The Sin of Hardness of Heart, Sermon
A SERMON PREACHED TO THE HONORABLE Houſe of COMMONS upon their ſolemne Monethly Faſt.
BEloved in the Lord, ſome miſtake concerning one of the Preachers that ſhould have ſupplied the worke of this day, is the occaſion of my ſtanding here at this time, at ſhorter warning, then is fit for ſuch a ſervice, but I have learned to receive encouragement from a call; and therefore without any further Apologie, I beſeech you attend to the Word of God, which you ſhall find written in the
7. of ZACHARIAH Verſ. 12.
Yea they made their hearts as an Adamant ſtone, leſt they ſhould heare the Law, and the words which the Lord of hoſt hath ſent in his ſpirit, by the former Prophets, therefore came a great wrath from the Lord of hoſts.
MY Text is part of an anſwer to a caſe of conſcience, The Text opened, the occaſion, coherence and parts of it.propounded in the beginning of this Chapter, from the fourth Verſ. of this Chapter to the end of the next Chapter is contained the full anſwer to that caſe of conſcience; the caſe of conſcience was this; They ſent unto the houſe of God, Sherezer, and Regem-melech, and their men, to ſpeak to the Prieſt, and to know of him, and of the Prophets whether they ſhould weep in the fifth monethmonth, as they had done theſe 70. yeers; this was the caſe propounded; now becauſe my ſubject matter this day muſt very much relate unto this caſe, give me leave a little to open it to you; The Jewes after it had pleaſed God to bring upon them the Babylonian captivitie, did ſet apart foure dayes every yeer, which they kept as ſolemne dayes of humiliation, one of them was in the fifth monethmonth, another was in the ſeventh monethmonth, another was in the tenth monethmonth, and another was in the fourth monethmonth, upon theſe occaſions: In the tenth monethmonth did Nebuchadnezzars Army, firſt beleaguer Ieruſalem, as you'l finde it in the 25. Chapter of the ſecond book of the Kings, that day that Nebuchadnezzars Army firſt ſat downe before the Citie, did they keep 2 Kings 25. 1.a faſting day all thoſe 70. yeers: In the fourth monethmonth of the yeere following, they broke into the Citie and took 2 Kings 25. 3. Verſ. 8. Verſ. 25.it, the day that the Citie was taken, did they keep as a ſolemn faſting day; In the fifth monethmonth Nebuzaradan came and burnt the Temple; the day that the Temple was burnt, did they alſo keep as a faſting day; In the ſeventh monethmonth Gedaliah, the ſonne of Ahikam, was kill'd, murder'd by Iſhmael, and all the reſt that were left, were ſcatter'd into Egypt, and that day likewiſe did they keep as a faſting day; and theſe foure dayes they kept threeſcore and ten yeers; Now the Temple being built againe, at leaſt in a good forwardneſſe, they ſend to know whether the faſt of the fifth monethmonth ſhould continue; concerning the other faſts they make no mention of them, probably conceiving that the occaſion of thoſe faſts did continue ſtill; but they would know whether the Lord would not have them lay aſide the faſt of the fifth monethmonth, which was kept in reference to the Temple, becauſe the Temple was now built, or in a great forwardneſſe; this caſe of conſcience was ſent, ſome think, by the Jewes that remain'd ſtill in Babylon, that they ſent Sherezer and Regemmelech, and the reſt of them, as their Embaſſadors; others thinke they were ſent from all the Jewes, that were return'd from their Captivity, but by whom ſoever the meſſage was ſent, this was the caſe that I have read to you; Now the Prophet comes to anſwer this caſe, and in the anſwer hee takes notice of all the foure dayes of faſting, though they mention but one of them, becauſe they all hung upon one hinge, and the anſwer of the Prophet to this caſe, ſo much of it as is contained in this Chapter is a meere ſlighting of the caſe propounded; and there are two things wherein the Prophet expreſſes the Lords contempt of their Embaſſage, one,
That the Lord tooke no notice of any ſuch thing; Did you faſt to me? (ſaith he) you ſpeake of dayes of faſting, 1.that you have kept 70. yeers, did you faſt to mee? Did I either appoint them? or doe I accept them? or have you carried them as you ſhould doe? the meaning is, you play the hypocrites with mee, you would make a great deale adoe about a ſolemne Embaſſage, to have a caſe of conſcience determin'd, which is firſt, but a ceremony at the beſt, and beſides it is a ceremony of your own inventing, and in it you have howled and mourned for your afflictions, but never tooke notice of your ſinnes, that have cauſed thoſe judgements to come upon you; you faſted ſometimes, and feaſted ſometimes, but when you have faſted, you faſted not to me, & when you did eate and drink, you did eate and drinke to your ſelves, and not to mee; that is the firſt, a ſlighting of it, as a keeping a coile about a trifle, when there were greater matters concerned them which they regarded not.
The ſecond branch of the Prophets anſwer containes 2.the true reaſon why all this faſting of theirs was thus ſlighted by God that is laid downe, Firſt,
More generally in the 6. Verſe, wherein the Prophet 1.gives them a ſound and a ſharpe reproof, you have wept and mourned, but ſhould not you rather have took notice of the words, which the Lord did ſend by the Prophets? ſhould ye not heare the words that the Prophets cried in former times, when Ieruſalem was inhabited, and the Cities thereof round about her? there you might have learned the true way, but that you have no whit regarded; you cry for your afflictions, but you are not one whit ſenſible of thoſe ſinnes that have cauſed theſe judgements upon you: That is the generall, then ſecondly,
Hee proceeds more particularly to open this Ulcer of 2.their hypocriſie, and three things there are which he remembers them of, Firſt,
The Lord remembers them of the counſell that had been given them and their Fathers, how to remove the 1.plagues that lay upon them, (ſaith hee) Thus ſpeaks the Lord of hoſts (in the 9. Verſe) execute true judgement, and juſtice, ſhew mercy and compaſſion every man to his brother, oppreſſe not the widow, the fatherleſſe, nor the ſtranger, let none of you imagine evill againſt his brother in his heart: this was the counſell which of old was given, how the ruine of Ieruſalem might have been prevented; the exerciſe of juſtice, and the exerciſe of mercy; indeed the Prophet there inſtances onelyonly in two Table duties, but I thinke the reaſon is, becauſe the Jewes were alwayes very exact in matters of Gods worſhip, ſave onelyonly when they fell into Idolatry, and they bore themſelves much upon the duties of the firſt Table; and it is Gods ordinary practiſe when hee would diſcover the hypocriſie of men, that are much in holy duties, to fall upon the duties of the ſecond Table, wherein they ordinarily are careleſſe, ſo the Prophet tells them, that had they walked after this manner, this wrath had never come upon them; but now, which is the ſecond,
See what diſobedience they ſhewed to this, and this diſobedience 2.is laid downe in the 11. & 12. Verſes: and aggravated from the worſt qualitie that diſobedience can be accompanied with, that is, wilfulneſſe and obſtinacy; and this wilfull and obſtinate diſobedience of theirs, is laid down in foure Metaphors, but all of them ſignifying one and the ſame thing, onelyonly the three firſt doe moſt immediatly ſignifie the outward expreſſions of their diſobedience; and the fourth which is the root of all, diſcovers the very fountaine whence all their diſobedience did ſpring; Firſt ſaith he,
They refuſed to hearken, they were like to a man, that when you would doe an errand to him, flings away from you, and ſaith plainly, hee will not heare what you ſay; Secondly,
They pull away their ſhoulder, alluding unto a Beaſt, a Bullock, that when you would put the yoke upon it, it ſnatches the ſhoulder away, and refuſes to bee yok'd by you, nay, ſaith he,
They ſtopped their eares; alluding to Adder, that (they ſay of it, it) laies one eare againſt the ground, and ſtops the other eare with the taile, that it may not be charmed, or like unto thoſe, that when they would plainly let you ſee, how much they ſlight what you ſay to them, put their finger in their eares, that all may take notice, they will not regard you; But then fourthly, (which is the theame that I purpoſe to handle by the Lords aſſiſtance;)
Here is the cauſe of all, that is, they made their hearts like an Adamant ſtone, yea (ſaith hee) they made their hearts like an Adamant ſtone, that they might not heare the Word that God hath ſpoken; then followes the third branch, the fruit of their diſobedience, therefore all this wrath is come upon them. In theſe words, here are two things to bee handled; Firſt,
The ſinne that this people were guilty of; in theſe 1.words, they made their hearts like an Adamant ſtone, that they might not heare the word: Secondly,
The judgement that this ſinne brought upon them: Therefore ſaith the Lord, it is come to paſſe, that as they 2.would not heare me, I would not heare them; but a great wrath is come upon them, and I have ſcatter'd them among all the Nations, and laid their land deſolate. In their ſinne, (which is the onelyonly theame I ſhall inſiſt upon) you have two things: Firſt,
What their ſinne was, what the wicked frame of their 1.heart was, their heart was like an Adamant ſtone; Secondly,
How it came to be ſo: they made their heart ſo themſelves; 2.they made their heart as an Adamant ſtone: next open the meaning of this, what is here meant by an Adamant ſtone? the Hebrew word is variouſly interpreted, ſome doe render it a flint, ſome a ſtone that will not waſte, many with our new tranſlation render it an Adamant, but generally, Criticks doe agree, that it is a ſtone of the hardeſt nature, that will not by any toole bee graven or faſhioned to any deſirable mould: ſo to make their heart as an Adamant ſtone, doth plainly meane, they did extreamly harden their heart, that is the Engliſh of it, they would not heare, they ſtopped their eare, they pull'd away their ſhoulder, yea, they did extreamely harden their hearts: Here are two things further to be interpreted: Firſt,
What is meant by the heart that is here hardned? And 1.ſecondly,
What this hardning the heart ſignifies.2.
