The Soule.r eEtualtcalin.g te Chriff. 545 when it flames thee the flubborunefïe and deadneffe of thy owne heart, and makes thee apprehend, that a broken fpirit is the gift of God, and not of man and =rocs ; therefore the Lordwill make thee looke to him to worke it and continue it ; therefore know that this is a worke of God ; for to fee deadneffe is life, and to feele hardneffe is foftneffe ; onelybeware, that there bee not a haunt of heart and diflem- per, that thy foule cleaves to, and pants after, and thou art loth to part withal] ; for then the wordwill harden thee, because thou hardeneft thy felfe, but if thou art content that the word fhould lay open the bowels of thy heart, and difcover what ever is amifi'e, and reveale what ever is crofTe to Godscommand,and pluckeaway every corruption and diflemper;ehen ifthe word revcales any hardneffe in thee , know that the wordworkes comfortably ,that reveales hardneffe and baleneffe,anddothdrive thee out of thy felfe toGod for fuccour, Secondly, thouart the caule why thy heart is not foftned,thou art the fault why the word pre- vailesnot,becaufe the diflemper ofthy heart hin- ders thewoi keofthe word, and the difpenfation ofGods providence, and the tenor of the cove- nant ofgrace;when aman will flint the Lord,and limit the holy Oneof Ifracl, jut} this fermon, and this quarter, and this feafon, this hinders thena- tureofthe covenant, andcrofts theworke of the covenant ofgrace ; the Lord dothnot ftand bent to thybow,the Lord is not at thycall,he will not Zzz 3 give 2
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