Gospel Fear, Sermon 2
SERMON II. June …. 1644.
2 Kings 22.14.
—Because thine heart was tender, &c.
THere is another Use or two remaining of the Point, and then we shall briefly come to the other, that we may make some entrance into that that is the main point in the Text.
Ʋse.
When God's time is come, a little will Work upon the Heart. Then here is rebukt the untowardness of the Hearts of most People, that stand out against very much; it is not a hint of a thing that will Work upon them: How many from hence may be rebukt? I say, that have stood out against Great means to Work upon them. It may be many of you have had Godly parents, and they Laboured with you, your Father your Mother hath Laboured with all their Power, to shew you the evil of your waies; They have been dropping in Admonitions, C…unsels, Exhortations, and all that will not do; perhaps you have come into other Families and all that you see there, and the Incouragments that you might have there, hath done nothing upon you, you have been brought under a Powerful Ministry, and there sometime you have heard, that that might have made a Devil to tremble. You have heard the Terrours of the Law, and that hath done nothing; yea, you have heard those Heart-melting Mercies of Christ opened to you that might, had they been offered to Devils, have melted the very Hea…t of a Devil, and they have not wrought neither upon you: you have had the Work of God's Providence, which hath been mighty upon you; you have been often chastised by God, and that hath done nothing; you have received abundance of Mercies, and they have done nothing: Nay, God hath set Conscience upon you, and that hath been terrifying of you, and haling you before the very seat of God's Judgment, and there pleading against you for your Sin, and that hath done nothing, but you shall Continue notwithstanding all these means, as the Rock doth in the midst of the Water, the Water goes by, but the Rock stands where it did: O how far is thy Heart from the Heart of King Josiah, that upon the heari…g but of som old papers presently had his heart thus melting before the Lord, and thus humbling of himself before him; well, thou that hast a heart upon which it is so difficult to Work, that there must be such a deal of do to Work upon it; Know,
First, That those things that have left thee, and wrought no good upon thee, are such things that many in Heaven are now Blessing God for: they have found the good of them, thou hast been at the Word, and it hath past by thee and never toucht thy Heart, but many in Heaven are blessing God that they were at that time hearing the Word, that thou didst hear so unprofitably.
And know that this is a Disposition very tedious to the Spirit of God, when there is such ado with Mens Hearts that one means must be used after another. We know it is tedious with us, especially when we come to Men and Women and speak to them for their own good, when they wil not be perswaded. O know that thou hast a Heart that is of a Disposition very tedious to God, that when God speaks to thee for thine own good, there must be such a deal of do and stir before any thing can do thee any good. And then Know,
Secondly, That it is a dangerous Sign of a Reprobate, if much means work not upon thee: thou art far from the Disposition of such a one that is here spoken of in the Text. That place is famous for this in Jer. 6.29, 30. The bellows are burnt, the Lead is consumed of the Fire, the Founder m…eth in vain, for the Wicked are not plucked away; Reprobate silver shall Men call them, because the Lord hath rejected them. They are compare… here to mettle that the Finer would fain melt, and would purge; now saith the Text, the bellows are burnt, there's blowing and puffing to make the Fire hotter and hotter, yet all will not do, the lead is consumed. Finers they use to mingle lead among other pure metle. I but that is consum'd & nogood is done upon the metle. The founder melteth in vain, their Hearts are compared to such mettle as will not be melted? What then, Reprobate Silver shall Men call them, because the Lord hath rejected them, the Lord at length rejects such Hearts as these which have such a deal of do to work upon them: wherefore my Brethren, O labour you to get such Dispositions of Heart, as a little will work upon you, Remember this Text. Surely when we consider what a God we have to deal with, how infinitely great above us, we must needs be convinced that this God should expect from us, that any hints of his Will should prevail with us, if it be but a Word.
And know, It is a Mercy of God, that thou hast but a hint of his Will, that thou hast but any word to make his Mind known unto thee that concerns the good of thy Soul.