By heart you know is naturally meant that piece of 1.fleſh that is in the body, which they ſay, it is primum vivens, and ultimum moriens: but morally and ſpiritually by the heart is meant the ſoule, and uſually, the will and the affections are ordinarily in Scripture meant by the heart; ſo it is here.
What by hardneſſe, or hardning; Hardning in the naturall 2.ſignification of it, is nothing but the withdrawing of moyſture form any ſubſtance, whereby the parts come to bee condenſed and made ſtiffe, ſo as not to yeeld to the touch; Durum eſt quod non cedit tactui, that that will not receive any impreſſion that is hard: this in a naturall ſenſe; but in a morall and ſpirituall ſenſe, to harden the heart is nothing but to have the will reſolutely and unchangeably ſet upon any purpoſe, not to be taken off from their enterpriſe by any meanes that can bee uſed to change them, that is to harden the heart; and in the Scripture it is ſometimes taken in a good ſenſe, a mans heart may be harden'd in a very gratious manner, ſo Ezekiels Ezekiel 3. 8.was, when the Lord told him, the houſe of Iſrael will not hearken to thee, for they are impudent and hard hearted, but (ſaith God) I have made thy face ſtrong againſt their faces, and thy forehead ſtrong againſt their foreheads, thou ſhalt bee as impudent as they, as an Adamant, harder then flint, &c. thou ſhalt bee as much hardned in good as they in evill, I have given thee that grace; that ſhall make thee reſolute as they: Paul was, when they came, and wept, and prayed him hee would not goe to Ieruſalem, (ſaith he) you weep in vaine I'le goe though I die for it; his heart was hardned: and ſo Luther; when his friends would have perſwaded him not to have gone to Wormes; to the diſputation there, If all the tiles of the houſes in Wormes were Devils, I would goe; that is to have a heart harden'd in a good cauſe; but ordinarily in the Scripture, to harden the heart, or to have hardneſſe of heart, is ordinarily meant in an evill ſenſe; hardening in ſin, hardning againſt God: and ſo my Text hath it plainely, they made their heart as an Adamant ſtone, that they might not heare the word that God had ſent to them: their heart was reſolutely, and unchangeably bent to goe on in their wayes, ſay or doe what God would, or could to the contrary; that is the ſin that is here mentioned; now from hence I ſhall take up this Leſſon; and it is the onelyonly Leſſon, which I ſhall by the Lords aſſiſtance handle this day; and in it take in both the ſinne, and the judgement together.
That the ſinne of hardning the heart againſt God, is a certain Doct.forerunner of utter deſtruction;
They made their heart as hard as an Adament ſtone, therefore came there a great wrath from God; and therefore Hardening the heart, a certain forerunner of deſtruction.as I called, and they would not anſwer, when they cryed I would not anſwer, but I have ſcatter'd them: ſo the Leſſon is plaine; but before I come to prove it, that Five diſtinctions about hardneſſe of heart, premiſed forth: clearing of this Doctrine.it may bee rightly ſtated, I ſhall premiſe five diſtinctions about this ſinne of hardneſſe of heart; whereby you will more plainly underſtand the Doctrine that I am to make good out of the Scripture; Firſt,
That there is a naturall hardneſſe of heart, which is the 1.case of all men in the world; Secondly, there is an acquired There is a naturall hardneſſe of heart, and there is an acquired hardneſſe.hardneſſe of heart, or a hardneſſe that man brings upon himſelf; There is a naturall hardneſſe of heart, the Scripture is plain in it, that all men in the world, the originall frame of their hearts; is in the Scripture ſet downe by the expreſſion of a heart of ſtone, in Ezek. 11. Ezek. 11. 19.when God promiſes converſion, (ſaith hee). I will take away the heart of ſtone, that is in them, and give them a heart of fleſh; every man and woman in the world, brings the ſtone of the heart into the world with them; but then Secondly,
There is an acquired hardneſſe of heart, or a hardneſſe that men bring upon themſelves; ſo my Text ſaith, they made their hearts hard, and ſo it is ſaid of Zedekiah, in the 36. of the 2 Chron. hee hardned his heart againſt God: that is one; Secondly,
Know that there is a graduall or partiall hardneſſe of 2.heart; when the heart is harden'd but in ſome meaſure, There is a graduall or partial hardneſs, and there is a to aſ hardneſs.there is ſome hardneſſe in them, and ſome ſoftneſſe in them, and there is a totall hardening of the heart when the whole fram… of the heart is given up to hardneſſe.
That there is a graduall, and partiall hardneſs of heart, you may ſee it in Chriſts own Diſciples, who being new Creatures had a heart of fleſh in them, and yet it is ſaid of them, in Mark. 6. 52. They conſidered not the miracle Mark 6. 52. Mark. 8. 17.of the loaves, becauſe their heart was hardned: and in Mark. 8. Chriſt ſaith to them, Have ye your hearts yet harden'd? Chriſts own Diſciples had ſome degrees of hardneſſe of heart, but then
There is a hardneſſe, that is a Totall hardneſſe; of Jer. 5. 3. Jer. 6. 28.which the Scripture ſaith, they are all braſſe and iron; Thirdly,
There is a hardneſſe of heart, that is felt; felt by them 3.that are under it; and there is a hardneſſe of heart that is There is a hardneſs felt and a hardneſs unfelt.unfelt.
There is a hardneſſe that is felt: ſo the Church ſaith in Iſaiah 63. ver. 1. Ah Lord, why haſt thou harden'd our hearts from thy feare? ButIſa 63. 17.
There is likewiſe a hardneſſe of heart, that though it lye upon the ſoule, yet they feele it not; that they are as dead men under it, like Nabals heart, that was like a ſtone, and he tooke no notice of it: and this unfelt hardneſſe of heart, it proceeds ſometimes from ignorance, and ſometimes from malice; Fourthly,4.
Know that there is a hardneſſe of heart, that is unwilling, There is an unwilling hardneſſe a hardneſs bemoaned for and ſtriven againſt; & there is a willing hardnes, a hardneſs raigning and delighted in. Ier. 31. 18.bemoaned, lamented, groaned under, look'd upon as a judgment, as a miſery; and there is a hardneſſe of heart that is willing, a willing hardneſſe, a pleaſing hardneſſe, a raigning hardneſſe, a hardneſſe choſen and delighted in.
That there is an unwilling, bemoaned hardneſſe, is plain, in Ephraims caſe in Ier. 31. who makes this his ſorrowfull complaint before God, that his heart was like a Heyfer, like a Bullocke that would not carry Gods yoke, it made him weepe bitterly for it; and ſo the Church in the forementioned place, of Iſaiah 63. O Lord, why are our hearts harden'd from thy fear? ſhee Iſai. 63.look'd upon it as a marvailous great evill, that lay upon them. But then,
There is likewiſe a hardneſſe, that is a pleaſing hardneſſe; a hardneſſe delighted in, a hardneſſe raigning, a hardneſſe gloried in; that is the hardneſſe that my Text mentions: Laſtly,
Know that there is a hardneſſe of heart, that is Mans worke, and there is a hardneſſe of heart that is Gods worke;5.There is a hardneſs which is mans work, and there is a judiciary hardneſs which is Gods work.
The hardneſſe of heart that is Mans worke, are all thoſe ſeverall hardneſſes, that I have ſpoke of hitherto, whether naturall, graduall, felt or unfelt, bemoaned, or gloried in, they are all our owne hardneſſes; But then
There is alſo a hardneſſe which is Gods worke; which is a Judiciary hardneſſe, a judgement inflicted by God righteouſly upon men; who when they will harden themſelves, God conſents that they ſhall bee harden'd, and concurs to their hardening; ſo hee is frequently ſaid in Scripture, to harden Pharaohs heart, and to harden whom hee will: but this ſame Judiciary hardneſſe of heart which is Gods worke, you muſt know it is not by Gods infuſing obſtinacy and and malice into them, that God doth to none: but it ſtands in theſe three things, ſometimes,
By taking away from them, or denying them thoſe meanes that might make their heart plyable to God: or 1.Secondly,
In caſe they doe injoy the meanes, yet God withholding his bleſſing from the meanes: and Thirdly,2.
