though the temper of their heart be the fame it was: Their inef fectual troubles are made ufe of by the devil to blind them in the true knowledge and apprehenfion of their condition. For thefe men and women can fpeak of the troubles they have had for fin, and the many tears they have fhed for it; whereby thorough con viction is effectually prevented.

Thirdly, Gifts and knowledge are improved by the policy of Satan against the true knowledge of Jefus Chrift, and our own ef tate by nature. As conviction is improved by Satan's policy against conviction, fo is knowledge against knowledge. This was the cafe of them in Rom. ii. 17, 18. "Thou art called a Jew, and reftest " in the law, and makeft thy boaft of God, and knoweft his will, " and approveft the things that are excellent; being inftructed out

of the law, and art confident that thou thyself art a guide to the "blind," &c. And this is the temptation and delufion of knowing perfons, who are fo far from being blind in their own account, that they account themfelves the guides of the blind: Yet who blinder than fuch men?

Fourthly, External reformation is improved by the policy of Satan against true fpiritual reformation, and paffes current up and down the world for converfion; though it ferve only to ftrengthen Satan's intereft in the foul, Matth. xii. 44. and for want of a real change of heart, doth but increase their fin and mifery, 2 Pet. ii. 20. This is the generation that is pure in their own eyes, and yet are not washed from their filthinefs. The cleanness of their hands blinds them in difcovering the foulness of their hearts.

Fifthly, The policy of Satan improves diligence in fome duties, against the convictions of neglect in other duties. The external duties of religion, as hearing, praying, fafting, against the great duties of repenting and believing. This was their cafe, Ifa. lviii. 2, 3. «Yet "they feek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation "that did righteoufnefs, and forfook not the ordinances of their "God. They ask of me the ordinances of juftice, they take de"light in approaching to God. Wherefore have we fafted, fay "they, and thou feeft not? Wherefore have we afflicted our "fouls, and thou takeft no knowledge?" Thus duty is improved against duty, the externals against the internals of religion, and multitudes are blinded this way.

Sixthly, The policy of Satan improves zeal againft zeal; and thereby blinds a great part of the world: he allows men to be zealous against a falfe religion, if thereby he may prevent them from being zealous in the true religion. He diverts their zeal againft their own fins, by fpending it againft other men's. Thus Paul was once blinded by his own zeal for the law, Acts xxii. 3. And many men, at this day, fatisfy themfelves in their own zeal

against the corruptions of God's worship, and the fuperftitions of! others, who never felt the power of true religion upon their own hearts; a dangerous blind of Satan.

Seventhly, The policy of Satan improves the efteem and respect men have for the people of God against their great duty and intereft to become fuch themselves, Rev. iii. 1. "Thou haft a name "that thou liveft, but thou art dead." It is enough to many men that they obtain acceptation among the faints, though they be none of that number; the good opinion of others begets and confirms their good opinion of themselves.

Eighthly, The policy of Satan improves foundness of judgment, against foundness of heart. An orthodox head against an orthodox heart and life; dogmatical faith, against justifying faith. This was the cafe of them before-mentioned, Rom. ii. 18, 19. Men fatisfy themselves, that they have a found understanding, though, at the fame time, they have a very rotten heart. It is enough for them that their heads are regular, though their hearts and lives be very irregular.

Ninthly, The policy of Satan improves the bleffings of God against the bleffings of God, blinding us by the bleffings of providence, fo as not to difcern the want of spiritual bleffings: perfuading men that the smiles of providence in their profperity, fuccefs, and thriving defigns in the world, are good evidences of the love of God to their fouls not at all difcerning how the profperity of fools deceives them, and that riches are often given to the hurt of the owners thereof.

Tenthly, The policy of Satan improves comfort against comfort, falfe and ungrounded comforts under the word, against the real grounds of comfort lying in the foul's intereft in Christ. Thus many men finding a great deal of comfort in the promifes, are fo blinded thereby, as never to look after union with Chrift, the only folid ground of all true comfort, Heb. vi. 5, 9.

And thus you fee how the god of this world blindeth the minds of them that believe not, and how the gofpel is hid to them that are loft.

SERMON XXXV.

2 COR. iv. 3, 4.

But if our gofpel be hid, it is hid to them that are loft; in whom the god of this world bath blinded the minds of them which believe not, left the light of the glorious gofpel of Chrift, who is the image of God, fhould fhine unto them.

HE words have been opened, and this point obferved :

TH

Doct. That the understandings of all unbelievers are blinded by Satan's policies, in order to their everlafting perdition.

We have fhewn already what the blinding the mind, or hiding of the gofpel from it is; it hath alfo been demonftrated that the gofpel is hid, and the minds of many blinded under it; you have alfo feen what policies Satan ufes to blind the minds of men, even in the cleareft light of the gofpel. It remains now that I open to you the dreadful nature of this judgment of God upon the fouls of men, and then make application of the whole:

There are many judgments of God inflicted upon the fouls and bodies of men in this world; but none of them are fo dreadful as thofe fpiritual judgments are which God inflicts immediately upon the foul; and among fpiritual judgments few or none are of a more dreadful nature and confequence than this of fpiritual blindnefs; which will appear by confidering,

Firft, The fubject of this judgment, which is the foul, and the principal power of the foul, which is the mind and understanding faculty; the foul is the most precious and invaluable part of man, and the mind is the fuperior and most noble power of the foul; it is to the foul what the eye is to the body, the directive faculty. The bodily eye is a curious, tender, and most precious part of the body. When we would exprefs the value of a thing, we fay, we prize it as our eyes. The lofs of the eyes is a fore lofs, we lofe a great part of the comfort of this world by it. Yet fuch an affliction (fpeaking comparatively) is but a trifle to this. If our bodily eyes he blinded, we cannot fee the fun, but if our fpiritual eye be blinded, we cannot fee God, we wander in the paths of fin, John ii. II. We are led blindfold to hell by Satan, as the Syrians were in Samaria, 2 Kings vi. 19, 20. And then our eyes like theirs will be opened to fee our mifery when it is too late. "The light of the body is the eye, (faith Chrift). If therefore "thine eye be fingle, thy whole body fhall be full of light; but "if thine cye be evil, thy whole body fhall be full of darkness.

