A Briefe DISCOURSE TOUCHING A Broken Heart In which the nature causes and signes of it are solidly treated of as also its acceptablenesse to God Together with many other motives pressing us to labour after the procurement of it and the means leading thereunto Being the summe and substance of certain Sermons preached by Mr. Daniel Carwardine late Minister of Eling in the County of Middlesex And since his death put forth by S. R. a friend of his Whereunto is annexed A CONFESSION OF FAITH by Mr. Samuel Rowles late Fellow of Trinity-Colledge in Cambridge And now Minister of Thistleworth in the County of Middlesex London Printed by E. G. for J. Rothwell and are to be sold at his shop on the North-side of Pauls 1652. To the Reader Christian Reader THis little Treatise if thou wilt please to peruse it as thou soon mayest hath a very gracious and profitable designe upon thee namely to help forward the great work of softning and breaking thy hard heart that so it may become a Sacrifice of a sweet smelling savour to the great God who delighteth in nothing wherewith the sonnes and daughters of men can present him more then in an humble and contrite spirit I have ventured to call thy heart hard whoever thou art that mayest cast thine eyes upon these lines taking it for a certain truth that the hearts of all the sons and daughters as well of God as of Belial are more or lesse obdurate if you consider them absolutely though the hearts of good men may be called soft in comparison with the hearts of wicked ones or if compared with that greater degree of hardnesse which was sometimes upon themselves even since the time of their conversion Such as doe take themselves to have least need of any helpes and furtherances in order to brokenness of heart it is to be feared have of all men else the most The Church of Laodicea which thought it selfe to have been rich namely in grace and holinesse and increased in riches that is in a growing thriving condition more holy every day then other yea at length so rich as to stand in need of nothing arrived at the very perfection of grace was it should seem in the account of God wretched miserable poore blind naked Revel 3.17 usually by how much richer any man is in spirituals by so much poorer he is in spirit and by how much poorer in spirit by so much richer in spirituall substance If I may measure thy wheat by my Bushell as Solomon gives me leave to doe Prov. 27.19 As in the water face answereth to face so the heart of a man to man I say according to that maxime of Solomon I can tell thee by the hardnesse of my own heart that there is some of that bitter root of obdurateness springing up in thine I would not doe thee so much wrong not knowing of thee nor being ever able to know thy heart as to say that there is so much of it in thy heart as in my own But how little soever it is you know what the Scripture saith touching leaven A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump so it is with the leaven of heart-hardnesse If thou look not to it in time what our Saviour saith concerning Mustardseed Matth. 13.31 thou wilt finde true in relation to hardness of heart Mustardseed saith he is the least of all seed but when it is grown it is the greatest of al herbs and becommeth a tree so that the birds of the ayre come and lodge in the branches thereof Hardness of heart is at the first one of the least sinnes not in respect of nature but degree for men doe set upon great sinnes at the first with tenderish reluctant consciences and softish hearts hardness of heart being usually introduced not meerely by the hainousness of one sinne once committed but by frequency and custome in sinning but afterwards it grows up to be as a mighty tree and well it may seeing all sinnes do contribute sap and moysture towards the growth of it and then the birds of the ayre I mean all sorts of soring high flown wickedness doe come and lodge in the branches of it that is to say are welcomed and entertained by means of it When the heart of a man is waxen hard it becomes a very cage of unclean birds an open house keeper to receive all sorts of profane vagabonds If thou art any waies prejudiced against this argument of heart-contrition as too legall which is the usuall form of their Mittimus who doe imprison soul-searching truth in unrighteousness T is legall doctrine say they away with it I say in case thou dost apprehend this doctrine too legall the common imputation cast upon unpleasing truths the ensuing Treatise will sufficiently convince thee of thine error if thou hadst rather part with it then keep it when thou hast light sufficiently whereby to see that it is indeed an error I need not tell thee how frequent a thing it is with Christ and his Apostles in the new Testament to commend encourage and exhort unto humility poverty of spirit unfained repentance godly sorrow all which expressions signifie no other then brokenness of