Thirdly, the memory must be renewed; and this memory reflects occasionally on a double object, on God, 1and the things of God: First, on God, by remembrance of his presence every where: Secondly, on the things of God, by calling them to mind at useful times. If we consider the first object, God, the unregenerate hath no mind on God, 2God is net in all his thoughts, like the hood-winked fool, that seeing no body, thinks no body sees him; so hath he said in his heart, 3How doth God know? can he judge through the dark cloud? Thick clouds are a covering to him that seeth not, and he walketh in the circuit of heaven. But contrariwise, the regenerate man, 4he remembers his Creator in the days of his youth. And though God, as being a Spirit, is (in some sort) absent from his senses, yet by virtue of his sanctified memory (that makes things absent as present) his eye is on God, and he considers God as an eye-witness of all his thoughts, and words, and doings, and dealings; he knows nothing can be hid from that all-seeing eye, though sin tempt him with the fairest opportunities of night and darkness, yet still he remembers, if his eye sees nothing, all those eyes of heaven (of God and of his Angels) are ever about him: and therefore he ⟨p. 14⟩answers the Tempter, How dare I sin to his face, that looks on me what I am doing? if I dare not do this folly before men, how dare I do it before those heaven-spectators, God and his Angels? Or if we consider the second object (the Word of God) the unregenerate never burdens his memory with such blessed thoughts; 5if sometimes he falls upon it, it is either by constraint, or by accident, never with any settled resolution to dwell on it, or to follow it: 6but the soul that is regenerate, with Mary, keeps all these things in his heart; or with David, gives it out, Thy word have I hid in my heart, Psal. 119.11. Whatsoever lessons he learns, like so many jewels in a casket, he lays them up safe, and then as need serveth, he remembers his store, and makes all the good use of them he may: I will not deny, but any man (good or evil) may retain good things according to that strength of retainment, which nature affords him, but the regenerate (whose memory only is sanctified) whatsoever he retains, he hath it opportunely at hand;
Thirdly, the memory must be renewed; and this memory reflects occasionally on a double object, on God, 1and the things of God: First, on God, by remembrance of his presence every where: Secondly, on the things of God, by calling them to minde at useful times. If we consider the first object, God, the unregenerate hath no minde on God, 2God is net in all his thoughts, like the hood-winkt fool, that seeing no body, thinks no body sees him; so hath he said in his heart, 3How doth God know? can he judge thorow the dark cloud? Thick clouds are a covering to him that seeth not, and he walketh in the circuit of heaven. But contrariwise, the regenerare man, 4he remembers his Creator in the days of his youth. And though God, as being a Spirit, is (in some sort) absent from his senses, yet by vertue of his sanctified memory (that makes things absent as present) his eye is on God, and he considers God as an eye-witness of all his thoughts, and words, and doings, and dealings; he knows nothing can be hid from that all-seeing eye, though sin tempt him with the fairest opportunities of night and darkness, yet still he remembers, if his eye sees nothing, all those eyes of heaven (of God and of his Angels) are ever about him: and therefore he ⟨p. 14⟩answers the Tempter, How dare I sin to his face, that looks on me what I am doing? if I dare not do this folly before men, how dare I do it before those heaven-spectators, God and his Angels? Or if we consider the second object (the Word of God) the unregenerate never burthens his memory with such blessed thoughts; 5if sometimes he falls upon it, it is either by constraint, or by accident, never with any setled resolution to dwell on it, or to follow it: 6but the soul that is regenerate, with Mary, keeps all these things in his heart; or with David, gives it out, Thy word have I hid in my heart, Psal. 119.11. Whatsoever lessons he learns, like so many jewels in a casket, he lays them up safe, and then as need serveth, he remembers his store, and makes all the good use of them he may: I will not deny, but any man (good or evil) may retain good things according to that strength of retainment, which nature affords him, but the regenerate (whose memory onely is sanctified) whatsoever he retains, he hath it opportunely at hand;
- 1Deum & Dei verbum.
- 2Deum. Psal. 10.4.
- 3Job 22.13, 14.
- 4Eccles 12.1.
- 5Dei verbum.
- 6Luke 2.51. Psal. 119.11.
