BY DIVINE PROTECTIOX. 159.
many things cross tlieir lusts, and exasperate them thereunto, — as EHjah, a man of a fiery zeal, for a lukewarm Ahab.
\thly. Withholding from them that effectual grace by which alone that sin might be avoided, — a not actually keeping them from that sin by the might of his Spirit and grace. That alone is effectual grace which is actual. " He suffers them to walk in their own ways.''
And this the Lord may do, —
(\st) In respect of them judicially, — they deserve to be forsaken: Ahab is left to fill up the measure of his iniquities, — " Add iniquity to iniquity," Ps. Ixix. 27.
{idly) In respect of himself, by tvay of sovereignty, — doing what he will with his own, — hardening whom he will, Kom. ix. 18.
othly. He positively sends upon their understandings that which the Sciipture sets out under the terms of blindness, darkness, folly, dehision, slumber, a spirit of giddiness, and the like : the places are too many to rehearse. What secret actings in and upon the minds of men, — what disturbing of their advices, — Avhat mingling of corrupt affections with false, carnal leasonings, — ^what givings up to the power of darkness, in Satan the prince thereof, — this judicial act doth con- tain, I cannot insist upon. Let it suffice, God will not help them to discern, yea, he will cause that they shall not discern, but hide from their eyes the things that concei-n their peace, and so give them up to contend with their only helpers.
()thly. Suitably upon the will and affections he hath several acts, — obfirming the one in corruption, and giving up the other to vileness, Rom. i. 24, 26, until the heart become thoroughly hardened, and the conscience seared ; not foi'cing the one, but leaving it to follow the judgment of practical reason, — which being a blind, yea, a bhnded guide, whither can it lead a blind follower, but into the ditch ? — not defiling the other with infused sensuality, but provoking them to act according to inbred, native corruption, and by suffering frequent vile actings to confimi them in ways of vileness.
Take an instance of the whole : God gives helpers and deliverers to a sinful people ; because of their provocations, some or all of them shall not taste of the deliverance by them to be procured. Where- fore, though he sustains their lives in beijig, whereby they might have opportunity to know his mind and their own peace ; yet he gives them a power to contend Vv^itli their helpers, causing their helpers to act such things as, under consideration of circumstances, shall exceedingly provoke these sinners. Being so exasperated and provoked, the Lord, who is free in all his dispensations, refuseth to make out to them that healing grace whereby they might be kept from a sinful opposition: yea, being justly provoked, and resolved that they should not taste of the plenty to come, he makes them
1 no RIGHTEOUS ZEAL ENCOURAGED
foolish and giddy in their reasonings and counsels, — blinds them in their understandings, that they shall not be able to discern plain and evident things, tending to their own good, but in all their ways shall err like a drunken man in his vomit; whence, that they may not be recovered, because he will destroy them, he gives in hardness and obstinacy upon their hearts and spirits, leaving them to suitable affections, to contend for their own ruin.
Now, what are the ways and methods of sinful man's working in such opposition, would be too long for me to declare ; what prejudices are erected, what lusts pursued, what corrupt interests acted and followed, — how self is honoured, what false pretences coined, how God is sUghted, — if I should go about to lay open, I must look into the hell of these times, than which nothing can be more loathsome and abominable. Let it suffice, that sinful self, sinful lusts, sinful pre- judices, sinful blindness, sinful carnal fears, sinful corrupt interests, sinful fleshly reasonings, sinful passions, and vile affections, do all concur in such a work, are all woven up together in such a web.
[4.] See the distance of their aims. God's aim is only the mani- festation of his own glory — than which nothing but himself is so in- finitely good, nothing so righteous that it should be [his aim] — and this by the way of goodness and severity, Rom. xi. 22; — goodness, in faith- fulness and mercy, preserving his who are opposed, whereby his glory is exceedingly advanced ; — severity towards the opposers, that, by a sinful, cursed opposition, they may fill up the measure of their ini- quities, and receive this at the hand of the Lord, that they lie down in soiTow, — wherein also he is glorious.
God forbid that I should speak this of all that for any time, or under any temptation, may be carried to an opposition, in any kind or degree, to the instruments of God's glory amongst them. Many for a season may do it, and yet belong to God, who shall be recovered in due time. It is only of men given up, forsaken, opposing all the appearances of God with his saints and people in all his ways, of whom I speak.