A86531:215
The saints dignity and duty· Together with the danger of ignorance and hardness. /…The saints dignitie and dutie· Together with the danger of ignorance and hardnesse. /…
The saints dignity and duty· Together with the danger of ignorance and hardness. / Delivered in several sermons: by that reverend divine, Thomas Hooker, late preacher in New-England.The saints dignitie and dutie· Together with the danger of ignorance and hardnesse. / Delivered in severall sermons: by that reverend divine, Thomas Hooker, late preacher in New-England.
London: printed by G.D. for Francis Eglesfield, 1651
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
therefore take heed what you do, if by these signs, or any such which are clear and evident, grounded upon the word of God, you find your estates to be good, know then, and assuredly believe them to be good. It is true, I confess, the heart of man is so deceitful, that a man cannot try his own heart, and therefore the heart of man is so deceitful, that Ministers cannot try other mens hearts; none but the Lord Jesus Christ is only able to know the heart; none but the King is able to discern the man that had not on the wedding garment; you may pass the judgement of all the Ministers and Servants of the King, and be let in to the feast: Yet notwithstanding, though neither man himself nor Minister, is able to try the heart, yet this I confidently believe, that a man himself, and a Minister also may know and try the hearts of people, if so be they deal faithfully and plainly with him. ⟨p. 74⟩Though no man can discover the secret windings of the heart, yet the word of God doth: this word of God doth not only lay down infallible signs, whereby people may know whether they are in the truth of grace; but the word of God doth lay down signs, whereby we may know whether we have those signs or no: therefore if people will in the humility of their souls, nakedly (so far as they know their own hearts) openly, and plainly, and particularly judge them by the Scriptures, and observe their hearts in the course of Gods dealing with them, and their dealing with God, and accordingly apply the touchstone of the Scriptures; I am confident, by the signs and evidences of grace that are in the Scriptures, people may come to discern their own hearts, not by any virtue or skill of their own, but by the virtue and skill of God, whose power goeth along with his Word. It is true, a Hypocrite may deceive the quickest-eyed Minister in the world, if he will not openly lay his heart before him: and therefore good Ministers oftentimes speak peace to them to whom no peace belongeth; yet they speak the truth according to those evidences that are expressed to them. Were not the wise virgins deceived in the foolish? Was not David deceived in Ahithophel? Were not the Disciples deceived in Judas?
therefore take heed what you doe, if by these signes, or any such which are cleare and evident, grounded upon the word of God, you finde your estates to be good, know then, and assuredly beleeve them to be good. It is true, I confesse, the heart of man is so deceitfull, that a man cannot try his own heart, and therefore the heart of man is so deceitfull, that Ministers cannot try other mens hearts; none but the Lord Jesus Christ is onely able to know the heart; none but the King is able to discerne the man that had not on the wedding garment; you may passe the judgement of all the Ministers and Servants of the King, and be let in to the feast: Yet notwithstanding, though neither man himselfe nor Minister, is able to try the heart, yet this I confidently beleeve, that a man himselfe, and a Minister also may know and try the hearts of people, if so be they deale faithfully and plainly with him.