The Godly Man's Picture

2 There is a great difference between the hardness in the godly and the wicked; the one is natural, the other is only accidental; the hardness in a wicked man, is like the hardness of a stone, which is an innate continued hardness; the hardness in a child of God, is like the hardness of Ice, which is soon melted with the Sun-beams; perhaps God hath at present withdrawn his spirit, whereupon the heart is congealed as Ice, but let Gods spirit as the Sun, return and shine upon the heart, now it hath a gracious thaw upon it, and it melts in love.

2 There is a great difference between the hardnesse in the godly and the wicked; the one is natural, the other is only accidental; the hardnesse in a wicked man, is like the hardnesse of a stone, which is an innate continued hardnesse; the hardnesse in a childe of God, is like the hardnesse of Ice, which is soon melted with the Sun-beams; perhaps God hath at present withdrawn his spirit, whereupon the heart is congeal'd as Ice, but let Gods spirit as the Sun, return and shine upon the heart, now it hath a gracious thaw upon it, and it melts in love.

3 Dost not thou grieve under thy hardness? thou sighest for want of groans, thou weepest for want of tears; the hard reed cannot weep, if •hou wert not a bruised reed, all this moisture could not come from thee.

3 Dost not thou grieve under thy hardnesse? thou sighest for want of groans, thou weepest for want of tears; the hard reed cannot weep, if •hou wert not a bruised reed, all this moisture could not come from thee.

Object. 3 But I am a barren reed, I bring forth no fruit, therefore I fear I shall be broken.