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had blinded their eyes and hardned their hearts, Left they should fee with their eyes, and understand with their hearts, and convert and be beaLed.

The other effect of the word was faid to be a pricking; this is a beginning For as the Preacher afcribes a prick or point to the word when he faith, The words of the wife are tanquam acuta & ftimuli, Ecclefiaftes the twelfth chapter. So here we fee there are certain sparks of fire in the word, which will foon kindle a fire in the hearts of the hearers. The pricking is referred to fear, as Pfalm the hundred and nineteenth, Confringe cor meum timore tuo the warming is an effect of hope and love, as Canticles the eighth chapter and the fixt verfe, where love is compared to fire, that hath ardent coals, that burn fo, as mach water cannot quench them; that is, As there are fome Scriptures that intreat of the wrath of God, that lay mens finnes before their eyes, and tells them of the terrible and great day of the Lord, when they shall be rewarded all according to their works; and fo breeds a fear in the hearts of the hearers, as Acts the fift chapter and the eleventh verfe; and prick them, verfe the thirty feventh, unleffe their hearts be ftonie and their flesh a dead flesh: So on the other fide fome Scriptures fet forth the goodneffe of God and his gracious promifes, as when Chrift telleth the two D fciples, ought not Chrift to fuffer thefe things, and to enter into glory verfe the twenty ligth; which fhews the love of God the Father, in giving his fonne to fuffer for us; and the love of the fonne, in being given for us; for no man hath greater love than this, to dye for his friend, John the fifteenth chapter; and the great reward that God hath for his children, which is the hope of glory, affaring them that as Chrift is entred into glory, fo we shall be with him. And fuch Scripture will firre up in the heaters both affeation of love and hope; wherewith, as with coals or fparks of fire, their hearts are wounded. And thofe feveral parts of Scripture are tempered according to the nature of the hearers or auditors; for there are fome that fcoffe and deride and blafpheme the holy fpirit of God, Acts the fecond chapter and the thirteenth verfe: And to fuch the threatnings and judgements of God must be laid before them, as Peter doth. But here we have Auditors of fuch nature, that is, fuch as did not mock and fit in the Chair of Scorners, but were deje &ed in fpirit and were of a faint heart; which confeffe, we were in hope that this was he that should have delivered Ifrael, but now our hope is faine and we quakes and to fuch the opening of Gods love and of his great and preticus promises, is expedient.

In this verfe we have to confider, Firft, The manner of uttering of these words; for they fay not, Our hearts cid burn, but ask the queftion, Did not our hearts? Secondly, The fubftance of the verse, which confifts of three parts, First, the part wherein this effect was wrought, Cor nostrum. Secondly, A paffion or work, a burning. Thirdly, The time, when he talked with us.

Firft, For the manner, Did not our hearts burne? Of which kinde of negative speaking, there are two examples in Scripture; First, it is a

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mo:e vehement affirmation, than if a man fhould only affirma truth; as where Chrift faith before, ought not Chrift to fuffer these things, and to enter into glory as if he fhould fay, he ought without doubt: for when the matter is queftionable, we ufe to fpeak affirmatively; but in a plain cafe that is evident and out of doubt, then we ask a queftion negaively, as, Doth not the Sunne fhine as if one fhould fay, It is cleere, We fee it doth. So here they knew well before Chrift fpake to them, their hearts were cold, and their hope was faint and dead; but now remembring that while Chrift fpake to them, they felt their hearts warm within them; they ask, Did not our hearts burn as if they fhould fay, doubtleffe we felt a heat and burning withinus.

Another ufe of this negative question is asked out of Chriftsdeed, Luke the feventeenth chapter,Were there not ten cleansed? he marvelled what was become of the other nine. This admiration ferves to tax and to reprehend the unthankfulneffe of thofe nine which returned not to praife God: And feeing the Difciples ask the Question, Did not cur bearts burn? as if they should fay, leeing we felt our hearts burn with in us, why did we not know that it was Chrift the Sonne of God, that Spake to us? Surely it is not the work of a man to touch the heart, but God only; and feeing cur hearts were touched thus, doubtleffe it was Chrift that spake to us Which fhewes that at the prefent time that Chrift fpake to them, they felt him not; but when Chrift was gone out of their fight, then they remembred that their hearts felt this hear within them; for by Jacob's experience we learn,that God may be in a place,and we not know of it; for fo he confeffeth,in the twenty eighth chapter of Genefis, and the fixth verfe, God was here, and I was not aware; and in the ninth chapter of Job, and the eleventh verfe, He will be by me, and I shall not see him; and in the thirteenth chapter of John, Quid ego faciam tu nefcis nunc, fcles autem pofthac ; that is, hereafter yee hall feel your hearts moved: So the attention of these two Difciples was fo great, and they were in fuch an extafie, that they obferved no fuch thing, for the prefent, while he fpake; they perceived it not till Chrift had made an end, and was taken from them. For, as there are things that appear and are not, as vifards and maskes which make a fhew ofthat which is not; fo there are things that appear not and are, as the fpirits and fouls of men, which are invisible. There was one that boafted of that he had not, that was the false Prophet that faid to Michaiah, in the first book of Kings the twenty fecond chapter, It is imposible that the spirit of the Lord fhauld goe from me to thee: And in the first epiftle to the Corinthians, the seventh chapter, there is one that with more modefty and coldnefle faith, I think I have the pi rit of God, and he had it indeed: The wifeft that ever was of men faith, There is not in me the understanding of a man, Proverbs the thirtieth chapter and the fecond verfe: And Caiaphas that understood as little as any, as if he only understood all, faid, vos planè nihil intelligitis, John the eleventh chapter, and the fourty ninth verse.

