*Lavater in loc. will have the word taken from a besieged Garrison, begirt by many Enemies without, and in danger of being betrayed by treacherous Citizens within, in which danger the Soldiers upon pain of death are commanded to watch: and whereas the expression, (keep thy heart) seems to put it upon us as ourwork; yet it doth not imply a sufficiency or ability in us to do it; we are as able to stop the Sun in its course, or make the Rivers run backward, as by our own skill and power to rule and order our hearts: we may as well be our own Saviours, as our own Keepers, and yet Solomon speaks properly enough, when he saith, keep thy ⟨p. 4⟩Heart, because the duty is ours, though the power be Gods. A Natural man hath no power, a gracious man hath some; though not sufficient, and that power he hath depends upon the exciting and assisting strength of Christ; Gratia gratiam postulat, Grace within us is beholding to Grace without us, John 15. 5. Without me ye can do nothing. So much of the matter of the Duty.
*Lavater in loc. will have the word taken from a besieged Garrison, begirt by many Enemies without, and in danger of being betrayed by treacherous Citizens within, in which danger the Souldiers upon pain of death are commanded to watch: and whereas the expression, (keep thy heart) seems to put it upon us as ourwork; yet it doth not imply a sufficiency or ability in us to do it; we are as able to stop the Sun in its course, or make the Rivers run backward, as by our own skill and power to rule and order our hearts: we may as well be our own Saviours, as our own Keepers, and yet Solomon speaks properly enough, when he saith, keep thy ⟨p. 4⟩Heart, because the duty is ours, though the power be Gods. A Natural man hath no power, a gracious man hath some; though not sufficient, and that power he hath depends upon the exciting and assisting strength of Christ; Gratia gratiam postulat, Grace within us is beholding to Grace without us, Iohn 15. 5. Without me ve can do nothing. So much of the matter of the Duty.
- *I say constant, for the reason added in the Text, extends the duty to all the states and conditions of a Christians life, and makes it bind ad semper: If the heart must be kept because out of it are the issues of life, then as long as these issues of life do flow out of it, we are obliged to keep it.
