A Brief DISCOURSE TOUCHING A Broken Heart.  
In which the nature, causes, and signs of it are solidly treated of; as also, its acceptableness to God; Together with many other motives pressing us to labour after the procurement of it, and the means leading thereunto:  
Being the sum and substance of certain Sermons preached by Mr. Daniel Carwardine, late Minister of Eling in the County of Middlesex.  
And since his death put forth by S. R. a friend of his.  
Whereunto is annexed, A CONFESSION OF FAITH by Mr. Samuel Rowles, late Fellow of Trinity-college in Cambridge.  
And now Minister of Thistleworth in the County of Middlesex.  
London, Printed by E. G. for J. Rothwell, and are to be sold at his shop on the North-side of Paul's. 1652.   

To the Reader.  
Christian Reader,  
THis little Treatise, if thou wilt please to peruse it (as thou soon mayest) hath a very gracious and profitable design upon thee, namely, to help forward the great work of softening and breaking thy hard heart, that so it may become a Sacrifice of a sweet smelling savour to the great God, who delighteth in nothing wherewith the sons and daughters of men can present him, more than in an humble and contrite spirit. I have ventured to call thy heart hard, whoever thou art that mayest cast thine eyes upon these lines, taking it for a certain truth, that the hearts of all the sons and daughters, as well of God, as of Belial, are more or less obdurate, if you consider them absolutely, though the hearts of good men may be called soft in comparison with the hearts of wicked ones; or if compared with that greater degree of hardness which was sometimes upon themselves, even since the time of their conversion. Such as do take themselves to have least need of any helps and furtherances in order to brokenness of heart, it is to be feared have of all men else the most. The Church of Laodicea, which thought itself to have been rich (namely, in grace and holiness) and increased in riches, (that is, in a growing thriving condition, more holy every day than other) yea at length so rich as to stand in need of nothing, arrived at the very perfection of grace, was (it should seem) in the account of God wretched, miserable, poor, blind, naked, Revel. 3.17. usually, by how much richer any man is in spirituals, by so much poorer he is in spirit; and by how much poorer in spirit, by so much richer in spiritual substance. If I may measure thy wheat by my Bushel, as Solomon gives me leave to do, Prov. 27.19. As in the water face answereth to face, so the heart of a man to man. I say, according to that maxim of Solomon, I can tell thee by the hardness of my own heart, that there is some of that bitter root of obdurateness springing up in thine. I would not do thee so much wrong not knowing of thee (nor being ever able to know thy heart) as to say that there is so much of it in thy heart as in my own. But how little soever it is, you know what the Scripture saith touching leaven. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump, so it is with the leaven of heart-hardnesse. If thou look not to it in time, what our Saviour saith concerning Mustardseed, Matth. 13.31. thou wilt find true in relation to hardness of heart. Mustardseed (saith he) is the least of all seed, but when it is grown it is the greatest of all herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof. Hardness of heart is at the first one of the least sins (not in respect of nature, but degree) for men do set upon great sins at the first with tenderish reluctant consciences, and softish hearts, (hardness of heart being usually introduced not merely by the heinousness of one sin once committed, but by frequency and custom in sinning) but afterwards it grows up to be as a mighty tree (and well it may, seeing all sins do contribute sap and moisture towards the growth of it) and then the birds of the air (I mean all sorts of soaring high flown wickedness) do come and lodge in the branches of it; that is to say, are welcomed and entertained by means of it. When the heart of a man is waxed hard, it becomes a very cage of unclean birds, an open house keeper to receive all sorts of profane vagabonds. If thou art any ways prejudiced against this argument of heart-contrition as too legal (which is the usual form of their Mittimus who do imprison soulsearching truth in unrighteousness) 'tis legal doctrine, say they, away with it. I say, in case thou dost apprehend this doctrine too legal (the common imputation cast upon unpleasing truths) the ensuing Treatise will sufficiently convince thee of thine error, if thou hadst rather part with it then keep it, when thou hast light sufficiently whereby to see that it is indeed an error. I need not tell thee how frequent a thing it is with Christ and his Apostles in the new Testament, to commend, encourage, and exhort unto humility, poverty of spirit, unfeigned repentance, godly sorrow, all which expressions signify no other than brokenness of heart, and contrition of spirit, which some are so loath to hear of, and so upon a true account unwilling to come under the influence of those beatitudes & benedictions pronounced by ur Lord jesus Christ, Blessed are the poor in spirit, Blessed are they that mourn, etc. Darest thou to lay any thing to the charge of that doctrine which Christ hath not only justified by his preaching, but also crowned with his blessing, which also was much in use amongst the Apostles, who were exact followers of their Lord and master Christ. If God despise not a broken heart, but accepts it, delights in it, and dwells with it, take heed of entertaining undervaluing thoughts concerning brokenness of heart. Believe it, God will despise thee, and whatsoever proceedeth from thee, if thou despise it. What Paul saith in reference unto preaching the Gospel, 1 Cor. 9 16. Necessity is laid upon me, and woe unto me if I preach not the Gospel; we may say the same in reference to brokenness of heart: necessity is laid upon us (not a necessity of custom or tradition but of commission) and therefore woe unto us if we preach it not. See our commission for it, Heb. 3.13 Exhort one another daily, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Even private Christians are enjoined to exhort one another for the prevention of hardness of heart, how much more ought the Ministers of the word to do it yea the text saith, it must be done daily; and all little enough to keep our hearts soft, which are as subject to be hard, as water that is taken of the fire is to wax cold. (Reader) if thou art desirous to have thy heart spiritually broken, (for so thou oughtest to be, though many do all they can to keep their hearts from being broken,) thou mayest meet with many helps and encouragements thereunto (one or both) from several hands, namely, from the word and spirit of God; from both law and gospel, threaten and promises, mercies and afflictions; from things within and things without thee, from the living voice of God's surviving Ministers, who cry as john the Baptist in the Wilderness, Repent, repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand; as also from the public, labours of God's servants who are dead and gone; and amongst the rest from this little work which is the only orphan exposed to public view of a late reverend and godly Minister who now resteth from his labours. The work is of so very small a bulk that thou mayest read it over in a few hours, but of so great difficulty in respect of practice, that thou canst make no great proficiency therein in many days, weeks, or years, unless thou gird up the loins of thy mind and set about it with all earnestness. Such was the modesty of the author that he could never be prevailed upon by any importunity to suffer any thing of his during his life time to come near the press, nor yet to consent to it after his death. But that some of his friends desirous to erect a memorial of him and to make him serviceable to the public as well since his death as in the time of his life have used him not unlike to saul's usage of the Prophet Samuel (though with a better Conscience and intent, calling him forth as it were from the grave into the Land of the living (where he was content to have lain in perpetual silence and obscurity, till the day of the revelation of all things. The seasonableness of the subject was one of the main inducements moving those to get it published whose desire it was to bring it forth into the light. And it must needs he granted that this argument was never more seasonable than now it is, hardness of heart and haughtiness of spirit being an epidemical disease of the present age, as he that runs may read. And yet never less complaining of hard hearts then now a days: but I wonder not at that it being the nature of this distemper to steal upon men so insensibly that they do not only not perceive it of themselves, but are also let lose to an inapprehension of such discoveries as spiritual physicians do make unto them of their being under the power thereof though they show them ever so many symptoms to evince the truth of what they charge them with. That I lay no false imputation upon the men and women of the present age, in saying that their hearts are generally hard above measure, is easy to make appear from several clea●e demonstrations; I shall give you but one which is this, we find by sad experience that the work of conversion is very much at a stand, few there be that are taken in the net of the Gospel in comparison of what had wont to be, yea we hear not of many who come so fare as to be pricked at the heart and put that necessary question, what shall we do to be saved? whence should this proceed but from the general hardness of men's hearts more than formerly. The word of God is as quick and powerful, as sharp and piercing now as ever it was, consider it in its self, for these are inseparable properties of the word of God, as we read Heb. 4.12. but the hearts of men are not so pliable as heretofore, they are become law proof and gospell-proofe more than ever, in such a sense as we call that kind of armour which no bullet oan enter, armour of proof. But I have no pleasure in upbraiding men with the hardness of their hearts, we had much rather be employed in provoking them to labour after the softening and mollifying of them that they may send forth a fragrant smell into the nostrils of the great God (as spices being bruised are most fragrant.) If thou wilt ply this work of labouring to break thy heart Evangelically, besides all those excellent helps, whereof I told thee before, which do most willingly offer themselves to thy assistance: there are others thou mayest have for pressing and compelling such as thou little dreamest of, namely the Devil the world and the flesh, all and every of which by the power of God and grace may be made use of towards the breaking of thy hard heart. If thou take this passage for a riddle, the