The institutions of Christian religion, written by the reverend father, M. John Calvin, compendiously…The institutions of Christian religion, written by the reuerend father, M. Iohn Caluin, compendiously…

4 And he showeth both by many places of scripture, that he taketh away the lip from the speakers of trueth,¹ and ⟨p. 52⟩taketh away the reason from the elders, he taketh the heart away from them that are set over the people,² he maketh them to wander where no way is. Again, Lord, why hast thou made us mad, and hardened our hearts, that we should not fear thee?³ Because they judge rather of what sort GOD maketh men, by forsaking them, then how he formeth his works in them. The Lord did not only harden Pharaoh's heart, in not sustaining it,⁴ but he committed his heart to Satan to be confirmed with obstinacy, whereupon it is said, I will hold his heart. The people went out of Egypt. the inhabitants of the country came forth and met them like enemies, but they were stirred up as Moses reporteth, by the Lord that hardened their harts. Sometime the Lord threateneth that he will call the wicked out with his whistle,⁵ sometime that they should be like a net for him to entangle them, sometime like a mallet, to strike the Israelites, but specially he declareth that he is not idle in them when he called Zennacherib an are, directed and driven by his hand to cut. ⟨image 59⟩Augustine saith,⁶ that inasmuch as they sin it is their own: in as much as sinning they do this or that, it is of the power of God that divideth the darkness as pleaseth him:

4 And he sheweth both by many places of scripture, that he taketh away the lip from the speakers of trueth,¹