A26694:39
Remains of that excellent minister of Jesus Christ, Mr. Joseph Alleine being a collection…Remaines of that excellent minister of Jesus Christ, Mr. Joseph Alleine being a collection…
Remains of that excellent minister of Jesus Christ, Mr. Joseph Alleine being a collection of sundry directions, sermons, sacrament-speeches, and letters, not heretofore published ...Remaines of that excellent minister of Jesus Christ, Mr. Joseph Alleine being a collection of sundry directions, sermons, sacrament-speeches, and letters, not heretofore published ...
London: printed for Peter Parker, 1674
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Thirdly, The difficulty of this appears, Because the Saints have called in the special help of God, without which they could not come to know it. So did David Psal. 139. 23. Search me O God, &c. Our own hearts are too hard for us unless we take God's special assistance with us. Our hearts will deal with us, without this, as a bad neighbour will do when we come to search for our Goods, they will not let you in, except you come with the Kings Officer. Now the difficulty of this lies (1) In that the heart of man is so deep, Eccl. 7. 24. That which is exceeding deep who can find it out? Now so is the heart of man; for so Psal. 64. 6. And the heart is deep. The heart of man is deep as earth, yea, as Hell. •m. 3. that is, the hell that is in the heart. •2) The heart is very dark. Eph. 4. 18. Having the understanding darkened, &c. There •ou have two parts of the misery of man in ⟨p. 4⟩his natural estate. 1. He is a stranger to God; 2. To Himself. He cannot see a jot into his own heart, till the Lord do spring into the soul with a new light; as he did into the Prison, they cannot see what there is in the heart. And we need not any further evidence for this, than that common good opinion that men have of their hearts. Though their hearts are full of odious poison, and the like, yet they cannot see it till God open their eyes by conversion; and then they can see it: But yet it is but candle-light that the best of us have here of our hearts. (3.) Because the heart is very deceitful, above all things. There have been great deceits in the world; yet put all together, none in the world is so cunning as the heart, there is no comparison. You would think if a man were told before-hand, there is a known Cheater come to deal with him therefore he should take heed of dealing wit• him, such a man would think sure that h• should not be too hard for him; but yet th• Saints have known this, that the heart is so de ceitful; and they have been twenty or fort years learning it; yet their hearts are too har for them.