First, God expects that thou shouldest catch at every hint. Perhaps a Minister if he do let fall but some Word by the by, that doth neerly concern thy Soul, though it be not the great Argument that he is Preaching upon; the Lord expects that thou shouldest catch hold of that; and never leave till thou gettest thy Heart affected with it. In 1 Kin. 20. We read there of the Servants of Senbada…, that when they were seeking for the Life of …heir Master, to the King of Israel in v. 33. the Text saith, Now the Men did diligently observe whether any thing would come from him, and did hastily catch it: so when we come to the Word, we are to come before the Great King of Heaven and Earth for our Lives. Now we should diligently observe whether God speak any thing to our Hearts, and hastly catch it: and Blessed are those that have their Hearts wrought thus upon by a little. For though God is pleased to use great means for the good of some, yet as for others, if a little will not do it they shall never be wrought upon.
The next point is, When thou didst be… Josiah upon the hearing of the Book of the Law read, his Heart presently, was turned, he did not put it off as Foelix did, I will hear more of this another time, but… presently he yields. From thence the point is,
That it is very acceptable to God for the Souls of People, presently to relent and yield, and humble themselves presently, assoon as ever they hear God's displeasure made out against them.
Sometimes God is pleased to dart in a Truth that doth not work presently, but lies for a long time in the Heart, perhaps lies many Daies, Weeks, Months, sometimes Years. I have known some that upon hearing the Word, have been wrought upon while they have been hearing, but the Lord hath cast it into their Consciences; and upon their Sick-Bed, then it hath wrought upon them: And so some Admonitions and Exhortations that are given to People; that every time doth not stir them, but, it may be, God doth Bless them a great while after. As it is with the Seed that is cast into the Ground, though it do not come up presently if a drought follow, but if a rain follow, then when you thought they had been dead, they will come up. And so it is with the Seed of the Word, We sow it, and a Sun-shine of prosperity follows: and we think it is dead; but God sending some Afflictions a great while after, the Word Springs up; and it is well that the Word of God may work at any time in the Hearts of Men and Women: But it is more acceptable to God, when the Heart yields presently upon the very first hearing: As it was with David, he had such a kind of Heart as Josiah, in the 2 Sam. 12.12. We read there when the Prophet Nathan came to David to tell him of his Sin; saith he unto him, v. 7, 8. Thou art the Man, and so goes on telling him of his Sin. But, mark in the 13: v. when David made his Answer, to what Nathan spake; And Davi… said unto Nathan? I have Sinned against the Lord, and so was humbled before the Lord presently upon Nathans Message unto him: he did not bid Nathan go away, and he would think of it after, and consider of it afterwards: But, O I have sinned against the Lord, I have been the Wretch that hath thus provokt the Lord against me, I have sinned, O what shall I do!
And so those in Acts 2. As they were hearing, their Hearts were prickt, before they went out of the presence of God: as the very sound of the Word was in their Ears, the prick of God was in their Hearts. And indeed, when the Lord is pleased to come upon the Hearts of his, to draw himself by his Word, the Word will work presently. The Lord he can, when he will set the Key to the Heart so as it shall presently open. Many Mens Hearts are like rusty Locks, there is a great deal of stir to open them, espceially if the Key be not the right Key, and fitted to every Ward. But now come to a Lock where the Key is fitted to every Ward fully, a Child may turn it, you can turn it with one of your fingers: So the Lord sometimes indeed doth so speak the Word to many Mens Hearts that are as rusty Locks so that the Word doth not fit: there are many Wards in their Hearts, many Objections lie in their Hearts against the Word, that it doth not fit them, and so their Hearts are not opened; but at another time the Lord is so pleased to direct his Word, that he makes the Key as fit for such a Mans Heart as can be, and then he opens presently; in an instant the Heart of this Man is opened that hath been shut against God all the daies of his Life before.
Divers reasons there are why the Hearts of Men should open and yield presently unto God.
First, Because of the submission that the creature owes unto God. Why? You expect that your Children should presently yield to you: It is not enough if after a great many Blows and Words they yield to you, you account that to be the part of a stubborn Child; but when a Child shal yield to you presently, that pleases you: Well▪ So the Lord expects that we should yield to Him presently, not to stand out long, to have many Words and Blows; but that we should presently come in and yield unto him.
