2. The inward strivings of the Spirit may cease, even whilst the sinner with whom he he hath been striving, is yet in this World: For 1. There are some sinners, that God doth by a Judicial act smite their Souls with penal blindness, Isa. 44.18. He hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand: So Chap. 66.4. I will choose their delusions, saith the Lord: Some there are, that instead of a Spirit of Illumination, the Lord doth pour upon them a Spirit of Slumber, & of Delusion; yea, the same persons that once were gloriously enlightened with the Truth, because they have resisted those striving of the Spirit, are smitten (as the Sodomites were) with judicial ⟨p. 130⟩blindness of mind: God hath sent upon them the efficacy of Error, that they might believe a lye and be damned, 2 Thess. 2.11.12. once they had right apprehensions concerning the way to life and happiness: but now the Spirit of Light and Truth hath so left them, as that they verily believe, that the way to Hell, is the way to Heaven; & that damnable Heresies, are rare Truth. Hence is that, Rev. 2.24. The depths of Satan as they speak. They pretended that they had deep Mysteries, that was their speech, and the thought of many that did embrace those Doctrines; but they were in truth no other but dark Satanical Delusions. 2. There are some sinners, whom the Lord doth Judicially give up to hardness of heart: As we read concerning Pharaoh, that God hardened his heart, Exod. 10.27. That Plague of plagues, even an hard-heart: Some are given up unto it, yea so, as that the means of softening and awakening shall tend to harden them more; as that which melts the Wax, hardens the Clay. Wax you know, if it be brought to the Sun, or to the fire, it melts presently, but Clay is hardened thereby: So the Elect of God, the Sun of the Gospel doth melt their hearts, the fire of Affliction doth so ••n; but these things harden the hearts of ⟨p. 131⟩Reprobates, as they did the Reprobate-heart of Pharaoh. After this manner doth the Lord deal with a sinner, when he giveth over striving with him, Providences, Ordinances, Mercies, Afflictions, Sermons, Sabbaths, Lectures, all shall make him more obdurate in sin. Hence the Scripture speaketh of some that have their Consciences seared with an hot iron, 1 Tim. 4.2.
2. The inward strivings of the Spirit may cease, even whilst the sinner with whom he he hath been striving, is yet in this World: For 1. There are some sinners, that God doth by a Judicial act smite their Souls with penal blindness, Isa. 44.18. He hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand: So Chap. 66.4. I will chuse their delusions, saith the Lord: Some there are, that instead of a Spirit of Illumination, the Lord doth pour upon them a Spirit of Slumber, & of Delusion; yea, the same persons that once were gloriously enligtned with the Truth, because they have resisted those striving of the Spirit, are smitten (as the Sodomites were) with judicial ⟨p. 130⟩blindness of mind: God hath sent upon them the efficacy of Error, that they might believe a lye and be damned, 2 Thess. 2.11.12. once they had right apprehensions concerning the way to life and happiness: but now the Spirit of Light and Truth hath so left them, as that they verily believe, that the way to Hell, is the way to Heaven; & that damnable Heresies, are rare Truth. Hence is that, Rev. 2.24. The depths of Satan as they speak. They pretended that they had deep Mysteries, that was their speech, and the thought of many that did embrace those Doctrines; but they were in truth no other but dark Satamical Delusions. 2. There are some sinners, whom the Lord doth Judicially give up to hardness of heart: As we read concerning Pharaoh, that God hardned his heart, Exod. 10.27. That Plague of plagues, even an hard-heart: Some are given up unto it, yea so, as that the means of softening and awakening shall tend to harden them more; as that which melts the Wax, hardens the Clay. Wax you know, if it be brought to the Sun, or to the fire, it melts presently, but Clay is hardned thereby: So the Elect of God, the Sun of the Gospel doth melt their hearts, the fire of Affliction doth so ••n; but these things harden the hearts of ⟨p. 131⟩Reprobates, as they did the Reprobate-heart of Pharaoh. After this manner doth the Lord deal with a sinner, when he giveth over striving with him, Providences, Ordinances, Mercies, Afflictions, Sermons, Sabbaths, Lectures, all shall make him more obdurate in sin. Hence the Scripture speaketh of some that have their Consciences seared with an hot iron,
