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 Apostle telleth you in the sixth verse, They are laden with sins, and led about with divers lusts; And vers. 8. They are of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith, or (as it is in the Margin of your Bibles) of no judgement concerning the faith: Mark, like unto these carnal hearted widows, there is a sort of men in the Church of God, that carry the cloak of profession upon them, and will run to every Lecture, and take hold of every occasion to hear a Sermon, and yet alas know nothing, but are as silly and ignorant in the main grounds of Religion, as blind in the things of God, as any in the world: Will you know the reason why they thrive not? Observe it; They are laden with lusts, and led about with divers pleasures; their hearts cleave close to some corruption, they harbour some bosom lust in their souls; they have a form of godliness, but they take not up the power of Religion, because it would remove and dis-place those lusts that they love so well. I beseech you observe that place, Isa. 6.9, 10. When the Lord had a purpose to overthrow the people, and to bring a desolation upon them for their obstinacy, he biddeth the Prophet go and preach to them; but to what purpose? Not to do them any good, for he would not save them. Well, what course then must the Prophet take? Go (saith God) and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; least they see with their eyes, and hear with their cares, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. I beseech you observe this Text: If they did see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand […] God would heal them: But ⟨p. 202⟩God in his just judgement will not have them see, nor hear, nor understand, that they might not convert, and be healed, and he will accomplish this work by the Ministry of the Prophet, and therefore he sendeth him to harden them by his preaching, and how? Make their hearts fat, and then (as it followeth) their ears will be heavy, and their eyes will be shut. Now (observe) what makes an heart fat? First, continual glutting of ones self with diet, with immoderate eating and drinking; and then secondly, continual idleness; these two make men fat: Just so it is with the soul of a sinner:

The Apostle telleth you in the sixt verse, They are laden with sins, and led about with divers lusts; And vers. 8. They are of corrupt mindes, reprobate concerning the faith, or (as it is in the Margent of your Bibles) of no judgement concerning the faith: Mark, like unto these carnall hearted widdows, there is a sort of men in the Church of God, that carry the cloak of profession upon them, and will run to every Lecture, and take hold of every occasion to hear a Sermon, and yet alas know nothing, but are as silly and ignorant in the main grounds of Religion, as blind in the things of God, as any in the world: Will you know the reason why they thrive not? Observe it; They are laden with lusts, and led about with divers pleasures; their hearts cleave close to some corruption, they harbour some bosome lust in their souls; they have a form of godliness, but they take not up the power of Religion, because it would remove and dis-place those lusts that they love so well. I beseech you observe that place,