Secondly, The present yielding unto God doth prevent abundance of Evil, abundance of Sin is prevented by a present yielding unto God: Many men, though perhaps at length the Lord in his infinite Mercy may convert their Souls that have stood out against him: I but what abundance of Evil hath there been (since that time that God began to stir thee first) committed by thee: Let any man but look back to his former time, and think with himself; Did not God begin with me heretofore? Did not I hear this Word of the Lord before this time? O how happy had it been with me, If I had then yielded at the first? But by standing out, O what abundance of Sin have I committed since that time!
Somewhat now I should have shewn you, What it is that a Soul doth see in God's Word, that doth make it presently yield unto him. But I will rather come briefly to some Application of this.
Application.
Wherefore then from hence; First, it may be an Ʋse of Consolation unto such, whose Hearts have come in presently: I hope the…e are some whose Hearts have been like Lydia, that the Lord hath fitted the key of his Word for, and upon the first Hearing of the Word, their Hearts have come in before the Lord. O what great ease of Spirit maist thou have in this, that thou canst be able to say as before the Lord, It's true indeed, there was a time that I went on in Blindness, and Ignorance, and Prophaneness, and Ungodliness; but blessed be God, ever since God hath made known His Will unto me, my Heart hath yielded to Him, Canst thou say so? O what a happy thing were it, if many of you were able to say thus; Lord, indeed I was a wretch in the daies of my ignorance, that liv'd Prophanely, and Ungodlily, because I knew no better, but as soon as ever thou didst reveal thy mind unto me, my heart did come in, and yield to thee.—There's many Men that God is now working upon, and they are coming to seek after God's Mercy, but this Temptation comes upon them, I but thou hast stood out against God all this while, this is that, that hath augmented thy Sins, and will God have Mercy on such a Wretch as hath thus stood out against him? This Temptation lies so heavie upon many, that they would give a thousand Worlds to be delivered from it. But now you are delivered from such a Temptation as this is: O Blessed are you that presently yield to the Word of God; in Rev. 4.1. John saith of himself, that he heard a Voice as it were of a Trumpet talking with him; then in the second ver. And immediatly I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne was set in Heaven &c.
Thou hast heard sometimes the voice of the Word as a Trumpet, and canst thou say immediatly I was in the Spirit, or, immediatly the Spirit was in me? I say, peace be to thee in this thing: For this is very acceptable before the Lord; and it is a sign of an ingenuous Spirit. And know, that the Lord will be as present in the waies of Mercy to thee as thou art present in the hearing of him. Art thou wrought upon presently at the hearing of the Word? Presently I say? the Lord will be present in his Mercy towards thee, he will make as much haste to do thee good as thou canst make haste to yield Obedience unto him; and therefore such kind of People as these are, may expect Comfort sooner than others. There are a great many held under the Terrors of the Law a long time: Why, the Lord deals with them but as they dealt with him; God was calling perhaps upon thee many years before thou didst hearken to him, and therefore thou mayest be willing to stay for comfort, seeing thou didst make God stay so long and didst not come in to him.
But now you young ones, if you come in presently upon the very first notice of the dangerous condition you are in, I say you may find comfort very soon. At the beginning of Daniels Supplication the Lord heard: O the Lord would not have his mercy stay towards Daniel.
But many there are that are to be rebukt from this point, that do stand out against God, and do not presently come and yield.—As the other, a little thing will not work upon them, there must be much ado. So these, whether little or much, yet howsoever for the present they are not wrought upon.
Well, Know every time God speaks to thee, and thy Heart is not toucht, thou doest loose an opportunity for Eternal Life, I, and a large opportunity, for thy Eternal Life is lost, every time God speaks to thee, and thou dost not yield to him; and is not that a great loss?
Secondly, Know this, that it is more unlikely, if thou dost not yield at first upon present hearing of the Word, it is more unlikely that thou wilt yield afterwards; if the Corn doth not sprout and rise up in a certain time, it will never rise up: and so, if the Heart stand out long, it may prove too late for the Word to work upon it.
Then, and further know this, thou that standest long out against God, though God should not at length Work upon thee, thou wilt have more trouble in thy Heart and Conscience a great deal: as an old Sore you know, there is more trouble in the healing of it; So when Hearts stand out long against God, there is the more pain and trouble.
