and liberty to the imprisoned; so, and a thousand times more, is Jesus
Christ to the wounded, and to them that are broken-hearted. Now, as was
said, this must needs be excellent in God’s eyes, since Christ Jesus is
so glorious in his eyes. To contemn what a man counts excellent, is an
offence to him; but to value, esteem, or think highly of that which is
of esteem with me, this is pleasing to me, such an opinion is excellent
in my sight. What says Christ? ‘My Father loveth you, because ye loved
me’ (John 16:27). Who hath an high esteem for Christ, the Father hath
an high esteem for them. Hence it is said, ‘He that hath the Son, hath
the Father’; the Father will be his, and will do for him as a Father,
who receiveth and sets an honourable esteem on his Son.
But none will, none can do this, but the broken-hearted; because they,
and they only, are sensible of the want and worth of an interest in
him.
I dare appeal to all the world as to the truth of this; and do say
again, that these, and none but these, have hearts of esteem in the
sight of God. Alas! ‘the heart of the wicked is little worth,’ for it
is destitute of a precious esteem of Christ, and cannot but be
destitute, because it is not wounded, broken, and made sensible of the
want of mercy by him (Prov 10:20).
Fourth. A broken heart is of great esteem with God, because it is a
thankful heart for that sense of sin and of grace it has received. The
broken heart is a sensible heart. This we touched upon before. It is
sensible of the dangers which sin leadeth to; yea, and has cause to be
sensible thereof, because it has seen and felt what sin is, both in the
guilt and punishment that by law is due thereto. As a broken heart is
sensible of sin, in the evil nature and consequences of it; so it is
also sensible of the way of God’s delivering the soul from the day of
judgment; consequently it must be a thankful heart. Now he that praises
me, glorifies me, saith God; and God loves to be glorified. God’s glory
is dear unto him; he will not part with that (Psa 50:23; Isa 42:8).
The broken-hearted, say I, forasmuch as he is the sensible soul, it
follows that he is the thankful soul. ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul,’ said
David, ‘and all that is within me bless his holy name.’ Behold what
blessing of God is here! and yet not content herewith, he goes on with
it again, saying, ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his
benefits.’ But what is the matter? O! he has ‘forgiven all thine
iniquities, and healed all thy diseases. He has redeemed thy life from
destruction, and crowneth thee with loving kindnesses and tender
mercies’ (Psa 103:1-4). But how came he to be affected with this? Why,
he knew what it was to hang over the mouth of hell for sin; yea, he
knew what it was for death and hell to beset and compass him about;
yea, they took hold of him, as we have said, and were pulling of him
down into the deep; this he saw to the breaking of his heart. He saw
also the way of life, and had his soul relieved with faith and sense of
that, and that made him a thankful man. If a man who has had a broken
leg, is but made to understand, that by the breaking of that he kept
from breaking of his neck, he will be thankful to God for a broken leg.
‘It is good for me,’ said David, ‘that I have been afflicted.’ I was by
that preserved from a great danger; for before that I went astray (Psa
119:67,71).
And who can be thankful for a mercy that is not sensible that they want
it, have it, and have it of mercy? Now, this the broken-hearted, this
the man that is of a contrite spirit, is sensible of; and that with
reference to mercies of the best sort, and therefore must needs be a
thankful man, and so have a heart of esteem with God, because it is a
thankful heart.
Fifth. A broken heart is of great esteem with, or an excellent thing
in, the sight of God, because it is a heart that desires now to become
a receptacle or habitation for the spirit and graces of the Spirit of
God. It was the devil’s hold before, and was contented so to be. But
now it is for entertaining of, for being possessed with, the Holy
Spirit of God. ‘Create in me a clean heart,’ said David, ‘and renew a
right spirit within me. Take not thy Holy Spirit from me, uphold me
with thy free Spirit’ (Psa 51:10-12). Now he was for a clean heart and
a right spirit; now he was for the sanctifying of the blessed spirit of
grace; a thing which the uncircumcised in heart resist, and do despite
unto (Acts 7:51; Heb 10:29).
A broken heart, therefore, suiteth with the heart of God; a contrite
spirit is one spirit with him. God, as I told you before, covets to
dwell with the broken in heart, and the broken in heart desire
communion with him. Now here is an agreement, a oneness of mind; now
the same mind is in thee which was also in Christ Jesus. This must
needs be an excellent spirit; this must needs be better with God, and
in his sight, than thousands of rams, or ten thousand rivers of oil.
