gather thee Berachamim gedolim When God gathers his out of Babylon a state of confusion that is mercy and when he brings them into Sion to behold the order beauty and glory thereof that is great mercy and God will not leave them there but go on with them and heap great mercies still upon them see Isa 49.18 19 20 21 22 23. Jer. 32.37 38 39 40 41. Secondly Observe Justification is a gracious act of God upon a sinner I will sprinkle clean water upon you It s Gods prerogative to forgive and blot out sins Mark 2.7 Isa 43.25 and this he doth freely it s an act of grace and mercy Rom 3.24 Being justified freely by his grace Now in this act nothing is done in a sinner there is no grace infused no change made in the heart by it there be no 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 therein it s upon a sinner justifying grace is subjectively in God objectively on man for its a judicial act of God which puts nothing into the creature Rom 3.22 It s upon all them that do believe Thirdly Observe The bloud of Christ applyed by the Spirit of God is efficatious to free sinners from the guilt of their sins and of all their sins of what bind soever they be I will sprinkle clean water upon you and ye shall be clean Their sins were great very great they were guilty of bloud oppressing the widow and fatherless of idolatry of despising and profaning holy things Ezek 22.8.26 They were under the guilt of all crying and notorious sins Ezek 16.47 worse then Sodom or Samaria then the Nations Ezek 5.7 yet the Lord would cleanse them by the bloud of Christ there was virtue in that to cleanse them from their old spots from their deep guilt yea from all their guilt they should be clean from all their filthinesses As water washeth all the filth out of a cloath so doth the bloud of Christ all sin out of the soul 1 Joh 1.7 The bloud of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin the guilt of our thoughts words acts neglects there is no sin defiles the conscience so but the bloud of Christ will purge it away Heb 9.14 Chap 1.3 Christs bloud is of great virtue it purges away all sin and procures peace Coloss 1.20 So that being justified by his bloud we shall be saved from wrath as it is Rom 5.9 Fourthly Observe All sin defiles and makes guilty before God yet some sins defile more then others and make more deeply guilty God would cleanse them from all their filthinesse from every sin that had poluted them and made them guilty and from their idols which had made them more deeply guilty Idolatry hath more guilt adhering to it then many other sins that 's a sin breaks Covenant with God deposes God and sets up an Idoll in his stead Verse 26. A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you an heart of flesh THis is another great promise even a promise of Regeneration and in it there is considerable 1. The party promising I I I I. 2. The things promised 1. A new heart 2. A new spirit 3. Removall of the stony heart 4. An heart of flesh 3. The parties to whom the Lord will do these things You You You. 4. The manner of Gods doing these things which is by giving putting and taking away A new heart also will I give you By heart in Scripture is signified the judgement and understanding Eph 4.18 The will and affections Prov 23.26 and the conscience 1 John 3.20 all which are here comprehended in the word heart New notes sometimes that which is for substance new totally new as new ropes Judges 16.11 12. A new wife Deut 24.5 New gods Deut 32.17 And sometimes that which is only for quality new as the new Moon Isa 66.23 From one new Moon to another The Moon is not new for substance but renewed with light new in regard of quality so New tongues Mark 16.17 They had not their old Tongues plucked or cut out of their mouths and other new ones put in but these Tongues they had before had new Languages put into them new gifts and graces Here then by A new heart is not intended one new for substance or nature of it but the same heart altered for the qualities of it renewed and indued with other qualities then it had before such qualities are wrought in the heart that a man thereupon is said to be regenerate or born again John 3.3 5 6 7. and to be a new creature Gal 6.15 This new heart lyeth not in those common gifts which many have yet without alteration in their hearts Judas had a covetous an earthly an old heart notwithstanding those great gifts he had He could cast out Devils and heal all manner of sicknesses Matth 10.1 4. And those Matth 7.22 23. Who had the gift of prophesie of casting out Devils and working wonders had no new hearts for Christ sends them going for workers of iniquity but it lyeth in grace infused which is a principle of light and life supernatural and permanent Man since the fall of Adam is in a state of darknesse and death Ephes 5.8 Chap 2.5 and when grace is infused that brings light and life unto the heart John 8. â—2 it s call'd The light of life and when a blind heart sees a dead heart lives there is a great and glorious alteration so that it is become a new heart it hath a new principle which is supernatural and permanent call'd The Divine Nature 2 Pet. 1.4 Divine to shew the supernaturalnesse of it and Nature to shew the permanency of it And a new spirit will I put within you These very words we had Ezek 11.19 where they were largely opened New spirit there was interpreted to be those excellent qualities and graces God put into the soul and shewed upon what account they were call'd Spirit and New Here I conceive a new spirit is added Exegetically being the same with a new heart This new heart or new spirit causeth the partie in whom it is to look at God as a Father and so to honour him Mal. 1.6 To love him 1 John 5.1 To fear him 1 Pet. 1.17 To yield obedience to him Rom 6.17 1 Pet 1.14 15. Patiently to bear his chastisements Heb 12.6 7 8 9. To eschew sin and work righteousnesse 1 John 5.18 Chap 3.9 10. To acknowledge how he hath offended him Luke 15.18 To pray fervently unto him Rom 8.15 To be like unto him in mercifullnesse and doing of good Luke 6.36 To delight in his wayes and to have communion with him and his Son Christ 1 John 1.3 To worship him in spirit and truth John 4.23 To be thankfull alwayes unto him for all things Ephes 5.20 To live nobly and spiritually minding the things of Heaven Rom 8.5 1 Pet 1.14 John 3.6 2 Cor
they are the fruits of the Spirit and grow all in a new heart John 1.16 Of his fullnesse have we all received and grace for grace Graces go together not Gifts 3. A man may have Gifts and not be saved Judas had gifts yet was a son of perdition The beast came up out of the earth had miraculous Gifts and the false Prophets also and notwithstanding their Gifts they were both cast into the Lake of fire burning with Brimstone Rev 13.11 13 14. Chap. 19.20 But he that hath a new heart and new spirit hath grace and so shall be saved John 3.6 2 Cor. 3.17 He that is born of the Spirit is a new creature he hath grace and shall be saved Acts 15.11 Seventhly Activeness Some men growing active for God and the publique Zealous against corrupt practices in Church or State gather from hence that they have new hearts and spirits they were not so before and how can it be that such new operations and activeness should be in them and from them and they not be men of new hearts When men are call'd to publique imployments they may have other hearts then they had before yet not such a new heart as is here spoken off Saul had another heart 1 Sam 10.9 when anointed to be King yet not a new heart Credit profit and conscience mis-informed may make men zealous and active when they have no other then their old hearts Paul before his conversion was very active and exceedingly zealous of the Traditions of his fathers Gal 1.13 14. How active are Jesuits how zealous are Papists and many others and that from erroneousness of their consciences not newnesse of their spirits First Observe Mens hearts and spirits by nature are old they are degenerated from that innocency simplicity and purity Adam was created in they are corrupted ever since he eat of the forbidden fruit Psal 14.1 Men are corrupt they have done abominable works there is none that doth good Psal 53.3 Every one of them is gone back they are altogether become filthy there is none that doth good no not one Such as their hearts are such are their actions old hearts have answerable operations Psal 58.3 They go astray assoon as they be born They brought corrupt hearts and natures with them into the world and their first actings were against God truth juâ—â—â—ce and holinesse men by nature have hearts full of old things 2 Cor. 5.17 Old things are not passed away but abide Old principles old lusts old desires old thoughts old reasonings old enmityes old confidences old hardness old deceitfulness old frowardness and old naughtiness are all found in mens hearts till they are made new Gen. 6.5 Math 15.19 Secondly Observe A new heart a new spirit is not from the power or will of man but from the grace of God A new heart will I give you a new spirit will I put into you God bade them Ezek 18.31 make themselves new hearts and new spirits but they were not able to do it he promises therefore to do it for them It s Gods way in his holy Word to command and call for that at the hands of men which he intends to give and work as Phil 2.12 Work out your own salvation and in the next verse its said Its God which worketh in you both to will and to do Isa 1.16 Wash ye make ye clean Ezek 36.25 I will sprinkle clean water upon you and ye shall be clean Deut 10.16 Circumcise the foreskin of your heart they could not do it therefore Deut. 30.6 the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart These Scriptures evince that it is the Lord himself who performs what he commands it s not mans will or power which produceth the new heart it s the gracious and mighty hand of God which effects it and when he will work who shall let it shall mans will yes if God did only propound arguments command exhort invite encourage threaten it might but God doth promise to do the thing To give a new heart to put in a new spirit and should the liberty of mans will hinder it how should God be faithful but rather then he will be found unfaithful he will over-power the corrupt wills of men and make them flexible to his will The efficacy of grace depends not upon mans will embracing or refusing what is tendered but on the good pleasure and power of God Phil 2.13 When it pleases God to put forth his power the woâ—â—â—hall be done the new heart and new spirit shall be wrought in the man notwithstanding all the oldnesses therein And I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh In Chap 11. vers 19. the words are I will take the stony heart out of their flesh and here they are I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh Much was spoken of them there something I shall speak now The stony heart The Hebrew is The heart of stone that is the heart which in a spiritual sense is like a stone First A stone is senselesse it feels or perceives nothing and so is a stony heart Ephes 4.19 Who being past feeling they were so accustomed to sin that they felt not any evill in sin Consuetudo peccandi tollit sensum peccati Zech 14.4 we read of a Mountain that cleav'd in sunder at the presence of Christ but the hearts of the Jews were so stony that they were not at all affected at the presence or voice of Christ Secondly A stone is hard and impenetrable a Knife a Sword a Nail will not enter into it so a stony heart is so hard that the Word of God hath no entrance into it Psal 119.130 The entrance of thy Words giveth light when it enters into the heart it doth so but though the Word be of a sharp and piercing nature yet it enters not into a stony heart its impenetrable Zech 7.11 They refused to hearken and pull'd away their shoulder and stopped their ears that they should not hear yea they made their hearts as an Adamant stone No truths no arguments no invitations no prayers no tears no mercies no threats no judgements do conquer or prevail with it neither wind rain thunder lightning sun-shine heat cold do change the nature of a Rock Thirdly A stone is unpolished and inept for building and other uses till it be hewn sawn and brought into some other form so a stony heart is an heart unpolished unfit to lye in any part of Gods building or for any service of his till it be polished hewn sawn hammered and brought into some other frame As a stone cannot change it self no more can a stony heart The Devil knew that the stones Matth. 4.3 could not turn themselves into bread therefore saith to Christ Command that they be made bread He knew they might be made bread meet to eat and so stony hearts though they cannot make themselves fleshy yet they may be made fleshy they may be brought to another form and so