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Touching the fubftance of the queftion, and the first part: First, The part wherein that which Chrift fpake did work, is the heart,

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which is the commander of inan; for as the word comes out of the heart, bonus homo ex bono thefauro cordis fui, Luke the fix:h chapter, fo if it have its right courle, it goeth to the heart; for there be three wards and locks to be opened, that the found of Gods word may enter; that is, the eare, Pfalm the tourtieth, Mine care haft thou opened, which is the gate of wifedome. Secondly, the understanding to conceive what is heard; of which it is faid here, Their eyes were opened, Luke the twenty fourth chapter and the thirty firft verte, that is, oculi mentis, Ephefians the firit chapter and the eighteenth verte. Thirdly, the heart, as Lydia's heart was opened by the Lord, As the fixteenth chapter Many are prefent, but hear not attentively what is faid, others hear, but understand not; and fome have both thefe degrees, and yet have not their hearts opened, and fo it is to no purpofe that is fpoken: Though we hear and understand, yet if the heart be not touched with it, it is but verbum aerium, it is mans word, and not Gods; for the property of Gods word is, to pierce to the heart and marrow, And to the dividing of the foul, Hebrews the fourth chapter and the twelfth verfe: Therefore by the care man may examine his own heart; for unless he feel himself touched inwardly with the word, his hearing is in vain: And this is the fervice wich God rejects, Ifaiah the twenty ninth chapter and the thirteenth verfe, Matthew the fifteench chapter and the eighth verfe, populus labiis me honorat; so if either we bring our eares alone, or both eares and eyes, both hearken and conceive; yet fo long as this is true of us, that our heart is departed from God: If the heart be not affected with the preaching of the word, it is in vain For the profitable hearer is he that with an honeft and good heart receiveth the word of God, which is the immortall feed, that bringeth forth much fruit, Luke the eighth chapter.

Secondly, the work wrought in the heart, is a burning or kindling, as we the wed. There is a double compunction; First, when a man being pricked in heart, falls into a rage, as they that heard Stephen, A&ts the leventh chapter: Secondly, when being prickt they seek for ease and comfort, as in the second chapter of the 4s, and the thirty feventh verfe: So there is a double fire: For as there is a fire from the Altar which touched the prophets mouth, Efay the fixt chapter, fo fire from Topheth, Ifaiah the thirtieth chapter, there are firie tongues, that fell upon the Apoftes; But they came from heaven, Acts the fecond chapter; but there are firie tongues, that are fet on fire of hell, James the third chapter; it is the fire from the Altar, and the firic tongues from heaven, that causeth the burning in the heart of such as hear aright, and not the fire of Topheth. For as the Devil with his hot Iron doth cauterife and fear the confciences of fome, fo the fire of Gods fpirit doth warm the hearts of others, so as they heare the word of God with profit. As there are wicked, whofe tongues and words are like pricks and swords, Proverbs the twelfth chapter; fo there are others, whofe tongues are like hot Juniper coals, Pfalm the one hundred and twentieth, which flanders others : For the Devill,

