446 An Expofition upon Chap. God commands Ejay to goe and make; and not as it is a tranfgref ion, for fo it their hearts fat,and EJay 29. to. the Lord I proceeds from Satan and the wicked. is Paid to cover them with the fpirit of I Thus Auguffine teaeheth : Pharaoh, (faith (lumber, and to Phut their eyes, and Efay he) hardened himfelte,libcro arbitrio, and God hardened him,juflo f usjudicio : again. God hardeneth not as an evil} author, but as a righteous judge, who though he doth not in(till any fin into the creature, nor make his heart hard or blind,which before did fee and was foft : yet doth he not tame and foften them; and he is Paid to harden whom he doth not mollifie. Yet he doth not only forfake the (inner, which had before forfaken him, depri- ving him of his grace, but alto delive- reth himup to Satan and his own ma lice, to be ruled thereby : as a malefa&or is put over by a Judge into the hands of an executioner; befides, he both mini - flreth occafion of (fumbling unto them, by prefenting many objeas unto them, and difpofeth their finfull thoughts and deeds unto the praife of his own juftice, to their deferved confuhon: for as he worketh in the hearts of the godly, to encline their thoughts to good workes, according to his mercies ; fo he workes in the wils of the wicked,to encline and order them unto evil} a&s, according to their own merits, either by ferret or manifef}, but ever by juit judgement. T c rut.What tale is to be made hereof ? S i L. It confutes fuch, who to ex- ude God, do therefore fay,that he doth permit and fuffer the evil} of fin to be done, contrary to the plaine phrafe of Scripture, which afcribes an a&ive pow- er to God, as a foveraigne Judge. Se. condly, it muff move all to feare God, who can finite the heart fpiritually and dreadfully, Buis non contremi[cat ad he horrenda Dei judicia ? faith Angufline. Who would not (hake and tremble at thefe horrible judgements of God? at the due conhderation ofthem, it might even caufe our fle(h to quake, and rot - tenneffe to enter into our bones, as it is Paid of Habakud( Ide muff have an heart of flint who is not moved with them. Sin is of Godas a' recom- pence, not, asan of- fence : as a reuibuti- on, boa noi asa tran. greon, 19. 14. the Lord mingled among(} them the fpirit oferror; and often in Exodus it is affirmed of God, that he hardned Pharaohs heart : and of Sibon King of Hesbon, that the Lord God hardned his fpirit, and made his heart ob(}inate, Deut. 2. 3 t, alfo Rom. 1.24. that God delivered up to vile affe &ions, &c. and 2.7hef. 2. r r. that God fens ftrong de- lutions that they fhould beleeve lies, and John r 2,. 4o.God hash blinded their eyes and hardned their hearts, There and many other Text s thew, that God bath a hand and a worke in the hardning of finners, elfe we fhould deny the word of God, and take from God more then half the government of the world, if we fhould deny him to have an operation in the finfull workes of the wicked, whole foules and bodies are fubje& to God who made them,and are to be difpofed by him. T t M. Wit/ not this bring in God to be the author and eau fe o f fin, feeing hardwef fe o f heart and blindneffe of mimic is a fin; and if it be of God, then God doth Work fin? S r L.o,not fo,ehis will not follow; he is the author of the judgement, but tot of the fin. There be two things to be confdered in hardneffe of heart. The & t is, anomia, the repugnancy or aberration from the will of God : this God neither willeth, approveth, nor worketh; but abhorreth and punifheth it,as coming from Satan, and from the corruption of mens hearts,St being con- trary to his image and word. The other is antimifihia, Rom. t. 27. the recompence or judgement which is executed when a inner that was blinde and obftinate be fore, is further indurate and blinded, as a reward due to his contempt of God. Of this punifhment and due recompence, God is the author and cattle; for it is a jufl thing with God, to punifh fin with fin, leffer with greater, former with latter finnes. All punifhment being an a& of juftice is good. Therefore fin as it is a punifhment cometh from God, DIA
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=