'Voices From The Past' Vol. 1 — July 25

We need to labour to bring our imagination unto the obedience of Christ (2 Cor. 10:5). The imagination, if ungoverned, is a wild and raging thing. Even when we are devising good things, there is still some sickness of fancy remaining in the best of us. Those guided by fancies live more like beasts than men. Fancy will take fire before we are aware. Job knew this, and therefore made a 'covenant with his eyes'. We should make imagination serviceable to us in spiritual things. We should think within ourselves—‘What is this to true honour, and enduring pleasures?' God has represented to us heavenly things in earthly terms, so we should follow God's lead in this. God represents heaven in the terms of a banquet, and our union with him in the terms of a marriage, yes, and Christ himself, under the names of whatever is lovely or comfortable in heaven or earth. The Lord sets out hell to us by whatever is terrible or tormenting. Here is a large field for our imagination to walk in, not only without hurt, but with a great deal of spiritual gain. If fire is so terrible, what is hell fire? If a dark dungeon is loathsome, what is eternal darkness? If the meeting of friends is so wonderful, what will our meeting together in heaven be? The Scripture by such terms will help our faith and fancy both at once. A sanctified imagination makes all creation a ladder to heaven. Since childhood is the age of fancy, it is a good way to instill the loving of good and the shunning of evil. Using their young fancies, children learn to hate hell under the representation of fire and darkness. It is important to cultivate a holy use of the imagination. Does not the Lord's table help our souls by our senses, and our faith by imagination? The soul can receive great hurt from the imagination, so it may also gain much through it.

Devotional Readings taken from Puritan Devotional Readings 'Voices From The Past Vol.1.'
Richard Sibbes, Works, I:180-185
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