But does the carnal world covet this, this spirit, and the blessed
graces of it? No, they despise it, as I said before; they mock at it,
they prefer and countenance any sorry, dirty lust rather; and the
reason is, because they want a broken heart, that heart so highly in
esteem with God, and remain for want thereof in their enmity to God.
The broken-hearted know, that the sanctifying of the Spirit is a good
means to keep from that relapse, out of which a man cannot come unless
his heart be wounded a second time. Doubtless David had a broken heart
at first conversion, and if that brokenness had remained, that is, had
he not given way to hardness of heart again, he had never fallen into
that sin out of which he could not be recovered, but by the breaking of
his bones a second time. Therefore, I say, a broken heart is of great
esteem with God; for it—and I will add, so long as it retains its
tenderness—covets none but God, and the things of his Holy Spirit; sin
is an abomination to it.
[VI. ADVANTAGES THAT A CHRISTIAN GETS BY KEEPING HIS HEART TENDER.]
And here, as in a fit place, before I go any further, I will show you
some of the advantages that a Christian gets by keeping of his heart
tender. For, as to have a broken heart, is to have an excellent thing,
so to keep this broken heart tender, is also very advantageous.
First. This is the way to maintain in thy soul always a fear of sinning
against God. Christians do not wink at, or give way to sin, until their
hearts begin to lose their tenderness. A tender heart will be affected
at the sin of another, much more it will be afraid of committing of sin
itself (2 Kings 22:19).
Second. A tender heart quickly yieldeth to prayer, yea, prompteth to
it, puts an edge and fire into it. We never are backward to prayer
until our heart has lost its tenderness; though then it grows cold,
flat, and formal, and so carnal to and in that holy duty.
Third. A tender heart has always repentance at hand for the least fault
or slip, or sinful thought that the soul is guilty of. In many things
the best offend; but if a Christian loseth his tenderness, if he says
he has his repentance to seek, his heart is grown hard—has lost that
spirit, that kind spirit of repentance, it was wont to have. Thus it
was with the Corinthians; they were decayed, and lost their tenderness;
wherefore their sin—yea, great sins—remained unrepented of (2 Cor
12:20).
Fourth. A tender heart is for receiving often its communion with God,
when he that is hardened, though the seed of grace is in him, will be
content to eat, drink, sleep, wake, and go days without number without
him (Isa 17:10; Jer 2:32).
Fifth. A tender heart is a wakeful, watchful heart. It watches against
sin in the soul, sin in the family, sin in the calling, sin in
spiritual duties and performances, &c. It watches against Satan,
against the world, against the flesh, &c. But now, when the heart is
not tender, there is sleepiness, unwatchfulness, idleness, a suffering
the heart, the family, and calling to be much defiled, spotted, and
blemished with sin; for a hard heart departs from God, and turns aside
in all these things.
Sixth. A tender heart will deny itself, and that in lawful things, and
will forbear even that which may be done—for some Jew, or Gentile, or
the church of God, or any member of it, should be offended, or made
weak thereby; whereas the Christian that is not tender, that has lost
his tenderness, is so far off of denying himself in lawful things, that
he will even adventure to meddle in things utterly forbidden, whoever
is offended, grieved, or made weak thereby. For an instance of this, we
need go no further than to the man in the text, who, while he was
tender, trembled at little things; but when his heart was hardened, he
could take Bathsheba to satisfy his lust, and kill her husband to cover
his wickedness.
Seventh. A tender heart—I mean, the heart kept tender—preserves from
many a blow, lash, and fatherly chastisement; because it shuns the
causes, which is sin, of the scourging hand of God. ‘With the pure thou
wilt show thyself pure, but with the froward thou wilt shew thyself
unsavoury’ (2 Sam 22:27; Psa 18:25-27).
Many a needless rebuke and wound doth happen to the saints of God
through their unwise behaviour. When I say needless, I mean they are
not necessary, but to reclaim us from our vanities; for we should not
feel the smart of them, were it not for our follies. Hence the
afflicted is called a fool, because his folly brings his affliction
upon him. ‘Fools,’ says David, ‘because of their transgression, and
because of their iniquities, are afflicted’ (Psa 107:17). And therefore
it is, as was said before, that he call his sin his foolishness. And
again, ‘God will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints; but
let them not turn again to folly’ (Psa 38:5, 85:8). ‘If his children
transgress my laws, then will I visit their transgression with the rod,
and their iniquity with stripes’ (Psa 89:30-32).
