Caryl - Houston-Packer Collection BS1415 .C37 v4

too, Chap. IL A Expofition upon the Bookof J O B. Verf r3. whofe heart was never purified. But there is no man , nor ever was whole heart is purified, but his head and hands, were, are, or that' be purified even in thisprefentlife. A man whole heart is prepared cannot perfevere to the end in doing or holding e- vil; But the reafon of all the evil both done and held in the world, is , becaufe the heart is not prepared. So it is laid ofRehoboam z Chron.t`2. t q..Hedidevil in thefight ofthe Lord,Wby?Becaufe he preparednot his heart to [eek the Lord, Poflibly he made Come out- ward preparations but he prepared not his heart. And when Simon Magus, whomade fuchhalle to be wafhed in the water of baptifine, (4T.8.) did foon after appear io foul ; where lay the fault ? He had made fuch an outward profeflion, that the Apoflle could not refufe him , his tongue was as goad, and'tir like he Ibewed as fair a hand as the refl did , Why then did Simon ,Magus fail ? The Apoflle tells him (and us) the reafon (vent. 2t.) Thine heart is not right in the fight ofClod ; He had waffled his out-fide but his inwards were unclean. The heart is the wort part of man, till it be mended, and their 'tis thebelt Where moil e- vil lieth , there we mull begin to be good; All is good , when that is good which is the feat , the nefl of all evil. When Chrifl was coming into the world , to accomplifh that great work of redemption , he faith (Heb.z o. S.) Loe I come (in the volumeof ,thy book,.it is written ofme) to doe thy will, OGod, a body haft thon prepared me, &c. Chrill needed not tohave a heart prepared him, his heart was prepared from all eternity, there was never any, the leaf} unpreparedneffe in his heart, for he was holy in his temporal conception ; and he was the holy Son of God , by aneternal ge- neration ; and thereforehe loth not fay , An heart haft than pre. pared me, no,4e might fay (in the highefl fenfewith the Pfalm- sll) My heart is ready , OCod, any heart is ready. What needed he then to fit him for a facrifice ? Only a body capable of fufher- ings. He had a heart fit both to do and fufer, but he wanted a body : He was in theform ofgod, therefore a body, a'fute offlail and blood , fuch as the 'Divine2Qture,never wore before , muff be provided for him , and provided it was : God himfelf was at the whole coil to make it (man contributed nothing) rfl body haf thon prepared one , O God. But when man is called todo the will of God, he bath a body prepared, but he wants anheart. He bath but need to pray , Lordprepare anheart far me ; if the heart be prepared, the body is. All the (hampers and unferviceable-

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