1 and truth, and purity of heart, or elfe when a ftorme comes, all thy other labour about the building will be loft. I am the more earneft in this exhortation, becaule of thole fearfull fhipwracks which many (hips, richly laden with many precious jewels of Grace,have fuffered in all ages, upon this rock of an eviil and unrenewed heart. O then take heed of it, as the very bane and poyfon of all grace, and fo the onely caufe of thole many deceits of the tem- porarie Believers. Enter therefore into thole dark clofets of thy heart, take the light of the word in the one hand, and the frvordof the fpirit in the other : and whofoever Agagite or Amolekite that light (hall difcover, kill, (pare none with Saul, make havock ofall,an univerfall deftruCtioni fave but one,& thou dellroyeft thy l'elfe : Whatfoever bee the outward . flourifhing thews of thy graces, if fome fin lie co- vered under them at the core, it will poyfon and rot. them. Oh how much better to have grace lie in the heart, covered under many corruptions, as it doth often in the regenerate ! for,when corruption lies at the heart,covered under many outward graces,then it eats up and devoures the nouri(hment which grace fhould receive from the heart, and fo our gra- ces become leaneflarvelings,and in time the thorneb that at firft lay hid, fprout forth, and over -grow the corne, and fo unhappily Bath thole hopefull begin - nings, which feemed to promile a very large and ample harveft. Contrarily, though a man have ma- ny corruptions, and yet truth of grace lie fecretly in the heart, is will by little and little eat out all thole corruptions. Wee fee then what it is we muff K 4 fpecially The deceit fulne of Mans heart, I 135
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