Permitting them, or ſo far withdrawing the bridle of 3.his reſtraining grace from them, as to permit them to abuſe the meanes that they doe injoy, to their own ruine and further hardening; and thus was Pharaoh and his people harden'd by the Miniſtery of Moſes and Aaron; and thus were the Iſraelites harden'd by Iſaiahs Miniſtery, as you'le find it in Iſaiah 6. the Lord ſaid to him, Goe Iſai. 6. 8, 9.to this people, and make their hearts hard; how was that? Hee ſhould preach to them, but they ſhould bee given up to a fat heart, that is, a ſenſleſſe, and a heavy eare, that is, a heedleſſe eare; God would give them up to a ſenſleſneſſe, and heedleſneſſe, that the more means they enjoy'd, the more deſperate and vile their hearts ſhould grow: now then to draw up all this to my purpoſe, the Doctrine that I am to handle, wherein I am to ſhew you, that hardening the heart againſt God, is a certain forerunner of deſtruction; I doe not mean it of that naturall hardneſſe, that wee all bring into the world, nor of that acquired hardneſſe, that is found in every man, who hath but lived a while upon earth, nor of that partiall or graduall hardneſſe, that is in the beſt of Gods people, much leſſe of that felt, bewailed, bemoaned hardneſſe, that is look'd upon as a heavy judgement, by them that lye under it; though all theſe are ſinnes, yet theſe are not the ſinnes of my Text; but my Text meanes it of the choſen, voluntary, elected hardneſſe, the Totall hardneſſe, the Raigning hardneſſe, when men doe obſtinately, and willingly ſtrengthen, and make firme their hearts in their ſinfull wayes againſt God, and then God in his righteous judgement concurres, and ſaith bee it ſo: when men doe thus harden their hearts againſt God, be it a Family, be it a Kingdome, be it one, or be they many, this hardening the heart againſt God, is a certaine forerunner of utter deſtruction; Now you underſtand what the Leſſon is, that The Doctrine proved.I am to handle, and Firſt, I ſhall make it good, and plainly demonſtrate the truth of it, out of the Scripture; and for the proofe turn to three or foure Texts, the one is that knowne ſignall Text in Prov. 29. 1. read it carefully; Hee that being often admoniſhed, or reproved, hardens his neck; there is my very Doctrine, that after admonitions hardens his neck; what of him? Shall ſuddainly bee deſtroyed, and that without remedy; weigh all thoſe words; Firſt,
What it is that is threatned againſt him, hee that being often reproved, hardens his neck, what of him? He Prov. 29. 1.doth not ſay, he ſhall ſmart for it, he ſhall be afflicted, but he ſhall be deſtroyed; deſtruction is prepared for him; Secondly,
Hee doth not ſay hee is in danger of it, but hee ſhall bee deſtroyed; it is decreed in heaven, it is ſet down for him, hee ſhall periſh; and, Thirdly,
That ſuddenly, hee ſhall ſuddenly bee deſtroyed; the Viſion of his deſtruction is not for a long time to come, but his damnation ſleepeth not, he ſhall ſuddenly be deſtroyed:
Yea and that with out remedy; no power ſhall reſcue him, no mercy ſhall pardon him, no Mediator ſhall intercede for him, there is no remedy, all the world cannot helpe it, the man that after many reproofes hardens his heart, ſhall bee deſtroyed without any remedy; there is a place like it in the 28. of Proverbs, the very Chapter Prov. 28. 14.before it, and the 14. verſe; He is a bleſſed man that feares alwayes, that is the beginning of the Verſe, he is a bleſſed man, hee lives in a bleſſed ſtate, whoſe heart ſuſpects it ſelf; O I ſhall ſinne, I ſhall offend God, I ſhall yeeld to my Corruption; hee is a bleſſed man that feares alwayes, but hee that hardens his heart, hee that dares venture upon ungodly enterprizes, what of him? Hee ſhall fall into miſchief; ſome render it in malum inproviſum, into unthought of miſchief; hazardous men, hard hearted men, are ſuddainly before ever they thinke of it, caught: and in 2 Rom. 2. 5. the Apoſtle there Rom. 2. 5.ſpeakes to ſuch a hard hearted wretch as my Text meanes: Thou (ſaith hee) after thy hardneſs of heart that cannot repent, treaſureſt up unto thy ſelf, wrath againſt the day of wrath; marke yee, the hard heart it is Satans treaſury for ſin, but it is Gods treaſury for wrath; Satan doth not lay up more wickedneſs in a hard heart, then God layes up vengeance in the Cellars of it, treaſureſt up to thy ſelf wrath againſt the day of wrath: & were it needfull I could give you abundance of examples out of Gods Word; Pharaoh and the Egyptians are a famous one; 600000. Iſraelites in the Wilderneſs are another famous example of hardning hearts to ruin, when the hardneſs of their hearts made them all fall in the Wilderneſs; as you have it Epitomized in Pſalm. 95. and the latter end of it: and ſo many more in the Old and New Teſtament, that the time will not allow mee to mention, Iob hath a paſſage may ſerve for all, in Iob 9. 4. ſaith he, Who over harden'd himſelf againſt God, and proſper'd? As if he ſhould have ſaid, I challenge all the World to bring an example of any one man that ever harden'd his heart againſt God, and was not ruin'd by it; that expreſſion, and proſpered, is but an Affirmative for a Negative; bring me an example of one that carryed away the victory, that was not loſt in the War; but to make it yet more plain to you, bee pleaſed to obſerve there are two things meet in this ſin of hardneſs of heart, beſides many Two things meet in this ſin, which evidently prove that ruine attends it.other that might be ſaid; but I ſay there are two things that will demonſtrate to all the world, that it is a ſin that muſt bring forth certain judgment: The one is,
In the Nature of it, it is rebellion againſt God, it is 1.the trying of it out with God, whoſe will ſhall ſtand; It is made up of rebellion and not yeelding▪for God ſaith plainly to the harden'd ſinner, I will have ſuch a thing done, no (ſaith the t'other) I will have ſuch a thing done; but ſaith God, if I bee God, I'le have it done; ſaith the t'other, I am reſolved it ſhall bee thus, and hee tries it out: The ſin of hardneſs of heart is made up of Rebellion and not yeelding, he takes up the bucklers againſt God here, I will try, and when hee hath done refuſes to lay them down upon a Summons, but will ſtand it out to the utmoſt; Now (Brethren) it is not imaginable, that any thing but ruine ſhould attend ſuch an one; Gamaliels ſpeech in Acts 5. Beware (ſaith hee) Act 5. 39.left yee bee fighters againſt God; The harden'd ſinner enters into the liſts to contend with God, and then ſaith Jer. 44 28.God, if it be come to that it ſhall be tried, whoſe word ſhall ſtand, mine or theirs; God ſpeakes to the very caſe of ſome harden'd ſinners, that ſaid to the Prophet Ieremiah they would do what is good in their eyes: well ſaith God, you have ſpoken the word, and we will try it out, whether you or I ſhall carry it; if poor wormes dare enter the lifts and bid defiance to God and refuſe to ſubmit, they muſt periſh: Secondly, there is this in this ſinne of hardneſſe of heart, that,
In the nature of it, it fruſtrates all the meanes that It fruſtrates all meanes of ſalvation.ſhould poſſibly ſerve to ſave the ſoule from ruine; I ſay the ſin of hardneſs of heart, in the nature of it, fruſtrates all thoſe means which ſhould tend to ſave the ſoul from ruine; Pſal. 95. 7, 8. Heb. 3. 8.and therefore you'l find it ordinarily; If you'l heare Gods voice harden not your heart, in the 95. Pſalme; ſo in Hebrewes 3. 15. To day if you will heare my voyce, harden not your heart, as they did in the Wilderneſſe; and my Text hath it againe, they made their heart like an Adamant ſtone, that they might not heare the words that God had ſaid to them; ſo that this is a ſinne that prevents all thoſe Ordinances and meanes, which the Lord hath ſanctified and appointed for reducing a ſoule from the wayes of death; and this is noted of the Iſraelites in the Wilderneſſe, that though they had innumerable miracles and adminiſtrations of all ſorts, they ate miracles, and dranke miracles, and wore miracles, they had whatſoever might poſſibly doe a people good, all theſe were loſt to that people, how? onelyonly becauſe of the hardneſſe of their hearts; and ſo the Prophet Iſaiah expreſſeth it, in the ſixth of Iſaiah, the Lord doth by the Prophet, (ſaith he) John 12. 40. Acts 19. 9. Prov. 2. 19.harden their heart that they may never turne and be healed: Chriſt ſaith the ſame in Iohn 12. 40. that this was the reaſon, why all the miracles that he had wrought among them, and all the Sermons that he had preached among them, did them no good, becauſe their hearts were harden'd: it is like a peece of ſtone, put into a bottles mouth, though you put it into the bottome of a well, no water gets into it, the ſtopple keeps all out; the ſinne of hardneſſe of heart keeps the ſoule from receiving any good, it is like unto the harlot that Solomon ſpeakes of, or rather like them that goe in to the harlot, that none of them ever turne to take hold of the wayes of life; ſo that becauſe it is a ſinne, that is open Rebellion againſt God, and it is a ſinne that in the nature of it, rejecteth all the meanes that might make reconciliation with God, what can bee expected; but the heart that goes on to harden it ſelfe muſt needs run into utter ruine.