heart and contrition of spirit which some are so loath to heare of and so upon a true account unwilling to come under the influence of those beatitudes benedictions pronounced by ur Lord Iesus Christ Blessed are the poor in spirit Blessed are they that mourne c. Darest thou to lay any thing to the charge of that doctrine which Christ hath not onely justified by his preaching but also crowned with his blessing which also was much in use amongst the Apostles who were exact followers of their Lord and master Christ If God despise not a broken heart but accepts it delights in it and dwels with it take heed of entertaining undervaluing thoughts concerning brokenness of heart Believe it God will despise thee and whatsoever proceedeth from thee if thou despise it What Paul saith in reference unto preaching the Gospel 1 Cor. 9 16. Necessity is laid upon me and woe unto me if I preach not the Gospel we may say the same in reference to brokennesse of heart necessity is laid upon us not a necessity of custom or tradition but of commission and therefore woe unto us if we preach it not See our commission for it Heb. 3.13 Exhort one another daily lest any of you be hardned thorough the deceitfulnesse of sinne Even private Christians are enjoyned to exhort one another for the prevention of hardnes of heart how much more ought the Ministers of the word to doe it yea the text saith it must be done daily and all little enough to keepe our hearts soft which are as subject to be hard as water that is taken of the fire is to waxe cold Reader if thou art desirous to have thy heart spiritually broken for so thou oughtest to be though many doe all they can to keepe their hearts from being broken
was somewhat else which God did more looke at then all the burnt offrings and sacrifices that he could present him with of which he makes mention in the words of the text vers 17. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit It is put in plurall number The sacrifices of God for emphasis sake thereby intimating that a broken heart is more worth to God then many outward sacrifices yea then all of them put together not but that other sacrifices were of some account with God in Davids time especially if they were joyned with this inward sacrifice of a broken heart but this alwayes had the preheminence in Gods esteeme even in those dayes when he did appoint so much outward worship to be used Of the verses which doe follow the text we shall need to say nothing onely this we may observe from them by the way namely that David was not unmindfull of the Church its publicke good when his heart was as full as it could hold of griefe and sadnesse by reason of the weight and burthen of his sinnes together with the absence of the light of Gods countenance which was so grievous to him that he saith it broke his very bones vers 8. That the bones which thou hast broken may rejoyce A high expression indeede you know that sicknesse and sadnesse may weare a man to nothing but skin and bone may make a very Anatomy of him and yet never a bone of him be broken thereby yet when David was in this low bone-broken condition he forgets not the Church of God but prayes heartily for it vers 18. Do good in thy good pleasure unto Sion and build thou the walls of Jerusalem of this by the way Returne we to the words of the text The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit c. It were needlesse to divide the words being one single proposition The doctrine which is held forth in them we shall commend unto you in these words Doct. A broken heart a soule humble for sinne is a sacrifice well pleasing to God you have this truth averred once and againe in this Psalm yea in this one verse First In that a broken heart is called Gods sacrifice it is thereby intimated to be well pleasing to him God will not own those things for his he will not call them by his name which he hath no pleasure in Is this such a fast as I have chosen to hold downe his head of a bulrush and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him wilt thou call this a fast c. Isaiah 58.5 as if God should have said wil you offer to call such a fast as this my fast Gods fast It is no fast of mine It is your own you have not at all fasted unto me in this That which makes for our purpose is that God will not have that called his which is not pleasing to him So then forasmuch as a broken heart is called Gods sacrifice this very expression if there were no other doth speake it that which pleaseth him But there is another expression or two in the text which are observable for this purpose The one is that a broken heart is called The sacrifice of God which you know is a note of eminency as when we say Christ was the word of God that is the word of words the essentiall word or Christ is the Sonne of God that is the Sonne of God in a more speciall way namely by eternall generation Secondly In that a broken heart