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that cnvier of man, Matthew the thirteenth chapter, ftirres up this fire in the hearts of men; but this fire must be diftinguished from that fire which Chrift came to bring upon earth, Luke the twelfth chapter. As this compunction was of faith, and the other of fear; fo here the good fire proceeds from love, and hope, the effect of the other, is defperate raging and hatred. The true fire is from the fpirit, as it is in the fixt chapter of John, Verba mea spiritus funt & vita, for where there is fpirit, there is a heat; and Chrifts words being fpirituall, doe warm the hearts of the heaters, & the Scriptures being infpired by the fpirit of God, cannot but work this heat in mens hearts, befides, God faith of his word, Jeremiah the twenty third chapter, and the twen ty ninth verse, meum verbum ignis eft, it is fire, no man can deny it ; for whether we refpe& the Law, it is ignea lex, Deuteronomie the thirty third chapter and the second verfe, the word of prophefie is fire, for the Prophet could not prophefie till the coal taken from the Altar had touched his lips, Ifaiah the fixt chapter, and of the Gofpel which Chrift preached, he faith, Ignem veni mittere in terram, &quod volo mifi ut ardeat, Luke the twelfth chapter and the fourty ninth verfe, and after his afcention he gave order that the firie tongues fhould come upon the Apostles, that their word might be a firie word, that might kindle in the hearts of the hearers. Now the word of God is therefore called fire, because the quality of fire is most actuall; for as fome note, that albeit many things be hid from the Sun, Tet there is nothing hid from the heat thereof; for it pierceth into all parts of the world, Pfalm the ninteenth; fo the word of God is fuch, and mighty in operation, and sharper than any two edged sword, and entreth through, Hebrews the fourth chapter: For as the fire confumeth all things, and turneth it into fire; fo doth the word of God turn the af fections of man into word, and not the word into affe&tion: As the word it felf is fire, fo the motions which it ftirreth up in the heart are firie and fervent, as the Apoftle fheweth, in the twelfth chapter to the Romans, and the eleventh verfe, Ferventes fpirita: Fervencie pro ceeds of two affections: The one is hope, in the twelfth verfe; that where before their hope was cold,now it rejoyceth and revives, verfe the twenty first; the other is of love, which makes them compell him, Luke the twenty fourth chapter, to tarry with them, verse the twenty ninth; thus the word inflames their hearts with love, and revives their fpirits, fo as their hope is revived, and by working these two affections in them, he changeth them, that there is not only fire, but conftancy in the word, verba ignea faciunt igneos characteres ; lo as where ink may be blotted out, the ftamp of the firie word of God continues for ever, and is durable. But the word hath a double operation against finne; Firft, like water, becaufe with it the pot which comes from without is taken away. Secondly, as fire, because, as ruft must be burnt out, fo the inward corruption of our nature muft be eaten out, and confumed with the word; therefore the Prophet compares his preaching to melting and founding, Jeremiah the fixt chapter, where he complains, the bellowes are burnt, the lead is conHhhh 2

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fumed in the fire, the Founder melteth in vain, for the wicked are not taken away; as if he should fay we have done all we can, and yet the ruft of finne doth not depart from them, for we have the wicked heart of luft and concupifcence burning in us, and in that regard the word is as water to quench it: And again we are flow and cold in affection, and have need to be quickned; in which regard the word is fire: So men are frozen in their dregs,Zephaniah the first chapter and the twelfth verfe, that cold muft be diffolved by the heat of Gods word: Such a paffion was in thefe, to whom Chri faid, You flow of heart, Luke the twenty fourth chapter and the twenty fift verfe. This coldness is driven away by the fire of Gods word: But although the word be never fo fharp, yet it pricks nor, unless the heart be fleshie; to the fault may be in the word fometime if it be not firie. The preaching of the word is like the ftriking of fire, for unless there be tinder to receive the fparks, it is to no purpofe, how oft foever ye ftrike fire; fo the preaching of the word worketh not except the heart be prepared: Oile is combustible, and we must pray that our hearts may be annointed with the oyle of Gods fpirit, in the firft epiftle of St. Fohn, the fecond chapter. When the word which is fire, and the grace of Gods fpirit, as tinder, doe concurre, then the heart is warmed: As there must be preparátion before hand, to the end it may have this effect; fo meditation af tet; My heart was hot within me, and while I thus mufed, the fire kindled, Pfalm the thirty ninth and the third verfe: If there be devotion before, and meditation after, upon that which we have heard, then the fire is kindled : This heat, how fmall foever it be,though it be but as fmoaking flux, God will not quench it, Ifaiab the fourty fecond chapter; for it will ferve to kindle a fire in the heart.

Thirdly, The time, when this was wrought in their hearts was, cum loqueretur & aperuit ipfis Scripturas. Whereby we fee Christ had this power to touch the hearts of his hearers not only in the Synagogues, but now when they conferred privately together in the way. This was ordinary not only in Chrifts preaching, but to his Apofiles; for while Peter spake unto them, the holy Ghost fell on them all, Acts the tenth chapter and the fourty fourth verfe: But we must praCife private conference,and inftruct one another by the way, as Chrift did; for that was given by commandement Deuteronomie the fixt chapter: And a promife is made by God, I will inftruct thee in the way, Pfalm the thirty fecond: But Chrift did not only speak, but alfo open the Scriptures, that is, the words which he fpake, were not vain words, or the words of the east winde, Fob the fifteenth chapter. The Scriptures must be opened and the key to open them, is the key of knowledge, Luke the eleventh chapter; without which key they cannot be opened. There are unlearned and unskilfull men that goe about to open the Scriptures, but they doe but pick the lock; they take not the right courfe; for it cannot be opened without the key of knowledge. He that will open the Scriptures must be like Apollo, who fpake fervently, and taught exactly,diligently, the things which

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