to be the Lord's doing, as has been proved before. Hence, not only is Pharaoh said "to harden his heart" himself, of which by the way he was conscious, and on account of it acknowledges himself guilty,-but the Lord is said to harden his heart. 3. This "hardening the heart," this "appointing to stumble at the word," is a judgment executed upon man as "disobedient" or unpersuadable, and means only that God wills that man should take occasion to do so. Thus, although, in fact, the preaching of the "cross," likewise of "the righteousness of faith," and God's favour to the Gentiles, did prove a stumbling block to the Jews, yet, assuredly, this arose from their own "evil heart of unbelief;" nor could the stumbling be any farther of God's appointment than as it was his will to suffer it to be so, in righteous judgment upon them as "disobedient and gainsaying." 4. The "hardened" not only are conscious that their present state is of their own choice, and their own doing, but, as in the case of Pharaoh before mentioned, are aware of their own guiltiness in it; nor would they have it otherwise. 5. Though the Lord acts herein according to his sovereign will, "hardening whom he will," yet he acts according to infinite wisdom. Nor does he act contrary to righteousness, for though he hardens in sovereignty, yet he punishes only according to justice. SECTION III. This Doctrine thus explained, proved to be a Scripture Doctrine. Although the passages of Scripture before cited, and the remarks made upon them, might seem to confirm, as well as to illustrate, the doctrine in question, it may be requisite to adduce the testimonies in its favour, in a more orderly and decisive way. We therefore proceed to state the instances of such reprobation or hardening, as they occur in Scripture. On some of them, however, the observations already made will render it unnecessary to enlarge. 1. The hardening of individuals, considered as to their temporal or worldly condition. The first instance is that of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and the Egyptians. That they were thus hardened, and that to their destruction, no one who reads the history can doubt. The reasons why they were so, have been already stated. Sihon, king of Heshbon, the same. Says Moses to Israel, "The Lord thy God hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate, that he might deliver him into thy hand." from facts like these, as mentioned before, originated that Latin adage, "Quos Deus vult perdere, dementit." Those whom God wills to destroy, he infatuates. Probably, 2. Those just mentioned were heathens;-we pass on to notice the instances in his own professing people, the Israelites, in the affair of the golden calf. Of those who had forfeited their title to the inheritance of Canaan, and as such were to be blotted out of God's book, some were "given up to worship the host of heaven." And, during the sojourn of that people in the wilderness, many were 66 given up to their own lusts," because they "would not hearken to the Lord their God, and would have none of his counsel !" This hardening is often denounced by the prophet Isaiah : "Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed:"* that is, suffer the heart of this people to wax gross, &c. "But the word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken."+ "Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink. For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes; the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered. And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed. And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned." See again; "They have not known nor understood: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand." § Jeremiah is also charged with a similar message to the people. While God would "acknowledge" them that had been carried away captive with Jeremiah, and would set his eyes upon them for good, "impudent, and hard-hearted, and rebellious," as they were; he would "deliver Zedekiah, the king of Judah, and Ibid. xxviii. 13. * Isa. vi. 10. § Ibid. xliv. 18. his princes, and the residue of Jerusalem, that remained in the land," and "deliver them to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth-for their hurt." In the New Testament we have also the same doctrine. Says Christ, "Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes; even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight!" "To them it is not given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to you it is given." And he quotes the prophecy of Isaiah, before cited, applying it to the Jews of his time. "For judgment," says he, in another place, "I am come into this world, that they who see not might see, and that they which see might be made blind." The Jews had "their day," but "not knowing their day of visitation," "the things that belonged to their peace were hid from their eyes." They "could not believe, for God had blinded their eyes." Paul quotes Isaiah in some of the fore-cited passages, particularly those in Isa. vi. and xxix., and applies them to the Jews in his days; and in Rom. ix. and xi., speaks of them decisively, as hardened and blinded. And, says Peter, they "stumbled at the word, being disobedient; whereunto also they were appointed;" meaning that they were appointed to stumble at the word, as appears from the passage that Peter had in view (Isa. viii. 14), being disobedient or unpersuadable. While 3. We notice the same as to the Gentiles. the Lord chose Israel for his peculiar people, he "suffered all nations to walk in their own ways," not, however, leaving them without witness of his goodness "in giving them rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling their hearts with food and gladness." Yet, for the reasons before assigned, they were "given up to uncleanness,"" to vile affections,"" to a re-"to probate mind." And it may be useful to notice the steps or process of sin to provoke this judgment. 1. Though they knew God, they glorified him not as God, &c. 2. They became vain in their imaginations, &c. 3. They became self-conceited, and forsook God. 4. Then God gave them up to their own hearts' lusts. 5. Then to vile affections; and 6. Because they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, he gave them up to a reprobate mind, the consequence of which was all sorts of wickedness. And when the gospel was preached to them, the apostle Paul delivers it as an axiom, "Whom he will he hardeneth." Moreover, he speaks of some who would not only "perish because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved, but on whom for this cause God would send strong delusion to believe a lie that they all might be damned, who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unright N.B. Perhaps it might have been expected by some that the case of Jacob and Esau would have been introduced as an instance in point, but we consider the sovereign choice of Jacob rather than Esau, as rather a pattern of the Divine sovereignty that should hereafter be shown; designed particularly to intimate that the calling of God, whether to worldly or to spiritual privileges, should be according to his own election. And thus, his conduct to Jacob and Esau severally, and to their posterity, might be considered, as in the case of Sarah and Hagar," an allegory." Certain it is, that the Edomites, the descendants of Esau, might |