is said to be the sacrifices of God and not onely one of the sacrifices of God it speaks as if this sacrifice were instead of all others did containe all other sacrifices in it eminenter as Philosophers speake as if God could be satisfied with such a sacrifice as this though he had no other but this c. But the third and last expression in the text is most emphaticall A broken and a contrite heart O God thou wilt not despise Here are two expressions used to signifie brokennesse namely broken and contrite which may signifie thus much to us that if the heart of a man be ever so much broken and shattered with sense of and sorrow for sinne be a man ever so vile and worthlesse in his own eyes though he account no more of himselfe then of a broken potsheard or earthen vessell that is dashed in pieces yet God will not therefore despise nay indeed he will respect him the more for it Though men are wont to trample when the hedge is low and to slight those that are in a broken condition broken in their estate and broken in their spirit by much sadnesse yet God will not doe so There is much in this phrase viz. that God will not despise c. It is a plaister which doth excellently fit the wound of a broken heart That which men in such a condition are wont chiefly to fear is that God who is a great a glorious and holy God will not vouchsafe to take notice of such poore vile sinful creatures as they are or of any thing which can come from them They think they are as vile yea more in Gods eyes then they are in their own As if God should have said in so many words by the mouth of his Prophet I know what poore broken-hearted sinners doe thinke their secret thought is that I will despise them because they are so despicable in their own eyes No such matter saith God by his Prophet here appealing to God A broken and contrite heart O God thou wilt not despise that is thou wilt accept thou wilt have respect unto it thou wilt smell a savour of rest from it as from a well pleasing sacrifice c. So much of the truth of the doctrine evidenced from Scripture In the further pursuance thereof we shall this doe namely shew you in the first place what this broken heart is which is said to be a sacrifice well pleasing to God wherein it doth consist Secondly what it is that causeth brokennesse of heart Thirdly why it is that God will not despise a broken and contrite heart but accepts of it as a sacrifice so well pleasing to him Of these in their order 1. Quest What is the brokennesse of heart here spoken of or wherein doth it consist Ans Here to we shall give answer First more generally Secondly more particularly First In the generall take this account of it Brokennesse of heart is a true griefe and sorrow in the sight of our sinnes Heart-breaking as well in Scripture phrase as in our common language denotes deep sorrow so it is taken Act. 21.13 What doe you weeping and breaking my heart said Paul to those who disswaded him from going to Jerusalem which you know is the same as if he had said why doe you thus grieve me and fill me with sorrow at my departure by weeping over me We may also gather that by heart-breaking is meant sorrow forasmuch as God is said to dwell with
him who is of an humble and contrite spirit to revive him which reviving presupposeth drooping and sadnesse The soule that is not cast downe with sorrow needes no reviving But every kinde of sorrow is not the brokennesse of heart here spoken of but onely that kinde of sorrow which we spake of even now namely sorrow for sinne There is a sorrow called worldly sorrow or heart breaking which is said to worke death God hath no pleasure in seeing his people breake their hearts after such a fashion nay he hath commanded that in respect of outwards men should be so far from breaking their hearts with sorrow that they should mourne as if they mourned not But godly sorrow which is said to work repentance never more to be repented of that is the brokenness of heart here commended as may appeare from Isa 57.15 where a broken heart is twice in one verse joyned with an humble heart as being convertible termes I dwell with him that is of an humble and contrite spirit to revive the spirit of the humble and contrite Now you know that great trouble of spirit occasioned by outward crosses is not true humility for such affliction of spirit may stand with great pride and great hardnesse of heart yea it may arise from pride By how much more proud the heart is by so much more will it rage and take on when it meetes with opposition like waves that swell and roare and dash themselves in pieces against those rocks which stand in their way If you looke also into the 66 chapter of Isaiah vers 2. there are two passages in that verse which doe manifest that by brokennesse of heart must needs be meant sorrow for sin and not any other kind of sorrow A broken heart is there called a poore spirit and a spirit which trembleth