meaning of it is this; the people of God reflecting upon, and laying to heart those motions of sin which are continually stirring in them, as also those several temptations both from the devil and world, whereunto they are daily and hourly obnoxious are hereby greatly humbled and abased in their own eyes as Paul was by reason of the body of death which he carried about with him, and the Messenger of Satan which was sent to buffet him. Surely this was the english of that good man's paradox, who said he had sometimes received hurt by his graces, and good by his sins, the good which his sins did him surely was no other than this, that they did serve to humble him and make him poor in spirit. Though it be a very spiritual and excellent employment to admire the riches of Gods love revealed in the Gospel, and to rejoice therein: yet this is not a Christians only work whilst he sojourneth in this vale of tears, as some would represent it who affect this kind of sublimity in the state of grace which is proper for and consistent only with the condition of glorified Saints in Heaven. If we could imagine sin to be in Heaven there would be occasion for sorrow and brokenness of heart even there also; because there are certain actions in the state of grace, sinful actions committed by us, which shall never be in the state of glory. Thence it is, that there are passions and affections also proper for this state, which shall be done away in that; as sorrow brokenness of heart, etc. Surely Christ was no whit angry with Peter (but rather well pleased at it) for weeping bitterly, after that he had denied his Lord and Master. When Peter did flow with tears, than did Christ cast an eye of compassion towards him. The ensuing discourse will furnish thee with many motives unto brokenness of heart, I shall therefore spare the labour of mentioning any, save only this one consideration tending thereunto, namely, that the heart of man is almost the only thing amongst all created things that remains unbroken. I say, there are few pieces of the creation round about us, but have been or are exceedingly broken, were not the apostatising Angels greatly broken when they were cast down from Heaven like lightning, and thrust into the nethermost hell? Is not the image of God in man exceedingly broken and defaced in comparison of what it was in the state of innocency? are not the several faculties of the souls of men, their understandings, wills, affections, consciences, memory, wretchedly broken by that fall, so that they are nothing like to what they would have been, if man had stood in his primitive glory and excellency. We have now broken apprehensions of things, leaking memories, like to broken vessels, broken inclinations to good in our wills, like bowls that are not half biased. If we look upon the law of God, hath not that been miserably broken by us, and yet is from day to day? Our duties and performances are they not for the most part, yea altogether broken and imperfect things, like children borne before their full time, weakly heartless things? Our very graces are they not broken and imperfect habits full of mixture and adulteration, our Faith mixed and as it were sophisticated with unbelief, our humility with pride our self-denial with selfseeking. If we look upon those creatures which are below us, is not their primitive excellency greatly abated and impaired by the fall of man, as the Apostle intimates when be saith. That the whole creation is made subject to vanity, by reason of him who hath subjected it: that is to say, sinful man. As for the Civil State, in how broken and unsettled a condition that is for the present, I need not tell thee: for that is the breach whereof the generality of men are but too too sensible. And as for the Church of God itself, is not that in a broken shattered condition, now if ever? are not professors of Religion all to pieces almost in every place? I had almost compared the condition of the Church at present to a ship that is wrack, here swims one plank, there another, It may be scarce two whole planks to be found together. The Lord helps us, what sad and numerous or rather innumerable breaches are in the midst of us at this day. And yet alas, our hard hearts do still remain unbroken. Add to all that hath been spoken, that thou who readest this book hast, it may be, many breaches in thy holiness, many in thy peace, several breaches in thy name, estate, friends, and comforts of every kind; and yet perhaps after all this a heart in a great measure hard and unbroken. It it great pity that should not be broken of all the rest, were that broken as it should be, it would conduce to the making of all the rest whole again. It is indeed a difficult work to break a hard heart; but through Christ enabling thee thou mayest do that and all things else: be strong therefore in the Lord and in the power of his might, and so go forth to encounter this mighty Giant, thy hard heart, I mean, Wrestle with God in prayer for a soft heart, and resolve not to let him go till he have blessed thee therewith, as Jacob did in another case. Beg of him who triumphed over principalities and powers, and made an open show of them upon his Cross, which was the time of his greatest humiliation that being now exalted to the right hand of his Father he would enable thee to triumph over thy hard heart, which is his enemy no less than thine, and to make thee more than conqueror on that behalf. He that hath promised to break the Serpent's head can with greatest ease break thy heart. And who can tell but that he may please to do it, at least in part, with the little hammer of this ensuing discourse, if thou be willing to come under the stroke of it. If this little Treatise, with the blessing of God upon it, shall prosper in thy hands (or heart rather) as I desire with all my soul it may) give God the glory; and seeing the author himself is where thy prayers cannot reach him, where and where only the people of God are indeed above all such duties and ordinances (I mean heaven) substitute me in his room as the object of thy hearty remembrances at the throne of grace: which if thou shalt please to do, I shall think myself well appayed for my poor endeavours in the perfecting and publishing of it for thy use and benefit, as also obliged to be further serviceable to thee, as God shall hereafter enable me, Farewell.  
Thine in the service of the Gospel, SAMUEL ROWLES. From my Study in Thistleworth, March 26. 1652.   

A TREATISE OF brokenness of Heart.  Psal 51.17. 
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart O God, thou wilt not despise.  
THe title of this Psalm showeth us both the Author (or rather Penman) and occasion of it, being styled a Psalm of David, when Nathan the Prophet came unto him, after he had gone into Bathsheba, which story you may read at large in, 2 Sam, 12.1. and so onwards. The Psalm itself doth excellently suit the occasion, being full of humble and sorrowful acknowledgement of the greatness of his offence, as you may see verse 3: 4. I acknowledge my transgressions and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight, etc. so likewise in other verses of the chapter. And as he condemns himself, so likewise doth he expressly own the righteousness of God in the judgement which was denounced against him, as it is written vers. 4. That thou mayest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. You have also in several verses of this Psalm earnest supplications made unto God (doubtless with strong sighs and groans) by this holy penitent Prophet; as in the first place, that God would take away the guilt of his sin, so vers. 1. According to thy tender mercy's blot out my transgressions. 2. That God would take away the filth of his sin, so vers. 2. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquities, and cleanse me from my sin. 3. That God would preserve him from relapsing into the same sin or sins of like nature; for which purpose he prays, v. 10. that God would create in him a clean heart; probably in reference to his unclean sin And in the 14 vers. that God would deliver him from blood-guiltiness, probably with relation to his having shed the innocent blood of Vriah. In the fourth place he begs of God to restore unto him the joy of his salvation, to make him hear joy and gladness, that the bones which he had broken might rejoice. Furthermore he promiseth unto God, that if he will do for him according to the tenor of his requests, namely pardon his sin, he will through his grace enabling him, teach transgressors his ways, and be instrumental that sinners may be converted to him, vers. 13▪ as also that his tongue shall sing aloud of his righteousness and his mouth shall show forth his praise, vers. 14, 15. If God did so much regard sacrifice and  offerings, he saith he would not spare for them, vers. 16. Thou desirest not sacrifice, else would I give it. If thousands of rams and whole rivers of oil might have been acceptable to God, he would have offered them with all his heart. But he knew there was somewhat else which God did more look at then all the  offerings and sacrifices that he could present him with; of which he makes mention in the words of the text, vers. 17. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. It is put in plural number, The sacrifices of God, for emphasis sake, thereby intimating that a broken heart is more worth to God than many outward sacrifices; yea, than all of them put together, not, but that other sacrifices were of some account with God in David's time, especially if they were joined with this inward sacrifice of a broken heart; but this always had the pre-eminence in God's esteem, even in those days when he did appoint so much outward worship to be used. Of the verses which do follow the text we shall need to say nothing; only this we may observe from them by the way, namely, that David was not unmindful of the Church its public good, when his heart was as full as it could hold of grief and sadness by reason of the weight and burden of his sins, together with the absence of the light of God's countenance, which was so grievous to him, that he saith, it broke his very bones, vers. 8. That the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. A high expression indeed: you know that sickness and sadness may wear a man to nothing but skin and bone; may make a very Anatomy of him, and yet never a bone of him be broken thereby▪ yet when David was in this low bone-broken condition he forgets not the Church of God, but prays hearty for it, vers. 18. Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion and build thou the walls of Jerusalem: of this by the way. Return we to the words of the text. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, etc. It were needless to divide the words being one single proposition. The doctrine which is held forth in them we shall commend unto you in these words.  
