watering for the Liuer is the spring of bloud that runneth into euery veine and therefore Salomon 〈…〉 12. 7 calleth the Liuer the golden well In the body there is a withering for Dauid complaineth in the Psalme 22. 15. verse My moysture is like the drought in Summer and my boanes are dryed vp like a pot-shard As in the earth and bodie of man so like wise in the soule there is a watering and a withering In the 4. of Saint Iohn and 14. verse there is mention of a well of liuing waters for the Soule The preaching of 〈…〉 3. 6. grace in Christ is called the watering of Apollo The Prophet Esay saith with ioy yee shall drawe 〈…〉 12. 3 waters out of the welles of Saluation Contrariwise where this grace doth not water there is withering Si spiritus irrigatio defuerit omnis 〈…〉 g. mag plantatio exarescit Euery planting that hath not the watering of Gods spirit it withereth and dries away therefore saith the Psalmist the 〈…〉 1. 3. godly they are like the tree planted by the riuers side there is watering but the vngodly are as a Garden that hath no water and as the Oaken leafe that Esay 〈…〉 fadeth there is withering The other Greeke verbe is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies to harden There bee Phisieae and aethicae vicissitudines there is a naturall and a spirituall Philosophie In the naturall course of things there is a congealing and an hardening as of the yce and frost which Iob very fitly calleth the bands of Orion because by the cold Eastern Iob. 3◠31 and Northern windes the water becomes as a stoane and the clods are bound together Contrary to this Hardening there is a melting Hee Psal ◠18 sendeth out his word and melteth them As when the Frost doth giue and the showers fall which Iob calles in the same place The sweete influence of Pleiades Both in nature and in the soule also there is a Resoluing and a Hardening Deut. 32. verse 2. The word is called Dewe and there is a thaw or spirituall melting when the heauenly dewe doth cause the soule to giue and to resolue into teares of Repentance so in the 2. of Kings 22. 10. Iosias heart did melt when he heard the Lawe read When King Dauid had committed murther and adulterie very grieuous sinnes hee neuer be-thought himselfe of the matter but he began to congeale and to bee Hardened in his sinne But assoone as the Prophet Nathan had awaked him and his heart like Gedeons fleece had druncke vp the heauenly dewe then presently Dauid began to relent his soule melted with sorrow and as appeareth in the 51. Psalme hee resolued into teares of Repentance Hezechias when God had giuen vnto him a sodaine and triumphant victorie ouer the host of Zenacherib presently after in the pride of his heart hee forgat God and began to congeale in sinne but as soone as the word of the Lord came vnto him by the Prophet Esay then presently his heart melted the bloud of his soule flowed forth in his repentant teares as appeareth in the 38. of Esay hee turned his face vnto the wall and wept bitterly 〈…〉 38. 3. Nowe as there is a Meiting so also there is an Hardening in the soule and that is when the custome of sinne hath beaten such an hard tracke and so trampled the soule that the word of God the seede of life cannot enter This is expressed in the 13. of Saint Matthew by the parable of the seede which fell by the high way side where there was such an hard way such a beaten path made by the common entrance of sinne that the seede could take no roote but the diuell comes like an Harpie and deuoureth it before it can enter For example hereof we wil take Cain and King Pharao whom my Text concerneth Cain hauing slaine his brother Abell and committed horrible murther the word of the Lord came vnto him saying Where is thy brother Abell Did Cains heart relent did hee confesse and say I haue sinned or did hee resolue into teares with Dauid No such matter but first he answered with a foule word I cannot tell where hee is then hee despised the Lord to his face as if hee should say you may go looke him am I my brothers keeper marke but this answere of Caine and his cariage therein and you neede no other example of an heart that is Hardened neither affection in kinred could touch him nor shame of the world check him nor the bloud of his slaine brother mooue him nor the glorious presence of the Lord astonish him nor the guilt of his owne thoughts raise him nor at last the quickening word of God which is powerfull to raise the very dead Hara Iob. 15. none of these could any whit reuiue him Triplex circa praecordia ferrum as Iob saith of Leuiathan his heart was harder then the nether milstone Pharaoh when the word of God came vnto Pha 〈…〉 him by Moses and Aaron hee was so farre from yeelding that hee seemed presently as though hee would haue fought with God Who is the Lord I know no Lord neither will I let Israel go And whereas the word and miracles ioyned with that word were sufficient to conuince any liuing Pharaohs heart was so stonie that though by a strange Miracle all the water in the land were become bloud and did sauour most vnholsomely yet it is sayd Pharao went home 〈…〉 23 and all this could not enter into his heart it could not pierce him When the Prophet cryed to the Altar of Ieroboam O Altar Altar heare the word of the Lord the Altar heard and claue asunder But the word of God which in Ieremie 〈…〉 13. 