at the word of God To him will I looke that is poore and of a contrite spirit that trembleth at my word Now a man may be much broken with afflictions and yet be farre from that poverty of spirit to which Christ pronounceth the blessing Blessed are the poore in spirit A mans heart may be as much lifted up within him when he is poore naked in outward respects as if he were rich and full and wanted nothing It is onely a true sight of sinne which can work true poverty of spirit So whereas a contrite heart is said to tremble at the word of God you know that is usually a fruit of mens being sensible of their sinnes and not of outward troubles to make them tremble at the word of God Thus have we proved to you that by brokennesse of heart is meant a true and godly sorrow for sinne Come we now to shew you more particularly wherein this brokennesse of heart doth consist which is as followeth It doth consist first in a thorow conviction of the ugly nature of sin I call that a thorow conviction of the uglinesse of sinne whereby men are not onely inclined to thinke of sinne as an ugly deformed thing but are altogether perswaded that it is so and doe no more question it then they question the uglinesse of any thing which is abominable to the eye or against which they have a natural antipathy As those that have a natural antipathy against any kind of creatures c. Or rather we may describe a thorow conviction thus namely it is such a conviction of the loathsomenesse of sin as is effectual to perswade with men to endeavour the forsaking of it Observe that we doe define brokennesse of heart to consist in a thorough conviction not meerly of the dangerousnesse of sin or evil consequences thereof but in conviction of the ugly nature of sinne as it is contrary to the holy nature and righteous law of God see a text for this purpose namely Iob. 42.51.6 I have heard of thee with the hearing of the eare but now mine eye seeth thee therefore doe I abhor my selfe and repent in dust and ashes That which made Iob abhor himselfe was the sight of God and how did that doe it why thus the more he beheld God the more he did observe his own contrariety to God by reason of sinne whence sprung that selfe abhorrence of his And this is the first particular wherein brokennesse of heart consists Secondly It consists in true mourning for sinne They goe about to divide betwixt things that are inseparable who say their hearts are affected with a true hatred of sinne and yet are not broken with reall sorrow for sinne Hatred of sinne and sorrow for the commission of it doe alwayes goe together In the 12 of Zachariah vers 10. you have the repentance or broken heartednesse of the Jewes which is there prophecyed of thus described They shall tooke upon me whom they have pierced and they shall mourne for him as one mourneth for his only Son and shall be in bitternesse for him as one that is in bitternesse for his first borne Thirdly in shame of heart and soul that we have sinned Shamefulnesse in respect of sinne doth constantly attend broken heartednesse yea our being ashamed of sinne doth much helpe to breake our hearts for sinne See what is said of broken-hearted Ephraim Ier. 31 19. After I was instructed I smote upon my thigh I was ashamed yea even confounded because I did beare the reproach of my youth Broken-hearted sinners reflect upon the dayes of their vanity before conversion as a great reproach to them They blush to thinke what they were before God called them I was a blasphemer a persecutor an injurious person doubtlesse with no small shame he speaks it If one that were afterwards a great personage advanced to some great preferment had formerly been a scullion or kitchin boy how ashamed would he be to be told of it yea if he did but thinke of the meane offices which he had done in his time it would much abash him especially if he were a man of a proud spirit So broken hearted sinners when they call to minde what base drudges they have beene to sin and Satan what sordid worke they have been imployed in by them formerly it filleth them with shame and confusion of face not because their spirits are proud for this is not pride in them but because they are raised up to a holy disdaine and contempt of sinne as of that which is the greatest badge of dishonour that can cleave to them Noble personages are not more ashamed of having their bloud stained by treason then broken hearted sinners are of those staines of sinne which have cleaved to them Nor are they onely ashamed of the dayes of their vanity but also of the vanity of their present dayes c. Fourthly broken heartednesse consisteth in selfe-denyall and resolution to forsake sinne for the time to come A broken heart is alwayes a selfe-denying heart and it must needes be so because broken hearted persons are very sensible of their own unworthinesse and consequently apt to
