Doest thou come to the Word and not hearken to the Counsel of God in his Word? It is an evident sign that God intends to destroy thee. Oh hear! hear and your souls shall live, your souls shall live. Indeed here lies the ground of all the evil almost in those that are professors of Religion, The not hearkening to the Truth; I suppose those that make profession of Religion if they have enlightened consciences they dare not sin against a known Truth; but now here's the evil of thy heart, look to that; thou sayest, If I knew it were a Truth I would not go against it: yea but the corruption of thy heart makes thee unwilling to hearken to the Truth, the corruption of mens hearts makes them that they would fain have such a thing not to be a Truth. I appeal to you, have you never felt some corruptions stirring this way, that when you are engaged another way, and you see that if you should be taken off from that, a great deal of ease and liberty, and outward comforts would be gone, and upon this your hearts are ⟨p. 296⟩very loth that that should be true, and therefore you are not willing to hearken, to hearken with a clear heart, so as to be willing to entertain the Truth, if it doth prove to be a truth; that soul that shall be willing to retain every truth, and be willing to let the truth prevail what ever it be, that's a sign of a gracious heart; but the lusts of mens hearts do hinder them from hearkening, and they are loth to hearken to those Truths that come nearest to them; but when a man or woman shall be able in the presence of God upon examination of his or her heart, to say, Oh Lord, let thy Truth prevail, thou knowest that I am willing to hearken to every Truth of Thine, though it should pluck away all my outward comforts, I would fain know thy Truth, and I would know the strictest Truths, what Truths they are that most concern thy Glory, and thy Worship in the best manner, whatever becomes of my Credit or estate, Lord, let thy Truth prevail in my heart: (I say) here's a gracious heart that will thus hearken to God and his Truth: But they have uncircumcised ears, they cannot hear (saith Jeremiah;) so, through the corruption that is in mens spirits they cannot hearken to those things that seem to make against them.
Doest thou come to the Word and not hearken to the Counsel of God in his Word? It is an evident sign that God intends to destroy thee. Oh hear! hear and your souls shall live, your souls shall live. Indeed here lies the ground of all the evil almost in those that are professors of Religion, The not hearkening to the Truth; I suppose those that make profession of Religion if they have enlightened consciences they dare not sin against a known Truth; but now here's the evil of thy heart, look to that; thou saiest, If I knew it were a Truth I would not go against it: yea but the corruption of thy heart makes thee unwilling to hearken to the Truth, the corruption of mens hearts makes them that they would fain have such a thing not to be a Truth. I appeal to you, have you never felt some corruptions stirring this way, that when you are engaged another way, and you see that if you should be taken off from that, a great deal of ease and liberty, and outward comforts would be gone, and upon this your hearts are ⟨p. 296⟩very loth that that should be true, and therefore you are not willing to hearken, to hearken with a cleer heart, so as to be willing to entertain the Truth, if it doth prove to be a truth; that soul that shall be willing to retain every truth, and be willing to let the truth prevail what ever it be, that's a sign of a gracious heart; but the lusts of mens hearts do hinder them from hearkening, and they are loth to hearken to those Truths that come neerest to them; but when a man or woman shall be able in the presence of God upon examination of his or her heart, to say, Oh Lord, let thy Truth prevail, thou knowest that I am willing to hearken to every Truth of Thine, though it should pluck away all my outward comforts, I would fain know thy Truth, and I would know the strictest Truths, what Truths they are that most concern thy Glory, and thy Worship in the best manner, whatever becomes of my Credit or estate, Lord, let thy Truth prevail in my heart: (I say) here's a gracious heart that will thus hearken to God and his Truth: But they have uncircumcised ears, they cannot hear (saith Jeremiah;) so, through the corruption that is in mens spirits they cannot hearken to those things that seem to make against them.
