and trouble of spirit stirring in him when there is no feare to commit sin nor care to prevent the evill that sin will bring then is the heart heardned This hardness of heart is either naturall or adventitiall and acquired the first of these we all bring with us into the world being either altogether insensible of our spirituall misery by reason of sin and suffering or not so sensible as we should be Hence the heart of man is said to be a heart of stone Acquired hardness is that whereby the natural is increased and augmented this may in some degree be not onely be in the worst but in the best of men which is brought to passe either by custom in sinning or by secret judgement or by both of this there are divers degrees as 1. When a man takes liberty voluntarily and frequently to do such things as he knows to be sinfull 2. When he doth these against the frequent perswasions admonitions and cals of the word to the contrary 3. Against such corrections punishments and judgements which God shall inflict upon himself or he shall see inflicted upon others for the same or for the like sins 4. When he shall do this against the stirrings and strivings the checks or rebukes of his own Conscience 5. When notwithstanding all these he shall take up strong resolutions and confirmed purposes to do as he hath done namely to maintain his own wil against Gods will Thus may wicked men harden their own hearts and thus i'ts often said of Pharaoh that he hardned his heart and would not let the peoplegoe when he once saw that the judgement was past 6. When he shall come to be past all sence and feeling of his sin thus the Apostle speaks of some that being past feeling gave themselves to commit all uncleannesse with greediness Eph. 4.10 2. There may be an acquired hardnesse by the secret judgement of God Thus it s said here that the Lord hardned Pharaohs heart and of Sihon that the Lord hardned his spirit and made it obstinate that he might give him into the bands of the Israelites Deut. 2.30 How this is done more shall be spoken in the due place CHAP. II. Shewing that God is not nor cannot be the author or proper cause of this or any other sinne BY another and proper cause I understand causa perse such a cause as is in it self and in i'ts own nature tends to produce such or such an effect as the Sun is the proper cause of light and heat the water of moisture and the like That God cannot thus be the cause of sin may appear upon these following grounds Argu. 1. God is the Author of all good and therefore he cannot be Author of evill for out of the same fountaine cannot proceed sweet water and bitter Jam. 3.11 As the Sun cannot be the proper cause of light and darkness no more can the Lord be of good and evill 2. Sin is a defect now God is all act yea he is actus purissimus perfectissimus the most pure and perfect act therefore he cannot be the Author that which is a defect for however sinne cleaves to mens actions as the accident to be subject yet it self is a meere defect in a privation of what should be 3. Sin is contrary to those excellent qualities and properties which immediately flow from the nature of God is light sin is darkness 1 Joh 1.5.6 God is purity and holiness Sin is pollution and filthiness Jam. 1.21 God is righteous yea righteousness it self all sin is unrighteousness 1 Joh 5.17 God is perfection in the highest degree all sin is imperfection now one contrary cannot be the proper cause of another 4. God is said to be such a God as loveth not wickednesse neither can evill dwell with him yea he hates all the workers of iniquity Psal 5.4.5 he hates them because of their sinne now he cannot hate that which himself is the Author and proper cause of 5. He threatens in his word that he will punish all sinne and iniquity that he wil not hold the wicked innocent Exod. 34.7 but he wil visit the iniquities of the Fathers upon the Children even unto the third and fourth Generation that the wicked shall not goe unpunished Prov. 11.21 they shall not escape 1 Thes 5.3 Now it cannot stand with his justice to punish that which himself is the Author and proper cause of 6. Sin makes a reparation between God and the soul Esay 59.2 It is an aversion of the soul from God Now God cannot be the Author of that which is an aversion from him for then he should deny himself but he cannot lye or denye himselfe 1 Tim. 2.13 7. If God could be the Author of sin he himself might be said to be a sinner if he were the Author of unrighteousness he himself might be said to be unrighteous to which the Apostle gives an absit as a thing blasphemous to speak or think Is God unrighteous which punisheth saith he God forbid How then shall he judge the world Rom. 3.5,6 8. The Apostle saith that he who committeth sin is of the Devil 1 John 3.8 and that Christ came into the world to dissolve the workes of the Devil Now Christ came not into the world to dissolve the works of God therefore sin is none of his work 9. If God should be the Author of sin then the difference betwixt good and evil would be taken away both arising from the same cause in the same manner 10. If God should be the Author of sin then he should seem to dissemble and deale deceitfully with men because he so often cals off from this as a thing which he loathes and abhors and mean while is the parent and producer of it By all these grounds it appeares that God cannot be the Author and proper cause of sin though he hath some kind of hand in it CHAP. III. Shewing how God hath a hand in the sinful actions of men THe just and holy God may be said to have a hand in the unjust actions of sinful men divers wayes as 1. By way of permission when he suffers them to follow the sinful inclinations and dispositions of their own wicked natures and so produce actions accordingly without restraining or hindring them Thus it is said he suffered the Gentiles to walke in their own waies Act. 14.16 A man may be said to have a hand in that which he willingly and wittily suâ—…ers to be done when he hath power to hinder it This is granted on all hands for if God should not suffer sin to be it could not be committed God is able to restrain and hinder the committing of sin if he pleaseth if any thing should be done whether he would or not then were he not omnipotent 2. By suffering Satan to tempt and provoke mon to sinne and by his temptations to prevaile thus it is said that he did deliver all that Job had into the hans of Satan and then
