2. Unbelief There is an hardness of the heart against the light and offers of the gospel, when Christ is tendered, but not received, and the cause of that is ignorance, affected ignorance ; and there is an hardening of the heart against the truth once received, out of love of
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their temporal peace, liberty, and safety of life and estate ; this cometli from unbelief, and want of a sufficient sense and sight of the world ta come ; which hardness is caused by the veiglement and importunities of the flesh, craving its satisfections in the present world, and denying or disbelieving the blessedness to come. If men did believe heaven and hell, they would be more pliable to God's motions, and more deaf to the importunities of the flesh ; but that this is a cause of hardening appeareth by Christ's chiding his disciples for their unbelief and hard- ness of heart : Mark xvi. 14, ' Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hard- ness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen/
3. Sinning against light, either by way of omission or commission. This provoketh God to give us over to more hardness of heart. By way of commision is easily granted, but it is also by way of omission : James iv. 17, ' To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.' Tliey will flnd it to be sin in the sad effects of it. (See Sermon on Mark iii. 5.)
4. Custom in sinning. (See Sermon on Mark iii. 6.)
5. Small sins may occasion this judgment, and harden the heart as well as great sins. It is not easy to say which doth most ; indeed great sins get into the throne presently, but small sins insensibly and by degrees : Ps. xix. 13, ' Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins ; let them not have dominion over me,' A small sin may get the upperhand of a sinner, and bring him under in time ; and after that, it is habituated by constant custom, so that he cannot easily shake off the yoke, and redeem himself from the tyranny thereof, as if a man be addicted to any vanity and foolish delight. These do not exercise dominion over the enslaved soul till they have gotten strength by many and multiplied acts. But presumptuous sins by one single act weaken the Spirit, and give a mighty advantage to the flesh, even almost to a complete conquest. So that for the present little sins do not harden the heart so much as greater. (See Sermon on Mark iii. 5.)
Now all these causes concur to the hardening of the heart, and making it as a stone, but yet out of these stones God can raise up children to Abraham.
Secondly, Of God's final hardening, when God leaveth men to perish^ and will no more treat with them. Now here I shall show — (1.) That there is such a dispensation ; (2.) The causes of it.
1. That there is such a dispensation.
[1.] It is an usual dispensation for God to leave men to perish in their sins, and that irreversibly, even before death, and will be entreated no more for them. It appears by many places of scripture : Kev. xxii. 11, 'He that is unjust, let him be unjust still ; and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still.' Those which remain obstinate after many warnings and calls, it is usual with God to give them over to their lusts, that they may be ripe for hell : Ezek. iii. 27, ' He that heareth, let him liear ; and he that forbeareth, let him forbear ; for they are a rebellious house.' As if God should say, Let them now do what they will, I am at a point. Now sometimes their condition is irreversible, which is clear, because when God hath given them over, how shall they repent,
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and break off their sin ? God's oath is passed : Ps. csv. 11, ' Unto whom I sware in my wrath, that they should not enter into my re.st.' God standeth sworn to condemn and destroy them. If they should have any anguish of conscience and remorse stirred up in them, God will have no regard to it ■ Prov. i. 26, 27, ' I also will laugh at your calamity, I will mock when your fear cometh ; when your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind, when distress and anguish cometh upon you ; ' Hosea v. 6, ' They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the Lord, but they shall not find him, he hath withdrawn himself from them.' "When men have neglected God's seasons, and begin to be surprised with death, then they would fain have comfort and pardon ; but instead thereof the Lord puts them off. No ; you would have none of me : Ps. Ixxxi. 11, 12, ' But my people would not hearken to my voice, and Israel would none of me : so I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust, and they walked in their own counsels.' Instead of compassion they are mocked, and turned over to their evil courses and carnal company : John viii. 21, ' I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins.' That this may be before death appeareth because grace is confined to a season : Isa. Iv. 6, ' Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while lie is near.' And that season is not always as long as life : Luke xix. 42, * If thou hadst knowTi, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong to thy peace ! but now they are hid from thine eyes.' The day of grace is bright but short. We may mourn over many thus ; when the measure of their iniquities is filled up, God giveth over call- ing and expecting and waiting for their repentance. It is true the time is not to be known by any man of himself, nor by others concern- ing him ; we cannot state the number of calls, because circumstances are diverse, and light breaketh in with warnings in a different degree. There is a great deal of variety in the Lord's dispensations, therefore all must use the means, and warn we must to the last. We can only say in the general, that after God hath done with them, and expects no good from them, he may let them live for the glory of his justice ; as after God had hardened Pharaoh's heart, yet he continued his life, that he might show his power in. him: Exod. ix. 16, 'And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to show in thee my power, and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.' You may survive your final hardness, as a monument of God's justice in the world.