heart is a grievous plague so an heart of flesh is a great blessing its sensible of sin even secret sins it trembles at thoughts of God his Attributes and Word it understands divine things its teachable and obediential its compassionate and full of bowels towards all such an heart is rare to find but where-ever it is it 's a mercy of mercies a superlative mercy Secondly Observe It s a gift even the gift of God I will give you an heart of flesh None but he who can fetch water out of a Rock and turn stones into flesh Mat. 3.9 can give this tender heart we can make our hearts stony by sinning but we cannot soften them again It s Gods prerogative to make and give an heart of flesh he can make the hardest heart exceeding tender beg such an heart of him and presse him with his promise For faithfull is he who hath promised who also will do it Vers 27. And I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and ye shall keep my judgements and do them IN the 35. verse remission of sins was promised in the 36. regeneration and in this infusion of the spirit is promised In the words are 1. The mercy promised viz the spirit 2. The parties recipient you 3. The effects of this reception walking in c. I will put my spirit within you By spirit here I understand not the new heart or new spirit mentioned in the verse before viz. the gifts and graces of the spirit but the spirit it self so Aecolampad Lavater Junius and Polonius and however it be a great dispute among School-men Whether the spirit it self be given unto men and dwell in them some conclude That the person of the spirit is not given but dwells in us only Mediantibus donis yet the Scripture is cleer That the spirit it self is given and dwells in the sons of men Rom 5.5 The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the holy spirit which is given unto us Here is a distinction made between the grace of the spirit and the spirit it selfe the grace of love is shed abroad 〈◊〉 the hearts of the Saints by the spirit and that spirit which â—â—keth that grace in them is given unto them the person of the spirit is distinguished from the gifts and graces he works in men 1 Cor 6.19 Know ye not that your body is the Temple of the Holy spirit in you A Temple is not for gifts or graces but for a person a Deity and some speciall presence of that Deity the world hath God in it yet it is not call'd The Temple of God because he is in a general and common manner in the same but the spirit is in the bodyes of the Saints and that in a special manner 1 Cor. 2.12 We have râ—ceived not the spirit of the world but the spirit which is of God that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God By spirit here cannot be meant gifts or graces but the person of the spirit who searcheth the deep things of God as it is vers 10. and makes them known by degrees unto those he dwells in discovering what God hath done for them Rom 8.11 If the spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you it s the spirit of God himself who dwells in beleevers and not only the gifts and graces of the spirit these are in them as qualities in a Subject but he is in them as an Inhabitant in an house The spirit by reason of its Infinitenesse is every where in Trees Worms Flowers waters all creatures is it any other wise in the Saints then in them True the spirit quoad essentiam is in all things yet First It s not in them per modum unionis by way of union a Fish is in the water but not united to the water the spirit is in the Saints by way of union therefore is said to dwell in them by his own gifts and graces we are united to the spirit and the spirit to us Secondly It s not in them per modum gratiosae operationis by way of gracious operation all he doth in other creatures is upholding their beings enabling them to put forth their natural power vigour virtue and ordering their motions to what ends he pleaseth he worketh nothing in them above their natures but in those he dwells he worketh gracious effects in those the Lord gives the spirit unto he worketh such operations as are not elsewhere even such as are aboue nature he is in them Speciali titulo ratione gratiae A Gardiner worketh curious Knots in the Garden which he doth not elsewhere God made other works and set other plants in Paradise than in the world Thirdly As the Deity of Christ is every where in every creature yet otherwise in Christs humane nature than in any creature Col 2.9 so the spirit though it be every where yet is otherwise in Believers than in other creatures it is in them as it is in Christ himself but not in the same measure What doth the spirit being within us First It unites the Lord Christ and the soul together it makes an happy union between them two The Corinthians were espoused to Christ 2 Cor. 11.2 not only by the Ministry of Paul but by the spirit 1 Cor. 12.13 By one spirit are we all baptized into one body that is the Church the body of Christ the spirit is the great Agent in this work Secondly The spirit gives out divine Oracles and Truths unto the soul As in the Temple God gave out his mind made known his will so doth the spirit in the heart of man Mat. 10.20 The spirit of the Father speaks in Believers 1 John 2.20 Ye have an anction from the holy One and ye know all things That unction is the spirit which makes known all needful things unto those it dwells in its needful to be instructed and armed against Antichrist and his seducements its needful to be directed in the way to Heaven they had the spirit which did teach them how to avoid the one and how to proceed in the other and so were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 taught of God and who teacheth like him Job 36.22 He teacheth inwardly infallibly powerfully Thirdly It conquers and drives out the enemies that had possession of and quartered in us There is no man the Lord puts his spirit into but the spirit finds the Devil there he hath possession of mens hearts and labours to keep the same there be also a multitude of base and ungodly lusts which fight for the Devils interest these the spirit sets upon subdues and casts out When Christ came into the Temple he whipt out all the money-changers when Joshua came into Canaan he drove out the Canaanites and other Nations and when the spirit comes into a man it beats down strong holds drives out Satan and his Troops 1 John 4.4 Greater is he that is
cause our holy profession and the Lord Jesus Christ to be blasphemed Rom 2.24 James 2.7 Answ 4. It s a spirituall judgement which is worse then all other diseases then all other judgements a blind eye a deaf ear a dumb tongue a palsie hand a gouty leg a leprous head the stone in the kidneys or bladder are nothing to the stone in the heart no plague is like that plague those four sore judgments mentioned Ezek. 14.21 are not so ill as the stone in the heart men are sensible of those and tremble at them but the stonyness of their hearts they neither feel nor fear by reason of it Can there be a more dreadful judgement upon a man then to be given up of God to hardness of heart Psal 81.11 12. My people would not hearken to my voice and Israel would none of me so I gave them up unto their own hearts lusts and they walked in their own inventions They were stubborn and God punished their stubbornnesse with stonynesse Answ 5. It pleaseth it self in the wayes of wickednesse Prov 10.23 It is a sport to a fool to do mischief Chap 14.9 Fools make a mock of sin Fools that is wicked men whose hearts are hardned who know not the nature of sin who feel not the weight of sin they slight sin they sport themselves with sin they rejoyce to do evill Prov 2.14 They count it pleasure to ryot in the day time 2 Pet 2.13 There is no sin but men of stony hearts take delight in some in one some in another and if they can or cannot commit wickednesse themselves they take pleasure in them that can Rom 1.32 Answ 6. It s the seat of Satan he dwels in it A stony heart is the Devils Castle Ephes 2.2 He is in and works in the children of disobedience In their hearts he hath strong holds keeps possession and rules them at his pleasure they are his Subjects God dwels in a broken heart Isa 57.15 but the Devill in a stony heart Answ 7. That man that hath a stony heart increaseth his own woe daily Rom 2.5 Thou after thy hardnesse and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thy selfe wrath against the day of wrath that is thou causest God to treasure up more severe punishment for thee daily thou sinnest more and more daily and God heats the furnace hotter and hotter daily I will take away The word is in Hiphil and signifies thus much I will cause to depart or I will make to remove cause to be gone Montanus renders it amovebo I will remove it God doth this First By inlightning the blind heart to see Acts 26.18 1 Pet. 2.9 Eph 4.18 Chap 5.8 Secondly By inlivening the dead and senseless heart to feel its stonynesse When breath and life entred into the dry bones they were sensible Ezek 37. and when God breaths upon a stony heart it lives and is sensible What an Adamantine heart was in Paul who took pleasure in vexing imprisoning and murthering of the Saints but when Christ breathed upon him and put life into him he then became sensible of his hard heartedness Acts 9. Thirdly By the warmth of his Spirit and moisture of his grace love and mercy he melts the stony heart Some fire will melt brasse and iron and some waters dissolve any stone such is the fire of Gods Spirit there is not any iron or brazen heart but that can melt it such is the water of life there is not any stony heart but that will dissolve it there is an omnipotent power in the Spirit and grace of God to turn Mil-stones into wax and Rocks into streams it was verified in Paul who feeling the mighty power of Gods Spirit and grace in his heart had the milstonyness and rockynesse thereof removed for presently he cryed out Lord what wilt thou have me to do and fell to weeping and praying Out of your flesh By flesh here is not meant corrupt nature as Gal 5.13 but by it is meant man I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh that is out of you First Observe The hearts of men as they are in themselves are stony even stones senselesse of sin unyieldable to truth inept for spiritual imployments repelling and rejecting the counsel of God moving down wards and minding earthly things immoveable from their tenets cold and barren Such are all mens hearts naturally and the hardness of them is much increased by actual and customary sins when men consent to evill thoughts and lusts in their hearts vent them by actings and reiterate the same day after day they make their hearts more and more hard as the hand is by working and the foot by walking Jer 5.3 They have made their faces harder than a rock they have refused to return If their faces were hardned like rocks what were their hearts Zechariah tells you They made their hearts as an Adamant stone Zech. 7.12 which exceeds other stones in hardnesse and not some few of them had done so but even all of them Ezek 3.7 All the house of Israel are impudent and hard-hearted all of them had faces of rock and hearts of Adamant Secondly Observe Its the prerogative of God who hath dominion over the heart to alter the heart I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh They could not change their own hearts they were not able to get the stone out of them nor the Prophets who were their spirituall Physitians Kidney-stones and Bladder-stones men may remove heart-stones none can remove but God men cannot remove Mountains or Rocks but the Lord can he hath an arm of strength his Word is a Word of power when he commands it is done though a stony heart can stand it out against men yet it cannot stand it out against God he fetched water out of a Rock and God can make the hardest rocky heart in the world to melt repent and send forth floods of water Mary Magdalen had an impudent face and a hard heart but when God dealt with her he took away the hardness of her heart and impudency of her face she sat and wept at the feet of Christ Luke 7.38 The Lord can turn wildernesses into standing waters and dry ground into water-springs Psal 107.35 Thirdly Observe Its a great mercy to have the stonynesse of the heart removed The removall of any evill from the body of man is mercy as blindness from the eye deafness from the ear lameness from the leg weakness from the stomach much more then the removal of spiritual evil and that from the heart Stonynesse of heart is the greatest plague evill which can befall it and for God to take that away to cure it is a rich a wonderfull great mercy it s a mercy of the new Covenant it s more then Gods delivering Daniel from the Lyons Den Jonas from the Whales belly or the 3 children from the fiery Furnace they should have been saved had they died in those conditions but the man that
