s11111111s Chap. 23. An Expofation upon the Book¿. of J O:3. Vert. 16. d57 I anfwer; Fírft, Negatively, by a foft heart here we are not to underftand a penitent heart, or a heart broken with Godly ford row at the fight, eitherof fin acted or wrath threatned (z Kings 2z. 29.) The Lord faith by the Prophet to ?ofiah3 Becaufe tby heart was tender (foft or melted) and thou haft bumbled thy felfe before the Lord, when thouheardeft what 1/pake again this place, therefore, &c. The heart offlefh promifed and given in the new Covenant, is a relenting and repenting heart. (Ezsk. 36. z6. )1 will takeaway theheart offane, and give you an bears of flefh ; that is,I wit make your heart foft,which beforewas hardjob had Inch a heart, a loft heart in this notion, when he fpake thus, but that's not the heart here meant ; God had givenhim that fofrnes ofheart before ; for he is defcribed ( Chap. r. a. ) Aman that fearedGod ; anda man that fearethGod, is a man ofa loft heart, (Prow. 28.14. ) Blared is the man that fearetb alwayes, but be , that bardnetb bra heart 'hallfall into mifchiefe. Where the hard heart and the feare ofGod are oppofed ; For wherefoever the true fear ofGod is in the heart, that is a loft heart. Secondly, Byage heart, is not here meant the patient heart; that's a loft heart inScripture,aheart which is wiling to fubmit to and beare the burden that God layesupon it : in this fence God makes the heart loft, whoa, as he accuftorneshis to fufferings, fo he fits them to fuller. Man naturally is (like Ephraim, Jet. 3 i . a8.) As a Bullock¿unaccuftomed to the yoak, both of active and paffive obedience. Onely Godmakes man fubmit his fliffe neck and hard heart toa fuffering condition, and toanfwer the call of his fufferings. Pharoah is Paid to have a bardheart, becaufe he did not yeeld to what Godcalled him to by Judgements, he had not a patient but anunquiet fpirit under the plagues Pent upon him; nor did he obey what he was fummoned toby theLords voice in thofe terrible plagues. Now, though I grant that an heart made loft in patience is an excellent frame ofheart,yet we cannot underftand it fo here ; for yob had a patient heart, yea he had a- bundanceofpatience before, as he fully difcovered at the very be- ginning and breaking out ofhis troubles; he did not flinch at the Croffe, but did embrace it. The Apoftle exhorts all Chriftians to Remember the patience oflob. And we muff apply that Scripture to yob before he came to this poynt, Therefore the foftneffe of heart intended in this text is fornewhat betides this. N n n Thirdly,
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