Doct. A broken heart, a soul humble for sin is a sacrifice well pleasing to God; you have this truth averred once and again in this Psalm, yea in this one verse. First, In that a broken heart is called God's sacrifice; it is thereby intimated to be well pleasing to him; God will not own those things for his, he will not call them by his name which he hath no pleasure in. Is this such a fast as I have chosen, to hold down his head of a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, etc. Isaiah 58.5. as if God should have said, will you offer to call such a fast as this, my fast? God's fast? It is no fast of mine, It is your own, you have not at all fasted unto me in this. That which makes for our purpose is, that God will not have that called his, which is not pleasing to him. So then forasmuch as a broken heart is called God's sacrifice, this very expression, if there were no other, doth speak it that which pleaseth him. But there is another expression or two in the text which are observable for this purpose. The one is, that a broken heart is called The sacrifice of God; which you know is a note of eminency; as when we say, Christ was the word of God, that is the word of words, the essential word: or Christ is the Son of God, that is, the Son of God in a more special way, namely by eternal generation. Secondly, In that a broken heart is said to be the sacrifices of God and not only one of the sacrifices of God; it speaks as if this sacrifice were instead of all others, did contain all other sacrifices in it eminenter (as Philosophers speak) as if God could be satisfied with such a sacrifice as this, though he had no other but this, etc. But the third and last expression in the text is most emphatical, A broken and a contrite heart O God thou wilt not despise. Here are two expressions used to signify brokenness, namely broken and contrite, which may signify thus much to us; that if the heart of a man be ever so much broken and shattered with sense of, and sorrow for sin, be a man ever so vile and worthless in his own eyes, though he account no more of himself, then of a broken potsherd or earthen vessel that is dashed in pieces, yet God will not therefore despise, nay indeed he will respect him the more for it. Though men are wont to trample when the hedge is low, and to slight those that are in a broken condition, broken in their estate, and broken in their spirit by much sadness, yet God will not do so. There is much in this phrase, viz. that God will not despise, etc. It is a plaster which doth excellently fit the wound of a broken heart. That which men in such a condition are wont chief to fear is, that God, who is a great, a glorious, and holy God, will not vouchsafe to take notice of such poor vile sinful creatures as they are; or of any thing which can come from them. They think they are as vile, yea more in God's eyes then they are in their own. As if God should have said in so many words by the mouth of his Prophet, I know what poor  sinners do think, their secret thought is, that I will despise them, because they are so despicable in their own eyes. No such matter, saith God, by his Prophet here, appealing to God. A broken and contrite heart O God thou wilt not despise; that is, thou wilt accept, thou wilt have respect unto it, thou wilt smell a savour of rest from it, as from a well pleasing sacrifice, etc. So much of the truth of the doctrine evidenced from Scripture. In the further pursuance thereof we shall this do; namely, show you in the first place what this broken heart is which is said to be a sacrifice well pleasing to God; & wherein it doth consist. Secondly, what it is that causeth brokenness of heart. Thirdly, why it is that God will not despise a broken and contrite heart, but accepts of it as a sacrifice so well pleasing to him. Of these in their order. 1. Quest. What is the brokenness of heart here spoken of, or wherein doth it consist? Ans. Here to we shall give answer, First, more generally, Secondly, more particularly. First, In the general take this account of it. brokenness of heart is a true grief and sorrow in the sight of our sins. Heart-breaking as well in Scripture phrase as in our common language denotes deep sorrow; so it is taken Act. 21.13▪ What do you weeping and breaking my heart, said Paul, to those who dissuaded him from going to Jerusalem, which you know is the same as if he had said, why do you thus grieve me, and fill me with sorrow at my departure by weeping over me. We may also gather, that by heart-breaking is meant sorrow; forasmuch as God is said to dwell with him who is of an humble and contrite spirit, to revive him; which reviving presupposeth drooping and sadness. The soul that is not cast down with sorrow needs no reviving. But every kind of sorrow is not the brokenness of heart here spoken of, but only that kind of sorrow which we spoke of even now, namely, sorrow for sin. There is a sorrow called worldly sorrow, or heart breaking, which is said to work death, God hath no pleasure in seeing his people break their hearts after such a fashion; nay, he hath commanded that in respect of outwards men should be so far from breaking their hearts with sorrow, that they should mourn as if they mourned not. But godly sorrow which is said to work repentance never more to be repent of, that is the brokenness of heart here commended, as may appear from Isa. 57.15. where a broken heart is twice in one verse joined with an humble heart, as being convertible terms. I dwell with him that is of an humble and contrite spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble and contrite. Now you know that great trouble of spirit occasioned by outward crosses is not true humility; for such affliction of spirit may stand with great pride and great hardness of heart; yea, it may arise from pride. By how much more proud the heart is, by so much more will it rage and take on when it meets with opposition; like waves that swell and roar and dash themselves in pieces against those rocks which stand in their way. If you look also into the 66 chapter of Isaiah, vers. 2. there are two passages in that verse which do manifest that by brokenness of heart must needs be meant sorrow for sin, and not any other kind of sorrow. A broken heart is there called a poor spirit, and a spirit which trembleth at the word of God. To him will I look that is poor, and of a contrite spirit, & that trembleth at my word. Now a man may be much broken with afflictions, and yet be fare from that poverty of spirit to which Christ pronounceth the blessing, Blessed are the poor in spirit. A man's heart may be as much lifted up within him when he is poor, naked in outward respects, as if he were rich and full and wanted nothing. It is only a true sight of sin which can work true poverty of spirit. So whereas a contrite heart is said to tremble at the word of God, you know that is usually a fruit of men's being sensible of their sins, and not of outward troubles, to make them tremble at the word of God. Thus have we proved to you, that by brokenness of heart is meant a true and godly sorrow for sin. Come we now to show you more particularly, wherein this brokenness of heart doth consist, which is as followeth. It doth consist first in a thorough conviction of the ugly nature of sin. I call that a thorough conviction of the ugliness of sin, whereby men are not only inclined to think of sin as an ugly deformed thing, but are altogether persuaded that it is so, and do no more question it then they question the ugliness of any thing which is abominable to the eye or against which they have, a natural antipathy. As those that have a natural antipathy against any kind of creatures, etc. Or rather we may describe a thorough conviction thus, namely, it is such a conviction of the loathsomeness of sin as is effectual to persuade with men to endeavour the forsaking of it. Observe that we do define brokenness of heart to consist in a through conviction not merely of the dangerousness of sin or evil consequences thereof, but in conviction of the ugly nature of sin as it is contrary to the holy nature and righteous law of God; see a text for this purpose namely job. 42.51.6 I have heard of thee with the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seethe thee; therefore do I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes. That which made job abhor himself was the sight of God; and how did that do it? why thus; the more he beheld God, the more he did observe his own contrariety to God by reason of sin; whence sprung that self abhorrence of his. And this is the first particular wherein brokenness of heart consists. Secondly, It consists in true mourning for sin. They go about to divide betwixt things that are inseparable, who say their hearts are affected with a true hatred of sin, and yet are not broken with real sorrow for sin. Hatred of sin and sorrow for the commission of it do always go together. In the 12 of Zachariah vers. 10. you have the repentance or broken heartedness of the Jews, which is there prophesied of, thus described. They shall taken upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for his only Son, and shall be in bitterness for him as one that is in bitterness for his first borne. Thirdly, in shame of heart and soul that we have sinned. shamefulness in respect of sin doth constantly attend broken heartedness, yea our being ashamed of sin doth much help to break our hearts for sin. See what is said of  Ephraim, jer. 31 19 After I was instructed I smote upon my thigh, I was ashamed; yea even confounded because I did bear the reproach of my youth.  sinners reflect upon the days of their vanity before conversion, as a great reproach to them. They blush to think what they were before God called them, I was a blasphemer; a persecutor, an injurious person, doubtless with no small shame he speaks it; If one that were afterwards a great personage advanced to some great preferment had formerly been a scullion or kitchen boy, how ashamed would he be to be told of it; yea if he did but think of the mean offices which he had done in his time, it would much abash him, especially if he were a man of a proud spirit. So broken hearted sinners when they call to mind what base drudges they have been to sin and Satan, & what sordid work they have been employed in by them formerly, it filleth them with shame and confusion of face; not because their spirits are proud (for this is not pride in them) but because they are raised up to a holy disdain and contempt of sin, as of that which is the greatest badge of dishonour that can cleave to them. Noble personages are not more ashamed of having their blood stained by treason, than broken hearted sinners are of those stains of sin which have cleaved to them. Nor are they only ashamed of the days of their vanity, but also of the vanity of their present days, etc. Fourthly, broken heartedness consisteth in self-denial and resolution to forsake sin for the time to come. A broken heart is always a selfe-denying heart, and it must needs be so, because broken hearted persons are very sensible of their own unworthiness, and consequently apt to think every good thing too good for them, as he that said, he was less than the least of all the mercies of God. The reason why men are so hardly brought to deny themselves, in any thing which may any ways gratify them, is this, namely, because through the self-love that is in them, they do think nothing too good for themselves. Now when humility and broken heartedness hath once taken men of from this conceit, and made them to think the quite contrary, namely that every thing is too good for them, they can safely deny themselves in this or that which they would otherwise seek to enjoy. By how much more of self denial is in any man by so much more is there in him of broken heartedness; and by how much more of broken heartedness, by so much more of self denial. You know that famous instance of the Prodigal returning to his father with a broken heart, Father, saith he, Jam unworthy to be called thy son, make me as one of thy hired servants. A broken heart will deny itself in many things; as for example, not only in the pleasure which it might have in repeating sins formerly committed, against which it doth firmly resolve, in the strength of Christ: but also in those lawful actions which may any ways give occasion unto relapsing into former sins, or be any appearance of setting their faces towards them. Yea such a person will be apt to deny himself in the lawful use of that which he hath formerly abused, through excess, as wine, company, recreation, etc. 5. It consists in (or rather is always accompanied with) self accusing and condemning before God Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth will speak. Persons that are full of self judging will fall to self accusing, and from thence to self condemning. The devil (who is called the accuser of the brethren) might spare himself that labour, forasmuch as broken hearted sinners are as forward to accuse themselves, as he can be. How highly doth Paul charge himself, whom he calls the greatest of sinners. David doth much accuse himself in this and several other Psalms, and condemn himself also. For than is a man said to condemn himself, when he acknowledgeth that God were most just if he should condemn him, in respect of any argument which can be drawn from himself to the contrary; what may be alleged to the contrary in reference to his surety Jesus Christ, is another matter, etc. Men that Pharisee like do stand upon their terms, and go about to justify themselves before God; I do not speak of pleading their sincerity (for that is lawful in some cases) but rather their innocency in a great degree, as if they were no great sinners, but like the cloud which the Prophet Malachy saw, at the first of the bigness of a man's hand; sinners of a small size, I say, they who so justify themselves may talk much of broken heartedness, but they never knew indeed and in truth what it meant. Men that take up a new fashioned kind of praying (new in reference to those prayers which are recorded in the word, as also which have been used amongst God's people generally) leaving out the confession of sin, and taking of shame to themselves for it, it is to be feared have their hearts little broken in that duty. Sixthly, broken heartedness consists in self abhorrence, as was instanced before in Job. A man that hath a noisome disease upon him; as an overspreading leprosy, &c, is not only offensive to others, but also loathsome to himself. He is an abomination to himself, so that he could even leap out of his skin, if he knew how. So it is with broken hearted sinners: they are even an abhorring to themselves, by reason of the leprosy of sin which cleaves to them. Hence Paul cried out, O wretched man, who should deliver him from his body of death which he carried about with him? Because he could not tell how sin and his body could otherwise be parted, then by parting soul and body; he did long to be rid of his very body. As a man that is given to cleanliness, if any vermin come near him, gins to be sick of himself, or at leastwise of his , and longs till he be shifted. So Paul did long to put off his mortal body, because the loathsome vermin of sin did breed in it do what he could; and to put on immortality, in which condition, all filth would be done away. You know sin is mitted. As it is amongst friends in the world; though they truly love each other, yet because there are certain differences between them for the present uncompremised, such courtesies as may be offered on either hand, for the present will not be accepted. It is the complaint of the Church unto God, Lament. 