Hooker - BT780 H7 1637

290 The Seradtf ef uallcalling toChrift. inlighrened, to fee this mercieofGod, fo there comes in a ftreame of the freeneffe and richesof Gods grace, and doth afrea the heart with the f.veetneffe and rellifh ofGodsgrace, that it findes a marvellous fweetnefre in it. Secondly,what is it tobe effe&cually perfwaded? It is thus much,not a touch and away, and a little lip and begone, nor a hourly kinde of rafting : but take notice of thefe two things in it ; Firft,when the prevailing fveetneffe in thepromife, and that goodnefï'e in the promife is let in by the Spirit of theLord, that it finkes into the heart roots, and it comes to take poffeflion ofthe foule ofanhumble finer, and is next the foule, there is nothing hext the foulebut that : the world and pleafiire, &c. arc without the heart; but thegoodneffe ofthepro- mife, and the freeneffe of Gods grace bath its privie chamber in theheart ofa man : this I take to be the meaningof that phrafeof rootingthe promife in theheart; and this was the fault of the ftony ground-hearers ; c. ta:th. a 3. 2 I.The feedgrew ripfteddeny, artdperifbedfi ddenly : why? because ithad nor depth ofearth ; the reedof the promife hadnot the depth ofhis heart : butthere was a (tone in the heart, and the world laynext the heart ; and a ftonc of loft :Ind pride wasbe- tweene the word of the Lord and the heart, fo that the promilehadnot root : and hence it was (lightly affeEted with the truth, but never thus powerfully, tohave it goe downe to the rootsof the heart : the good wordofthe Lord in thiscafe comes to the heart, not as anowner, but as a tra- vellour;

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