5(5R of the Stony Heart, and Wart offlefh. S a e r.x. fcribeth him as (landing at twoways, Ezek. 21. 21 22. either to fight againft Ifrael, or anotherNation : Now it was aft one to him, which way he went, yet God foordered, that he fhould go againft them. Thus as God is laid to ponder and weigh mens hearts in one fenfe ; fo in this fenfe alto, he layette wens hearts in a ballance and they eafily incline this way or that way, and God he puts in fomething that inclineth their hearts rather this way then that way. Hence the great Monarchs of the world, the Babylonian and Perfan, they are compared to Hatchets, to Hammers, to Bees, over which God bath a command. The whole world is his Holt, andGod is the Emperoror Com- mander; and he bids this go and he goeth, that come , and he cometh ; as the Centurion did his men under him : What a wonderful work was that up- on Cyrus hisheart, and his Succeffors, to let the Jews build their Temple un- to God again ; yea, what a Orange paffage was that of good to Mardechai, when the King could not fleep, that he fhould call for a Book to read, ra- ther then for fports or pleafures ; and that of all Books, the Hiftory or Chronicles of memorable things done in the Kingdome ; and in that Hifto- ry, he fhould pitch on the good fervice Mordechai had done, and was not rewarded. Its remarkable alto, that when God intended to punifh Abimi- lech and the Seehemitel, Judges9. its laid , Godfeat an evill fpirit between them, and that was their ruine at Taft : Oh then howmuch is thisGod tobe feared, to be obeyed , who doch inHeaven andEarth what he wills l Its not as Great men, as Mighty men, as Wife men will; but the counfel of the Lord that shall (land. q; Laftly, God in theOld Tefiament had a notable wayofbringing about the hearts of men for his great and mightyworks by Dreams. Of Dreams. Thereare three kindes of Dreams, Natural, Diabolical, byway of delta fion : or Supernatural, immediately railed in men byGod. In fuch a way God formerly did inform men fometimes : Thus Jacob laying his head ona ftone; had a dream; and lofepb a dream about his Superiority over his Brethren, 6en.48. tz. yea, Pilates wife had adream, which the toldPilate, thathe should havenothing to do with that juft man, to shed his innocent blood, Mat. 17. 19. But that is difputed, whether the Devil didnot put that dream into her, becaufe he would not have Chrift crucified, knowing that by Chrills death, bis Kingdom would be diffolved ; But howBoth thatagree withSatans entring into Iodas heart, tempting him to betray his Mailer. There were two great Kings, and Heathens, fuch as had no knowledge of God, and yet God did vifit them by dreams,of things to come; as Pharaoh by (even years of barren-. nefs, and liven of fruitfulnefs; Nebuchadnezzar of the change of his King- dom, and the mighty alienationof it in time : But thefe did not understand them, till Iofeph, and Daniel, revealed themyffery to them. IL Secondly In the next place, Gods power over the heartsof men, ina Way of In the way of Inflict, is alto admirable: And that' intwo refpefts e his )uftice. pir(t, In infatuating theoounfels and thoughts of Wife men: He (bikes the ? great ones of the world, when he is angry, with the fpirit of madnefs and gid-, dinefs, If4.24.45 Thus David prayed, That God would turnAchitophels coun- fel into folly, onely Godcoulddo it : And thePrinces of Zean and Egypt,that thought they were wife, and none like them, God ftroke them withfolly and giddinefs : So true is that old obfervation, dos Dens visit perdere, prias der- mentat, When God intends to deftroy and ruine man, he fire beginnetb with theirunderftanding, fn(lifting giddinefs upon that : Theeyes of a man firft dye; they fay, and fo men peri(h firft in their counfels, thoughts and.defigns, after- wards in other things: ThusGod is laid To catch the crafty in their own Wif dom, and he lnoweth that the thoughts of the Wife they are vain, i Cor.3. ? Secondly, Gods Inflictupon wens hearts is, in thefpiritualblinding and hardest ingof them: Thus God is fiat() harden Pharaohs heart; andEIsf©ns would not
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