security, but secure in the midst of danger, as Esther's was, when she said, "If I perish, I perish." God preserveth us, not as we do fruits that are to last but for ayear, in sugar; but as flesh for a long voyage, in salt, we must expect in this life much brine and pickle, because our heavenly father preserveth us as those whom he resolveth to keep for ever, in and by dangers themselves. Paul's thorn in the flesh, which had much of danger and trouble in it, was given him on purpose to prevent pride, which was a greater evil. Lest I, said he, "should be exalted above measure through abundance of revelations, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.' Elsewhere, having commemorated Alexander the copper-smith's withstanding and doing him much evil, † yea Nero's opening his mouth as a lion against him, and the Lord's delivering of him thence, he concludeth as more than a conqueror. "And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom; to whom be glory for ever and ever, Amen." * 2 Cor. xii. 7. + 2 Tim. iv. 14, 15, 17. 18. EXERCITATION III. Hard heartedness made up of unteachableness in the understanding, untractableness in the will, unfaithfulness in the memory, insensibleness in the conscience, and unmoveableness in the affections. Metaphors to express it from the parts of man's body, stones and metals. A soft heart. Mischief, searedness, and virulency, attendants of hardness. God concurring thereunto by way of privation, negation, permission, presentation. Tradition to Satan. Delivering up to lusts and infliction. : § 1. OUR fourth proposition is still behind, viz. divine providence is an actor even in sin itself. I shall single out hardness of heart, a sin common to all sorts of men, though in different degrees, intending to declare, I. What hard heartedness is. II. That it is a sin. III. That God is an actor in it. c. For the first. This word heart is of various acceptations in the scripture. Sometimes it signi fieth the understanding, as when it is said, “God gave Solomon largeness of heart, as the sand."* That is, he had an understanding full of notions, as the sea shore is full of grains of sand. Sometimes put for the will, as when Barnabas exhorteth the Christians of "Antioch to cleave to the * 1 Kings iv. 29. Lord with purpose of heart;"* that is, with the full bent and inclination of their wills. For as to know is an act of the understanding, so to cleave is an act of the will. Sometimes for the memory, as when the blessed Virgin is said "to have laid up all our Saviour's sayings in her heart;" that is, kept them under lock and key, like a choice treasure in her remembrance, Sometimes for conscience. So the apostle speaketh of a "condemning and not condemning heart." Now God's deputy in point of judicature is conscience; which Nazianzen therefore calleth or Snaspor, a domestic tribunal, or a judge within doors. Lastly, Sometimes for the affections. So the prophet Ezekiel saith of people, that when they sat hearing the word, "their heart went after their covetousness ;"§ that is, their fears, and hopes, their desires, love -and other affections were upon shops, ships, land and other commodities, even while they were busied in the worship of God. Each of these faculties called heart in the book of God is liable to its peculiar indisposition and distemper. All put together make up the hard heartedness, of which we are treating; the particular ingredients of which are these that follow. I. Unteachableness in the understanding. Scripture joineth blinding of eyes and hardening of hearts as near a kin. "He hath blinded their * Acts xi. 23. 1 John iii. 20, 21. + Luke ii. 51. Ezek. xxxiii. 31. eyes, and hardened their heart, that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted." * It is proverbially said, Lapidi loqueris; one had as good speak to a stone as to an unteachable man: and we are all so by nature. Whence that of Paul, "The natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned."† Such are often present at sermon, so are the pillars of stone in the church, and they understand both alike. § 2. II. Untractableness in the will. There was reason enough spoken to Sihon by Moses's messengers; but all would not incline him to yield a passage to the army of Israel in an amicable way, because he was hardened. "Sihon king of Heshbon, saith Moses, would not let us pass by him, for the Lord thy God hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate, &c." So was there enough said and done to Pharaoh but still the burden of his story is this, "He hardened his heart and would not let Israel go." stone in oil, it continueth hard still. had sundry mercies shown him, being delivered from one plague after another upon Moses's prayers; but the oil of mercy could not soften him. Beat upon a stone with a hammer, it is a difficult thing, and in some cases impossible to make an impression. The hammer of God's * John xii. 40. † 1 Cor. ii. 14. Deut. ii. ver. Steep a Pharaoh 27, 28, 30. word in the mouth of Moses and Aaron, held as it were by the handle of ten notable miracles, gave ten mighty blows at Pharaoh's will; yet could make so little impression, that after the ten plagues, his heart was ten times harder than before. III. Unfaithfulness in the memory. Pertinent hereunto is that upbraiding passage of our Saviour to his disciples, "Have ye your heart yet hardened? do ye not remember?" * they seemed to have at present forgotten two of Christ's miracles, and are therefore charged with hardheartedness. Let water fall upon flesh it moisteneth it, upon earth it soaketh in and rendereth it fruitful: let it fall upon a rock it runneth presently off, and leaveth no footsteps behind it. “Where hardness of heart prevaileth," † (as here it did not, and therefore the disciples a little awakened by Christ's interrogations were able to give an account of his miracles) there is commonly no more of a chapter, sermon or pious discourse remaining in the hearer's memory, than there is moisture upon a rock after a good shower of rain. IV. Insensibleness in the conscience. St Paul speaketh of some "past feeling," and of others "that had their consciences seared with a hot iron," without all sense as a member once cauterized. Smite a stone as long as you will, beat |