The serviceable man. A discourse made unto the General Court of the Massachusetts colony,…

III. But the Main Assertion, which lies before us, is, That the God of Heaven has Good Thoughts for the men that study to be serviceable unto His People.

We are not so carnal, as to dream of a strict propriety in the Expression, when Thoughts are ascribed unto the Infinite God: The Thoughts are properly, those Conceptions o• Characters of Things, which the Under••••••g fetches out of the Imagination, in our Souls. But there is no such Composition in our God, as to Admit of any such Successive or Dependent Motions in Him, He is a pure Act, and when we call Him so pure a Thing as a Spirit, it is too Gross a Name to be taken without a Figure; 'tis but by way of Analogy and Similitude. By the Thoughts of God, then are meant, only those Acts of Him, which pass upon his Creatures. When we enquire, What Aspect the Almighty bears unto us, or rather, What Aspect He makes us bear unto Him, we ask after His Thoughts concerning us. Well then; The Thoughts of God about the men that are serviceable to ⟨p. 11⟩His people, are, For their Good; it imports, that God will favour such men as those, with such Acts of His, as may demonstrate his Good-will unto them. The Serviceable Man may say, My God will think upon me for Good; i. e. my God will Say that of me, and will Do that for me, which will be marvellously comfortable. If we would know the Thoughts of God, we must look into the Words of God; there is a Rule Revealed unto us, by our God, according to which He will Judge of us, and He will Deal with us all; and if we would know the Thoughts of God, it is but seeing what that Rule does pronounce upon us. To that Rule therefore we will now repair; and we shall find that this Rule will enable Serviceable Men, to say as in Psal. 40.5. Many, O Lord my God, are thy Thoughts to us-ward: If I would speak of them, they are more than can be Numbered.

We are not so carnal, as to dream of a strict propriety in the Expression, when Thoughts are ascribed unto the Infinite God: The Thoughts are properly, those Conceptions o Characters of Things, which the Underg fetches out of the Imagination, in our Souls. But there is no such Composition in our God, as to Admit of any such Successive or Dependent Motions in Him, He is a pure Act, and when we call Him so pure a Thing as a Spirit, it is too Gross a Name to be taken without a Figure; 'tis but by way of Analogy and Similitude. By the Thoughts of God, then are meant, only those Acts of Him, which pass upon his Creatures. When we enquire, What Aspect the Almighty bears unto us, or rather, What Aspect He makes us bear unto Him, we ask after His Thoughts concerning us. Well then; The Thoughts of God about the men that are serviceable to