O that the Lord therefore would work presently upon your Hearts. And that's the Exhortation as from God, when you hear his Word, entertain it presently, and yield presently to it, without any much adoe; whatsoever Truth you hear, be convinc't of it, whatsoever Admonition you hear, imbrace it presently. For,
First, Certainly that that will be true hereafter, it is truth now, and there's none of you but will wish hereafter that you had yielded and submitted to the Word: O then, if you will wish hereafter you had done it, certainly then there is reason it should be done now. O what will the Word be true when thou comest upon thy sick bed, and deathbed? then it is true now.
Secondly, For ought thou knowest, what ever God speaks to thy Heart, he speaks to thee as the last; the very first speaking may be the last for ought thou knowest: It's true, sometimes it is otherwise, but it is more than any of you can promise, and therefore yield presently to the word.
Thirdly, God may put thee presently into such a Condition, as if he doth not presently grant Mercy to thy Soul, thou art undone for ever; in such a Condition many times are sinners, that all Eternity lies upon the present. And thou mayest be put into such a Condition, that either God must hear thee presently, or else thou art lost for ever, therefore be thou willing to hear God.
Fourthly, Consider the infinite patience of God, already, that thou hast stood out so long; hath not God cut off thy Life? O then thou hast need take heed of standing out any more.
Yea, how often hast thou listned to Temptations; presently that comes to wickedness, and thou canst presently imbrace them: O then when the Word comes so near to thy Heart and speaks to thy Conscience, why canst thou not imbrace that as well! O when the Word comes close, and especially so near that thou canst but say, certainly the Lord intended me this Day, stay out no longer, but yield and submit presently unto him.
But I have stood out a long time, Lord? what shall I do?
It is a Dreadful evil; and thou shouldst be willing to suffer much in regard thou hast stood out so. I, but what sayest thou, if God should yet speak one Word to thee, what's thy resolution now? I put this unto the Consciences of every one in this Congregation, if God shall speak this day any thing that concerns thee in particular: art thou resolved …n thine Heart that thou wilt now fall down before him, and yield and submit? if thou shouldest hear any threat in God's Word against thy Sin; art thou resolved now, what lies in thee to renounce that Sin, I put this to thee, whether wilt thou do this, yea or no? What answer would you give to God: if the Lord should this Day. (seeing I am come by his Providence) speak any thing out of his Word that shall concern my sin, I will this day without any further putting off till sickness or Death-bed, I am resolved (God inabling me) I will do what I can to the renounceing of those things which the Word of God shall Condemn? hast thou such a Resolution?
I would be willing to present some Scriptures to some of you especially to those of the most ignorant sort, though perhaps some of you know them, but whether you know them or not, yet I shall present them now in the Name of God unto those that to this day have liv'd in those sins, and have not been humbled before God upon the hearing of this Word that I shall now speak unto you.
As that in Rom. 1.18. Consider the Scripture what God speaks to thy Soul now: For the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven, against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of Men, who hold the Tru…h in unrighteousness. This is the Word of God to thee this day. Doth not thy Conscience tell thee now that there are some waies of ungodliness and unrighteousness that thou livest in? now God from Heaven tels thee that his wrath from Heaven is revealed against thy Soul if thou dost not Repent: O hear this Word, and let thy Soul be humbled and m… before God.—And you that hold the Truth of God in unrighteousness, that is, you that have convinc't Consciences, you know what your duty is and yet you go against your Conscience, you ar… those that hold the Truth in unrighteousness, & the wrath of God from Heaven is reveal'd against you.
But particularly for Sins: For Swa…ers: Why, let them consider of these two Te…ts of Scriptur… and see whether their Hearts will yield to them. In Jer. 23.10. For the Land is full of Adulterers, for because of Swearing the Land mourneth. This Day we know the Land mourns, and would you know the cause, you may attribute it to this … that, but the Scripture saith because of Swearing the Land mourns, I because of thy oaths, they are a part of all the cause of all the Misery of the Kingdom at this day: O the Lord tells thee this, and i… thy Heart were tender thou wouldst, humble thy self before the Lord, because of this, and go away with a Heart resolved against thy Sin.
