“And I will give you an heart of flesh,” Ezekiel 36:26
- A Heart of Flesh is a tender thing; every small prick will make it bleed: so every sin, may, the smallest sin will offend, and make a tenderhearted Christian cry out, much more a great sin.
- A Heart of Flesh is a soft Heart; the philosophers description of a soft thing is, that it easily gives way to a touch: so a true Christian, a tenderhearted Christian will yield to Gods word, to his reproofs, to his commands. Lay your finger upon a stone, and that yields not; but lay your finger upon flesh, and that will yield: so will a Saint. Josiahs Heart melted, when the law of God was read to him; his Heart gave way and yielded to Gods word, and trembled at the judgments denounced; he had a Heart of Flesh, a tender and soft Heart, 2Kings 22:10.
- A Heart of Flesh cannot bear a great weight; a heavy burden will crush and mar it exceedingly. Lay ever so great a weight upon a stone, and that will bear it; you cannot crush that, nor make the least impression in it, what weight soever you lay upon it: but a heart of flesh, or that which is of a soft substance, is of another nature; a weight will bruise, crush and mar it immediately. So a tenderhearted Christian cannot bear the weight of sin; he feels the burden heavy, that he is sorely crushed down and oppressed under the guild thereof, and grievously bruised. Thus it was with David. I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long. Psalm 38:6
- A Heart of Flesh, I mean a living Heart, for it is such an one of which the text speaks, is a sensible Heart: so a tender-Hearted Christian, or a man or woman that hath a Heart of Flesh, is very sensible. Such are sensible of their vileness, and loathe themselves before the Lord, cannot bear the thoughts of Gods displeasure; it goes to their very Heart, to think that the holy and infinite God should be displeased and offended with them: they are sensible of their own sorrows, and of the sorrows and miseries of others. A tenderhearted person will grieve for the afflictions of his brethren and sisters; if his mother, or any dear relation is distressed, and in great misery, Oh how sensible is he of it, and how sorely troubled and disquieted in his spirit! And thus it is with a tenderhearted Saint; O how he is grieved for the distressed Saints, and for distressed Sion!
- A Heart of Flesh, i.e., a tender Heart, will take any impression you please, so a tenderhearted Christian will take any impression from God: he is like wax melted, that will take the impression of the seal. They are ready to take the stamp of the Word, the image of God, which is righteousness and true holiness. The Spirit and Word of God can mold those Hearts into any form or fashion God pleaseth.
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