Doct. 2. That it is a supernatural disposition of a true child of God to have a tender, soft, and a melting heart. I say that a disposition of a true child of God, and the frame of soul of such an one, to be tender, apprehensive, and serviceable, is a supernatural disposition ; and of necessity it must be so, because naturally the heart is of another temper — a stony heart. All by nature have stony hearts in respect of spiritual goodness. There may be a tenderness in regard of natural things ; but in regard of gi-ace, the heart is stony, and beats back all that is put to it. Say what you will to a hard heart, it will never yield. A hammer will do no good to a stone. It may break it in pieces, but not draw it to any form. So to a stony heart, all the threatenings in the world will do no good. You may break it in pieces, but never work upon it. It must be the almighty power of God. There is nothing in the world so hard as the heart of man. The very creatures will yield obedience to God ; as flies, and lice, to destroy Pharaoh ; but Pharaoh himself was so hard-hearted, that after ten plagues he was ten times the more hardened, Exod. x. 28. Therefore, if a man have not a melting heart, he is diverted from his proper object ; because God hath placed afiections in us, to be raised presently upon suitable objects. "WTien any object is offered in the word of God, if our hearts were not corrupted, we would have correspondent affections. At judgments we would tremble, at the word of threatenings quake, at promises we would with faith beheve, and at mercies be comforted ; at directions we would be pliable and yield- ing. But by nature our hearts are hard. God may threaten, and promise, and direct, and yet we insensible all the while. Well, all Josiahs, and all that are gracious, of necessity must have soft hearts. Therefore I will shew you,
1. How a tender heart is n-rowfht.
2. How it may he preserved and maintained.
THE TENDER HEART.
33
3. How it may he discerned from, the contrar)/.
1. First, A tender heart is made tender hi/ him that made it. For no creature in the world can soften and turn the heart, only God must alter and change it ; for we are all by nature earthly-, dead, and hard. Hence is it that God doth make that gracious promise, Ezek. xi. 19, ' I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within their bowels ; and I will take away the stony hearts out of their bodies, and give them a heart of flesh ;' that is, a living, sensible heart.
Quest. But doth God immediately make the heart tender, and change it, without any help by means ?
Sol. 1. I answer, Means do not make the heart tender, but God through the use of means softens it by his word. God's word is a hammer to break, and as fire to melt the hardened heart, Jer. xxiii. 9. And thus it works, first, when God doth shew to the heart our cursed estate, and opens to the same the true dangers of the soul, which it is in by nature and custom of sin, and sets before it the terrors of the last day and present danger of judgment. When the Spirit of God, by the word, doth convince the soul to be in a damned estate, dead, born under wrath, and an heir of damna- tion ; that by nature God frowns, and hell is ready to swallow us up ; when the soul is thus convinced, then the heart begins to be astonished, and cries out, ' Men and brethren, what shall I do?' Acts ii. 37. When the word is thus preached with particular application, it doth good. For a man may hear the word of God generally, and yet have no broken heart. But when a Peter comes and saith, * You have crucified the Lord of life ;' and when a Nathan comes to David, and saith, ' Thou art the man,' then comes the heart to be broken and confounded.
But it is not enough to have the heart broken ; for a pot may be broken in pieces, and yet be good for nothing ; so may a heart be, through terrors, and sense of judgment, and yet not be like wax, pliable. Therefore it must be melting ;-- for which cause, when God by his judgments hath cast down the heai't, then comes the Spirit of God, revealing the comfort of the word ; then the gracious mercy of God in Christ is manifested, that ' there is mercy with God, that he may be feared,' Ps. cxxx. 4. This being laid open to the quick, to a dejected soul, hence it comes to be melted and tender ; for the apprehension of judgment is only a preparing work, which doth break the heart, and prepare it for tenderness.
Sol. 2. Again, Tenderness of heart is wrought by an apprehension of tenderness and love in Christ. A soft heart is made soft by the blood of Christ. Many say, that an adamant cannot be melted with fire, but by blood. I cannot tell whether this be true or no ; but I am sure nothing will melt the hard heart of man but the blood of Christ, the passion of our blessed Saviour. When a man considers of the love that God hath shewed him in sending of his Son, and doing such great things as he hath done, in giving of Christ to satisfy his justice, in setting us free from hell, Satan and death : the consideration of this, with the persuasion that we have interest in the same, melts the heart, and makes it become tender. And this must needs be so, because that with the preaching of the gospel unto broken-hearted sinners cast down, there always goes the Spirit of God, which works an application of the gospel.