2o& Helps agai1ifl; Hard.beartedneJS. ---- - ~;:J~;w:i ~l:-remltiJ~ti of this mifchicf, as yet to be daily thankful to God, that they are not in the porver of it. • Dircll. 7 . §. I o. DireCt 7· Live if .Y•m c;n poffibly under a livdy quick._ning Minijlry, awl. i.1t tbe comp.:my of fcri/Jltf lio:ely Cbrijli;m: lt is true, that we fhould be deeply atft:C!cd with the truths of God, how coldly fon•cr they be dtlivcred : Eutthc qutflion is not, what js our dury, but what is our di[eafe and our IJi'Ciffit} and the proper remedy: All mcnp, .,.[J be fo h.. dy, as not to need any t'ihorrations to convulion at all: But 01Jll Minificrs thtrdore my)et:J fuch cxhortltions, or th<.y that need them tllrn aw·ay their (ars? Hear if po{lible that Minillcr that tirfi feels what he fpeaks, and fo fpeaks what he fee/;, 'as tcndeth moll to make you feel: Ifa. sS· I., 2. Cry alou4; /pare not ' lift up thy -.:uice lik~ a Tmiupet, a1tdp1ew my people their tr.JnfgrcJ!iom, and the houfe ef Hi-ad their fin;: Though hlch ar {cck me Jaily, and dtligbt to k._n6JV my w.1yei, aJ IS N.Jtion tb ..u did ri,J.bteoufrufi, tmd fur[IJuk., not tlu OtdiJzancn rfth,·ir God. God is the chief agent, but he u!eth tO work according w tht titnefs of the inHrumenr. 0 woful cafe! to hear a dead Minifler (peaking w a dead p:.oplc, the ljving t~mhs of the livingGod! As Chrifi faid, If the blind /e.zd the bliJ1d, both will fall into the diJcb: And if the dead muft raife tbe dead, and the ungodly ,enemies of a holy life mull bring men to god· fineji and (~l a holy life, it mull be by fuch a power, as once made ufe of clay and fpiu}e, to open 1 K~~.g. 13 11. the c~yes of the blind,. le feems it was a Proverb in Chrills dayes, Let the dead bury tbrir dead: Bllt no(, LN the d(ad raiflthe de:zd: God may honcur the bones of rhe dead Prophet wirh the raifing a Corps that is cafl: into its grav,e, and toucheth them: A meeting ·of a dead Min iller and a dead people, is like a place of guves ; and though it be a !Jmer.table thing to hear a ma.n fpcak without any life:, of life t'ternal, yet God can concurr to the quickning of a foul. Bur fure we have no grea.t rcafon ro txpeCt that ordinuily he fhould convert men fa miraculoully, without the moral ap· t~tude of mc:ms. lr is mofi incongruous for any man in his familiar di.fcourle, 10 fpeJk without great ferionfne[s and reverence, of things concerning life eternal: Bur for a Preacher tO talk of God, cf Chri11, of Heaven and Hdl, as coldly and fleepily, as if he were perfwading men not to believe him, or tegard him, that no more regards him!Clf, is lds tolerable. It is a fad thing ro hear a man draw out a drtaming dull difcourCe about fuch aHonifhing weighty things? and to fpeak as if it were the bnfincfs oi his art, to teach men to flccp while che names of Ucavot and Hell are in their cars; and noc to be moved while they hear the mdfage of the living God, about their life or death ever-. latling. If a man tell in the Strtets of a tire i_n the Town, or a Soulditr b1ing an A11Jrm of the tnemy at theGath, in a reading or jea(ring tone, the hearers will mgkCl him, and think that he bdieveth not himfelf. I know it is not meer noife that will convert a foul: A bJ.wling ferVency which the hearers may difcern to be buc hiHri..:mical and affc:lted, 2nd no[ to come from a fhiOt!S heart, doth harden the auditors wodl: of all: A rude unrcv~renr 110if:! is unbdCc:ming an Emba(– fador of Chrifi : But an ignorant fayi~:g of a few confufed words, or a fl, epy recital of the moll pertinwt thing~, do as little befeern thun. Cbrifl raifcd not Laz3rttl by the lowdne~ ofhis voic~: But where the natural ears are the paffJgc (0 nie mir.d, the voice and manner fhould be Cuitable to the matter. Noife without ferioufneiS and pertinent murer, is like Gunpowder without Euller, that caufcth found, aud no execution : And the weighrietl: murcr wi1hout clear <.xplication and lively application, is like Bullet without· Poovder: If you will throw Canon Bullets at the <.nemy with your hands, th<.y wiH fOoncr fall on your feet than on them. And it is dcadmfj aggravated by hypocrifie, whm a lifcte[r Preacher will pretend moderation, as if he were afraid of tpeaking too lowd and earneftly, lcll he fhould awake the dr::Jd, whom lit;htning and tlmnder will 110t awake ; auc..l whw he will l.Xcu((: himfdf by accuting thofe tlut are not as drowzie or dead as he; and would make mw believe that {erioufite[s is intempe-rate rage or madnd"s: If you ate caf1 upon a cold aud ilcepy Minifier, confider the matter more t_h;!n the rn·mner ; But choof~ not fuch a one for the cure of hardnefs and infcnfibility of hew. . Dircl1. 8. 9· 1 I· Dired:. 8. 1ak._e 1Wtice how fcnfib/e tendr!r ht.Jrtcd Cbrijfi:.~ni are, nf fin; far hfi tban tbt{e tbat you mak..,e a jeajt of: And how clok thofe mactcrs come to th{ir h\a1ts that touch nN yours. And have not you as much clllft: to be moved as they? and as much ncul to by fuch things to heart ? bid you but know what a trouble it is to them, to be luunad widt retnptatims to the unbc– Jief and Atht.ifm Which prcvaileth with you; though they are far from choufing them or delighting in thon ! Did you fct: how inuoluntary zboztgbu and frailtiu make iome of fhun a.we:uy of the'm– {t.lves! and how they even hc~.te their hearts for believing no more, ar.d loving God no morr, and for being fo flrange to God and Heaven , when yet there is nothing in . the wo1ld fo dear to them, nor bath fo much of t11eir Eflimation or Endeavour! You would think fure rhat if fttch hclftS b,d your fi, and mifery to feci, th<.y would feel it to their grief indeed, ( unltfs the fin it ftlf did hin– der the feeling, as it doth wirh you ). Let tender hcarudChiillians infirud you, and not be v: it· ncfffs againll )'du. _ : DircC• 9• ; 9· 12· DirLC!. 9· ·.tak._c IJcrd of bardning Compan)+, Ex,mpla.and Di{:1Urf;. To hear men rail and . fccflC a1 Holimfs, and cmfe,and fWcar, and blatphcmc the Name and l'nith-of G~;~d, will at titfl niake · )'fJU 11 LlTJL!t:. But if you wilfully cafi your [df ordinarily into fuch Complny, by degrees your ft~tfC and tLndundS will Qc ~one, and you will tind a vny g1cat H.udning pu\Hr, in the comp.wy andfre· qucnt difcomfe and prat:\iccs, which your [elves (;Ondoun. 1Jirefl. 10 • 9· 13· DireCl'. 10. 1A! lmd of wilful finning againjl k,norrltdge: mucb mare of lying in fiteb _(,n tmrtpenud of, It greatly hardneth to fin againft knowltdge:, and much more to commit {uch tins over and over. This gricveth and drivcth away che Spifit, and dangcrouOy provoketh God to leave men tci themfe!ves. jl· .I4· DiJeCi.H.
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