according to the divers qualitie and tempers of their affections yea Bellarmine himselfe confesseth Bellar. de amiss grariae sta pcti l. 2. c. 14. Deum immutare cor principum immittendo aliquam bonam cogitationem aut saltem indifferentem ex qua tamen impediuntur a proposito suo ita decipiuntur That God doth change the mind of Princes by putting some thought that is good or at least indifferent whereby they are hindred from their purpose and so are deceived Thus God may administer occasions of sinning either inwardly or outwardly Inwardly by stirring up and suggesting such thoughts to their minds as are in themselves lawfull and good or at least not evill and yet they take occasion by them to be led to evill It was no ill thought for Josephs brethren to thinke that their Father loved him better then he did them yet this was the occasion of their envy and hatred against him Gen. 37.4 It was no ill thought for Pharaoh to think that if the Israelites should continue to multiply and increase as they began they might in time grow too strong for him and so depart out of his country whether he would or no yet hence he takes occasion to oppresse them with heavie burthens and to give command for murthering their male children Exod. 2.10.13,14 Shimei whose heart was full of rancor and bitternesse against David because the Kingdom was translated from his tribe to the Tribe of Judah when he saw that David was in distresse being driven from Jerusalem by the conspiracy of his son Absolon and thinking it may be that this came upon David as a just judgement of God for his unjust dealing with Vriah the Hittite hence takes occasion to vent his splene by cursing of David the the hope of impunity likewise helping him forward Jeroboam thought if the people should goe up yearly to worship at Jerusalem this might be a means to make them returne again to the house of David this was no evill thought yet hence he takes occasion to set up the Calves at Dan and Bethel whereby he made Israel to sin 1 Kin. 12.26,28 If the Jews thought that to morrow they should dye that is that destruction would shortly come the Prophet having denounced it this was no ill thought yet hence they take occasion instead of fasting to fall to feasting Let us eat and drink for to morrow we shal dye say they Isai 22.13 The Jewes thought if they should let Christ alone all men would follow after him this thought was not evill but hence they take occasion of taking counsell to kill him Joh. 11.48 Vind. lib. 2. p. 83. Deus non modo occasiones ministrat sed ad consilia ex occasionibus nata formanda concurrit saith Dr. Twisse i. e. God may administer occasions outwardly and that both by his workes and by his word By his workes divers wayes as 1. By his works of mercy Because sentence against an evill worke is not executed speedily saith Solomon therefore the hearts of the sons of men is fully set in them to doe evill Eccles 8.11 These things hast thou don saith God and I was silent and thou thoughtest that I was such an one as thy selfe Psal 50.21 When God holds his peace at wicked men when he doth not speake to them in his wrath and vexe them in his sore displeasure then they are ready to thinke that he likes of them well enough and of their wayes and and courses so that we see Gods patience and long suffering is an accidentall cause of mans security of his presumption and boldnesse in evill wayes Magna peccandi illecebra impunitatis spes saith the Orators hope of impunity is a great allurement to iniquity And as his patience is an occasion of presumption so is bounty of forgetfulnesse yea of rebellion against God When thou hast eaten and filled thy selfe beware thou forget not the Lord thy God Deu. 8.10,11 saith Moses to the people Give me not riches least I be ful and deny thee Pro. 30.9 When Jeshurun waxed fat then be kicked then he waxed wanton and rebellious Deut. 13.15 and it followes Psal 18. Thou hast forgotten God that formed thee 2. By workes of justice Thus men men oftimes take occasion by the judgements and punishments which God inflicts upon them for sin to breake out further into sin The Lord led his people through the wildernesse and caused them sometimes to meet with want of water other whiles want of bread sometimes to be assailed by enemies to humble and to prove them that he might do them good in their latter end Deut. 8.2 But the bad ones amongst them hence tooke occasion to murmur and rebell against him When the Lord powres the vials of his wrath upon the followers of the Beast and the adherents of Ante-Christ hence they take occasion to blaspheme God of Heaven for their paines and sores and repented not of their workes Rev. 16.10 when the King of Moab was brought to great streights by the Armies of Judab and Israel to whom the Lord had promised successe in their expedition against him 2 Kings 2.17 he takes his eldest son and sacrifices him upon the wall ver 27. 3. By his works of providence It was the worke of a favourable providence which caused the Israelites so exceedingly to multiply in Egypt yet hence Pharaob takes occasion to oppresse them and to murther their male-children It was a worke of providence that brought David in his slight from Saul to Abimelech the Priest for relief at such a time when Doeg the Edomite was with him 1 Sam. 22.7 now hence he takes occasion by his false slaunders to stirre up Saul to kill all the Lords Priests at Nob and to make him the instrument 1 Sam. 23.18 It was a worke of providence that brought David to the sight of a woman washing her selfe in her garden when he was walking upon the roof of his house in an evening this was an occasion to him of entertaining thoughts of uncleannesse and of putting them forth into action 2 Sam. 11.2,4 there was no fault at all in offering the occasion but all the evil arose from David for Joseph had as strong an occasion offered to allure him to the like sin yet was not at all hurt by it Gen. 39.9 It was a work of providence that brought the wise men that came from the East to Jerusalem to enquire after the King of the Jewes who was then borne it was the speciall command of God to direct their going home another way and not to returne againe to Jerusalem yet Herod hence takes occasion to murther all the male children in Bethlem and the bordering coasts that were two yeares old and under Mat. 2.16 2. As God by his works administers occasion to men to breake forth into sinne so he doth the like by his word Thus he sent his word and command to Pharaoh charging him to let the people of Israel goe but hence Pharaoh