The Heart withoat GN'Uu.· it is as if thou never hadft been a finner, as if never .any. fud t iniquity had been found in thy hands : ThiS is very comfor. table to meditate on; for the true godly man is apt to think, Oh if I ~}ad never been fuch a finncr, ifI. had never defiled my foul by fi\ch ~bomina.t~ons, I could ~hen h~ve r~j~ycc~ a.swell as others; thtnk ofth1s,When firrne ts forgtven,tt ts as ff Jt had never beencommitted by thee. . · But I come to the fecond qualification, which containeth the inward reall property of thofe that are bldfed, ( as the . - other was externall adherent, jollificationbeing without u~, though received by us,) and ·that is defcribed ia thcfe words, In whofe jpirit there u no guile: He doth not fay, in whofe, mouth,tongue or hands, but in whofe fpi~it there is no guile. – The fplrit of aman doth figr.1ifie in the Scripture, the chief, fublime and moll excellent puts of the foul; and he·faith, in, whofe fpirit there is noguile, becaufe that is a·generall toall · / ' ...., finne, as uprtghtnef{e is-to all graces : or elfe more particularly to bis own guile, becaufe as followes in the Pfalme, He kept filence,would not confeffe his finnes, would not take the right way for pudon; and this made his heart like a very hell, this made the guilt of finne burn like tormenting fire in his con– fcience, till at lafl: he began to deal plainly and fincercly witlt · God,in confeffing his ioiquity,and then pis foul began to bave peace and entoy pardo·n. . , Obferv. That thofe only have blef{ednef{e in pardon of their o~.(erv. jinnes, Whofe jpirits are U•ithout guile. Not that any man'li· ~utle~ men ving can be whoHy without fome degree of this leaven in his dt e odn Ypadr- . one an lleart, but we fpeak of the conflant predominttnCJ and fetled bleffed men. power ofit: Davidwas bleffed.ln the pardon of his fins, yet he had graduaH atld parriill guile or deceit in his foul; the grcek . word JliAo> from whem:e is the Latindr;/m, come-S from ci>JMI:u to h"tHtan_d diminilh, becaufe deceit ufual1y doth fo;and fro~ this root alfo do!or doth come, becaufc it wonderfully hurts af!d confurnes the body, grief being rottenneffe to. t~e bones. Now becaufe its a rult: that contraries do illufl:rate · one anothe~; let. us take notice of thofe words that are op– pofite to th!~ gutlcfull bent : and t.he firll is, that of an .in– .nocent heart, COll'lmended to the godly by Chrift, be innocent K 2 . M
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=