he that formed them will shew them no favor. "* (Isaiah xxvii. 11.) If it had been either a natural want of understanding, or a helpless and invincible ignorance, doubtless such a sentence would not have been awarded to them. But in this case, there is a culpable neglect of coming to, or admitting the light which shines around them; or perhaps there is an obstruction worse than mere neglect,a fondness for their prejudices, and a "love of the wages of unrighteousness" for which our Saviour accounts, in saying as he did of the jews, that "they loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil :" and, founding his censure upon that unobjectionable ground of their wilful perverseness, "if

ye

had (indeed) been blind, ye had not had sin; but now ye say, we see, therefore your sin remaineth."

But if it be objected that the scripture speaks of an additional blindness to the perception of truth, and an augmented infatuation towards

Jer. iv. 22; v. 21.

evil super-added to sinners, as in the case of Israel; "for the Lord hath poured upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes."* "Make the heart of this people fat, and 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." And as in the case before us, "He shall send them strong delu sion, that they might believe a lie." To this It must be answered, that these expressions are doubtless not to be understood literally and strictly, as there are many equally plain declarations of the scripture, which common sense forbids to be so taken. God is not the first agent in causing the unbelief and impenitence of sinners, but is the party offended by it, and the judge of its demerit; and he may punish it certainly by what means he deems most fit; and none seems more equitable than, in such cases, to give the untractable sinner up, to become the victim of his own folly and corrup fion, through the want of that illumination and

* Ita, xxik. 10.

Isa, ti, 10; Ps. lxix. 22, 23.

imagine any,

grace which he rejected and despised. To either natural or supernatural, impediment thrown in the way of sinners, that it may become impossible for them to believe or repent, lest the prophecies should thereby fail of accomplishment, is not to think of God as the common Father of all, whose tender mercies are void of all partiality; and for the abundant greatness and goodness of them, are compared to the immeasurable distance of the heaven from the earth ;* but it is to think of him as "an hard master, gathering where he hath not strawed, and reaping where he hath not sown."-" Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?”

All that is to be understood from such expressions, is the dangerous tendency of an unrestrained indulgence to evil propensities, to corrupt the judgment and harden the heart; to add strength to men's favorite prejudices, and suggest fresh and stronger arguments why they cannot be parted with. Thus from

Psalm ciii. 10-13.

+ Mat. xxv. 24.

being at first doubtful, they become confirmed in the error of their way; and what was once only a reluctance to give up opinions long cherished from sinister motives, grows up at length into a strong conviction of their truth. And such inconclusive and weak arguments are then sufficient for the purpose of blinding their own eyes, as would have appeared contemptible, while their minds were free from this infatuation of wickedness. And this selfdeception of these spiritual liars, which at last arises to so great a proficiency as to "make lies their refuge;* speaking lies in hypocrisy,† baving their conscience seared with an hot iron;" is made more easy of apprehension by the familiar instance of common liars, who by a frequent repetition of falsehoods, with the most solemn asseverations, come at last to doubt of their own first and better judgment, and become themselves the dupes of their own imposture, and believe their own lie.

It is said of the mystical Babylon, that time was when even she might have listened to the

"I

whispers of converting grace, and have been reformed. "We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed." (Jer. li. 9.) And the same is asserted of her in the Rev. (ii. 21.) gave her space to repent,-and she repented not." A judicial blindness cannot therefore be understood in any other sense, than of the total withdrawing of that divine grace from incorrigible sinners, without which human weakness is not able either to think, or do any thing that is good, agreeably to our Lord's own declaration:-" from him that hath not, shall be taken away even that which he hath," or once had. He will be at length wholly forsaken of those directing influences of God's spirit, which are perpetually needful to keep us from becoming the victims to that root of evil which our fallen nature is allied to.† "Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone," says God, by the prophet; "why should ye be stricken

ye

any more? will revolt more and more: the whole head

is sick, and the whole heart faint."§-So in

*Matt. xiii. 12.

Rom. vii. 18.

+ Hosea iv. 17.

Isai. i. 5.