ineffeCfualHearing the Word. hearts allo, that they are neithdr thicken ith the fight ofhis glory, nor fenfe4and favour of his goodneffe, but mutt be vain, and have worldly hearts in the Church,nay adulterous eyes, or if they liften, God isgone from them, and from his Word allo, Hof. 5. 6. Reaf. 2. From the mighty and wonderful! ferange power of Satan, which blinds their eyes they cannot Real."' 2: fee nor hear, 2 Corinthians 4. 4. never fuch clear light, never fuch an effeauall Word, as that of the Apo- files , yet it was hid ; why ? The God of this world blinded them, either he will keep fuch a noife and lumber in their heads,that theycannot hear God fpeaking for the noife, or the turn himfelf into an Angel of light, and fpeak, and by their light will blind them, that the light in them fhallbe darkneffe. Rom. I. 22. Whenmen with natural' light began to be molt wife, then they became thegrearef c fools : fo 'tis with other knowledge of Scrip- ture, and things they hear. Happywere it for many a man ifhe had never heard nor feen; for that which he Rev I2.9ò path heard and feen keeps him from hearing. Tyre and Rem. .1 22. Sidonwould hear fooner than Capernaum that heard molt. Reaf. 3. From the righteous judgement of God, in Reaf 3, leaving men to be blinded and made deaf, 'from and by the means whereby they fhould hear and know ; that as it is with the Saints, all evill things are for their good , fo all good things are for their hurt, Ifa. 6: io. the meriting caufe is unbelief and fin,- but the deep and hiddennrife of all is Gods eternal derelit,Iion of them, God never intended love, fpeciall love to them; hence he never freaks one word to them; 2 Cor. 4.3. John 6.65. . anywere offended t his words andforfoo ,him., Now to take offthis offence, I laid, None can come to me, except it he given him ofthe Fatber,what is that?fee vv45. and 37. Vie a. Hence fee thereafon, why the Worcrisfo won- Vfe xò derfully ineffeaual to the fouls ofmany men, that it ne- ver firs them, thatit's a ftrangething to them ; it's, Heb. 12. 1,9. like the law, a voice ofwords, a found of words, fo theyhear men fpeak, but underfandno more than if they fpake in a frange language, or if they do, it con- cernsnot them ; or if it firs, 'tis but as the blowingof the windupon a rock, which blufers for a time but when the wind is down they are fill. Truly they hear the wordfpoken, but theydo not hear God fpeaking. They heardLatimer fpeak, but not God fpeaking, they hear a founds
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