dyes with an hard heart perisheth for ever And I will give you an heart of flesh The heart of flesh is opposed to the stony heart and it implyes several things which are considerable As First Softnesse tendernesse a stony heart is hard but an heart of flesh is tender and soft The Scripture speaks of a soft tongue Prov 25.15 and of a soft heart Job 23.16 that is an heart free from stonynesse and obduration Some flesh is brawny and hard some very tender as the flesh of those mentioned Deut 28.56 The heart of flesh is an heart like the tenderest flesh even the flesh of a child new-born Secondly Sensibleness Some flesh is so hardned as that it feels nothing some is so tender its sensible of the least touch The drunkards flesh felt not the stripes when he was beaten Pro 3.35 but Josiahs heart was sensible of the anger of God when he heard the Law only read 2 Chr 34. Christs heart was tender sensible of our infirmities he was touched with the feeling of them Heb 4.15 the least infirmity he was affected with for he had an heart of flesh an heart without any stonyness at all in it and where an heart of flesh is its sensible of the least sin the least dishonour to God vain thoughts risings of corruption extravagancy of affections all sins are burdensome to it the man of such an heart hath his senses exercised to discern between good and evill Heb 5.14 Thirdly Meltingness A stony heart never melts but an heart of flesh is of a melting nature Josiahs heart was not only affected with the Law read but melted also into tears 2 Kings 22.19 His heart was tender and he humbled himself before the Lord. So David Psal 22.14 My heart is like wax it is melted in the midst of my bowels how did it melt after Nathan had told him of his sin Psal 51. so after his numbring of the people 2 Sam 24.17 Peters heart was of this nature for after Christ looked upon him he went out and wept bitterly Luke 22.62 Such were their hearts Ezek 9.4 who sighed and cryed for all the abominations which were done in the midst of Jerusalem An heart of flesh melts and mourns that God is dishonoured by others but most of all that he hath been dishonoured by him in whom it is that man that hath an heart of flesh sheds most tears for the wrongs himself hath done unto God Luke 15.18 19. Fourthly Teachablenesse A stony heart is indocible inflexible it repels and keeps out truths but an heart of flesh admits and receives truths it is yielding and teachable When Lydiacs hard heart was turned into flesh Acts 16.14 she attended unto the things which were spoken by the Apostle she received them and believed them she was a good Scholar and constrained her Teachers to come and abide at her house that she might learn more of them vers 15. Paul no sooner had his heart of stone made flesh but he manifested a teachablenesse in himself Acts 9.6 Lord what wilt thou have me to do I am a blind Pharisee and have been all my dayes out of the way I desire now to learn and to be taught of thee whom I ignorantly blasphemed David shut not his eyes against the light as many hard-hearted persons do he prayed That the Lord would open his eyes that he might behold wonderous things out of the Law He was oft begging of God to teach him O teach me the way of thy statutes and I shall keep it unto the end Psal 119.18.33 He was willing to see to hear and to do Psal 110.3 Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power When the stony heart is removed and an heart of flesh put in the room of it that is a day of power and then the people so hearted are willing to hear the Lord speak to understand his counsels and to resolve their wills into Gods so that his will is theirs Cor carneum quod ante ad alterius arbitratum fingitur Fifthly Obedientialnesse A stony heart is refractory contradictory disobedient but a fleshy heart is yielding and obediential it is Cor sequari an heart which follows God as Elisha followed Elijah virtue went out of the mantle and constrained him to do so and the virtue gone out from God into an heart of flesh prevails with it and causeth it to follow God to yield obedience unto him Caleb had another spirit then the rest of the Jews had and he followed the Lord fully Numb 14.24 His spirit was not obstinate but obediential and where-ever this heart of flesh is it is so far from being contentious against the truth or with-holding the truth in unrighteousness as that it obeys the truth heartily Rom 6.17 The Excellency of a tender heart First It s the Mansion of Gods holy Spirit When the heart is tender and fleshy God puts in his holy Spirit into it as in the next verse appears The Spirit it self is a tender thing and takes no content in an hard heart Isa 57.15 It s in the heart of humble and contrite ones that the Spirit dwells The Corinthians were babes in Christ very tender and they were Temples of the Spirit 1 Cor. 3.1.16 How excellent is a tender heart that the Spirit of Grace Heb 10.29 the Spirit of Glory 1 Pet 4.14 should take it up for its habitation It was there before as an Agent not as an Inhabitant Secondly It cannot endure the dishonour of God it s much affected yea afflicted thereat When Rabshakeh blasphemed and reviled the God of Israel how was Hezekiah afflicted at it He rent his cloaths covered himself with sackcloath and went into the house of the Lord sends for Isaiah begs his prayers spreads the blasphemers Letter he had received before the Lord and cryed unto him for help to vindicate his own name 2 Kings 19.1 2 3 4 14 15 16 17 18 19. Hezekiah had a tender heart and herein was the excellency of it he was deeply affected with the dishonour of God Davids heart was touched throughly when men violated the Law of God and dishonoured his name Psal 119.136 Rivers of water run down mine eyes because they keep not thy Law None of his own afflictions his persecution by Saul his expulsion by Absolom did draw so many tears from him as the dishonour of Gods name that made his tender heart like a Fountain which sends forth Rivers the heathens who had hard hearts said of their heathenish King It s not meet for us to see the Kings dishonour Ezra 4.14 And can Christians see the dishonour of the God of Heaven Those that have hearts of flesh cannot endure to see it if they cannot help the same they will mourn and mourn abundantly for it Thirdly It s a strong defence against all sin it quickly feels the nature of sin and so flyes from it Touch tender flesh with a Needle or Pin it endures not the same it cryes
out against and removes them Some bodyes are so delicate that they feel every wind every little distemper and so fortifie themselves against them and some hearts are so tender that corruption or the Devil cannot stir but they discern feel and find them and so set themselves against them When Josephs Mistriss tempted him to folly his heart startled at it and caused his tongue to say How can I do this and sin against God Gen 39.9 A tender heart sticks at the appearance of evill and will not venture there Abraham would not take any thing of the spoyl recovered but returned all into the hands of the King of Sodom least he should say I have made Abraham rich Gen 14.23 This was an excellent frame of spirit and proceeded from the tenderness of his heart such tenderness Antidotes a man against the poyson of sin Jobs heart was flesh not stone and not his Friends Wife or Devil could draw him to commit sin his heart was sensible of his sons sinning and on their behalf he offered sacrifice continually Job 1.5 and that tenderness preserved him from sinning Davids heart smote him when he cut off but the lap of Sauls garment 1 Sam 24.5 Fourthly It s active for God When Pauls heart was turned into flesh presently saith he Lord what wilt thou have me to do I am now ready to do ought for thee Acts 9.6 And straight way he preached Christ in the Synagogues vers 20. Josiah was of a tender heart and he acted notably for God he destroyed the groves altars high-places images out of Judah and Jerusalem and other places he repaired the Temple he caused the Law to be read the people to enter into Covenant with God he kept a most solemn Passeover such as had not been from Samuels dayes before 2 Chron 34. 35. Chap A hard heart is active against God and a soft heart is active for God Manasseh through the hardness of his heart did more wickedly then any 2 Chron 33. And David through the tendernesse of his heart fulfilled all the wills of God Acts 13.22 He durst not neglect any duty the Lord call'd for nor do it remisly when he went about it What are the mistakes about a tender heart First There is a legal tendernesse which arises from apprehension of Gods Soveraignty and Justice and his wrath due unto men for sin and their sinfull practices whereupon they humble themselves mourn sigh weep pray and so manifest some tenderness of heart such I conceive was the tenderness of Manasseh's heart when he was among thorns bound in fetters and in affliction then he besought the Lord humbled himself greatly and prayed 2 Chron 33.11 12 13. Such tendernesse had Judas who repented of what he had done saying He had sinned in betraying innocent bloud Mat 27.3 4. Terrours of conscience put him upon it This legal tenderness is not that here meant For 1. Apprehensions of Gods power justice wrath fear of death and hell do never melt the heart The Law judgements of God considerations of death and hell may break the stony heart into many pieces yet every piece remain a stone retain its hardnes when you break a Milstone or Rock into pieces with an hammer or pick-axe though broken yet there is no true softness in them 2. Legal tendernesse never loves God it loves it self and seeks it self but Evangelical or Spiritual tenderness carries out the heart to God and Christ Peter having hardned his heart by denyal of the Lord Jesus once twice and thrice and then being softned again by a look of Christ upon him Luke 22.61 62. he loved him dearly and that it might be known Christ asked him the question Simon lovest thou me more than these he saith not Peter dost thou love me but dost thou love me more than these I know these love me much how stands thy heart to me his answer was Yea I love thee and more than these do love thee and thou knowest it A tender heart is strongly in love with Christ Paul after his heart was regenerate and softned he was so in love with Christ that he wisheth Anathema Maranatha to that man which loves not the Lord Jesus 1 Cor 15.22 Secondly There is a naturall fleshliness or tenderness which is much in women and sometimes also in men as when Joseph made himself known unto his brethren he wept it was from a natural tenderness in him Gen. 45.1 2. Some are by nature very tender and pittyfull such tenderness is not what our Prophet aims at For 1. This natural tenderness is born with men they bring it with them into the world the other is a gift I will give you an heart of flesh the