3.44. Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud that our prayers should not pass through. It was a time in which God had led his people into captivity for the hardness of their hearts, and it should seem that was not all, but he did also for the present stop his ears against their prayers, looking upon them as yet not sufficiently humbled, and heart broken for their sins. 4. Use. This should put us upon examination whether we have broken hearts or not. And believe it, there hath been much said to put us upon diligent inquiry thereinto, forasmuch as we have proved it to be a sacrifice well pleasing unto God; Who would not think it worth his while to inquire, whether himself and his services be such as God accepts? Quest. But how may we come to know whether our hearts be truly broken for sin or not? Ans. For the discovery hereof, you may have recourse unto the description of broken heartedness laid down in the beginning of this discourse: in which we told you that brokenness of heart did consist in these several particulars, namely, in a through conviction of the ugly nature of sin. Now put the question to your hearts; are you convinced of the evil of sin, after such a manner as is there described? nextly, in being really ashamed of sin? Now do you find this also, viz. that sin is matter of great shame and confusion of face to you? that you look upon sin as that which is your great reproach? Thirdly, what mourning and relenting of heart is there in you for the commission of sin? is it matter of grief and lamentation to you? Fourthly, hath the sight and apprehension of your sins brought you to the unfeigned denial of yourselves, looking upon yourselves as less than the least of the mercies of God, by reason of them? Fifthly, are you come to that pass, as even to loathe, abhor, and be weary of yourselves by reason of sin? Sixthly, do we judge, accuse, and condemn ourselves before God sincerely for sin? add hereto a seventh sign of broken heartedness, which hath not as yet been mentioned, and that is, do we really pity those that hang down their heads, and are perplexed by reason of sin? men that have been in the same condition with others who are in any kind of misery are most inclinable to pity and commiseration. Upon this account it is said of Christ, that we have not a high Priest who knoweth not how to be touched with our infirmities; in as much as he was made like unto us in all things, sin excepted. It is also thus written, Heb. 2.18. For in that himself hath suffered being tempted; he is able to secure them that are tempted. Men that have been exercised with any kind of bodily infirmities, as gout, stone colic, are best able to pity those who have the like infirmities; So they who have themselves known what belongs to a broken heart, will express it by their sympathy with others who fall into the same condition. Not but that it is matter of rejoicing to see the hearts of our friends broken with godly sorrow, if we consider the fruit and effect of it, but if we consider it merely as it is in its self, what is said of affliction, is true of brokenheartednesse: No affliction is joyous for the present, but grievous; but it worketh the peaceable fruits of righteousness for them who are exercised therewith. So broken heartedness is not joyous for the present, and in that regard it calls for pity and sympathy, though it do afterwards work the peaceable fruits of righteousness. We pity our friends when their Physic doth make them heart sick, though we know it will do them good in the conclusion. Thus much shall suffice of the use which is by way of examination, etc. 5. Use. this should exhort us to labour to get broken and soft hearts. For motives whereunto consider these following particulars which are reducible to two general heads: 1. The danger, evil, and inconvenience of a hard unbroken heart. 2. The benefit of a soft, broken heart, under each of which we might rank many particulars etc. The evils ensuing upon a hard heart are as follow: 1. God will not accept, but reject an hard heart, together with all that which proceeds from it, etc. See Jer. 4.3. Break up your fallow grounds, sow not amongst thorns, circumcise yourselves to the Lord, and take away the foreskins of your hearts, lest my fury break forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it. How fare is the great God from accepting those, the fallow ground of whose heart is not broken up, seeing he doth here threaten, that the fire of his wrath shall break forth upon them, and there shall be none to quench it. And thou by thy hard and impenitent heart, saith the Apostle, treasurest up to thyself wrath against the day of wrath. That is, all any man shall get at the hands of God by a hard heart, namely, a treasure of wrath; you know that God doth chief eye with what hearts men do bring their services before him: So that if men pray with ever so much appearance of zeal and fervency, if they fast ever so often, if they give ever so much Alms to the poor, if they make ever so large professions of religion, etc. and their hearts under all this do still remain hard and unbroken, it is as if they had done nothing at all. All their bodily exercise will profit them very little etc. 2. A hard heart will shut out all that which would come to do us good. If we have hard hearts, mercies will not win us, judgements will not affright us. Look how it is with men of harsh dispositions and and inflexible natures, use fair means to them, and you stir them not, use fowl means, and they are still at the same pass of insensibleness: you had as good threaten a wooden post, or speak to it friendly, and it would be to as much purpose as to threaten such men or to entreat them friendlily. Just thus it is with a hard heart. It is like stony rocky ground, no seed of grace will thrive there, how should faith thrive in a heart that is insensible of sin? will they go to Christ for life, who apprehend not that they are lost, and dead in themselves. How should repentance flourish there, where sin is not felt? how should they love God much, who do not apprehend that they have many sins, which had need to be forgiven? A hard heart is so fare from being better for mercies, that it waxeth worse and worse under them. It turneth the grace of God into wantonness, Because judgement is not speedily exercised upon the children of disobedience, therefore is the heart of the children of men set to do evil. And not only so, but they do take occasion by the judgements of God also to wax worse and worse. As they are smitten they revolt more and more, like the smith's anvil, the more it is beaten upon, the harder it grows. The more plagues God did send upon Pharaoh, still the more hard and insensible he did grow. A hard heart is like the clay that is made more hard by contrary causes: both by the warm sunshine, as also by the cold frost. If God put not more than ordinary efficacy into the means, a hard heart will rather be worse then better for them, etc. 3. We can never hope upon good grounds to enter into Heaven with unbroken hearts. None shall dwell with God hereafter but those with whom God dwells here. Now the text saith, that God doth dwell with him that is of an humble and contrite heart, thereby intimating that God dwells not with them that are of proud unbroken hearts. Thou by thy hard and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath, Rom. 2. That's all a man gets by a hard heart. We read of some, who when they shall come at the day of Judgement and knock saying, Lord, Lord, open to us; shall receive this answer, I know ye not, depart ye workers of iniquity; for when I was hungry ye fed me not, etc. And do you think that hard hearted sinners shall receive any other answer then this, Depart etc. For when I knocked at the door of your hearts ye would not open to me, though my locks were wet with the dew of the night, therefore now will I not open to you. If you observe who they are whom Christ pronounceth blessed in his Sermon, Matth. 5. Blessed are the poor in spirit, etc. You will find that the most of those which are there mentioned are men of a temper as contrary to hardness of heart, as white is to black. Our Saviour doth there pronounce them blessed who are poor in spirit, who mourn, who are meek, who do hunger and thirst after righteousness; now these are the properties of broken hearted men, and there is nothing more contrary to them then a hard heart. Thus have we set before you the great evils attending upon a hard heart, namely, it hinders our acceptance with God, suffers us not to reap benefit by what would otherwise do us good; and which is worst of all, it shuts Heaven gate against it; which three things are most true concerning it, if by a hard heart you understand a heart not in the least truly broken for sin etc. Come we to the second sort of motives which we promised to speak of, namely, such as are taken from the benefit and usefulness of a broken heart. The benefits of a soft heart are as follow. 1. A soft heart is fit to receive any Grace, as soft wax is fit to receive any impression. Metal being softened by fire, is fit to be wrought in such manner as the artificer doth desire to have it. When God is about to stamp his image upon the soul of a man, the work of grace I mean) his manner is to prepare the heart thereunto by breaking and softening of it with the power of spiritual conviction. As those we read of in the Acts who were pricked at heart, which is the first good we hear of them. It is said of the spirit, that he shall convince first of sin, and then of righteousness. As ground is prepared to receive the seed by being first ploughed and broken up, so likewise is it with the hearts of men. It is said That the humble God will teach, God makes men teachable by humbling them, and then he teacheth them. Thou bindest man in cords of affliction, and sealest up instruction to him: why then? namely because men are usually most humble and broken in a time of affliction; and therefore most teachable at such a time. Now it is a great matter to have our hearts fit to receive good, as Scripture counts fitness, because such a heart is near unto good; good doth as it were lie at the door of such a heart. Many mercies are long coming, because the heart is long in fitting to receive them. And it is the manner of God in dispensing of mercies, first to look that the heart be made fit to receive them: as a wise Physician will not give strong physic till he have prepared the body of his patient for it; A smith will not strike his iron till he have first made it hot, and so capable of impression from his blow. Though God could perfect several kinds of work in an instant, yet it is his manner to do things gradually, as first to fit men for mercies, and then to bestow mercies upon them, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that he may lift you up in due time. If God give men good things before such time as they are fit for them, he gives them usually in wrath and not in mercy, for their hurt and not for their good. It is therefore a great benefit to have our hearts fit to receive good. So much of the first motive. 2. God will take up his abode in thy heart, if it be an humble heart; yea Christ will come, and the spirit will come and take up their abode in thy heart, if it be a soft heart. Isa. 57.15. Thus saith the high and holy one, I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of an humble and contrite heart, to revive the heart of the contrite ones. Now this is an expression which speaks much intimacy and nearness for God to say that he dwells with them that are of an humble spirit. It is a step towards familiarity to dwell in the same town, a further step to dwell the next door to any neighbour; but beyond either of these, to dwell in the same house with any friend; how happy would a sick man think himself if he had an able Physician dwelling constantly in the house with him, so as to be always at hand when he hath any occasion to make use of him. God dwells with broken hearted sinners for that very end that he may revive them. If any friend in whose company you take great delight, so much indeed that you are not well without him, should say, well, rather than you shall be melancholy for want of my company, I will even come dwell with you for altogether; would you not count it a great privilege? how much greater privilege is it to have God, and Christ, and the spirit dwell with us? Oh! who would lose such a privilege rather than be at the pains to break a hard heart? 3. An humble, a soft heart is in the best capacity to be freed from sin. Look how it is with the ground whilst it is hard and fast bound with frost, there is no getting up the weeds if you would ever so feign; but when the rain descends upon it and softens it, than you may pluck them up with ease. Sin is bound up in the hearts of men whose hearts are hard, as weeds are bound in the ground in frosty weather, but when it waxeth soft it may be plucked up by the roots. God doth sometimes suffer sin to continue in greater strength and vigour in the hearts of his people than it otherwise should, on purpose to humble them, as knowing that nothing can be matter of greater humiliation to a gracious heart than the power and strength of sin within it. Some think that by the messenger of Satan which was sent to buffet Paul, that he might not be puffed up with revelations, we are to understand some sin whereunto he was tempted, as a means to keep him humble; seeing than it is the manner of God sometimes to break the hearts of good men by suffering their sins to remain in a great measure unsubdued (as some good men that are subject to violent passion, pensiveness, and discontent of spirit) broken heartedness must needs make way for the delivering men from the Tyranny of their sins; for if you take away the cause of sins continuance in good men which is oftimes the want of due humiliation and brokenness of heart, the effect will follow. 