[How to keep the heart tender.]
QUEST. But what should a Christian do, when God has broke his heart, to
keep it tender?
ANSW. To this I will speak briefly. And, first, give you several
cautions; secondly, several directions.
[First—Several cautions.]
1. Take heed that you choke not those convictions that at present do
break your hearts, by labouring to put those things out of your minds
which were the cause of such convictions; but rather nourish and
cherish those things in a deep and sober remembrance of them. Think,
therefore, with thyself thus, What was it that at first did wound my
heart? And let that still be there, until, by the grace of God, and the
redeeming blood of Christ, it is removed.
2. Shun vain company. The keeping of vain company has stifled many a
conviction, killed many a desire, and made many a soul fall into hell,
that once was hot in looking after heaven. A companion that is not
profitable to the soul, is hurtful. ‘He that walketh with wise men
shall be wise, but a companion of fools shall be destroyed’ (Prov
13:20).
3. Take heed of idle talk, that thou neither hear nor join with it. ‘Go
from the presence of a foolish man, when thou perceivest not in him the
lips of knowledge’ (Prov 14:7). ‘Evil communications corrupt good
manners. And a fool’s lips are the snare of his soul.’ Wherefore take
heed of these things (Prov 18:7; 1 Cor 15:33).
4. Beware of the least motion to sin, that it be not countenanced, lest
the countenancing of that makes way for a bigger.[14] David’s eye took
his heart, and so his heart nourishing the thought, made way for the
woman’s company, the act of adultery, and bloody murder. Take heed,
therefore, brethren, ‘lest any of you be hardened through the
deceitfulness of sin’ (Heb 3:12,13). And remember, that he that will
rend the block, puts the thin end of the wedge first thereto, and so,
by driving, does his work.
5. Take heed of evil examples among the godly; learn of no man to do
that which the word of God forbids. Sometimes Satan makes use of a good
man’s bad ways, to spoil and harden the heart of them that come after.
Peter’s false doing had like to have spoiled Barnabas, yea, and several
others more. Wherefore take heed of men, of good men’s ways, and
measure both theirs and thine own by no other rule but the holy Word of
God (Gal 2:11-13).
6. Take heed of unbelief, or atheistical thoughts; make no question of
the truth and reality of heavenly things: for know unbelief is the
worst of evils; nor can the heart be tender that nourisheth or gives
place unto it. ‘Take heed, therefore, lest there be in any of you an
evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God’ (Heb 3:12).
These cautions are necessary to be observed with all diligence, of all
them that would, when their heart is made tender, keep it so. And now
to come,
[Second]—to the Directions.
1. Labour after a deep knowledge of God to keep it warm upon thy heart;
knowledge of his presence, that is everywhere. ‘Do not I fill heaven
and earth, saith the Lord?’ (Jer 23:24). (1.) Knowledge of his piercing
eye, that it runneth to and fro through the earth, beholding in every
place the evil and the good; that his eyes behold, and his eyelids try
the children of men (Prov 15:3). (2.) The knowledge of his power, that
he is able to turn and dissolve heaven and earth into dust and ashes;
and that they are in his hand but as a scroll or vesture (Heb 1:11,12).
(3.) The knowledge of his justice, that the rebukes of it are as
devouring fire (Heb 12:19). (4.) The knowledge of his faithfulness, in
fulfilling promises to them to whom they are made, and of his
threatenings on the impenitent (Matt 5:18, 24:35; Mark 13:31).
2. Labour to get and keep a deep sense of sin in its evil nature, and
in its soul-destroying effects upon thy heart; be persuaded, that it is
the only enemy of God, and that none hate, or are hated of God, but
through that. (1.) Remember it turned angels into devils, thrust them
down from heaven to hell. (2.) That it is the chain in which they are
held and bound over to judgment (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6). (3.) That it was
for that that Adam was turned out of paradise; that for which the old
world was drowned; that for which Sodom and Gomorrah was burned with
fire from heaven; and that which cost Christ his blood to redeem thee
from the curse it has brought upon thee; and that, if anything, will
keep thee out of heaven for ever and ever. (4.) Consider the pains of
hell. Christ makes use of that as an argument to keep the heart tender;
yea, to that end repeats and repeats, and repeats, both the nature and
durableness of the burning flame thereof, and of the gnawing of the
neverdying worm that dwells there (Mark 9:43-48).