23. 29. is called an Hammer because it bruseth the stonie hearts of men this Hammer with ten miracles gaue ten mighty stroakes at Pharaohs heart and yet it could neuer bruse it Thus wee may plainely see there is a watering by Grace and a melting by Gods word as appeareth by Dauid and Hezechiah who resolued into teares againe through want of Grace there is a withering and by custome of sinne there is an Hardening as in Caine and Pharaoh whose hearts the word of God could not pierce but the more they were beaten on the more hard and flintie they became God hardeneth not IT Remayneth on the second poynt to discusse whether this Hardening bee of GOD In opening whereof it is very strange to heare how vntruely how vncharitablie we are charged by our aduersaries not onely Campion and Bellarmine but especially in certaine Articles or Foreible reasons lately published wherein it is directly set downe that the protestants doe make God the author and onely cause of sinne that they deride Gods permission and plainely affirme God is worse Article ◠then the Denill and so are bound in conscience neuer to aske God forgiuenesse for their sinnes Oh fearefull blasphemie and wordes vnseemely
Christian eares Where is modestie where is trueth and Chtistian piety Is this our doctrine doe we thus teach no verily both in worde and writing we acknowledge the Lord our God to bee full of compassion and loue the bowels of his mercie sweet and amiable hee would not the death of any hee is gracious and kinde gentle and readie to forgiue and to the death wee affirme more then most holy pure and iust are all his workes and wayes therefore the Lord be iudge betweene them and vs and lay not this sinne vnto their charge Touching this doctrine how sinne first came to bee how it came in where it first tooke beginning and that God is not the author of it I haue shewed heretofore in handling the Golden Châ—ine the meanes of our saluation namely that the Diuell was Primitiuus peccator the 〈…〉 6. first offender for hee sinned from the beginning So that from him sinne first boyleth vp as out of the maine Sea From Sathan when it comes to Adam it ariseth as out of a Spring from this Spring it is reserued in nature as in a Conduit from nature conueied to concupisence as by a pipe and from thence doth flow all the mischiefe and wickednesse that is in the life of man Well then if sinne doe proceede from the suggestion of Sathan working through our owne concupiscence and so God wholy freed from all imputation of euill why is it so often said in the Scripture Deut. 2. 30. And the Lord hardened the heart of Sihon King of Heshbon and made him obstinate Ioshua the 11. 20. It came of the Lord to harden their hearts and here often in the booke of Exodus and the Lord hardened the heart of Pharao To make this plaine it is a point well knowne vnto the learned that this speech where it is said God hardened The Hebrew Dialect doth Flaccuâ— Illiricâ— P. Lonâ— li. 1. diâ— Tho Aâ— quin. â— 23. arti 〈…〉 signifie a permission and not an action Verbes that signifie to doe they often expresse a suffering and not a doing Destruit cum deserit God is then said to Harden when hee doth forsake Impios cùm non retrahit a malo culpae dicitur dimittere As the enduing with grace is the effect of Gods Election so the with-holding of his grace is the effect of Reprobation Dei includere est clausis non aperire saith Saint Gregorie vpon the 12. of Iob. and foureteenth verse Euery action hath his qualitie from the roote of the affection and from the intention of the Author Deus autem quoad peccatum non habet positiuè velle sed tantùm priuatiuè Touching sinne God hath no Positiue will but onely in regard of former sinnes a Priuation of his grace To bee short God doth Harden as Saint Augustine Agust â— saith Non malum obtrudendo sed gratiam non concedendo not by causing vs to commit sinne but by not graunting vnto vs his grace I but how comes it to passe that wee as well as others are not partakers of Gods grace why haue not wee also his good Spirit to direct and guide vs Saint Augustine makes it plaine againe Non ideo 〈…〉 non habet homo gratiam quia Deus non dat sed quia homo non accipit men become Hardened and want the spirit of grace why not because God doth not offer it vnto them but because they receiue it not when it is offered For example One of vs being sicke and like to die the Phisician knowing our case hee takes with him some preseruation to comfort vs and comes to the doore and knocks if wee will not or bee not able to let him in wee perish and die and the cause is not in the Phisician but in our selues that let him not in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sinne is 〈…〉 de 10. a disease whereof we are all sicke for we haue all sinned Romanes 6. 