I have one thing more before I come to the Application, and that is to diſcover how this ſinne of hardneſſe of heart may be known, the properties of it, that every ſoule may bee able, when it comes to the Application, to give a right judgement of its owne condition; and here I beſeech you remember, that I doe not come to enquire after hardneſſe of heart in generall, there is no living man upon earth, but his heart is harden'd; there is no child of God living, but his heart is harden'd, all the ſinfull motions and inclinations that are found in us, they are all the fruits of hardneſſe of heart; all that rebellion that Paul ſpeakes of in the ſeventh to the Romans, a law in the members rebelling againſt the law of the mind, and leading of him captive, it is all the fruit of hardneſſe of heart but all hardneſſe is not the hardneſſe of my Text; all How this deſtructive hardneſſe may be found.hardneſſe of heart is not deſtructive hardneſſe, is not ruining hardneſſe; hardneſſe felt, hardneſſe bemoaned, hardneſſe lamented and ſtriven againſt is ſoftneſſe in Gods eſteeme; and is ſo farre from being a forerunner of ruine, that it is an evidence of ſalvation; but it is this deſtroying damning hardneſſe of heart, that I would enquire the properties of, and ſet them before you out of the word of God: and there are ſix things that I have thought upon, whereby this deſtroying damning hardneſſe of heart doth manifeſt it ſelfe, Firſt,
Take that which is moſt uſuall in the Scripture, the 1.Lord ordinarily expreſſes this devilliſh hardneſs of heart, Such an hardned heart is frequently compared to an untamed Bullock. Deut. 9. 19. 32. 15. Jer. 31. 18. 2 Chron. 36. 13. Nehem. 9. 29. Pſal. 75. 5. Jer. 7. 26. 17. 23. Exod. 32. 9. 33. 35. Which compariſon affords two evidences. If it can poſſible it will not be yoked.by the compariſon of an untamed heifer, of a bullock that refuſes to carry the yoke, to draw, or to plow; very often in the booke of God doth the Lord deſcribe this hardned ſinner by the compariſon of an untamed heifer, in reference to the yoke: Now in an untamed heifer, there are theſe two things remarkable to my purpoſe: the one is,
That if it be poſſible, it will throw off the yoke that you would put upon it, turning away the neck, rinching the ſhoulder, uſing its ſtrength, and all that it hath, to keepe the yoke that it may not come upon the neck of it: or ſecondly,
If you doe get the yoke over the neck, and compell it to be under the yoke, then it pines away, frets and fumes, and bellows, and takes on, but worke it will not; juſt thus is this harden'd heart, God hath two yokes; The one is,2 If by force the yoke bee put upon it, it will fret and pine away but not worke.
The yoke of his Commandements, which hee commands every ſoule to take upon its ſelfe, this yoke, this hardned wretch throwes away with indignation, that you may ſay of a harden'd heart in reference to the yoke of obedience, as Iob ſpeaks of the Vnicorne, in the 39. of Iob, Canſt thou intreat him to carry thy yoke and to plow thy ground? can thy faire words perſwade him to doe it? (ſaith hee) ſo doe you thinke any allurements for God, ſhall make this wretched man carry the yoke of Gods Commandements? no, hee throwes them off, what God would have him doe he will not doe, but then God hath another yoke, that this creature cannot keep off: and that is,
The yoke of correction, the yoke of judgement, and when the Lord puts that yoke upon him, then hee pines away, frets, ſwelters himſelfe, and as the Prophet Ezekiel expreſſes it, in the 24. of Ezekiel, You ſhall not weep, that is, you ſhall not weep with any godly ſorrow, but ye ſhall Ezek. 24. 23.pine away in your iniquities: and the Lord expreſses it in the 51. of Iſaiah: Thy ſonnes do faint (in the 20. verſe) they are like a Bull caught in a net, full of the fury of the Lord, there thy ſonnes are fallen, I have yoked them, they would not carry my yoke of obedience, but I have yok'd them with judgement; and how are they under it? there they lie like a Bull in a net, full of the fury of the Lord, yelling and roaring: thus the harden'd heart is like an untamed heifer, the yoke of Gods commandements it will not carry, and the yoke of judgements though it muſt carry, yet it doth not profit by them, but onelyonly pines away by diſcontent under them; This firſt note of a harden'd heart I give onelyonly for your memories ſake, becauſe the matter of it will come in the things that follow. And ſecondly, another property of this harden'd heart that my Text ſpeaks of, is,
That it is an inſenſible heart; Nabals heart is ſaid to be 2.like a ſtone, ſenſible of nothing, though all belonging to A hard heart is an unſenſible heart.him was like to come to ruine; Nabals heart had no ſenſe of any thing, ſo is this wretch, this wretched creature I am ſpeaking of, let Gods wrath bee threatned to him, though hee lie under it, hee feeles it not; let his owne unkindneſs be open'd, he is not ſenſible of it, let heaven ſhake over him, let the earth ſhake under him, let his eſtate ſhake, let his houſe quake, nothing moves him, let death bee ready to ſhake him, hell ready to devoure him, hee apprehends nothing, hee is like the drunkard that Solomon ſpeakes of in the 23. of Proverbs, that lies aſleep Prov. 23. 34, 35.upon the top of a maſt, they have beaten mee, (ſaith he) but I did not feele it, they have wounded me, but I did not know it; nothing that the Lord doth to them, or that his word ſaith to them, makes them ſenſible of any thing, a harden'd heart is an inſenſible heart; that is another property of it: Thirdly, this harden'd heart of my Text,
Is an impenitent heart indeed, the hardneſs of heart is 3.but an aggravation of impenitence, but he is reſolutely A hard heart is an impenitent heart.an impenitent perſon, hee is one that goes on in the wayes of ſinne, and will not bee tooke off from the wayes of ſinne; A harden'd heart, you may truely ſay of it, it is a Rock to God, but it is wax to the Devill; it is inexorable to the requeſts of God, but it is moſt yeelding to the allurements of the Devill; Gods ſeed will not grow in this rock, but the Devils ſeed growes beſt of all there; they obey not the truth but willingly obey unrighteouſneſs, they are ſtones to God, but wax to the Devill; indeed to harden the heart, and to goe on reſolutely in a way of ſinning againſt God, is al one, take it as the Apoſtle expreſſes it in the ſecond of the Romans, thus, (ſaith hee) Rom. 2. 5.after thy hardnes and heart that cannot repent: a reſolute hearted man is like a Blackmore, that cannot change his skin; like a Leopard that cannot change her ſpots: it is ſet and bent to goe on in the wayes of ſinne; that is another property: Fourthly,
This harden'd heart doth not onelyonly go… on in the wayes of ſinne, but goes on in them againſt 4.all admonition, and all helpes againſt, and meanes to the A hard heart goes on, notwithſtanding all meanes to the contrary.contrary, whatſoever diſpenſation there is from heaven appearing to take him off from his ſinnes, the harden'd heart hath a non abſtante, though preached againſt, though threatned, though allured by promiſes, though terrified by judgements, the harden'd heart is Sermon-proof, is judgement-proofe; Elies ſonnes they were not only wicked, but they hearkned not to the voyce of their Father when hee made them a good Sermon from God, yet becauſe God meant to deſtroy them, hee had given them up to hardneſſe of heart, the counſell of their Father wrought not one whit upon them; ſo Solomon ſaith of him in Proverbs 29. hee that having been often reproved, hardens his heart; Ieremy compares him to a wild Ier. 2. 24.Aſſe, Ier. 2. all that ſeek to catch him labour in vaine, Iſrael had loved ſtrangers, and after them hee would goe, if God in his Word mourne to them they will not weep, if the Word pipe to them they will not dance, if he offer to draw them with cords of love, they will not follow, if by his judgements hee ſtand in their way, as the Angel did againſt Balaam with a drawne Sword, yet on they will, like the Smiths Dog, they can ſleepe when the ſparkes fly about their eares; hee is like a man in iron, an armed man, ſtrike him with a ſtaffe, cut him with a Sword, all is one, hee hath armour of proof, keeps out both, men who thus goe on are harden'd to deſtruction: Fiftly,
Another property of this hardned wretch is, that they make but a mocke and ſcorne either of the ſinnes that 5.they walke in, or of any judgements, or plagues that may A hard heart ſlights and ſcornes counſells or threatnings. Gen. 19. 14.betide them for their ſinnes; as it is ſaid of Lots ſonnes in law, their father told them of their ſinnes, and told them of the judgement, but (ſaith the Text) hee ſeemed to his ſonnes in law as one that mock'd: they jeered him, and they thought hee jeered them, they are like the Matth. 7. 4.Swine that our Saviour ſpeakes of, throw a pearle before them, they will tread it under their feet; they make a ſcorne of them, tell them of their offences againſt God, and of the ruine of their ſoules, they are like Leviathan that the ſpirit of God ſpeakes of, in the 41. of Iob come Job 41. 24. 27.upon him with ſpeares and ſwords, they are but as ſtubble to him, and ſtrawes, hee laughs at them, he ſaies, Aha, like the horſe in the middle of the battle, neighes and laughs at the danger; ſo when a heart goes on in a hardened Deut. 29. 19.way it makes a jeſt, and a ſcorne of all the evils you can threaten againſt him, hee ſaith, Tuſh, I ſhall have peace though I adde drunkenneſſe to thirſt, theſe threatnings are nothing, this wind ſhakes not my corne; and I'le adde but one more, and that is,
