The truly blessed man

2. All Spiritual troubles do also pertain to their portion. And here is another Folio in their Inventory, more formidable than the former; for so much as the Soul is more noble, and of more excellent substance than the Body, so much the more terrible and grievous are the sorrows that befall it. Now spiritual plagues, which are the greatest plagues, belong to the Sinner; and there are many of these also: but those which are most observable, may be reduced to these, viz. there is the plague of an hard heart, which though men are not sensible of, because of the hardness of it, yet is a ground of the continuance of men under the Curse, and as it were binds them over to all the other sorrows which they meet withal; and this is followed with Gods giving men up to their sins, and delivering them over to their own counsels, Psal. 81.12. Whereby they heap up plagues, and miseries uncountable to themselves. There is also an horrid reflection of Conscience charging sin upon them, and presenting before them the Wrath of God, accusing, arraigning, condemning of them, citing them to Gods Tribunal, and setting before them eternal vengeance, whence ariseth amazing fear, which gives them no rest: they are afraid ⟨p. 522⟩of every thing, and think it a messenger to arrest them, and carry them before Gods; Judgment-feat, and they live in a fearful expectation of fiery indignation to fall upon them; and this hath also annexed to it, horrid Despair, making them a terror to themselves, and all about them: they go up and down crying out that they are damned, and their sins are greater than can be forgiven, as Cain, Gen. 4.14. And this eats the sweet out of all their outward comforts, robs them of the benefit of all the means of Grace, and fills them with an hell upon earth, and sometimes drives them to work fearful Tragedies upon themselves, as it did Judas, Mat. 27.4.

2. All Spiritual troubles do also pertain to their portion. And here is another Folio in their Inventory, more formidable than the former; for so much as the Soul is more noble, and of more excellent substance than the Body, so much the more terrible and grievous are the sorrows that befal it. Now spiritual plagues, which are the greatest plagues, belong to the Sinner; and there are many of these also: but those which are most observable, may be reduced to these, viz. there is the plague of an hard heart, which though men are not sensible of, because of the hardness of it, yet is a ground of the continuance of men under the Curse, and as it were binds them over to all the other sorrows which they meet withal; and this is followed with Gods giving men up to their sins, and delivering them over to their own counsels,