Tropes and Figures, Treatise 1 · Head 8 · Part 31 · Subpart 24 – Subpart 25
The Heart of a wicked Man compared to a Rock.
Jer. 23.29. — And like a Hammer that breaks the Rock in pieces.
Ezek. 11.19. And I will take away the ſtony Heart, &c.
Luke 8.6. And ſome fell upon a Rock, &c.
Zech. 7.12. — They made their Hearts as an Adamant-Stone.
NOte, The Hearts of Sinners are like Rocks; or, wicked Men have ſtony and rocky Hearts.
Parallels.
A Rock is a barren and fruitleſs Place; what will grow upon a Rock? So the Hearts of wicked Men are barren and unfruitful to God; they bring forth no ſpiritual Fruit to him.
II. Rain cannot enter nor ſoak into a Rock, but as it falls, ſo it glides off, and runs away: So the ſpiritual Rain of Heaven, viz. God's Word, tho it falls never ſo powerfully upon ungodly Men, it will not enter into their Hearts: My Word hath no place in you, ſaith Chriſt, &c. Good Doctrine, and heavenly Counſel glides off of theſe ſpiritual Rocks, like Rain from a Rock, or high Mountain.
III. Rocks and Stones are naturally rough, and unfit for uſe, until they are hewed and ſquared, &c. So the Hearts of wicked Men are naturally rough, and unfit for any ſpiritual uſe, until they are hewed by the Ax and Hammer of the Word:Hoſ. 6.5. I have hewed them by the Prophets.
IV. A little thing will not break a hard Stone, or a flinty Rock, &c. So a little Matter will not break a ſtony or rocky-hearted Sinner; God ſtrikes often, and ſtrikes hard, gives many a Blow upon their Hearts, by his Word, and by his Spirit, and ſometimes by Afflictions, before their Hearts will yield, or break in pieces.
V. He that will break a Rock in pieces, or hew Stones to make them fit for uſe, muſt have a meet and convenient Inſtrument: So God makes uſe of a right and fit Inſtrument to break in pieces the hard and rocky Hearts of ungodly Men, viz. his bleſſed Word, in the hand of the Spirit: Is not my Word like a Hammer, Jer. 23.29.that breaks the Rock in pieces?
VI. A Man many times employs Workmen to break a Rock, and hew Stones: So God employs his Miniſters, as Work-men in his hand, to break theſe ſpiritual Rocks, and hew theſe rough and ragged Stones, to make them fit to lay in his ſpiritual Building: I have hewed them by the Prophets.Hoſ. 6.5.
VII. Seed that falls upon a Rock, or ſtony Place, tho it doth ſpring up, it ſoon withereth away, (if the Fowls of Heaven do not pick it up): So the Word of God, if it be ſown upon ſtony and rocky-hearted Sinners, tho it may ſeem to ſpring up, yet it ſoon withers for want of Root. They believe for a while, Luk. 8.13.but in time of Temptation fall away.
Inferences.
NO marvel Miniſters Work is ſo hard and laborious, they are God's Stone-cutters, or Rock-hewers; nay, and it fares worſe with them than with other Work-men, that work in Stone-Pits, or hew Stones, they labour all Day, and go home at Night, and come again in the Morning, and find their Work as they left it: But God's Workmen hew, and take pains, and leave their People, and come again, and find them worſe than before, their Hearts many times growing more hard and obdurate, &c.
II. Let not Miniſters notwithſtanding all this be diſcouraged, for they know not but at laſt God may ſet a Word home that may do the Buſineſs, and make the hard-hearted Sinner tremble, and cry out, as they did, Acts 2.36. Men and Brethren, what ſhall we do?
Queſt. But ſome may ſay, From whence doth it ariſe, or what is the Cauſe of this ſpiritual Hardneſs that is in the Hearts of Men.
Anſw. 1. Naturally the Sinner's Heart is hard, and like a Rock; we all brought a flinty and churliſh Nature into the World with us; ſuch is the Effect of original Sin.
2. There is alſo an acquired Hardneſs. Pharaoh hardned his own Heart; and the Prophet ſaith,Zech. 7.12 They have made their Hearts as an Adamant-Stone.
3. There is a judiciary Hardneſs of Heart, which is inflicted by God as a Judg. Men harden their own Hearts againſt God, and God at length reſolves they ſhall be hard indeed; and therefore he withdraws the common Influences of his Grace from them, and deprives them of all gracious means of ſoftning. And when all theſe three meet together in a Man,Iſa. 48.4. he is irrecov…rably hard and ſinful, His Neck is an Iron Sinew, and his Brow braſs.
4. A Man is hardned in his Sin gradually; and as he grows harder and harder, ſo nearer and nearer to eternal Ruine. (1.) He takes leave to meditate on Sin, he rolls it up and down in his Thoughts as it were; a hard Heart lets vain Thoughts dwell in it. (2.) He takes ſome Taſtes of the Pleaſure and Delight of Sin, it ſeems to him as a ſweet Morſel under his Tongue; and this is a Sign of a further degree of Hardneſs. (3.) The third Step is, Cuſtom in ſinning; it argues great Boldneſs to venture often. (4.) And then in the next place, he defends and maintains his Sin, he has got ſome Plea or Argument for it, he is an Advocate for Sin. (5.) He is angry with them, and ſecretly hates them in his Heart, that reprove him for his Sin, or adviſe him againſt ſuch and ſuch wicked Ways. (6.) He grows ſoon after this Conſcience-proof, and Sermon-proof, nay, and Judgment-proof too; he neither fears Rod nor Sword; a Stone will yield as ſoon as he. (7.) He after this ſits down in the Seat of the Scorner, derides and reproaches the Law, and mocks at approaching Judgments, like the Sodomites. (8.) And at laſt becomes a Perſecutor of them that are godly, like curſed Pharaoh, &c.