4. A soft heart is fit to receive all sorts of good things. John the Baptist is said to have prepared the way of Christ, now you know the great Doctrine which John insisted upon was repentance or broken heartedness; as being very preparatory to the great work of Christ, which was to bind up the broken hearted, and to proclaim liberty to the captives, to bring the glad tidings of salvation into the world. Tidings of pardoning grace is most acceptable and welcome to a broken heart. A broken heart is fit for comfort, counsel, mercy, grace, and indeed what not that is truly good. If you would know in what respect a broken heart is most fit for any kind of good, take this brief account of it. 1. A broken heart stands in the most need of mercy, as comfort, etc. A man is then most fit for meat and drink when he is most hungry and thirsty; and so stands in the greatest need of it. He that hath not so good an appetite is not so fit to eat. 2. A soft heart is in the least danger of getting hurt by mercies, of being spoiled with kindness; as we sometimes say of children, they are spoilt with kindness. It is not so apt to be puffed up with mercies and to turn them into wantonness as others are. 3. It receiveth mercy most thankfully, and in that respect is most fit for mercy. Beggars by how much lower they are brought through want, by so much more thankful will they be for any small alms that is given them; whereas those that are not sensible of much want begin to look big if you offer them a small matter. 4. Broken hearted Christians make the best use and improvements of their mercies, and therefore are most fit for mercy. They who think themselves most unworthy to receive are always most careful what and how to render, etc. 5. The fifth benefit of a soft heart is, a soft heart is most fit to do any thing that is good, as to pray, hear, receive the Lords supper, or perform any other duty acceptably. Indeed no heart but a soft heart is fit for duties, or can perform them as they ought to be performed. Prayer that proceeds not from a broken and contrite heart, though it be joined with fasting, is as no prayer, no fast in the sight of God. If we be frequent in hearing the word; and have not our hearts broken and humbled thereby, we lose the benefit of that duty. So likewise, if we come to the Lords Table, and then behold the body of Christ broken with unbroken hearts, we shall go away as empty as we came, and do God as little service in coming as if we had stayed away. And it must needs be so that a soft heart should be most fit for duty, because an humble self abasing temper is the best posture for the soul to draw nigh to God; and not only so, but this is further observable, namely, that humility and brokenness of soul fills men with zeal and activity for God; an humble heart thus thinks with itself, I have hitherto been very unprofitable, it is little service, scarce worth speaking of, that God hath had from me as yet; Oh how shall I redeem time for God? how shall I make amends for my former baseness and uselessness? If God will but honour my utmost endeavour to be any ways instrumental for his glory, how happy shall I account myself, etc. 6. The sixth and last benefit of a soft heart is, that it doth fit for a Kingdom, for Heaven and happiness. We read of being made meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light; now brokenness of a heart is a thing greatly conducing to the meetness for an inheritance in light there spoken of. And that it is so, will appear, if we shall but consider what is the work and employment of Saints and Angels in Heaven. Is it not to admire and adore God, and to sing everlasting Hallelujahs? Now, who so fit to praise and to admire God, as broken hearted humble men. I can but think how poor humble hearted Christians will stand amazed and astonished at the day of judgement, when God shall call them to his right hand, when Christ shall bid them sit down together with him, and judge the world. Do you think they will not be full of such thoughts as these? Alas, what were we, or what are we, that God should thus delight to honour us; that we should be made Kings and Queens unto God, when thousands of the great ones of the world are cast down to hell. Surely they will cry out, Not unto us O Lord, not unto us, but to thy name be all the Praise and Glory. For by grace we are saved: by free grace alone are we saved; Hallelujah. Thus have we set before you the several benefits of a soft heart, so much shall suffice by way of motives, to put us upon endeavouring after the getting of soft hearts. Qu. But peradventure some will be ready to ask. How may we come by soft hearts, which we have heard to be sacrifices so acceptable to God? By what means may we attain thereunto? Ans. That it may be attained in the use of means, such Scriptures seem to signify wherein God calls upon us, to rend our hearts, and to blow up the fallow ground of our hearts, etc. Now the means to be used are as follow. 1. Means. We must attend upon the word of God. For that is God's hammer to break the heart, and we must hear it with reverence, faith, and diligence, else it will harden our hearts and increase our condemnation. It had wont to be no strange thing to hear of hard hearts broken by the power of God's word: sometimes several in some one town or village, and that within the space of a few years. There is the same efficacy in the word now as was then, were it not that the prejudice which is in the minds of men against it, and great neglect and contempt of it did intercept the benefit which they might otherwise receive by it. That it is the proper work of the word of God to soften men's hearts (I mean as an instrument in the hand of the spirit) I may make appear from this experiment: you see when the word of God doth not soften men's hearts, usually nothing else doth, the work remains undone. Men ordinarily carry hard hearts with them to their graves, when they will not make use of the word of God wherewith to break them. See Heb. 4 12. The word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing of soul & spirit, and of the joints and marrow, etc. David prays that God would sanctify him by his truth, his word is truth. Now brokenness of heart is a great part of sanctification, etc. 2. Mean, we must take away that or those sins which do harden our hearts: Sin is the great cause of hardness of heart. It is like some evil humour which is got to a head, and causeth a great swelling and hardness. There is no mollifying the place until such time as the evil humour which is in it be either dissolved or dissipated. There are some kind of sins which do more especially conduce to hardening of men's hearts; as for example, scandalous sins, sins against knowledge, sins which have much of a man's understanding and will in them; deliberate sins, sins committed upon very slender temptations; delightful sins, customary sins, sins which begin to justify themselves, and to put men upon pleading their cause, or at leastwise extenuating and making light of them. It is impossible for a man to keep a tender conscience, if he will entertain any one sin as his constant welcome guest. I might show you several ways whereby sin doth harden men's hearts. One is this: any sin that a man doth allow himself doth as it were shade his soul, that is, keep off the warm beams of the light of God's countenance which would otherwise shine upon it; you see how it is with the high ways, such as lie open to the sun beams are soon melted, though there have been ever so great a frost; but those places that are in the shade when the Sun is kept off by hedges or the like, continue to be hard when all the rest are thawed. Sin intercepts the light of God's countenance, keeps back the warm rays of the Sun from shining upon the souls of men, which is the most effectual means to thaw and melt them of any other. Sin breeds strangeness betwixt God and men, causeth fall out between them; now as it is with friends, when there is any falling out or strangeness between them, they begin to be hardened against one another, and they can speak and do that against each other without any trouble, which they could not do at another time, upon any terms, etc. 3. Mean. It were good to call to mind every night what have been our failings that day & be humbled before God for that or those sins whatsoever they have been. We say, Gutta cavat lapidem, Continual dropping upon makes the hardest stone become hollow, so the most stony heart would probably become soft by the continual dropping of daily humiliation, and self examination. If the Sun begin to shine out by that time it hath frozen but a day or so, it will presently thaw it. So it is good for us to thaw the ice of our hearts before it have been so long frozen that it will bear; you know when ice is come to that pass, men do walk or ride upon it without fear. He that shall but seldom call himself to an account for his miscarriages, will go nigh to grow so bold in the interim that he will be past fear of what conscience can say to him: yea he will also go nigh to have forgotten many sins which might be matter of deep humiliation to him, if they were fresh in his memory. Besides, that sin doth oftimes look most ghastly upon men, and most like itself soon after the commission of it, whilst all circumstances are yet before them: whereas the sense and apprehension of it is apt to wear out by degrees, and like meat, that hath lain long in the stomach, it gins to be digested by little and little, till at length they complain no more of it. If David did every day call to mind a sin committed long before, as that passage seems to imply, my sin is ever before me, etc. How much more should we each day call to mind the sins of the present day? 4. Mean. We must labour to see our misery by reason of sin. There is a world of misery which attends sin; the consideration whereof might serve greatly to humble us. For you know misery is a very humbling consideration, 'tis hardly possible for a man to think himself very miserable, and yet be very proud at the same time. I need not put you upon considering what mischief sin doth expose you to: it may suffice unto the breaking of our hearts, to think what misery sin hath actually brought upon us. It made Paul cry out, O wretched man that he was; etc. God's people count themselves more miserable upon the account of that body of sin which they carry about with them, then upon account of all the calamities in the world besides. Crosses could never make them miserable were it not for sin; I mean, nothing like so miserable as now they do. It is their frowardness and impatience which doubles and trebles every affliction. 5. Mean. We must consider of the great mercy of God towards us, in giving us hope that we shall be freed from hell, and received up into heaven. Some may think it strange that the mercies of God should be reckoned amongst the means of breaking men's hearts. And yet there is nothing more true, see Rom. 2.4. Despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? Paul was able to say Rom. 7.25. I thank God through Jesus Christ, namely, for delivering of him from the condemning power of his sin; and yet he cryeth out in the verse immediately foregoing, O wretched man that I am, etc. see Titus 2.11, 12. The grace of God which bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us, that denying ungodliness we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, etc. Observe that he saith, the grace of God which brings salvation appearing to him did teach him to deny ungodliness, and to live godly, etc. If an ingenuous spirit would set itself to mourn over any offence committed by it, it could use no more effectual motive than the consideration of the several favours and kindnesses received from them against whom the offence was committed. Now what greater favour is possible for a man to call to mind then this, that by the free grace of God in Christ he hath been delivered from the wrath to come, and brought into the glorious liberty of the sons of God. 6. Mean. We must beg a soft heart at the hands of God, for if we ask it sincerely we shall have it, God having promised that whatsoever we shall ask in the name of Christ according to his will, he will hear us. Therefore let us press him with his promise, as we have cause. You cannot please God better than by going to him for certain mercies concerning which he delighteth to be sought unto by the sons of men: you know how well God approved of it when Solomon did ask for wisdom instead of ask gold and silver etc. Surely a petition put up for a soft heart will be every whit as acceptable or rather more, etc. There are certain requests which if mwn would be earnest with God in, and lay the stress of their desires upon, would be greatly beneficial and advantageous to them fare beyond those petitions which the most of men are wont chiefly to insist upon, and urge with the greatest strength and heat of affection. A soft heart is one of those, of which may be truly said what is spoken concerning Faith, namely that it is more precious and (let me add more rare) than gold. Well might the Scripture say, Rom. 8.26. We know not what to pray for as we ought, etc. It being the manner of most men to pray most for what they have least need of, or will do them least good: and lest for them of which they stand in the most need, and from whence they might reap the greatest good. If men be sick, how earnestly do they pray for health, but if troubled with hard hearts how coldly do they pray to have them softened? He that prayeth for a soft heart is under the encouragement of an excellent promise, namely, that God will take away the heart of stone, & give a heart of flesh, which promise surely is as applicable to the people of God in all ages, as that which was made to joshua, which the Apostle calls upon all believers to make use of, and depend upon, viz. I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.  