one is of nature the other of grace Parents procreate the one God creates the other the one is from constitution the other from regeneration 2. Where there is a natural tenderness it is flexible both wayes to good and evill Rehoboam who was a wicked King having a tender heart 2 Chron 13.7 he was for evill and for good he hearkned to the young mens ill counsel at one time and to Shemaiah's good counsel another time 1 Kings 12.14 24. he was easily drawn this way and that way like some in the Apostles time who were carryed about with every wind of Doctrine Ephes 4.14 They were children they had a natural tendernesse in them and bowed to sound and corrupt doctrine but a man that hath the tenderness of heart here intended is untractable towards evill and only flexible unto good 1 John 3.9 He cannot sin because he is born of God his heart is obstinate against sin he keeps himself from the touching of the wicked one Chap 5.18 But is plyable to the will of the holy one prepared unto every good work 2 Tim 2.21 Thirdly Natural tenderness is faint in the cause of God it hath no courage no magnanimity for God but spiritual tenderness hath Paul was tender hearted after his conversion and see what a spirit he had for God Acts 17.22 23. Ye men of Athens I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious c. He contested with the whole University of Athens The Bock of Martyrs tells of Alice Driver a tender hearted woman who said She would set her foot against the foot of any of them all she meant the Bishops and their creatures she had courage for God and his cause Fourthly Natural tendernesse is dulled by fasting prayer and humiliation but spiritual tenderness is sharpned and quickned by the same Esther after her fasting praying and humbling her soule was more sensible of the state of the Jews and the great danger they were in and ventured her life for them Esther 4. 5. Chap. Fifthly Afflictions crosses are very heavy to that heart that is naturally tender its restlesse unquiet under them but an heart spiritually tender welcomes afflictions receives them with joy Heb. 10.34 and finds sin heavier then afflictions There be some soft natures which
can weep shed tears in abundance for losse of Relations Estates Favours of great Ones yet never wept for sin these have a natural tenderness not a spirituall Besides what may be gathered from what is said I shall give some Characters of a tender heart First It s sensible of the Churches and Saints afflictions it mourns for and with them a tender heart bleeds when it goes ill with Sion and the people of God When the men of Ai smote but thirty six Israelites how was Joshua affected with it He rent his clothes and fell to the earth upon his face before the Ark of the Lord untill the even tide Josh 7.6 You may read Ps 79. 80. how greatly David or Asaph were affected with the desolation of Jerusalem and miseries befell the Church These were men of tender hearts and sensible of evils at a distance Such was Paul 2 Cor 14.29 and Jeremy whose eyes ran down with tears because the Lords flock was carryed away captive Jer 13.17 Secondly Where an heart hath a gracious and spiritual tenderness it s affected with the perishing condition of others it grieves to see men impenitent unbelieving going on in the broad way to be in a state of irregeneracy and pityes them Rom 9.2 3. Paul had great heaviness and continual sorrow in his heart and why for his brethren and kinsmen according to the flesh they rejected Christ and his Gospel through unbelief and hardnesse of heart they were in the broad way to destruction Christ seeing Jerusalem insensible of her own good he wept over her Luke 19.41 And in former times Jeremy had manifested the tenderness of his heart toward the Jews when he said unto them thus Hear ye and gâ—ve ear be not proud for the Lord hath spoken Give glory to the Lord your God before he cause darknesse and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains and while ye look for light he turn it into the shadow of death and make it grosse darknesse but if ye will not hear it my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride Jer 13.15 16 17. Thirdly A tender heart dare not go out from God in any case but commits it self and way to him it consults with God and leans upon him for counsel and direction Josiah when the Law was found and he understood from it what wrath was due to the breach of it presently sends men to enquire of the Lord for himself and others what to do he took counsel of God and not of man 2 Chron 34.21 So Jehoshaphat he sought not to Baalim but to the Lord God of his fathers and David made Gods Testimonyes his Counsellers Psal 119.24 Hard hearts dare presume and venture to go out from God and into wayes he hath not warranted so did Gehazi Judas and Demas they followed the imaginations of their own hearts and declared that their hearts were Brasse Those that have hearts of flesh say with them in Isa 2.3 Come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord to the house of the God of Jacob and he will teach us of his wayes and we will walk in his paths not in our own Fourthly It s affected presently at the frowns and chidings of God at the appearance and shaking of the Rod. A child of a tender nature will melt when the Parent begins to manifest displeasure as to chide or take the Rod into his hand but it s not so with a stubborn nature that will hear bitter words and endure many stroaks before it will melt Jer 5.3 Thou hast stricken them but they have not grieved thou hast consumed them but they have refused to receive correction they have made their faces harder then a rock they have refused to return These had no tender hearts in them When Absolom had driven David out of Jerusalem he went up mount Olivet weeping He was presently affected with the hand of God 2 Sam 15.30 Moses was presently affected with the wrath that went out from God against the people Numb 16.46 Fifthly A tender heart feels much stoninesse in it self and complains of it O what a stony rocky Adamantine heart have I saith a tender hearted man its tendernesse discovers and feels hardnesse Eph 4.19 They were hardned in sin were past feeling Where hearts are all stone there is no sensibleness of the stonyness those have the tenderest hearts that feel most Brass and Iron in them David cryed oft to God for quickning Psal 119.154 156 159. Quicken me according to thy Word Quicken me according to thy judgements Quicken me according to thy loving kindnesse And why did he cry so for quickning because he felt much deadness and hardness in his heart A dead heart is an hard heart A man when dead is cold stiff and hard so a mans heart if dead within him is cold stiff and stony How may the heart be kept tender First By taking heed of every sin for its only sin that hardens the heart as the foot by treading hardens the earth so when sin walks up and down in the heart it hardens and obdurates the same Dan 5.20 Nebuchadnezzars mind was hardned in pride and the Apostle tells you Heb 3.13 That mens hearts come to be hardned through the deceitfulnesse of sin Men think little sins can do them little harm but they harden their hearts and is that no harm is that little harm its the greatest harm can be done you Secondly By searching and examining of your hearts frequently that is a special means to keep them tender it s like digging of the Garden and ploughing of the Earth which keeps it from hardning the more digging and ploughing the more tender and crumbly is the earth that is the chiefest way to preserve it so and they who are ever searching their hearts examining them daily have them in a tender frame David communed oft with his own heart and his spirit made diligent search Psal 77.6 That kept his heart in a tender frame Thirdly By studying the word much and minding it there is great virtue in the word it 's like fire and will not only thaw the icyness of their hearts but keep them unfrozen the hardest mettals while they are in the Fire are soft and whilest mens hearts are in the Divine fire of the Scriptures they will be soft The Word is like Water and Oyl which moisten and supple the heart so that the tendernesse of it is preserved Fourthly By meditating seriously on Gods love the heigths depths lengths and breadths of his love When a soul is taken up with thoughts of the freeness greatness strength sweetness everlastingness and fruits of Gods love it will be in a melting frame that fire works kindly upon the heart love apprehended makes the heart tender Fifthly Look much to Christ crucified Zech 12.10 When we consider what Christ hath suffered for our sakes it will make and keep our hearts tender First Observe A tender heart is a choice mercy As a stony
Law writ in his heart by the spirit but not as it is written by the spirit in the hearts of Believer who are under the new Covenant the spirit writ the Law in Adams heart as Concreator with the Father and the Son not by vertue of any Covenant but Believers receive the spirit and have the Law writ in them by vertue of Covenant God hath covenanted to put his spirit in them and they have the spirit from Christ and the Father Christ purchased of the Father the mission of the spirit therefore saith He will send the Comforter unto them John 16.7 And that he will pray the Father and he shall send the Comforter unto them John 14.16 So that Believers now have the spirit from God as a Father in Christ from Christ as Head of the Church and both these by vertue of the new Covenant Adam had not the spirit so and for those that had the spirit under the Law for some had it as you may see Psal 51.11 Nehem 9.20 Numb 27.18 Hagg. 2.5 they had it not by vertue of the Covenant of works Do this and live for none were able to keep the Law but by vertue of the Covenant of grace there was Gospel in the Law yea the whole Ceremonial Law was so The Apostle tells us that the Galatians received not the spirit by the works of the Law but by the hearing of faith Gal. 3.2 And look how the Gentiles received the blessing of Abraham viz. the spirit which was through faith and through Christ vers 14. so did the Jews likewise Neither Jews nor Gentiles do bring any preparations or qualifications towards the reception of the spirit God gives his spirit freely where there are no such things when men are in a state of sin and wickednesse the spirit is put in first it s there and then it works grace before they have new hearts new spirits the stone be taken out of the heart and there be an heart of flesh the spirit is put in and acts he finds not qualifications or dispositions but brings them works them The Bees when they come to the Hive find no wax no honey there but they bring the wax and honey so the spirit when it comes to mens hearts it finds no wax no honey no graces nor gracious dispositions there but brings them when the spirit comes to regenerate and sanctifie it finds nothing in men but darkness unbelief unholinesse and enmity by which its no more defiled than an Angel by coming into the world which lyes in wickednesse or the Sun shining upon a Dunghil but when it comes to be an Inhabitant a Comforter a spirit of glory to rest upon a man then it finds the heart prepared and made meet for its entertainment and abode Thirdly Observe The gift of the spirit is a great and excellent gift I will put or give my spirit within you The greatness and excellency of it appears in these following particulars First It s the person of the spirit which is a fundamental mercy and more considerable than all his gifts and graces which flow from him the Tree is better than all the fruit the Sun is of more worth than all his Beams Secondly It is the procreator of all grace in the soul Gal. 5.22 The fruit of the spirit is love joy peace faith Take but those four graces see how they are exalted faith is stiled precious 2 Pet. 1.1 peace is said to passe all understanding Phil. 4.7 joy to be glorious and unspeakable 1 Pet. 1.8 and love is magnified by Paul above all gifts and other graces 1 Cor. 13. What a gift then is the spirit which is the Parent not only of these but of all graces and all gifts Ephes 5.9 The fruit of the spirit it in all goodnesse Thirdly It