A09465:68
A treatise of mans imaginations Showing his natural evil thoughtsA treatise of mans imaginations Shewing his naturall euill thoughts
A treatise of mans imaginations Showing his natural evil thoughts: His want of good thoughts: The way to reform them. Framed and preached by M. Will. Perkins.A treatise of mans imaginations Shewing his naturall euill thoughts: His want of good thoughts: The way to reforme them. Framed and preached by M. Wil. Perkins.
Cambridge: printed by John Legat, 1607Cambridge: printed by Iohn Legat, 1607
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Now mans mind turneth the true God into an Idol, by three notorious thoughts, which are the root of many damnable sins in this life, first, by thinking that God is not present in all places, whereby ⟨p. 37⟩god is robbed of his attribute of Omni-presence: for the true God being infinite must be in all places; which when the heart of man denieth, it imagineth God to be such a one as he is not, & so turneth him into an Idol; and that man naturally thinketh thus of God the scripture is plain, Job. 22. 12. 13. wicked men are brought in speaking of God, as though he were shut up in heaven, & had nothing to do in the world: Is not God on high in the heaven? and behold the height of the stars how high they are. How should God know? can he judge, &c. so the Psalmist expresseth the thoughts of the wicked in their practise of sin, God hideth away his face, & will never see: & the Lord shall not see. ⟨p. 38⟩Psal. 94. 7. yea they who seek the deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, whose works are in darkness, say, who seeth us? who knoweth us? Isay. 29. 15. Secondly, by thinking there is no providence of God, whereby he ordereth and disposeth all things in the world particularly: That this is an other natural thought the Psalmist showeth plainly, bringing in the wicked man, saying thus of God, God hath forgotten, he hideth his face, and he shall not see. And the prophet Zephanie bringeth in the sinner speaking thus of God, that he doth neither good, nor evil. Thirdly, by thinking there is no justice in God; this is done when men Imagine with themselves, that albeit they proceed in the ⟨p. 38⟩practise of sin, yet God will not punish them according to the threatening of his word; If we doubt whether such an Imagination be in mans heart read Deut. 29. 19, 20. where Moses directly forbiddeth the people to say in their hearts. I shall have peace though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart; this is that