There are two considerations Which may put us upon praying for soft hearts, besides the promise of God, whereof we have spoken already: as first, we cannot glorify God with hard hearts. Men of hard hearts do sin the greatest honour and service that is possible for men to do it, and God the greatest dishonour and disservice. I shall make it out to you thus: He that commits sin, and is never troubled for it, or layeth it to heart doth upon the matter justify it; and say in effect, that he hath no cause to be ashamed; that sin is no such ugly abominable thing as the Scripture represents it, and hereby he doth sin as much credit and service as in him lieth: and on the other hand, he dishonoureth God as much, in that he makes light of breaking his righteous law, as if it were a small thing so to do. You cannot slight any man more, then in making nothing of offending him, as if it were not a pin matter whether he were pleased or displeased. Now this were a very good argument for a man to plead with God, in relation to the obtaining a soft heart; Lord, thou knowest I cannot but dishonour thee, and honour sinne thy great enemy in a high degree, so long as my heart continueth thus hard; wherefore I beseech thee to soften it. 2. Men of soft and tender hearts are most like to be continued in the enjoyment of those good things which God hath bestowed upon them. Mercies bestowed upon hard hearted men do many times prove like the seed sown in the stony ground, Mark 4.5, 6. which had no deep rooting, so that it soon sprung up & withered. Such men's mercies do ofttimes soon whither. When men do turn the grace of God into wantonness, and take occasion from the light of God's countenance to wax more hard and proud (as the Clay that is hardened by the Sunbeams) usually God doth quickly withdraw the light of his countenance from them, and leave them in darkness; but when those beams do melt the heart, and make it more and more soft, God is pleased ofttimes to let them abide longer with us, being improved for that end whereunto they were sent, etc. This may encourage us to pray for soft hearts, etc. 6. Use. This may serve for the comfort of all those who have broken and contrite hearts. Though men despise them, God will accept of them and love them. St. james reproves those, chap. 2.2. who were full of their respects towards such as came into their Assemblies with Gold rings and goodly apparel, but despised the poor, saying, stand here, or sit under my foot stool: thereby intimating, that in this carriage of theirs, they were altogether unlike to God, who is no respecter of persons upon any of those accounts, and yet he hath more respect unto some then unto others, namely, unto those who are of broken and contrite hearts. Great persons look that it should be accounted a high respect, if they vouchsafe now and then to bestow a visit upon them that are poor; How much greater is the respect and condescension of the great God towards broken hearted sinners, in that he vouchsafeth not only to visit them now and then, but to take up his abode with them, to dwell with them. Though God do sometimes retire himself, so that a broken hearted Christian fears he is departed (as a man may think one that lodgeth in his house is not within, when he keeps close, not willing to be spoken with) yet he always dwells with the broken heart, to revive the spirit of the humble and contrite. Let broken hearted Christians be of good cheer, they may safely call God and Christ Emanuel, that is, God with them, etc. Obj. But will God show mercy to, and accept of me, who am a grievous sinner? I cannot believe it. Ans. Yes, God will show thee mercy, if thou be'st an humble soul. Obj. But I have been a grievous sinner, a notorious liver, and therefore I am justly humbled for my sins. Ans. Thou must not look upon thyself, as thou hast been, but as thou now art; if thou be humbled, the blood of Christ washeth thee from all thy sins, how many and great soever they have been. I do not say, that thou oughtest not to reflect upon thy former conversation, upon any account whatsoever. For you know that the Apostle Paul did call to mind what he had been, namely, a blasphemer, a persecutor, an injurious person, etc. This he did in reference to the magnifying of God's grace, in making him such as he was by grace; but I say, that in a time of trouble and perplexity of spirit we ought to look upon the present humiliation of our souls, and brokenness of our hearts, as a ground of joy and comfort. Obj. But I am not worthy that God should show me so much mercy as to accept of me. Ans. No, nor ever wilt be worthy in thyself of any mercy, but God looks upon thee in Christ, and in him doth account thee worthy. Therefore go to God in the name of Christ, that is the way to find acceptance: For God is very ready to hear his people's prayers, & to grant their requests; and he hath promised to hear when they call, and he takes delight to hear his people pray. Therefore this may encourage us to pray, for God will hear. Obj. But will God hear and grant the prayers of all? Ans. No. They must be godly which do prevail with God. They must be such as do not allow themselves in any sin whatsoever. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear my prayers, etc. Psal. 66.18. Again, They that would prevail with God must pray in faith, and with earnestness. Again, They must be constant in prayer, and not give over praying. Again, they must put up their requests in the name of Christ, with thankfulness for such mercies as they have already received. Obj. I hope I am God's child, and I have prayed, but God hears not me. Ans. God may have heard thee, though not at the same time that thou desirest, not in the same thing. There may be good reason for that. Thou must not tie God to thy time, nor to thy means. For God is wise, he doth delay the granting of our requests for several holy ends and purposes; as for example, To try our faith, to humble us, to make us see the want of a mercy, that we may the better prize it when it comes, be more thankful for it, and use it more to his glory. etc.  
FINIS.   

A Short CONFESSION OF FAITH: BY Mr. SAMUEL ROWLES, Master of Arts: LATE Fellow of Trinity College in Cambridge: And now Minister of Thistleworth in the County of Middlesex.  
LONDON, Printed for John Rothwell. 1652.   

To the Reader.  
Good Reader,  
THe ensuing confession of faith (which was delivered by me some years since at my Ordination in Kent) was not then intended or calculated for public view, but merely for that season, occasion, and Auditory. If after perusal thereof thou shalt think it worthy keeping by thee (which I dare not say thou hast any cause to do) do not thank me for it, but rather those friends of mine, who importuning me for more written copies then the little time I could spare from ministerial employments would afford them, did upon the matter compel me to expose both it and myself to common censure, by committing of it to the press; which I was the less unwilling to do, in regard I had a more than ordinary opportunity for such a purpose, in as much as the preceding Tract touching brokenness of heart was to pass through my hands: which I thought not so big, but that it might well admit of an Appendix, especially such an one as this; which was too too little to came forth by itself. I have printed it with confidence only touching the undoubted verity and truth of all that is contained in it (else I had been much to blame to have made & styled it the confession, or profession of my Faith) and I hope I am so far confident of that, as that I should not refuse to seal much of it with my blood (God assisting me, without whom I am unable to do any thing, much more unable to suffer for the truth) if ever I should be called thereunto. Touching the phrase and method of it, judge as thou pleasest: In case thou shalt approve one or both, I shall think it thy candour, more than its desert: and if thou disapprove either, or both, I shall not say thou dost me any wrong, whatsoever they may think of it whose love and groundless respects to me may cause them to prise what is mine fare above the measure of its real worth. I have gone the way of a general dedication unto whomsoever pleaseth to read this little summary of divine truths; partly, because I thought it too small a work wherewith particularly to present my best friends; and partly, because the persons and places whereto I am obliged are more than I could gratify at once; and of three places whereto I am much indebted, I knew not which to single out to begin with: (namely, Trinity College in Cambridge,) where I had the greatest part of my University education, and encouragements, and was several years together happy under the government of a most pious and prudent Master, and in the Society of as deserving Fellows, I speak it without the  tincture of flattery or partiality, as I believe either University hath any, from whom I did all along receive more love and respect, than I shall be ever able to deserve or requite. The next place, which I became a debtor to was West Farleigh in Kent, where I was much engaged to the worthy Knight of that shire, in whose family I there dwelled, and to his religious consort, for the great affection they did bear to me, not to omit the reverend and godly ministers of those parts from whom I received my Ordination, together with many respects and encouragements from first to last in that place, where God called me to bestow the first fruits of my ministerial labours. Nor am I less engaged to the inhabitants of Thistleworth, for whose souls God hath set me to watch these two or three last years, amongst whom I yet continue, I bless God, with less gainsaying and more general acceptation from them then many, not to say the most of my brethren, do in their several places. It is the Lords doing and marvellous in my eyes, knowing myself to be the unworthyest of all the faithful servants of my Lord and master Christ, I say, not knowing which of these three places (for I have not time to mention persons) I am most obliged to and consequently should begin with, I have made my dedication inclusive of all my friends (who are most like to be the readers hereof) but not exclusive to others, if they also please to read it. Touching the work itself, I have only this to say, namely, that I call to mind very few, if any branches of truth growing upon the root of this confession, which I should not think it very dangerous for any man to turn his back upon, or look towards with an eye of mere indifferency or sceptical neutrality. The reason it, because I take them to be fundamentals, which whosoever denies or derogates from, doth in my opinion run a great hazard, and Sampson-like take hold upon the pillar of that house, in the fall whereof himself is like to perish, and cause many more (as he did) to perish with him. Errors rising up against truths but preter fundamentals, do many times prove of sad consequence to the Church and state in which they are held; but fundamentals always much more hurtful and prejudicial to the souls of them that hold them. Wherefore, let thou and I receive each divine truth in the love thereof, lest we be given up by God to strong delusions, to believe lies (a judgement ordinarily inflicted upon the wantoness of this unsettled age) which that we may never be, is the hearty prayer of him who is,  
Thine in the service of the Gospel, SAMUEL ROWLES. From my Study in Thistleworth, March 26. 1651.   

