2 ThES. II. 11, 12.] THE NmTlI SERMON. 87
Hardness of heart, in that famous instance, Exod. iv. 21, ' I will harden- Pharaoh's heart.' God doth not make them that see, blind, nor thera that are soft, hard ; but leavetli them to their own prejudice, obstinacy^, and unpersuadableness, and that when highly provoked. The former is under our consideration.
[4.] To understand God's concurrence as a judge, we must not say too much of it or too little. We must not say too much of it, lest we- leave a stain and blemish upon the divine glory. God infuseth no sin, no blindness nor hardness, into the hearts of men ; all influences from- heaven are good : he conveyeth no deceit into the minds of men im- mediately, nor doth he command or persuade men to oppose the truth. Nor doth he impel or excite their inward propensions so to do. All this belongeth not to God, but either to man or Satan. Nor must we say too little; as, for instance, God is not said to blind or harden by bare prescience or foresight, that they will be blinded or hardened ; because God foreseeth other things, and yet they are not ascribed unto God ; as that men will kill, or steal, or do wrong, and yet God is not said to kill or steal, as he is said to blind and harden ; and therefore there is a difference between God's concurrence to this effect and other sins. Nor only by way of manifestation, as if this were all the sense,, that in the course of his providence God doth in the issue declare how blind and hard they are. That some other thing is meant by it is seen* in the prayers by which we deprecate this heavy judgment. As when the saints pray, Isa. Ixiii. 17, * Lord, harden not our hearts from thy fear;' or David, Ps. cxix. 19, 'Lord, hide not thy commandments from me.' They mean not thus, Lord, show not to the world how hard and blind I am, but cure my blindness and hardness of heart ; keep back this judgment from me. Again, we must not say that all that God doth is a bare, naked, and idle permission, as if it happened be- sides his will and intention, and God had no more to do in it than a man that standeth on the shore and seeth a ship ready to. be drowned : he might have helped it, but permitted it. No ; besides all this, there is not a bare permission only^ but a permissive intention and a judicial sentence, which is seconded by an active providence. Many things concur to the blinding of the mind and hardening of the heart, all which God willeth, but justly. The wicked take occasions of their own accord to blind and harden themselves. Satan tempteth of his own malice, but all this could not be done with effect and success without the will of God. There is a supreme power overruling, and ordering all that is done in the world.
[5.] God's concurrence may be stated by these things : — (1.) His withdrawing or taking away the light and direction of his Holy Spirit : Deut. xxix. 4, ' The Lord hath not given you an heart to perceive, nor eyes to see, nor ears to hear, unto this day.' Now, when God lets them loose to their own hearts' counsels, then they fall into damnable errors. A greyhound held in by a slip or collar run- neth violently after the hare when it is in sight ; as soon as the slip and collar are taken away, the restraint is gone, and his inbred disposi- tion carrieth him. So men that are greedy of worldly things are powerfully drawn into errors countenanced by the world, when God taketh off the restraint of his grace, and giveth them up to their own
88 THE NINTH SERMON. [2 ThES. IL 11, 12.
lusts. Now herein God is not to be blamed, for he is debtor to none, and tlie grace of his Spirit is forfeited by their not receiving the love of the truth. He is so far from being bound to give grace, that he seemeth to be bound in justice to withdraw what is given already by men's wickedness and ingratitude. Voluntary blindness bringeth penal blindness ; and because men will not see, they shall not see. And when they wink hard, and shut their eyes against the light of the gospel, it is just with God in this manner to smite them with blind- ness: and since they had no love to tlie truth, they arc given up to errors and deceits. And because they despise the holy scriptures, and dote on vain fables, and would not take up a course of sound godliness and holiness, he suffereth them to weary themselves with sundry superstitions.
(2.) Not only by desertion, but by tradition, delivering them up to the power of Satan : 2 Cor. iv. 4, ' The God of this world hath blinded their eyes.' Satan, as the executioner of God's curse, worketh upon the corrupt nature of man, and deceivetli them. It is said, 1 Chron. xxi. 1, ' Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel ;' but it is said, 2 Sam. xxiv. 1, ' And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah.' How shall we reconcile these two places ? God gave him over to be tempted by Satan — by God as a judge, by Satan as an executioner. Tem^jtations to sin come immediately from the devil, but they are governed by God for holy and righteous ends. So again, 1 Kings xxii. 22, the evil spirit had leave and commission to be a lying spirit in Ahab's prophets : ' Go forth and do so, and thou shalt prevail with him.' There is a permissive intention, not an ati'ec- tive. When they grieve his Spirit, God withdmweth and leaveth them to the evil spirit, who works by their flesldy and worldly lusts, and then they are easily seduced who prefer worldly things before heavenly.