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490

OOhardnelre

of

heart.

miniflerie

of

the

word,

and

of

quenching

the

good

motions

olGods

fpirit

:

for

though

the

confcience

at

the

firíl

bee

moft

tender,and

the

heart

fo

foft,that

euery

finne will pricke 'and

pearce

it,

and euery

gentle

admonition

will

make

it relent,

yet

in

continuance

of

time

through

cuflomable finning,

and

refifting

the

meanes

of

our conuerfion

and

faluation,

the

confcience

is

fo

feared,that it becommeth

fenfeleffe,

though

it

be

oppreffed and

furcharged with

a

heauie

maffc

of

outra-

gious

wickednef e,and

the heart

groweth

to

fuch

Adaman-

tine hardneffe,

that

the thundring canon threatnings

of

the

law, and

ofGods

fearefull

and

imminent iudgements

can

-

not batter

orbruife

it,nor

make

any

breach,whereby

true

re-

pentance

may

enter. In which

refpeó

the

confcience

is

not

vnfitlie compared

to the eie, which

of

all

other

partes

of

mans

body

is

moll

tender

&

impatient

of

the.lighteft

touch,

fo

that

the

finalleft

mote

vexeth

it,

and

the

leaft

pricke cau-

feth incredible

torment

:

but

if

once it

be

affe

&ed

with

a

dif-

cafe

called

of

Ocohfis, fcirrhofis

ocusli,

which ouercouereth

it with

a

hard

fiefhie

skinne,

it

becommeth

of

all

other

parts

molt

infenfible;

fo

the confcience

of

man

is

moft tender

of

all

other

parts,

and at the

firft,

frnall finnes vexe

and

torment

i.t,but

ifthrough

cuflome

in

finning

it be

ouerfpread

with a

Callum

or thicke skinne,

it

becommeth

infenfible,

and

no-

thing

will

wound

it.

CHAP.

XXXIX.

O

hardneffe

of

heart

which

is

ioyned with

fenfe andfee

-

ling

thereof.

y§.Seci.

Z.

Of

HiardneJTt

of

heart,

iny-

seed

vvitb

fesfe

add

fee.

Lin;

thereof

He

fecon

d

fort

ofhardne%

of

heart,is

that

which

is

ioyned with

fenfe

and

fceling,when

as

wee

fee

and

with forow

feele

our

dulncife

and

blockifh-

neffe

in

Gods

feruice,

our

obdurate

inflexible

-

rleffe

to

holie obedience,our

hardneffe

of

heart, which

at the

hearing either

of

the terrible

threatnings

of

the

law,or

fweet

prornifes

ofthe

Gofpell,cannot relent nor

refolue

it

felfe

in-

to the

teares

of

vnfaincd

repentance;

and this

hardneffe

of

heart