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O

f

hardnejfé

o

f

heart,

489

repelling and

beating

backe

the

meanes

of

their

conuerfion,

the outward miniflerie

of

theword, and

the

inward motions

ofGods

fpirit,

that

they

proceed from

careleffe fenfelefneffe,

and

negligent fecuritie,to

wilfuI1

prophanneffe and obf}inate

rebellion. And this

hardneffe

of

heart

is

moil

commonly

incident

veto

worldlings, and

is

nothing

eis

but

carnali fecu-

ritie, whereby

they

ref+

contented

with

their

miferable

and

wretched eflate, neither louing

that

which

is

good,

nor ha-

ting that

-which

is

euill,

nor

vfing anymeanes

to better them

-

felues, becaufc they

either thinke they

are

good enough,

or

at

leaf+

neuer

enter

into

confideration

of

their

eflate,

nor

come

to the

fcnfe

and feeling

of

their

euill

corruptions, in

which they

are

wholy plunged and

ouerwhelmed.Yea fome-

times and

in

fone

meafure, this

befalleth the

deare children

ofGod

through

their

careleffe

negligence,

and

want

of

the

due

examination

of

themfelues

(as

may appeare in

the

ex-

ample

of

Dáurdy

who many moneths

together

lined

-in

his

finne

of

ad

ulterie and

murther,without

any ferious

and found

repentance,

till it

pleafed the

Lord to rouze him out

of

this

fpirituall lethargie by the miniilerie

of

the

Prophet

Na-

than)

but

yet the

Lord doth

not

finally

kaue

them,

but by

thepreachin

g

of

the

word, godly

admonitions and

repre_

henfions, and alto

with the

inward

motions

and

fecret

ope-

ration ofhis

holy fpirit,

hee

pulleth them out

of

this

wret-

ched

eflate,giuing.vnto them

a

fight and feeling

of

their

fins,

and

mollifying their hard

hearts, working

in

them- an

ha-

tred

and

deteflation

oftheir

finnes,

and

an

carneí+

defire

to

be vnburthened

ofthen.

But

howfoeuer this may befall

the

children

of God,

yet this

can

bee no

incouragement vnto

any

to

continue full in this

wretched

cafe

:

for

howfoeuer

they

may

he

indeed the children

ofGod,

yet

affuredly

they

can neuer haue

any true'affurance in

their

confciences

that

they

are

his

children and

in

his

fauour,till

their

harts

be

mol-

lified and refolued

into the

teares

of

vnfained repentance,

at

leaf

in

forne

meafure.

And thereforelet euery one

beware

of

carnal! fecuritie,

and

of

hardening their hearts

through

careleffe

negligence,

and

by committing

firmes

againfi their

knowledge and

confcience,

let them

beware

ofrefifling the

minifterie:.