And so that place in Zach. 5.3. is both against this sin, and against the sin of Stealing. Then said be unto me, This is the Curse that goeth over the face of the whole Earth, for every one that Stealeth shall be cut off, …as on this side, according to it, and every one that Sweareth, shall be cut off as one that side. Here's a great flying Roule, the length whereof is twenty Cubits, and the breadth thereof ten Cubits, and this flying Roul is the Curse going over the face of the whole Earth for every one that stealeth, and for every one that Sweareth. O this Word now hath as much Power in it to work upon thy Heart as the Word that wrought upon Josiahs; Art thou resolved against those Sins or not? this God declares unto thee this day. Therefore, if thy Heart be tender, thou wilt go home and humble thy Soul before God in thy closet for thy Sin.
And so for the Sin of Sabbath-breaking, in Ezek. 20.13. (I desire to make an experiment this day, whether it may not be so, with some of your hearts) But the House of Israel rebelled against me in the Wilderness, they walked not in my Statutes, and they despised my Judgments, which if a Man do he shall live in them, and my Sabboths they greatly polluted: then I said, I would powr out my Fury upon them, i… the Wilderness to consume them. Thi… God renews to thee this Day, either thou art resolved to continue in this Way of breaking Gods Sabbaths; or not: if thou beest resolved, this is the Text that concerns thee, and expect to have it made good upon thee, that the Lord shall powr out his Fury upon thee to consume thee. But upon the Reading of this Text, thy Heart falls and yields, and thou art humbled before the Lord; O well and good, the Word hath the true Fruit of that it aims at: surely if Josiah had heard such a Word as this, his heart would have melted.
And then again for the sin of uncleanness, I will give you two Texts of Scripture out of God's Word, and read them unto you, they are dreadful ones, and I verily believe Josiah had no such word read to him, as I shall read to you against this sin: The first, in Prov. 22.14. The mouth of strange Women is a deep pit; he that is abhorred of the Lord shall fall therein. Here's a Text now for all unclean wretches that are inticed by the Mouths of strange Women, mark what God saith to thy Soul this Day, that Man that is abhorred of God, falls into this pit. O dreadful expression! is it possible for any Man to speak more dreadfully than thus, that the Man that is abhorred of God, shall fall into the Pit of the Whore? and how often have some of you fallen into her Pit! Either you must acknowledge the Word of God or not; if not, you are Atheists. And if this be not God's Word, then there is nothing in God's Word that you can lay your Salvation upon; What do you rest upon to be saved by, if not upon the Word? and if upon any part of it, why not upon this? Certainly there is as much Authority and strength in this to humble, as there is to save: and this is that, that I in the Name of God, not barely reade, but speak it to you from God's Word: that the Man that is abhorred of God, falls into the pit of the Whore. Now either go away with a Resolution to slight and disregard the Word, or to continue, or not; which of the three? either to slight or disregard what is said, or yet to resolve to venture, or be humbled before God, because of the evil that the Word of God doth so dreadfully speak against: O it were a Dreadful thing if any one in this Congregation should go away with either slighting, or resolving to continue to venture! O that the Lord would accompany the reading of this to you, as he did the reading of the Book to Josiah, that the Lord might have some Soul that might fall down, and tremble before him this day and give Glory to him!
The other Scripture is in 2 Pet. 2.9, 10. The Lord knoweth how to deliver the Godly out of Temptation: and to reserve the unjust unto the Day of Judgment to be punished, but chiefly them that walk after the flesh, in the lust of uncleanness. The Lord knows how to reserve all Wicked Men to the Day of Judgment, but chiefly them that walk after the Flesh in the lust of uncleanness.—Now it may be some of you may put off this, that you have not been notoriously wicked in the Actual sin of uncleanness; but mark the Word of the Lord in Rom. 8.13. For if you live after the Flesh, you shall Die: that is, perish eternally: if you make the comforts of your lives to consist in making provision for the Flesh, and to satisfie the Flesh, though it be not in such Wicked waies of uncleanness, you shall die.
I, but notwithstanding all this, yet some may go away guilty and hardned in their Sin as they came: therefore I will but read you one Word more, and that is in Deut. 29.19, 2…. And it came to pass that when he heareth the words of this Curse, that he bless himself in his Heart saying, I shall have peace though I walk in the Imaginations of my Heart, to adde Drunkenness to Thirst: The Lord will not spare him, but then the Anger of the Lord, and his Jealousie shall smoke against that Man, and all the Curses that are written in this Book shall lie upon him: and the Lord shall blot out his Name from under Heaven.
