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or Nature, but merely upon the WilfulSER M. and Obftinate Negligence of the Perfons themselves. They are like the Deaf Adder, faith the Pfalmift, which stoppeth ber Ears, which refuseth to bear the Voice of the Charmer, charm he never so wisely : They wilfully and obftinately refufe to confider the Reasonableness, and the Proofs, of true religion. 'Tis not a a natural Deafness, but a Deafness which proceeds from flopping the Ears, and Refusing to hear the Voice of the Charmer. The Prophet Jeremy, ch. vi. 10, fets forth this Cafe to us in a very bold and lively fimilitude; Behold, faith he, their Ear is uncircumcifed, and they cannot hearken; behold, the word of the Lord is unto them a Reproach, they have no Delight in it. To which beautiful and expressive Figure of Speech St Stephen plainly alludes, in that fharp and cutting Reproof beforementioned, Acts vii. 51, Ye Stiff-necked, and Uncircumcifed in Heart and Ears, ye do always refift the Holy Ghost. St John, by Another Comparison of the Like Nature, tells us that whofoever hateth his Brother, (that is, whofoever thinks Un

SER M. charitableness to be confiftent with True XVI. Religion,) is in Darkness, and-Dark

nefs has Blinded his Eyes, 1 Joh. ii. 11. Which being the cafe, 'tis no wonder that the Scripture here pronounces a Woe with a particular Emphafis: Wo be to them that call Evil Good, and Good Evil; that put Darkness for Light, and Light for Darkness, Ifai. v. 20. And though in Scripture-phrafe, 'tis to the Delufions of Satan that this Moral Incapacity of men is frequently afcribed; as when Satan is said to take away the Word out of mens Hearts; and Satan has filled their Hearts; and the like: Yet this is never spoken by way of Excuse, but always on the contrary, of High Aggravation. They, out of whofe Heart Satan taketh away the word, are by our Saviour compared to, and blamed for being like unto, the very worst and most unfruitful Ground. And Ananias, whofe Heart Satan had filled, was afked by St Peter in way of fevere Reproof; Why bath Satan filled, (that is, why haft thou been fo wicked, fo covetous so corrupt, as to fuffer Satan to fill) thine Heart, Acts v. 3. Nay, in all those pla

ces,

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ces, where God himself is represented as SER M. depriving men of their Understanding ; 'tis ftill always, (which is a Demonftration of the True Meaning of fuch Phrafes,) 'tis always (I fay) in the way of most severe Reproof and Blame, to the Persons of whom it is fpoken. Of This, we have a fingular and very remarkable Inftance, in Deut. xxix. 4: Where Mofes, bitterly expoftulating with the Ifraelites for their incorrigible rebelliousness, Thine eyes (fays he) have feen the Signs, and thofe Great Miracies; Yet the Lord hath not given you an Heart to perceive, and Eyes to jec, and Ears to hear unto this day. Nothing ever was more evident, than that Mofes here did not mean to affirm literally, that any thing was wanting on God's part; (For he is here urging That very Argument, that God had done all that was fit for him to do;) but on the contrary his plain Intent was, in a most affectionate manner, to expoftulate with the people for their Negligence, Obftinacy and Perverseness, in not being led by the Sight of God's Great and numerous Miracles, to Repentance. Your own Eyes have

SERM. Seen thofe Great Miracles: Yet fo unreaXVI. fonably obftinate and perverse are ye, that

the Lord hath not given you; i. e. all the Means he has ufed, have not caused in you a Heart to perceive, even unto This day. And This brings me to the

IVth and Last General Propofition : That, fince the Scripture always thus expressly lays the Blame upon mens felves; hence confequently All thofe Paffages, wherein God is at any time reprefented as blinding mens Eyes, or closing their Ears, or hardning their Hearts, or taking away their Understanding from them; muft of Neceffity be understood to be figurative expreffions only; not denoting literally what God actually effects by his Power, but what by his Providence he justly and wifely permits. And because the Paffages of This kind are very numerous, I fhall, for Method's fake, diftinguish them under the following Heads.

Ift, SOME of thefe forts of expreffions denote only the general Analogy or Fitness of the thing to be done.

I

2dly,

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2dly, Others of them, are only figu-SER M. rative Acknowledgments of the univerfal Superintendency of Providence over All Events; without whofe Permiffion, nothing happens in the World.

3dly, OTHERSs of them, are only Afplications of Prophecies, or Declarations of certain Prophecies being fulfilled.

4thly and Laftly, SOME others of them, are Denunciations or Threatnings of God's justly and in a judicial manner leaving incorrigible men to themselves, after many repeated Provocations.

Ift, SOME of thofe Expreffions, wherein God may seem to be represented as blinding men, and hardening them to deftruction, do indeed in ftrictnefs denote nothing more, than the general Analogy cr Fitness of the thing to be done. Thus Prov. xvi. 4, The Lord has made all things for Himfelf; (the true Rendring is, The Lord has made all things, one anfwerable to another ;) yca, even the wicked to the day of Evil: That is, (as the Scrip- Job xxi. ture elsewhere expreffes it,) The wicked is 30. referved to the day of Deftruction, they shall be brought forth to the day of Wrath: VOL. IV.

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