but there can no case be given, in which we may resist the approving will of God in his word; that then must be a sweet conformity with God, when the heart sweetly closes with impressions of rebukes, threatenings, convictions, and influences of Evangelic commands. Its good earth that easily yields and cedes to the breakings and tillings made by the Plough;1 let the word act as the Lord will, in all its kinds, and the soul says amen: but the ground that breaks the Irons of the tilling Plough is convinced to be rocky and barren: every string of the harp beaten on by the hand of ⟨p. 121⟩the Musician, gives a resound like it self; a Bell of silver hath an other sort of excellent sound then a Bell of Brass or Iron: the gracious heart answers to every letter and impression of the word, to the promise with faith, to the precept with pliableness of obedience, to the threatening with softness and godly trembling; for all the Word and Law and the several parts thereof are written and engraven in the heart; and the gracious heart is a double or a second copy of the Old and New Testament. So Ahab on the contrary meets every word from Micaiah with hatred, and there is a resound and an echo of hatred and persecution which in the Pharisees meets the words of rebuke in Christ's mouth, and bitterness in Herod resounds when John Baptist does rebuke his incest, and adultery. Take it for a sad condition when there is a practical contrariety and hatred betwixt the heart and the word of the Lord; a heart loathing of the word and a rejecting thereof is dreadful; whereas the esteeming of the word sweeter then the honey or the honey comb, more then thousands of silver and gold, the mans treasure, his heritage, his souls delight and love night and day, his work, meditation, study, wisdom, do proclaim much of the new creation; the word being the seed of the new birth,2 and new creations must love the mother seed, its own native beginning, as the streams are of the same nature and likeness with the fountain: the Word tries all mens hearts, see Joh. 7. 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46. Luk. 4. 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 28, 29. Acts 2. 12, 13, 37, 38, 39. Acts 7. 54, 55, &c. Acts 13. 38, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46. Acts 14. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, &c. Acts 17. 34, 35, 36. Some believe, some mock, the natural man cannot close with the word.3
but there can no case be given, in which we may resist the approving will of God in his word; that then must be a sweet conformity with God, when the heart sweetly closes with impressions of rebukes, threatnings, convictions, and influences of Evangelick commands. Its good earth that easily yields and cedes to the breakings and tillings made by the Plough;1 let the word act as the Lord will, in all its kinds, and the soul says amen: but the ground that breaks the Irons of the tilling Plough is convinced to be rocky and barren: every string of the harp beaten on by the hand of ⟨p. 121⟩the Musician, gives a resound like it self; a Bell of silver hath an other sort of excellent sound then a Bell of Brass or Iron: the gracious heart answers to every letter and impression of the word, to the promise with faith, to the precept with pliableness of obedience, to the threatning with softness and godly trembling; for all the Word and Law and the several parts thereof are written and engraven in the heart; and the gracious heart is a double or a second copy of the Old and New Testament. So Achab on the contrary meets every word from Micaiah with hatred, and there is a resound and an echo of hatred and persecution which in the Pharisees meets the words of rebuke in Christ's mouth, and bitterness in Herod resounds when John Baptist does rebuke his incest, and adultery. Take it for a sad condition when there is a practical contrariety and hatred betwixt the heart and the word of the Lord; a heart loathing of the word and a rejecting thereof is dreadful; whereas the esteeming of the word sweeter then the honey or the honey comb, more then thousands of silver and gold, the mans treasure, his heritage, his souls delight and love night and day, his work, meditation, study, wisedom, do proclaim much of the new creation; the word being the seed of the new birth,2 and new creations must love the mother seed, its own native beginning, as the streams are of the same nature and likeness with the fountain: the Word tries all mens hearts, see Joh. 7. 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46. Luk. 4. 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 28, 29. Acts 2. 12, 13, 37, 38, 39. Acts 7. 54, 55, &c.
- 1Its good to answer every impression of his word.
- 21 Pet. 1. 23. The new-birth.
- 3We may weep over our own dry hearts, when we want influences, but we cannot weep against the Lord because he gives not these influences.
