Chrift in a storm, when the fummer vermin is not to be feen: Pfal. xix. 9. "The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever." Trees planted in God's vineyard, watered by his grace, having fuch a heart, are not like common trees, green. only one while of the year, but thofe are ever green, and are yielding their fruit in their season, Pfal. vii. 3. Such an heart takes with the stock, and for lives by its fap.

(3.) It is a heart refolute in obedience. We will do it, fay they, ftand in the way what will. See the portraiture of fuch a heart, Micah. iv. 5. "For all people will walk every one in the name of his God, and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever." Such a heart had Caleb and Jofhua, they followed the Lord. fully. It made them row against the stream. It gives the man courage for the arduous enterprife. Heaven is fweet in the eyes of all; why then do fo many go to hell? why, they have not fuch a heart. There are difficulties in the way to heaven, they have no courage to grapple with these. They fee heaven afar, but there is a great gulph betwixt them and it, and they have not fuch a refolute heart as to venture on it, and heaven will not drop down into their mouths.

(4.) It is a heart that is content to know what is duty and what is fin: « Speak thou unto us all that the Lord our God fhall fpeak unto thee, and we will hear it and do it." And indeed that is a very rare heart; for most people are very glad to lodge lufts; as fome lodged intercommuned people, they are willing they fhould get houfe-room, but are defirous that they themfelves fhould not fee them, fo as to know that they are there. But fuch a heart loves to know the whole counfel of God: John, iii. 20. "But he that doth truth

cometh

cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifeft, that they are wrought in God." It is a none-fuch heart, which is content to have all anatomized and fearched which in every cafe is ready to fay, "Speak, Lord, for thy fervant heareth;" which is content to fit down at Chrift's feet and learn all; while others lodge their lufts under difguife, and loath the difcovery of them, rebel against the light, and thut their eyes, till God judicially blind them, fo as that they at last come to believe lies.

(5.) It is a heart to which God's bare will is a fufficient reafon both for faith and practice. Such a heart receives the fpeaker for the word's fake, and not the word for his, but for God's fake. Such a heart receives the kingdom as a little child, who has authority enough if father or mother fay it. Such a heart had Abraham; he gets a strange commandment, for which he could fee no reafon but the will of God, Gen. xxii. Father and fon must part, not to fee other more in this world, though the fon of the promise. The father himself muft do the deed. Here were many deaths both to the father and to the fon; but God's will was revealed, and they were about fully to obey; then fays the Lord, ver. 12. "Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him, for now I know that thou feareft God;" that thou haft such a heart.--We go on to obferve,

8. It is heart that has high and honourable thoughts of God, ver. 24. " Behold, the Lord our God hath fhewed us his glory, and his greatnefs, and we have heard his voice out of the midft of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth." His greatness: "O that there were such a heart in them!" They profeffed this. High and honourable thoughts of the

husband

husband is neceffary to the comfort of the married ftate, and to the performance of duties. The queen ftands upon the right hand, Pfal. xlv. 9. Mean thoughts of God are the neck-break of right obedience to him. They think him fuch an one as themselves, Pfal. 1. 31. Hence mean pitiful fervices are thought fufficient. They forget that he "will be fanctified in them that come nigh him, and before all the people he will be glorified," Levit. x. 3. Such a heart is let into the view of his greatnefs in fome measure, fo that its conclufions will be, Pfal. xcv. 3. "The Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods." So that the foul's familiarity with God will yet be managed with a due regard to the awful greatnefs and infinite diftance betwixt God and the creature. And this may serve as a help to diftinguifh true communion with God from delufions, Heb. xii. 28.29. John, xx. 28.

9. It is a heart which the voice of God has reached, ver. 24. (quoted above). O that this voice had had as much accefs to their hearts as to their ears! Paul fpoke, and God fpoke, and Lydia's heart was opened. "My fheep," faid Jefus,

hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me," John, x. 27. To honeft covenanters there is fomething more in preaching than a bare found, fomething more in facraments than bread and wine: Thefe are but the vehicles of the Lord's voice to the foul, and the ordinances are empty things when there is no divine fire infolded in them. There is a voice of the Lord in our mother's house; in the public ordinances there is a good report of Chrift. Sinners are invited, obtefted, commanded to hear and believe. But Christ comes into the inner chamber of the elect's hearts, and there he gives his voice, which is a ma

jeftic

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jestic voice, a heart-melting found: Jer. xxiii. 29. "Is not my word like as a fire? faith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?" It thaws the frozen affections. A quickening voice that puts activity in the foul; it puts the spirit in motion, fo as that it refts not till it has taken up its reft in God: John, vi. 63. "It is the spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I fpeak unto you, they are fpirit, and they are life."

10. It is a heart which takes up with the Lord for its God, even when he appears in the glorious robes of his perfect holiness. This they profeffed; but "O that there were fuch a heart in them!" The truth is, the carnal mind is enmity against God; and none but faints indeed can give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness, Pfal. xxx. 4. God is glorious in his holinefs indeed; but none, will love him for that glory, but fuch as are partakers of the divine nature. Thofe who love him for this, love him for himself. And indeed fuch a heart, being a holy heart, will cleave to the fountain of holiness, to the end that they may be tranfformed into the fame image. To take God in the robes of mercy, is not strange, but God's holiness chaseth unholy hearts away from him.

II. It is a heart fenfible of that vast distance which fin has made betwixt God and the foul, which has got such a fight of its own finfulness, vand God's holiness, that it fees there is no tranfacting with God but by a Mediator, ver. 27. Such ha heart will say as Luther, " I will have nothing to - do with an abfolute God." Such will not offer to come into the prefence of God but as intro7duced by the King's Son, nor will defire to look on God but as vailed with flesh, knowing that a fight of unvailed majefty is enough to confound a finner.

finner. And truly, till the Lord touch the heart, it will not be fuch a heart, but, like a fearless beaft, will touch the fiery mountain. Such a heart will highly prize Chrift, and come to the Lord under the vail of Chrift's flesh, and will have no boldness of access but what flows from the blood of Chrift, Heb. x. 19. 20.

12. It is a heart reconciled to the whole law of God, ver. 27. It is not every heart which is fuch. They only have it, "who walketh not after the flesh, but after the fpirit." Rom. viii. 1. Hypocrites hearts are never reconciled to the whole law of God. They cannot fay they are not ashamed in having refpect to all God's commandments, Pfal. cxix. 6. There are always fome parts of the Bible, which hypocrites would spend their blood on to blot them out, if that would do. Here, there is a raging luft fays yea; there, there is a holy law fays nay; the heart cannot be reconciled to both at once. Both may be in the experience both of the fincere Chriftian and the hypocrite. What is the difference? why, the hypocrite would fain have the law to his lufts, the fincere foul would have his lufts bow to the law. For he "delights in the law of the Lord after the inward man," Rom. vii. 22. And his heart will approve the law, when it forbids, accufes, and condemns his corruptions, ver. 16. "If then I do that which I would not, I confent to the law, that it is good."

13. It is a heart which is for taking the law only out of Chrift's hand as Mediator, ver. 27. The Mediator firft makes the peace between God and the finner, then bids the man work. But the law of itself first bids finners work, and tells them they fhall have their peace according to their work; which would be dreadful news to fuch a heart. Under the law to Chrift, 1 Cor. ix. 21.

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