Queſt. What are the Signs of a hard Heart?
Anſw. 1. When many Blows will not break it, nor make the Heart yield. Notwithſtanding God lays on hard and heavy Strokes by his Word, by Conſcience, and by Judgments, yet nothing works remorſe.
2. When that Word or Sermon which wrought powerfully upon another Perſon, works not at all upon thee.
3. When the divine Rain of the Word glides off of thy Heart, and will not remain or abide with thee, 'tis a Sign thy Heart is hard.
4. When thou art neither troubled for thy own Sins, nor troubled for the Sins of others.
5. When thine own Miſeries, the Miſeries of the Saints, and the Diſtreſſes of Sion, do not melt thee, nor work Compaſſion in thy Soul: Tho God is diſhonoured, his Right and Sovereignty invaded, and Ruine ſeems to be at the Door, yet thou art not troubled at any of theſe things.
Wicked Men compared to Eagles.
Hoſ. 8.1. He ſhall come as an Eagle againſt the Houſe of the Lord. (Some underſtand this Eagle ſignified Nebuchadnezzar; others, the Aſſyrian, &c.)
Lam. 4.19. Our Perſecutors are ſwifter than the Eagles of Heaven, &c.
Tyrants and cruel Perſecutors are compared to Eagles.
Parallels.
EAgles are very ſwift in their Flight, and that eſpecially when they purſue their Prey: So cruel Perſecutors are ſwift to ſhed Blood:Iſa, 5.26. They haſte like Eagles to the Prey.
II. Eagles are quarrelſom Creatures, preying, devouring, envious, proud, lofty, the Plague and Tormenters of all other Birds or Fowls of Heaven, (as Naturaliſts obſerve.) Geſner reports, that in a certain Eagle's Neſt were found three hundred Ducks, one hundred and ſixty Geeſe, forty Hares, and many Fiſhes, &c. In theſe reſpects wicked Men, or bloody Perſecutors, may fitly be compared to them: They are very quarrelſom, always ſeeking occaſion againſt the Innocent; envious, proud, and lofty, as appeared in Pharaoh, and others. They are the very Plague and Torment of all their Neighbours. How many hath the Roman Eagle deſtroyed! how many Thouſands, nay, Hundred Thouſands of the Sheep and Lambs of Jeſus Chriſt have been found in her Neſt! (as I may ſo ſay.) In her was found the Blood of Prophets, Rev. 18.24and of Saints, and of all that were ſlain upon the Earth.
III. The Eagle is a ſubtil and crafty Creature: She will fill her Wings with Duſt, and get upon a Stag's Horns, and by beating the Duſt and Sand into his Eyes ſhe blinds him, and then ſoon conquers him. She alſo carries Shell-Fiſhes on high, letting them fall upon a Rock to break them; which ſets forth her great Subtilty, &c. How crafty have many Perſecutors been to deſtroy the Godly! Come, ſaith Pharaoh, let us deal wiſely with them. Their common Practice is, to put the Saints into Wolves Skins, and then ſet the Dogs upon them, to worry them. Chriſt was accuſed for being an Enemy to Caeſar, and the Apoſtles, as Movers of Sedition. Acts 24.5.Thus the cruel Papiſts dealt with the good Lord Cobham, and many other Chriſtians, viz. accuſed them with Treaſon and Rebellion, that ſo they might with the better colour take away their Lives.
IV. An Eagle is an unclean Creature, and therefore God would not have it to be offered up in Sacrifice; tho ſhe be accounted the King of Birds, yet God rather choſe the Dove upon this account, and refuſed the Eagle: So wicked Men are unclean, and their Prayers and Sacrifices, yea, their beſt Performances,Prov. 15.8, 9. are an Abomination in the ſight of the Lord.
V. An Eagle is no comely Bird, ſhe hath no ſweet Voice, nor is ſhe good for Food: So wicked Men are not comely, but contrary-wiſe, very fulſom and ill-favoured in God's ſight, neither is their Voice ſweet in his Ears. Chriſt takes great delight to ſee his People, and in hearing their Voice. Let me ſee thy Countenance, Cant. 2.14let me hear thy Voice; for ſweet is thy Voice, and thy Countenance is comely. But thus he ſpeaks not of the Ungodly: their Perſons and Prayers are no ways delightful to the Almighty. God had reſpect to Abel, and his Offering; but unto Cain, and his Offering, Gen 4.4, 5he had not reſpect.
Diſparity.
AN Eagle hath many and excellent Properties, wherein there is a great Diſparity between her and ungodly Men; and upon this account the Lord Jeſus is compared to an Eagle, and his Saints to Eagles. [See Chriſt an Eagle in the Firſt Volume.]