When the heart goes on in this deſtructive way, it doth 6.oppoſe and ſet againſt all thoſe as enemies who would A hard heart: oppoſeth and ſets againſt them as enemies who would ſtop them in their wicked wayes▪ Exod. 10. 28.ſtop them in their way; and when once the ſoule is come to that paſſe, then in truth is Satan ſet upon his throne, then they are the Devils cuſhion, or his pillow; and this the harden'd heart ordinarily doth, you may ſee it in Pharaoh; when Moſes ſtill followed him from God, and hee could not be rid of him, then he gave him this anſwer, come no more to mee, I'le hang you the next time you come, ſee my face no more, if ever thou commeſt to mee againe with theſe meſſages, thou ſhalt die for it; and ſo likewiſe Amaziah, you may read of him in 2 Chron. 25. when he was fallen into the ſinne of Idolatry, God 2 Chron. 25. 16.ſent a Prophet to him to admoniſh him; Forbeare (ſaith the King to him) who made you of the Kings Councell? hold your tongue, elſe you'l be ſmitten, then ſaith the Prophet, by this I know that God meanes to deſtroy thee; when they are like unto them our Lord ſpeakes of, in the ſeventh of Matthew, not onelyonly as ſwine, that trample the pearle under their feet, but like Dogs worry them Matth. 7. 4, 5.that offer to beſtow the pretious things upon them: in one word, David deſcribes them excellently in the 23. Chap. of the ſecond of Samuel about the ſixth and ſeventh verſes: 2 Sam. 23. 6.The ſonnes of Belial, that is the hard hearted men of my Text, for a child of Belial is a child without a yoke, that will not carry Gods yoke, marke how hee deſcribes them, the ſonnes of Belial are like thornes; thornes that may not bee taken with hands, but the man that touches them, muſt be fenced with iron, and the ſtaffe of a ſpeare, there is no comming neer them; when men are ſet upon their wayes, that they hate him that reproves in the gate, and declare themſelves oppoſite unto all thoſe that would bring them in to God; there is the hard heart that my Text mentions, to this paſſe was Iſrael and Iudah come, 2 Chron. 36. 15, 16.2 Chron. 36. 15. They tranſgreſſed greatly, and the Lord ſent to them by his meſſengers riſing early, becauſe hee had compaſsion on them. But they mocked his meſſengers, deſpiſed his words, and miſuſed his Prophets, then the wrath of God broke out againſt them and there was no remedy: ſo that in a word, when men are come to bee ſtiffe-necked againſt God, ſenſeleſſe, and remorſeleſſe, boldly going on in ſinne againſt all mercies and meanes, and make a ſcorne of ſinne and judgement, and declare themſelves enemies to thoſe that would reduce them into a better condition, theſe are the men that my text meanes, and that fall under this Character, their damnation ſleepeth not; I come now to the Application of it; and there are many excellent uſes that wee might make of it, three or foure I ſhall by the Lords helpe communicate at this time; Firſt,
I earneſtly intreat you to examine your owne ſoules, Ʋſe 1. Terrour to all who harden themſelves againſt God.whether none of you fall under this Character; I am aſſured, there is not a ſoule in this Aſſembly, but hath hardneſſe of heart in him; I ſhall bee farre from threatning deſtruction to every ſoule that is hardhearted, but I deſire you to examine whether you are not one of theſe harden'd ſinners my text ſpeakes of, the Lord helpe you to looke inwardly and ſay, Lord, is not this my caſe? ſay once againe, Art not thou reſolved to goe on in thy way, what ever come of it? hath not God enlightned thy conſcience, that the wayes that thou walkeſt in, are the wayes that lead to death? art not thou ſet notwithſtanding to goe on in that way, though God ſometimes follow thee with judgements? doſt thou not caſt the judgements off, if it bee poſſible, or lie and vex under them, and yet goe on? hath not God oftentimes in the miniſtery of his word met with thee, in thy wicked wayes, and ſhew'd thee the evill and the danger of them, and thou reſolutely goeſt on, that thou haſt made thy heart like a peece of the nether Milſtone, as God ſaith of Leviathan's? art thou come to this paſſe? heare a word or two from God, thou miſerable wretched man, knoweſt thou what thou haſt undertaken? doeſt thou underſtand that thou haſt ſent a challenge to God? doeſt thou underſtand that thou art in defiance with heaven? doſt thou underſtand (I ſay) that the Lord God almighty is entred the liſts againſt thee? or wilt thou not underſtand it? or now when thou heareſt it, do not thy joynts tremble? art thou able to hold u… the weapons, when hee comes to ſtrike? know thou for certaine, that it is the intereſt of God, to deſtroy all thoſe that will trie it out with him, hee would even hereby bee knowne to bee Iehovah, in the 40. of Iob, If thou beeſt God (faith hee) ſhew thy ſelfe; Iob 40. 11.how? pluck downe every proud man, abaſe them, lay them low, batter them; bee aſſured of it, thou art a loſt man, thou art an unequall match for him, the greateſt Kings and Monarchs, the ſtouteſt Champions, the ſtrongeſt Giants have met with their matches, but the Lord whom thou defyeſt never met with his match, and I tell thee hee is preparing for thee; God it may be hath not ſtruck yet, but hee is turning his grindſtone, hee is ſharpening his tooles, hee is preparing his arrowes, he hath them ready at the very face of thee, and thou wretched man wilt bee found to bee but as ſtubble before Gods devouring fire, thou art an undone man, who ever thou art, that haſt dared thus to exalt thy ſelfe againſt the Lord, and if any of you that heare this Sermon doe know any who are thus reſolutely ſet to goe on in their wicked wayes, any ſuch inſolent worme which dares thus lift up it ſelfe againſt its Creator, I'le give you that counſell that Moſes did give to the Iſraelites concerning Korah, Dathan, Numb. 16. 26.and Abiram, who were in the like rebellion, that theſe men are in, Get you all of you up from the tents of theſe men, leſt you periſh with them, get you up from them, have nothing to doe with them; it is the terribleſt thing in the world to bee found to fight againſt God: O that you would all examine your owne hearts upon it: Then ſecondly,
This leſſon doth to my apprehenſion ſpeake wonderfull 2.ſadly concerning our poore diſtreſſed England at this Lament the ſad condition of England, our obſtinacy againſt God a ſadder token of ruine then all other judgments which lie upon us.day; truely the dangers that this kingdome of England is in at this day, are not to be expreſs'd; It pleaſes God that wee are compaſs'd round about with miſchiefes, and one depth calls to another, and almoſt every day brings up a new cloud, and for ought mortall man can ſee, the iſſue of blood, which wee hoped had been ſtanched, is like to bee opened again in as dreadfull a manner as ever, yet it was Ships revolted on one ſide, others contrary to Leagues and Covenants invading on the other ſide, tumults in every corner of the Kingdome, that we are all at our wits ends, but (in Gods preſence I ſpeak it) I feare the threatning of this doctrine more, then I doe all the revolted Ships, then I doe Duke Hamiltons army, or all others who by Sea or Land are indeavoring to hurt us. The kingdome, the body of the kingdome of England is braſſe and iron; let us all, eſpecially you that are the repreſentative body of the kingdome, if wee have any bowels in us, let us joyne and bemoane it now wee ſpeak of it, God hath ſteeped England in the oyle of mercies, wee are not melted one whit, hee hath ground us under terrible judgements, wee are as hard as ever rock was; wee are broken like a flint ſtone into 100. peeces, and every piece as hard as the whole ſtone was; goe from one end of the Kingdome to the other (pardon me if I uſe the received expreſſions) let men bee Cavaliers or Roundheads, Royaliſts or Parliamentiers, give them what ſtile you wil, all are braſſe and iron; the generality of the Kingdome reſolutely goes on rebelling againſt the Lord God; but goe into any towne, goe into the places of publique reſort, view the Citie, view the Countries, ſee whether men bee not every where ſet upon miſchiefe and madneſſe, the Miniſtery of the word overborne, bulruſhes as able to ſtop a current as all the endeavours of that handfull of men that ſtand for God, are able to ſtop the inundation of peoples ſinnes, lying, ſwearing, debawchedneſſe, blaſphemy, hereſie, prophaneneſſe of every kind, almoſt all in rebellion againſt God, and no man almoſt layes it to heart: indeed wee have our monethly Faſts kept up, but alas, they are brought to a meere formality; but ſo did theſe Jewes in the Text, threeſcore yeers and ten together, Faſt after Faſt, but God loathed them, becauſe they tended the ceremony, and neglected the ſubſtance, piety and juſtice, and turning from wicked wayes, and even ſo doe wee in the meane time like the Anvile grow harder for all the ſtrokes are upon us; ſurely Gods wrath is great againſt us, Pharaohs hard heart was a worſe plague then all his other plagues put together, and the obſtinacy and hardneſſe of heart throughout the land is the greateſt plague wee can lie under, and will prove, if infinite mercy prevent it not, the ſluce or floodgate to let in deſtruction, let us ſadly lay theſe things to heart, and mourne before him becauſe of them, and rather wonder at Gods patience then at our plagues; and certainely, if God go on to lay our pleaſant land deſolate, and to ſcatter us as with a whirlewind, though now we can lay the cauſe of our calamities at one anothers doores, God will make us all know that it was our obſtinacy of heart againſt him that hath brought ruine upon us; the Lord teach us to Iay it to heart upon this day of our humiliation; Secondly,
