yet it is thy heart, that is, a vain heart, a barren heart,1 a sinful heart, until thou give it unto GOD, and then it is the spouse of Christ,2 the Temple of the Holy Ghost, and the image of God, so changed, and formed, and refined, that God calls it a new heart, Ezek. 36.26. Some have a double heart,3 as it is in the 12. Psalm: but God acknowledgeth but one heart, saying,4 give me thy heart, not give me thy hearts: declaring that a single heart is pleasing unto him, and that they which have a double heart, a heart & a heart, have never a good heart. God doeth not require the heart, as though he required no more then the heart, like the Pope, which saith, give me thy hart, & it sufficeth. To maintain his Papists pendant and crouchant, which live amongst Christians, he requireth ⟨image 7⟩nothing of such but their heart, they may worship god with their lips, and dissemble their religion, and forswear their opinions, and come to sermons, and subscribe to other laws, and seem protestants, as the devil licenceth witches to seem christians, so they give him their heart, he dispenseth with them to dissemble, & give the rest as they list, but God requireth the heart because we should not dissemble, for in the 12. to the Rom. he commands the body too,5 Offer up your bodies a lively sacrifice. Which we cannot do, unless we give heart, & hand, & tongue, & eyes, & ears, and all, for the body is all: but the heart is chief in request, because if there be any goodness, it lies in the heart, & because he which gives the hart gives all,6 for out of the abundance of the hart the mouth speaketh, the hand worketh, the eye looketh, the ear listeneth, the foot walketh to ⟨image 7⟩good or evil: therefore, there is such strife for the heart, as there was for M•ses body:7 give it me saith the Lord, give it me saith the tempter, give it me saith the Pope, give it me saith riches, give it me saith pleasure, as though thou must needs give it: now here is thy choice, whether thou wilt give it to God or the devil, Gods heart or the devils heart whose wilt thou be? Man hangs in a balance like a young virgin which hath many suitors: some she favours for parentage, some for personage, some for friends, some for wealth, some for wit, some for virtue: and after all, chooseth the worst of all:
yet it is thy heart, that is, a vaine heart, a barren heart,1 a sinfull heart, vntill thou geue it vnto GOD, and then it is the spouse of Christ,2 the Temple of the Holie Ghost, and the image of God, so changed, and formed, and refined, that God cals it a newe heart, Ezek. 36.26. Some haue a double hearte,3 as it is in the 12. Psalme: but God acknovvledgeth but one heart, saying,4 geue me thy heart, not geue mee thy hearts: declaring that a single heart is pleasing vnto him, and that they vvhich haue a double hearte, a heart & a heart, haue neuer a good heart. God doeth not require the heart, as though hee required no more then the heart, like the Pope, vvhich saith, geue me thy hart, & it sufficeth. To maintaine his Papistes pendant and crouchant, vvhich liue amongst Christians, hee requireth ⟨image 7⟩nothing of such but their hearte, they may worship god vvith theire lippes, and dissemble their religion, and forsvveare their opinions, and come to sermons, and subscribe to other lavves, and seem protestants, as the deuill licenceth vvitches to seeme christians, so they geue him their heart, he dispenseth vvith thē to dissemble, & giue the rest as they list, but God requireth the heart because vve should not dissemble, for in the 12. to the Rom. hee commaunds the body too,5 Offer vp your bodies a liuely sacrifice. Which vve cannot doe, vnles we giue heart, & hand, & tongue, & eies, & eares, and all, for the body is all: but the heart is chiefe in request, because if there be any goodnes, it lies in the hearte, & because he vvhich giues the hart geues al,6 for out of the aboundance of the hart the mouth speaketh, the hand vvorketh, the eye looketh, the eare listneth, the foote vvalketh to ⟨image 7⟩good or euill: therefore, there is such strife for the hearte, as there vvas for M•ses bodie:7
- 1Isaiah 47, 1• Eccle. •, 9Esai 47, 1• Eccle. •, 9
- 21. Cor, •, •6 11 Cor, 6, 19
- 3Eze, 36, 26
- 4Psal, 12, 2
- 5Rom, 12, i,
- 6Luc, 6.45,
- 7Jud, 9,Iud, 9,
