is faid to be without guile. as Pfal. xxxii. 2. I can only understand it, of a harboured and allowed guile; for fuch the regenerate, (it is true,) stand clear from. But whatever fine things any may tell of their right and clean hearts, the Lord knows they are faulty: "and he putteth no truft even in "his faints," Job xv. 1 15. "Let God be true, and . every man a liar,” Rom. iii. 4. "The old man

"is corrupt, according to the deceitful lufts," Eph. iv. 22. And fomewhat of that old man, even every renewed man, as long as here he lives, will carry in him.

Now, if I trufl to a broken ftaff, or to a perfidious man; they are both of them like to deceive me. And fo weak and fo falfe too is the heart; that trufting to it, I run the greateft hazard, to be de ceived by it. When of itself, alas, it cannot fo much as think a good thought, nor faithfully attend a fhort prayer; nor withstand any affault of the tempter: but it is trifling and roving; and when put to it, prefently gone and vanquished. O how faint in its purposes, even against the most undoing courfes? and how apt to fhuffle, and bear down all, with a wildnefs of thought; when the temptation comes, and looks inviting? how fly, and full of fhifts and evafions, to palliate and hide its guilt from others? reftraining the corruptions from fcandalous eruptions; and fo keeping clofe what is naught, in the deep of the heart: that men fhall not know the worft; when it is fo helped off, and carried away, by fome crafty conveyance. Nay, how does the heart, not only put fallacies upon others, to deceive them in their judgment of us; that they fhall never truly know us: but also practife upon ourselves; to keep us from the fight of our fin and danger; and make us fill our own compurgators and flatterers, to think we are better than we are; and to juftify ourselves, when God's

Word

Word condemns us; and to reckon all well, when he knows all is naught with us?

It is not then, the favourable verdict of my heart, but his fentence, who is greater than my heart, that I must abide by. For if I think, I am not foured with this leaven, I do but abufe myself with that very thought and am deceived, to conclude, that there is no deceit in me. For, alas, what fafety, to believe an impoftor, without any further teftimony? and how can I fo be out of danger, even from the bofom-traitor, till I have begged of the Lord, to fearch and try me; yea, to renew a right fpirit within me that by the candle of the Lord I may discover the Agag, which would be spared; and by the fword of the Spirit, cut off that predominant luft, whereby I am most endangered: that the intereft of God may be preferved in my heart: and albeit thorns and thiftles will be fpringing up, even in the good ground; yet, that they may not encroach upon the spirit of my mind; to eat up the fat of the foil. But never let me plead my good intention, for any bad action: nor lay the fair colour of virtue, upon my deformed fins; nor hang the evil of my ways, upon the circumftances of my cafe; nor transfer away the blame, to throw it upon others; nor plunge myfelf into any foul iniquity, because God is rich in mercy; nor think, I may do fome things ill, because I have done many things fo well; nor prefume, all is fafe, only because my heart preaches peace. When, alas, all these fine fetches, may prove, but fo many branches of its cheats. And I must not look in muddy waters, for the true reprefentation of my face; nor be overconfident of a heart, that is fo exceeding flippery and fraudulent: like the filly felf-foothing creatures, that cry, They have it within; when the goodness is not to be feen abroad; and crack of the rectitude and foundness of their hearts; though they

they fhew us fo little, or nothing, in their lives, that they are good for; but rather a quite contrary profpect. O let me go another way to work; and arraign the traitor in my own breaft; and endeavour to find out the evil in my own heart, and bewail and groan under it, and judge myself for it: and inftead of diffembling and cloaking the corruption, open my heart, to let it out, in humble confeffion; and cry to heaven, for fuch pardon, and healing of the diftemper, that though it lie upon me, to trouble me, it may not be imputed unto me, to condemn me.

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Arraign myself before thee, O LORD, that my heart, which is the chief, and fhould be "the best part of all, is fo tainted and polluted, "that I cannot bring any clean thing, out of that "which is fo unclean: that I have fo much cause "to call in queftion that fincerity, which is the only attainment, that can be boafted here on earth;

and that I ftand condemned by my own heart, "for regarding iniquity in it, and for being false "in the covenant of my God. O gracious God! "forgive and heal this deceitfulness, whereof I have "been guilty; and purify the fountain of action, "that I may not harbour guile in my fpirit, but

approve my fecreteft thoughts to the Lord, and "keep up truth in the inward parts, and be fuch " even in the hidden man of the heart, as thou wilt mercifully accept in Jefus Chrift. Amen."

MY

MEDITATION LIII.

Of the hardness of the heart.

Y Soul, the hardness of heart, which God's Word thunders againft, is not only the want of pity and compaffion, for others neceffities and miferies; or the want of melting forrow, and tears at command, upon mournful occafions: for thus many, that fhew far from cruel, and of a very relenting nature, yet may be exceeding hard, in the Scripture-fenfe; yea, and have the hearts of ftone, that is, a great repugnancy to the holy ways of God, and pertinacious adhering to their fins, making no confcience to neglect the duties of religion, and ftill running on after their own lufts, and ticking to this vain wicked world; notwithstanding all the applications made by the Spirit of God, and the miniftry of his Word, to bring them up to a heavenly mind and godly life. Not to hear God's voice, is to harden the heart, Pfal. xcv. 7, 8. To withstand his motions, and reject his offers; to be ftubborn and disobedient to the heavenly calls, and contemptuously put off the gracious warnings, as if they were but arrows fhot against a wall of brafs? and men were refolved to rule them, inftead of being ruled by them. When backed and fortified by the ftrong man armed, keeping his palace; they defy the most powerful methods that are ufed, for their rescue out of fuch ill hands. So that, allure them with God's promifes; they despise them. Depounce against them his judgments; they make

even a jeft of them. Preach to them his Word, and it is but feed caft among the rocks; they have not a tear, nor a figh; for their poor, finful, perifhing fouls. Though all is ftark naught, and going to ruin with them, it is nothing regarded by them. They are dropt into fuch a dozing fecurity, and fo intoxicate with deluding pleafures, and influenced by common examples, and emboldened by licentious opinions, and tolled on with flattering prefumptions, and come to be fo refolved and rivetted in a forry damnable cafe, by long habitual traverfing up and down in their ungodly courfes, till wickedness is grown familiar to them, and even as nothing with them.

And, for this finful hardness, God is provoked to inflict the penal hardnefs; giving them up to their own hearts lufts, abandoning them over to themselves, and leaving them to be filthy ftill. And then strive never fo much to do them good; they ftrive as much against it. Strike upon the anvils; and they do but beat back the hammer. No more impreffion to be made upon them, even than a feal makes upon a flint. They grow upon the patience of God: and "because fentence against their evil "works is not executed speedily, their hearts are

wholly fet in them to do evil," Ecclef. viii. 11. As if they could harden themselves against God, and profper; or be able to deal with him, when he fhall come upon them. O what flight thoughts have they of their fins, as if there were no hurt.or danger in them? when they fee multitudes of their party, and are platted in that ungodly fociety, which inftead of diffuading from their wickedness, hearten them on in it, and applaud and commend them for it they are ready to conclude, that all is well with them, because such as these, and their own obdurate hearts, have little or nothing to fay against them. O here is the heart of ftone, petrified, and adaman