The Soul's Conflict with Itself

§. 5.

Many flatter themselves, from an impossibility of ruling their imaginations, ¹and are ready to lay all upon infirmity and natural weakness, &c.

Many flatter themselves, from an impossibility of ruling their imaginations, ¹and are ready to lay all upon infirmity and naturall weaknesse, &c.

1. 1Object.

But such must know that if we be sound Christians, the Spirit of GOD ¹will enable us to do all things (Evangelically) that we are called unto, if we give way without check to the motions thereof; where the Spirit is, it is such a light, as discovers not only dunghills, but motes themselves, even ⟨p. 211⟩light and flying imaginations, and abaseth the soul for them, and by degrees purgeth them out; and if they press (as they are as busy as flies in Summer) yet a good heart will not own them, nor allow himself in them, but casts them off, as hot water doth the scum, or as the stomach doth that which is noisome unto it, they find not that entertainment here which they have in carnal hearts, where the scum soaks in; which are stews of unclean thoughts, shambles of cruel and bloody thoughts, Exchanges and shops of vain thoughts, a very forge and mint of false, politic, and undermining thoughts, yea often a little hell of confused and black imaginations. There is nothing that more moveth a godly man to renew his interest every day in the perfect righteousness and obedience of his Saviour, then these sinful stirrings of his soul, when he finds something in himself always enticing and drawing away his heart from God, and intermingling it self with his best performances. Even good