A SHORT CONFESSION OF FAITH.  
I Believe there is a God, 
Concerning God.  and but one, who is an infinite spirit, one in essence, three in persons, truly though, not fully, made known to us by his glorious attributes of wisdom, holiness, Justice, mercy etc. which are not so many qualities in God, as in men they are) but his very essence thus represented to us, he being Holiness, Justice and Mercy itself▪ and that the distinction of persons, or Subsistences ariseth from three several incommunicable properties, wherewith the divine essence is clothed, the incommunicable property of the father being to beget, of the son to have been begotten, of the Holy Ghost to have proceeded from the Father and the Son. Yet are all these three persons coequal, coessential, coeternal, as the Sun and the light are contemporary, though light do stream from the Sun. I further do believe, that the Heavens, the earth, and the great deep, with all things contained in all, and every of them (whether living or without life, are the workmanship of his hands by the only word of his power in time created out of nothing. As also that God did from all eternity foreknow and preordain all those things which have or shall come to pass in time, and both hath and will by his executive power give being unto all such things in his own fullness of time, which he had decreed and resolved upon in himself from all eternity. 
Providence.  Only the decree of God concerning sin, I steadfastly believe to be merely a permissive decree, which he doth not prosecute and pursue by the exerting of any such positive power or casuality as in other cases, 
Sin.  (for sin hath no efficient cause, but springs from mere deficiency or defectiveness, which were flat blasphemy to ascribe to God who is all light, and in him no darkness at all) but merely suffereth to be and for holy ends and purposes (some of which we may partly guess at) doth refuse to let and hinder, though it be in the power of his hands to do it. God is no ways bound to stay the hands of men, when they stretch them forth to their own ruin, nor can he be said to tempt any man, when he is tempted and drawn away of his own hearts lusts, the Lord mean time refusing to prevent or return that his captivity. We deny not that God doth concur to those actions which are sinful, but not to the sinfulness of those actions. As he that striketh a lame horse makes him go, but doth not make him halt, for that proceeds merely from his lameness. He that playeth upon an untuned instrument with a skilful hand is the cause of the sound, but not of the jarring; for that it jars, proceeds merely from the untunednesse of the instrument, and not from the unskilfulness of such a Musician. There is something in every evil action which is good, namely, its natural being as it is a physical motion, and so fare forth it is from God, but the moral pravity and irregularity of it is from man alone. We also grant, that God doth sometimes lay stumbling blocks in the way of sinners, as it is Ezek. 3.20. but yet he only suffereth, and no ways compels them to fall, or thrusts them down. A man may walk if he be very careful without falling, though many stumbling blocks should lie in his way. That God is only the author of the occasion, and hath no hand in the sin itself, is intimated to us in that passage of the Lords prayer, in which we are taught thus to speak, Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; & not, lead us not into evil, but deliver us from temptation; implying, that though we are lead into temptation by God, yet not into evil, not into sin, though he offer the temptation yet he only suffereth the sin. I speak nothing to the prejudice of God's providence in disposing of sin as well as other occurrences; for God may only permit the commission of sin, and yet dispose of sin committed in subserviency to his own Glory. But to proceed from God's permissive decree to his positive providence. I believe it to have such an universal influence upon all the affairs of the world, that the most inconsiderable passages and occurrences are ordered and disposed thereby, insomuch that not a hair can fall from our heads, or two sparrows light upon the ground without it. Concerning the dealing of God with Angels and men, 
Angels.  which are of all other most remarkable, I thus believe: First, as touching Angels that they were all of them created by God pure and spotless spirits, an order of being above men, of a more Noble and active constitution; in which estate many of them yet continue (and are probably confirmed by Christ therein) being pure flames, ministering to him that is the consuming fire; as also pitching their Tents about the godly, and attending upon their good and safety) but others of them through affectation (as is conceived) to have been equal with God, fell down from Heaven, like lightning: that is, were forced down from thence, (as fire, which naturally tends upwards, is, when it lighteneth, driven downwards by the violence of the breaking cloud, and that those who kept not their standing are reserved in chains of darkness to the judgement of the great day, God having made no provision for their recovery, as he did for raising up the tabernacle of Adam, which was fallen. Concerning man (the next creature to Angels in point of dignity and excellency) the spirit of God speaking in the word hath thus persuaded me, 
Man.  (namely) that God at first did make him righteous, stamped his own image upon him, gave him freedom of will with an indifferency to good or evil, put him into a capacity of standing (though not into an impossibility of falling) made a Covenant of works with him, that in doing he should live; gave him a positive law (besides that which was written in his heart) whereby to try his obedience; which law he wilfully transgressed, and we in him; (that one Adam being all of us representatively, and after a sort really, forasmuch as we were all in his loins) and by that his transgression brought a curse upon himself and his posterity, yea his posterity upon themselves and all other creatures inferior to them, which are said to be made subject to vanity by reason of him who subjected them, that is man (viz.) obnoxiousness to eternal death, the inflicting whereof upon those for whom Christ interposeth not, is most just; and had been so in respect of all, if Jesus Christ had not interposed, as will appear if we consider the heinousness of the sin, 
Man's fall.  which did contain in it a manifest breach of all the commandments (though it may seem at the first view to have been of no such magnitude and malignity) or the incapacity of one man to receive that great weight of wrath which was due for it; or the relation wherein we stood to Adam being somewhat of himself, in a sense sufficiently proper, being bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh, that is seeminally and radically in him. I say, these things considered, we may salve the justice of God, without having recourse to his Sovereign power. It is no part of God's Sovereignty, nor yet consistent with his justice, to charge guilt upon innocent creatures; neither would or could the righteous God, who can do no unrighteous thing have laid Adam's sin at our door, had it not been our sin as well as his. The woeful fruits of that accursed fall we have daily experience of, 
The sad consequences of it.  in the universal depravation of our natures displaying itself, and being too too legible in the miserable darkness of our understandings (for how small a portion is it that we know of God, ourselves, or the nature of those creatures which are round about us, in comparison of what we might have known) perverseness of our wills (which take occasion by the Law of God, to sin out of measure sinfully) disorder of our affections (which are fixed most when they should be least, or not at all; and lest when they should be most of all; which also change their due centres, our love moving towards those things which should be the centre of our hatred) erroneousness, stupidity, searedness, defilement and interessednesse of our consciences, and continual proneness of the whole man unto that which is evil; as it is written, the imaginations or figments of the minds of men are evil, and only evil, and that continually. But to proceed, I further believe, that God soon after the fall of man (probably so soon as that the Sun did hardly go down upon his wrath) disclosed that gracious design which he had resolved upon from everlasting, of recovering & saving some of the sons and daughters of the first Adam, 
Recovery.  by Christ the second Adam who was exhibited (though somewhat obscurely) in that glorious promise, the seed of the woman shall break the head of the serpent; which words contain the tenor of the Covenant of grace, or second Covenant which God entered into with man suspending life and salvation upon the condition of believing, of which I shall speak more hereafter. This second Covenant was at first called no other than the promise of the blessed seed, 
Several names of the Covenant of grace, with the reason of them.  viz when made known unto Adam in the words forementioned, namely, that the seed of the woman should &c. Afterwards it was called a Covenant, when revealed to Abraham, and ratified by many solemnities. Afterwards it was styled a Testament or Legacy, where in Moses his time, it was sealed with the blood of Christ, who was typically slain in the several sacrifices; and now the new Testament, because sealed with the blood of the Testator Jesus Christ himself; which is a new seal in comparison of the blood of Christ typically shed, which was long before it. Other reasons there are of its being called the new Testament, though it be for substance the same with the old Testament, which is very Gospel as well as the new (for the Covenant of works was never called a Testament, nor could bear that name) which we shall hint hereafter. Touching the Promise, Condition, Mediator, and Seals of the new Covenant or Testament, I believe as followeth. First, that the things promised to those which are concerned in it, are Christ with all his rich purchases, 
Covenant of grace, its promises.  such as are the gift of the spirit, pardon of sin, healing of our natures, peace of conscience and eternal happiness. New testament-promises are mostly spiritual, but those of the old testament were more carnal, that is, more relating unto temporal and outward things. Secondly▪ That the condition of the new Covenant, 
It's condition, not assurance, but faith. Assurance proved not essential to saving faith.  on which the forementioned promises are suspended, is Faith, I do not say assurance, for that Faith may be where assurance is not, is clear to me from 1 Joh. 5.13. These things have I written to you that believe on the name of the son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life; and had their Faith been Assurance, they would have known that they had had eternal life, (i. e. were heirs of it without his writing to them) and that ye may believe on the name of the son of God, (that is, that you may increase in faith. Now assurance being the highest pitch of faith, a speaking the absence of all doubting, doth admit of no increase: (Indeed vision is beyond Assurance, but there is no degree of faith higher and greater than assurance) if unbelief may be mingled with true faith, as appeareth from this place it may, as also from Mark. 9.24. when the man cries out, Lord I believe, help my unbelief, there Assurance is not of the essence of true faith, but a higher degree of it for Assurance excludes all unbelief. I might add, that the fruits of saving faith, 
Faith.  as purifying of the heart, prising of Christ, &c do experimentally appear to be in the hearts of many who are fare short of Assurance. But such a Faith is required to bring us within the Covenant as is an Affiance or resting innitency, or resting of the soul upon Jesus Christ exhibited in the promise for life and salvation, expressed in Isaiah by trusting in the Lord, and staying upon the name of God, when we sit in darkness and see no light.  
