The Soul's Preparation for Christ

Thus the heart is turned away from sin, and set against those corruptions which heretofore it was burdened with; as it is with wheels of a clock, when the wheels have run wrong, before a man can set them right again, he must stop it, and turn it to its right place, and all these are merely wrought upon the wheel, by the hand of the workman; for of it self it hath no poise nor weight to run right; but when the clock-master puts to his plummets, then it is able to run of it self, though the workman's hand be not there.

Thus the heart is turned away from sinne, and set against those corruptions which heretofore it was burthened with; as it is with wheels of a clocke, when the wheeles have runne wrong, before a man can set them right againe, he must stop it, and turne it to its right place, and all these are meerly wrought upon the wheele, by the hand of the workeman; for of it selfe it hath no poise nor weight to runne right; but when the clocke-master puts to his plummets, then it is able to runne of it selfe, though the workemans hand be not there.

So the will and affections of a man which are ⟨p. 248⟩the great wheels of this curious clock of the soul these wheels do naturally of themselves run all hellward, and sin-ward, and devil-ward: now before the soul can receive a new principle of grace, first, the Lord unmasks a man, and makes him come to a stand, and makes him see hell gaping for him; thus the heart is at a maze.

So the will and affections of a man which are ⟨p. 248⟩the great wheels of this curious clock of the soule these wheels do naturally of thēselves run all helward, and sin-ward, and devil-ward: now before the soule can receive a new principle of grace, first, the Lord unmaskes a man, and makes him come to a stand, and makes him see hell gaping for him; thus the heart is at a maze.