Those that shall yet bless themselves in their Wickedness, and say, For all that the Minister speaks I shall have peace; O that the Lord would settle this Word upon you. I the rather reade it, because I am afraid there be many in this place that never read Scripture in their Families, and therefore I desire they might meet with such Texts of Scripture now in this Ordinance of God: It may be this one Text was one of the Texts that Josiah heard read, you hear it read over again, O that the Lord would bless these few sentences of Scripture that are read to you out of his Word, that so you may go away with tender Hearts, humbled before the Lord, and resolved against your sin. But to come to the next point, Which is,
That a tender Heart is very acceptable unto God; Because thine Heart was tender.
This is that that I had thought to have spent the most part of the time in: that which the Scripture here calls a tender Heart, it is else-where call'd by other names, as a contrite Heart, and a broken Heart, but especially that which we have in Ezek. of a Heart of Flesh, that's the very same that this is. David is said to be a Man after God's own Heart, and this in a more special manner, because he was a Man of a very tender melting Heart.
Now then, in the handling of this point, I shall first indeavour to open to you what a tender Heart is: which is to be done two waies: Either by showing wherein it consists, or the Difference of a Tender Heart from the softness of Nature, from those Flashes that some meet withal in the Word, or from the Terrours of the Law. But it may be referr'd to the Application.
But that that we will indeavour now, is to open wherein the true tenderness of Heart doth consist, and then we shall indeavour to shew the preciousness of it, how precious it is before God, and how God doth manifest his wonderful acceptation of a tender Heart.
The Philosophers description of a soft thing is, that that easily gives way to touch, and a hard thing is that that d…th with much adoe yield to touch: So that here's the first, a tender Heart is such a Heart as doth easily yield to God, yield to God's touch. As now we know Wool, lay your finger upon Wool and it yields, but lay your finger upon a stone and it will not yield; lay your finger upon flesh and flesh will yield, but lay your finger upon Iron and that will not yield: so a Heart that yields to God, that's the soft tender Heart, and the Heart that stands out against God that's the hard Heart; when a Man will easily yield to the touch of God's Word, he shall easily be convinced by God's Word, and not stand out objecting against the Word of God; when-as Conscience shall easily yield to what is said, and apply the Word to ones self, when-as the Will shal fall down before the Word: that although before the Heart went after Wickedness, yet now when the Word comes to oppose it, the Will of a Man gives way to God's Word; Let God's Word take place, and not my Will saith such a Soul: and so the Affections, when they shall give way to the Word of God: this is a Sign of a tender Heart.
Yea, and not only yielding to God, but yielding to Men too: for the tenderness of Heart will be discovered in ones easily yielding to Men: that if there be any thing that is offensive justly to his Brethren he yields it; he will not stand out to maintain any thing to satisfie his own will withal, but, if he sees it may be justly offensive to his Brethren, he yields.
Secondly, As there is a yieldableness in a tender Heart: so a sensibleness. A tender Heart is such a one as is full of sence: as the Flesh you know, if you do but prick it with a pin, the Flesh feels it; The Heart of Flesh is such a Heart as is sensible of what is said to it, is sensible of God's displeasure; O the apprehensions of any displeasure of God it doth go to the very Heart indeed, that the infinite God should be displeased by it.
And it is sensible of its own vileness and wretchedness, so as it doth even loath it self before the Lord. It is sensible of the Word, when the Word shal speak to it, it is very sensible of it: yea, it is so sensible of any thing of God, any displeasure of God, and of its own sin, or what the Word saith, that indeed it doth faint before God, so as there is no Creature-comfort in the World can keep it from failing. A tender Heart doth not consist meerly in being suitable of any degree, but so sensible as it would certainly faint under the sence of this displeasure of God, did not God come in with his own hand to support and help that Soul: hence in Deut. 20.3. The Word that is Translated there, a fainting Heart, it is the same word with that in my Text, let not your hearts be made tender, or faint. So this is the right tenderness, when there is such a softness of Heart, when the Heart is so sensible of God's displeasure and its own vileness, and of the Word, as it would faint before the Lord, if so be that the Lord did not uphold it by his Spirit.—Yea, likewise it is sensible of all God's Mercies, sensible of all its own unkindness against God, and of all the kindness it doth receive from God. The kindness of God breaks this Heart, and melts it: it is as the shine of the Sun upon the Ice that doth thaw the Ice, and so the Beams of God's Mercy do ever more melt the Heart of one that is of such a tender disposition as we are speaking of. The Heart of a Man or Woman that is the less Affected, the less he is Afflicted, certainly such a Man or Woman hath a hard Heart: But now the Heart that is soft and tender, it is not onelyonly Affected with its sin, and God's displeasure, but with Gods Mercy likewise, and the Heart …elts as well upon the apprehension of Mercy, as of Sin.