thou mayest meete with many helpes and encouragements thereunto one or both from severall hands namely from the word and spirit of God from both law and gospell threatnings and promises mercies and afflictions from things within and things without thee from the living voyce of Gods surviving Ministers who cry as Iohn the Baptist in the Wildernesse Repent repent for the Kingdome of Heaven is at hand as also from the publike labours of Gods servants who are dead and gone and amongst the rest from this little worke which is the onely orphan exposed to publike view of a late reverend and godly Minister who now resteth from his labours The worke is of so very small a bulke that thou mayest reade it over in a few houres but of so great difficulty in respect of practise that thou canst make no great proficiency therein in many dayes weekes or yeares unlesse thou gird up the loines of thy minde and set about it with all earnestnesse Such was the modesty of the author that he could never be prevailed upon by any importunity to suffer any thing of his during his life time to come neere the presse nor yet to consent to it after his death But that some of his friends desirous to erect a memoriall of him and to make him serviceable to the publicke as well since his death as in the time of his life have used him not unlike to Sauls usage of the Prophet Samuel though with a better Conscience and intent calling him forth as it were from the grave into the Land of the living where he was content to have laine in perpetuall silence and obscurity till the day of the revelation of all things The seasonablenesse of the subject was one of the maine inducements moving those to get it published whose desire it was to bring it forth into the light And it must needes he granted that this argument was never more seasonable then now it is hardnesse of heart and haughtinesse of spirit being an epidemicall disease of the present age as he that runs may reade And yet never less complaining of hard hearts then now a dayes but I wonder not at that it being the nature of this distemper to steale upon men so insensibly that they do not onely not perceive it of themselves but are also let loose to an inapprehension of such discoveries as spirituall physitians doe make unto them of their being under the power thereof though they shew them ever so many symptomes to evince the truth of what they charge them with That I lay no false imputation upon the men and women of the present age in saying that their hearts are generally hard above measure is easie to make appeare from severall cleaâ—e demonstrations I shall give you but one which is this we finde by sad experience that the worke of conversion is very much at a stand few there be that are taken in the net of the Gospell in comparison of what had wont to be yea we heare not of many who come so farre as to be pricked at the heart and put that necessary question what shall we doe to be saved whence should this proceede but from the generall hardnesse of mens hearts more then formerly The word of God is as quick and powerfull as sharp and piercing now as ever it was consider it in its selfe for these are inseparable properties of the word of God as we reade Heb. 4.12 but the hearts of men are not so pliable as heretofore they are become law proofe and gospell-proofe more then ever in such a sense as we call that kinde of armour which no bullet oan enter armour of proofe But I have no pleasure in upbraiding men with the hardness of their hearts we had much rather be imployed in provoking them to labour after the softning and mollifying of them that they may send forth a fragrant smell into the nostrils of the great God as spices being bruised are most fragrant If thou wilt ply this worke of labouring to breake thy heart Evangelically besides all those excellent helpes whereof I told thee before which doe most willingly offer themselves to thy assistance there are others thou mayest have for pressing and compelling such as thou little dreamest of namely the Divell the world and the flesh all and every of which by the power of God and grace may be made use of towards the breaking of thy hard heart If thou take this passage for a riddle the meaning of it is this the people of God reflecting upon and laying to heart those motions of sin which are continually stirring in them as also those severall temptations both from the divell and world whereunto they are daily and hourely obnoxious are hereby greatly humbled and abased in their own eyes as Paul was by reason of the body of death which he carryed about with him and the Messenger of Sathan which was sent to buffet him Surely this was the english of that good mans paradox who said he had sometimes received hurt by his graces and good by his sins the good which his sins did him surely was no other then this that they did serve to humble him and make him poore in spirit Though it be a very spirituall and excellent