Is the ſinne of hardneſſe of heart ſo deſtroying a ſinne? Ʋſe 2. Therefore a heart of fleſh is an excellent grace▪ 2 Chron. 34. 27. Iob. 23. 16.what cauſe then have they to bleſſe the Lord to whom God hath given a tender, ſoft heart, a heart of fleſh, ſuch an heart as Ioſhua had, 2 Chron. 34. thy heart was tender, and thou didſt humble thy ſelfe; who can ſay with Iob, God hath made my heart ſoft; if any ſoule in this Aſſembly hath obtain'd a ſoften'd heart, let him know that in that one gift God hath given him the quinteſſence of all the grace of the new Covenant; God made all the new Covenant good in that one promiſe, I will give you a heart of fleſh, to have the heart of ſtone taken Ezck. 11. 19.away, and to have a fleſhy heart in the roome of it, is an unvaluable mercy, God delights to dwell in a houſe thus broken, where the floore is ſoft, where the raine comes in, and you have infinite cauſe to praiſe God for it: but becauſe I would not bee miſtaken, I pray you know, that all tenderneſſe and brokenneſſe is not that heart of fleſh that I meane; There is a naturall tenderneſſe that ſome men have, a compaſſionating ſpirit, ſo that they can hardly ſee another in miſery, but will weepe with him, and yet it may bee their hearts are as hard againſt God, as Leviathans is againſt a Speare; and there is another tenderneſſe, that is a legall brokenneſſe, when God it may bee ſeizes upon the heart with a ſpirit of trembling, that they are ſtabbed with the apprehenſions of wrath, and ſo are like unto Cain, that whereſoever he goes, hee was in the land of Nod, that is, in the land of trembling; this trembling heart is a curſe threatned, the Lord ſhall give thee a Deut. 28. 65. Levit. 26.trembling heart, I will ſend a faintneſſe into their hearts in the land of their enemies, and the ſound of a ſhaking leafe ſhall chaſe them; I meane neither of theſe, but that Evangelicall broken heart, that is contrary to the ſinne of my Text, is nothing but an heart willing to lay downe the bucklers before God, that ſaith with Iob, Lord I have How ſuch a heart may be known.done fooliſhly, I will doe ſo no more; the heart that yeelds to God: and that will appeare by theſe foure things, one is, that
To ſuch a heart, the reliques of the hardneſſe of their hearts is a moſt uncomfortable burden, the ſtone in their 1.It's a heart complaining of its hardnes.bladder, or the ſtone in their kidneys, though it afflict their ſenſe more, yet doth not afflict their inward man, their heart, ſo much as the obſtinacy, and obdurateneſſe, and wretchedneſſe, that they finde in their owne ſoule againſt God; O Lord, why haſt thou cauſed us to erre from thy wayes? and harden'd our hearts from thy feare? ſo alſo Ephraim mourned, I have been chaſtiſed, but I am like an untamed heifer that will not carry Gods yoke; a heart that mournes under his hardneſſe is a tender heart; to feele and complaine of hardneſſe is ſoftneſſe, it's an evident ſigne that there is underneath a living and quick part upon which this hardneſſe preſſes, elſe there would be no complaining of it: Secondly,
It is a heart that the meditation of Gods kindneſſe 2.and its owne unkindneſſe maketh relent; the thought It's a heart wrought upon by arguments of love, by Goſpel arguments.that God ſhould ſpare them, pity them, doth moſt affect them: thus the harden'd Jewes in Zachary, thoſe that had been moſt hard againſt God, yet when they look'd upon Chriſt whom they had pierced, who came to ſave them, they wept like a child; this Lord we have pierced, we have crucified the Lord of life: If any arguments worke at all upon hardned ſinners, they are ſuch as theſe, Tophet is prepared for you, you are going to a place of blackneſſe and darkneſſe, to a lake burning with fire and brimſtone, where you will waile and gnaſh your teeth, but arguments taken from Gods love and bowels of mercy doe moſt melt a tender heart, when the Lord had turned and ſoftned that harlots heart; Ezek. 16. this moſt affected her that hee was reconciled to her whom ſhe had broken with her whoriſh heart, this Evangelicall, fleſhly heart relents, and bleeds at the thoughts of Gods kindneſſe and its owne unkindneſſe; and then thirdly, it appeares in this,
A Goſpel-ſoftned heart is afraid of ſinne, a very coward 3.to any evill, this heart hath not courage enough A ſoft heart is afraid to ſinne.to try the power of Gods diſpleaſure, How can I, how dare I doe this wickedneſſe and ſinne againſt God? hard hearted Iob. 31. 23.men dare venture upon ſuch bloody things, but a ſoftned heart ſaith with Iob, deſtruction from the Almighty is a terrour to me, and by reaſon of his highneſſe, I cannot indure; David whoſe heart was as a Lion, feared not to incounter Prov. 28. 14.with Lions, Beares, Giants, yet his fleſh trembled at any thing which might offend his God; this ſigne of a gratious tender heart you find, Prov. 28. 14. in the oppoſition betweene a fearefull heart and a hard heart; Bleſſed is the man that feareth alwayes, but hee that hardneth his heart ſhall fall into evill; the heart which feareth alwayes is the heart which out of the love of God would not ſinne, yet out of the conſideration of its owne proneneſſe to evill ſuſpects it ſelfe, and feares it ſhall bee ſurprized, this frame of ſpirit is thus oppoſed to a hard heart.
This ſame fleſhly heart, is a heart upon which Gods ſeale leaves a print, Gods counſell I meane, his Word, threatnings, exhortations, or whatſoever comes from him, leaves a ſtampe upon him; It is a heart that is wax to God, willing to bee moulded, reſignes up it ſelfe to bee to God what God would have it to bee, as well as it can; if this heart be at any time drawne into ſinne when God appeares diſpleaſed, it ſaith, I have done fooliſhly, I will do ſo no more, it layes downe the Buckler and yeelds to God, Gods argument prevailes with it, and therefore is ordinarily expreſſed by having Gods Law written upon the fleſhly Tables of their heart, eaſily moulded to Gods will as much as its frailtie can attaine unto; it ſaith, Lord I am full of Rebellion, full of diſtempers, but I would not beare up armes againſt my God, I would yeeld to him, I would follow him; if it bee thus with thee, thou haſt got the grace of the new Covenant, moſt oppoſite to the moſt damnable ſinne that can bee found amongſt men; oh forget not to bleſſe God daily for it: The laſt and prinpall uſe I intend is,Ʋſe 3. Exhortation and direction againſt this great ſinne.
For exhortation; becauſe this ſinne of a hard heart is ſuch a deſtroying ſinne, ſuch a ruining ſinne, therefore I ſhall deſire to give you ſome helpes how this great evill may bee prevented, if wee be not yet come up to it; how it may be cured, if any of us lie under it; And
If the Lord have cured it, how wee may bee preſerved, that wee doe not returne to it: But firſt take a few motives to provoke you to labour and ſtrive againſt this curſed Motives to ſtrive againſt it.evill of a hard heart: I pray you conſider in the firſt place;
Wee are all hard by nature, not onelyonly a Pharaoh, a Senacherib 1.or Iulian are hard hearted, but we are all ſo naturally; We are all hard hearted by nature.and that man that hath the ſtone by nature, if hee bee not wonderfull carefull, it will grow upon him; our whole family are liable to the Stone ſaies one, therefore I muſt bee wary, I muſt looke to it; and the rather looke to it, becauſe it is not an eaſie thing to get hardneſſe out of a rock; thy heart is a rock, and if thou doſt not look to it, thou wilt not get hardneſſe out of it, it will grow upon thee, and thou knoweſt not whither it may come in time; Conſider ſecondly,
That while thou art under the plague of a hard heart, 2.thou art under all the curſes of God, God hardens his While wee are under it our condition is miſerable.againſt thee, while thou hardneſt thy heart againſt him, none of all thy ſervices are accepted, thy perſon is rejected; every thing is accurſed, all goes croſſe to the ſoule that is harden'd before God: Conſider thirdly, (for I'le but point at things.)