12. verse Christ he is the Phisician of our soules Venit de coelo magnus medicus 〈…〉 in 〈…〉 9. 12. quia per totum vbique iacebit aegrotus Christ the great Phisicion came downe from heauen because all mankind was generally infected Hee comes to the doore of our hearts and there hee knocks Reuel 3.20 Behold I stand at the doore 〈…〉 6. 35. and knocke Hee bringeth with him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the bread of life his eternall word to comfort vs if we let him in if we open the doore of our hearts he will come in and suppe with vs as hee did with Mary and forgiue vs all our sinnes 〈…〉 10. but if wee will not or through long contagion of our sinne bee not able to let Christ in we die in our sinnes and the case is euident not because Christ doth not offer grace and comfort vnto vs but because wee receiue it not when it is offered Meritò perit aegrotus qui non medicum vocat sed vltrò venientem respuit worthily doth 〈…〉 that sicke patient perish who will neither send for the Phisicion himselfe nor accept of his help when it is offered More plainely thus in the foureteenth of Saint Mathew Our Sauiour walking on the Sea hee bad Saint Peter come vnto him who walking on the water seeing storme and tempestarise his heart fayled and hee began to sincke vpon his cry vnto our Sauiour hee presently stretched forth his hand tooke him into the shippe and saued him This world wee know by dayly experience it is a sea of trouble and miserie our Sauiour as hee sayd to Saint Peter so most louingly hee willeth euery one of vs to come vnto him as wee walke stormes and tempests doe arise through frailtie of our flesh and the weaknesse of our Faith wee begin to sincke our Sauiour hee stretcheth forth his hand hee giueth vs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his Word his Sacraments the good motions of his spirit to saue vs from sincking and to keepe vs in the shippe of his Church if wee refuse these meanes we perish we sincke in our sinnes why not because Christ doth not most kindly put forth his hand vnto vs but because in want and distresse wee lay not hold vpon him This is condemnation that light is come into the world men refuse it loue darknesse more then light Our blessed Sauiour with great louing kindnesse 〈…〉 3. 19. hee doth inuite all men to his Great Supper if wee make excuses or wilfully refuse to come he may iustly pronounce none of those that were bidden shall euer tast of my supper 〈…〉 14. 24 Therefore let not men deceiue themselues and complaine as though God did harden their hearts and deny them grace and mercy for as Ionas saith in his second Chapter and 8. verse 〈…〉 2. 8. They forsake their owne mercie Deus prior in amore God neuer hateth vntill he be first hated and so â—brose â—no euÌ„â—tit n◠〈…〉 i di 〈…〉 it Aug â—essi I conclude with
Saint Ambrose Nemo tibi Christum potest auferre nisi te illi auferas no man can separate Christ from thee except first thou doest seperate thy selfe from him This is plainely to bee obserued in Pharaoh had hee being long before peaceably setled in a rich and mighty Kingdome made right vse of the blessings of God had hee at the first or oftentimes after yeelded vnto the word of the Lord he had neuer come to the state of Hardening nor left himselfe such a fearefull spectacle of Gods wrath for euer But Pharaoh feeling wealth and reuenew comming so fast and aboundantly that he builded new Citties Pithom Exo. 1. 〈◊〉 and Raamses to lay vp his treasures his heart was so bent and set vpon Couetousnesse such multitudes of people moyling and labouring in sundry workes for his profit that in no Exod. 〈…〉 Cha. 7 〈…〉 case hee could endure to heare of their departure First he said flatly they should not go Secondly hee sought to shift off the matter affirming the miracle not to be done by Gods hand but by inchantment Thirdly hee yeldeed 8. 25. they should offer sacrifice but onely in his owne land Fourthly hee was content they should go sacrifice out off his land but still hee would condition with God None but the 10. 11. 10. 