"My God, my God, all that thou askest of mee, is my Heart, My Sonne, give mee thy heart; Am I thy sonne, as long as I have but my heart? Wilt thou give mee an Inheritance, a Filiation, any thing for my heart? O thou, who saydst to Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him upon the earth, shall my feare, shall my zeale, shall my jealousie, have leave to say to thee, Hast thou considered my Heart, that there is not so perverse a Heart upon earth; and wouldst thou have that, and shall I be thy Sonne, thy eternal Sonne's Coheire, for giving that? The Heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? Hee that askes that question, makes the answere, I the Lord search the Heart. When didst thou search mine? Dost thou thinke to finde it, as thou madest it in Adam? Thou hast searched since, and found all these gradations in the ill of our Hearts, That every imagination of the thoughts of our hearts, is only evill continually. Doest thou remember this, and wouldest thou have my Heart? O God of all light, I know thou knowest all; and it is Thou, that declarest unto man, what is his Heart. Without thee, O soveraigne goodnesse, I could not know, how ill my heart were. Thou hast declared unto mee, in thy Word, that for all this deluge of evill, that hath surrounded all Hearts, yet thou soughtest and foundest a man after thine owne heart; That thou couldest and wouldest give thy people Pastours according to thine owne heart; And I can gather out of thy Word so good testimony of the hearts of men, as to find single hearts, docile and apprehensive hearts; Hearts that can, Hearts that have learnt, wise hearts, in one place, and in another, in a great degree, wise, perfit hearts; straight hearts, no perversnesse without, and cleane hearts, no foulnesse within; such hearts I can find in thy Word; and if my heart were such a heart, I would give thee my Heart. But I find stonie hearts too, and I have made mine such: I have found Hearts, that are snares; and I have conversed with such; hearts that burne like Ovens; and the fuell of Lust, and Envie, and Ambition, hath inflamed mine. . . The first kind of heart, alas, my God, I have not; the last are not Hearts to be given to thee; What shall I do? Without that present I cannot bee thy Sonne, and I have it not. To those of the first kinde thou givest joyfulnes of heart, and I have not that; To those of the other kinde, thou givest faintnesse of heart: And blessed bee thou, O God, for that forbearance, I have not that yet. There is then a middle kinde of Hearts, not so perfit as to bee given, but that the very giving mends them; Not so desperate, as not to bee accepted, but that the very accepting dignifies them. This is a melting heart, and a troubled heart; and a wounded heart, and a broken heart, and a contrite heart; and by the powerfull working of thy piercing Spirit, such a Heart I have; Thy Samuel spake unto all the house of thy Israel, and sayd, If you returne to the Lord with all your hearts, prepare your hearts unto the Lord. If my heart bee prepared, it is a returning heart; And if thou see it upon the way, thou wilt carrie it home . . and the Peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keepe my Heart and Minde through Christ Jesus."