All that God aimes at, by all his dealings towards thee, 3.is but to bring thee upon thy knees, that thou mayſt not All Gods ſtrokes tend to ſoften thee.harden thy ſelfe againſt him; why doſt thou thinke hee brings thee to Church to heare? why doth hee give thee leave to ſpeake to him in prayer? why doth hee viſit thee with afflictions? why doth hee powre upon thee ſo many mercies? what doth every ſtroke thinke thou ſpeake? what doth every diſpenſation ſpeake? nothing but this, remember the battle, doe ſo no more, rebell not againſt thy God, ſtand not up againſt him, when all that God aimes at is, to give thee quarter, termes, articles of ſafetie, and honour to thee, doe not ſtand out to thy ruine; Againe, conſider this,
If thou ſtand out, it will certainly end ill; I confeſſe 4.the greateſt Monarchs upon earth have ſometimes met Thou wilt bee ruined if thou ſtand out.with their match, but the Lord God never yet met with his match; never any body that ſtood out againſt him, that ever made him raiſe his ſiege, if he hath once pitched downe before them, it is in vaine; ſome beſieged have firſt eaten Horſe fleſh, and afterwards eate Dogs and Cats before they would yeeld, and ſometime ſuccour hath come, but when all is done, a breach will bee made on thee, and thou wilt bee taken; Gideon told the Princes of Succoth who refuſed his requeſt; when hee came backe, hee would teare them with Briars and Thornes of the Wilderneſſe, and he made his word good; beleeve it, God will teare thee with Briars and Thorns, if thou yeeld not to him; yet know for certaine;
If thou lay downe thy weapons and refuſe ſtanding 5.out obſtinately againſt God, hee will bee cordially If thou yeeld the quarrell is ended, and thou wilt bee ſpared.reconciled, all quarrels will bee ended if once thou give over hardning thy heart againſt him, his heart will be tender toward thee, the Lord expreſſes it excellently in the 27. Chap. of Iſaiah; who would ſet Briars and Thornes in battle againſt mee? what man Eſay 27. 4.would be ſo mad, to ſet Briars and Thornes to fight with devouring fire? well, if they will doe it, if they make that choice, I ſhall goe thorough them, and burne them up, but (ſaith hee) rather let him lay hold upon my ſtrength, that hee may make peace, and hee ſhall make peace with me, fury is not in me; though thou haſt hitherto harden'd thy ſelfe againſt him, hee is yet to bee wonne, mercy may yet be found, lay hold upon his ſtrength, ſay unto him, Lord, here I lay downe my weapons, I have been a wretch, a rebell, I have ſinned, I am guilty, but I come with my halter about my neck, hee will make peace, hee will grant thee very honorable quarter; Elihu ſets forth this notably in Iob 33. after God hath battered the ſtrong holds of a ſinner by preaching, by viſions, by dreames, by corrections and judgements to withdraw man from his ſinfull purpoſes, yet if when hee is ready to periſh, when his ſoule drawes nigh to deſtruction, hee will but yeeld and call for an interpreter, one of a thouſand to ſhew him righteouſneſſe, Then will God bee gratious to him and deliver him from going downe to the pit.
To prevent this killing ſinne, if as yet thou bee not under Meanes how to prevent this ſinne of hardneſſe of heart.the dominion of it: Firſt,
Beware leſt yee be harden'd through the deceitfulneſſe of ſinne; marke yee, there is a deceitfulneſſe in ſinne, 1.that will harden men before they are aware; many a man Take heed of the deceitfulneſſe of ſinne. Heb. 3 12.thinkes thus, ſhall I heare armes againſt God? God forbid, I had rather bee ſtruck dead from heaven with a thunderbolt, then ever harden my heart againſt God; this is his thought, but ſinne cozens him into it, hee is cheated into it, as in our civill troubles, many a man is wrapped into an engagement, that if hee ſaw the bottome of it, he would die before ever hee would yeeld to it; but when hee is once in, hee knowes not how to get out; ſo is it here, but beware that ſinne doe not cozen and harden you through its deceitfulneſſe; though wee are all hard, yet this killing hardneſſe comes on by degrees, and the firſt thing that lets it in, is the pleaſure that ſinne brings to the ſoule, the bewitching pleaſure of it, and then a mans thoughts are onelyonly to give himſelfe content, but meanes no hurt againſt God, little thinkes that hee begins to fight againſt God, but the pleaſure of his ſinne hath bewitched him, and then that pleaſure brings him to repeat it againe and againe, and ſo to come to a cuſtome of it, and afterwards to defend it, and then in the end to come to a direct oppoſition of what ever would take him off from it, thus men are intangled by the deceitfulneſſe of it; watch therefore againſt all the alluring baites of that ſinfull fleſh that dwells in thee: This in generall; but
More particularly there are three ſinnes, that you muſt take marvelous heed of, if you would not be harden'd; More particularly bewarethe one is,
The ſinne of unbeleefe, that which brought all the 1 Of unbeleef. Pſal. 9. 5. Heb. 2. 12. 15. 16.Iſraelites to their hardneſſe in the Wilderneſſe, you have it in the third of the Hebrewes, If yee will heare my voyce harden not your hearts as your fathers did in the Wilderneſſe, but how came they to be hardned? the holy Ghoſt tells you the ſpring of it in the 16. and 18. Verſes, for ſome when they had heard the word provoked him, even they that beleeved not, they would not beleeve God, and ſo they grew harden'd; therefore the Apoſtle exhorts in the ſame place to take heed that there be not an evill heart of unbeleefe; when the Iſraelites were in the Wilderneſſe, God had made them many promiſes, but they did not ſee them accompliſhed, hee had made many threatnings and they did not alwayes preſently light upon them, and becauſe they ſaw not Gods word preſently fulfilled, therefore they beleeved not, and becauſe they did not beleeve and reſt upon Gods word, therefore their hearts grew hard, ſenſeleſſe, careleſſe and bold in ſinne, and then,
Pride and high thoughts of our ſelves, are wonderfull hardning evills; nothing upon earth makes a man ſo deſperate 2 Of pride.in the wayes of ſinne as ſelf-conceitedneſſe; and therefore in the Scripture very often, the Bullocks ſtiffe neck, and a proud heart ſignifie one and the ſame thing, Lift not up your hornes on high, ſpeak not with a ſtiffe neck: Pſal. 75. 5. Ier. 43. 2.you have a notable example in the 43. of Ieremiah of men who obſtinately would go into Egypt againſt the expreſſe word of God, and in the 44. Chapter they ſaid they would do that which was good in their own eyes; but who were they? the Prophet tells us, they were all the proud men: And thirdly,
Hypoctiticall and formall attending upon ordinances 3.without attaining the inward power, is one of the greateſt Of hypocriticall and formall performances of Religious duties.hardners in the world; you ſee it in theſe of my Text, what was it harden'd them all theſe threeſcore and ten yeeres? nothing more then their monethly Faſts, their frequent Faſts, and their daily prayings to God. The ſtubborne, hardned and impudent harlot you read of Prov. 7. what was it made her ſo bold in her filthineſſe that ſhee will take her fill of love till the morning? why, Prov. 7. 11, &c.this ſecured her, I have had my peace-offerings this day, and paid my vowes, I have had a day of Faſt, or a day of thankſgiving, attended upon ordinances; ſo when men doe performe ordinary holy duties, and reſt in the ſhell of them, they lick themſelves whole with them; though I live in ſuch a ſinne, yet I pray, I reade ſo many Chapters every day, I keepe the Faſt as conſtantly as any man, I goe to Church, this hardens the heart in a way of ſinne; this is the firſt direction, beware that you bee not couzened into hardneſſe by the deceit of ſinne; ſecondly, another meanes to prevent hardneſſe, is,
To beware of the abuſe of Gods patience & bounty: The 2.wretched heart of man being prone to be bold in ſinne by Abuſe of Gods patience of mercy. Eccleſs. 8. 11.nature, is made more bold, when it obſerves God lets men alone to take liberty to ſin againſt him; Solomon expreſſes this cleerly in the eighth of Eccleſiaſtes, Verſ. 11. Becauſe (ſaith hee) ſentence againſt an evill one is not preſently executed, God ſpares him, what then? Therefore the heart of the ſonnes of men is fully ſet in them to doe evill; reſolutely ſet to goe on in a way of ſinne, becauſe they ſee that others ſcape well enough, as the Souldier when hee firſt goes into the battle, while he is a freſh water Souldier hee feares and trembles, and dares not be where he heares the bullets whizze about, but hee comes off ſafe, and it may bee of 1000. men not 100. kill'd, then hee growes bold the next time, and in time dare goe upon the Canons mouth; and ſo Mariners at Sea, at firſt quake, but when they come off ſtorme after ſtorme, they thinke they ſhall come off ſtill; ſo the wretched heart of man, obſerving Gods patience and indulgence towards ſinfull men, takes libertie to goe on and concludes with that wretched man, Deut. 29. who bleſſeth himſelfe and ſaith, I ſhall have Deut. 29. 19.peace though I walk after the luſts of my owne heart, adding drunkenneſſe to thirſt, hee bleſſeth himſelfe when God curſeth him, but for the Lords ſake, watch you againſt it, for that is a wofull hardning, when that that ſhould bring a man to repentance, hardens his heart, and of ſuch God proteſts hee will not ſpare them, but the anger and jealouſie of God ſhall ſmoak againſt him, & all the curſes written in the booke of God ſhall light upon him: And thirdly,
Beware of the examples of others, the common multitude 3.going on in any way of ſinne, eſpecially when they Examples of others.that doe it are great men, and it may bee ſome of them good men, this imboldens men in their evill wayes; it is a wonderfull meanes to make them harden'd in ſin, when they ſee the ſin which they commit is common; & we are prone to thinke there is no danger in that which many men, great men, good men practiſe; the abominable ſinne of Sodome, the ſinne for which God deſtroyed Sodome, they ſay there is no man almoſt in the Eaſterne Countries makes any conſcience of it, becauſe it is a common ſinne, yet they make conſcience of murder, theft, drunkenneſſe, &c. but becauſe this is a common ſinne they regard it not; theſe things I commend unto you to prevent this ſinne of hardning your hearts: But ſuppoſe the ſoule be under it, what is then to be done?