imployment to admire the riches of Gods love revealed in the Gospel and to rejoyce therein yet this is not a Christians onely worke whilest he sojourneth in this vale of teares as some would represent it who affect this kind of sublimity in the state of grace which is proper for and consistent onely with the condition of glorified Saints in Heaven If we could imagine sinne to be in Heaven there would be occasion for sorrow and brokennesse of heart even there also because there are certain actions in the state of grace sinfull actions committed by us which shall never be in the state of glory Thence it is that there are passions and affections also proper for this state which shall be done away in that as sorrow brokenness of heart c. Surely Christ was no whit angry with Peter but rather well pleased at it for weeping bitterly after that he had denyed his Lord and Master When Peter did flow with teares then did Christ cast an eye of compassion towards him The ensuing discourse will furnish thee wiih many motives unto brokenness of heart I shall therefore spare the labour of mentioning any save onely this one consideration tending thereunto namely that the heart of man is almost the onely thing amongst all created things that remains unbroken I say there are few pieces of the creation round about us but have been or are exceedingly broken were not the apostatizing Angels greatly broken when they were cast down from Heaven like lightning and thrust into the nethermost hell Is not the image of God in man exceedingly broken and defaced in comparison of what it was in the state of innocency are not the severall faculties of the souls of men their understandings
wils affections consciences memory wretchedly broken by that fall so that they are nothing like to what they would have been if man had stood in his primitive glory and excellency We have now broken apprehensions of things leaking memories like to broken vessels broken inclinations to good in our wils like bowles that are not halfe biassed If we looke upon the law of God hath not that beene miserably broken by us and yet is from day to day Our duties and performances are they not for the most part yea altogether broken and imperfect things like children borne before their full time weakely heartlesse things Our very graces are they not broken and imperfect habits full of mixture and adulteration our Faith mixed and as it were sophisticated with unbeliefe our humility with pride our self-deniall with self-seeking If we looke upon those creatures which are below us is not their primitive excellency greatly abated and impaired by the fall of man as the Apostle intimates when be saith That the whole creation is made subject to vanity by reason of him who hath subjected it that is to say sinfull man As for the Civill State in how broken and unsettled a condition that is for the present I neede not tell thee for that is the breach whereof the generallity of men are but too too sensible And as for the Church of God it selfe is not that in a broken shattered condition now if ever are not professors of Religion all to pieces almost in every place I had almost compared the condition of the Church at present to a ship that is wracke here swims one planke there another It may be scarce two whole planks to be found together The Lord helps us what sad and numerous or rather innumerable breaches are in the midst of us at this day And yet alas our hard hearts do stil remaine unbroken Adde to all that hath been spoken that thou who readest this booke hast it may be many breaches in thy holinesse many in thy peace severall breaches in thy name estate friends and comforts of every kinde and yet perhaps after all this a heart in a greate measure hard and unbroken It it great pity that should not be broken of all the rest were that broken as it should be it would conduce to the making of all the rest whole againe It is indeed a difficult worke to breake a hard heart but thorough Christ enabling thee thou mayest doe that and all things else be strong therefore in the Lord and in the power of his might and so goe forth to encounter this mighty Gyant thy hard heart I meane Wrestle with God in prayer for a soft heart and resolve not to let him goe till he have blessed thee therewith as Jacob did in another case Begge of him who triumphed over principallities and powers and made an open shew of them upon his Crosse which was the time of his greatest humiliation that being now exalted to the right hand of his Father he would enable thee to triumph over thy hard heart which is his enemy no lesse then thine and to make thee more then conquerour on that behalfe He that hath promised to break the Serpents head can with greatest ease break thy heart And who can tell but that he may please to doe it at least in part with the little hammer of this ensuing discourse if thou be willing to come under the stroke of