And likewise is very sensible of the misery of others; why should other of our Brethren be in a harder Condition than we are, we are as unworthy as they, thus do tender Hearts reason: and their Hearts do even melt before God upon the apprehension of the misery of others, and that they who are so unworthy should rather en…oy Peace, and Liberty, and Comfort, and others of their Brethren do suffer such hard things: but hard Hearts do not care, so they may be at home, and lie warm, and have their Tables spread, what do they care, but a tender Heart is a sensible Heart. Yea, a tender Heart is both yieldable and searchable without any great noise, he makes no great noise, this is true tenderness and melting of Heart. You know a tender thing yields, and the flesh is sensible. Mettles, they melt; and yield, and fall, and that in a still way, they make no noise: and so a true tender melting Heart is very yieldable to God, and sensible of its own Sin without any great noise: Those kind of Men and Women that are humbled for their Sin, and make a great deal of disturbance in the Family where they live, that behave themselves in such a violent way, so as, I say, make disturbances where they live: This is not the Right Gospel-tenderness, this is not the melting of Spirit. Cast some things into the Fire, and as soon as they feel the heat they make a great deal of stir, but when the Mettle feels the heat of the Fire, it falls down and yields without any noise: and so when God makes a true tender melting Heart to be sensible of sin, it is so sensible as it makes no great noise, but carries things in a quiet way.
You will say, How can we be quiet, when we apprehend so much danger for our sin?
Yes, my Brethren: and this is the Mystery of Godliness in true Gospel-humiliation, and lay up this, you that yet do not understand it, lay it up against such times as the Lord shall affect your Hearts for your sin.
And then a Fourth thing is, It is such a Heart as will take any impression from God, or be cast into any mould that God would have it: as now, melt a piece of Wax, and you may put what impression you will upon it: but if you should take a Seal, and put it upon a stone, there it will take no Impression, but upon a tender thing.
So the Heart that is tender is present before the Lord, and is ready to take any stamp that the Word of God shall put upon it. Look what holiness is in God's Word, according to the capacity of it, it takes the very impression of God's Holiness. So that after they have heard the Word, there will appear the very print of those Truths upon the Heart: and so likewise, for being cast into any mould you know things that are soft you may easily mould them, or the mettle when it is melted you may put it into any mould, and it will take the fashion of the mould, but hard things will not do so; thus it is with a tender Heart, it is cast into whatsoever God would have it, into the very mould of the Word. We have a notable Scripture for this in Rom. 6.17. (of any Translation in the New Testament, I do wonder at the Translation of those words) Ye have obeyed from the Heart that form of Doctrine which was delivered to you. It should be translated thus; that form of Doctrine into which you were delivered: into which form of Doctrine you were delivered. So that you have from the Heart obeyed that form of Doctrine into which the Spirit of God did deliver you. So that the Form of Doctrine is compared to a mould, and the Heart of Man to mettles that are melted, and the Spirit of God to the Founder, the Founder takes mettle that is melted and powres into the mould, and though the mettles were of such and such fashions before, yet now it comes to be of the same fashion the mould is of; so it is with a tender melting Heart. A sinner that hath lived a long time in such and such Courses of sin and Wickedness, comes to the Word of God, and the heat of God's Word works upon him, so as it melts his Heart; and then the Spirit of God comes and takes the Heart of this old sinner, and puts it into the mould of this Word, and so makes him a vessel of honour.
Now these five things may serve turn to open wherein lies the Nature of a tender Heart, and whereby in part you may examine: whether your Hearts be tender yea or no. We should have come to several other things, for the further opening and shewing the Nature of a Tender Heart, but I shall chuse rather to refer them to the Application.