3. Consider of death, both as to the certainty of thy dying, and
uncertainty of the time when. We must die, we must needs die; our days
are determined—the number of our months are with God, though not with
us; nor can we pass them, would we, had we them, give a thousand worlds
to do it (2 Sam 14:14; Job 7:1, 14:1-5). Consider thou must die but
once—I mean but once as to this world; for if thou, when thou goest
hence, dost not die well, thou canst not come back again and die
better. ‘It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the
judgment’ (Heb 9;27).
4. Consider also of the certainty and terribleness of the day of
judgment, when Christ shall sit upon his great white throne, when the
dead shall, by the sound of the trump of God, be raised up; when the
elements, with heaven and earth, shall be on a burning flame; when
Christ shall separate men one from another, as a shepherd divideth his
sheep from the goats; when the books shall be opened, the witnesses
produced, and every man be judged according to his works; when heaven’s
gate shall stand open to them that shall be saved, and the jaws of hell
stand gaping for them that shall be damned (Acts 5:30-31, 10:42; Matt
25:31,32,34,4; Rev 2:11; 1 Cor 15:51; Rev 20:12,15; 2 Peter 3:7,10,12;
Rom 2:2,15,16; Rev 22:12).
5. Consider, Christ Jesus did use no means to harden his heart against
doing and suffering those sorrows which were necessary for the
redemption of thy soul. No; though he could have hardened his heart
against thee in the way of justice and righteousness, because thou
hadst sinned against him, he rather awakened himself, and put on all
pity, bowels, and compassion; yea, tender mercies, and did it. In his
love and in his pity he saved us. His tender mercies from on high hath
visited us. He loved us, and gave himself for us. Learn, then, of
Christ, to be tender of thyself, and to endeavour to keep thy heart
tender to God-ward, and to the salvation of thy soul. But to draw to a
conclusion.
VII. THE USE.
Let us now, then, make some use of this doctrine. As,
FIRST USE. From the truth of the matter, namely, that the man who is
truly come to God has had his heart broken—his heart broken in order to
his coming to him. And this shows us what to judge of the league that
is between sin and the soul, to wit, that it is so firm, so strong, so
inviolable, as that nothing can break, disannul, or make it void,
unless the heart be broken for it. It was so with David, yea, his new
league with it could not be broken until his heart was broken.
It is amazing to consider what hold sin has on some men’s souls,
spirits, will, and affections. It is to them better than heaven, better
than God—than the soul, ay, than salvation; as is evident, because,
though all these are offered them upon this condition, if they will but
leave their sins, yet they will choose rather to abide in them, to
stand and fall by them. How sayest thou, sinner? Is not this a truth?
How many times hast thou had heaven and salvation offered to thee
freely, wouldst thou but break thy league with this great enemy of God?
Of God, do I say; if thou wouldst but break this league with this great
enemy of thy soul? but couldst never yet be brought unto it; no,
neither by threatening nor by promise couldst thou ever yet be brought
unto it.
It is said of Ahab he sold himself to work wickedness: and in another
place, yea, ‘for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves’ (1 Kings
21:25; Isa 50:1). But what is this iniquity? Why, a thing of nought;
nay, worse than nought a thousand times; but because nought is as we
say nought, therefore it goes under that term, where God saith again to
the people, ‘Ye have sold yourselves for nought’ (Isa 52:3). But, I
say, what an amazing thing is this, that a rational creature should
make no better a bargain; that one that is so wise in all terrene
things, should be such a fool in the thing that is most weighty? And
yet such a fool he is, and he tells every one that goes by the way that
he is such an one, because he will not break his league with sin until
his heart is broken for it. Men love darkness rather than light. Ay,
they make it manifest they love it, since so great a proffer will not
prevail with them to leave it.
SECOND USE. Is this a truth, that the man that truly comes to God in
order thereto has had his heart broken? then this shows us a reason why
some men’s hearts are broken; even a reason why God breaks some men’s
hearts for sin; namely, because he would not have them die in it, but
rather come to God that they might be saved? Behold, therefore, in this
how God resolved as to the saving of some men’s souls! He will have
them, he will save them, he will break their hearts, but he will save
them; he will kill them, that they may live; he will wound them, that
he may heal them. And it seems by our discourse that now there is no
way left but this; fair means, as we say, will not do; good words, a
glorious gospel, entreatings, beseeching with blood and tears, will not
do. Men are resolved to put God to the utmost of it; if he will have
them he must fetch them, follow them, catch them, lame them; yea, break
their bones, or else he shall not save them.