is the Conservator of all grace and good things in us As God conserves the world which is his creature so the spirit conserves grace which is its creature the spirit as it gives being to all graces so it preserves them in their beings and operations It 's the spirit which mortifies lusts Rom. 8.13 And it is the spirit maintains graces John 3.6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the spirit is spirit As flesh brings forth flesh so it maintains the same and as the spirit brings forth spirit so it maintains the same each maintains their own off-springs The spirit is the Nurse of all those graces it hath brought forth in the heart of any 2 Cor. 4.13 it s called The spirit of faith not only because it creates faith in the heart but keeps it there so it s called The spirit of grace Zech. 12.10 not only because it works grace in men but also because it keeps grace in them hence those who are after the spirit are said to mind the things of the spirit their graces are maintained by the provision of the spirit Fourthly The spirit is he who actuates and consummates our graces the spirit doth not content it self to beget and preserve graces in mens hearts but improves and perfects them we and our graces would act very poorly did not the spirit assist us John 15.5 Without me saith Christ you can do nothing that is without my spirit concurre with your graces and actuate them you can do nothing The Mill may have all things fit for motion the Sails may be spread but if the wind blow not the Mill goes not so a man may through grace be prepared and fitted to every good work but if the spirit blow not he moves not John 6.63 It is the spirit that quickens it quickens us and our graces also 2 Cor. 3.6 The spirit gives life Life to mens persons and life to their graces it s the spirit makes lively and sets grace a work It 's the Sun and influences of Heaven which draw up the sap and make the Tree grow and it is the spirit and its influences which draw out our graces into act they lye still unless fresh blasts of the spirit come upon us and them And as the spirit acts our graces so it perfects them it adds supplyes unto them Phil. 1.19 and changes us into further glory day by day 2 Cor. 3.18 And what is said of Christ Heb 12.2 That he is the Authour and Finisher of our faith the same Christ doth by his spirit and so the spirit is the Authour and Finisher of all our graces Fifthly The spirit is a great and excellent gift in that it doth facilitate sweeten and make delightfull unto us all the wayes of God they are hard and harsh to flesh and bloud as to deny a mans self to passe by wrongs to forgive enemies to bear the Crosse cheerfully c. these are things corrupt nature cannot digest but where the spirit is given they become easie the spirit is the oyl of gladnesse and makes the soul cheerfully fall in with whatever is of God When a child hath
executed upon him As the righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him when he sins so the wickedness of the wicked shall not damnifie him when he turns Here is a Nominative Case put absolute the wickednesse of the wicked Neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousnesse in the day that he sinneth His righteousness shall not uphold him do him any good when he falls into sin his sin will be the death of him and his righteousness he cannot live in it or for it Vers 13. When I shall say to the righteous that he shall surely live if he trust to his own righteousnesse Here the case of the righteous man is further amplified and exâ—ounded let me make him a promise of life and say That in living he shall live so the Hebrew is yet if he trust to his righteousness and commit sin he shall not live When men have a Legall righteousness they are apt to trust in it to think it makes them acceptable to God that it will answer Justice for their sins divert wrath procure favour and so presume to take liberty and please the flesh in many things but their righteousness will not stand them in stead And commit iniquity Of this see Chap. 3.20 Chap. 18.24 where much hath been said of this expressions The will affections and heart are in committing iniquity it 's making a trade of sin such men are workers of iniquity Pharisees had a legall righteousness but they devoured widows houses made Proselytes and them twofold more the children of the Devill then themselves Matth. 23.14 15. These committed iniquity All his righteousnesse shall not be remembred That is none of his righteous deeds shall be so had in remembrance as to have any acceptance or reward they shall be laid by and forgotten instead thereof he shall have judgement for his wickedness that shall be remembred and rewarded But for his iniquity that he hath committed he shall dye for it The reward of his iniquity is death either he shall pine away under some stroak of God which is Mors minor a lesser kind of death or he shall be cut off by some judgement which is a death indeed a death with a witness Vers 14. Again when I say unto the wicked thou shalt surely dye if he turn from his sin c. In this vers and the two following the case of the wicked man is further explained as the promise to the righteous was with condition so the threatning of the wicked is with exception He shall surely dye unlesse he repent and turn and testifie the reallity of the same by doing that which is lawfull and right Or as it is in the Hebrew By doing judgement and justice by giving unto God and man what is prescribed of these words see Chap. 18.5 Vers 15. If the wicked restore the pledge Pignus est quod propter rem credi tam datur cujus possessionem solum ad tempus consequitor creditor sed dominium penes debitorem est A Pledge is something pawned for a thing borrowed the possession whereof for the present is in the hand of the Lender but the right is belonging to the Borrower Chabol is from Chabal to bind because Pledges are strong Bonds and Obligations Poor people were often necessitated to pawn their garments Beds Cattle Utensils which wicked men would keep and make their advantage of which they ought not to have done Deut 24.10 11 12 13. Therefore it s said here If the wicked restore the pledge if he be mercifull to those that be poor and afflicted Give again that he had robbed Robbers seldome make restitution of what they get by violence The word Gazal signifies to spoil a man of what is his Vi aperte as High-way Robbers do and also any violent wresting and forcing mens right out of their hands Now if the wicked did make restitution of what he had so gotten and Walk in the statutes of life without committing iniquity The statutes of life are the statutes of God which being exactly kept afford life to the keepers of them Ezek 20.13 They walked not in my statutes and they despised my judgements which if a man do he shall even live in them or live by them as it s Levit 18.5 If a man walk in these from day to day and keep them perfectly committing no iniquity what then He shall surely live he shall not dye This and the like promises are legall and made to legall righteousness and clearly evince that the Prophet speaks of a legall righteous man The Gospel saith not that a just man shall live by doing but that the just shall live by faith and that the law is not of faith If men could keep the Law do what it requires they should live by it but except Christ none ever did and so none was ever justified by the Law Gal 3.10 11 12. If a man could be found that walked in the Statutes of life without sinning he should surely live and live as comfortably as Adam did in Paradice and should not dye Vers 16. None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him The Hebrew is all his sins which he hath committed shall n t be mentioned unto him that is None of his sins shall be imputed or charged upon him Vid. Chap 18.22 He hath done that which is lawful and right he shall surely live The Life here spoken of cannot be eternal life because 1. A mans turning from his former wicked wayes and making restitution to men for wrongs done is no satisfaction to the justice of God for the breach of his Laws And 2. No man can so keep the law or statutes of life as thereby to obtain life eternal Here is no mention of Christ or faith in him without which eternall life cannot be had I conceive it s meant of a temporal life he that ceases from his wicked wayes that lives honestly doing lawfull and right things he shall not have cause to complain as the Jews did That they pined away under their iniquities but he should live in living as the Hebrew is and that is he should live a very comfortable life First Observe There is a righteousnesse will not profit a man when he hath most need When a man sins then he hath most need of righteousness to cover his sin to prevent judgement but then his own righteousness a legal righteousness a duty righteousness will stand him in no stead The righteousnesse of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression he shall not be able to live in the day that he sinneth Let us therefore look after an Evangelicall righteousness for Christ hath told us That except our righteousnesse exceed the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees we shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Matth 5.20 They had a legal a duty an own-righteousnesse but they had not the righteousness of Christ the
into Heaven by vers 21. Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdome of Heaven Not any one which goes no further But he that doth the will of my Father which is in Heaven My father saith Christ hath made known his will he would have men do his will and then he will open unto them and let them into Heaven It s not mens hearing or saying but their doing what they hear which pleads stronglyest for their entrance into Heaven Many men commend the Preacher the Word with their tongues but disgrace both with their lives The best commenders of the Preachers and their doctrine are mens lives when they are doers of the word Matth 25.21 It s well done thou good and faithfull servant enter thou into thy masters joy Not well heard or well said but well done Let us see to it that we be not hearers only but doers of the word Rev 22.14 Blessed are they that do his commandements that they may have right to the Tree of life and may â—nter in through the gates into the City Fifthly Observe The judgements threatned by the Prophets of God shall certainly take place When this cometh to passe lo it will come He means the sword wilde beasts pestilence utter desolation which were threatned It seem'd somewhat unlikely that after a war a few poor people left in wastes holes caves forts woods fields should be cut off but the Lord had said it and he did effect it How improbable or impossible soever things appear to us what God threatens by his Prophets to doe without repentance intervene he will accomplish Sixthly Observe Whatever the thoughts of wicked ones are for the present of the Prophets the time will come when they shall have other kind of thoughts of them When this cometh to passe then shall they know c. When the sword wilde beasts pestilence utter desolation are upon them and the Land when they are in straits in the jawes of death then they will have other apprehensions of Ezekiel then now they have Ezekiel at present is a lovely song like a man that hath a pleasant voice some affect him some scoff at him others censure him but when death is before them then their thoughts will alter then they will say Ezekiel told us of these things that are come upon us and how to avoid them he call'd upon us to consider our wayes to turn from all our iniquities and to provide for our souls we then slighted him only gave him the hearing of what he said but now we see he was a Prophet of God delivered weighty things and we were fools that we hearkened not unto him doing what he said When young men who despise all the Preachers say against whoredom and wanton courses come to be in years find their flesh and bodies to be consumed then will they have other thoughts of them and what they preached then will they say How have we hated instruction and our hearts despised reproof we obeyed not the voyce of our