O fhardiseeeofheart, 491 heart is commonly incident vnto Gods deare children,be- ing at the farne time in the (late ofgrace, and is apart ofthat inbred corruption and flefhlie old man which before our calling wholly pof effeth and oucrruled vs,and after altobea- reth forneTway invs evenwhen we are regenerate, til with al our other corruptionswe lay this afîde alto by death. And this appeareth in the exampleofthe Prophet Dattid,who de- fireth the Lord to create in him a cleane heart, andto renewca right Mirawithin him,Pfa1.5i.io.inwhich words heimplieth rral.yTom. that his hardnes ofhart was fogreat,and the corruption ther- offo abominable, that it was euen pail mending, and there - forehe doth notpray the Lord topurge and reformehis old Ezech. r r. r9, heart, but to create a new one, and to take quite away his ionichart,and tobeí}ow vpon him ahart offlelh,as though his hart were like a building exceeding ruinous which could no longer be repaired, vnleffe it were raced downe euen to the foundation, and all anewbuiltvp againe. So,whereas he praieth the Lord to revue his fpirit in him,hee giueth vs to vnderfland, that hehath loll the feelingofthefpirit ofadop- tion,crying in hishart Abba father,and that there was in him fuch an intermiflïon and furceafe of the aátions and fruits thereof, that it teemedvtterly quenched and departed from him. So elfewhere he praieth vnto the Lord to quicken him according to his louingkindnetfe,that hemig-ht keepe the ten- Prat ar9.88. monies ofhis mouth: wherbyhe intimated' his drowflnes and deadneffe inGods feruice. The Prophet Elky likewife in the behalfeofhimfelfe and thepeople, complaineth,thus : Efay 63.17. 0Lordwhy haft thou madevs to erre from thy u'aies, Efay 6i., 1.7., axdhardeedourheartfrom thy feare? By all which it appea- reth that euen the deare children ofGod doe oftentimes fee- and feele to their great g-riefe,their hardneffe ofheart,whieh. is ioyned with exceeding dulneffe and drowIneífe in Gods feruice. Yea in truth this kind ofhardneflè ofheart is inci- dent vnto them alone.For while{l men arç worldly and car- nali,though theirharts are moil hard and obdurate, yet they doe not difcerne it,neither are they anywhit difpleafedwith their eílate, but fondlie flatter themfelues,imagining that they are in exceedinggood cafe and very deucut in Gods feruice
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