Some men think an invitation, an outward call, a rational discourse,
will do; but they are much deceived, there must a power, an exceeding
great and mighty power, attend the Word, or it worketh not effectually
to the salvation of the soul. I know these things are enough to leave
men without excuse, but yet they are not enough to bring men home to
God. Sin has hold of them, they have sold themselves to it; the power
of the devil has hold of them, they are his captives at his will; yea,
and more than all this, their will is one with sin, and with the devil,
to be held captive thereby: and if God gives not contrition,
repentance, or a broken heart, for sin, there will not be no not so
much as a mind in man to forsake this so horrible a confederacy and
plot against his soul (2 Tim 2:24,25).
Hence men are said to be drawn from these breasts, that come, or that
are brought to him (Isa 26:9; John 6:44). Wherefore John might well
say, ‘Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us!’
Here is cost bestowed, pains bestowed, labour bestowed, repentance
bestowed; yea, and an heart made sore, wounded, broken, and filled with
pain and sorrow, in order to the salvation of the soul.
THIRD USE. This then may teach us what estimation to set upon a broken
heart. A broken heart is such as God esteems, yea, as God counts better
than all external service: a broken heart is that which is in order to
salvation, in order to thy coming to Christ for life. The world know
not what to make of it, nor what to say to one that has a broken heart,
and therefore do despise it, and count that man that carries it in his
bosom a moping fool, a miserable wretch, an undone soul: ‘But a broken
and a contrite spirit, O God, thou wilt not despise’; a broken heart
takes thine eye, thy heart: thou choosest it for thy companion, yea,
has given thy Son a charge to look well to such a man, and has promised
him thy salvation, as has afore been proved.
Sinner, hast thou obtained a broken heart? has God bestowed a contrite
spirit upon thee? He has given thee what himself is pleased with; he
has given thee a cabinet to hold his grace in; he has given thee a
heart that can heartily desire his salvation, an heart after his own
heart, that is, such as suits his mind. True, it is painful now,
sorrowful now, penitent now, grieved now; now it is broken, now it
bleeds, now, now it sobs, now it sighs, now it mourns and crieth unto
God. Well, very well; all this is because he hath a mind to make thee
laugh; he has made thee sorry on earth that thou mightest rejoice in
heaven. ‘Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be
comforted.—Blessed are ye that weep now, for ye shall laugh’ (Matt 5:4;
Luke 6:21).
But, soul, be sure thou hast this broken heart. All hearts are not
broken hearts, nor is every heart that seems to have a wound, a heart
that is truly broken. A man may be cut to, yet not into the heart; a
man may have another, yet not a broken heart (Acts 7:54; 1 Sam 10:9).
We know there is a difference betwixt a wound in the flesh and a wound
in the spirit; yea, a man’s sin may be wounded, and yet his heart not
broken: so was Pharaoh’s, so was Saul’s, so was Ahab’s; but they had
none of them the mercy of a broken heart. Therefore, I say, take heed;
every scratch with a pin, every prick with a thorn, nay, every blow
that God giveth with his Word upon the heart of sinners, doth not
therefore break them. God gave Ahab such a blow that he made him stoop,
fast, humble himself, gird himself with and lie in sackcloth, which was
a great matter for a king, and go softly, and yet he never had a broken
heart (1 Kings 21:27,29). What shall I say? Pharaoh and Saul confessed
their sins, Judas repented himself of his doings, Esau sought the
blessing, and that carefully with tears, and yet none of these had a
heart rightly broken, or a spirit truly contrite; Pharaoh, Saul, and
Judas, were Pharaoh, Saul, and Judas still; Esau was Esau still; there
was no gracious change, no thorough turn to God, no unfeigned parting
with their sins, no hearty flight for refuge, to lay hold on the hope
of glory, though they indeed had thus been touched (Exo 10:16; 1 Sam
26:21; Matt 27:3; Heb 12:14-17).
The consideration of these things call aloud to us to take heed, that
we take not that for a broken and a contrite spirit that will not go
for one at the day of death and judgment. Wherefore, seeking soul, let
me advise thee, that thou mayest not be deceived as to this thing of so
great weight.
First. To go back towards the beginning of this book, and compare
thyself with those six or seven signs of a broken and contrite heart,
which there I have, according to the Word of God, given to thee for
that end; and deal with thy soul impartially about them.