WIJat luJ.rdnefs of Heart ir and ir not. PART Il. 'DireEliom againft R:rdmfs of Heart. ~.J. IT is necdfary that fome Chrifiians be better informed what HarJJteji of Heart is who moll complain of ir. The Metaphor is takm from the HardnejJ of any matter which a workEx:od.7 1h'4· rn!ln would make an irnpreffion on: And it fignifieth the· p311ive and active Refl}lance of ~ ~~~~~~-73~~- the heart againfi the Wqrd and Works ofGod: When it. receivet.h not the impreffions which •J· the Word lbould make, andobeyeth not Gods Commands, but after great and powerful means re– Nehem. 9· maineth as it was before, unmoved, unaffected, and difobedient. So that fiardne{.t of heart is not ~:~~~~ :i·· . ~h~i~~~~j~n~n~~~~heShoa~~~~ ~:~~~ra~~ efi:?a~";h~:et~~' 1~a:~~; ;~;;v:~:e~fl~~~~to::~~;Jn~J 1-.br. 6. 51. ag.tinCr the Word which forbiddeth thofe fins, and commandeth thofe duties. lt ,is therefore an er– & 8. 17 &).~· ror that hath had very ill confeqllents on many perfons, to think that Hardne[J ofHeart is nothing ~o;n u. 4o. but a want of paffio1tate fetling in the matters which concern the foul ; dpeciaUy a want of [orrow Pro: 1:$.~~. and tt.Jrs. This hath made them over-careful for fuch tearI, and grief, and p:1ffi01u, and dangeroully & , 9 . '· to make light of the many r,reater infianccs of the Hardnejiof their Heart,. Many be!jinners in· ~ligion M>trh. r,. 8. ( ~~o are taken up in penitential duties ) do think that all Repentance is .nothmg, buta change of ~ark J6. 1 4· opm1on, except rhey have thofe paffionate grie/1, and tears which indeed would well become the peniom. :.. ~· rent: And hereupon they take more pains with themfelves to affeCt thtir hearts with fGr.row for fin, and ·ro wring out tears, than they do for many greater duties : But when God calleth tHem to ,.., / Love him, aud eo Praife him, and tobe Th~nk.ful for his Mercies, or to love an enemy, ot forgive A-~/ a wrong; when he calleth them to mortitie their earthly mindednefs, their carnality. rhe:lt pride, their paflion, or their difobcdience, they yield but little to his call , ai}d !hew here muck greater Hardneji of H,•art, and yet little complain of this) or take notice of it// I inneat you rhcrd9re ~o obferve~ that the greater the: DHty is .the worle it is to.Harden the Heart againfi it: And the great~ er thefinis, the worfe it is to H&.rden the heart by obflinacy in it. And that the greatdmies are, "lhe Love ofGodandman, with a mortified and heavtnlymind and life, and to refifi Gods Word com– manding theft is the great and dangerous Hardning of the Heart. The life of grace lyeth I. In the pr~ferring of God, and Heaven, and Holinefs in the Ejtimation of our minds before all worldly thmgs: 2.ln the Choofing them, and Rtfolving for them with our Will1, before all others : 3· In the Seei(ing of them in the bent and drift of our Endeavourr. Thefe three make up a flare of Ho– liuifi. Bt.u for firength of part/) or memory, or cxprcffivn: and fo for p;J!ionate a.ffellionr of forrow, or ' joy, or the tearJ that t:Xprtfs them, all thefe in thcircime.:, .and place, and rneafure are defireable, but not of nccef!ity to falvationJ or to the life of grace. They follow much the temperature of the bo– dy, and feme have much of them tlut havt: little or no grace, and fome want them rhat have much grace. Th~ \~ork of Repentance confitterh.rnoH in lotbing and' faTiing out with our felves for our fins, and in foriaking themwich abhorrence,, and turning unto God ~ And he that can do thU Nonumen without tears, is truly penitent, and he that hath never fo many tears without thH, is imEtnitent_fiilJ. ideo beatus And that is the b-ar-d hearted finfiff tfiat wiO not be wrought to a love of Hoiine]i, nor lee go his fin, dl, quia_p.ati- when God commandeth him; but after all exhOitations and mercies, and perhaps afflictions is flill enter ml~r d the fame, as if he had never been admoni01ed, or rook no notice what God hath been hying ~?~ie1.i: c.'lse or doing ro reclaim him. Having thus told you what H:.:rdnefJ of bcal't ~~ you may fee that I have given you Dire/Jion1 againfi it at large before Chap. 3· Dirc/J. 6. & 8. but lball add the!e few. Dire[/. I. ~· 2. Direct. I. Rtmember the Maje~y and prefence of that Moft Holy God, witb wbom "''have to d.J, Heb. 4· 13. Nothing will Cl; tfetl and awe the heart, and over-rule it in the matters of Religion, than the rrue knowledge o c: will not talk !leepily or contemptuoufly ro a King : How much lefs lbould we be !lupid or emptuous before the God of Heaven. lt is that God whom Angels Worfhip, that fufiaineth the world, rhat kecpeth us in life, that is alwJ.yes prd~nt, obfcrv– ing 'all that we think, or fay, or do, whofe commands are upon us, and with whomwe h~ve to do in all things; and lball we be hardned again!\ his fear? Who bath lmdnedbimfelf again/! him and lwbpro– JPeredl Job l'· 4• Dire[/. 2 , 9· 3· Dired. 2· 'thinlz weU of the Hnjpeakable greatnrfi and importa>tce of tbofe 'truth! and Tbing1 .,IJicb Jhould Ajfeti you, and of tho[e duties which art required of you : Eternity of J oy or Torment is fuch an amaz,ing thing, that one would think every thought, and every mention either of it, or of any thing that concerneth it, fhould go to our very hear(S, and deeply affect us, and lhould com– mand the obedience and fcrvice of our fouls. It is true, they are things rmfeen, and therefore lefs ape in that refpect to affect us, than things vifible: B'ut the Greatncji of them 010uld recompcnce that di{: advantage a thoufand fold. If our lives lay upon every word. we fpeak, or upon every jfepwe go, how carefully fhould we fpeak and go? But 0 how deeply ihould things atf~:d: us which our everhlting ' life is concerned in? One would think a thing of fo great moment, as dying and pa:ffing into an tndlefs life of pain or pleafure, ihould fo take up and tranfport the mind of m J.H, that we !hould have much ado to bring our felves to mind, regard, or talk of the inconfiderable interelts of the t!elb. How unexcufable
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