An Expofttion of the Epiftle - ------ ,...._,.._.,.., To manife,fl this unto you, I will begin fir!l: with the Parable of the Sower, Sermon It is·in Matt.I ~.Mar.4:Luke 8. There are three forts of grounds wrought upon, XXVII, whereof the !all: is fa1d to ruezve tht Word wzth a goodand an honefl heart : ~And the other,one of them received it into ajlotl)l groutzd, and received it with joy. They alledge this to prove fa.lling-away, for in the end they fell away, yet believedfor a tittle. Then there IS the thorllJ ground, Atzdthe thoms grew up mzd choakedit. The difference between thefe two grounds in 2 word is this ; As I take it, the Stoi!Ygrotmdwas one that was not much humbled, but when he had fir!l: news of Heaven, and Happinefs, and of the Promifes of the Gofpel, having a new light opened to him ; the news being agreeable to his Natural principles, he• runneth away with joy. The Thon;y grotmdbeing. more deeply humbled, and having a fenfe of the wrath of God upon their Confciences, they hold out in p_erfocution; for all Perfecu~ions are lcls than that wrath they feel upon their Confciences. Now to prove, that both thefe Grounds remain frill unregenerate men, Firfl:, For the Sto1;y grotmd, it is evident they were Unregenerate men , be– caufe that Corrupt nature is compared to the flo•zy heart. The fame comparifon is ufedelfewhere, Ezek, II. rg. I wi/J take the jlony heart ottt of theirjlr/b, mzdgivethemaltheartof jlejh; that is, I will convert them. There is fl:ill a {lo11y heart remaining, for they fa/J tlWI!J (faith Chrifl:) becaufo it WIU [own ·,.po1Jflonygrotmd, It is faid, They hadtzot muchearth, that is theexpreffion Mark4·5· Butafl:oneliethatthebottomof the earth. What is the meaning of that, There u a heart and a heart? That is, there are fome principles in them that are affe~ed with the things that are good, that lie in the uppermoft part of their affe~ions, the flabby part, and they receive ·the Word there with joy : But then they cannot deny themfelves, there is a heart of jf01ze lieth at the bottom, the fl:one is not taken away. Still therefore they are unregenerate,fay I. I may compare them jufl: to the Earth in Frofiy weather; When the Sun in the day-time thaweth a little, you Jhall find the uppermofl: part of the Earth flabby, melting a little; but thrufl: but your finger in, it is hard underneath. Men are fo far wrought upon, as to have good deftres and afte~ions; for carnal principles in nature will afford thus much, when yet the heart is unchanged, it is fiony frill. Then for the Thornyground, it is more evident that they are unregenerate ; and if it be evident of them, it is much more of the other, for the Thorny ground went beyond the other. He faith plainly of theThortzygt·ound, that the thorns grew ttp together with the Word; therefore their root of lufl:s were not grubbed up, there was a cutting off of the tops indeed, but the roots were not digged up. Read but '1er.4-4- and compare it with that place in the Parable. Saith he, Break ttp yo11r (a'llow-ground, mzdfow 11ot amotzg thorns, Here is the fame expreffion the Holy Ghofi ufeth, and what followeth l Circumcife ;·ourfelves to the Lord, and take away the fore-Jkitts of yotlr heart!, If you mark it here, it is all one to fow amongThortzs, and to have the fore-skin of the heart remain fl:ill; What is it to have the Fore-skin of the heart remaining l To be unregenerate, That man is not fan~ified, is not circumcifed; Corrupt nature, the power of it is not abated in him,for it is called aCirmmcifiollmadtwithotlt hands, Now then, if an uncircumcifetl htart, and a heart that is full of thonu,(though there be a fow· ing upon it ;) if that be .all one, then the Thor1zy ground mufl: needs be an un· regenerate heart, an unwcumc1fed heart. Compare but the phrafe of the Prophet with that in the Parable. . . Come we next to the 6thof the Hebrews, and that Will mterpret the Parable, andinterpret ~ll this. There you have migho/, glorious things fpoken of; They are eniight11ed, theytafle of the powers of the Wor!dtocome,f!ic. Here is the highefi kind of Unregenerate men mentioned that are in the whole Book of God, yet they are no other than flefh; there is fl:ill a thon'Y heart remaineth, there is but a fowing among Thorns. They are fitll corrupt, and have not that true Grace which thepower of Godworks 10 mens hearts. How
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