If thou beeſt under the ſinne of hardneſſe of heart, I 2.meane if hardneſſe reigne in thee, if thou bee come up to How to cure this ſinne of hardneſſe of heart.the heighth of it, I have little hope to doe thee good, yet many have very reſolutely gone on, and through Gods mercy have beene cured; and there are two wayes to cure the ſtone in the heart as well as the ſtone in the bladder; the one is,
To breake it; the other is,
To diſſolve it. I ſhall onelyonly point at them, they cannot bee ſufficiently handled in a little peece of a Sermon.1.
If thou would'ſt have the ſtone of thy heart broken, then How to break it.attend upon theſe three things; the one is,
Study to bee convinced that this is thy condition, 1.ſearch throughly and reſt not untill thou ſay feelingly, I, here lies a ſtone indeed, I am this harden'd wretch, when the Leper was ſo farre convinced, that he covers his lips, and goes out and cries, I am uncleane, I am uncleane, he was in the way to a cure, ſo doe thou, ſtudy to bee convinced, Lord I am like an untamed heifer, I am a hard hearted wretch, my heart is ſet in me to miſchiefe; till the Lord convince thee of it, there is no hope that any meanes will ever doe thee good: Secondly,
The ordinances of God, eſpecially the preaching of his 2.word, and in it the denunciations and threatnings of wrath and vengeance, they are as a hammer to breake this Rock; Is not my word a hammer? (ſaith God) doe not I Jer. 23. 29.breake the rockes? would'ſt thou have the ſtone in thy heart broken? bring it under the bout-hammer of Gods Word, ſit thee under a plaine and faithfull Miniſtery, and apply to …hy ſoule the denunciations of wrath and judgement due to thy ſinne, and pray God to ſet it home to thy ſoule; leave not till thy heart ſink under the ſtroke of the Word, as the Butcher followes the hard head of the Bullock with blow after blow untill it lie along upon the floore; follow thy heart thus with blow upon blow, read over thy wayes, and thy doings that have not been good, and ſay not this will bee a very hard taske, thou hadſt better doe this then periſh, better turne then burne; and beſides the Word,
Take the judgements or corrections of God, that are upon thee to breake thee; a good ſhower and a plough 3.together helpes notably to breake the clods in the fields; Bleſſed is the man whom God chaſtiſeth, and teacheth; when God followes thee with corrections, conſider of them, ſay thus, God viſits mee, my family, my wife, my ſtate, my ſoule, my children, &c. I am never from under the rod, what is the matter? Lord what is it? Shew mee why thou contendeſt with mee; Surely; for my iniquity I am ſmitten, all this is come upon me for my rebellion, O my ſoule I ſhall finde it hard ſtriving againſt the Lord, I doe but kick againſt prickes in the time of adverſity: conſider, theſe are meanes to breake the ſtone; but
Above all I commend the ſweet way of cure, by the diſſolving of it; and that is onelyonly by faith in the blood of How to diſſolve it.Jeſus Chriſt, lay hold upon Chriſt by faith: I know not how true it is, but ſome ſay, the blood of a Goat will in time diſſolve an adamant, but certainly there is a ſlaine Goate, the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, whoſe blood is able to diſſolve the heart that is like an Adamant; Chriſts blood will turne a heart of ſtone into a heart of fleſh; you ſee it in the Jewes, thoſe hard hearted wretches, that when they were put in choice, whether they would have Chriſt, or Barabbas, ſpared Barabbas and crucified Jeſus; yet theſe hard hearted ſinners when they come to heare from Acts 2.Peter, that they had crucified the Lord of life who yet was willing to ſave them, they cry out, Men and brethren, what ſhall we doe? crucified the Lord of life! Lord are we guilty of ſuch a thing againſt a Saviour, and in the 12. of Zachariah, which place intends the converſion of Zach. 12 10.the whole nation, They ſhall looke upon him, whom they have pierced, and ſhall weepe, as one weepeth for the loſſe of an onelyonly child; if then thou would'ſt have thy obdurate heart, thy harden'd heart, if thou woul'dſt have it in truth yeeld to God, goe and ſit thee with Mary neer Chriſts Croſſe, and heare him ſay behold thy Saviour, as he ſpake to Mary, behold thy Sonne, and to Iohn, behold thy Mother; ſo ſit thou and thinke that thou diddeſt heare Jeſus Chriſt calling to thee, Behold thy Saviour, ſee the Sonne of God dying, ſhedding his blood, that thou maiſt not die, and be damned; though thy ſinnes have nail'd mee here, this blood that flowes from me ſhall waſh thee, and ſhall keepe thee that thou ſhalt not periſh, looke thus upon him, this will doe the deed, this will melt thy heart, this will diſſolve it, ſo that thou canſt not chuſe but goe alone and ſay, Ah unkind wretch, that ever I ſhall beare armes againſt ſuch a God! This is the way to diſſolve the ſtone, to melt thy heart; I have one thing more; when God hath cur'd it,
Beware that hardneſſe grow not upon thee againe; 3.though thou drive it away once it will turn againe: Know How to keep the ſoftned heart from growing hard againe.all ye people of God, that though a converted man cannot become a rock againe, yet he may become very hard, he may bee frozen as hard as ice; though good ground will never bee a rock, yet good ground may bee very hard Watch againſt hardning, which ſteales upon us whenfor want of plowing, and loſe many a ſeaſon, and it muſt be torne, and torne againe before ever it will bee fit for ſeed againe, thou maiſt bee ſo farre harden'd, as to have cauſe to cry out with the Church, Lord, why is my heart harden'd from thy feare? therefore when God hath made thy heart tender, and ſoftned thee, labour to keep it ſo, watch over thy ſelfe, that thou doe not depart from it, and to helpe you, remember theſe few briefe directions;
Obſerve thy heart very diligently when it growes lazie 1.as the Church did, who when her beloved came, and We grow lazy.would have come to her, ſhe had put off her coat, and ſhee was loth to foule her feet; when I ſay, thou findeſt thy heart grow lazie, thou beginneſt to harden.
When thou findeſt thy appetite gone, that thou doſt not reliſh the Ordinances of God, and communion with 2.Our appetite fails.him, when thou canſt turne thy back upon thoſe fellowſhips, and communions with God, that heretofore have been more pretious to thee then thy life; or
When thou findeſt thy heart growne ſelfe-conceited, that thou art ſome body in thy owne eyes.3.
When thou groweſt pettiſh, and wayward to them that Become ſelfe-conceited.admoniſh thee, that thou groweſt cholerick, and art impatient 4.Or unwilling to be admoniſhed.to be plainly dealt with, then is thy heart hardned, and looke to thy ſelfe betimes, let it not grow upon thee; doe as men will doe in other diſeaſes, I finde the ſtone growing upon me, I ſhall have another terrible fit of it, if I prevent it not, I muſt take a little timely phyſick, uſe the meanes before preſcribed both to breake it and diſſolve it, yea before theſe things grow upon thee, uſe theſe former preſcriptions for preventing it, and be very much in prayer to thy tender hearted Saviour, to keepe thy heart tender, he onelyonly can doe it, and he will doe it, if thou ſeeke to him, and rely ſtrongly upon him to doe it, according to his Covenant of Grace, wherein he hath bound himſelf to take away the heart of ſtone, and to give his people a heart of fleſh, uſe (I ſay again) theſe meanes carefully, otherwiſe if thou harden thy heart againſt God, God will harden his heart againſt thee, and he will make thy heart ake, and thy bones quake before thy peace ſhall be made, the Lord give you to conſider of theſe things.
There is another Uſe of this Leſſon to the whole kingdom how to prevent our threatned deſolation: O how glad would we all be to find ſome expedient to ſave the kingdom! why, certainly this would doe it, could we think of a way how this Braſſe and Iron, this rock of England might relent before God, and lay down the Bucklers, that would ſave England, and nothing elſe will doe it; What might be of uſe to England over and above what is already ſpoken, cannot now be delivered, the time being more then ſpent, nor can my voyce reach England, but our prayers may reach Heaven where our tender Lord is; let us therefore turne what might be ſpoken in a Sermon to England into a prayer for England.
FINIS.
End of the text · Stephen Marshall, The Sin of Hardness of Heart (1648)