Teachers nor inclined our ears to them that instructed us Prov. 5.11 12 13. There were Prophets amongst us who sought our good who tendred mercy and many precious truths unto us but we were so blinded with our lusts so conceited of our own wayes that we rejected them and whatever they tendred us Seventhly Observe The Prophets will be witnesses at last against disobedient hearers They shall know that a Prophet hath been amongst them They heard Ezekiel but did not what he said his person his doctrine did at last bear witness against them Where-ever the Lord sets a faithful preacher who takes pains among the people declaring the mind of God unto them and they do not practice what they are taught that Preacher will rise up in judgement against them his doctrine his prayers tears drops of sweat his life his sufferings reproaches death will all be witnesses against them If the rust of mens silver and gold will be witnesses against them and eat their flesh like fire James 5.3 because they let their silver and gold lye by them and did not improve the same for publique good and in charitable uses how much more will the truths of God which the Preachers have commended unto them being neglected and not improved to the good of the hearers and others bear witness against them and eat their flesh yea their souls like fire Thousands who have flocked after Ministers to hear them will find those Ministers witnesses against them because they heard them only and never did what they heard What a multitude of witnesses will London and England have against them at the latter day All the Godly faithful Ministers whose doctrine hath been heard but never obeyed CHAP. XXXIV Vers 1 2 3 4 5 6. And the Word of the Lord came unto me saying Son of man prophesie against the shepherds of Israel prophesie and say unto them Thus saith the Lord God unto the Shepherds Wo be to the Shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves should not the Shepherds feed the flock Ye eat the fat and ye cloath you with the Wool ye kill them that are fed but ye feed not the flock The diseased have ye not strengthned neither have ye healed that which was sick neither have ye bound up that which was broken neither have ye brought again that which was driven away neither have ye sought that which was lost but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them And they were scattered because there is no Shepherd and they became meat to all the beasts of the field when they were scattered My sheep wandred through all the mountains and upon every high hill yea my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth and none did search or seek after them EZekiel having reproved and threatned the judgements of God against the people for their sins he comes in this Chapter to deal with the Governours and Rulers of them through whose default they became so wicked and suffered the Babylonish yoke In this Chapter are these things considerable 1. A reproof of the Shepherds and judgement threatned against them in the first 10 verses 2. Gods care of and comfortable provision for his flock from the 10. vers to the 23. 3. A sweet Prophesie of Christ and his Kingdom under the figure of David from the 23. vers to the end Vers 1. The Word of the Lord came unto me saying These words we have often had by them the Prophet declares himself to be a true Prophet false ones spake of their own heads they had no word from God they deluded the people with lying words but Ezekiel had a word from God and that word he commended to the people Vers 2. Prophesie against the Shepherds of Israel The Shepherds of Israel were the chief Rulers both Political and Ecclesiastical Princes Magistrates Prophets Priests and Levites Isa 44.28 Cyrus is call'd a Shepherd Zech 11.17 those in the
new joyes in God in Christ in the Promises in the Saints and inables us to rejoyce and glory in tribulations Rom 5.3 Fourthly It intitles us to diverse new and excellent things As First To the New Covenant When a man hath a new heart and a new spirit he hath an interest in the New Covenant Jer 31.31 33. The law of sin and principles of Satan and the woâ—ld were writ in the old heart and old spirit and so the party was under the Covenant with death and hell Isa 28.15 but in the new heart is written the Law of God the Law of faith Rom 3.27 Heb 8.10 and so they are under the New Covenant which is call'd Grace Rom 6.14 Secondly To New Names Where there is newness of heart and spirit there they are sealed in their fore-heads with new Names their Title is New Creatures 2 Cor. 5.17 The Seed of Abraham Isa 41.8 Servants of Righteousnesse Rom. 6.18 Children of Light John 12.36 Conquerours Rom 8.37 Gods workmanship Ephes 2.10 Kings and Priests Rev 1.6 Temples of God 1 Cor 3.16 The glory of God Isa 4.5 New born Babes 1 Pet 2.2 His Saints Psal 149.9 Vessels of Gold and Silver 2 Tim. 2.20 Wise Virgins Matth 25. Heirs of Salvation Heb 1.14 Thirdly To a New Lord and Master When their hearts were old Satan was their Soveraign They walked according to the Prince of the aire Ephes 2.2 2 Tim 2.26 His lusts they did execute John 8.44 But having new hearts they have a new Lord a new Master and that is the Lord Christ Phil 1.1 Paul a servant of Christ He had a new heart and now he had a new Master which was Christ he would serve Satan no longer but Christ who dyed for sinners that they might live unto him 2 Cor. 5.15 When the hearts and spirits of men are new they are dead to their old Masters and have new Rom 7.4 Christ is the Husband and Head of every one renewed by his grace he is Lord and Master of all such 1 Cor. 7.22 Matth 23.8 Fourthly To a New Guard Such have a Guard of Angels about them before as they were without God so without the protection of his Angels exposed to all dangers but having new hearts and new spirits being new creatures they have a multitude of the Heavenly Host not only to praise God for their new-birth as they did at Christs birth Luke 2.13 but to attend and protect them Heb 1.14 Are not the Angels ministring spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation and none shall be such but those that have new hearts and new spirits for flesh and bloud cannot inherit the Kingdome of God 1 Cor 15.50 Fifthly To New Alliance this change is wrought in them Blasphemers Idolaters Adulterers Drunkards Murtherers Lyars Vnbelievers Hypocrites and all profane ones they the very Devils themselves John 8.44 But when they have new hearts and new spirits then they have new kindred as a man that marries a woman all her kindred becomes his so here all that have new hearts and spirits are his kindred who hath a new heart he is allied unto them all Math 23.8 All ye are brethren All the Saints throughout the earth how great how learned how rich how gifted or gracious soever they be are all brethren yea the Angels are brethren unto those that have new hearts Rev. 19.10.22.9 and that which is beyond all Christ himself is their Brother and Father Math. 12.49 50. Heb 2.12 13. Sixthly To the New Mansions in the City made without hands John 14.2 saith Christ In my Fathers house are many Mansions and I go to prepare a place for you You have right and title to them ye have new hearts ye believe in God vers 1. and I go to prepare and fit places for you in those Mansions Fifthly The excellency of a new heart is this That it sets an high price upon the things of God and a low price upon the things of the world how goodly soever they appear whereas before the things of the world were magnified and the things of God slighted When Paul had another heart and another spirit then before then he had no confidence in the flesh then he did not value his great priviledges he counted them and all things but losse for Christ they did damnifie him rather then advantage him and therefore lookt upon them as dung 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 things of no worth chaffe dirt excrements in respect of Christ his righteousnesse and knowledge of him Phil. 3.7 8 9. all which had an excellency and were so prized by Paul that he was willing to lay down his life for them Acts 21.13 When Simon Magus offered the Apostles money for to have power to give the Holy Spirit by laying on of hands Peter in his own name and in the name of the rest said Thy money perish with thee we value not bags of gold and silver but the things of God Acts 8.19 20. When the Conjurers had the Devils cast out of them and new hearts given them they brought forth their books which they had highly valued and burnt them before all men and so many they burnt as came to fifty thousand pieces of silver Acts 19.19 and instead of these they prized the books of Moses the Prophets and Apostles A new heart sees excellency in spiritual things and saith It cannot over value them but for other things it puts them under its feet Sixthly It s excellent in that it doth really make God its end and aims at his glory in its operations before self was all now God is all Acts 20.23 24. Paul was told by the Spirit of God that bonds and afflictions did abide him every where that his life was in danger now had not Paul been a man of a new heart and spirit he would have shifted for himself and let the preaching of the Gospel have fallen but being such an one what saith he None of these things move me neither count I my life dear unto my selfe so I may finish my course with joy and the Ministry I have received of the Lord Jesus to testifie the Gospel of the Grace of God That was Pauls end to make known the grace of God in the Gospel towards poor sinners that so they partaking of that grace might give glory to God and God be glorified by him God and his glory were so in his eye that he gave out a rule for all Christians to eye and mind God and his glory in all things 1 Cor. 10.31 Seventhly It s the principle of eternal life and happinesse When God puts life light and grace into the heart and so makes it new he hath begun our admission into Heaven and happinesse this new heart and spirit are the water springs up into everlasting life John 4.14 They are the Eagles wings will carry you not only up to Heaven but into Heaven Concerning this new heart and new spirit there be divers mistakes
many think they have the same when they have it not There be several things which cause men to judge so First Outward Reformation When men cease from their former lewd courses when they give over their drunkenness whoredome swearing lying oppression and other scandalous practices they think themselves and are reputed of others to be new men and so to have new hearts but know A man may have escaped the pollutions of the world have changed his manners yet retain his old heart a Swine may be washed and yet reserve her Swinish nature Herod reformed in many things yet had an unreformed heart Mark 6.20 Luke 3.20 Chap. 9.9 The Scribes and Pharisees were whited Sepulchres they had beautifull out-sides they appeared righteous unto men but what were their hearts were they not full of hypocrisie and iniquity Matth 23.27 28. Shame among men fear of punishment death hell terrours of conscience afflictions strength of reason and hope of profits and reward may make a man reform his life and manners his heart being still naught a man formerly deboist and wicked may become a new man and yet not have a new heart Secondly Morall virtues cause many to be deceived about this new heart because they are temperate just prudent faithful to their friends true in their speeches patient under afflictions seek the publique good not their own interest are chaste and courteous unto all they thereupon conclude that they have the new heart and new spirit here spoken of but all these are no more then were found in heathens Scipio Aristides Cato Aemilius Lepidus Lucretia and others excell'd in morall virtues The Romane faith was in great esteem in all the world because the Romans kept their word and made good whatever they promised Many Heathens excell'd in morallities and did virtuous actions for virtues sake yet they had no new hearts or spirits they knew not what regeneration was they were strangers to the Life of God and Faith they attained to what they had by their own industry and what they