The divine life in three treatises

5. He that walketh with God is the most considerate person, and therefore hath great advantage to be wise. The frequent and serious thoughts of God, do awaken all the powers of the soul, so that drowsiness doth not hinder the understanding, and so occasion its deceit: There is scarce a more common and powerful cause of mens folly and delusion and perdition, in all the world, than that sleepiness and stupidity which hindereth Reason from the vigorous performance of its office: In this senseless case, though a man both know and consider of the same Truths, which in their nature are most powerful to cleanse and govern and save his soul, yet sluggishness doth enervate them: He knoweth them as if he knew them not, and considereth them as if he never thought of them: They work little more upon him, then if he believed them not, or had never heard of them: even as a dream of the greatest matters, moveth not the sleeper from his pillow: In this senseless state, the Devil can do almost any thing with a sinner: He can make him sin against his knowledge: And when Conscience hath frighted him into some kind of Penitence, and made him cry out, I have sinned and done foolishly, and caused him to promise to do so no more; yet doth the Devil prevail with him to go on, and to break his promises, as if he had never been convinced of his sins, or confessed them, or seen any reason or necessity to amend: He doth but imprison the truth in unrighteousness, and bury it in a senseless heart: whereas if you could but awaken all the powers of his soul, to give this same truth its due entertainment, and take it deeper into his heart, it would make him even scorn the baits of sin, and see that the ungodly are beside themselves, and make him presently resolve and set upon a holy life. And hence it is that sickness which causeth men to receive the sentence of death, doth usually make men bewail their former sinful lives▪ and marvel that they could be before so sottish as to resist such known and weighty truths; and it makes them purpose and promise reformation and wish themselves in the case of those that they were wont before to deride and scorn: Because now the Truth is deeplier received and digested, by their ⟨p. 263⟩awakened souls, and appeareth in its proper evidence and strength.

5. He that walketh with God is the most considerate person, and therefore hath great advantage to be wise. The frequent and serious thoughts of God, do awaken all the powers of the soul, so that drowsiness doth not hinder the understanding, and so occasion its deceit: There is scarce a more common and powerful cause of mens folly and delusion and perdition, in all the world, than that sleepiness and stupidity which hindereth Reason from the vigorous performance of its office: In this sensless case, though a man both know and consider of the same Truths, which in their nature are most powerful to cleanse and govern and save his soul, yet sluggishness doth enervate them: He knoweth them as if he knew them not, and considereth them as if he never thought of them: They work little more upon him, then if he believed them not, or had never heard of them: even as a dream of the greatest matters, moveth not the sleeper from his pillow: In this senslesse state, the Devil can do almost any thing with a sinner: He can make him sin against his knowledge: And when Conscience hath frighted him into some kind of Penitence, and made him cry out, I have sinned and done foolishly, and caused him to promise to do so no more; yet doth the Devil prevail with him to go on, and to break his promises, as if he had never been convinced of his sins, or confessed them, or seen any reason or necessity to amend: He doth but imprison the truth in unrighteousness, and bury it in a senseless heart: whereas if you could but awaken all the powers of his soul, to give this same truth its due entertainment, and take it deeper into his heart, it would make him even scorn the baits of sin, and see that the ungodly are beside themselves, and make him presently resolve and set upon a holy life. And hence it is that sickness which causeth men to receive the sentence of death, doth usually make men bewail their former sinful lives and marvail that they could be before so sottish as to resist such known and weighty truths; and it makes them purpose and promise reformation and wish themselves in the case of those that they were wont before to deride and scorn: Because now the Truth is deeplier received and digested, by their