2276 Chap. 3 3. An Expefirion upon the Book of J o B. Verf.14 iah thefon of Amos, which hefaw (Ifa. i. i. ), yet when they preached them to the people, many of them faw nothing ; their vifions were to the people as parables or darke fayings. Man in generali falls under a twofold confederation; firff,as unconverted or carnali ; and in that finehe perceiveth notat all, when God ;peaks once and twice, yea thrice, he perceiveth nothing. And that proceeds from adouble ground. Firfl, from the naturali pravity of his heart, and the blindneffe of his mind. Offuch the Apoillefaith (Eph. 4.125.) Theyhave their underftanding darkened, being alienated fromthe life o fGod through the ignorance that is in them, becaufe of the blindneffe of their heart. And hence he concludes (1 ('or. z. 14.) The na- turallman receiveth not the things of the Spirit ofGod, forthey are foolifhneffeto him,neither can heknow them, becaufe they arefpiritu- ally difcerned ; fpirituall objets mull have a fpirituall eye to fee them. Secondly, this comes to paffe fometimes from the judgment of God upon carnali men; whoas inmercy he caufeth the blind to fee, fo in wrath he firiketh thofe that have no mind to fee with greater blindneffe, and punifbeth their former rebellion and ob- flinacy againfl the word received with an impotency to perceive it. Yea God doth not only leave fucli in the blindneffe of their . mind and duilneffe of their underflanding, but gives them up to it. The Prophet Ifaiah was a Gofpel Preacher, he held out the light clearly, yet his hearers were under fucha doome, that the very light whichhe held outblinded them ; fo that the more he fpake the leffe they perceived (Ifa. 6.1o.) And hefaid,goand' tell this people,hear ye indeed, but undtrftand not; and feeye Indeed, but perceive not : make the heart ofthis peoplefat, andmake their cares heavy, andPhut their eyes ; left theyfee with'their eyes, and hear with their eares, and underhand with their hearts,andconvert, and be healed. This is a dreadfull Scripture ; The Lord is highly provoked indeed, when he judicially ftuts up the eyes of men,, and hardens their hearts againfl his ownmeffages, not that he in-. fufeth any hardnefsor inflilleth any ignorance into them;but gives them up to that ignorance hardneffe and darknefle which already poffeffeth them. And then thoughGod fpeakonce or twice, or a hundred times, they perceive it not : They that harden their hearts,, {hall have them hardened by that which is the ordinary meape0
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