The dejected souls cure tending to support poor drooping sinners. With rules, comforts, and…The dejected soules cure tending to support poor drooping sinners. With rules, comforts, and…

But then Thirdly, The third sort of men that are cast down for sin, it is those that are of a melancholy disposition: the devil doth more prevail against men of this temper, then any sort of men in the world; to plunge them into sadder fears, deeper desertions, and greater astonishments then those that are of a more lively, lightsome and pleasant temper.

But then Thirdly, The third sort of men that are cast down for sin, it is those that are of a melancholy disposition: the divel doth more prevail against men of this temper, then any sort of men in the world; to plunge them into sadder fears, deeper desertions, and greater astonishments then those that are of a more lively, lightsome and pleasant temper.

Fourthly, Those God doth cast down for sin most, that are of a rugged and of a harsh disposition: now if God converts them, he doth more then ordinarily cast them down under the sight and sense of their sins, more then those that are of a soft temper and disposition which do not need so much humbling as the others do. You know that the hearts of men are compared to stones: now you know that some stones are more easily broken then others are; so some hearts they are more soft and more tender then others are: some hearts are like free stone that require so many heavy, and great, and strong blows to break them: whereas other hearts are like smaller and lesser stones, that may be broken with a hammer with lesser blows. When God sees stout hearted sinners that walk on in a course of sin, if he brings them home, he must use many blows to break their hearts, to humble them and lay them low before him. It is with sinners as it is with wood, some may be easily hewed and cut, others it is more knotty and needs more blows to cut it and square it fit for use: so some mens tempers they are more rugged and knotty, and need a greater degree and measure of humiliation then others do.

Fourthly, Those God doth cast down for sin most, that are of a rugged and of a harsh disposition: now if God converts them, he doth more then ordinarily cast them down under the sight and sense of their sins, more then those that are of a soft temper and disposition which do not need so much humbling as the others doe. You know that the hearts of men are compared to stones: now you know that some stones are more easily broken then others are; so some hearts they are more soft and more tender then others are: some hearts are like free stone that require so many heavy, and great, and strong blows to break them: whereas other hearts are like smaller and lesser stones, that may be broken with a hammer with lesser blows. When God sees stout hearted sinners that walk on in a course of sin, if he brings them home, he must use many blows to break their hearts, to humble them and lay them low before him. It is with sinners as it is with wood, some may be easily hewed and cut, others it is more knotty and needs more blows to cut it and square it fit for use: so some mens tempers they are more rugged and knotty, and need a greater degree and measure of humiliation then others doe.