did was not done according to the mind of God in his Word and so referring to his glory they sought their own glory in all Thirdly A form of godliness When men have left their old wayes of sin and taken up a way or form of godlinesse which is new to them they imagine themselves to be new and to have new hearts they read pray hear meditate and worship God with their hearts which they never did before and hence they ground a newness in their hearts The Jews have a form of godlinesse at this day yet are they cast off of God and numbred amongst unbelievers Rom 11.20 Such was their godliness as persecuted true godliness Acts. 13.50 1 Thess 2.15 The Heathens had forms of godlinesse Plato taught men not to sleep without repentance for their sins Hermes instructed them to pray earnestly unto God and continually for repentance to call upon him in the day and not to forget him in the night they worshipped by nature those were no gods Treatise of Moral Philosophy Gal. 4.8 Forms of worship they had though they worshipped blindly Socrates saw further then the most of them who said God must be worshiped only that way which he hath appointed yet neither Socrates nor the rest of the Heathens had new hearts Christians have forms of godlinesse yet all among them have not new hearts among Papists and Protestants are many religious but few pious they have the form of godliness but not the power Painted fire is not true fire and all that worship God do not worship him in newness of spirit the most do worship him with old hearts Fourthly Some are deceived upon this ground that they have the Law in their hearts approve of truth make conscience of their wayes have peace within and so determine their hearts are new But here is a great mistake the Law is in mens hearts by nature Rom 2.14 15. The Gentiles which had not the Law did by nature the things of the Law and so shewed the work of the Law written in their hearts When they did ill their consciences did accuse them and when they did well they did excuse them and so they had peace here was nothing supernatural where there is a new heart a new spirit there is something supernatural men have not these by descent from their parents but they are given they are put in by God I will give you a new heart and I will put within you a new spirit The Law that all men have in their hearts is by virtue of Creation not of the new Covenant that is another Law Jer 31.33 which is from grace not from nature where this Law is written the heart is new and so doth not only approve of truth in general but knows and approves of truth as it is in Christ Eph 4.21 and as it is according to godliness Truth in a new heart provokes unto Godliness and maketh conscientious towards God and men Acts 24.16 Looking at Christ for peace Rom 5.1 Being justified by faith we have peace with God the conscience being purged from dead works by the bloud of Christ Men have sound peace in their new hearts It s false peace which men of old hearts have they bribe their consciences with doing something and that is their peace Fifthly New Relations make some to fancy they have new hearts and new spirits they are under Church priviledges they are Citizens of Sion inhabitants of Jerusalem in relation to Christ and his Ordinances this may be and yet without newnesse of heart or spirit Relations make not alterations in mens hearts Simon Magus was baptized stood in relation to Christ and the Gospel yet his heart was the same it was before Acts 8. The Jews gloried they were the seed of Abraham John 8.33 Yet they were of their father the Devill vers 44. and had bloudy hearts vers 40. seeking to kill Christ Rom 2.28 29. Outward priviledges may be as Circumcision of the flesh where there is no Circumcision of the heart and Paul tels us Gal 6.15 That Circumcision nor uncircumcision avail any thing but a new creature they may be where the new creature is not himself had many priviledges Phil. 3. when he was far from newness of heart Sixthly Gifts They breed mistakes in divers persons those that have choice and great gifts perswade themselves they have new hearts and spirits that they are gracious and good but there is a vast difference between gifts and grace 1. Gifts make not a man a Christian Heathens had great gifts as Tully Seneca Plato Aristotle Plutarch Its grace makes a Christian the Gentiles were not Christians and so not acceptable to God till they were sanctified by the Holy Spirit Rom 15.16 They may make a man an useful man not a good man Acts 11.24 It s faith and the graces of the Spirit make a good man 2. All gifts do seldome or never meet in one man but graces do
be fit for spiritual imployments and uses Fourthly A stone doth resist and repell what falls upon it stones do oft break the instruments strikes them and force them back there is a resisting in them so in stony hearts there is much resistancie Luke 4.28 29. All they in the Synagogue when they heard these things were filled with wrath rose up and thrust him out of the City and led him unto the brow of the hill that they might cast him down headlong Their flinty rocky hearts resisted and rejected all the precious truths Christ had delivered and made them fall fowl upon him and seek to spill his bloud 2 Tim 3.8 As Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses so do these also resist the truth men of corrupt minds reprobate concerning the faith They were men of stony hearts resisting the faith Acts 7.51 Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears ye do alwayes resist c. Fifthly A stone is heavy Prov 27.3 and its motion is downwards its earth hardned and its whole tendency is to the earth so a stony heart is heavy earthy and tends downwards altogether Ezek 20.16 Their heart went after their idols Ezek 33.31 Their heart goeth after their covetousnesse Hosea 4.8 They set their heart on their iniquitie Men are born with the stone in their hearts and naturally they mind earthly things Phil 3.19 Their motion is downward John 3.31 He that is of the earth is earthly and speaketh of the earth his thoughts his words his motions are all that way The things of Heaven are burdensome to a stony heart that cannot move upwards Sixthly Stones keep their places and are immoveable Eccl. 10.9 Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt therewith Great stones mountains rocks abide fixt and its dangerous to meddle with them so stony hearts keep their stonynesse they are immoveable what opinions principles conclusions soever they have taken in though false and corrupt they are tenacious of and obstinate in Judges 2.19 They ceased not from their own doings nor from their stubborn wayes God sold them into the hands of enemies where they suffered grievous things God raised them up Deliverers who set them at liberty yet they ceased not from their own wayes they were immoveable from their own opinions corrupt principles and dangerous tenets men are so self-conceited self-willed that they are like rocks not to be stirred Seventhly Stones are dry and have no moisture in them at all Take a Rock there is no water in it take any stone its dry all stones are dry and barren so stony hearts they have no moisture of grace in them they are all dry and barren the waters of life are not found in them The woman of Samaria had a stony heart and how dry how barren was it not a good word came out of it towards Christ John 4. Whilest the Gentiles were without God and Christ in the world they had stony hearts and so were barren and fruitless Isa 54.1 VVheresoever is a stony heart there is no melting no mourning no tears Eighthly Stones are cold 1 Sam 25.37 it s said Nabals heart dyed within him and he became as a stone that is cold and sencelesse so stony hearts are cold there is no spiritual heat in them though the word be as fire yet it heats them not Men of stony hearts are frigid in the things of God they contend not for the truth they reprove not wickedness in others they stand not for the interest of Christ they are not zealous for God and his glory they put not their hands to his work they mind not the conversion of sinners they are indifferent how things of that nature go A stony heart is a dead heart and as it hath no life nor motion in it so no warmth in it like the Shunammites son 2 Kings 4.34 till Elisha came and stretched forth himself upon it there was neither life nor warmth in it and till Gods Spirit come and stretch forth its virtue and power upon a stony heart it hath neither life nor warmth in it Thus you see wherein a stony heart resembles a Stone or Rock Quest What is the evill of an hard heart Answ 1. It is ever unthankfull mercies kindnesses do not affect it and how then can it be thankfull Some verball thankfullnesse may be in an hard hearted man but in his heart in his life there is nothing Poure Wine Oyle the Spirits and Quintessence of any thing upon a stone it s lost the stone is not at all the better for it not affected with it so a stony heart let the choicest mercies of Heaven or Earth be presented to it they are lost that heart is unthankfull and whereas we should be thankfull in every thing 1 Thess 5.18 such an one is thankfull in nothing and makes the times perillous 2 Tim 3.2 Answ 2. It grows worse and worse harder and harder every day nothing stops it from proceeding on in its wicked wayes The Jews were a stony hearted people and what saith the Lord to them Isa 1.5 Why should ye be stricken any more ye will revolt more and more Threatning judgements did not stop or turn them from their wickedness Pharoah saw the wonderful judgements of God ten plagues were upon him and his Land and yet his heart grew harder and harder They that came to take Christ went backward and fell to the ground when Christ said I am he they saw also a miracle wrought by Christ in restoring to Malchus his ear which Peter had cut off yet being stony hearted they proceeded to take Christ to bind him and carry him to the High Priests John 18.6.10 11 12 13. Answ 3. It causeth a man to walk contrary to his profession Those that are Christians professe Christ and the Gospel they have in Baptisme given up themselves to him and obliged themselves to walk according to Gospel Rules now whence is it that they profess one thing and practice another that they professe Christianity and walk as Heathens or worse then Heathens whoredome drunkenness covetousness lying pride swearing theft murther witchery contention slander oppression c. are they not as frequent among Christians as ever they were among Heathens Paul writing to the Ephesians exhorted them not to walk as other Gentiles in the vanity of their minds having the understanding darkned being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindnesse of their heart who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousnesse to work all uncleanness with greedinesse It was the hardnesse of the heathen Gentiles hearts which made them walk so and when Christian Gentiles walk so it s from the hardness of their hearts we are of the Gentiles and notwithstanding our Christianity we walk contrary to Christ and the Gospel which is from the stonyness of our hearts keeping out the power and this is a grievous evill we profess Christ and the Gospel verbally and deny both really and so