it If this little Treatise with the blessing of God upon it shall prosper in thy hands or heart rather as I desire with all my soule it may give God the glory and seeing the author himselfe is where thy prayers cannot reach him where and where only the people of God are indeed above all such duties and ordinances I mean heaven substitute me in his roome as the object of thy hearty remembrances at the throne of grace which if thou shalt please to doe I shall thinke my selfe well appayed for my poore endeavours in the perfecting and publishing of it for thy use and benefit as also obliged to be further serviceable to thee as God shal hereafter enable me Farewell Thine in the service of the Gospel SAMUEL ROWLES From my Study in Thistleworth March 26. 1652. A TREATISE OF Brokennesse of Heart Psal 51.17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit a broken and a contrite heart O God thou wilt not despise THe title of this Psalm sheweth us both the Author or rather Penman and occasion of it being stiled a Psalm of David when Nathan the Prophet came unto him after he had gone into Bathsheba which story you may reade at large in 2 Sam 12.1 and so onwards The Psalm it selfe doth excellently suite the occasion being full of humble and sorrowfull acknowledgement of the greatnesse of his offence as you may see verse 3 4. I acknowledge my transgressions and my sinne is ever before me Against thee thee onely have I sinned and done this evill in thy sight c. so likewise in other verses of the chapter And as he condemnes himselfe so likewise doth he expressely own the righteousnesse of God in the judgement which was denounced against him as it is written vers 4. That thou mayest be justified when thou speakest and be cleare when thou judgest You have also in severall verses of this Psalm earnest supplications made unto God doubtlesse with strong sighs and groanes by this holy penitent Prophet as in the first place that God would take away the guilt of his sinne so vers 1. According to thy tender mercyes blot out my transgressions 2. That God would take away the filth of his sinne so vers 2. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquities and cleanse me from my sinne 3. That God would preserve him from relapsing into the same sinne or sinnes of like nature for which purpose he prayes v. 10. that God would create in him a cleane heart probably in reference to his uncleane sin And in the 14 vers that God would deliver him from bloud-guiltinesse probably with relacion to his having shed the innocent bloud of Vriah In the fourth place he begs of God to restore unto him the joy of his salvation to make him heare joy and gladnesse that the bones which he had broken might rejoyce Furthermore he promiseth unto God that if he will doe for him according to the tenor of his requests namely pardon his sinne he will thorough his grace inabling him teach transgressors his wayes and be instrumentall that sinners may be converted to him vers 13 as also that his tongue shall sing aloud of his righteousnesse and his mouth shall shew forth his praise vers 14 15. If God did so much regard sacrifice and burnt offrings he saith he would not spare for them vers 16. Thou desirest not sacrifice else would I give it If thousands of rams and whole rivers of oyle might have beene acceptable to God he would have offered them with all his heart But he knew there
as we sometimes say of children they are spoyled with kindnesse It is not so apt to be puffed up with mercies and to turne them into wantonnesse as others are 3. It receiveth mercy most thankfully and in that respect is most fit for mercy Beggars by how much lower they are brought thorough want by so much more thankefull will they be for any small almes that is given them whereas those that are not sensible of much want begin to looke bigge if you offer them a small matter 4. Broken hearted Christians make the best use and improvements of their mercies and therefore are most fit for mercy They who thinke themselves most unworthy to receive are alwayes most carefull what and how to render c. 5. The fifth benefit of a soft heart is a soft heart is most fit to doe any thing that is good as to pray heare receive the Lords supper or performe any other duty acceptably Indeed no heart but a soft heart is fit for duties or can performe them as they ought to be performed Prayer that proceedes not from a broken and contrite heart though it be joyned with fasting is as no prayer no fast in the sight of God If we be frequent in hearing the word and have not our hearts broken and humbled thereby we lose the benefit of that duty So likewise if we come to the Lords Table and then behold the body of Christ brokē with unbroken hearts we shall goe away as empty as we came and do God as little service in coming as if we had staid away And it must needs be so that a soft heart should be most fit for duty because