A Christian Directory

§. 13. Direct. 9. When you do think of any holy things, let it be of the best things; of God and Grace ¹and Christ and Heaven: Or of your brethren, or the Church; and carry all your meditations outward; but be sure you p•re not on your selves, and spend not your thoughts upon your thoughts. As we have need to call the Thoughts of careless sinners inwards, and turn them from the Creature and sin, upon themselves; so we have need to call the Thoughts of self-perplexing melancholy persons outwards; For it is their disease to be still grinding upon themselves. Remember that it is a far higher, nobler and sweeter work to think of God, and Christ, and Heaven, than of such worms as we our selves are. When we go up to God, we go to Love, and Light, and Liberty: But when we look down into our selves, we look into a dungeon, a prison, a wilderness, a place of darkness, horror, filthiness, misery and confusion. Therefore (though such thoughts be needful so far as without them our Repentance and due watchfulness cannot be maintained) yet they are grievous, ignoble, yea and barren, in comparison of our thoughts of God. When you are poring on your hearts, to search whether the Love of God be there or no, it were wiser to be thinking of the infinite Amiableness of God; and that will cause it, whether it were there before or not. So instead of poring on your hearts, to know whether they are set on Heaven, lift up your thoughts to Heaven, and think of its Glory, and that will raise them thither, and give you, and show you that which you were searching for. Bestow that time in planting holy desires in the garden of your hearts, which you bestow in routing and puzzling your selves in searching whether it be there already. We are such dark confused things, that the sight of our selves is enough to raise a loathing and a horror in our minds, and make them melancholy: But in God and Glory, there is nothing to discourage our thoughts, but all to delight them, if Satan do not mis-represent him to us.

§. 13. Direct. 9. When you do think of any holy things, let it be of the best things; of God and Grace ¹and Christ and Heaven: Or of your brethren, or the Church; and carry all your meditations outward; but be sure you p•re not on your selves, and spend not your thoughts upon your thoughts. As we have need to call the Thoughts of careless sinners inwards, and turn them from the Creature and sin, upon themselves; so we have need to call the Thoughts of self-perplexing melancholy persons outwards; For it is their disease to be still grinding upon themselves. Remember that it is a far higher, nobler and sweeter work to think of God, and Christ, and Heaven, than of such worms as we our selves are. When we go up to God, we go to Love, and Light, and Liberty: But when we look down into our selves, we look into a dungeon, a prison, a wilderness, a place of darkness, horror, filthiness, misery and confusion. Therefore (though such thoughts be needful so far as without them our Repentance and due watchfulness cannot be maintained) yet they are grievous, ignoble, yea and barren, in comparison of our thoughts of God. When you are poring on your hearts, to search whether the Love of God be there or no, it were wiser to be thinking of the infinite Amiableness of God; and that will cause it, whether it were there before or not. So instead of poring on your hearts, to know whether they are set on Heaven, lift up your thoughts to Heaven, and think of its Glory, and that will raise them thither, and give you, and shew you that which you were searching for. Bestow that time in planting holy desires in the garden of your hearts, which you bestow in routing and puzling your selves in searching whether it be there already. We are such dark confused things, that the sight of our selves is enough to raise a loathing and a horror in our minds, and make them melancholy: But in God and Glory, there is nothing to discourage our thoughts, but all to delight them, if Satan do not mis-represent him to us.