their abominations that is they are not few or leight but many and grievous And it 's time now that ye should be asham'd of and humbled for them and turn to the Lord from them Him have you provoked bitterly by them and he hath made you suffer long and sharply for them O sin no more cease from idolatries and unjust practises let what is past suffice So Peter 1. Epist 4. Chap. 3. vers saith The time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles The 3. sin was the introduction of strangers into the Sanctuary and they were men uncircumcised in heart and in flesh The Gentiles were not circumcised in flesh they ought not to have entred into the Sanctuary Lament 1.10 Paul was accused for bringing Greeks into the Temple Act. 21.28 The Heathen might come into the outward Court or prophane place as Ezekiel styles it Chap 42.20 But into the Temple they might not come it was a polluting of it Sanctius thinks the Priests receiv'd Sacrifices and Oblations from the hands of the Heathen which they offered to God in the Temple which was contrary to the Law Levit. 22.25 The Jews were circumcised in flesh but many of them were uncircumcised in heart they were without faith they followed their own lusts and imitated the Heathens Such Priests were admitted into the Sanctuary as were profane The Priests saith God have violated my law and have profaned mine holy things they have put no difference between the holy and profane Ezek 22.26 Elies sons were wicked even sons of Belial 1 Sam. 2.12 Vrijah the Priest made an Altar like that of Damascus and sacrificed on that according to the command of the King 2 King 16.11 12 13 14 15 16 but contrary to the command of God Such should not have had any place in the house of God because they were abomination unto him they polluted the Sanctuary and Sacrifice by taking the bread fat and blood to themselves which was against the Law Levit. 39.10 11 14 15 16 17. Chap. 21.8 or by offering them with defiled hands and hearts they also broke the Covenant that is the Laws which God had given them concerning the way and manner of sacrificing they kept not but violated the same their own wills were set up and God's Laws laid aside The last sin is their neglect of their charge vers 8. Ye have not kept the charge of my holy things All things belonging to the Tabernacle and Temple were holy and the charge of such things was committed to the Priests and Levites 1. Chron. 9.27 28 29 39 31 32. 1 Chron 23. 28 29 30 31 32. and they ought to have had special care of them themselves but they have suffered strangers and uncircumcised ones to be in the Sanctuary to meddle with the holy vessels and to offer Sacrifice and this they did for their own ease and ends not for God's glory for they did the same of their own heads contrary to the rules and laws of the Sanctuary which by so doing they made no better then a den of thieves or wild beasts which place was onely for whom and what God himself appointed and so for his honour and glory alone Observe hence That those have the charge of holy things ought to be exact ohserving the order and rules God hath given and not to deviate from them doing any thing of their own heads These men did not keep the charge of the holy things they should have observ'd the laws of God's house which they neglected themselves should have done all things according to Divine order they set others about the work God's work must be done by those he appoints and in the manner he prescribes Jehâ—iadah observ'd what was written in the law of Moses and appointed offices and officers in the house of God acordingly he durst not vary from what God had given out by Moses 2 Chron. 23.18 19. Timothy was charged to keep the command given him by Paul concerning the house of God and the holy things thereof without spot un-rebukeable until the appearing of our Lord Jesus 1 Tim. 6.13 14. He might not spot the same with his inventions additions or detraction It 's great presumption in men to take upon them to alter what the infinite wise God hath prescribed as if they were wiser then God and knew what were fitter for his worship and service then himself Men in so doing do equalize their will-worship to his Divine worship they set their Posts by his Ezek. 43.8 But this provokes and makes way for judgement when Nadab and Abihu brought strange fire such as God commanded not Kitchen-fire not Altar-fire their own fire not God's fire though it were for nature the same and would have done what the other did yet because it was not the appointed fire God was wroth and sent out fire which devoured them Levit. 10.12 When they carted the Ark which should have been carried upon the Levites shoulders Num. 4.15 and Vzzah without warrant from God staid it up with his hand did not the Lords anger kindle to such an heighth that he smote him dead 2 Sam 6.6 7. David acknowledged this evil 1 Chron. 15.23 saying The Lord our God made a breach upon us for that we sought him not after the due order Men may seek God and yet if they seek him not in a due order even that order he hath prescribed they may be far from mercy and near unto judgment Vers 9 10 11 12 13 14. 9. Thus saith the Lord God No stranger uncircumcised in heart nor uncircumcised in flesh shall enter into my sanctuary of any stranger that is among the children of Israel 10. And the Levites that are gone away far from me when Israel went astray which went astray away from me after their idols they shall even bear their iniquity 11. Yet they shall be ministers in my Sanctuary having charge at the Gates of the house and ministring to the house they shall slay the Burnt-offerings and the Sacrifices for the people and they shall stand before them to minister unto them 12. Because they ministred unto them before their idols and caused the house of Israel to fall into iniquity therefore have I lift up mine hand against them saith Lord God and they shall bear their iniquity 13. And they shall not come near unto me to do the office of a Priest unto me nor to come near to any of my holy things in the Most Holy place but they shall bear their shame and their abominations which they have committed 14. But I will make them keepers of the charge of the house for all the service thereof and for all that shall be done therein IN the 9. vers strangers are excluded from the Sanctuary and the service of it In the rest of the verses those had abused the Priestly office are deposed from it yet admitted into inferior services In Deuteronomy there was a law which prohibited the Ammonites
upon his people 595. bears long with the worst of men 420. determines things most free and contingent 208. discovers plots of enemies ibid. knows infallibly things to come 217. when God manifests his love and wrath 225. can easily raise forces against his enemies 229. and easily ruine Armies 227. hath various ways to do it 228. convinces the wicked when in afflictions 266. whom God will honor 391 Godly No condition so grievous to them but shall end comfortably 375 Godliness To whom a delight 361 Gog whom 488 489. whence he came 212. prophesied of before 216. not Antiochus 224. Dreadful judgement upon him 226. great 232. where buried 247 Goodmen must be good before they can do good 366 Gospel Christs voice in it strong irresistable efficacious 394. earth shines with the glory of it ibid. it preserves order is not levelling 405. like waters and wherein 550 551 552. into what parts it went first 555. it goeth where Christ wil 556 557. gradually 558. hath depths in it 560. its pure and sufficient of it self 561. brings men unto God 569. runs like waters 570. without it what men are ib. it cures and quickens 571. fruitful 572 Grace will appear where it is 367. work of it free 403 â—ikened to water and wherein 550 551 552. gradualness in graces 559. all in the Church of free grace 〈◊〉 it recals sinners 588 589 Great ones have no cause to glory 84. Greatest go the wrong way 93. shall bear their shame though after death ibid. those that joyn with them in evil must suffer 228. may lie unburied 260 Guilt an heavy and consuming thing 121 H HAnd stretching out what it imports 348 249. lifting up what 284 Gods hand in mens acting against the Church 237. filling the hand what it imports 376 Hailstones fire brimstone 223 224 Har-el and Hanriel what 371 372 Hatred the nature of it 253. twofold 263. it sets other affections on work 264 Hearers how they carry it oft towards them they hear 164. 165. what the preachers are to them 170 not rest in hearing ibid. Heart most looked at in worship 165 carnal in spirituals 166. Heart and new what they note 317 318. old by nature 322. it s like a stone wherein 330 331 332. the evil of it 333. how cured 336 Heart It s God prerogative to alter hearts 337. its great mercy to have stony hearts removed 338. excellency of a tender heart 340 mistakes about a tender heart 342 343. legal natural tenderness 24â— 244. characters of a tender heart 345 346. how to keep it tender 347 348. its a great mercy it s the gift of God 341 Heathens what convinces them 310 Hell poor comfort there â—5 96 High those highest meet with most storms 328 329 Hin How much it contained 420 Holy things to be laid in holy places 332 333. those who have charge of them must be exact 387. not to be bought and sold 392 Holiness the law of Gods house 368 Hope what 439 Horns of the Altar what they signifie 371 House of Israel 242 408 Husbandry Gods work 396 397 Hypocrites will be discovered 164 I IDols ruine States 25. defile 298. Idolatry loathsom to God 300. it defiles more then other sins 316. they are karcasses 355. a wall between God and man 357 Jealousie to speak in the fire of it what 282. what is in jealousie 225. it breaks through all 269 Jerusalem highly esteemed by the Lord 352 353. in new Jerusalem shall be no invention of men c. 357. no night there 358 New Jerusalem exceeds Ezekiels City 604 Jews there conversion we may expect and pray for 462. shall repossess their land 463 480. given to Idolatry 465. shall be fully gathered 270 271 there is a day of mercy for all the Jews 272. for lasting mercies 275 offers of mercy to them first 584. shall come to Sion 589 Ignorance remedy for the sin of ignorance 417 418 Impenitency excludes from Temple mercies 364 Impossibles to man not so to God 374 Infamous they that make so shall be made so 286 287 Inheritance one to Jew and Gentile 585 Institutions of God like posts and thresholds 356. men must not make any like them ibid. Interrogations argue not ignorance in God 426 Judgements publick troublesom to neighbour nations 13. they make God known 12. in the forest some escape ibid 143. former not to be forgotten 13. suitable instruments execute them 17. nothing can s cure from them 26 157. they convince of the equity of Gods ways 158. threatned take place 172. they are oft lengthned out answerable to the time of mens sinning 258. what ever they be God is righteous 301. end of them 230 262. they begin but end not at Gods house 395 396. God executes some signal judgement 258. impartial 259. judgements upon the wicked are ingaging mercies to the godly 263 Justification what 315 K KAdash notes sanctifying and polluting 546 Kings and Kingdoms there flourishing and perishing in from the Lord 34. tyrannical Kings oft have bad ends 35 Kings are apt to be lifted up with their greatness 38. 39. must be told of their sins 39. its the Lord makes them great 246. have need of money to uphold them ibid. what brings dreadful judgements upon them 53â— why destroyed 55 69. They are lights and when put our sad events follow 73. 74 Kingdom No succession in Christs Kingdom 479 Subjects of it holy ibid. Knowledge not all a â—once 553 564. L LAmentations for siâ—s and ruines of others are from the Lord 65 Land Land in league 6. God hath ways to empty lands 16. They are his to dispose of 18 261 262 376. he can deprive them of their princes 26. made exemplary with judgments 27. what wastes lands 157. what ever condition it s in God is there 262. your own sins brings desolation 274 301 3â—2 their fruitfulness depends upon the Lord 293. desolate shall not always lye so 39â— God hath a peculiarity in some lands 214 Last made first 587 588. Law what 363. of Gods house why to be made known 366. chiefly to be observed 368 Liberty of speaking is from God 145 Life in the hand of God and death also 112. what is the principle of spiritual life and motion 365. its short 539 Liâ—e 285. what 291. mens lines must not be in Temple measurings 292 Lion of God who 372 Loath what in it 384. when men loath themselves for their sins 385 Looks forbidden to priests 393 Lybia whence so called 5 Lydia whence so named ib. M. MAgistrates good what they are 413 Magnifie when God magnifies himself 229 Mathematicians who fit for spiritual ones 261 Man though spared long shall suffer 101 Marriage whom the Priests were and were not to marry 394 Materials of the Church must be holy 368 Means what ever used God doth all 434 435 Mercies temporal not merited 308. choice mercies make men renounce former defilements 468. mercies gradually carried on 450. work more then judgements 384 Messiah upon what account