: As it is with two friends, if they once begin to be jealous of one another's love, and if I once surmise in my heart that he hath some ill will towards me, this is the next way to breed in my heart an ill-will towards him: therefore be sure to quit thy heart of these. ⟨p. 277⟩A loving conceit makes the thing lovely that we meddle withal, but a groundless suspicion turns all another way, and also makes us think ill of the Lord; it takes all with the wrong hand; for, if a man have the blessings of this world, then the soul saith, It is true indeed, God hath given me these, but it is as a hook, the Lord makes my table my snare, and only fits me for the slaughter: For when the Lord lets in the horror of his wrath into the soul, all those blessings come to nothing, and are forgotten, because the heart hath God in a jealousy, and thinks that God only fats him to the slaughter, and to ruinate him for ever, whereas the Lord could as well destroy him presently as bear ill-will towards him. Again on the other side, if the Lord gives but a small pittance and allowance, then the soul saith, The Lord loves not me, how straight-handed is he towards me! if he did love me, it would be otherwise. As the naughty stomach turns the best diet into ill humours, and as the green glass makes all seem green to him that hath it; so it is with the heart that is uncharitably conceited toward the Lord, for we, notwithstanding all his loving kindness, still think we have him upon the worst hand, and are provoked in our hearts against him. Therefore take heed of harbouring any ill thoughts, or groundless suspicious jealousies against the God of heaven; this is ordinary, yea, too ordinary with our base hearts, a vile heart is a breed-bate, between the Lord and us; for it accuseth God to the soul, and then the soul to God:
12 Secondly, take heed, and cast off those vaine and groundlesse surmises and suspitions, which either Satan casts in, or thy own heart breeds against the Lord Jesus and his goodnesse. There is a cavilling jealousie which is in every mans heart by nature, whereby we are subject to thinke hardly, or at least to surmise sinfully against the Lord and his dealings with us; look how thou doest suspect God to be unto thee,2 so art thou unto him: As it is with two friends, if they once begin to be jealous of one anothers love, and if I once surmise in my heart that he hath some ill will towards me, this is the next way to breed in my heart an ill-will towards him: therefore be sure to quit thy heart of these. ⟨p. 277⟩A loving conceit makes the thing lovely that wee meddle withall, but a groundlesse suspition turnes all another way, and also makes us thinke ill of the Lord; it takes all with the wrong hand; for, if a man have the blessings of this world, then the soule saith, It is true indeed, God hath given me these, but it is as a hook, the Lord makes my table my snare, and onely fits me for the slaughter: For when the Lord lets in the horror of his wrath into the soule, all those blessings come to nothing, and are forgotten, because the heart hath God in a jealousie, and thinkes that God onely fats him to the slaughter, and to ruinate him for ever, whereas the Lord could as well destroy him presently as beare ill-will towards him. Againe on the other side, if the Lord gives but a small pittance and allowance, then the soule saith, The Lord loves not me, how straight-handed is he towards me! if he did love me, it would be otherwise. As the naughty stomacke turnes the best diet into ill humours, and as the greene glasse makes all seeme greene to him that hath it; so it is with the heart that is uncharitably conceited toward the Lord, for we, notwithstanding all his loving kindnesse, still think we have him upon the worst hand, and are provoked in our hearts against him. Therefore take heed of harbouring any ill thoughts, or groundlesse suspitious jealousies against the God of heaven; this is ordinary, yea, too ordinary with our base hearts, a vile heart is a breed-bate, between the Lord and us; for it accuseth God to the soule, and then the soule to God:
- 1Hinderance 2.
- 2Simile.