"If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is "that darkness?" Mat. vi. 22, 23. By the eye he means the practical judgment, the understanding faculty, which is the feat for principles, the common treafury of the rules of practice, according unto which a man's life is formed, and his way directed. If therefore that power of the foul be darkened, how great must that darkness be; for now the blind lead the blind, and both fall into the ditch. The blind judgment mifguides the blind-affections, and both fall into hell. O what a fad thing is it, that the devil fhould lead that that leads thee! That he should fit at the helm, and steer thy courfe to damnation! The blinding of this noble faculty precipitates the foul into the most dangerous courses; perfecution, by this means, feems to be true zeal for God, John xvi. 2. "They that perfecute you fhall think that they do God fervice. "Paul once thought verily with himself, that he ought to do many

things contrary to the name of Jefus of Nazareth," Acts xxvi. 9. i. e. He thought the had pleafed God, when he was imprifoning and perfecuting his people, as many do at this day; it will make a man to fin confcientioufly, which is a very dangerous way of finning, and difficult to be reclaimed.

Secondly, It is a dreadful judgment, if we confider the object about which the understanding is blinded, which is Jefus Chrift, and union with him; regeneration, and the nature and neceflity thereof. For this blindnefs is not univerfal, but refpective and particular. A man may have abundance of light and knowledge in things natural and moral; but fpiritual things are hidden from his eyes. Yea, a man may know fpiritual things in a natural way, which increaseth his blindness; but he cannot difcern them spiritually; this is a fore judgment, and greatly to be bewailed. "Thou haft hid thefe things (faid Chrift) from the wife and pru"dent, and haft revealed them unto babes," Mat. xi. 25. Learned and knowing men are ignorant of thofe things, which very babes in Chrift understand. They are prudent in the management of earthly affairs; but to fave their own fouls they have no knowledge. They are able, with Berengarius, to difpute de omni fcibili, of every thing investigable by the light of nature; yea, to open the fcripture folidly, and defend the doctrines and truths of Chrift against his adverfaries fuccefsfully; and yet blinded in the great mystery of regeneration, Blindness in part, (faith the apostle) is happened unto Ifrael? and that indeed was the principal part of knowledge, viz. the knowledge of Jefus Chrift, and him crucified, we fee farther than they. The literal knowledge of Jefus Chrift fhines clearly in our understanding. We are only blinded about those things which fhould give us faving intereft in him, about the effectual application of Chrift to our own fouls.

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Thirdly, The dreadful nature of this fpiritual blindness farther appears from the confideration of the feafon in which it befals men, which is the very time of God's patience, and the only opportunity they have for falvation; after these opportunities are over, their eyes will be opened to fee their mifery, but alas, too late. Upon this account, Chrift fhed thofe tears over Jerufalem, Luke xix. 42. “O that thou hadst known, at least in this thy day, the "things that belong to thy peace; but now they are hid from thine eyes. Now the feafon of grace is paft and gone; oppor tunities are the golden fpots of time, and there is much time in a fhort opportunity, as there are many pieces of filver in one piece of gold. Time fignifies nothing when opportunities are gone; to be blinded in the very feafon of falvation, is the judgment of all judgments, the greatest mifery incident to man; to have our eyes opened when the feafons of falvation are paft, is but an aggravation of mifery: there is a twofold opening of men's eyes to fee their danger, viz.

1. Graciously to prevent danger.

2. Judicially to aggravate inifery.

They whofe eyes are not opened graciously in this world, to fee their difeafe and remedy in Chrift, fhall have their eyes opened judicially in the world to come, to fee their difeafe without any remedy. If God open them now, it is by way of prevention; if they be not opened till then, it will produce defperation.

Fourthly, The horrible nature of this judgment farther appears from the exceeding difficulty of curing it, especially in men of excellent natural endowments and accomplishments, John ix. 40, 41. "And some of the Pharifees which were with him, heard thefe "words, and faid unto him, Are we blind alfo? Jefus faid unto "them, If ye were blind, ye fhould have no fin: but now ye fay, "We fee: therefore your fin remaineth," q. d. the pride and conceitedness of your heart add obftinacy and incurablenefs to your blindness; thefe are "the blind people that have eyes;" Ifa. Ixiii. 8. In feeing they fee not. The conviction of such men is next to an impoffibility.

Fifthly, The defign and end of this blindness under the gospel is moft dreadful; fo faith my text, "The god of this world hath "blinded the minds of them which believe not, left the light " of the glorious gofpel of Chrift, who is the image of God, "fhould fhine unto them." Anfwerable whereunto are thofe words, Ifa. vi. 10. "Make the heart of this people fat, and make

It is a fign of God's displeasure, when men understand not their faults left repentance follow. Cypr. Ep. 2. But to be Imitten with blindness of mind, fo as neither to know nor lament their faults, is a higher evidence of the displeasure of an angry God. Capr. de Laphit.