I60 I` s Pfal.63. i. IV:atth.I The deceitfulneffe of mans heart. his foot complained of the roughneffe of the way that that was the caufe of his limping; fo there, ha- ving thornes in their own hearts , which make the word unfruitful', complaine of the thornes in their Miniflers tongues, and make this to be the caufe of their fo flow proceedings. Contrarily, many Mi- nifters, they blame their people, and think that if their hearers would give them fuch encourage- ments , in regard of countenance, maintenance, defire to learne, &c. as force other people doe their., Miniflcrs,they should then performe the work of the Lord more carefully, and comfortably, than now they doe. But the truth is, the caufe princi- pally is our own corruption , which being not reformed, no encouragements to Godlinelfe will much further us , but being once redreffed , no -dif couragements can much hinder us. Therefore, if a good, and throughly. mortified Chriftian fhould live under one of Ierohoams Priefts or with bani thed David in a dry defert , where there were no ma- ter, yet he would thrive in the power of godlineffe; on the other fide,an unfound Chriftian, though bee lived under Chrifts own miniftery, as did ludas, yet he would come to nothing. So a good Prophet, as Mofes, l eremy, and others though yoked wit h never fo crooked a people, would yet thence take occa. Pion of provoking their own zeale. An evill one, though he lived among the violent pnes, that take the liingdome of heaven b, force, would yet lbe cold and c relcffe.Letus not then deceive our feints, to lay our own fault upon the want ofineanes, and Co indeed upon God himfelfe : For that wee have not
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