24. men should go Fiftly the men should go the Women go the Children go but their sheepe and Oxen wherein their wealth stood should not go Thus Pharaoh through a wretched and griple minde neuer left winding and turning dallying and presuming of the Lords mercie and patience till adding one sinne vnto another his heart became Hardened Nay notwithstanding so many miracles and that before hee confessed the Lord to bee God He and his people sinfull and earnestly desired Moses to pray for him yet contrarie to his owne thoughts and against 〈…〉 eure howe 〈…〉 esull a 〈…〉 g it is 〈…〉 ully 〈…〉 nne a 〈…〉 st our 〈…〉 e conce his owne knowledge when hee saw the people of Israel were gone hee flies to strength of war hee cals his Captaines hee musters his people hee gathers his Chariots hee pursues with all might and maine till at last both hee and his ouerwhelmed in the sea receaued the fearefull and finall iudgement of wilfull disobedience Now then let all the earth know the goodnesse of the Lord and wisely obserue his loue vnto mankinde for euer It is true Pharaohs heart was Hardened and hee with his Nobles vtterly ouerthrowne But before this ouerthrow all meanes possible that could bee were vsed to winne Pharao Blessing vpon blessing before receiued punishment vppon punishment after inflicted Moses still and againe prayed for him Aaron euer and anon perswaded him the plagues to astonish him were sodaine and exceeding wonderfull the deliuerance to winne him was present and more miraculous the Enchanters confessed the People cryed out his Seruants were offended Aegypt was almost quite destroyed the land of Goshen was still vntouched God againe and againe and still againe was entreated and yet Pharao remained obstinate Shall we then say that God Hardened Pharaohs heart Bee it farre from vs for it is directly set downe in the ninth Chapter 34. verse And when Pharao saw the haile and thunder were gone hee sinned againe Hardened his heart And againe the 8. Chap. 15. verse When Pharao saw that he had rest he hardened his owne heart Oh I would to God it were onely Pharaohs case and that wee also being Christians did not abuse the long forbearance and much louing kindnesse of our God For now feare of the storme is ouer but euen one yeare or two now that our louing God through his vnspeakable mercie hath so sweetely set all in order that all Nations round about vs stand amazed now that he hath setled amongst vs a most happie and religious Behold our vnthankful 〈…〉 nes to G 〈…〉 enjoying so religious and peaceable a Prince peace now that hee hath giuen honour plentie and rest throughout all the Land stil stil wee dally and trifle with the Lord according to our priuate humors and seuerall sectes we will not professe the Gospell except we first condition as Pharao did both with our God King with humble hearts we do not submit our selues peaceably to serue the Lord For this blessed Catastrophe our soules flame not with thankeful loue neither as they ought breake forth into euerlasting praises Nay whereas the word of God came ten times to Pharao willing him to let the people of Israell go serue the Lord the same word comes an hundred times ten to our hearts crying and beating vpon vs to haue vs let go our contentions our carnal and peruerse affections and yet we neuer relent at the same A mans heart will tell him more then seuen watchmen 〈…〉 37. in a trwer We know we know euery one in his owne bosome the sinnes which we secretly foster and will not let go But as Saint Paul exhorteth the Iewes Hebrewes 3. 12. so I aduise you in the name of God Take heede take heede least in any of you there be found a false and an euill heart to depart from the liuing God For assuredly it is a fearefull and bitter thing to carry euer a selfe-wilde and peruerse mind to respect meerely the applause of men and fading pleasures of this life so inwardly falling away from God and loosing the blessed comfort of our saluation O Sauiour sweete and secret hope turne vs that we may be turned bow our hearts and the hearts of our seede vnto thee that we may feare thy iudgements acknowledge thy goodnes and stand fast in thy loue for euer How men become Hardened THe third point is to shew how men become Hardened in opening whereof we are to vnderstand that there are three sorts of Hardenings Naturalis Voluntaria Iudicialis The first is by Nature the second by habite and Custome the third by the Iust iudgement of God The first is the forgetfulnes or dulnesse in a natural man when he ouershootes him selfe for want of wise obseruation and remembrance In the sixth of Marke our Sauiour Christ fed Mar. 6. fiue thousand men with fiue loaues and two fishes a miracle sufficient to proue vnto his Disciples that hee was the Sonne of God Yet presently after when he came walking on the Sea and caused the winde to cease they stood amazed and did not acknowledge his Diuinity for Gods children may be blind in mind hardened in heart for a tim◠saith the scripture in the 52. verse They considered not the miracle of the loaues because their hearts were hardened that is through naturall imperfection they had forgot it Secondly there is an Hardening by habit when through a carelesse securitie men doe continue in sinne take such a custome as they can hardly leaue So Simon Magus his heart by custome was so long bent and set vpon couetousnesse that being conuersant amongst the Apostles and daily