An exposition with practical observations continued upon the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth chapters of…An exposition with practicall observations continued upon the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth chapters of…

To be a contriver, a plotter, a conceiver of mischief, is worse then then to be an actor, or a doer of mischief. It is ill to have a hand in any sinful evil, it is worse to have a head in it, but worst of all to have a heart in it. Conceivers of mischief always have their hearts and heads in mischief; and if they are not stopped, will have their hands to it too: they who are plotters, and designers, would be actors. Hence they are called, Workers of iniquity. They have an inward Shop, and an outward Shop: first they work it in their thoughts, and mould it there, and then it comes out. To conceive mischief is properly, the Devils trade, he rather deviseth then acts wickedness. There are many wickednesses in the World which he cannot act; but he is or would be the plotter, setter, and contriver of them all: This is the wickedness of the Devil: and every conceiver and deviser of mischief is of the Devils trade. A good man may (possibly) do evil, but a wicked man deviseth evil. As it notes the spiritualness of a man in holiness, when he doth not only act that which is good, but his heart is upon it, he conceives and frames it in his mind. So it notes a man spiritually wicked, when his mind frames wickedness. The Apostle concludes of himself (Rom. 7.25.) So then with my mind I serve the Law of God, but with the flesh, the Law of sin. Not that he willingly gave up his flesh to sin, but that he was carried through the infirmity of the flesh to some sinful actings, while his mind, his devisings and contrivings, were according to the Law of God, and he delighted in the Law of God concerning the inward man. This is the spiritualness of holiness, and without this, there is no outward act of any account with God. It is what the mind moves to, not what the mouth speaks, or the hand doth, which commends us to God. What is it to God that we serve his Law with our flesh, if with our minds, we either serve the Law of sin, or do not serve the Law of God? Man is not what he acts, but what he conceives, unless he act what he hath conceived. They conceive mischief.

To be a contriver, a plotter, a conceiver of mischeife, is worse then then to be an actor, or a doer of mischeife. It is ill to have a hand in any sinfull evill, it is worse to have a head in it, but worst of all to have a heart in it. Conceivers of mischeife alwayes have their hearts and heads in mischeife; and if they are not stopt, will have their hands to it too: they who are plotters, and designers, would be actors. Hence they are called, Workers of iniquity. They have an inward Shop, and an outward Shop: first they work it in their thoughts, and mould it there, and then it comes out. To conceive mischeife is properly, the Devils trade, he rather deviseth then acts wickednesse. There are many wickednesses in the World which he cannot act; but he is or would be the plotter, setter, and contriver of them all: This is the wickednesse of the Devill: and every conceiver and deviser of mischeife is of the Devils trade. A good man may (possibly) doe evill, but a wicked man deviseth evill. As it notes the spiritualnesse of a man in holinesse, when he doth not onely act that which is good, but his heart is upon it, he conceives and frames it in his minde. So it notes a man spiritually wicked, when his minde frames wickednesse. The Apostle concludes of himselfe (