But may not a Man be reclaimed? Oh no, for he hath a Heart of Stone; Ezek. 36. 26. I will take away the Heart of Stone. Every Man that comes to be converted, hath a Heart of Stone, and what's that? insensible, inflexible: Insensible, he hath no feeling of his Condition: Inflexible, he will not be moved and wrought upon by the Word, and the Spirit, and Providence: How many means are wasted upon him, and to no purpose? And Jer. 17. 9. The Heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it? It invents all kinds of Shifts and Excuses to elude God, or rather to cheat it self: When God ⟨p. 284⟩comes to work upon Man, it slides away from under his hand, as if Salvation it self should not save them. Yea, but is not the New-Testament more favourable to Man than the Old? Or, is not Man grown better, now there is so much of God's Grace discovered? I answer, there's a perfect Harmony between the Testaments: there he is styled a Child of Wrath by Nature; Eph. 2. 3. the Elect as well as others were so. There you will find him to be a Servant of Sin; Rom. 6. 17. Never such an imperious Master as Sin is, never such a willing Servant as Man is: Sin never leaves commanding, and we love to work, and therefore are at its beck. There you will find him to be represented to a Man that hath a blind Understanding, and a hard Heart, and one that is averse from the Life of God; Eph. 4. 18. There you will find one that is an Enemy to the Law of God, Enmity it self; Rom. 8. 7. one that neither will nor can please God: One that is blind, and knows not what to do; 2 Pet. 1. 9. He that lacketh these things, is blind, and with such a Blindness as is far worse than bodily. A Man that is blind in his bodily Eyes, would think it to be a great Happiness to have a fit Guide; as in Acts 13. 11. when Elymas was smitten blind, he sought about for some body to lead him by the hand: But he that is spiritually blind, cannot endure to have a Guide; or if one would lead him, and direct him in the right way he is angry. And as the Scripture represents him as blind, so without Strength; Rom. 5. 9. Dead in Trespasses and Sins: Eph. 2. 5. yea worse then dead; a dead Man doth no more hurt, his Evil dyeth with him; but there's a Life of Resistance and Rebellion against God, that goeth along.
But may not a Man be reclaimed? Oh no, for he hath a Heart of Stone; Ezek. 36. 26. I will take away the Heart of Stone. Every Man that comes to be converted, hath a Heart of Stone, and what's that? insensible, inflexible: Insensible, he hath no feeling of his Condition: Inflexible, he will not be moved and wrought upon by the Word, and the Spirit, and Providence: How many means are wasted upon him, and to no purpose? And Ier. 17. 9. The Heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it? It invents all kinds of Shifts and Excuses to elude God, or rather to cheat it self: When God ⟨p. 284⟩comes to work upon Man, it slides away from under his hand, as if Salvation it self should not save them. Yea, but is not the New-Testament more favourable to Man than the Old? Or, is not Man grown better, now there is so much of God's Grace discovered? I answer, there's a perfect Harmony between the Testaments: there he is stiled a Child of Wrath by Nature; Eph. 2. 3. the Elect as well as others were so. There you will find him to be a Servant of Sin; Rom. 6. 17. Never such an imperious Master as Sin is, never such a willing Servant as Man is: Sin never leaves commanding, and we love to work, and therefore are at its beck. There you will find him to be represented to a Man that hath a blind Vnderstanding, and a hard Heart, and one that is averse from the Life of God; Eph. 4. 18. There you will find one that is an Enemy to the Law of God, Enmity it self; Rom. 8. 7. one that neither will nor can please God: One that is blind, and knows not what to do; 2 Pet. 1. 9. He that lacketh these things, is blind, and with such a Blindness as is far worse than bodily. A Man that is blind in his bodily Eyes, would think it to be a great Happiness to have a fit Guide; as in Acts 13. 11. when Elymas was smitten blind, he sought about for some body to lead him by the hand: But he that is spiritually blind, cannot endure to have a Guide; or if one would lead him, and direct him in the right way he is angry. And as the Scripture represents him as blind, so without Strength;