As for the effects of true faith, they are these: 1. It works by love, and consequently puts men upon obedience to the commands; For those that love God, will keep his commandments, & are indeed constrained thereto by the love of God shed abroad in their hearts. So you see, that faith doth not exclude but include obedience to the commands of God, wherein holiness consists. Though we are justified by faith without works, yet not by a faith which hath no works. Saving faith receiveth Christ according to all his offices, as well as he is a King and Lord, as Priest and Saviour. Touching the Mediator of the New Covenant, which is Christ, I believe concerning him, as such: 
Mediator and his Offices.  1. The duplicity of his nature, that he is God as well as man, man as well as God. 2. The triplicity of his offices, namely, that he is 1. a King, having a Mediatorious Kingdom committed to him by God the Father, by virtue whereof he doth chief act and appear in the Kingdom of grace, and ought principally and immediately to be addressed to, which Kingdom it is said he shall hereafter deliver up to God the Father, and then shall God be all in all. This Kingdom of his he doth administer by certain outward means, and visible dispensations, as the Word and Sacraments (as well as by the inward operation of his Spirit) which whosoever cast off, in so doing do in effect say, that they will not be subjects of Christ his Kingdom. 2. That he is a Prophet for the enlightening and instructing of his Church, which yet he doth not ordinarily, immediately, but mediately, by those Ordinances which he hath appointed in his Church, having given variety of gifts for the edification thereof. 3. That he is a Priest who hath offered up himslfe a sacrifice for us, did raise himself from the grave within three days by the power of his Godhead; shortly after ascended up to Heaven, where he now sets at the right hand of God the Father, always making intercession for us. As touching the seals of the new Covenant (having spoken of the promise, condition, and mediator thereof.) I do this further believe, namely, that they were and are but two, 
Sacraments.  properly called Seals or Sacraments, viz The Passeover and Circumcision under the Old Testaments administration, Baptism and the Lords Supper under the of God, etc. He had said vers. 13. that Moses did put a veil upon his face, that the children of Israel could not see to the end of those things which are abolished; that is, they could not see Christ who was the end of the Ceremonial law, which is now abolished by reason of that veil which is not only upon the hearts of the Jews at this day, but was then upon the face of Moses; that is of Moses his writings: which veil was no other than the darkness and obscurity of the manner in which the mysteries of the Gospel were then delivered. They are said to have had but the shadow of good things to come (the shadow of a man is so dark a representation of him that he can never or very hardly be known by it) but we to see those same things as in a glass (we may as well know a man by the representation of him in a glass as if we should see him face to face) and with open face too (which may signify more light shining into the understandings of men under the Gospel than did in the time of the law) and to behold the glory of God, whereas they saw little of it in comparison. 
3. Efficacy  3. In point of efficacy, the new Testament administration of the Gospel doth excel. But believers in the old Testament were generally as trees growing in the shade except some few worthies, such as Abraham and David. Whereas believers under the new Testament dispensation are as trees growing in such places where the influence of the warm beams of the Sun may come at them without hindrance or interposition. Hence the time of the old Testament is called the time before the coming of Faith, Gal. 3.23. Before Faith came (i. e. in that plenty that it comes in the time of the new Testament) we were shut up unto the Faith which should afterwards be revealed. All which expressions do speak the old Testament administration of the Covenant of grace to have been less effectual than is the new; some think that place Zach. 12.8. He that is feeble shall be as David, and the house of David shall be as God, as the Angel of God before them. I say some think that it is a promise of that eminency of grace which shall be in believers in the time of the new Testament above what was in the generality of old Testament believers. 4. 
4. Change of Seals a a fourth difference.  The administration of the Covenant of grace under the new Testament differeth from that of the old in respect of the alteration of seals, of which we have spoken already. Thus have I declared my persuasions touching the Covenant of grace, and the several things belonging thereunto. After the publication of the foresaid Covenant in that first promise, the seed of the woman shall break the head of the Serpent, God was pleased by several piece-meales, and in several manners, to make known himself to those who lived in the infancy of the world, declaring himself to them sometimes by a voice from Heaven, as the law was given from Mount Sinai; sometimes by visions, other times by dreams, other times by prophecies; sometimes by inspiration of things not prophetical; which things were afterwards written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the world are come, that we through Faith and patience might inherit the promises; 
Scriptures.  which writings are commonly known by the name of the Bible or holy scriptures, concerning which I thus believe (namely) that they were inspired by God, and left as a rule of faith and manners so to continue to the world's end, and are able to make the man of God, perfect to every good word and work. As also, that we who live under the Gospel, ought still to have respect unto that part of Scripture which is called the old Testament. My reasons for it are these: 1. That exhortation of Christ, john 5.39. Search the Scriptures, 
Reasons why the old Testament should be still respected.  (which is meant of the old Testament, for than they had no other) for in them ye think (that is you yourselves are persuaded as well as the truth is) that ye have eternal life, that is, the way to eternal life, which is Christ himself declared to you, as appeareth to be the meaning by the following words; and they are they which testify of me. Who dare reject that word which gives testimony to Christ? if you say that the ceremonial law did so, I answer, that the observation of it now, would be a witnessing against Christ, as if he were not already come in the flesh but expected hereafter, and therefore it is abolished. 2. The identity or sameness of the old and new Testament is another reason why I contend for having respect to it. The old and new Testament do both treat of the same subject, namely Christ, and the way of salvation by Faith in him, though with some difference of circumstance etc. It is said that unto Christ did all the prophets bear witness. 3. The frequent quotations which are in the new Testament out ot the old, as if Christ himself and his Apostles had but commented upon the old Testament, and would not urge things upon the belief of those to whom they Preached without good warrant and testimony from Moses and the Prophets. 4. I am induced to have respect to the old Testament from this undeniable principle, namely, that as it is dangerous to plant what God hath not planted, so much more dangerous to pluck up what God hath planted, till he begin to do it with his own right hand. Now we do estranging them to the world, affecting them to, and enflaming them for God. 2. Touching the duties of men towards God, 
The duties of men towards God.  I thus believe, viz. That all sorts of men are bound to love, fear, serve, and trust in him with all their hearts and souls, by virtue of their being received from him, in conjunction with all other mercies, as also for the continued preservation (which is equivalent to a continual creation) of their beings and well-beings. But that there is a double tye upon believers to give up their whole selves, souls and bodies unto God. For they are least of all their own, being Gods, not only by creation and forfeiture (as all wicked men are) but by redemption also, he having bought them with a price. The manner in which they are to serve God for the external part of it, I conceive to be in the way of his ordinances, viz by praying, reading, 
Singing of Psalms, what it is.  hearing, meditating, singing of Psalms (which is meditating and praising of God with the voice lifted up for the expressing and provoking of greater cheerfulness, and affording further leisure by due pausing and treatable delivery for divine consideration) not to omit attendance upon God in the sacraments of baptism and the Lords supper. 
Right manner of performing duties, what it is.  As for the manner of performing these duties (in which the life and spirit of religion doth consist) they are to be done in Faith from Gospel's motives, to spiritual ends, by way of testifying our thankfulness and the rule of them is to be the word of God. I might add that God is to be served in the exercise of all graces, as Faith, humility, patience, self-denial, zeal, 
Expectations of men from God. Of all men.  etc. which are the fruits of the spirit of God within us. Lastly, I shall conclude with my persuasions touching what men are to expect from God: 1. In general, 2. In special. In the general, all men are to look for a summons by death to a particular appearance and account, for the resurrection of their bodies after they have lain awhile in the grave, for a citall of soul and body to appear before God at the day of the great Assize to give an account of the deeds done in their bodies. These things are to be expected in common both of good and bad. 
Of wicked men.  But to descend to particulars: As for men continuing in unbelief and impenitency, I know nothing belongs to them but a certain dreadful expectation of fury and vengeance, to be poured out upon all the adversaries, and that having compassed themselves with sparks they should have this at length at God's hand, namely, to lie down in sorrow, and that their souls, being at the great day reunited to their bodies, should return to hell, whence they came, the Sentence of eternal condemnation being irrecoverably passed upon them. Depart ye cursed, etc. 
Of good men in respect of the present life, and of that which is to come.  But as for Believers, they have something to expect from God here, and something hereafter. Here they expect some things for themselves and other things for the Church; for themselves, the keeping of them by the power of God to salvation, the peace of God to guard their hearts. For the Church, The presence of Christ with it by his spirit to the world's end, the breaking of the Serpent's head, and putting down of the man of sin, and all other enemies of Christ which shall be made his footstool. For hereafter, they expect that their souls being joined to their bodies which shall be made conformable to the glorious body of Christ, shall re-enter into their mansions of glory being an entire glorified essence (whereas but a part of them was before in glory) having heard their judge, who is also their redeemer and surety, thus pronounce concerning them, Well done good and faithful servants, enter into your Masters Joy.  
FINIS.