Thoughts about Thought
Charles Spurgeon · John Ploughman's Talk; or, Plain Advice for Plain People
" Two heads are better than one." — Page 77.
THIS paper is very little of it to be set
down to the account of John Plough-
man, for our minister, as I may say, found
the horses and held the plough handles, and
(76)
THOUGHTS ABOUT THOUGHT 77
the ploughman only put in a smack of the
whip every now and then, just to keep folks
awake. " Two heads are better than one,"
said the woman when she took her dog
with her to market : begging his pardon,
our minister is the woman, and the only
sensible head in the whole affair. He is a
man who is used to giving his people many
things of a very different sort from any-
thing which a ploughman is likely to turn
out of his wallet ; but I have, at his request,
dropped in a few homely proverbs into his
thoughts, as he says, " by way of salt ; "
which is his very kind way of putting it.
I only hope I have not spoiled his writing
with my rough expressions. If he thinks
well of it, I should like a few more of his
pieces to tack my sayings to ; and the pub-
lic shall always be honestly told whether
the remarks are to be considered as alto-
gether " John Ploughman's Talk," or as the
writings of two characters rolled into one.
There are not so many hours in a year
as there may be thoughts in an hour.
Thoughts fly in flocks, like starlings, and
swarm like bees. Like the sere leaves in
autumn, there is no counting them ; and
78 JOHN PLOUGHMAN'S TALK.
like links in a chain, one draws on another.
What a restless being man is ! His thoughts
dance up and down like midges in a sum-
mer's evening. Like a clock full of wheels,
with the pendulum in full swing, his mind
moves as fast as time flies. This makes
thinking such an important business. Many
littles make a mickle ; and so many light
thoughts make a great weight of sin. A
grain of sand is light enough, but Solomon
tells us that a heap of sand is heavy.
Where there are so many children the mother
had need look well after them. We ought
to mind our thoughts, for if they turn to be
our enemies, they will be too many for us,
and will drag us down to ruin. Thoughts
from heaven, like birds in spring, will fill
our souls with music ; but thoughts of evil
will sting us like vipers.
There is a notion abroad that thought
is free; but I remember reading, that al-
though thoughts are toll-free, they are not
hell-free ; and that saying quite agrees with
the good old Book. We cannot be sum-
moned before an earthly court for thinking ;
but depend upon it we shall have to be
tried for it at the Last Assizes. Evil thoughts
THOUGHTS ABOUT THOUGHT. 79
are the marrow of sin ; the malt that sin is
brewed from ; the tinder which catches the
sparks of the devil's temptations ! the churn
in which the milk of imagination is churned
into purpose and plan ; the nest in which
all evil birds lay their eggs. Be certain,
then, that, as sure as fire burns brushwood
as well as logs, God will punish thoughts
of sin as well as deeds of sin.
Let no one suppose that thoughts are
not known to the Lord ; for he has a win-
dow into the closest closet of the soul ; a
window to which there are no shutters. As
we watch bees in a glass hive, so does the
eye of the Lord see us. The Bible says,
" Hell and destruction are before the Lord :
how much more then the hearts of the chil-
dren of men?" Man is all outside to God.
With heaven there are no secrets. That
which is done in the private chamber of
the heart is as public as the streets before
the all-seeing eye.
But some will say that they cannot help
having bad thoughts; that may be, but
the question is, do they hate them or not ?
We cannot keep thieves from looking in
at our windows, but if we open our doors to
80 JOHN PLOUGHMAN'S TALK,
them, and receive them joyfully, we are as
bad as they. We cannot help the birds fly-
ing over our heads ; but we may keep them
from building their nests in our hair. Vain
thoughts will knock at the door, but we
must not open to them. Though sinful
thoughts rise, they must not reign. He who
turns a morsel over and over in his mouth,
does so because he likes the flavor ; and he
who meditates upon evil, loves it, and is
ripe to commit it. Think of the devil, and
he will appear ; turn your thoughts towards
sin, and your hands will soon follow. Snails
leave their slime behind them, and so do
vain thoughts. An arrow may fly through
the air, and leave no trace ; but an ill thought
always leaves a trail like a serpent. Where
there is much traffic of bad thinking, there
will be much mire and dirt ; every wave of
wicked thought adds something to the cor-
ruption which rots upon the shore of life.
It is dreadful to think, that a vile imagina-
tion, once indulged, gets the key of our
minds, and can get in again very easily,
whether we will or no, and can so return as
to bring seven other spirits with it more
wicked than itself; and what may follow, no
THOUGHTS ABOUT THOUGHT. Si
one knows. Nurse sin on the knees of
thought, and it will grow into a giant. Dip
tow in naphtha, and how it will blaze when
fire gets to it ! lay a man asoak in depraved
thought, and he is ready to flame up into
open sin as soon as ever opportunity occurs.
This shows us the wisdom of watching,
every day, the thoughts and imaginations of
our hearts. Good thoughts are blessed
guests, and should be heartily welcomed,
well fed, and much sought after. Like rose
leaves, they give out a sweet smell if laid
up in the jar of memory. They cannot be
too much cultivated ; they are a crop which
enriches the soil. As the hen broods her
chickens under her wings, so should we
cherish all holy thoughts. As the poor
man's ewe lamb ate of his own bread and
lay in his bosom, even so should godly med-
itation be very dear to us. Holy thoughts
breed holy words and holy actions, and are
hopeful evidences of a renewed heart. Who
would not have them ? To keep chaff out
of a bushel, one sure plan is to fill it full
of wheat ; and to keep out vain thoughts,
it is wise and prudent to have the mind
stored with choice subjects for meditation :
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82 JOHN PLOUGHMAN'S TALK.
these are easy to find, and we should never
be without them. May we all be able to
say with David, " In the multitude of my
thoughts within me, thy comforts delight
my soul."