an humble self abasing temper is the best posture for the soule to draw nigh to God and not onely so but this is further observable namely that humility and brokennesse of soule fills men with zeal and activity for God an humble heart thus thinkes with it selfe I have hitherto beene very unprofitable it is little service scarce worth speaking of that God hath had from me as yet Oh how shall I redeeme time for God how shall I make amends for my former basenesse and uselesnesse If God will but honour my utmost endeavour to be any wayes instrumentall for his glory how happy shall I account my selfe c. 6. The sixth and last benefit of a soft heart is that it doth fit for a Kingdome for Heaven and happinesse We read of being made meete to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light now brokennesse of a heart is a thing greatly conducing to the meetnesse for an inheritance in light there spoken of And that it is so will appeare if we shall but consider what is the worke and employment of Saints and Angels in Heaven Is it not to admire and adore God and to sing everlasting Hallelujahs Now who so fit to praise and to admire God as broken hearted humble men I can but thinke how poore humble hearted Christians will stand amazed and astonished at the day of judgement when God shall call them to his right hand when Christ shall bid them sit downe together with him and judge the world Do you thinke they will not be full of such thoughts as these Alas what were we or what are we that God should thus delight to honour us that we should be made Kings and Queenes unto God when thousands of the great ones of the world are cast downe to hell Surely they will cry out Not unto us O Lord not unto us but to thy name be all the Praise and Glory For by grace we are saved by free grace alone are we saved Hallelujah Thus have we set before you the severall benefits of a soft heart so much shall suffice by way of motives to put us upon endeavouring after the getting of soft hearts Qu. But peradventure some will be ready to aske How may we come by soft hearts which we have heard to be sacrifices so acceptable to God By what meanes may we attaine thereunto Ans That it may be attained in the use of meanes such Scriptures seeme to signifie wherein God cals upon us to rend our hearts and to plow up the fallow ground of our hearts c. Now the meanes to be used are as follow 1. Meanes We must attend upon the word of God For that is Gods hammer to breake the heart and we must heare it with reverence faith and diligence else it will harden our hearts and encrease our condemnation It had wont to be no strange thing to heare of hard hearts broken by the power of Gods word sometimes severall in some one towne or village and that within the space of a few years There is the same efficacy in the word now as was then were it not that the prejudice which is in the minds of men against it and great neglect and contempt of it did intercept the benefit which they might otherwise receive by it That it is the proper worke of the word of God to soften mens hearts I meane as an instrument in the hand of the spirit I may make appeare from this experiment you see when the word of God doth not soften mens hearts usually nothing else doth the worke remaines undone Men ordinarily carry hard hearts with them to their graves when they will not make use of the word of God wherewith to breake them See Heb. 4 12. The word of God is quick and powerfull and sharper then any two edged sword piersing even to the dividing of soul spirit and of the joynts and marrow c. David prayes that God would sanctifie him by his truth his word is truth Now brokennesse of heart is a great part of sanctification c. 2. Meane we must take away that or those sins which doe harden our hearts Sin is the great cause of hardnesse of heart It is like some evill humour which is got to a head and causeth a great swelling and hardnesse There is no mollifying the place until such time as the evill humour which is in it be either dissolved or dissipated There are some kinde of sins which doe more especially conduce to hardning of mens hearts as for example scandalous sins sins against knowledge sins which have much of a mans understanding and will in them deliberate sins sins committed upon very slender temptations delightfull sins customary sins sins which begin to justifie themselves and to put men upon pleading their cause or at leastwise extenuating and making light of them It is impossible for a man to keepe a tender conscience if he will entertaine any one sinne as his constant welcome guest I might shew you severall wayes whereby sinne doth harden mens hearts One is this any sinne that a man doth allow himself doth as it were shade his soule that is keepe off the warme beames of the light of Gods countenance which would otherwise shine upon it you see how it is with the high wayes such as lye open